I am reading Exodus Ark. J.N. Chaney. Young adult sci-fi. Easy reading and no thinking. Like watching a cheesy sci-fi tv show. Some small entertainment since I don't watch tv. I read a lot of these new authors. De-stresses me. And helps me sleep. I've read 74 books this year.
Right now I am too stupid to read anything. Chemo brain + fevers and chills does NOT make you bright. I read one page,and forget everything on it before I can finish the next page.
Hope to participate soon.
Will mention two authors before closing.
Louis L'Amour western author,anything he ever wrote is as good as it gets.
W.E.B Griffin military history from a fictional point of view,but actually writing about real people and real events. I even knew or hear about some of the people in his books from people who did know them.
Absolutely first class,each and every book in the Brotherhood of War series.
Do yourself a favor and start with Book 1,The Lieutenants,and work your way foreward as the books follow the careers of some of these soldiers from right before WW-2,right through the wars in the Muddle East.
Historical fiction (?) just doesn't get any better.
I am reading Exodus Ark. J.N. Chaney. Young adult sci-fi. Easy reading and no thinking. Like watching a cheesy sci-fi tv show. Some small entertainment since I don't watch tv. I read a lot of these new authors. De-stresses me. And helps me sleep. I've read 74 books this year.
I have read every book by Danielle Steel -- easy reads...some are really good plots, some a little cheesy. I call them "escape books". I don't watch tv either.
I'm sensing a pattern here. I don't watch TV, either, except during baseball season. :)
And "escape books" are great - I have read the entire J. D Robb "In Death" series multiple times.
I have read every book by Danielle Steel -- easy reads...some are really good plots, some a little cheesy. I call them "escape books". I don't watch tv either.
There’s a brand new one that just came out by Danielle Steel. “Moral Compassâ€
Does anyone read Oprah’s or Reese Witherspoon’s book of the month?
My favorite historical fiction writer would be Sharon Kay Penman. Love her stuff, and it is accurate
I have read every book by Danielle Steel -- easy reads...some are really good plots, some a little cheesy. I call them "escape books". I don't watch tv either.
Murder mysteries??@libertybele
@libertybele @bigheadfred
Y'all are cheating yourselves by not watching tv. Tv shows ain't the mindless pablum they used to be. Get a ROKU player or a sat dish so you can stream series like "The Wire", "Breaking Bad",""","MI-5","Shameless","The "Vikings","Poldark","Ray Donovan","The Americans","Lonesome Dove",and last but not least by any means,"Shameless".
There is also a lot of good tv series now. Broadcast tv pretty much had to up their game or go out of business.
@libertybele @bigheadfred
Y'all are cheating yourselves by not watching tv. Tv shows ain't the mindless pablum they used to be. Get a ROKU player or a sat dish so you can stream series like "The Wire", "Breaking Bad",""","MI-5","Shameless","The "Vikings","Poldark","Ray Donovan","The Americans","Lonesome Dove",and last but not least by any means,"Shameless".
There is also a lot of good tv series now. Broadcast tv pretty much had to up their game or go out of business.
I do not read horror. Like King or Koontz and nothing too paranormal. Ptsd much.
I don't have anything against it, per se. I just have a genetic hearing-loss condition and it's easier to read than to try to watch/understand a show on TV when I miss half the dialogue.
Once I find an author I like, I tend to try to read everything that person has written, as the local library probably could attest. The preferred genre is suspense/mystery fiction. My favorites - at least, at the moment - are Ruth Rendell and Dean Koontz, but I've gone on streaks of trying to find everything available from Jonathan Kellerman, James Patterson, David Baldacci, Dick Francis, P.D. James, Georges Simenon, Agatha Christie and Patricia Cornwell. The last two I read (this week) were John Le Carre's "Our Kind of Traitor" and Koontz's "False Memory."
Alas, the libary is temporarily closed, although I think I can order books online and pick them up at the curb.
I'm with ya on that ... no paranormal stuff for me either.
I am not familiar with that one, but I love reading speculative fiction and have more than a couple YA titles on my (real-world and digital) bookshelves.
The only book of his that I read was "Last of the Breed". about a Native American pilot that gets shot down in the Soviet Union. He is captured and manages to escape. He is hunted by oned of the captors and has to use all of his training from the military and a relative to evade capture. Loved it.
Louis L'Amour western author,anything he ever wrote is as good as it gets.
@bigheadfred @libertybele
I just tell people I don't like it.
After all,nothing scares me but Dims and Rinos.
The only book of his that I read was "Last of the Breed". about a Native American pilot that gets shot down in the Soviet Union. He is captured and manages to escape. He is hunted by oned of the captors and has to use all of his training from the military and a relative to evade capture. Loved it.
I have read tons of books and used to have the entire Hardy boys collection.I was a huge Hardy Boys fan...Never had them all, but most. I had some Horatio Alger then, too, and a lot of Twain and Conan Doyle. Just reading technical stuff lately, mostly.
I do watch tv. Docs mostly. Prime or YT.
Dick Francis was one that I have read most of his books.
All the Classics. Took class lit in college. And a poetry course. I love Robert Frost.
I was a huge Hardy Boys fan...Never had them all, but most. I had some Horatio Alger then, too, and a lot of Twain and Conan Doyle. Just reading technical stuff lately, mostly.
I was a huge Nancy Drew fan and I when I finished all of those books I began reading the Hardy Boys.When I ran out of Hardy Boys, I read some Nancy Drew books, too. :beer:
When I ran out of Hardy Boys, I read some Nancy Drew books, too. :beer:
Me too.
I like history novels. Gulag Archipelago is a must.
I even took a stab at Plutarch's Lives. Et tu...teehee
I liked The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Poe, said to be among the very first stories in the
Detective Genre. Mrs. Liberty has the collected set of Agatha Christie.
My grandson wants the new Harry Potter, but he looked and they are all sold out. Bummer. If he had grandparents who cared they would have bought a copy weeks before the surge....
He is going to be stoked.
Awesomeness!! The look on his face I'm sure will be priceless.
The only book of his that I read was "Last of the Breed". about a Native American pilot that gets shot down in the Soviet Union. He is captured and manages to escape. He is hunted by oned of the captors and has to use all of his training from the military and a relative to evade capture. Loved it.
Several of you have mentioned Louis L'Amour, and I think he will be my next writer. He was prolific if I recall from looking in the past at his list of books. So a lot to read there.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sackett
My grandson wants the new Harry Potter, but he looked and they are all sold out. Bummer. If he had grandparents who cared they would have bought a copy weeks before the surge....
He is going to be stoked.
Several folks mentioned they love historical fiction. Griffin is great, and I am so happy to see so many interested in the same here. Since this is a site dedicated to politics, it only makes sense we all would have an interest in historical fiction.
I take on a new writer, I tend to read their books chronologically if I can. Several of you have mentioned Louis L'Amour, and I think he will be my next writer. He was prolific if I recall from looking in the past at his list of books.
Not really 'historical fiction' But I was a very big fan of Clive Cussler wrt his first books... Of 'Raise the Titanic' fame... And a later movie, 'Sahara'... The unstoppable Dirk Pitt and his sidekick Al Giordino always lead you down a rollicking tale, and no matter how implausible, there is always an historical element, and classic cars. I lost interest in the later ones... but the first six novels or so are excellent.I agree about Donaldson, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant are a worthy read. I also read many of the backstory volumes to Dune (Frank Herbert), and those were good.
120 or so all told... Very easy to read short stories, about 150 pages... And within the first 5 pages you will have escaped this realm to the sights and smells of the old west... Excellent stories best read in order, but they all stand alone... If you want to escape for an afternoon, there is no better way.
Zane Gray comes close in the same genre. Not quite as good to me, but that is largely because the character interchange in the L'amour books... They are loosely interlaced where Zane's are not.
Max Brand comes to mind as well
I liked the early Cussler best, as well, although some of the later books are pretty good, too.
@verga@sneakypete What is a good one to start with?
They are ALL writen with that same care and attention to details. Trust me.
Wait until you "meet" the Sackett's.
For Sci Fi Fan... My favorite series is Donaldson - The Thomas Covenant Unbeliever series... Probably pretty heavy for a kid... Late teen or more... But I would put it right up there close to Tolkien. Complicated... very good.Just finished the last series of Covenant. I Liked them, but he really could have combined the middle two books into one. I really felt like I was just reading extended travelogue.
Dragon riders of Pern - Anne McCaffery Mid Teen and up... Excellent story, easy reading.
the Pelbar Cycle - Paul O. Williams. Mid Teen and up... More of an after-armeggedon thing, and the reiscovery of old (our) technology... not reallly fantasy, but the story line and characters are serious. He builds an awesome world from the dregs of our own...
Great series... All of them.
l
I have al of his Dirk Pitt. He later stuf has become very formulaic. I has gotten to the point where you can predict where the car chase occurs that destroys his latest acquisition.
I liked the early Cussler best, as well, although some of the later books are pretty good, too.
Also, on the subject of historical fiction, Herman Wouk is one of my favorites. The Winds of War and War and Remembrance were the best for me. Perhaps more than any other character, I fell into the shoes of Victor Henry and could see me being him.@jafo2010
And when they made it into a TV mini series, I enjoyed it, but not as much as the books. However, as is true for me, I have come to embrace the mini series with great joy each time I watch it.
The WWII era was a deadly and tragic time, but the time period was special in the history of mankind. W.E.B. Griffin wrote many of his books in that time period, and perhaps that is why I love his work so, for he does make it quite the adventure.
Just finished the last series of Covenant. I Liked them, but he really could have combined the middle two books into one. I really felt like I was just reading extended travelogue.
I have al of his Dirk Pitt. He later stuf has become very formulaic. I has gotten to the point where you can predict where the car chase occurs that destroys his latest acquisition.
I see lots of past enjoyed reads mentioned here.
