Spoilers What Book Are You Reading?

[mobilehaathi]

It was so good, I nagged my mother in law to read it while we were in KS last week. She said it wasn't her type of books, she likes the sexy kind of crap books from harlequin which I hate very much btw. Needless to say, we left on Thursday 9th in time for my chemo treatment back home, that's CO.
Went to get one of my infusions on Friday and I came home to this email

Oh my you sure do have a lot of unread mail.

 

[Jmona]

Oh my you sure do have a lot of unread mail.

Yup. I'm already halfway actually.
Some 5k of them emails are accumulated back ups from my old mac-email account that I sent intentionally since those were exchange emails between my husband and I during our deployments over the years and it's easier to find when they are marked as unread.
Others (lots and LOTS of them) are from reviewers asking about SwitchEasy's Review Program since I'm the president of the official USA page on FB and have been involved with them since the company was founded and lots of people know me for the company and the couple thousand cases if not more we've given away in the last 8 years.
Yeah I could use drop box per se or backupify but I already pay Google a premium for the cloud storage and foe keeping important emails which range in the thousands.
Not only that. I exchange emails with fans of the audiobooks I've narrated as well, my work with Audible that's another 1K there and so on. And I do reply to as many as I can when lupus and chemo aren't dragging me too bad that I've got time and energy for it.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I just finished "Go Set A Watchman." For those who have never read "To Kill A Mockingbird", read it before you tackle "Go Set A Watchman." Otherwise, you will be lost.

As to the book itself, I found it to be convoluted in places with Jean Louise. It started out well and the farther I journeyed, the more loose the book became.

The subject matter upon which the book is based is still a sore spot (unfortunately) for many people today. I can see why the book was turned down early on. The writing, such as it is, could not have carried the anthem that it needed to then, and in many ways, I think it still fails. It is a work struck and lost in its own time.

In my opinion, "Go Set A Watchman" is reflective of the work that it is, in that it is an early rejected copy from a writer struggling to find voice in her own work. And it should be viewed in that light.

Instead of hoping that the book continues on, I found myself looking for it to end, as the characters (as a whole) were mere shadows of what they could have been. And in my opinion, the ending came across as someone who was tired of writing.

I have seen a lot of praise for this rejected work. I think a lot of that may be from people being enamored with the book, because it is from the reclusive Harper Lee. Their review was written in their mind and heart before the first page was read.

 

[ardchoille50]

Currently reading The Atlantis Plague, by A.G. Riddle. This is book 2 of The Origin Mystery. The first book, The Atlantis Gene, was excellent so I went ahead and bought the remaining two books.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I just finished "Go Set A Watchman." For those who have never read "To Kill A Mockingbird", read it before you tackle "Go Set A Watchman." Otherwise, you will be lost.

As to the book itself, I found it to be convoluted in places with Jean Louise. It started out well and the farther I journeyed, the more loose the book became.

The subject matter upon which the book is based is still a sore spot (unfortunately) for many people today. I can see why the book was turned down early on. The writing, such as it is, could not have carried the anthem that it needed to then, and in many ways, I think it still fails. It is a work struck and lost in its own time.

In my opinion, "Go Set A Watchman" is reflective of the work that it is, in that it is an early rejected copy from a writer struggling to find voice in her own work. And it should be viewed in that light.

Instead of hoping that the book continues on, I found myself looking for it to end, as the characters (as a whole) were mere shadows of what they could have been. And in my opinion, the ending came across as someone who was tired of writing.

I have seen a lot of praise for this rejected work. I think a lot of that may be from people being enamored with the book, because it is from the reclusive Harper Lee. Their review was written in their mind and heart before the first page was read.

That is an interesting, thoughtful - and, indeed -thought-provoking post, and, I suspect that it could be pretty close to the truth as well.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

A few parcels arrived over the past few days, containing mostly anthologies. There was an anthology of short stories by Garth Nix (of the Abhorsen series fame) called 'To Hold The Bridge'. Thus far, I have only read two stories, each of which - including the story after which the title is named, are set in worlds he has already written about. 'To Hold The Bridge' is set in The Old Kingdom (same world as Sabriel et all), and 'Mr Haddad's Holiday' is set in the same world as that of 'A Confusion of Princes'.

