Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion

Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan was an excellent, twisty mystery-thriller. I never would have guessed it was a first novel. I'm going to read the next now. Here's my 4 star review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

In another group, a friend posted this Wall Street Journal article on Amazon's new subscription service & libraries. Well worth reading.
http://online.wsj.com/news/article_em...

Jim, that's an interesting article; thanks for sharing it! The Bluefield College library is still in the thinking stage about changing, or adding to, the way(s) we offer e-books (they're not at all popular with our patrons, but that's possibly influenced by the fact that they have to be read on a computer terminal screen through a database --although patrons can do remote access, and I surmise that a cell phone with an Internet connection would work for that as well as an actual computer). I'm not the staff person who makes decisions in that area; but I'm going to make a copy of the article for those who do.

One of the reasons I got an e-reader was for reading computer documentation, but I use it primarily for pleasure reading. All computer docs are in PDF format now & many are hundreds or even over a thousand pages. Too many to read through on my PC comfortably. I skim through them on my e-reader, note the sections that pertain to me, & might print out a few pages that are particularly pertinent & tricky.

E-books can be a real boon for researching topics with word searches, but you have to know what you're looking for first. That's how I go through most of my manuals when I need to figure out specific issues. Real books can be far better than e-readers with pictures & graphs. My Kindle DX is gray scale - easy on the eyes, but pictures suffer. Auto formatting can make graphs too small & book marks will never replace sticky notes for me.

I have several editions of the Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material. Most are real books, but I bought the latest edition as both paper & an e-book. As usual, the paper edition has bent pages, sticky notes, & writing in it now. While that helps me with the most commonly used sections, I still like the portability & ease of the PDF file.

E-books are also a great way to get a lot of books that would otherwise be unavailable. I've found all kinds of woodworking & other books on Gutenberg that I never would have found in the stacks.

The second David Loogan novel, Very Bad Men, was almost as good as the first, even twistier. Very well plotted & kept me guessing the entire way through. The only downside is the main character really needs the first book to introduce him. I still gave it 4 stars in my review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Good day to stay inside but our AC not working great and it's 100 degrees. Hope it's not headed your way, Jim. Have any of you read, "Beautiful Ruins?" Interesting.

It's been 90+ around here with very high humidity. Afternoon thunder storms are frequent. We're now in the 3d wettest August recorded. I work outside for about an hour in the afternoon & come in to the AC. Too hot! My shirt is soaked. This afternoon I just pruned the plum trees along the road & was really ready to come in. Yes, I drink plenty of water.

We could use some rain. Hope it finds it's way down from S.D. My back garden is like a green house with the high humidity. I water daily and it keeps growing green. My hibiscus bush is as tall as I am. It is in a pot/moved to my fenced in garden as the bunnies chomped on it in the front yard planters.

Put a few moth balls in the pot. They won't hurt the plant & keep critters away. It's how I protect my garden early on every year.

I started Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill last night, didn't get far but it got my attention right away.

I am between books for a few days. I finally finishedRobert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 1 (1907-1948): Learning Curve.Very long but interesting. Review coming tomorrow or Thursday .

Thanks for the suggestion, Jim. I'll try it.

I've been up to some good reading and not so much posting. :) I've recently read or listened to:

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls
Neverwhere: BBC Dramatization
Eye of the Needle
The House of Hades
Magyk

I'm currently reading:
The Fires of Heaven (audio)
The Daughters of Mars (audio)
Zorro (real book)

I'm not sure what to read next for real books, but I'm thinking of:

Great North Road
11/22/63
Gardens of the Moon
The Name of the Wind

Any thoughts?

"The Light Between Oceans," by M.L.Stedman. "Me Before You," by Jojo Moyes.

Jenni, I hated Gardens of the Moon, did not continue. I loved The Name of the Wind but the second book wasn't as good.

Jackie, thanks! That makes me feel good. I had actually tried listening to Gardens of the Moon but couldn't get into it. I was hoping that the book would be better if I read it. At some point I'll have to give it a try, but The Name of the Wind is one that I've been meaning to read for some time now.

TNotW was really good. The first page had me hooked. Even the acknowledgement page was unique. I had high hopes for the second book, it was good, just a bit dragged out in the middle. Try TNotW, if you like Epic Fantasy, then I think you'll like it.

Jackie wrote: "Jenni, I hated Gardens of the Moon, did not continue. I loved The Name of the Wind but the second book wasn't as good."

I didn't finish 'Gardens of the Moon'. After 300 pages, I couldn't have cared less about anyone or thing in that universe.