Most of my current reading is calming distractions before bed. I am going through Robert B. Parker's Spenser series now. Before that I had enjoyed discovering Donald E. Westlake's, under the pseudonym Richard Stark, Parker series in the same genre.
@sneakypete What is a good one to start with?
I always enjoyed Thurber, @EasyAce Good choice!@mountaineer
I always enjoyed Thurber, @EasyAce Good choice!
@sneakypete What is a good one to start with?
http://louislamour.com/chronology.htmIn fact,you can look at this list of his books and be hard pressed to find one you CAN'T remember being made into one of your favorite western/cowboy movies.
https://www.ebay.com/i/383839697224?rt=nc&_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D225073%26meid%3D9d51b2ef7aed4e34a7958209f0de68c2%26pid%3D100677%26rk%3D15%26rkt%3D30%26mehot%3Dnone%26sd%3D143795834731%26itm%3D383839697224%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2386202%26algv%3DDefaultOrganic
Sackett Land is probably the chronological beginning... But all of them more-or-less stand alone.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sackett
I suppose it would be no surprise, my favorite Sackett would be William Tell Sackett... happy77
@roamer_1
Hard for me to pick a favorite,but if I did,it would be either Logan or Emily Sackett. Anybody that underestimates the toughness and determination of women is a fool. ESPECIALLY a woman with no backup in her and a whole damn pack of blood relatives just like her,willing to come to her aid at the drop of a hat.
...
I like history novels. Gulag Archipelago is a must.
...
Gulag Archipelago isn't a historical novel (and at some 2700 pages in paperback, not a quick read). One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is, though.
Looks like this has worked out nicely with folks talking about what they are reading.
Sneakypete...I have been looking over L'Amour books for sale. Looks like about 122 of them roughly. I wanted to ask if you knew places to buy used books at good prices, better perhaps than Ebay? Prices for L'Amour on Ebay for the brown leatherette books is about $5-6+ a book. There are two folks that have almost all the books for around $1,000+. I have a hard time dropping that much coin at one time on books. So, it would be nice if I could find a better priced site.
That question would apply to anyone that knows better sources for books priced reasonably.
Looks like this has worked out nicely with folks talking about what they are reading.
Sneakypete...I have been looking over L'Amour books for sale. Looks like about 122 of them roughly. I wanted to ask if you knew places to buy used books at good prices, better perhaps than Ebay? Prices for L'Amour on Ebay for the brown leatherette books is about $5-6+ a book. There are two folks that have almost all the books for around $1,000+. I have a hard time dropping that much coin at one time on books. So, it would be nice if I could find a better priced site.
That question would apply to anyone that knows better sources for books priced reasonably.
https://www.amazon.com/Louis-Lamour-Paperback-NovelsShort-StoriesSackett/dp/B00DQCL0US
https://www.amazon.com/Sacketts-Six-Box-Set-Daybreakers/dp/B0031NW6BE/ref=pd_lpo_14_t_1/134-0064900-3752072?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0031NW6BE&pd_rd_r=2d21e27f-061e-4c33-93d7-e6e5feb63777&pd_rd_w=MMdL5&pd_rd_wg=JGJoO&pf_rd_p=7b36d496-f366-4631-94d3-61b87b52511b&pf_rd_r=FTXFKXTXW05JYNHY9YAQ&psc=1&refRID=FTXFKXTXW05JYNHY9YAQ
https://www.ebay.com/b/Louis-LAmour-Books-Western/171228/bn_56928876?norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-153677-346401-4&mkcid=2&keyword=&crlp=307364301297_&MT_ID=&geo_id=&rlsatarget=dsa-19959388920&adpos=&device=c&mktype=&loc=9009866&poi=&abcId=&cmpgn=1615587334&sitelnk=&adgroupid=66643712052&network=g&matchtype=b&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIlY7KkY7m7QIVC4eGCh0w0Q_dEAAYAiAAEgI5-fD_BwE
Looks like this has worked out nicely with folks talking about what they are reading.https://www.alibris.com/search/books/author/Louis-L%27Amour (https://www.alibris.com/search/books/author/Louis-L%27Amour)
Sneakypete...I have been looking over L'Amour books for sale. Looks like about 122 of them roughly. I wanted to ask if you knew places to buy used books at good prices, better perhaps than Ebay? Prices for L'Amour on Ebay for the brown leatherette books is about $5-6+ a book. There are two folks that have almost all the books for around $1,000+. I have a hard time dropping that much coin at one time on books. So, it would be nice if I could find a better priced site.
That question would apply to anyone that knows better sources for books priced reasonably.
Looks like this has worked out nicely with folks talking about what they are reading.
Sneakypete...I have been looking over L'Amour books for sale. Looks like about 122 of them roughly. I wanted to ask if you knew places to buy used books at good prices, better perhaps than Ebay? Prices for L'Amour on Ebay for the brown leatherette books is about $5-6+ a book. There are two folks that have almost all the books for around $1,000+. I have a hard time dropping that much coin at one time on books. So, it would be nice if I could find a better priced site.
That question would apply to anyone that knows better sources for books priced reasonably.
Unless you want to purchase and hold on to the books, you can read them for free at the library. I looked on my local library site and they are available. Just sayin'.
I'm reading exactly nothing as my precious republic is now DEAD, I soon will be, and there no longer is a thing I can do about either.
Only IF they happen to be on the approved stacks list at your local library! Just sayin!
I'm reading exactly nothing as my precious republic is now DEAD, I soon will be, and there no longer is a thing I can do about either.Mao's Little Red Book...Sun Tsu, a few technical bits here and there I had archived long ago...PM8--94
QuoteAnd because all of you sing L'Amour's praises so highly, I am jumping in with both feet. I prefer to read chronologically. I have a bid on 79 of the books right now for a reasonable price. I will buy another lot to get the books I do not get from the first lot, and sell off the duplicates. And begin reading, starting with Hondo.
Thank you all for the guidance. Regarding paperbacks, I prefer hardbacks usually because the print is a hair larger, and I like the feel of a hardback more so than a paperback. But it is largely the ease of reading.
I must admit, this is the primary reason I moved to using the Kindle. I can set the print large enough to read without my glasses. Also, I can reverse it so I get white print on black background for reading in bed at night. I turn the brightness WAY down, turn off most of the blue light for an amber print with the room dark.
I didn't know you can invert the background and words. I will have to tell my wife. She uses Kindle.
I have a lot of sleep problems. When I give up in the night, I like to read. This projects far less light than even a single reading lamp on the pages of a real book.
This lets me stay in bed rather than go to another room to prevent waking my wife.
I have a lot of sleep problems. When I give up in the night, I like to read. This projects far less light than even a single reading lamp on the pages of a real book.
This lets me stay in bed rather than go to another room to prevent waking my wife.
I have a lot of sleep problems. When I give up in the night, I like to read. This projects far less light than even a single reading lamp on the pages of a real book.
This lets me stay in bed rather than go to another room to prevent waking my wife.
Ordered a book with four L'Amour books, and it has Hondo. For whatever reason, many of the lots on Ebay, etc do not have Hondo, so I thought I would order this book with three of the first four books By L'Amour.
I am also bidding on one of the leatherette lots at a reasonable price for me. Will know tomorrow if I get it.
Some of these folks want an arm and a leg.
QuoteSneakypete...like I said, I prefer hardback only because the print is a hair larger and easier to read. And I prefer books versus electronic reading.
@jafo2010
Same here,but for years,if I wanted to read,and I did,economics dominated,and it was paperbacks. I have TWO kindles,and only use them when the power is out. They are better and easier to use that books,but they ain't books. I want to feel and smell the paper.QuoteI haven't checked yet, but I would imagine I could download all of L'Amour from www.bookfi (http://www.bookfi) for free. I literally have hundreds of electronic books from there.
Believe it or not,but that had never even occurred to me.QuoteI just prefer books.
Yeah!
...]Bill O’Reilly’s Legends and Lies; The Civil War, a companion book to a FOX historical docudrama of which I was unaware. The actual author is David Fisher....
This actually is a good book for a Civil War novice, say, a young person never taught actual, true American history in the public schools....Recommended.
I'll finish book 81 for the year tonite.
Do you track those / keep count manually or do you use Goodreads or something like that? I have no idea how many books I've read; I only know how many I listened to because Audible keeps track for me and sends me an email at the end of the year.
@Polly Ticks
Is Audible a on-line book recording service?
I am thinking about oral books because I have had so much trouble concentrating lately. I think maybe books I hear over a headset might be easier to follow.
Do you have any spoken book URL's?
What do they cost per book,and is there a good selection of older as well as newer books?
Do you track those / keep count manually or do you use Goodreads or something like that? I have no idea how many books I've read; I only know how many I listened to because Audible keeps track for me and sends me an email at the end of the year.
I go by how many I return with Kindle Unlimited. These are easy read sci fi or fantasy. 275-350 pages each. I am a quarter through 82 now. I can finish it today if I just go do it. Like I said. I don't watch tv.
Gotcha. I did KU for a while at the first of the year when I was off work on short-term disability, and that's where I found Will Wight's Cradle series. Good entertainment!
I'll check him out. Always trying new authors. I did reread a compilation of Arthur C Clarke's short stories this year. About 1200 pages worth.
@sneakypete
Audible is an Amazon-owned company for audiobooks. There are different memberships available, but the gist of it is that your membership gives you one or more credits that can be used to purchase any audiobook they sell -- one credit = one audiobook. The basic plan is $14.95 for one credit per month. Those books you purchase are yours to keep even if you cancel the membership. They do have a good selection of both older and newer books, yes, although I understand the recording quality sometimes isn't as good on some of the older books.