The other anthology was put together by G R R Martin, and is a follow up to his earlier anthology 'Dangerous Women' which I had also bought, last year, and which was very good. These are books with a number of short stories written by different authors (most of them accomplished and very well known in the fields of fantasy) which deal with a common theme, such as 'Warriors' (G R R Martin has edited a number of anthologies on this theme, but I have not yet read any of them). Anyway, this anthology goes by the name of 'Rogues' and the two or three stories I have read so far suggest that it is going to be a very good read.

 

[ucfgrad93]

Currently reading The Atlantis Plague, by A.G. Riddle. This is book 2 of The Origin Mystery. The first book, The Atlantis Gene, was excellent so I went ahead and bought the remaining two books.

View attachment 569178

I've seen a lot of ads for this series. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[LadyX]

Currently reading The Atlantis Plague, by A.G. Riddle. This is book 2 of The Origin Mystery. The first book, The Atlantis Gene, was excellent so I went ahead and bought the remaining two books.

View attachment 569178

I read this last year. I really liked it.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Another book I have received this week is the biography of the late Sir Nicholas Winton, written by his daughter, Barbara Winton.

This is not, by any means, a hagiographical work, containing, as it does, gems such as "I thought it important to mention the weekend in Calais that Nicky lost to absinthe" as well as the heroism and courage and steely determination of a life informed and governed by ethical living and standards.

Nicholas Winton - who was sometimes referred to as the 'British Oskar Schindler' - died earlier this month at the age of 106.

 

[AngerDanger]

Stephen King's Duma Key. I started reading it a few years ago and then stopped abruptly; it was found in a closet with the same bookmark in it I used throughout high school. It's nice to read something like this after Alison Bechdel's graphic memoirs which inspired many tangents of introspection every few seconds.

 

[maflynn]

I'm currently reading Astounding Science Fiction Stories. an Anothology of Science Fiction from the golden age of SF. I have to say while I've only read a handful of stories so far, I've not been disappointed. The book contains stories from Ackerman, Poul, Bova. I'm enjoying this quite a bit

 

[Ulenspiegel]

Robert Merle: "Les hommes protégés". (God knows how many times I have read it, still...)
(Published in US as The Virility Factor (1977)).

 

[bradl]

One of the most anticipated books of the year. No, I'm not talking about Harper Lee's lost manuscript for Go Set a Watchman... the other 20+ year old lost manuscript:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...scovered-dr-seuss-book-and-it-makes-us-happy/

This picks up with the same kids that were in One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, so it comes from that same period. How they found the book is great (which is mentioned on the liner of the book), so it is definitely worth the read.

Buyer beware: If you have children, hide this book from them, or try not to read it to them as much as you can. Not that the book is bad, but you just may end up with your kids asking you the same question as the title!

BL.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

One of the most anticipated books of the year. No, I'm not talking about Harper Lee's lost manuscript for Go Set a Watchman... the other 20+ year old lost manuscript:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...scovered-dr-seuss-book-and-it-makes-us-happy/

This picks up with the same kids that were in One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, so it comes from that same period. How they found the book is great (which is mentioned on the liner of the book), so it is definitely worth the read.

Buyer beware: If you have children, hide this book from them, or try not to read it to them as much as you can. Not that the book is bad, but you just may end up with your kids asking you the same question as the title!

BL.

Well, I loved Dr Seuss as a kid, and so it is really wonderful to see another work make an appearance; these are charming and utterly delightful books.

 

[kazmac]

The Eleventh Son by Gu Long. My first Wuxia novel. I wish more of Gu Long's novels were translated into English as I love this. This novel was the loose basis for the Shaw Brothers film Swordsman and Enchantress (which I also love.)

This is a very easy read and if you like fantasy and a little romance, this is just splendid.

A review is here.

 

[LadyX]

Kim Philby was the most notorious British defector and Soviet mole in history. Agent, double agent, traitor and enigma, he betrayed every secret of Allied operations to the Russians in the early years of the Cold War.

Philby's two closest friends in the intelligence world, Nicholas Elliott of MI6 and James Jesus Angleton, the CIA intelligence chief, thought they knew Philby better than anyone, and then discovered they had not known him at all. This is a story of intimate duplicity; of loyalty, trust and treachery, class and conscience; of an ideological battle waged by men with cut-glass accents and well-made suits in the comfortable clubs and restaurants of London and Washington; of male friendships forged, and then systematically betrayed.

