Books Read 2013

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 11:16 pm

Pyperkub wrote:
Pyperkub wrote:Finished

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - was interesting to read this for the first time. I might have to read some more Dickens this year

The Perks of being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky - saw the movie last year, and enjoyed it, but felt that there was something missing in the translation to the screen. The letter format seemed to work much better to tell the story, and the themes were expanded by sections of the book that were cut from the movie. I also found the Study topics interesting (as this is one of the newer HS Literature books that ends up on the banned lists frequently)

Down on the Farm - Charles Stross (Laundry novella/Short story) - fun addition to Stross's Laundry files

Overtime - Charles Stross (Laundry short story). apparently somewhat out of chronology, but in the correct order - a holiday-themed Laundry story. One of the better ones (he doesn't go overboard in explaining magic/mathematics conjunction. Convinced me to pay over 9.99 for the Apocalypse Codex...

The Apocalypse Codex - from a pacing perspective, probably the best Laundry novel yet (but Jennifer Morgue is still the best).

Lost Homicidal Manaic (goes by Shirley) - Jeff Strand's most recent Andrew Mayhem novel. A bit darker than most of his stuff (and he's a horror writer), but a lot of the humor is still there. His books are just crying to become movies (I'd really like to see Wolf Hunt get done right).
Updating 6/5/13:

The Twelve (Book Two of the Passage Trilogy)
Nickel Plated - Aric Davis
A Memory of Light - Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson
A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness
The Uncertain Places - Lisa Goldstein
The Silver Linings Playbook
Lilith, A Snake in the Grass (Book One of the Four Lords of the Diamond Series) - Jack L. Chalker
Reamde - Neal Stephenson

Currently Reading:
The Forever War

Posting review capsules shortly (I hope).

I guess not - here goes on a few to add (update 9/25):

Finished:
The Forever War
Last Car to Elysian Fields
The Rook
The Year of the Jackpot
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Killing Floor (Jack Reacher)
Die Trying (Jack Reacher)
Tripwire (Jack Reacher)
Running Blind (Jack Reacher)
Echo Burning (Jack Reacher)
Without Fail (Jack Reacher)
PERSUADER (Jack Reacher)
THE ENEMY (Jack Reacher)
ONE SHOT (Jack Reacher)
THE HARD WAY (Jack Reacher)
BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE (Jack Reacher)
NOTHING TO LOSE (Jack Reacher)
GONE TOMORROW (Jack Reacher)
61 HOURS (Jack Reacher)
Shadow of Night

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 9:20 am

Has anyone read 'The Gathering Dead' by Stephen Knight?

I bought it during a Kindle $1.99 sale due to almost universal praise (Amazon reviews), but am finding the first chapter or two poorly written at best. Or at least, not top stuff, if you know what I mean. Maybe I am being too critical, though, and should consider it more of a pulpy (no pun intended), zombie porn title, than an actual novel.

I will plow through a few more chapters though, to see if it gets any better, if someone will vouch for its quality.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 9:50 am

Carpet_pissr wrote:Has anyone read 'The Gathering Dead' by Stephen Knight?

I bought it during a Kindle $1.99 sale due to almost universal praise (Amazon reviews), but am finding the first chapter or two poorly written at best.

There seems to be a big QC problem when it comes to editing e-books; as if someone decided it's unnecessary overhead. In my experience, few writers can crank out readable text without some heavy bludgeoning by an aggressive editor. Thanks to social media, ratings like those on Amazon are rather meaningless as an author or publisher could easily gain hundreds of positive reviews for just a few dollars. Entire Asian economies are being built on this sort of thing.

I am obliged to do lots of random reading now thanks to Librarything early reviewers program, and these issues are rampant with e-books (but creeping into paper books as well...maybe all of the good editors are dead?) For someone with more discretion and less time to waste, I suggest finding a third party (non-vending) source of reviews that is reliable.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 9:53 am

Jeff V wrote:
Carpet_pissr wrote:Has anyone read 'The Gathering Dead' by Stephen Knight?

I bought it during a Kindle $1.99 sale due to almost universal praise (Amazon reviews), but am finding the first chapter or two poorly written at best.
There seems to be a big QC problem when it comes to editing e-books; as if someone decided it's unnecessary overhead. In my experience, few writers can crank out readable text without some heavy bludgeoning by an aggressive editor. Thanks to social media, ratings like those on Amazon are rather meaningless as an author or publisher could easily gain hundreds of positive reviews for just a few dollars. Entire Asian economies are being built on this sort of thing.

I am obliged to do lots of random reading now thanks to Librarything early reviewers program, and these issues are rampant with e-books (but creeping into paper books as well...maybe all of the good editors are dead?) For someone with more discretion and less time to waste, I suggest finding a third party (non-vending) source of reviews that is reliable.