I thought 'Name of the Wind' & the 'Wise Man's Fear' were about the same, maybe an edge to the 2d one. It won't be my favorite trilogy, though.

I just finished reading Fuzzy Nation, a SF book by John Scalzi. It was short & fun. My 3 star review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I also finished listening to Gai-Jin by James Clavell (The author of Shōgun). I liked it better as an audio book read by John Lee (The man is FANTASTIC.) but it will never be my favorite in the series. My 3 star review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks, Jim! I need to read Gai-jin too! And wow, John Lee is AMAZING! He's the guy who is doing the Century of the World trilogy by Ken Follett. That man is excellent, so I think I'll try to find an audio version of Gai-Jin.

I'm going to have to also check out Fuzzy Nation. I've read a few Scalzi books and have found them to be enjoyable. :)

Jackie and Jim, I'm looking forward to The Name of the Wind. Now I just need to finish Zorro!

Have you read the rest of Clavell's Asian Saga, Jenni? It starts with Shōgun which takes place about 2.5 centuries earlier than Tai-Pan in Japan. Tai-Pan is about the founding of Hong Kong in 1840 & takes place over a period of 6 months. Gai-Jin takes place about 20 years later, 1862. The next is King Rat which takes place in 1944 in a POW camp in Japan. Then comes Noble House, set in 1960's Hong Kong & finally Whirlwind in 1979 Iran during the revolution.

I've read all but the last & that's not available as an audio book, either. While 'Shogun' & 'King Rat' (narrated by David Case) have a couple of characters that are mentioned in the other books, neither is very important to the chronology of the other books which all deal with the Noble House, a fictional company created by Dirk Struan, the hero of Tai-pan. John Lee only narrated the 3 Noble House books.

I'm listening to "Noble House" now. Just started this morning. As usual, Lee has the voices down perfectly. Do you know anything about David Case? I might listen to the other books later. Lee is a tough act to follow, though.

R. D. Blackmore's classic novel Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor has been adapted as a movie several times. I saw one of these (I can't tell which one from the online listings, though I'd recognize it if I actually saw the footage) as a kid, and liked it; but I really fell in love with the wonderful three-hour A&E/BBC mini-series adaptation in 2000 (www.imdb.com/title/tt0259786/ ). The book has been high on my to-read list ever since. When the classics group I belong to was taking suggestions for the Sept.-Oct. common read, I nominated it, and was delighted when it won the vote! Being ready to begin another read today, I started it a little early.

Now I've finished Noble House by James Clavell. It was a 5 star novel read by John Lee & takes place about a century after Gai-Jin. Wow! Long, but well worth the time it took. My review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jim, where did you get the audio book versions of the James Clavell books? I LOVE John Lee, and I need to actually start reading some James Clavell.

On a side note, I have to tell everyone that my 10 year old is growing up. She is in fifth grade, and is currently reading Little Women and The Hunger Games. Yeah, those are two totally different books. When she told me that she borrowed Hunger Games from the school library, I had one of those "Is she old enough for that book?" moments. But no, I will never be that mom that says my child can't read a book. It's just a bit shocking because she has never read anything like that before. I'm glad that I've read the series so that I know what she's reading. It will be interesting to see what she thinks of it.

As for Little Women, that was my favorite book when I was a kid. I've read it so many times that my copy from my 5th grade book orders is literally falling apart and has been taped together on more than one occasion. Proud mommy!

I downloaded it from my public library, Jenni. They only have 5 of the 6 books & 2 are read by someone else. Luckily, John Lee did the 3 Noble House books (Tai-pan, Gai-jim, & Noble House). Shogun & King Rat are read by another guy. I've looked, but can't find an audio edition of Whirlwind. It's the only one I haven't read. I have an ebook of it that I might try soon. I'm a little burned out on the series, though. They're LONG books.

That's awesome about your daughter reading so much. It will pay off in the future. I always let me kids read whatever they wanted & they've all told me that their enjoyment of reading really paid off later on. They were skilled enough that assigned readings were a breeze while many of their classmates struggled.

Thanks, Jim! Anja is an avid reader, and reads quite the variety of books. I'm so thrilled that she enjoys books that I read as a kid, and I love to watch her explore and find books on her own or through her friends. My little guy (William) also loves to read. He's been reading up on Lego Chima and Minecraft stuff lately. It gets him reading, but I don't get the fascination with either. No complaints, a book is a book and he loves them.

I'll have to see if my public library has those audiobooks for download. My library is a bit podunk.

Thanks, Jim! Anja is an avid reader, and reads quite the variety of books. I'm so thrilled that she enjoys books that I read as a kid, and I love to watch her explore and find books on her own or through her friends. My little guy (William) also loves to read. He's been reading up on Lego Chima and Minecraft stuff lately. It gets him reading, but I don't get the fascination with either. No complaints, a book is a book and he loves them.

