“George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the path to World War I”. What an erratic loony Willy was and the other two weren’t a whole lot better. Well, George had his power limited and Nicky loved his wife and kids.
I got done reading “Neptune’s Inferno” about the various naval battles at Guadalcanal in WWII and found it a bit off putting that one of the major characters was an Admiral John S. McCain (grandfather of the U.S. Senator. Sadly, he died four days after the surrender treaty was signed…worked himself to death).
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke - Magic returns to Regency England. Gigantic but fun. Headlong by Emlyn Williams - An accidental British king does his best but finds he’s not up to the job. The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories by Susanna Clarke - More good stuff from the Strange author. Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez - Creepy graphic novel. The Help by Kathryn Stockett - Civil Rights-era drama. Coal Black Horse by Robert Olmstead - Civil War coming-of-age novel. The Arrival by Shaun Tan - Graphic novel about the immigrant experience. Kennedy by Theodore Sorensen - Outstanding political history by one of JFK’s closest aides. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman - Decade-spanning novel about a struggling English-language newspaper in Rome. Limitless by Alan Glynn - Inspired the movie of the same name, but quite different and just as good.
I’m starting the New Year with my first Terry Pratchett novel: Guards! Guards! It’s listed as #8, but somewhere around here during a discussion of Pratchett I got the idea that this one was a pretty good place to start. So far I’m enchanted - the humor is striking me just right.
I finally gave in to the hype and started reading the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. I finished book one on Saturday and am now frustratedly awaiting the arrival of Book Two from a net-based used bookstore. Return here in early March to read my rant as I join the ranks of those desperately awaiting book six. . .
I have to say I really hate the writing. He is clearly an enormous misogynist, and the female characters are all either stunted or monstrous or both. Unfortunately it’s also a good story, so I need to find out how it ends. If it ever does, which I’ve been told it doesn’t, much to the frustration of the other 99% of his readers.
Book one has the feel of an in-depth introduction to the true conflict. And I’m going to be really pissed if we never find out who Jon’s Mother is.
My walls are filled with literally hundreds of books I haven’t read, and yet I buy new ones that sound wonderful. It’s especially easy to buy ebooks. I’m feeling the need for some kind of shared challenge for 2012, to motivate me to read a greater proportion of books I already have. Is anyone else interested?
Although there are always books I wish I had time to read, I feel like I’m just about at capacity right now (I read 44 last year). What did you have in mind?
At Goodreads (Sign up. It’s free. I actually like the social aspect of it.) there’s a place where you can put how many books you want to read in a year. I put 50. While that is a lot, I’m in college (history major) so I already have to read a ton of books.
I wasn’t really thinking of the number of books, but the proportion of unread books on my shelves vs. newly-bought books. I now realize that in this particular thread, I’m the exception, to even own unread books by the hundreds. Never mind.
I use Goodreads too, and it’s a great tool for making lists that you can prioritize.
I also own a lot of unread books. I seem to acquire new books at about the same rate I read them, so my to-read stack changes but never gets any smaller. I feel obscurely guilty about the books that have lingered in the middle of the list for years, while newer books get bumped ahead of them.
I finished Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami with a few days to spare in 2011, but I’ll mention it here. I’m now about 3/4 of the way through his latest book, 1Q84. It’s keeping my interest and I’m reading it pretty quickly, but I don’t think it’s his best work. I’ve read that the book was translated in a big hurry so it could reach the U.S. market in time for the holidays. I think it shows. The writing gets repetitive and kind of flat in places. Still, it’s intriguing and weird. Norwegian Wood is much more straightforward and even romantic, and the writing is better. I still think The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is better than either of those.
Finished reading Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic last night. It’s a really good overview of the last century of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire. I recommend it highly if you’re interested in the era.
I’m almost finished with Ready Player One and totally loving it. It’s not going to win any awards for writing, but it is a lot of fun if you’re a Gen Xer.
If you haven’t noticed, there aren’t many heroic male characters, either.
Recently finished The Power of Six, which is the follow-up to I Am Number Four. It ended pretty abruptly, but other than that it was an entertaining read. Next one’s not coming out until August.
Someone in another thread mentioned Skulduggery Pleasant, so I hunted them down. I tore through thefirstthree and I’m now reading the fourth, Dark Days. They read very quickly, and there’s an interesting contrast between some dark subject matter and some laugh-out-loud funny dialogue. The protagonists, Skulduggery and Valkyrie, are awesome.
Possibly next on the agenda are The Death Cure and Reunion, which was also recommended in another thread and is a free Kindle borrow if you have Amazon Prime.
Those both just went on my list.
I’m finishing Broken Music, a WWI-set mystery by Marjorie Eccles. I think it was recommended on Goodreads or maybe Booklist. It’s nothing unusual, but she’s a good storyteller.
Just finished All the Earth Thrown to the Sky, by Joe R. Lansdale. It’s a YA novel and I don’t think it’s up to Lansdale’s usual standard, but it was an interesting enough tale about some kids orphaned during the Great Depression who go on the road. Pros: Either boys or girls would enjoy this, and there is a strong female character. Cons: Deus ex machina, ending fizzles.
I’m now reading Some of Your Blood, by Theodore Sturgeon. This is one of those I’ve always meant to read and thought I’d never get around to. I’m really liking it.
I’m about 60% through 11/22/63. Now that my vacation is over and I’m back at work, it’s going to take me a while to finish it. But that’s okay - I’ll be sad when it’s over.
My MountToBeRead isn’t quite as large as yours, but I’ll join you in a challenge to read more of what I already have.. tho most of my New Reads come from the library.
I, too, finished The Billionaire’s Vinegar, and found it really good. I wish there was more to the end of the story, though - it seems like the villians didn’t really get their comeuppance like I wanted, and the whole thing resolved rather quickly. After the slower pace of the first part, the ending felt rushed. Still, a really fun read, especially when sipping a $8 red blend. I mean, these people spend untold thousands on one (one!) bottle of wine that may or may not be any good, when I spend a fraction of that and pretty much get the same experience bottle to bottle. I do like wine, but they’re in another circle entirely.
I’m currently reading False Justice, by the former Attorney General of Ohio. It’s a quick read - I started it yesterday and only read for a couple of hours, but I’m about a third of the way through already. Short chapters. It’s interesting, but I don’t know if the author will really convince me. I do agree that it’s important and compelling, like one of the Amazon reviewers says, but I guess that I see the problem of convicting innocent people as one of the second-tier problems facing this country. We’ve got bigger fish to fry, so to speak, although miscarriage of justice is certainly unfortunate. And it’s a little long on “Republicans are so great! And I’ve met worthy Democrats too.” It seems he mentions people’s party affiliations just to mention them; I really feel this could be left out. I don’t really care what party someone identifies with; it seems like it’s subtly pushing an agenda. But it’s got me interested enough that I’ll finish it.
