Just finished rereading Robert A. Heinlein’s 1951 short story collection The Green Hills of Earth. Just as good as I remember it - the title story, about a singer-songwriter who becomes a (whitewashed) legend, and “The Long Watch,” about a thwarted military coup, are still favorites of mine.
My book o’ the month this month isAn Inordinate Fondness For Beetles (book choice inspired by some wild-looking bugs I saw on vacation).
Finished the first of the Tomorrow series this morning. It was good I suppose, but ultimately not very satisfying. Hopefully the next books will grip me more. I’ll start the second book tonight or tomorrow.
Snagged the library Kindle version of Citizen U.S.A.: A 50 State Road Trip by Alexandra Pelosi more or less on a whim, and was pleasantly surprised to get a fairly well-balanced look at (legal) immigration: why people go thru the process, what their expectations were, and what they like and dislike about their new homeland. Pelosi chose her interview subjects well; from Internet brides and refugees, to doctors and high-tech industry geeks, to those benefiting from Reagan’s 1982 amnesty. The questions were open-ended enough to let the interviewees share as much of their life story as they chose to: “What are you bringing to this country? What do Americans take for granted? What can you do in America that you couldn’t in your home country?” I expected a more liberal slant; but several of the immigrants interviewed were quite conservative and the overall tone of the book stayed relatively even-keeled, IMHO. The photos of the participants was a nice addition; tho the B&W screen of the Kindle wasn’t the best viewing option. Recommended to those interested in a (somewhat biased) outsider’s viewpoint on the USA.
Just started William Gibson’s Zero History and am beginning to wonder if I shouldn’t have jumped into the third part of the Blue Ant trilogy - I read Pattern Recognition ages ago, & Spook Country is on Mount ToBeRead - what says the Dope? Can ZH stand more or less on its own or should I (re)read the first 2 books first?
Just finished reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and I thought it was an outstanding thriller. She’s 3 for 3 with me now (Sharp Objects, Dark Places were also excellent).
Still waiting on the Long Earth to drop, so I’m filling it up with Ted Chaings short stories and The Life Cycle of Software Objects.
I just finished it. A surprisingly fast read (for a Robinson novel) and enjoyed it for the most part. The plot, such as it is, essentially serves as a means to introduce the reader to the solar system of the not-so-near nor not-so-distant future. I would have preferred more plot but the ride was still enjoyable and there are enough ideas/technologies thrown around that I hope that KSR revisits this future history sometime soon.
He mentioned at a Worldcon that his education was in English, not science. It impressed me that he does so much research in order to write science fiction.
Finished it. The King Never Smiles, by Paul M. Handley. Best not to comment. It’s been returned to its owner and no longer in my possession. In fact, no one can prove I read it. No one can prove I was reading it under the noses of the Immigration officials in their office recently while waiting to have my visa transferred into my new passport. No one can prove a thing. I might be lying about this completely.
Next up: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, by Seth Grahame-Smith. I’ve started seeing movie trailers for it, which reminded me of the good word on it I’ve seen in these threads.
I’m about halfway through Once Upon a Secret by Mimi Alford, about the affair she had with JFK while she was a White House Press Office intern and college student, for about 1 1/2 years before he died. She was dazzled by his good looks and charisma, but keenly aware of the disparity between their ages and levels of power. He was nice to her almost without exception… but those exceptions were pretty bad. Interesting book, told with what seems to be a matter-of-fact, warts-and-all candor.
Just finished Once Upon a Secret, which would, I think, be worthwhile for anyone interested in the Presidency or JFK. The author concedes she was “a footnote to a footnote of history,” but tells her story well.
Finally finished American Fantastic Tales : terror and the uncanny from Poe to the pulps. It was all right if you like that sort of thing, and I do, but no standout stories* and towards the end I was feeling it was a bit of a slog.
Now I’m on to The Best Horror of the Year (2011) Volume 4, edited by Ellen Datlow. There is a Stephen King story I hadn’t read (The Little Green God of Agony), sensibly positioned right up front. I also enjoyed The Moraine very much, however, there is also a story I simply hated (Omphalos). Datlow is surely a better judge of horror than I am, but to me that story was just a pointless gross-out about incest. Wish I hadn’t bothered with that one.
*except for The Yellow Wallpaper, which I skipped because I’d read it already, but it’s a goodie.
So, I finished The Dark and Hollow Places, and it was OK. Not as good as the first, but probably on par with the second. The ending’s a little forced, but is as much as could be expected. Pretty by-the-numbers, though - it’s not a surprise and you pretty much know exactly how it’s going to turn out.
Burned through The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and I really enjoyed it. The author uses some clever constructions that kind of obscure the truth about Bruno’s life and let you discover it bit by bit, and viewing the world through the lens of an innocent (naive, perhaps) 9-year-old boy works, IMO. He’s innocent and boyish, but never tiresome. A bit too wrapped up in himself, but then again, he’s a 9-year-old boy. The crushing sadness at the end of the book is hinted at, which makes it more powerful, I think.
And then I started The Book Thief. I’m not that far into it, but this book has totally stolen me away. I’m just captivated - the language and imagery the author uses is just outstanding. It’s so beautifully told, I just can’t wait to see what’s next. I’m only 5ish chapters into it, and already it’s highly, highly recommended. Read this book.
I just read and very much enjoyed China Mountain Zhang, by Maureen F. McHugh. It’s a quiet, elegant science fiction novel set in a future where China has become the dominant world power. The book’s blurb tries to impress you with the futuristic setting, but it’s a strongly character-driven story.
I’ve been reading Moby-Dick for the past week. I’ve never read it before, or even seen any of the movies, so I have only the most general idea of the plot. The book is very good sometimes, and can be quite funny, but the author seems to have been determined to write about everything except the quest to find Moby Dick. Some of his didactic digressions I’m enjoying, but some I’m finding tedious.
I know someone who, in re-reading Moby-Dick, always just skips the tiresome chapters that focus on flensing, cooking, seamanship, etc.
It would be easy to do. The book has 135 short chapters with descriptive names. It’s almost as if Melville wanted people to be able to skip to the good parts.
I finished Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. I really liked it despite the fact that I saw a lot of Olive in myself and she wasn’t particularly likable. 
I’m now re-reading Gone With the Wind with my book club. We’re doing it as a summer project. It’s been since high school since I’ve read it, but I’m finding I remember it very well.
Finished Shadow Blizzard the third and last in Chronicles of Siala. I said in the last review that I feared this would an open-ended series because I didn’t see how he could wrap it all up in the third book - and he did a pretty hurried job of it. He had a nice series going, but then seemed to force it all to finish in the third book. There was much left unexplored and unanswered.
I don’t recommend the series based on the poor showing of the last book.
Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the d’Urbervilles, by Kim Newman. Great stuff. I love this line: “To Professor Moriarty, Irene Adler will always be that bitch.”
Finished Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, by Seth Grahame-Smith. Very good. I hope the film version is good too.
Next up: The Reversal, by Michael Connelly, the latest in his Lincoln Lawyer series featuring LA attorney Mickey Haller.