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Spoilers What Book Are You Reading?
- Thread starter Huntn
- Start date
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This week for class:
Reconstruction - Eric Foner
Absolutely brilliant book, but I'd recommend the abridged version. Foner trims the fat to get the book from over 600 pages to 260 pages.
I have a couple more on the list for this week, but I'll upload those later.
Reconstruction - Eric Foner
Absolutely brilliant book, but I'd recommend the abridged version. Foner trims the fat to get the book from over 600 pages to 260 pages.
I have a couple more on the list for this week, but I'll upload those later.
I finished the audiobook already. It took a total of 8 hours and 32 minutes to listen to it, split between yesterday and today.
For the first couple of hours yesterday I listened at normal speed. Then I discovered that the Audible app can do various playback speeds up to 3x. I tried it at 3x and actually found it easier to keep my mind focused and not drift off into other thoughts. Perhaps at the increased speed, it required my mind be extra focused so as not to miss anything. Plus it has the added benefit of finishing the book much sooner.
Field of Dishonor was another great installment of the Honor Harrington series.
It was sad when Paul was killed just to hurt Honor before she was to be killed. It took so much for her to let anyone into her heart and her life, and Paul was the only one she ever did and fell in love with him. He saw a side of her that no one else ever saw. All anyone knew of Honor was her cold, even keel of command and poise under pressure during combat. Paul, knew her differently, as a woman to love and enjoy life with.
It hurt to see Honor hurt in such a way as to have Paul's life taken from him, and subsequently from her.
Lord Paval Young was the biggest coward and couldn't accept responsibility for all his previous actions and when burned for his latest, had to seek revenge on Honor but had to hurt her in the worst possible way first.
It was fitting of his cowardice to cheat in the duel at the end and begin firing before he was supposed to, though it mattered not as he was a poor shot, and nerve-wracked, while Honor was sharp and quick and still took him down after being hit.
What a great book.
The Liberator: One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau
More or less a popular history but that isn't a bad thing. Quick read and pretty hard to put down.
Since I finished Field of Dishonor yesterday I decided to get Peter F. Hamilton's book, Pandora's Star. It's a very long book and I already have it on Kindle. Since I bought it for Kindle, they discount the Audible version to $3.99. This book, in Audible form, is over 40 hours in length. 
Since I kind of like listening at 3x speed, I wonder how long it will actually take me.
Since I kind of like listening at 3x speed, I wonder how long it will actually take me.Attachments
The Twenty-Five Deeds of Hanson Drake
The Walking Through by Daven Esteban.
The Walking Through by Daven Esteban.
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Just started -
This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral - plus plenty of valet parking! - in America's Gilded Capital by Mark Leibovich.
Been on hold at the local library and picked it up earlier in the week. Busy week so just getting around to cracking it open right now.
This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral - plus plenty of valet parking! - in America's Gilded Capital by Mark Leibovich.
Been on hold at the local library and picked it up earlier in the week. Busy week so just getting around to cracking it open right now.
...
Reading cut to the chase, a UCLA extension screenwriting book. A lot of very good info (some repeated, some not). I like that different UCLA screenwriting professors/teachers write each chapter. Thing is, I'm a hands on person so reading a how to book usually does not work for me, but I wanted to get an idea of the types of things I may learn in my UCLA screenwriting classes before I start.
The good news: I have an idea which screenwriting professors I may take classes with in the coming months.
The ego stroking is pretty funny though.
>>>
I finished Pacific Rim. Enjoyed it. Once I finish Cut to the Chase, I will pick up the Hobbit again. I was delighted to see my replacement copy was all but brand new.
Reading cut to the chase, a UCLA extension screenwriting book. A lot of very good info (some repeated, some not). I like that different UCLA screenwriting professors/teachers write each chapter. Thing is, I'm a hands on person so reading a how to book usually does not work for me, but I wanted to get an idea of the types of things I may learn in my UCLA screenwriting classes before I start.
The good news: I have an idea which screenwriting professors I may take classes with in the coming months.
The ego stroking is pretty funny though.
>>>
I finished Pacific Rim. Enjoyed it. Once I finish Cut to the Chase, I will pick up the Hobbit again. I was delighted to see my replacement copy was all but brand new.
This week for class:
Reconstruction - Eric Foner
Absolutely brilliant book, but I'd recommend the abridged version. Foner trims the fat to get the book from over 600 pages to 260 pages.
I have a couple more on the list for this week, but I'll upload those later.
That sounds really fascinating; the period before, during and after the American Civil War is one that I have long had an interest in. So, do you recommend it as a 'must-read' book to people who are interested in the era?
I would absolutely recommend it. From what I gather, it sets the standard by which other books on the period are measured.
If you like battles, Killer Angels focused on Gettysburg is a must read. There are two other books in the series, one on the beginning of the war and one on the end.