They've recently started offering a new benefit with your membership that is called Audible Plus. Audible Plus operates more like Netflix ... you can listen to the book, but you don' t get to keep it and the catalog of titles offered changes from time to time. (Side note: I just did a quick search of the Audible Plus catalog out of curiosity, and it currently contains 34 of the Louis L'Amour titles.) If that rental model is more your preference, you are able to purchase a membership that only provides access to the Plus catalog without any credits for $7.95 per month.
They have other membership benefits like a Daily Deal discounted audiobook of the day and they have 2-books-for-1-credit sales fairly frequently, too. Here's the link if you want more info:
https://www.audible.com/ep/audible-member-benefit?pf_rd_p=8b6553b9-a061-4b02-9d16-7947e3a80b89&pf_rd_r=NR295PZT61HAQWR6SNEZ (https://www.audible.com/ep/audible-member-benefit?pf_rd_p=8b6553b9-a061-4b02-9d16-7947e3a80b89&pf_rd_r=NR295PZT61HAQWR6SNEZ)
As far as other URLs, I'm not really sure what else might be out there. You'd think there would be something for audiobooks like Gutenberg does for ebooks, but I don't really know.
Audible is an Amazon-owned company for audiobooks. There are different memberships available, but the gist of it is that your membership gives you one or more credits that can be used to purchase any audiobook they sell -- one credit = one audiobook.
Sneakypete asked:
"Is Audible a on-line book recording service?"
Want more audiobooks than you'll ever be able to listen to?
Just open a browser (I recommend the Epic privacy browser) and enter:
"torrent xxxx audiobook"
... with xxxx representing the name of the book, author, etc.
(As Butch said to Sundance after he placed the dynamite)
"That oughta do it..."
You know, I have tried like crazy to get into audibles... I just can't. It don't work for me, and I can't tell you why.
It is strange to me, because you are talking to the guy who, back in the day, modified industrial earmuffs to receive speakers harvested from walkman earphones so I could listen to Limbaugh and talk radio all day while I was riding around on a garden tractor and running string trimmers and such when I was in lawn and landscaping.
Maybe it's just because I can't soak it in - It's that way now with yoottoob - There have been vids playing all day long while I was sitting here in Command Central, and I couldn't tell you what any of them were. :shrug:
Books are an entertainment to me - a distraction - A way to step out of my day to day... But when I am working I am too focused to be entertained. I just don't hear it as anything other than white noise.
Maybe I ought to try it before bed... I don't know.
You know, I have tried like crazy to get into audibles... I just can't. It don't work for me, and I can't tell you why.
It is strange to me, because you are talking to the guy who, back in the day, modified industrial earmuffs to receive speakers harvested from walkman earphones so I could listen to Limbaugh and talk radio all day while I was riding around on a garden tractor and running string trimmers and such when I was in lawn and landscaping.
Maybe it's just because I can't soak it in - It's that way now with yoottoob - There have been vids playing all day long while I was sitting here in Command Central, and I couldn't tell you what any of them were. :shrug:
Books are an entertainment to me - a distraction - A way to step out of my day to day... But when I am working I am too focused to be entertained. I just don't hear it as anything other than white noise.
Maybe I ought to try it before bed... I don't know.
You just like to listen to yourself talk. :police:
It's a basic progression fantasy ... each book is a 'level-up' for the protagonist. (But not Lit-RPG. I don't really care much for those.) Let me know what you think if you try it out!
I haven't read short story compilations in a long time. Maybe I'll try one of those this coming year.
:beer:
I'll check him out. Always trying new authors. I did reread a compilation of Arthur C Clarke's short stories this year. About 1200 pages worth.Did you ever read the "Rama" series. Enthralled me in High school and college. I would literally wait at the book store for the last two to come out.
Did you ever read the "Rama" series. Enthralled me in High school and college. I would literally wait at the book store for the last two to come out.
I only read the first one... :shrug:If you get a chance add the others.The final one "Rama Revealed" was worth the wait. It is one of those stories that is a slow continuous build to the end.
If you get a chance add the others.The final one "Rama Revealed" was worth the wait. It is one of those stories that is a slow continuous build to the end.
I had the set.
I have the set on my Kindle now.
A friend of Mr. M's gave him some books he'd already read, and so I am diving in. Last night I finished "Killing Patton" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. Our friend also gave us "Killing Reagan" and "Killing England."
The Patton book suggests that the general was the victim of a murder plot, that the traffic "accident" that paralyzed him was no accident at all. O'Reilly and Dugard are not the only ones to think so; I've just come upon this 2012 article (https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2012/11/the_mysterious_death_of_gen_george_s_patton.html)in The American Thinker on the same topic. Interesting.
As an aside, a great-great-grandfather on my father's side served under Patton's grandfather, Col. George Patton, during the Civil War.
The book summarizes the Third Army's activities from late 1944 to the end of the war, e.g., Battle of the Bulge, and Patton's disagreements with Eisenhower, Bradley, et al., in the context of the approach of the Soviets, the liberation of Auschwitz and other events at the end of the war.
I've just started reading a book about Fort Knox...
but I'm finding it really hard to get into!!..
https://www.howtoread.me/the-courtney-series-in-order/
A friend of Mr. M's gave him some books he'd already read, and so I am diving in. Last night I finished "Killing Patton" by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. Our friend also gave us "Killing Reagan" and "Killing England."Finished "Killing Reagan" this morning. Good background on Ron and Nancy, pre-political years, their strengths and failings, the assassination attempt and on his decline.
O'Reilly's books are interesting, but they are suspect for the truth! He still stands by the moronic notion that Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed JFK. Nothing could be further from the truth!!They're kind of like "history lite," which might inspire the reader to delve deeper.
Gotcha. I did KU for a while at the first of the year when I was off work on short-term disability, and that's where I found Will Wight's Cradle series. Good entertainment!
I have read the first two Cradle books and downloaded three and four.
IMHO he is an excellent writer!!
I just read "Wildfire (Kelly Turnbull Book 3)" by Kurt Schlichter. Fun book.Kurt is one of my favorites on Twitter.
Kurt is one of my favorites on Twitter.
Book six of will Wight's Cradle series. Gonna try for that 100 books this year. He is a change of pace for me. 8 books in this series. I've been reading and staying away from the MSM.
I've been reading and staying away from the MSM.
After reading four Bill O'Reilly books in quick succession, I'm in a bit of a lull (also a little burned out on history). I'm not sure whether the local library is open ('rona, dontchaknow) but if not, I can still go to the website and request a book, which they will deliver at the curb.
Well, obviously you liked them all? I haven't read any of his books.
Book six of will Wight's Cradle series. Gonna try for that 100 books this year. He is a change of pace for me. 8 books in this series. I've been reading and staying away from the MSM.
Good plan!
I'm thinking (or maybe just hoping?) the 9th book might be out by late summer or thereabouts. Wight has been a very prolific writer. And as a bonus, he generally makes the Kindle versions of his previous books in the series available for free when he does a new release.
Thanks for the tip.
I'm going to try more of his books after this series.
I’ve been learning French on the Duolingo app for a little over a year. It’s been kinda slow and steady, the old gray cells aren’t what they use to be.
So I’m now trying to read some beginning children’s books in francais. Tres difficle
Way to go, never stop learning.
Well, obviously you liked them all? I haven't read any of his books.Like I said somewhere, they're a good introduction to history. They probably shouldn't be considered the final authority. I do appreciate the way they introduce the characters, though. It was nice to learn more about Gen. Patton, for example, because my great-great-grandfather served under Patton's grandfather in the Civil War.
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51fVjknDr4L._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Just picked this up. Not sure when I will get to it, tho.
Finished Hondo by Louis L'Amour. Simple story, interesting, and a fast read. On to the next book.
Finished Hondo by Louis L'Amour. Simple story, interesting, and a fast read. On to the next book.
Finished up Clive Cussler's "The Titanic secret", ordered the first three in the Series and am in the Middle of Cussler's Arctic Drift.
I want to finish up all of his Dirk Pitt stuff before summer. Should be easy enough, they're not "deep" reads. I was nice to see that his car did not get destroyed in a shoot out car chase this time (So far).
The thing I have against Cussler is the necessary suspension of disbelief... The first books were outlandish, but a rollicking story made it work... As I went on, the impossibility of the stories began to rub me wrong. :shrug:
I think they were good. I think he had someone else writing a lot of later stuff. And I agree with you on the superhero aspect.
On book eight of the Cradle. Need to finish it up and one more for the month. Nine books a month is my goal.
The only book I’ve ever read with “Cradle†in the title was “Cat’s Cradleâ€, by Vonnegut. I loved it but I realize that Kurt Vonnegut may not be for everyone. Most of my classmates in an English course when we were reading “Slaughterhouse Five†really disliked it.
Your classmates would have liked Breakfast of Champions better...
The only book I’ve ever read with “Cradle†in the title was “Cat’s Cradleâ€, by Vonnegut. I loved it but I realize that Kurt Vonnegut may not be for everyone. Most of my classmates in an English course when we were reading “Slaughterhouse Five†really disliked it.Never read "Cat's Cradle". Loved "Breakfast of Champions" and "Slapstick"
Vonnegut, read everything he wrote up to Breakfast of Champions. I thought it was mediocre. However, back in my university days, I thought Cat's Cradle was one of my favorite stories. I also loved Slaughterhouse Five. It was a difficult book to follow, and I can see why folks might not like it or find it difficult to follow.
Some 30 years after I read Cat's Cradle, I was sick in bed and decided to read it again. I hate to say this, but I could not remotely understand why I liked the book. I was not impressed.
Vonnegut, read everything he wrote up to Breakfast of Champions. I thought it was mediocre. However, back in my university days, I thought Cat's Cradle was one of my favorite stories. I also loved Slaughterhouse Five. It was a difficult book to follow, and I can see why folks might not like it or find it difficult to follow.I liked the idea of Ice-9
Some 30 years after I read Cat's Cradle, I was sick in bed and decided to read it again. I hate to say this, but I could not remotely understand why I liked the book. I was not impressed.