I'll have to see if my public library has those audiobooks for download. My library is a bit podunk.

Heart-Shaped Box was good but not great. I think I expected more since so many people liked it.

I'm now reading Witchlight, better than the first book in the series.

They're both busy little kids, Jenni. It's great to see them both doing so well. You must be glad when they settle down to read after running about so much. I haven't seen much about swimming lately. You're a judge now, aren't you? Is there a season that's over or something?

Oh Jim, they are so crazy busy! I'm so glad that they are so active, and I LOVE bedtime when they settle down to read and just chill. Cuddle time is the BEST! Anja is still swimming, and short course season has just started up again after about a month off. Be be prepared for lots of facebook updates soon. Her first meet of the season will be in October. I'm not sure which weekends yet. Yep, I'm a judge/official. I'm almost certified to be a starter for the meets, so pretty soon I won't have to be the nasty person that disqualifies a kid as often. That's the worst. :)

Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover was a very good blend of SF & fantasy. While the elements are all tried & true, it was fairly unique. I gave it 4 stars:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Racketeer by John Grisham was a solid 3 star listen. Well read. My review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just finished Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail by Theodore Roosevelt. I gave it 5 stars & highly recommend it. It's only 188 pages in the hard back edition I read with drawings by Remington that really complemented the text. My review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Last Don by Mario Puzo was OK, not much different than The Godfather, but weaker. It was well read, so I gave it 3 stars here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I started Wool Omnibus but really haven't had much time to read.

Jim, the book review I mistakenly thought was written by you was in the UPDATE Goodreads message. I have forgotten the title but it was written by a descendent of one of his ancestors that was on the Oregon Trail leaving from Iowa en route to OR. Then someone else had written about how this same man retraced the trail going back as far as NYC and pointing out how much had changed in the twenty years hence.

Ah, sounds interesting, but heartbreaking. s I'm sure you know, 20 years can change a lot. I don't even recognize the land around the first farm we lived on. It's all houses.

Orson Scott Card has strong religious convictions & I am pretty anti-religion, yet I like much of his work. I just finished listening to Cruel Miracles, a collection of short stories in which he explores religion in SF. His personal brand never makes a showing. Instead, he delves into how ritual & faith can make something beautiful or very ugly. Fantastic. My 4 star review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I agree with you on Card. I don't care what anyone believes as long as they're not pushing it on me. He's never pushed his religion, not on any of the his books that I read. I didn't even know about his beliefs til it made the news.

Jim wrote: "Orson Scott Card has strong religious convictions & I am pretty anti-religion, yet I like much of his work. I just finished listening to Cruel Miracles, a collection of s..."I found your review quite interesting/you told just enough to whet one's appetite.

I have started another mystery in a favorite series. John Lescroart writes the Dismas Hardy/Abe Glitsky series about a duo---lawyer (Hardy) and a cop (Glitsky). I have read several in the series and now am starting #12, Betrayal. Over 500 pages in paperback---but he usually paces his books well. Looking forward to it.

We're having fun with the Royal's baseball success in Kansas City this year/first time in twentynine years they made it to the playoffs/

It's been a good week for books. I listened to Night Heron by Adam Brookes & it was not just well read, but well written. Set mostly in Communist China of today, it wasn't just tense, but had a lot of points to ponder afterward. Pretty dark & gritty, I gave it 5 stars in my review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I reread Prizzi's Honor by Richard Condon. I saw the movie when it first came out & read it quite a while back, but really enjoyed reading it again. I didn't remember all the twists, either. It was a lot of fun. I gave it 4 stars & plan on reading the other 2 books soon. My review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Yes, great acting in that movie. I wonder if any of the "new" movies will hold up years from now like some of these good "oldies."

Library book sale this weekend.
From my list:
Elantris https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

3rd in the Septimus Heap novels, I have 1 and 2
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...


Not on the list:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

I got a couple of books for one of my son's friends, he had to work today and couldn't make it.

Hope you enjoy your new books, Jackie! It's always great to get in on a good book sale and find some bargains.

Congrats!

Where do you read, everyone?

I take a book everywhere I go. At home, I like to read on the porch in the warm weather and in bed under the covers in the cold weather.

I normally read on a stationary bike while I'm doing my daily exercises, as a way of multitasking. And if Barb and I are traveling together in the car, I read out loud to her (more multitasking). If I'm reading a book or story in the electronic format, of course, I read in front of the computer; but that's not a format I read in very often.