Do you have one in mind? Too bad Metacritic doesn't do books. Music, movies, games, yes...but no books.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 9:57 am

No one wants to pay for a good editor anymore. My wife stopped a few years ago when the going rate was undercut regularly by amateurs. The last book she edited turned after rewrites into 2 different novels and several short stories. They wanted only to pay flat fee for the initial book.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:04 am

Zarathud wrote:No one wants to pay for a good editor anymore. My wife stopped a few years ago when the going rate was undercut regularly by amateurs. The last book she edited turned after rewrites into 2 different novels and several short stories. They wanted only to pay flat fee for the initial book.

I'm not sure the editor is the problem in this particular case. Just seems poorly written - amateurish even. Hell, even the overtly pulpy Conan books I read in high school were at least well written (IIRC - maybe if I went back and read them I would not have the same opinion).

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:24 am

Carpet_pissr wrote:
Zarathud wrote:No one wants to pay for a good editor anymore. My wife stopped a few years ago when the going rate was undercut regularly by amateurs. The last book she edited turned after rewrites into 2 different novels and several short stories. They wanted only to pay flat fee for the initial book.
I'm not sure the editor is the problem in this particular case. Just seems poorly written - amateurish even. Hell, even the overtly pulpy Conan books I read in high school were at least well written (IIRC - maybe if I went back and read them I would not have the same opinion).

You'd be surprised if saw how many big-name authors turn in garbage in this condition. A good editor can work magic. I've edited work from best-selling authors and my edits consisted of near-total rewrites. And that was just to correct the prose...I didn't have to worry so much about continuity in a fictional story.

As an editor, I took a hard line against garbage. As a writer, I preferred editors who did the same. I had magazine editors that did nothing but blow smoke up my ass, telling me I was wonderful. I much preferred an editor and colleague who treated everything like it was a steaming pile of excrement and blew up on the slightest of technical errors. At least I learned something from him, even if my initial reaction was similar to Mark Twain's infamous abuse of editors.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:54 am

Interesting. Still doesn't change the quality of this particular title in its current state...maybe it could have used a better editor, or again, maybe the writer is just shite.

I guess no one here has read it...will venture forth for a few more chapters before shutting it down, but ugh. Not sure I would give a game that came across so poorly on a first impression this much leeway.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:59 am

At least I don't pay for pain...the Librarything books are free as long as read them and review them. Another notable failing of late is shitty endings...even books that didn't suck for the most part fall apart at the end because the author didn't seem to know how to end it. Recent books I've read have had endings ranging from the outrageously bizarre to anti-climatic death on the vine.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 11:45 am

Jeff V wrote:At least I don't pay for pain...

Heh. Yeah, unfortunately, after realizing how shitty the writing was, I immediately went to my Amazon account, hoping that it was one of the freebie Kindle titles I had downloaded.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 2:15 pm

Just finished Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson.

The basic premise is that an external force caused some of humanity to evolve super powers. The catch is that none of them are superheroes. Every one with powers become corrupted by them, very much to the woe of mankind.

I liked the premise and the book was definitely a fun read. It did seem a bit light compared to other Sanderson works almost as if it was more of a young adult book. I dont say that as if its a bad thing but more to describe the writing style. Its the first book of a series and while I definitely will read future books in the series, Im also looking forward to next January, when the sequel to The Way of Kings is expected to be released. Ive become a fan of Sanderson and one of the most impressive things about him is how prolific of a writer he is, while still putting out good quality reads. This past year alone he published the last Wheel of Time novel, Steelheart and will wrap up Words of Radiance ( the Stormlight Archives #2 ).

JonathanStrange · Post by **JonathanStrange** » Thu Oct 03, 2013 11:00 pm

I've listened to so many damn audiobooks that I can hear George Guidall's voice even when I'm reading a regular book or even a work memo.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sun Oct 06, 2013 7:32 pm

Bankrupting Physics: How Today's Top Scientists are Gambling Away Their Credibility by Alexander Unzicker, Sheilla Jones

"Science means, after all, not being a sucker." This epitaph could have been the opening statement on this haranguing of the state of modern physics. Author Andrew Unzicker lambasts many popular theories in an expose that details analytical laziness, abject popularisim at the expense of real results, to outright scientific fraud that is costing taxpayers millions in funding pointless research. Aside from the physicists themselves, Unzicker targets politics, the economics of physics, and the professional journals that aid and abet these scientific atrocities. Although he provides no comparison for his conclusion, he considers Physics the most corrupt of major branches of science.