Just cranked through four L'Amour books. Easy reads. He is very descriptive with his writing.
Got 69 of his books, and negotiating for another 52 more books which will give me a near complete set of his books. I hope to read them all this year, in addition to my normal reading.
Got this today. I wanted to start it tonight but decided to get drunk and Internet instead. It's another story about my family's history in founding San Antonio, 1731.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/hdgAAOSw5CZcw7EI/s-l500.jpg)
I am reading "Neighbors" one of Danielle Steel's newest books. It's a light, easy read and I'm enjoying it. Read almost half of the book last night.
I looked up the L'Amour books, I didn't realize that they were fictional history; my fave. Anyone have a favorite??
I wake up daily, no wood to cut for warmth, I can prepare a meal in a few minutes that will feed us for five days, and stored in a refrigerator to keep it fresh. Everything is grown for me, and all I need do is buy it and eat it. And so far, life has been safe for me and my family. No one threatening us with our life, no wild animals looking to make me dinner, no diseases to contend with, etc.
I had no idea of your family's history. I'll have to give it a read.
My Great, Great, Great Grandfather was PT Barnum. We don't talk about it much....
Just starting "Kolyma Tales" by Varlam Shalamov, semi-autobiographical short stories about life in the Soviet labor camps of far north-eastern Siberia:That sounds interesting. Do you have a link to the download?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolyma_Tales
I had seen these mentioned while reading The Gulag Archipelago, so I hunted it up and downloaded it...
Smokin' Joe wrote:Thanks. I wasn't going to sign up for a 50 buck a month thingy, so I just bought a copy...
"That sounds interesting. Do you have a link to the download?"
Can't remember exactly where I found it, but try this:
Open a search engine (I used and recommend the "Epic privacy browser" for this task) and enter:
"epub Kolyma Tales"
That should do it.
The first hit may be all you need.
Lov3ed the Amazon Prime series.
Will start Phillip Dick's "The Man In The High Castle" tomorrow...
Lov3ed the Amazon Prime series.
I am on book 12 of a 14 book series that mixes MASH, Star Wars, and Apocalypse Now. 23rd book this year.
Haven’t gotten around to see this, but I hear only good things.I enjoyed WandaVision, Vergaette was So-so about it.
Off topic, I really want to see Wandavision, but I don’t have Disney+
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51xAy4jseHL.jpg)
A great story about my favorite airplane.
@andy58-in-nh
I understand there is now and has been for years,a jet that is able to fly low and slow,and haul an insane amount of ordinance while doing so. I read a few years back about the AF wanting to declare it obsolete and to get rid of it,and the army screamed so loud about this even the Pentagram heard it and kept that in active service.
Yep, the A-10! Fantastic aircraft.
Yep, the A-10! Fantastic aircraft.
@sneakypete
@BassWrangler
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Douglas_A-1_Skyraider_%2819890269769%29.jpg)
A-1 Skyraider
(https://images02.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/2019-10/a-10-combat-air-patrol-3000.jpg?itok=8XH-08fT)
A-10 Warthog
Both are awesome aircraft, but I was always kinda partial to the A-10 because you really can't not love a close-air support machine with a 30mm Gatling gun in its nose.
@sneakypete
@BassWrangler
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Douglas_A-1_Skyraider_%2819890269769%29.jpg)
A-1 Skyraider
(https://images02.military.com/sites/default/files/styles/full/public/2019-10/a-10-combat-air-patrol-3000.jpg?itok=8XH-08fT)
A-10 Warthog
Both are awesome aircraft, but I was always kinda partial to the A-10 because you really can't not love a close-air support machine with a 30mm Gatling gun in its nose.
@bigheadfred
I have to ask, what is that series?
The Warthog. Great Weapon.
Official Thread Hijack.
There used to be a video. POISONOUS LEGACY. Can't find it now. Look up depleted uranium.
We fired TONS of uranium shells in several conflicts. That sh*t has some long term effects.
We are using nuclear weapons all the effing time.
@bigheadfred
I am well be wrong because my memory sucks these days,but I THINK the USAF and USN fighters were firing them in VN?
I THINK they were mostly fired in 20 and 30 mm rounds,and were "tank killers".
BTW,I went to the page about the AI Skyraiders,and damned if there isn't a hour + afteraction review of the Hatchet Force Platoon I was a member that went into Laos on Operation Tailwind. I got medievaced the day before or the same day they went in,after having visited 3 or 4 different military doctors about the severe rash I had all over my back and shoulders from my previous mission. They were calling it "Tropical Acne" back then,but we know it as "Agent Orange" these days. Probably saved my life because every man that went on that mission was either wounded or killed,and the guy that replaced me was killed in less than 10 minutes into his very first firefight. Didn't know what was going on because firefights can be confusing if you have never been in one,so he stood up to look around,and a NVA round took the top of his head off.
While all this was going on,I was flying back home.
I will probably post that video after I have watched it all.
Some people think this is the source of "gulf war syndrome" that has been reported by so many GW veterans
@BassWrangler
I'm with "some people".
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51xAy4jseHL.jpg)I'll have to check that out. (My favorite, too).
A great story about my favorite airplane.
Some people think this is the source of "gulf war syndrome" that has been reported by so many GW veteransMe, too.
@BassWrangler
I'm with "some people".
It would make sense. The only other theory I've heard that seems plausible is exposure to the chemical agents that we know Saddam had at one point.Now that you mention those, either or both may be causative. Nasty stuff is nasty stuff, and there are a host of symptoms for the syndrome.
Now that you mention those, either or both may be causative. Nasty stuff is nasty stuff, and there are a host of symptoms for the syndrome.
@BassWrangler @Smokin Joe
And I have no doubt whatsoever there are chemical compounds in existence that none of us have even heard rumors about.
I have been reading L'Amour books, enjoying them. His writing gets better with each book.
This will make you laugh. I am having western dreams. Like I am Utah Blaine, etc Vivid dreams. I woke up one morning exhausted after being chased all night.
BTW, I tested positive for COVID. I think this is the 2nd time I am having this. I believe I had it in January, 2020. Pretty debilitating. I was so weak yesterday, it took all my energy to stand up out of a chair. Talk about weak!!!
This is a bio weapon. No mystery about it, and we have an administrator that is a pawn of China as POTUS. I say we start a recall of this dumb f*&^!!!!!!!!!
Ice-9.
Wasn’t that “Cat’s Cradle†by Vonnegut?
@Cyber Liberty
I just finished "The Man in the High Castle" by Philip Dick, an alternate-future novel about if Japan and Germany had defeated the USA in World War II. Ultimately, I found it to be a letdown with no clearly-defined ending.
Just started another alternate-future novel entitled "Bring the Jubilee", which supposes the South won the War Between the States instead of the Union...
I am going to look for the Oera Linda Book.
I believe our true history has been subverted, changed.
They say this book is fantasy. I doubt that.
https://www.amazon.com/Oera-Linda-Book-Manuscript-Thirteenth/dp/1104318024
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/40986/40986-h/40986-h.htm
Just finished book 11 of L'Amour. To Tame a Land, and I could not put it down. Read it in one sitting.
It has been a long time since I read a book I could not put down, like 15 years. It was called Forward to Camelot, by Susan Sloate. A time travel story tied to JFK's assassination.
Just finished book 11 of L'Amour. To Tame a Land, and I could not put it down. Read it in one sitting.
It has been a long time since I read a book I could not put down, like 15 years. It was called Forward to Camelot, by Susan Sloate. A time travel story tied to JFK's assassination.
@jafo2010Frankly I am afraid to try his stuff. I have 2 more Clive Cussler "Dirk Pitt" books to finish, 12 of his "Isaac Bell", and 11 or 12 of the "Oregon Files" to catch up on. Right now that is about 6 months of solid reading ahead of me.
I have never heard of anyone who read a Louis L'Amour book that didn't like it.
Frankly I am afraid to try his stuff. I have 2 more Clive Cussler "Dirk Pitt" books to finish, 12 of his "Isaac Bell", and 11 or 12 of the "Oregon Files" to catch up on. Right now that is about 6 months of solid reading ahead of me.
I agree with sneakypete. One of the nice things of L'Amour is that his books are short, and you can crank them out quickly. Many of them are less than 100 pages, so depending on how fast you read, they can be easily read in a 2-4 hours.
I have about 70 of them, still shopping for the rest.
/quote]@sneakypete, @jafo2010 you two are a bad influence on me and now you are ganging up on me. :nono: :beer:
I agree with sneakypete. One of the nice things of L'Amour is that his books are short, and you can crank them out quickly. Many of them are less than 100 pages, so depending on how fast you read, they can be easily read in a 2-4 hours.
I have about 70 of them, still shopping for the rest.
/quote]@sneakypete, @jafo2010 you two are a bad influence on me and now you are ganging up on me. :nono: :beer:
@verga
Suck it up,buttercup!
Chinese Girl in the Ghetto
The book starts with several experiences of the author's early childhood in Guangzhou China. When she was 10 (1984 or 1985) her family moved to the US, specifically to Oakland.
Reading Advise & Consent right now. Not the best written book, but it is a page-turner. I love how it shows the press for the weasels they have always been.
I still love this.....
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_piXE8lFEABo/TRLipBNPn9I/AAAAAAAAA_c/YhNont82S_I/s1600/cats.jpg[/i[quote author=Cyber Liberty link=topic=423031.msg2418074#msg2418074 date=1619193873]
I still love this.....
[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_piXE8lFEABo/TRLipBNPn9I/AAAAAAAAA_c/YhNont82S_I/s1600/cats.jpg)
I still love this.....
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_piXE8lFEABo/TRLipBNPn9I/AAAAAAAAA_c/YhNont82S_I/s1600/cats.jpg)
Working through "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes [1988].
