Spoilers What Book Are You Reading?

[TopherMan12]

I'm always looking for outstanding thrillers, adventures, fantasy, science fiction, and mysteries/court room dramas. Suggestions appreciated!

Still working on Eragon.

I'm reading The Stormlight Archives series by Brandon Sanderson. Really enjoying it. I'm on the second book, Words of Radiance. Definitely has a Game of Thrones vibe ("winter is coming" impending doom, political in-fighting, etc.) but with plenty of originality and a really rich backstory. You've probably read it as it the books came out years ago, but if not, it is good stuff.

edit: Holy crap. I did not mean to reply to a post from ten years ago. Sorry.

 

[Gregg2]

I'm half-way through Surviving Genocide Native Nations and the United States from the American Revolution to Bleeding Kansas, by Jeffrey Ostler. It's the first of two planned volumes, published in 2019. I don't think volume 2 is done yet, but hopefully it will be.

It focuses on the eastern US from the 1700s to about 1860, and how the US drove Indigenous people off their lands, as well as reduced their populations by massacre and possibly infecting them with deadly diseases. Of course, there were multiple epidemics in that era all over the world, but destroying villages contributed to susceptibility and starvation. Gaining a better understanding of actions taken by the US government has significantly downgraded my regard for "early" Presidents, territorial governors (some who became President), and settlers.

 

[Phil77354]

edit: Holy crap. I did not mean to reply to a post from ten years ago. Sorry.

That's pretty funny! And 332 pages of posts later, the OP gets a reply (and he's still around, so no problem!)

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It is a timeless (and perennially interesting) topic, and people have contributed to the thread regularly since it was started.

 

[Phil77354]

It is a timeless (and perennially interesting) topic, and people have contributed to the thread regularly since it was started.

Yes it is!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Yes it is!

For example, while I am a voracious reader, usually with several books on the go simultaneously, I will often check in on this thread, as I have frequently come across some interesting recommendations from other posters, books I will then proceed to seek out for myself.

 

[Phil77354]

For example, while I am a voracious reader, usually with several books on the go simultaneously, I will often check in on this thread, as I have frequently come across some interesting recommendations from other posters, books I will then proceed to seek out for myself.

I agree, same for myself. It is always interesting to see what others are reading and enjoying, and what they have to say about it.

The recent posts mentioning the Jack Reacher novels, for example - I'm a huge fan of those myself, and enjoy them much as @Madhatter32 does.

In fact, I'm reading (rather, re-reading) A Wanted Man now:

Sadly, the series has now run its course, at least the Lee Child novels. His brother is beginning to take over the franchise, we'll see how he does but it will never be quite the same.

 

[JBGoode]

I'm actually hesitant to post this because of the sensitive nature of the topic and the fact that it contains the most horrifying account of The Holocaust that I've ever read but it is quite riveting and might be of interest to some.

Warning: this book contains many eye witness accounts of the atrocities committed by the Nazis (and others) from the 1930s through the end of WWII. It's very disturbing and definitely affected me mentally - I was haunted by this book for days after finishing. If you're sensitive to descriptions of violence and murder made worse because it's non-fiction, I suggest you do not read this book. I almost wish I didn't.

 

[Huntn]

I'm reading The Stormlight Archives series by Brandon Sanderson. Really enjoying it. I'm on the second book, Words of Radiance. Definitely has a Game of Thrones vibe ("winter is coming" impending doom, political in-fighting, etc.) but with plenty of originality and a really rich backstory. You've probably read it as it the books came out years ago, but if not, it is good stuff.

edit: Holy crap. I did not mean to reply to a post from ten years ago. Sorry.

It’s still a valid question to be answered. I’ll look at those.

 

[poked]

I'm reading The Stormlight Archives series by Brandon Sanderson. Really enjoying it. I'm on the second book, Words of Radiance. Definitely has a Game of Thrones vibe ("winter is coming" impending doom, political in-fighting, etc.) but with plenty of originality and a really rich backstory. You've probably read it as it the books came out years ago, but if not, it is good stuff.

edit: Holy crap. I did not mean to reply to a post from ten years ago. Sorry.