Unzicker makes good points. Among his primary targets are quantum physics, dark matter and string theory. Mathematical gymnastics appear to be limber enough to "prove" an observed result, even if when the physics behind it lack demonstrative experimental proof. Math can prove that blue unicorns in the 6th dimension have profound influence on the fundamental building blocks of matter....and while one has never been observed, such theories gain legions of disciples when a Nobel Prize is awarded. The author exposes much of modern physics -- the stuff getting major funding -- is built upon such hokum. Time and again, for example, he points out results where the signal is much, much smaller than the persistent noise -- such as pulling a needle from a haystack of background radiation. The results, if honestly portrayed, could be "+/- 99%"

My world view is built upon science working on answering the eternal questions on how the universe came to be, and what might be its fate. This book is a reminder unfounded outcomes are as mock-worthy in science as they are in religion. Unzicker finds much similarity to religion when considering where the money is going in modern physics. He poses some suggestions on how to fix things, but at the moment, us skeptics should remain eternally vigilant.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:44 am

For those of you who have enjoyed Scott Lynch's first two novels, The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas under Red Skies, the third novel in "The Gentleman Bastard" series comes out tomorrow after a series of GRRM like delays.
Clearly Lynch must have struggled with this one as it was originally scheduled for release in 2011. Hopefully, its as good as the first two.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:06 am

Finished Frans Gunnar Bengtsson's The Long Ships a 10th Century historical fiction novel of Vikings, particularly one viking named Red Orm, a fierce warrior, a respected chief and a bit of a hypochondriac. It is epic and witty and just a fantastic story.

I highly highly recommend this book for any fans of historical fiction. Originally published in 1945 and reissued in 2010 with an introduction by Michael Chabon, the book is a treasure. Come go a-viking with Red Orm!

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:16 pm

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-adm ... 0316097833" target="_blank

THE ADMIRALS by Walter Borneman

This is a book that while I enjoyed it I think it could have been much more. Borneman basically does biographies of four men, each of who became the nations first 5 star admirals, or Fleet Admirals during WW2. Leahy, Nimitz, King and Halsey. He goes into the lives of each man and gives their naval histories so that you know who they were when WW2 starts and each is thrust into "greatness". Nimitz and Halsey earned their stars in the Pacific fighting the Japanese. Nimitz as overall commander of the Navy in the Pacific and Halsey as a fleet commander. Strangely enough as well known as Halsey is he is better know for his "mistakes' and for the battles he missed.

King and Leahy never commanded a fleet during the war. King was essentially the head of the Navy, the equivalent to Gen, George C Marshall. Every Navy move went through Admiral King, and he defined the role.

Leahy was the oldest of the group and found his niche as advisor to FDR. He was probably only second in importance to Harry Hopkins as a military, and later as a foreign advisor to FDR and then to President Truman. I probably knew least about Leahy before reading this book.

The book itself is well written but at 500 pages +/- it seems just to short for the subject, and many events are talked about with too little detail. This book could easily have been 800-1,000 pages. I would recommend it to someone with little knowledge on the subjects, but if you have read about them before you probably won't learn that much more here.

McNutt · Post by **McNutt** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:33 pm

rshetts2 wrote:For those of you who have enjoyed Scott Lynch's first two novels, The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas under Red Skies, the third novel in "The Gentleman Bastard" series comes out tomorrow after a series of GRRM like delays.

I bought the second one recently. Not sure when I'll get to it, but I plan on reading it soon.

Speaking of GRRM, I just finished Dance with Dragons. I know everybody else finished that one a long time ago. After the snoozer that was Feast for Crows, I was hoping this one would be a hell of a lot better. Well, it was better, but it was so painfully long that I did not enjoy this. There's a good story in there, but it's buried underneath pages and pages of filler text. Plus I have a really hard time keeping track of the 598 characters in the series. I think I'm done with this series and will start watching the HBO series and hope they go all the way to the end. Either that or I'm just going to read each book synopsis on Wikipedia after he releases them.

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 5:55 pm

The Mass Paperback version of Dances with Dragons comes out in two weeks. I plan on buying it and reading it, although I know feel like it is something I must do as much as something I want to do. Feast for Crows was pretty dull I thought.

And you ask why did I wait so long to read the book? Well, I am only going to pay for the paperback, and with GRRM there is really no hurry now.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:23 pm

The Sling and the Stone: On War in the 21st Century

Following on The Intelligence Wars: Lessons from Baghdad, which referenced it and why I picked it up, I don't feel that the reading order did me many favors. I understand the topic fairly well at this point (networking good, bureaucracy bad, m'kay?), it was an old road, and not exactly targeted at a civilian reader as much as a cry for the generals-that-be to maybe try some new stuff. Also, the book is almost a decade old at this point (and now a Zenith Military Classic).