Not for the feint-hearted, but I'll keep at it.
900+ page pdf, I can do a chapter a day (30+/- pages).
It's more than you think. His beginning goes back to Ernest Rutherford and the beginnings of atomic theory in the early 1900's...
https://www.amazon.com/Reflections-Warrior-Sergeant-Major-Miller/dp/B005KDHD16/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=reflections+of+a+warrior&qid=1621584963&sr=8-3
Reflections of a Warrior,by SGM/RETIRED Franklin D.Miller
Miller spent over 5 years running recon missions into Laos and Cambodia with MACV-SOG during the VN war,and finally ended up being awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions during his last mission.
This is not your typical "blood and guts" combat book. Yes,it does have some of that,especially towards the end and his final mission,but it's most about the typical life of the typical guys that ran the SOG missions,who they were,and how they lived,partied,and otherwise conducted themselves both in the bush and when not in the bush.
Lots of funny stuff for people who have some experience with combat units,and it might even be funny to those of you who have never heard or fired a shot in combat. SOG was an all-volunteer unit and you could quit any time you want with no negative consequences to your career. The reason for this is some years,some SOG units had a 100 percent casualty rate. Which meant that everyone that served on a recon team or a Hatchet Force platoon was wounded at least once,which was probably 95 percent of the people assigned to a SOG camp. We had very few support people because those jobs were usually taken by wounded SOG members who had nothing else to do while they healed up. The only exception I can think of off-hand were the mess sgt and the motor sgt.
We also had 2 NCO's and one officer at Kontum whose jobs were to provide food. They would travel around VN trading captured enemy weapons,uniforms,flags,etc,etc,etc for cases of steaks,air-conditioners for our team rooms,the NCO club,the mess hall,and the other buildings. They also traded for the lumber,cement,etc,etc,etc to build and maintain those buildings.
I honestly don't know how we ended up with an actual motor sgt at Kontum because we weren't even authorized any vehicles,and every single truck and jeep we had we got by stealing them from the 4th Infantry Division. The motor sgt took care of repainting them with new unit designations and new numbers as well as any repairs they might need.
The mess sgt obviously supervised the menus,the cooking,and the waitresses in the chow hall and the NCO club.
The supply sgt was a rotating job for the wounded recon and HF guys,and their job was to pretty much give you anything you asked for when you went in there,which they happily did if it was available,and if it wasn't,it was put on the shopping list.
Everybody else was on a team,a member of a platoon,or S-1 ,S-2,or S-3.
As for the teams and platoons,there was always a lot of crossovers as wounded members were replaced by healthy members,and people on one team would volunteer to go out on missions with other teams that had friends as "strap hangers" when their own teams hadn't been assigned a new mission and they had the time. This served a couple of positive purposes. One was you got to see how other teams operated and maybe pick up on some patrol/mission tips that hadn't been obvious to you to use on your own team. Another was it helped to be familiar with how a specific team operated in case they went MIA on a mission,and your team was tasked with going to to find them or what happened to them.
Anyhow,I can honestly say I was never assigned to any other unit where so many people were constantly laughing and joking and having fun. Part of this is because if you were a team leader like Miller,YOU made every decision about your team,including who was on it. If you didn't want someone,they didn't get on your team. If you wanted someone to get the boot,they got the boot. Each team was it's own little kingdom,and troublemakers didn't last long before being sent back to Nha Trang for reassignment.
Before you begin to think being in SOG was like being in a dictatorship,keep in mind that anyone could quit at any time they wanted with no questions and no negative reports in their personnel files. The only exception to this is if your team had already been notified and briefed on an upcoming mission. If that happened,you could still quit,but ONLY after completing THAT mission.
VERY casual duty. Pretty much everybody there called everybody else by their first names. The only obvious exception I can think of is the camp Commander,who was a Lt Colonel. You addressed him by his rank. Then again,our camp commander when I was there was fond of wearing stuff like madras bermuda shorts with Beethoven t-shirts and a old fishing hat around the camp,so you had to know who he was to address him by his rank. We had a standing rule in camp that nobody saluted anybody below the rank of full General,so there wasn't a lot of time wasted saluting people.
If you had just came in from a 5 day (for example) mission,you got 5 days off,and were free to go anywhere in VN you wanted to go. You just told the team leader where you were going so he would know where to call if something came up,and went into the orderly room and typed up your own bogus travel orders. I once left VN for a week and went to Okinawa to ride the motorcycle I had left there and to visit with friends by having orders typed up identifying me as a Top Secret Courier. This even allowed me to fly there and back for free. I just stopped by Group Headquarters in Nha Trang and told the Group SGM what I was doing,and asked him if he had any "Safe Hands" going to Okinawa that he wanted me to deliver to the 1st Group on Okie. He and I had known each other while stationed on Okinawa,when I was a nothing and nobody E-4 and he was the SGM of B Company.
Try that in a regular unit,and heads would explode. Chances are they would lock you up as an attempted deserter.
Anyhow,all this serves as background for the type of soldiers that populated the various SOG camps,so do NOT expect the typical "blood and guts" war book. DO expect to read a lot of funny stuff,though.
And all of it true. I knew Miller very well and heard about or knew about all the stuff as it happened. He and I were planning a trip to Russia together right after the collapse,when he came down with an infection from a blood transfusion in 1969,and died.
BTW,even after being shot up and losing a lung on his last mission,Miller had to be tricked to get him to leave VN. He thought he was flying to a briefing in Saigon,and someone drugged his drink. When he got his wits about him again,he was already on a jet flying to the US
At one time his children were receiving all the royalties from his book sales,and I suspect this is still true.
The book is also available on Kindle,but I'm not sure if any of the photos are available with the Kindle edition.
Just finished the book @sneakypete and thoroughly enjoyed it. Looks like he and I missed each other by a few months. We were both in country during 66-67 but he didn't make it to SOG until well after I was gone. Not sure they make them like that anymore.
The Adversaries: A Story of Boston and Bunker Hill Paperback – June 14, 2021Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096WJZLHN/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1623838744&sr=8-3)
by Ned Ryun (Author)
Boston, September 1774. It is the confrontation that changes the course of history ... for England and for America. The tension between the colonies and Britain has reached a breaking point. The British are determined to tighten their grip on the colonies, but have underestimated the resolve of their subjects in Boston who refuse to bend the knee.
From the salons of London, where English elites plot the crushing of the colonies as coolly as playing a game of chess, to the halls of Philadelphia where firebrands challenge the British resolve, and to the backstreets of Boston where men who once called each other brothers in arms now plot against and fight each other for the Crown or for liberty, this compelling story tells the tale of the nine months that transformed the world.
In The Adversaries the men and women - who packed the powder keg and lit the fuse to the revolution that transformed distant colonies into a beacon of liberty - come to life on the streets of London, Boston, and Charlestown in a compelling and dramatic narrative of tested loyalties and fateful meetings. ...
Haven't read it yet, but plan to purchase:Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B096WJZLHN/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1623838744&sr=8-3)
Ned Ryun is the son of former Rep. (and world-class miler) Jim Ryun. He writes for American Greatness and is CEO at American Majority.
@sneakypete
My "Reflections of a Warrior," has been delayed until June 26-28. Be in touch with you then.
Operational Considerations for Community Isolation Centers
Griffin is one of my favorite authors.
The series you are talking about is Clandestine Operations
Book I Top Secret
Book II The Assassination Option
Book III Curtain of Death
Book IV Death at Nuremberg
Book V The Enemy of My Enemy
In my humble opinion, this series is the weakest of all his series. He hasn't published in two years after cranking out two books a year for most years. Not sure what is going on. They could use shadow writers like the Clancy dynasty, which has produced some great books. Command Authority is one of the best book issued in his name since he passed away.
I’m looking for a really good books on The Vikings.
Any suggestions would be appreciated
Also any books on Viking Mythology.
I assume you've read the books by TWB?
“Becoming Trader Joe”, by Joe Coulombe
The man who started the grocery store chain Trader Joe’s describes how he did it. I’m liking it because I enjoy shopping at TJ’s, but I’d recommend it for anyone who is in business school as well.
BIG W.E.B Griffin fan.
Nearest one to me is a 4-hour drive. :shrug:That's close. My nearest is over 600 miles away. I think the ice cream might melt on the way home... :shrug:
That's close. My nearest is over 600 miles away. I think the ice cream might melt on the way home... :shrug:
That's close. My nearest is over 600 miles away. I think the ice cream might melt on the way home... :shrug:
Working on book #3 of the Isaac Bell series by Clive Cussler. Fast moving and interesting historical fiction.
Their ice cream is the bomb. Up until a few years ago, I’d have to go to another state to shop at TJ’s.Well, the closest is only one state over--in Minnesota. That's still over 600 miles from here.
@verga@sneakypete His son Dirk haws taken over the reins and is releasing a new on November 2nd.
You can count me in as one of the many,many,Clive Cussler fans.
W. E. B. Griffin and Clive Cussler are good, but Tom Clancey was the absolute master of this genre IMHO.I view Clancy as Technofiction, and Cussler's Isaac Bell as Historical fiction.
W. E. B. Griffin and Clive Cussler are good, but Tom Clancey was the absolute master of this genre IMHO.
@Bigun
You obviously haven't read W.E.B Griffins early books,like The Corps,and The Brotherhood of War. Both start immediately prior to WW-2. Right up there with Louis L'Amour as the best stuff I ever read.
Any of you ever read/subscribe to "Issac Asimov's Science Fiction and Fact" magazine?I read it years (20+) ago. I thought the quality went down a little after he passed.
I read it years (20+) ago. I thought the quality went down a little after he passed.
@vergaI agree, there is just something about the feel and smell of a book. The Kindle is nice and portable for a hundred books or so, but you just can't beat a book.
I am embarrassed to admit I subscribed to their digital version,and then never got around to downloading any issues to my Kindle.