It’s a lot better than GOT, I can tell you that from the get-go. Once you get done with that series, Mistborn is exceptionally good. Read those when I was a lot younger and fell in love with how good the main characters were and how developed the cosmere is. The wiki articles are BANANAS!

 

[ericwn]

It’s a lot better than GOT, I can tell you that from the get-go. Once you get done with that series, Mistborn is exceptionally good. Read those when I was a lot younger and fell in love with how good the main characters were and how developed the cosmere is. The wiki articles are BANANAS!

That does sound very promising. I’m curious how his writing will be as I’m approaching the later wheel of time books. Haven’t read anything from him yet.

Feedback from folks in my circles so far was “meh” on anything Sanderson but he seems to be very popular, so definitely has something to him worth exploring.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

It’s a lot better than GOT, I can tell you that from the get-go. Once you get done with that series, Mistborn is exceptionally good. Read those when I was a lot younger and fell in love with how good the main characters were and how developed the cosmere is. The wiki articles are BANANAS!

Agree that Mistborn is excellent.

 

[Madhatter32]

Sadly, the series has now run its course, at least the Lee Child novels. His brother is beginning to take over the franchise, we'll see how he does but it will never be quite the same.

I was not aware that his brother would be authoring the series going forward. I wonder why he is no longer writing the books himself. It seems to me that changing the author, even if it is his brother, risks changing the tone and tenor of the character and the series in significant ways. We shall see I guess.

 

[Phil77354]

I was not aware that his brother would be authoring the series going forward. I wonder why he is no longer writing the books himself. It seems to me that changing the author, even if it is his brother, risks changing the tone and tenor of the character and the series in significant ways. We shall see I guess.

His brother (pen name Andrew Child) has co-authored the two most recent Reacher novels. My guess is that Lee Child, who is 66 years old, is satisfied with what he's accomplished. His brother is 52 or 53 and has written his own novels prior to picking up the Reacher mantle. The plan seems to be that they will jointly author a couple in the Reacher stories before Lee Child retires completely. And why not? Grinding out a book a year for almost 25 years must be tiring (the first Reacher novel was published in 1997).

 

[mikzn]

Children of Time: Book 1 of Series - been a while since I have really enjoyed a Sci Fi book - only 1/3 into this but so far it is a fun read and nice to know there are more books to go on to later.

 

[yaxomoxay]

I just wanted to share my latest purchase, The Monastic Diurnal (initial 536AD; 1963AD update).

Technically this is a book I am reading as I read it everyday. The Monastic Diurnal is a form of the Roman Breviary that is prayed by Benedictine monks following the Rule of St. Benedict. For those who are not familiar with the subject, the Breviary is a collection of prayers, psalms, readings, hymns that priests have to pray at given hours every single day. All readings are based on the day of the week, feast, saint, period of the year etc. so it can get quite complicated. There are two main version of the Breviary:

• Liturgy of the Hours - this is post 1960's. It's comprised of four volumes organized by liturgical time of the year (Advent, Ordinary Time, Lenten, Christmas). This is the current, approved version. I have been using it for the past several years.
• Roman Breviarum - This predates the above Liturgy of the Hours and is as old as it can get, despite several updates throughout the centuries. When one talks about the breviary or the Divine Office, this is usually the edition they refer to. This has been replaced by the Liturgy of the Hours except when permitted. Of course, laymen can use it at will. This is usually in Latin, and it uses the pre-1963 liturgical calendar. It can get quite complicated at times.

The Monastic Diurnal is a version of the Roman Breviarum and is utilized by Benedictine monks, and laypeople. I have been using it for the past couple of weeks and it's formidable. Ordained individuals must recite it in Latin, laypeople can choose.