He makes the point that we're fighting the new(ish) war that's been used to such great effect since Vietnam and before, which is a valid point. And he makes the point that the military is pretty much enamored with the new shiny rather than old fashion HUMINT, which is needed for insurgency type wars. Again, a valid point. But while demonstrating the huge overlap between time frames between third and fourth generation warfare, he pretty much falls into the trap of wanting us to give up on the new shiny toys because the current war can't use them to as good an effect as they would be against a nation-state enemy.

The old adage is that everyone spends time preparing for the last war, and I feel that's as valid in his treatise as many others. He wants us to tear the military down and rebuild it to fight the Afghan War and Iraq wars, which we need to be able to do, but, like the ground-pounding jarhead he is, takes potshots at the Air Force over the F-22 program.

The Russians are still building and selling military aircraft to other nations, just as we are. He's convinced that somehow, if we revamp the military to focus on the insurgency-fighting hearts-and-minds conflict needed, that somehow, we'll still be able to maintain the ability to bring a nation-state to heel while we pull finite resources from it.

JonathanStrange · Post by **JonathanStrange** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 12:37 pm

I just bought that book (The Sling and the Stone) in a Kindle Deal recently. I'm going to get to it eventually.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Tue Oct 08, 2013 12:47 pm

If you haven't read anything in that vein lately, it might be better, but it's still a war and a half ago, so some of the lessons he says that we haven't learned have since been put to use.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Mon Oct 14, 2013 10:27 am

Just finished "Children of the Fog" by Cheryl Kaye Tardif, yet another title highly regarded based on Amazon reviews, but left me feeling somewhat...cheated by the expectations set up by said reviews vs reality.

I would certainly not say it's terrible, or suggest someone NOT read it, but there is just so much better stuff out there, I guess, that it would be hard for me to recommend someone to seek it out. It's just not that good.

It did keep me turning pages, I guess, so that's a plus, but again, just 'meh' from me. I must be a really tough audience, because this thing has 4.5 stars and 667 reviews on Amazon. Also:

International & National Bestseller with over 60,000 copies sold worldwide (most in 2012)
A Top 100 Paid Best Seller on Amazon
#4 in Amazon Top 100 Paid Best Sellers (overall in March 2012)
Top 100 Bestseller in Thrillers, Suspense, Horror, Paranormal, Occult, Ghosts
#1 Horror, #1 Occult, #1 Ghosts

So it could be me. Would be interested to know if others here have read this and have an opposing opinion - obviously LOTS of people love this book!

http://www.amazon.com/Children-Fog-Cher ... of+the+fog" target="_blank

Quick blurb in case you are interested:

Sadie O'Connell is a bestselling author and a proud mother. But her life is about to spiral out of control. After her six-year-old son Sam is kidnapped by a serial abductor, she nearly goes insane. But it isn't just the fear and grief that is ripping her apart. It's the guilt. Sadie is the only person who knows what the kidnapper looks like. And she can't tell a soul. For if she does, her son will be sent back to her in "little bloody pieces".

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Oct 17, 2013 5:19 am

Went ahead and read something I don't usually read: romantic Steampunk adventure

The Magnificent Devices Quadrology
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CE1 ... k_ro_title" target="_blank

Lady Claire Trevallyane was just a girl, not even 18, in a girl boarding school. She is from an aristocratic family and have only known a life of luxury. She, however, prefers chemistry and physics and science to dressing up, gossip, party, and landing a husband, what is expected of her in a Steampunk England. In this alternate world, steam is everywhere, in vehicles, locomotives, airships, and even a few automatons. However, when circumstances forced her into leading a band of street urchins, she became "Lady of Devices", and make her own way in the world, and perhaps... find love?

The first book has that great "fish out of water" feel where she was setup to make her own way in the world, and is a lot of fun. Later books introduced a "Lord Selwyn", who intends to force her into marrying him, through any underhanded way possible. And she had to run to the American Territories, only to see her friends and enemies there as well, and made even newer enemies...

The problem is subsequent books feel as if they had been hurried and the author ran out of ideas to continue the series but felt obliged to squeeze out another book. Book 3 ended with the villain vanquished... ostensibly by his own petard, but apparently completely UNRELATED to the anything the "team" had done. In Book 4, while a lot of things happened, and there's a lot of running back and forth, ultimately the plot was resolved with a new chapter that's essentially: they escaped. The end. What's worse, she introduced a new character, Alice Chalmers, who basically is Lady Claire, but even rougher (no lady-like upbringing) and ended up with a bit of love triangle, only to exit the story just before the final chapters. And "automatons" in Victorian Steampunk? That respond to voice commands and can walk and has other capabilities? That's a bit too much to believe.