Mostly because I never use the Kindle. I am a geezer,and love the smell and feel of actual books/magazines.
I agree, there is just something about the feel and smell of a book. The Kindle is nice and portable for a hundred books or so, but you just can't beat a book.
Any of you ever read/subscribe to "Issac Asimov's Science Fiction and Fact" magazine?Not since the 70s.
I am that way... My Biblical library has all been converted to electronic, and I like it for the searching capability... All I need is to recall a partial phrase and I can search my whole library for instances - such a convenience, and so good for discovery - I have found things that I never had a chance of finding searching old skool books. And I love that I can adjust font and type - I never have to find my danged ol glasses.I don't know if you are familiar with "CCEL" Christian Classic Ethereal Library. They have been converting the writings of the great thinkers to digital. They are faithful translations from the original text of some of the greatest theological literature of history.
But that is for study. For readings sake, for pleasure, I need the smell and feel... I need to turn the page. :beer:
I don't know if you are familiar with "CCEL" Christian Classic Ethereal Library. They have been converting the writings of the great thinkers to digital. They are faithful translations from the original text of some of the greatest theological literature of history.
Yes, I am familiar... Albeit that I only know of the online resource... If they have software I am unaware. A good site, nonetheless, and it is in my bookmarks. :beer:I purchased a CD from them years(20+) ago. IO just checked the site, but did not see that it was still available.
I'm re-reading books I hadn't looked at since High School....1984 and Animal Farm.
Usually, just two things, the news (here and few other places) and the Bible nightly. I am a slow reader.Right now I am reading the Clive Cussler, Oregon Files. I read Dirk Cussler's Continuation of the Dirk Pitt series, and enjoyed it quite a bit. Slightly different format than Clive used, but still a good read.
I'm currently getting through a list of David Baldacci novels ...
Good stuff!Yes, very good. Once I read a book I like, I tend to read everything the author has written until I've exhausted the library's supply. There's still a large number of unread Baldacci books at our library.
Yes, very good. Once I read a book I like, I tend to read everything the author has written until I've exhausted the library's supply. There's still a large number of unread Baldacci books at our library.
Right now I am reading the Clive Cussler, Oregon Files. I read Dirk Cussler's Continuation of the Dirk Pitt series, and enjoyed it quite a bit. Slightly different format than Clive used, but still a good read.
I did Pre-order Jack Du Brul's continuation of the Isaac Bell series. That comes out Nov. 8th.
I ought to pick Cussler back up... Somewhere right around Sahara I put him down and wandered off... Suspension of belief was becoming an effort.I think you might like the Isaac Bell stuff. Not a formulaic as the Pitt series and he weaves a good tale in them.
I think you might like the Isaac Bell stuff. Not a formulaic as the Pitt series and he weaves a good tale in them.
Thank you... I will look into that. :beer:Just a quick heads up, they mostly go in chronological order, but one of them, I can't remember which is his first case with the agency. There is also a "crossover" with Dirk Pitt.
Last book:
"Lonesome Melodies", a biography of The Stanley Brothers (of Virginia), Ralph and Carter.
Current book:
"Agenda 21 - Into the Shadows", the second "Agenda 21" novel by Glenn Beck and Harriet Parke.
Nicolas Creel, a super-rich arms dealer, decides that the best way to boost his business is to start a new cold war - and he won't let anything or anyone get in his way.It's all phony, invented by defense contractor Creel and his PR guy, and spread via social media.
As international tensions rise and the superpowers line up against each other, the lives of three very different people will never be the same again. ...
Rendezvous with Rama, by Arthur C. Clark.@Kamaji One of my favorite series.
Rendezvous with Rama, by Arthur C. Clark.
A good read. Catch all three! I did just this year. I read the first Rama when I was in High School.....
Trying to see if I can find the next one in a “free” pdf form. I read it years ago, but can’t find my old copy, and paperbacks have become way too expensive to just buy another copy.
Trying to see if I can find the next one in a “free” pdf form. I read it years ago, but can’t find my old copy, and paperbacks have become way too expensive to just buy another copy.
@Kamaji
Do you know any used book stores? I’m sure there might be some amazing ones in your neck of the woods. Does The Strand sell used books?
I’ve found some real bargains when I’ve been at used book stores.
Also libraries have a used book section where they sell old books and all profits go back to support the library,
I honestly can't remember the last time I bought a new book.
@Gefn
Didn't mean to step on your toes. I wrote my pretty much identical reply before I saw yours.
I just finished reading a Stuart Woods novel,and the best I can say about it is that it sucked. I have read many of his books,and this is the first one I can say this about.
I kept reading it because I have enjoyed so many of his books in the past,and I kept hoping it would get better.
It didn't.
It was one of those "alter ego" Barrington Stone novels. BTW,I got it for free out of the bookshelf at the cancer doc's office,and that is where it will be going the next time I go there,along with a few other books.
I will get the actual name and post it here the next time I go to the car.
Chiefs was his best work, imho.
@Gefn
His crime novels are excellent,but this book sucked. Apparently there is a whole series based on this billionaire,and I won't be reading any more of them. Not even if they are free.
@KamajiThrift stores, used book stores, even pawn shops...
3 words. "Used Book Stores".
Also,don't forget to check your local library. They get used books from estates for free,and after they have been checked out a few times,they go up for sale at dirt cheap prices. If they have any,they will be in a special book shelf dedicated to used books.
I honestly can't remember the last time I bought a new book.
Thrift stores, used book stores, even pawn shops...
I broke down and bought one new book in the past year, just because it was a title unlikely to be found used.
@Smokin JoeI agree. I have books from back into the mid 1700s, and nothing feels or smells like that old paper but more of it...Every era has its own feel, smell, and sadly, some of those decades are downright fragile because of the acid content in the paper. But I am with you, that sensation is part of the experience. I am both proud of and a little jealous of my niece, who spent her grad school years in Europe translating medieval manuscripts, stuff far older than I will ever get to handle. Still, the experience would have been wasted on me, simply because I lack her gift for languages.
I am such a book junkie that the two tablets I have stay at home unused unless there is a power break,and I need the backlighted option to read. Haven't used either in years,so for all I know the batteries won't take a charge anymore. Truth to tell,I had even forgotten I owned them until I stumbled across them last week while looking for something else.
Tablets are great,but you can't smell or feel the paper.
Thrift stores, used book stores, even pawn shops...
I broke down and bought one new book in the past year, just because it was a title unlikely to be found used.
All of the parks around here have 'Little Free Libraries' where you take a book and leave a book. It's kind of neat and the selection is limited, so I use the local library much more often.
(https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/PpBvoCWbc1cIOE64N9Y9Uw/o.jpg)
@libertybele
The cancer clinic where I get treatment/tests does this. I usually get one and drop off one or two every time I go there.
Which is not as often as it used to be. I went from Stage 4 Terminal to testing negative for Lymphoma after just 3 weeks of starting to take the capsules I wrote about earlier on another thread.
Used to go twice a month for Pet Scans.
Then once a month.
The cancer doc told me today my new schedule is once every 3 months.
You captured a pic I was trying to readjust (sigh) -- but anyways, I did read about you taking capsules. What a wonderful miracle drug!!
I am very happy for you @sneakypete
@libertybele
PLEASE feel free to pass that info on to anyone you know or meet that has been told they have terminal cancer.
Thank you. I only wish my father was still alive, chemo took his life within 6 mos. I wonder if it works for rare cysts?? Maybe worth a try.
@libertybele
When you are out of options,anything is worth a try.
I could do surgery, but the success rate is not great with a 50% chance of surgery making symptoms worse and the recovery is usually about 18 - 24 mos; long term success rate isn't good either.
Current book:
"Collapse" by Kurt Schlichter. It's one of his fiction series.
Thank you. I only wish my father was still alive, chemo took his life within 6 mos. I wonder if it works for rare cysts?? Maybe worth a try.
I’d give everything for five more minutes with our friend, it’s still painful and raw from missing him.
Just started Francis Fukuyama’s “The Origins of Political Order”
I've been reading a few Nelson DeMille books, including Night Fall, which revolves around the crash of TW800 in 1996 and the possible federal coverup of its true cause. Very good. (The subject matter appealed to me because I knew a TW flight attendant who was supposed to work that flight, but switched with someone else for that JFK-CDG run).
The author appeared on Jesse Watters' show recently to tout his latest, The Maze.
Excellent author! Never fails to entertain and inform.Yes, between DeMille, Deutermann and Baldacci, I'm learning a lot about the workings of government and the military.
I'm finally reading "The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women". I've been meaning to read it for awhile, but I generally read more after baseball season is over.
Definitely a fascinating book.
It is a wonderful account of the watch and dial manufacturing industry, much of it in Ottawa, Illinois. I visited some of the sites there including The Radium Girl statue.
I never Read the book but I saw the movie which came out in 2020 based on the book.
Highly recommend.
@Polly Ticks
My book club picked this book for this month and I can’t put it down.
“The Measure” by Nikki Erlick.
It’s a book from “Read with Jenna” - I didn’t know she had a book following like Oprah or Reese.
We’re going to discuss it this afternoon.
Oh, that sounds like an interesting one. I might have to check it out.
I finished "The Radium Girls" and stared "Orconomics".
FORCIBLE ENTRYWow. Pretty serious systems for locking doors in those parts...which says a lot about the neighborhoods. Thanks for the link!
REFERENCE GUIDE
TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURES
https://ia800207.us.archive.org/15/items/FDNYforcibleEntryReferenceGuide/FDNY_Forcible_entry_reference_guide.pdf
Oh, that sounds like an interesting one. I might have to check it out.
I finished "The Radium Girls" and stared "Orconomics".
Finished Lord of the Rings again.
How many times does that make?
I think 3 or 4 over 30 years.