Now, why is it called diurnal? That's because it's a "day" book that was originally planned for monks that had to travel outside of the abbey and needed to be pocket sized. It's a day book due to the division of the liturgical hours:

• Matins - usually prayed at 2AM, and certainly before dawn.
• Prime - usually at 6AM. Basically a liturgy to get ready for the day.
• Terce - usually at 9AM
• Sext - usually at noon
• None - usually at 3PM
• Vespers - usually at 6PM or 7PM
• Compline - before bedtime

I won't bore you to death with the gazillion rules about moving hours to the previous day or a different hour; for our purposes, just know that this is called Diurnal because it does not include Matins. Matins is by far the longest hour with the most readings, the most hymns and so on. It is an important hour, but it would make a pocket book an impossibility. So, the Monastic Diurnal has everything between Prime and Compline. One of the goals of the Diurnal is to recite all psalms within a week (the psalter for the Liturgy of the Hours functions on a 4-week cycle and some psalms were completely removed).

One of the practical goals of this liturgy is to give a somewhat perfect division of the hours of the day, and to provide opportunity to stop working and meditate a bit. However, using the Monastic Diurnal is not easy at all; it requires some study, knowledge of the old calendar, knowledge of terms... and even so it's quite easy to mess up. I am still messing it up and I assume it will take a few years before I can master it. Fortunately, there are websites and videos with clear explanation and even the correct pages for the day.

The quality of the item is outstanding, this is a massive volume that is also pocket sized. The pages are easy to flip, there is a cardboard box to protect the book, there are just enough ribbons to survive the constant flipping between the various pages, and it contains the typical "extras" such as the Office of the Dead, litanies, etc., in addition to the typical various tables one would expect in a breviary (movable feasts, concurrent and occurent feasts, calendar etc.).

At any rate, without further ado, here are some pictures.

 

[decafjava]

This is one of the most wonderful things I have seen on the forum.

 

[AVBeatMan]

What a beautiful book.

 

[pachyderm]

I just wanted to share my latest purchase, The Monastic Diurnal (initial 536AD; 1963AD update).

Technically this is a book I am reading as I read it everyday. The Monastic Diurnal is a form of the Roman Breviary that is prayed by Benedictine monks following the Rule of St. Benedict. For those who are not familiar with the subject, the Breviary is a collection of prayers, psalms, readings, hymns that priests have to pray at given hours every single day. All readings are based on the day of the week, feast, saint, period of the year etc. so it can get quite complicated. There are two main version of the Breviary:

• Liturgy of the Hours - this is post 1960's. It's comprised of four volumes organized by liturgical time of the year (Advent, Ordinary Time, Lenten, Christmas). This is the current, approved version. I have been using it for the past several years.
• Roman Breviarum - This predates the above Liturgy of the Hours and is as old as it can get, despite several updates throughout the centuries. When one talks about the breviary or the Divine Office, this is usually the edition they refer to. This has been replaced by the Liturgy of the Hours except when permitted. Of course, laymen can use it at will. This is usually in Latin, and it uses the pre-1963 liturgical calendar. It can get quite complicated at times.

The Monastic Diurnal is a version of the Roman Breviarum and is utilized by Benedictine monks, and laypeople. I have been using it for the past couple of weeks and it's formidable. Ordained individuals must recite it in Latin, laypeople can choose.

Now, why is it called diurnal? That's because it's a "day" book that was originally planned for monks that had to travel outside of the abbey and needed to be pocket sized. It's a day book due to the division of the liturgical hours:

• Matins - usually prayed at 2AM, and certainly before dawn.
• Prime - usually at 6AM. Basically a liturgy to get ready for the day.
• Terce - usually at 9AM
• Sext - usually at noon
• None - usually at 3PM
• Vespers - usually at 6PM or 7PM
• Compline - before bedtime

I won't bore you to death with the gazillion rules about moving hours to the previous day or a different hour; for our purposes, just know that this is called Diurnal because it does not include Matins. Matins is by far the longest hour with the most readings, the most hymns and so on. It is an important hour, but it would make a pocket book an impossibility. So, the Monastic Diurnal has everything between Prime and Compline. One of the goals of the Diurnal is to recite all psalms within a week (the psalter for the Liturgy of the Hours functions on a 4-week cycle and some psalms were completely removed).