Still, the first two books are fine rom-com adventure with steampunk. The characters are cute, fun, resolute, and inventive. There's not much romance and many of which is more of a sit-com type where the attempt to be romantic is interrupted by something, though the last book or two are just way too... melodramatic at certain spots.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Oct 19, 2013 12:16 pm

kissing Bowie by Joan Taylor

In the style of a memoir, kissing Bowie is a tale through the recorded memories of internationally famous New Zealand photographer Samantha Newel, He artistic thing is placing holes in strategic spots on her photos, and the book begins with a young fan asking her about this at a London exposition. What follows is a long confessional that takes us back more than 30 years, to a London where David Bowie was at the height of his musical popularity. Samantha follows her friend Laura to London where they live a rather austere life. Laura, however, has a problem -- her obsession with all things Bowie has become delusional, and it is affecting her life and happiness.

The obsession is preventing Laura from having normal relations with friends or potential mates. Stuart, a graduate student, wants to help but is shut out -- he tries to get to her via Samantha, who has a fatal attraction for Stuart herself. This leads to bad decisions by all as Laura's psychosis deepens, and mysterious notes by a stalker add to the mystery. Other guys involved in her life become suspects -- Chris, the paparazzo stalking Lady Di, Mike, the American acquaintance from a hostel they shared; Billy, a creepy dude who allegedly went to Paris at just the same time Laura went to New York on a expense-paid trip to see Bowie perform in Elephant Man; and finally Rupert, Sam and Laura's landlord and husband of their boss at a coffee shop. As the plot develops, a strong case is made against each one of these. Sam, meanwhile, is torn between loyalty toward her friend and pursuing her love, Stuart (who Laura believes is the culprit).

Samantha's memoir ends when Laura goes to New York and simply vanishes. The rest of the book happens occurs in 2013, where Sam unexpectedly gets closure that eluded her all these years. The ending makes perfect sense, and is yet unexpected.

Samantha's recollections, even with her detailed diary from the day, are little too lucid for being 30 years old. But as it hearkens back to my "coming of age" time -- in fact, a reference was made to Bowie performing Elephant Man in Chicago -- I saw one of those performances. The musical references were all familiar, and my own recollections of the time fit well with this story.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Oct 19, 2013 12:45 pm

A Concise History of the Middle East: Ninth Edition by Arthur Goldschmidt Jr.

The title of this book is not quite accurate. If you are looking for inclusion of illustrious civilizations of bygone days -- Hittites, Assyrian, Aryans, Phoenicians, Sumerians, Babylonians, Ancient Egypt , the Persians of Cyrus the Great and Xerxes, even Greek colonists -- you won't more than a brief mention in this "Concise History." A more accurate title would be "The Rise of Islamic Nationalism in the Middle East" or even "Origins of the Modern Middle East." This book is a fairly expansive account on the rise of Islam and Islamic nations from the time of Mohammed to, in this updated volume, the situation prior to the "Islamic Dawn" uprisings over the past few years.

Within this redefined scope. Goldschmidt is pretty thorough. While coming up short of being an Islamic apologist, he does tend to take a less objective look through the eyes of Islamic peoples, especially when counseling Western nations (including Israel) on policies and methods that might be more effective than what's been tried before. In particular, he is urging younger people to take a more empathetic approach and possibly resolve deadly conflicts that have seemingly been on-going since the Crusades. This slight bit of proselytizing I find off-putting in what is ostensibly a history book; the author's objectivity seems skewed and make one wonder about the integrity of information during less obvious sections of the book. Overall though, it seems a to be a good account on how we got to where we are today.

Scuzz · Post by **Scuzz** » Mon Oct 21, 2013 5:30 pm

The Finish by Mark Bowden

I have read two Bowden books, Black Hawk Down and Guests of the Ayatollah. Both these books were written several years after the subject matter of the book, the latter being 30 years after. I think this book, about the search for and killing of Osama Bin Laden, suffers from how soon it was written after the event. It is not a bad book, I learned a great deal about the intelligence community and about the use of drones, but most of Bowden's sources are interviews with people who were on the fringes and as such it just seems like in 15-20 years when documents are released we will learn more. Bowden does actually address this in the afterward and seems to think that little new info will come out, but since so many are sworn to silence right now it seems like there will be new info available at that time.

I had read before reading the book that many considered this an anti-Bush pro-Obama version of the story. I didn't get that feeling. I thought for the most part Bush comes off pretty good in the book. There is a lot of "pro-Obama" stuff but the final years of the search and the order to go did come from Obama so it is hard to ignore that.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Oct 26, 2013 11:30 am

Second Chance by David D. Levine

At first. I was getting the vibe of Frank Herbert's Destination: Void; the precursor to what would be a fantastic trilogy involving the first interstellar space colony. But David Levine changes direction and keeps us off guard in this novella that is only partially about our first colonizing efforts.