Told with heart-pounding suspense and keen psychological insight, with access to newly released MI5 files and previously unseen family papers, with the cooperation of former officers of MI6 and the CIA, this definitive biography unlocks what is perhaps the last great secret of the Cold War.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

When was this published?

I have read quite a bit about the 'Cambridge spies'; of all of them, Kim Philby kept possibly the coolest head.

 

[LadyX]

When was this published?

I have read quite a bit about the 'Cambridge spies'; of all of them, Kim Philby kept possibly the coolest head.

It was published in 2014.

It's great so far. Very interesting.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It was published in 2014.

It's great so far. Very interesting.

Ah, so that does possibly mean fresh material.

Not too long before he died, (Philby died in 1988 if memory serves) - it was the mid eighties, and Mr Gorbachev had been appointed general Secretary of the - CPSU Kim Philby surfaced in Moscow and gave an interview to The Observer, a paper he had once worked for as a correspondent in the Middle East (undoubtedly pursuing intelligence work both for the Brits and the USSR at the same time).

In this interview, he complained about the fact that there are certain delicacies he couldn't obtain in Moscow: marmalade was mentioned (Old English, the brand), Colman's English mustard and so on. The British press, reporting this, were jubilant. They made it clear that they hoped that Philby would go to his grave without ever sampling these delicacies again and expressed the hope that Philby really suffered while longing for Old English marmalade to spread on his toast.

However, it never seemed to have occurred to them that Philby was winding them up, was perhaps teasing them. Anything he said to a British source was guaranteed to be reported and gain headlines at home. Besides, my understanding is that he held pretty senior officer rank in the KGB, and I have no doubt that these delicacies could have been obtained for him if he had expressed a desire for them.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I am currently reading A Rising Thunder, the 13th book of the Honor Harrington series on my Kindle.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Re Kim Philby, while he is loathed in the UK - especially among those whom he fooled, misled, and lied to - not least those friends who had supported him when he was first accused (and subsequently - initially - cleared) of having been 'The Third Man' after Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean had fled to Moscow - there are those who have greatly admired his steady nerve, cool head, and capacity for compartmentalisation.

For that matter, friends of mine in Spain told me that they had named their westie (west Highland Terrier) 'Philby' after him; doubtless, it is of relevance to note that the grandfather of one of 'Philby's' owners was shot by Francoist forces during the Spanish Civil War, having been taken prisoner earlier after he had been captured fighting with the Republican forces.

 

[LadyX]

Quite fascinating @Scepticalscribe .

I like having this kind of background information. I always do my own research after I finish reading non-fiction books. That is if I found the topic interesting. So thank you for this. You always seem to have interesting information about various topics.

 

[keithneese]

Currently reading "The Snowden Reader", which is a compilation of essays regarding the release of the Snowden documents. Very enlightening and scary at the same time.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Derek Robinson is a writer who has written some extremely good (and sometimes, downright excellent) stuff on the RFC and the RAF in the two world wars.

This week, I read what is probably one of his best known works. It is called 'A Piece of Cake' and it deals with the life of a fighter squadron in the RAF from the time war was declared in September 1939, to the turning point of the Battle of Britain, a year later, when the Germans switched to a bombing campaign of cities, in September 1940.

Anyway, this is an excellent book; well written and sharply observed, sometimes shocking and, at times, very, very funny.

 

[LadyX]

Chris Hadfield has spent decades training as an astronaut and has logged nearly 4,000 hours in space. During this time he has broken into a Space Station with a Swiss army knife, disposed of a live snake while piloting a plane, and been temporarily blinded while clinging to the exterior of an orbiting spacecraft. The secret to Chris Hadfield's success - and survival - is an unconventional philosophy he learned at NASA: prepare for the worst - and enjoy every moment of it.


In his book, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, Chris Hadfield takes readers deep into his years of training and space exploration to show how to make the impossible possible. Through eye-opening, entertaining stories filled with the adrenaline of launch, the mesmerizing wonder of spacewalks and the measured, calm responses mandated by crises, he explains how conventional wisdom can get in the way of achievement - and happiness. His own extraordinary education in space has taught him some counterintuitive lessons: don't visualize success, do care what others think, and always sweat the small stuff.


You might never get to pilot a spacecraft like Colonel Hadfield, but his refreshing, hard-won wisdom will teach you how to think like an astronaut, and will change, completely, the way you view life on Earth - especially your own.