One of the practical goals of this liturgy is to give a somewhat perfect division of the hours of the day, and to provide opportunity to stop working and meditate a bit. However, using the Monastic Diurnal is not easy at all; it requires some study, knowledge of the old calendar, knowledge of terms... and even so it's quite easy to mess up. I am still messing it up and I assume it will take a few years before I can master it. Fortunately, there are websites and videos with clear explanation and even the correct pages for the day.

The quality of the item is outstanding, this is a massive volume that is also pocket sized. The pages are easy to flip, there is a cardboard box to protect the book, there are just enough ribbons to survive the constant flipping between the various pages, and it contains the typical "extras" such as the Office of the Dead, litanies, etc., in addition to the typical various tables one would expect in a breviary (movable feasts, concurrent and occurent feasts, calendar etc.).

At any rate, without further ado, here are some pictures.

View attachment 1811579

View attachment 1811580

View attachment 1811581


View attachment 1811582
View attachment 1811583

Where did you purchase your copy? And how much, if you don't mind me asking... ?

 

[yaxomoxay]

Where did you purchase your copy? And how much, if you don't mind me asking... ?

I got it on Amazon, for $88 plus taxes. A few abbeys/monasteries sell it for a similar price.

Now, if you want to purchase this wonderful book know that we’re at the 8th edition, and the 7th is still around. Content wise, they don’t differ that much. The tables are updated, and a couple of typos have been corrected.

The true change is in the paper they used which made the 8th edition much thinner and lighter than the 7th edition.

 

[yaxomoxay]

This is one of the most wonderful things I have seen on the forum.

What a beautiful book.

Thank you for your kind words! I love using this book!

 

[pachyderm]

I got it on Amazon, for $88 plus taxes. A few abbeys/monasteries sell it for a similar price.

Now, if you want to purchase this wonderful book know that we’re at the 8th edition, and the 7th is still around. Content wise, they don’t differ that much. The tables are updated, and a couple of typos have been corrected.

The true change is in the paper they used which made the 8th edition much thinner and lighter than the 7th edition.

View attachment 1812216

Ya know I asked that then searched for them online and found them on eBay and Amazon.

 

[yaxomoxay]

Ya know I asked that then searched for them online and found them on eBay and Amazon.

Be sure to get the right edition! And let me know if you need instructions as it ain’t easy to use.

 

[LordVic]

I'm reading The Stormlight Archives series by Brandon Sanderson. Really enjoying it. I'm on the second book, Words of Radiance. Definitely has a Game of Thrones vibe ("winter is coming" impending doom, political in-fighting, etc.) but with plenty of originality and a really rich backstory. You've probably read it as it the books came out years ago, but if not, it is good stuff.

edit: Holy crap. I did not mean to reply to a post from ten years ago. Sorry.

I just finished the most recent book in the series. So still entirely relevant since he just recently released it this year so don't worry!

Fantastic series that is really growing into something so amazingly grand.

If you haven't read anything else by him, I highly recommend MistBorn Series (Original Trilogy, and the Wax and Wayne current saga).

Sanderson is such a fun author to read. Not the deepest. But truly fun epic fantasy. About to start one of his non epic fantasy series soon. just downloaded a bunch of his other work

 

[LordVic]

It’s a lot better than GOT, I can tell you that from the get-go. Once you get done with that series, Mistborn is exceptionally good. Read those when I was a lot younger and fell in love with how good the main characters were and how developed the cosmere is. The wiki articles are BANANAS!

If he's only on book 2, than I get the GoT comparison.

That said.

He's going to have his mind blown.