The main character, Chaz, is revived from stasis long after the rest of the crew. Right off the bat, he has a mystery to solve. However, he learns that, while their journey has taken more than 80 years, communications from the Earth ceased somewhat earlier, and ship records do not suggest why, although Chaz starts to suspect sabotage. The entire crew are actually clones of individuals that once lived on Earth, except Chaz comes to learn his memories stop nearly two years before launch -- yet another mystery. And there's the way the rest of the crew treats him like a pariah -- is it because he is the only black? He doesn't really think so.

"Second Chance" becomes Chaz' desire as the missing years start to unfold. The eventual fate of the mission further uncovers why he was such an integral part of the crew in the first place. Like the Frank Herbert novel, though, the characters are complex but not especially likeable. Levine laid the ground work for a sequel but he did put more restrictions on himself, unlike Herbert who was able to go in whatever direction he pleased in The Jesus Incident. I'd be interested to read what he comes up with, though.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Wed Oct 30, 2013 12:15 pm

The Penal Colony
Richard Herley

http://www.amazon.com/The-Penal-Colony- ... nal+colony" target="_blank

I can finally highly recommend a book I have read recently. Especially for the current Kindle price of $2.99 (though you can probably borrow the digital version from your library as well since this was published in the late 80's I think).

The story itself, while interesting, is not nearly as interesting (to me at least) as the psychological development and complete change of the main character when thrust into an unknown and hostile world. I don't want to give too much away (but apparently, a crappy movie was made from the book, so some of you may have seen that), as I read this without knowing anything at all about the story, and found it a spectacular read.

What makes the writing so great is that the author pulls off what I think is a very difficult challenge, and that is to put the reader inside the mind of a character, and keep us engaged and believing, throughout a major change in that same mind. More than simply a "Rocky" type tale of overcoming odds, we are part of a transformation/redemption story, as told by the internal voice.

What goes on outside of the mind of the protagonist is almost as engaging, which is basically that a "civilized", white collar English man, who has never really connected with other human beings, and has always probably felt quite superior, finds himself on an island of convicts, the supposed worst of the worst, and must overcome several challenges to survive, not the least of which is his own mental stability.

Just an excellent read, and I highly recommend it to anyone, no matter your preference for genre.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 11:49 am

Betrayal: A Kydd Sea Advent[url]ure (Kydd Sea Adventures) by Julian Stockwin[/url]

The Kydd series is yet another in the vein of Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin series (Master and Commander, et al), and C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series. I hadn't read any of the others in this particular series (of which Betrayal is number 13), but that didn't prove to be too much of an impediment. Included is a dramatis personae, identifying the cast of characters.

The story itself concerns an ill-conceived invasion of South America, ostensibly to "liberate" it from imperial Spanish forces who lacked reach after their navy was destroyed at Trafalgar. The British momentarily capture Buenos Aries, but were mistaken in believing the people would embrace them as liberators and soon found a coalition of loyalist and revolutionary forces arrayed against them.

The book is well written, with just the right balance of jargon (glossary included), history, and swashbuckling adventure. I'm a fan of these kind of stories, and my to-do list now will include the first 12 books in this series in hopes they are of the same quality.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 12:10 pm

Socrates in 90 Minutes by Paul Strathern

What we know of Socrates comes indirectly from his students, Plato and Xenophon, as well as Plato's protégé, Aristotle. What that amounts to fits nicely within the confines of a 90 minute audiobook.

Socrates was a scrawny but able soldier in the Peloponnesian War, but gained a measure of fame as a teacher and ultimately, a court-ordered suicide on trumped-up charges of sedition. Through Plato's Dialogs, we learn how Socrates put his own stamp on the fledgling field of Philosophy using what would be called the Socratic Method of thought.

Strathern does a nice job putting this all in context of the history of the time -- an important consideration when evaluating the merits of certain forms of reasoning. The book ends with a timeline of significant events in western philosophy from ancient to modern times..

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 12:33 pm

Confucius in 90 Minutes by Paul Strathern

Confucius lived a mostly unremarkable life, but became an occasional advisor to Chinese warlords, wandering throughout the various states after a self-imposed exile away from the disgraced Duke of Lu. Throughout his travels, he became a respected teacher, his disciples branching off to what was to be called the "100 schools of thought" era. As in Greece with Socrates, much of what we know of Confucius is refined writings and teachings collected after his death. Confucius' tenets were often little more than a code of conduct to help give more noble purpose to often brutal warlords, but his philosophy as such was a very practical, reasonable sort.

Inexplicably, this book ends with the same timetable of WESTERN philosophy that I suspect all books in this series contain. I think I would have rather had it placed in the context of eastern philosophies...or the timeline expanded to be more inclusive. All in all, I learned more than I knew before about who Confucius was, but no more than I knew before about his philosophy or influence on others.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 2:22 pm

rshetts2 wrote:Just finished Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson.

