My wife recently presented me with a stack of books that are along my lines of interest, but which I probably wouldn’t think to buy for myself. Last month I had a hard time putting down a biography, Ulysses Grant in War and Peace by H.W. Brands. Pretty glowing picture of Grant, but a fascinating and fairly intimate look at his life. The Civil War accounts were what originally drew me. But I was interested in his two terms as president during Reconstruction, and the battles he fought and seemingly won for civil rights. Which made the next in the stack I picked up a perfect and hard to read continuation: The Warmth of other Suns by Isabelle Wilkerson. I’m only a quarter of the way into this story of the Great Migration of blacks out of the South over the course of the twentieth century, but it looks to be quite a masterful piece of journalism and storytelling.
I’ve loved Guy Gavriel Kay for many years now. I just picked up River of Stars the other day. As I said earlier, I don’t quite get why he hasn’t had something picked up and turned into a Major Motion Picture, or HBO mini-series, if only so I can have the pleasure of saying repeatedly ‘The book was much better.’
I just finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane. On the one hand, the plot was almost exactly the same as ‘Coraline’. On the other hand, there were certain passages where the words he chose were achingly beautiful. He does well for someone who can’t even read… 
Got an order in from my book club this morning. So I’m reading Shanghai 1937: Stalingrad on the Yangtze by Peter Harmsen.
This is the version I’ve read:
I really enjoyed it - can’t comment on the translation, as I speak no Russian, but the notes helped. 
I went camping by myself for 6 days, and got a lot of reading done; can I say again how much I love my Kindle? Just load it up before you go, and no fear of having nothing to read. Even if I finish the new books, all my old favourites are right there to be re-read, any time I want. I bought a $2 nightlight, and tucked myself into bed at dusk each night. Wonderful!
I read the first two of the Fforde Chronicles of Kazam series, which I liked quite a bit, the seemed less effortful than the Thursday Next series. I liked the undercurrent of environmentalism, especially in the first book.
I also enjoyed Three Parts Dead by Max Gladstone, although I can’t for the life of me work out why its entitled thusly. I like books to have titles that make sense. Great heroine, and I liked the world building. I’d gladly read another.
I read Aric Davis’ Nickel Plated, which was OK; it felt a bit too much like Mary-Sue fanfic. The protagonist wasn’t very believable.
What’s next? That’s the question. I have read the first two of Atwood’s MaddAdam trilogy, but I don’t remember them as being particularly compelling; perhaps if I reread them, I’ll be more inclined to pick up the third. I could also get the new Kate Atkinson, although I feel a bit sheeple-y, jumping on that bandwagon… We’ll see, something will come up. It always does!
Ooh - I really enjoyed The Last Dragonslayer in audiobook form - I’m disappointed the library doesn’t have the sequel (Song of the Quarkbeast) - so I may just have to buy it for myself!
I’m way behind in my reviews - just popping in to say I quite enjoyed the audiobook of Who Could that Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket - it’s the start of a new series, apparently - YA similar to A Series of Unfortunate Events but told in first person, as it’s supposedly Snicket’s adventures as a young man. Set very much “in media res”, there’s a lot of unanswered questions (possibly wrong ones), but the style is as amusing as ever, if you’re into this sort of thing, and both the story and characters are entertaining, IMHO. Liam Aiken’s narration is just how I expected Lemony Snicket (as a world-weary tween) would sound.
I enjoyed my re-read of Starship Troopers - spurred by the recent RiffTrax skewering of the film; which I also enjoy as a guilty pleasure. The military minutia can get a bit overdone, but it’s a good piece of pulp sci-fi wrapped in a philosophical/political package. Not my favorite RAH novel by any means, but worth revisiting once a decade or so.
I bet my books are the American version.
I’ve read the Taltos books, and I really liked Freedom & Necessity, which he wrote with Emma Bull. His vampire novel *Agyar *is pretty good, too.
I didn’t like the last Taltos book, Tiassa, very much. I think it was a crossover with his other series, the Khaavren Romances, which I have not yet read, and that probably explains my discontent.