It's one of those books (or set of books) that one can just keep re-reading. I've read it about 8 times through over about 40 years.
It's one of those books (or set of books) that one can just keep re-reading. I've read it about 8 times through over about 40 years.
Tolkien created such a detailed world that like a good movie you always pick up something new. And he was middle aged when he wrote it, and now being similar in age you pick up alot more things that he was trying to communicate.
In many ways it's a masterful book.
Tolkien created such a detailed world that like a good movie you always pick up something new. And he was middle aged when he wrote it, and now being similar in age you pick up alot more things that he was trying to communicate.
In many ways it's a masterful book.
Another I would rate nearly as high:
Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever by Donaldson.
Six books, I believe.
A little darker - It begins with Thomas Covenant, a leper, believe it or not, whose loneliness, and the strictures with which he must live due to his disease, have him at a considerable disadvantage.
He cannot admit the unreal conditions when he suddenly finds himself to be Barak Halfhand, a hero of the ages in the Land to which he has been transported... Mental instability, which is his bane and an inevitability with his disease, and his first actions taken in the Land leave him unable to accept this reality - and allow him to wield the white gold which is the basis of his extraordinary powers...
The half-hand - a vestige of loss, amputated due to leprosy.
The white gold ring - his wedding ring, which he has stubbornly refused to remove - a vestige of his life before leprosy.
A brilliant mind-f***, extremely well written.
Those and my set of FoxFire books are the most worn in my library.LOve Foxfire. Just grab one and open to any page at random.
I enjoyed those books as well. May have to pick them up again and re-read them.
Another I would rate nearly as high:
Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever by Donaldson.
Six books, I believe.
A little darker - It begins with Thomas Covenant, a leper, believe it or not, whose loneliness, and the strictures with which he must live due to his disease, have him at a considerable disadvantage.
He cannot admit the unreal conditions when he suddenly finds himself to be Barak Halfhand, a hero of the ages in the Land to which he has been transported... Mental instability, which is his bane and an inevitability with his disease, and his first actions taken in the Land leave him unable to accept this reality - and allow him to wield the white gold which is the basis of his extraordinary powers...
The half-hand - a vestige of loss, amputated due to leprosy.
The white gold ring - his wedding ring, which he has stubbornly refused to remove - a vestige of his life before leprosy.
A brilliant mind-f***, extremely well written.
Just started this.That looks interesting. I'd love to know the truth of what the heck was going on with Oswald.
Another I would rate nearly as high:There are 10 altogether. Two Trilogies and then a set of four. The First in the final series deals with Linden Avery and her return to the land. The final one in the series "The Last Dark" I could not put down.
Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever by Donaldson.
Six books, I believe.
A little darker - It begins with Thomas Covenant, a leper, believe it or not, whose loneliness, and the strictures with which he must live due to his disease, have him at a considerable disadvantage.
He cannot admit the unreal conditions when he suddenly finds himself to be Barak Halfhand, a hero of the ages in the Land to which he has been transported... Mental instability, which is his bane and an inevitability with his disease, and his first actions taken in the Land leave him unable to accept this reality - and allow him to wield the white gold which is the basis of his extraordinary powers...
The half-hand - a vestige of loss, amputated due to leprosy.
The white gold ring - his wedding ring, which he has stubbornly refused to remove - a vestige of his life before leprosy.
A brilliant mind-f***, extremely well written.
That's a new one on me. Will check out if that's going to be my new wintertime fiction read. :beer:
There are 10 altogether. Two Trilogies and then a set of four. The First in the final series deals with Linden Avery and her return to the land. The final one in the series "The Last Dark" I could not put down.
@Polly Ticks
Are you on Goodreads?
I signed up for it a few months ago
@Gefn
I am not, no. Do you like it?
Sometimes I go look there at the reviews, but that's pretty much all I've done with it.
There are 10 altogether. Two Trilogies and then a set of four. The First in the final series deals with Linden Avery and her return to the land. The final one in the series "The Last Dark" I could not put down.
Finished Lord of the Rings again.
Finished Lord of the Rings again.
I should do that. I was loaned all but the last book when I was assigned to go to Mayport for aviation firefighting school. I read them all was craving the last book.
Then I read The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Solzhenitsyn, the Teachings of Don Juan, and many of Kilgore Trout's books. I would get hooked on an author and read all they had out, until I felt I understood their underlying statements. Then I didn't see any need to read any more of their stories. I started out on Sci-Fi. I was on the book of the month club, but always ordered xtra books. When they came in I'd total immerse and read up to 3 books on the day they came in.
Return of the Kings is really worth it, but I suggest you re-read Fellowship and Towers first. Tolkien is a good writer.
Another I would rate nearly as high:I read those years ago, great books.
Thomas Covenant, Unbeliever by Donaldson.
Six books, I believe.
A little darker - It begins with Thomas Covenant, a leper, believe it or not, whose loneliness, and the strictures with which he must live due to his disease, have him at a considerable disadvantage.
He cannot admit the unreal conditions when he suddenly finds himself to be Barak Halfhand, a hero of the ages in the Land to which he has been transported... Mental instability, which is his bane and an inevitability with his disease, and his first actions taken in the Land leave him unable to accept this reality - and allow him to wield the white gold which is the basis of his extraordinary powers...
The half-hand - a vestige of loss, amputated due to leprosy.
The white gold ring - his wedding ring, which he has stubbornly refused to remove - a vestige of his life before leprosy.
A brilliant mind-f***, extremely well written.
The two trilogies is what I know - I thought that was the end of it... Thank you. Guess I have some catching up to do. :beer:Me, too!
Me, too!Set a long weekend aside to read the final one, "The Last Dark". Stayed up all night reading the last half or so.
Ordinary Men is the true story of Reserve Police Battalion 101 of the German Order Police, which was responsible for mass shootings as well as roundups of Jewish people for deportation to Nazi death camps in Poland in 1942. Browning argues that most of the men of RPB 101 were not fanatical Nazis but ordinary middle-aged, working-class men who committed these atrocities out of a mixture of motives, including the group dynamics of conformity, deference to authority, role adaptation, and the altering of moral norms to justify their actions. Very quickly three groups emerged within the battalion: a core of eager killers, a plurality who carried out their duties reliably but without initiative, and a small minority who evaded participation in the acts of killing without diminishing the murderous efficiency of the battalion whatsoever.
While the book discusses a specific reserve unit during World War II, the general argument Browning makes is that most people are susceptible to the pressure of a group setting and committing actions they would never do of their own volition.
I really enjoyed the Jane Hawk series by Dean Koontz.
No, I like his descriptive language.
I just got a great book for a holiday present .
“A most Interesting Lady:A Novel”
By Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York
It’s set in Victorian England and so far I’m enjoying it.
@Gefn
I had no idea she was an aspiring author,but am glad to hear she is a good one.
This thread. :shrug::tongue2:
Made a deal with a co worker to give each other a book selection to read over the summer. I gave her "Count of Monte Cristo" she finished it in about a week. She gave me "Anna Karenina" 820 pages of drunk Russians cheating on their spouses. The book is very interesting and well written, but Tolstoy has about 80 characters that appear for about 5 pages and then not again. He will go of on these philosophical tangents, that make you put the book down and reflect.
Currently reading "They Fought Back", an anthology of stores of Jewish resistance against the Germans in WWII.
I had to buy this as a paperback book (from abebooks), couldn't scrounge up a digital version.
After reading digital books almost exclusively for the last few years, I've come to a realization:
E-books and a good laptop computer (or possibly an iPad or Android tablet) make for a far BETTER reading experience.
Some of the advantages of e-reading:
- No more fighting for light (the pages are backlit)
- No fighting to keep the book open (the screen is open in front of you, using a laptop, very relaxing)
- No squinting at small text that you can't change (with an e-book, you make the text however large or small as you wish)
- As easy, or easier, to "keep your place" (bookmarks, etc.)
- Saving an excerpt is as easy and copy and paste (impossible with bound book, just copy and paste with an e-book)
- Illustrations can often be enlarged (try that with a bound book)
If you've got a laptop, you owe it to yourself to try this.
Use the free software called "Calibre" -- it can read "epub" and "mobi" formats (mobi is "Kindle" format).
@Fishrrman
Ok,the Kindle I bought just came in today,and I am going nuts trying to figure out what my "password for my internet provider/service" is. Tried everything in my saved files about wi-fi connections,and nothing works.
@Fishrrman
Ok,the Kindle I bought just came in today,and I am going nuts trying to figure out what my "password for my internet provider/service" is. Tried everything in my saved files about wi-fi connections,and nothing works.
Look on your WiFi router. There should be a WiFi security key on the label. @sneakypete
Currently reading "They Fought Back", an anthology of stores of Jewish resistance against the Germans in WWII.I have Calibre and Kindle on the laptop, and an old Kindle Fire I drag around and use from time to time (especially good on a plane).
I had to buy this as a paperback book (from abebooks), couldn't scrounge up a digital version.
After reading digital books almost exclusively for the last few years, I've come to a realization:
E-books and a good laptop computer (or possibly an iPad or Android tablet) make for a far BETTER reading experience.
Some of the advantages of e-reading:
- No more fighting for light (the pages are backlit)
- No fighting to keep the book open (the screen is open in front of you, using a laptop, very relaxing)
- No squinting at small text that you can't change (with an e-book, you make the text however large or small as you wish)
- As easy, or easier, to "keep your place" (bookmarks, etc.)
- Saving an excerpt is as easy and copy and paste (impossible with bound book, just copy and paste with an e-book)
- Illustrations can often be enlarged (try that with a bound book)
If you've got a laptop, you owe it to yourself to try this.
Use the free software called "Calibre" -- it can read "epub" and "mobi" formats (mobi is "Kindle" format).
On the Mac, the "Books" app can also read these, but I find Calibre to be better.
Scrounge up an ebook (in both formats) from anywhere you can find one.