The basic premise is that an external force caused some of humanity to evolve super powers. The catch is that none of them are superheroes. Every one with powers become corrupted by them, very much to the woe of mankind.

I liked the premise and the book was definitely a fun read. It did seem a bit light compared to other Sanderson works almost as if it was more of a young adult book. I dont say that as if its a bad thing but more to describe the writing style. Its the first book of a series and while I definitely will read future books in the series, Im also looking forward to next January, when the sequel to The Way of Kings is expected to be released. Ive become a fan of Sanderson and one of the most impressive things about him is how prolific of a writer he is, while still putting out good quality reads. This past year alone he published the last Wheel of Time novel, Steelheart and will wrap up Words of Radiance ( the Stormlight Archives #2 ).

Just started that last night. Looks like a fun read.

Just finished The Lies of Lock Lamora - great fantasy of a master scam artist. Did not disappoint.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 2:25 pm

rshetts2 wrote:For those of you who have enjoyed Scott Lynch's first two novels, The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas under Red Skies, the third novel in "The Gentleman Bastard" series comes out tomorrow after a series of GRRM like delays.
Clearly Lynch must have struggled with this one as it was originally scheduled for release in 2011. Hopefully, its as good as the first two.

Great to hear I have two more reads in the series lined up.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 6:49 pm

Carpet_pissr wrote:Just finished "Children of the Fog" by Cheryl Kaye Tardif, yet another title highly regarded based on Amazon reviews, but left me feeling somewhat...cheated by the expectations set up by said reviews vs reality.

I would certainly not say it's terrible, or suggest someone NOT read it, but there is just so much better stuff out there, I guess, that it would be hard for me to recommend someone to seek it out. It's just not that good.

It did keep me turning pages, I guess, so that's a plus, but again, just 'meh' from me. I must be a really tough audience, because this thing has 4.5 stars and 667 reviews on Amazon.

For the sales of writers you've never heard of (particularly books that look like they are or will be part of a series), I've found it interesting (valuable) to look at the lower review scores (2-3's) on Amazon.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 6:51 pm

Jaymann wrote:
rshetts2 wrote:For those of you who have enjoyed Scott Lynch's first two novels, The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas under Red Skies, the third novel in "The Gentleman Bastard" series comes out tomorrow after a series of GRRM like delays.
Clearly Lynch must have struggled with this one as it was originally scheduled for release in 2011. Hopefully, its as good as the first two.
Great to hear I have two more reads in the series lined up.

Read the first, looked at the reviews of the 2nd and waited. Finally broke down when the price was decent, but haven't started it yet. 3rd is on Xmas wishlist for now...

WYBaugh · Post by **WYBaugh** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:24 pm

Pyperkub wrote:
Pyperkub wrote:
Pyperkub wrote:Finished

A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - was interesting to read this for the first time. I might have to read some more Dickens this year

The Perks of being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky - saw the movie last year, and enjoyed it, but felt that there was something missing in the translation to the screen. The letter format seemed to work much better to tell the story, and the themes were expanded by sections of the book that were cut from the movie. I also found the Study topics interesting (as this is one of the newer HS Literature books that ends up on the banned lists frequently)

Down on the Farm - Charles Stross (Laundry novella/Short story) - fun addition to Stross's Laundry files

Overtime - Charles Stross (Laundry short story). apparently somewhat out of chronology, but in the correct order - a holiday-themed Laundry story. One of the better ones (he doesn't go overboard in explaining magic/mathematics conjunction. Convinced me to pay over 9.99 for the Apocalypse Codex...

The Apocalypse Codex - from a pacing perspective, probably the best Laundry novel yet (but Jennifer Morgue is still the best).

Lost Homicidal Manaic (goes by Shirley) - Jeff Strand's most recent Andrew Mayhem novel. A bit darker than most of his stuff (and he's a horror writer), but a lot of the humor is still there. His books are just crying to become movies (I'd really like to see Wolf Hunt get done right).
Updating 6/5/13:

The Twelve (Book Two of the Passage Trilogy)
Nickel Plated - Aric Davis
A Memory of Light - Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson
A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness
The Uncertain Places - Lisa Goldstein
The Silver Linings Playbook
Lilith, A Snake in the Grass (Book One of the Four Lords of the Diamond Series) - Jack L. Chalker
Reamde - Neal Stephenson

Currently Reading:
The Forever War

Posting review capsules shortly (I hope).
I guess not - here goes on a few to add (update 9/25):

Finished:
The Forever War
Last Car to Elysian Fields
The Rook
The Year of the Jackpot
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Killing Floor (Jack Reacher)
Die Trying (Jack Reacher)
Tripwire (Jack Reacher)
Running Blind (Jack Reacher)
Echo Burning (Jack Reacher)
Without Fail (Jack Reacher)
PERSUADER (Jack Reacher)
THE ENEMY (Jack Reacher)
ONE SHOT (Jack Reacher)
THE HARD WAY (Jack Reacher)
BAD LUCK AND TROUBLE (Jack Reacher)
NOTHING TO LOSE (Jack Reacher)
GONE TOMORROW (Jack Reacher)
61 HOURS (Jack Reacher)
Shadow of Night

Pyperkub,

I've been listening to Killing Floor and am at the half way point and really not sure if I want to keep going. Does it get better in the 2nd half?