I added Starship Troopers to Mt. ToBeRead because of the Rifftrax. I wonder if I can have the book delivered to me via GorillaGram?
Finished Atonement, by Ian McEwan. And I cannot for the life of me figure out why I wrote myself a note to read it. The film version we saw exactly mirrors the book except for a slight difference in the ending, but so slight as to be inconsequential. It was a good read though.
Next up: Pale Fire, by Vladimir Nabokov.
IIRC, I tried but never finished Freedom and Necessity and Agyar. On the other hand, To Reign in Hell is, IMO, a must read. I also read most of Brokedown Palace at some point, then managed to lose the book, and enjoyed it as well–it’s set in the “East”, in the same universe as the the Taltos books.
As to the Khaavren Romances–they’re in the same universe as well, and involve, ultimately, some of the same characters. They’re worth a read–the first two, IMO, are very good, and the trilogy that rounds it out isn’t bad either. But yes, IIRC, Tiassa had more of a connection to the Khaavren books than most, as the titular Tiassa was in fact Khaavren.
To Rein in Hell inspired one of the quotes in my .sig line.
The Long War, by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter, sequel to The Long Earth. I loved it and highly recommend these two books (apparently they’re contracted to write another three in the series). The worldbuilding is thorough, and while there are a couple of exposition dumps they’re not too overwhelming.
I’m also doing a re-read of L.K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake books, but I might stop at about book 6 or so; I think book 8 was where they all started to unravel, along with Hamilton herself, by most accounts. Even in the earlier books there’s some cringeworthy stuff, and I have to give a big fat WTF to the ‘fashion’ Hamilton puts her characters in. I’m still enjoying them though.
For two more very different but equally enjoyable takes on the powered armor/military sf genre, may I recommend The Forever War by Joe Haldeman and Old Man’s War by John Scalzi? Love 'em!
I am mostly done reading *White Coat: Becoming a Doctor at Harvard Medical School *by Ellen L. Rothman. This is easily one of the worst books I’ve ever read about medical training. The writing is flat and cliqued. The author basically veers between attempting to describe something potentially interesting and then interjecting her vague contempt and lack of insight into it. Also she constantly makes an unappealing contrast between how incredibly small she is – so tiny she doesn’t even fit into a pair of scrubs or her medical coat – and how disgustingly obese many of her patients are. It’s jarring and unpleasant.
One of the most disappointing books I’ve ever had the misfortune to read. I’m glad I only paid a buck for it. I hope the author has done some much needed growing up since then, especially as she has chosen to specialize in pediatrics.
Did you perhaps mean cliched, or clipped?
I meant clichéd damn it. Oops.
I just saw this thread. The OP inspired me to call the city library and reserve a copy of A History of the World in Six Glasses.
My work here is done…
Finished “Moonwalking with Einstein”. It was an interesting and fast read. The memory places actually work, I tried. But learning all the techniques is in my opinion a bit too much. Especially since I don’t have any trouble memorising things. It would have been a great help in secondary school.
Now 200 pages into 11/22/63 by Stephen King (my first King book). So far I like it. It reads very easy, even though I am no fan of 50’s - 60’s lingo (so far used sparingly).
I’ve read Old Man’s War (am a fan of Scalzi) and think I tried Forever War many moons ago, but it didn’t click for me - may have to try it again.
Think I’ll be returning Finding Florida: The True History of the Sunshine State by T.D. Allman to the library after only getting a few chapters in - it’s very well written and researched; but too damn depressing. Apparently, Florida has been a f’d up place since the Europeans first showed up; lots of treachery & revenge, broken dreams and lost hopes with (of course) the natives and slaves getting the shortest shrift. I may return to it someday, as I’d like to know more about this part of the country, but am not in the mood for this kind of book at the moment.
ETA: Alba - you’re starting with King in an interesting place… I’m looking forward to your thoughts on 11/22/63. I thought it was probably the best of his most recent (post-accident) books, tho I really liked Joyland too.