Although it's fiction (with a historical backdrop), I really like Gone With The Wind which paints an outstanding Southern perspective of the U.S. Civil War.
Thank you very much; I'll keep an eye out for it - will probably order it on Amazon.
Thanks for the recommendations. I have nothing against fiction (as long as it is well written) as sometimes, fiction allows for the exploration of some facets of a society/culture that a more straightforward historical account might not be able to explore in sufficient depth.
Oddly enough, I have read 'Gone With The Wind' and I completely agree with you. The book (a battered copy owned by my father) is a very interesting read, and a complex portrait of the South, before, during and after the war.
Finally reading Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb. I loved the first three books (its about dragons you know)....
I have read most of Anne McCaffreys work and well written dragon books really captivate me, especially these two writers as its all about the personal stories and not so much about searing villages before eating the daughters etc.
I have read most of Anne McCaffreys work and well written dragon books really captivate me, especially these two writers as its all about the personal stories and not so much about searing villages before eating the daughters etc.
Darn you!
You're always way ahead of me in the Honor Harrington series. I just downloaded Flag in Exile (5th book) last night. I'll start it as soon as I finish this insanely long Peter F Hamilton book.Darn you!
This one will take me awhile to read. My Kindle says it is 15,633 locations or 1020 pages long.
Wow, really? Pandora's Star, the Peter F. Hamilton book, is 16,357 locations in the Kindle. I'm currently 80% through it and, IMO, it's not nearly as good as David Weber's writing.
zipped through the Hobbit again
It's official Beorn has supplanted Thorin as my favorite Middle Earth character. This umpteenth read made the skin-changer even more endearing.
Not sure what I will read next, going to try J. Carlos Blake's Wildwood Boys. If I don't like that, probably will reread some Washington Irving.
It's official
Beorn has supplanted Thorin as my favorite Middle Earth character. This umpteenth read made the skin-changer even more endearing. Not sure what I will read next, going to try J. Carlos Blake's Wildwood Boys. If I don't like that, probably will reread some Washington Irving.
It's official
Thumbs Up! I'd love to spend a month hanging out at Beorn's farm...
you and me both Huntn
Me too. His farm is one of the most magical realms of middle earth, I'd definitely like spend some time there too.
Thumbs Up! I'd love to spend a month hanging out at Beorn's farm...
Me too. His farm is one of the most magical realms of middle earth, I'd definitely like spend some time there too.
I'm looking forward with some slight trepidation on how they treat it visually. The descriptions of the the main house are fairly specific. I'd have to go read it again, but as I recall it's something like a rambling ranch house made out of hewed timber, nothing "elf" fancy.
I finished the insanely long book Pandoras Star by famed author Peter F. Hamilton the other day. In book format its just under 1,000 pages. In audiobook format it was listed at 37 hours to listen to it. Thats like a full work week just listening! Being that I listened to it at 1.25x and sometimes 1.5x, I think I cut the time down to something like 33 hours.
The book is widely liked by folks as evidenced with its high markings by Amazon reviewers and Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte.
I had high expectations and I was let down by it. I suppose I was comparing it to the writing style of David Weber, a favorite author of mine. I hadnt read (listened) to anything by Peter F. Hamilton before so I didnt know what to expect.
The primary reason I didnt like it so much was that it was painfully long and didnt capture my imagination like David Weber does. Pandoras Star is full of character detail and development to a fault. Throughout the book the author takes us down a path and then veers off into ancillary stories about other things/ times and character events and its hours before youre back on track to the main plot. Many times I forgot where we were going and what the point was. Additionally, with all of the extra stuff, there wasnt a lot of science fiction to it at least, nearly as much as I was expecting/hoping for.
The audiobook was broken into five parts and by the start of the third part I had fully lost interest in the book and finishing it was just a matter of pride and persevering through to the end.
I doubt Ill read or listen to another Peter F. Hamilton book unless it shorter, of a more normal novel length.
The book is widely liked by folks as evidenced with its high markings by Amazon reviewers and Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte.
I had high expectations and I was let down by it. I suppose I was comparing it to the writing style of David Weber, a favorite author of mine. I hadnt read (listened) to anything by Peter F. Hamilton before so I didnt know what to expect.
The primary reason I didnt like it so much was that it was painfully long and didnt capture my imagination like David Weber does. Pandoras Star is full of character detail and development to a fault. Throughout the book the author takes us down a path and then veers off into ancillary stories about other things/ times and character events and its hours before youre back on track to the main plot. Many times I forgot where we were going and what the point was. Additionally, with all of the extra stuff, there wasnt a lot of science fiction to it at least, nearly as much as I was expecting/hoping for.
The audiobook was broken into five parts and by the start of the third part I had fully lost interest in the book and finishing it was just a matter of pride and persevering through to the end.
I doubt Ill read or listen to another Peter F. Hamilton book unless it shorter, of a more normal novel length.