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Sun Nov 24, 2013 10:22 pm

I thought so, but I can't remember exactly where half way is. Also I have no idea if the audio book quality is helping or hurting. I read almost all of them back to back. If it's the type of book you like and the orator is worth listening to, then stick with it. The series and character reminded me a lot of the Travis McGee series. I liked how the plot came together in that one, but if the character and style aren't working for you then it might not be your cup of tea.

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Nov 25, 2013 1:07 am

Jack Reacher books tend to be a bit "meandering" at the beginning, but there's a bit of a feel of "impending doom" in the background. In a way, it reminds me a lot of Stephen Hunter novels featuring the Swagger, esp. Bob Lee Swagger, kinda retired knight errant,

Though I think Killing Floor is a bit slow. You need one of those books that REALLY draws you in at the very beginning. Persuader, Without Fail, or even One Shot (that got turned into that Tom Cruise movie). Just to tease you in a bit:

Persuader -- Jack Reacher saw a man one day... one man he thought he had put away for good, by putting a bullet into his head... extra-judicial. Before he can do anything, he was taken away by FBI... they need Reacher's help. They lost one of their undercover agents infiltrating this guy's organization. Reacher will go undercover for them... break the case, rescue the agent, and get his closure, but things are not what they seem...

Without Fail -- Secret service tracked down Jack Reacher... Someone is threatening the Vice President elect Senator Armstrong, and may have even made an attempt on his life already. Several clues had been sent. Two others named Armstrong are dead already. Who or whom is behind the threat? Is the threat real, or merely an attempt to embarrass the head protective detail agent, who happened to be his late brother's girlfriend?

One Shot -- six shots rang out over the city. Five people shot dead by a sniper. Within hours police arrested the guy with what appears to be slam-dunk evidence: gun, fingerprint, bullet, no alibi. Except the guy said... "You got the wrong guy. Get me Jack Reacher." Then Jack Reacher shows up... except he's here to put the guy away for good... as he had promised 10 years ago if the man ever screws up again. But as Reacher looked over the evidence, he realized nothing is what it appears...

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Mon Nov 25, 2013 1:20 am

Finished "Private Wars" by Greg Rucka

Tara Chace is a "minder" for Her Majesty's service... which means she's a spy. When she got pregnant and her partner (another minder) was killed, she went on a sabbatical to bring up her daughter, but duty called. In the small country of Uzbekistan, a wife and mother is tortured to death for revealing embarrassing secrets about the nation, and her husband and son fears for their life... and contacted the American attache for help... they want to get out. Americans, not wanting to involve CIA, call the British, who sent in Tara Chace... but what Chace doesn't know is she is merely a pawn in a power struggle for the control of her agency, as well as geopolitics that affects the future of Uzbekistan. Then the stakes are raised when it's discovered that 4 Starstreak shoulder-launched missiles are in Uzbekistan... Tara Chace is good, but this may be one of those missions where nobody walks away unscathed...

While I like the idea of a NOT-INVINCIBLE agent, but nonetheless deadly, there are a couple gratuitous scenes of sex and violence that felt "tacked on". The plot twists... well, saw one of them coming miles away, but I didn't quite see the final one. It's a good read, but don't expect TOO much reality, as there's plenty of literary license taken.

WYBaugh · Post by **WYBaugh** » Mon Nov 25, 2013 1:57 pm

Update with some of my recent completions:

Blood Song by Anthony Ryan - Awesome book in the vein of The Name of the Wind in narrative style. Very good start to his series.

The Grim Company by Luke Scull - An 'Abercrombie-like' series but has non-stop action. Another good start to a new series.

The Tyrant's Law by Daniel Abraham - Do you remember The One Tree? This is it.

Abaddon's Gate by James S.A. Corey - End of the Expanse trilogy. Spent too much time on in-fighting on the ship and not enough about the whole damn reason for the books in the first place.

Warbound by Larry Correia - Series end. The series started strong and ended with a whimper.

The Thousand Names by Django Wexler - Another great first book.

Death, the Devil and the Goldfish by Andrew Buckley - Funny , light read.