I'd suggest at "the internet archive".
Then give it a try.
I'll read the analog/physical book I have now, because that was the only option available.
But in the future... if it's available in digital format... don't bother me with a bound book. I've found the better way.
I have Calibre and Kindle on the laptop, and an old Kindle Fire I drag around and use from time to time (especially good on a plane).
But, despite the convenience and the ease of reading a backlit screen, there is nothing quite like opening an old volume and turning the pages.
I don't have anything against it, per se. I just have a genetic hearing-loss condition and it's easier to read than to try to watch/understand a show on TV when I miss half the dialogue. I did binge-watch Downton Abbey a couple of years ago on Netflix (or maybe it was Amazon Prime?) where I could turn on the closed captions without driving anyone else crazy, though. That was fun.
I'm old fashioned. I make a trip to the library and it's a free read. I'm into what I call fiction escape books and right now I'm reading "The Whittiers" by Danielle Steel. A simple read and usually a predictable ending, but nonetheless, I enjoy her books.
I'm old fashioned. I make a trip to the library and it's a free read.I love our local library, even if it doesn't have all the books I seek. We made a provision in our wills for it. They do the best they can in a small town with a limited budget.
I love our local library, even if it doesn't have all the books I seek. We made a provision in our wills for it. They do the best they can in a small town with a limited budget.
I agree, @libertybele . Reading is an escape. I tend to reread the classics, even though I know how they end. Right now, I'm rereading Gone With The Wind for the umpteenth time. I just finished rereading Wuthering Heights.
I have a bookshelf full of books and I'm thinking of re-reading some of my favorites.
I've not read Wuthering Heights -- I'll have to check into it.
Because the wicked often have a charisma that the naive view as godliness, rather than demonic suasion, some miscreants for a time raise mass movements in their defense. ... Of the naive who join those crusades, most fall away when the see they have been duped, and only the most self-blinded cling to their faith in their faithless manipulators."
Dark Future by Glenn Beck
And the future is truly black if his prediction come true!
I'm clawing my way through "Moby Dick." Anyone else find it difficult? It's such a very strange book.
I'm clawing my way through "Moby Dick." Anyone else find it difficult? It's such a very strange book.
I'm clawing my way through "Moby Dick." Anyone else find it difficult? It's such a very strange book.
Whew! I thought it was just me. I'm trying to read more classics, but this is one of the strangest I've attempted.
I'm clawing my way through "Moby Dick." Anyone else find it difficult? It's such a very strange book.
Reading some old Isaac Asimov. I finished the first three Foundation novels, and am reading Caves of Steel right now.
Finally finished Anna Karenina.Great book, but twice as long as it needed to be.
Levin was the only Character OI had any empathy for. The last 100 or so pages with Anna was a prefect description of a descent into madness.
It's one of the most beautiful books ever written. I learned a lot about writing from that book, from Tolstoy's vivid descriptions and Levin's courting of Kitty.
Both books are similar to Clancy books written in recent years, subsequent to his death in 2013. I intend to read all of Brad Taylor's books in the next few months.
Went through a dry spell for a period, not reading much of anything. We bought a 2nd home, and three times I traveled to the house to have Internet installed. Nothing to do, I started reading again. Cranked out two books right off. Still had time left, so I went to a used bookstore.
Saw a book on the shelf with the name Brad visible and the first letter of the last name, a T showing, and I assumed it was Brad Thor. It was a title by him I did not read, so I grabbed it and took it home. Upon getting home, I discovered it was not Brad Thor being the author, but Brad Taylor. The title was American Traitor. Read the book like a hot knife through butter, and ordered up his first four books. Also read One Rough Man, and I equally enjoyed it. One Rough Man was his first book.
Both books are similar to Clancy books written in recent years, subsequent to his death in 2013. I intend to read all of Brad Taylor's books in the next few months.
"Until the Final Hours," the memoirs of one of Hitler's personal secretaries, Traude Junge. As noted on the flyleaf, it depicts the utter banality of evil - daily life in the Wolf's Lair, the Berghof and the Berlin bunker. I really couldn't put it down. The footnotes provide so much information about each of the characters, from Goebbels to Hitler's cooks, who made him creamed potatoes and eggs every single day.
It was one of the books on which the movie "Downfall" was based (including the famous "Steiner" scene that's been used for so many parodies and memes).
Just finished “The Light in Luna Park” for bookclub. It’s about the babies that were put in incubators back in the 1920’s as a side show in Coney Island.
70% of the babies survived- they were a minimum of two pounds when they were born. Small miracles considering it was 100 years ago
@Gefn@sneakypete
I have trouble finding a way to wrap my mind around that and not want to hurt somebody.
I have no problem with adults being featured in freak shows,if that is what they want to do,but I have a huge problem with babies in a freak show,and an even bigger problem with parents who would sell their babies to a circus freak show.
WTH is wrong with these people?
That sounds interesting. We visited the Wolf’s Lair when we were in Poland. What a contrast - such a beautiful, serene location with such a horrible past.It really was. Having visited, you'd probably appreciate her detailed description of the area. We've been to Kehlstein Haus near Berchtesgaden, up the mountain from where the Berghof was, so her descriptions of that place were particularly interesting.
Not much of a reader now my eyesight requires glasses.... but reading "John L. Plaster - The Ultimate Sniper_ An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers " now... The fellow knows his stuff, you can gather that by leafing the first few pages.
Kinda funny because I will never be anything but an average shooter with limited mobility at best. But I like reading other's insights in things like this (if nothing else to know what you are up against if things get tough).
Not much of a reader now my eyesight requires glasses.... but reading "John L. Plaster - The Ultimate Sniper_ An Advanced Training Manual for Military and Police Snipers " now... The fellow knows his stuff, you can gather that by leafing the first few pages.@Sighlass Anotehr good one is LOng Range shooting by Ryan Clacker. Her ahs some great YouTube videos as well.
Kinda funny because I will never be anything but an average shooter with limited mobility at best. But I like reading other's insights in things like this (if nothing else to know what you are up against if things get tough).
@Sighlass Anotehr good one is LOng Range shooting by Ryan Clacker. Her ahs some great YouTube videos as well.
ONDON (AP) — Irish writer Paul Lynch won the Booker Prize for fiction on Sunday with what judges called a “soul-shattering” novel about a woman’s struggle to protect her family as Ireland collapses into totalitarianism and war.
“Prophet Song,” set in a dystopian fictional version of Dublin, was awarded the 50,000-pound ($63,000) literary prize at a ceremony in London. Canadian writer Esi Edugyan, who chaired the judging panel, said the book is “a triumph of emotional storytelling, bracing and brave” in which Lynch “pulls off feats of language that are stunning to witness.”
Lynch, 46, had been the bookies’ favorite to win the prestigious prize, which usually brings a big boost in sales. His book beat five other finalists from Ireland, the U.K., the U.S. and Canada, chosen from 163 novels submitted by publishers.
Irish writer Paul Lynch wins Booker Prize with dystopian novel ‘Prophet Song’
https://apnews.com/article/booker-prize-fiction-winner-announced-06e46905a3bdac77966cb3ef4b64ed14
I'm reading John Grisham's "The Rainmaker." After "A Time to Kill," which I thought was pretty darn awful, I swore I'd never read another book by him. However, this one was in the little free library in our town, so what the heck. It's been surprisingly interesting so far, at least from my vantage point as a former lawyer who couldn't wait to leave the profession. Wikipedia says, "The Los Angeles Times called the book 'an indictment of the legal system from law school to the jury’s verdict,'" and maybe that's what appealed (no pun intended) to me.
On July 28, 1971, a two-and-a-half-month-old baby named Noah Hoyt died in his trailer home in a rural hamlet of upstate New York. He was the fifth child of Waneta and Tim Hoyt to die suddenly in the space of seven years. People certainly talked, but Waneta spoke vaguely of "crib death," and over time the talk faded.Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Death-Innocents-Medicine-High-Stake-Science/dp/0553379771)
Nearly two decades later a district attorney in Syracuse, New York, was alerted to a landmark paper in the literature on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome--SIDS--that had been published in a prestigious medical journal back in 1972. Written by a prominent researcher at a Syracuse medical center, the article described a family in which five children had died suddenly without explanation. The D.A. was convinced that something about this account was very wrong. An intensive quest by a team of investigators came to a climax in the spring of 1995, in a dramatic multiple-murder trial that made headlines nationwide.
But this book is not only a vivid account of infanticide revealed; it is also a riveting medical detective story. That journal article had legitimized the deaths of the last two babies by theorizing a cause for the mystery of SIDS, suggesting it could be predicted and prevented, and fostering the presumption that SIDS runs in families. More than two decades of multimillion-dollar studies have failed to confirm any of these widely accepted premises. How all this happened--could have happened--is a compelling story of high-stakes medical research in action.
"The Outsiders". My youngest son has been after me for quite some time to finally read it.
My bookclub is reading "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver
It's so beautifully written
Tom Clancy,"The Bear and the Dragon".Loved that book, Actuall loved all of his fiction, never read any of the non-fiction.
All ,one thousand twenty-eight pages of it.
Really good book,but don't plan on reading it in one setting.
@Gefn -- how did you like it? I had my hand on it at the library and put it back -- if it's worth the read, I'll reserve it.
@libertybele
It's one of those books where you either love it or dislike it. It's beautifully written and I enjoyed it but I wasn't head over heels about it. But it was a good read and the author writes beautifully.
If it's a library book you can always put it back if you can't get into it after 50 pages or so.
Loved that book, Actuall loved all of his fiction, never read any of the non-fiction.
"Typhoid Mary", by Anthony Bourdain.I never could jump on the Bourdain train. I found him insufferably arrogant and annoying, and had more than a few doubts about his self-proclaimed culinary chops.
Don't waste your time with this one.