What's The Last Book You Read?

[Bespin 8,472]

On 3/12/2019 at 2:26 PM, Naïve Old Fart said:

STONER, by John Williams (not that John Williams).

It's good, but, geez, his wife was a bitch.

 

I am so tired to see this on my Instagram feed!

 

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

What's the point of painting your fricking plant?

 

On 3/12/2019 at 7:26 PM, Naïve Old Fart said:

STONER, by John Williams (not that John Williams).

It's good, but, geez, his wife was a bitch.

 

Of course, you didn't start reading it because you though it was a JW biography.

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I’ve been reading this John Grisham book from last year called The Guardians.  The writing is sloppy and perfunctory, the characterizations are lazy, but man I’d forgotten how much fun reading a dumb airport legal thriller novel can be.  I wouldn’t be able to stand reading only books like this, but it’s nice to have good junk food sometimes.

[Bilbo 3,709]

1 hour ago, Disco Stu said:

I’ve been reading this John Grisham book from last year called The Guardians.  The writing is sloppy and perfunctory, the characterizations are lazy, but man I’d forgotten how much fun reading a dumb airport legal thriller novel can be.  I wouldn’t be able to stand reading only books like this, but it’s nice to have good junk food sometimes.

Need a palette cleanser every now and again.

 

 

I’ve read The Road (man that was bleak. The film actually managed to be more so...).

 

I am Legend. Really enjoyed this one. A much more enjoyable reading experience than bloody Dracula. 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I gave myself an early Birthday gift. A rare, and in very good condition 1st edition paperback novel without the title or author on the cover. This book is 44 years old, older than most here.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,488]

What's the title of the book, Joe?

[Jurassic Shark 12,008]

I'd say the cover is in a bad condition.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

22 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

I'd say the cover is in a bad condition.

For being 44 years its not. 

 

Rchard it is Salem's Lot. The publishers took a huge gamble not putting a title or author's name on the cover but the result disproved the old adage that you can't judge a book by its cover. 

 

[JoeinAR 1,949]

My favorite Alien invasion book ever. 

[Holko 9,491]

When the Hungarian translations of the Witcher books were coming out, I bought them immediately and tried keeping up, but they are complex enough that the year-long breaks caused many things to be forgotten - so like it often happens in these cases, I'd have had to reread every previous book before reading the new one. So I just stopped and waited. But then it took 3 years after the last one came out for me to get around to them again (due to 4 and 5 hour Witcher game critiques popping up in my YT recommendations).

 

And I love them. Well, mostly.

1 and 2, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, are the short story collections. The first one sets up this world inspired by twisting fairytales, Central European/slavic folklore and fantasy tropes into a unique mix of dry humour, morality questions and a bit of magic and sex; the main character, Geralt of Rivia; and some other key players. The second picks some of those stories up and continues them, and what it really is is mostly an exploration of Geralt's relationships with women: the on/off sometimes toxic to-be love of his life, a fling that could have been more, his mother who abandoned him as a child, and his pretty much adopted daughter. If you're interested in the world, the series, the games, any of it, I wholeheartedly recommend reading the first book, best before watching/playing anything else. Then the second too if you really liked it.

 

So, by the second book, Sapkowski was really flirting with picking up story threads, even the first book in this form (The Last Wish) is a republishing of earlier stories with an additional framing story tying them together, making them pretty much separate flashbacks. It only makes sense that he proceeded to a series of novels to continue it all, even if the second one ended satisfyingly. 3-7 (Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, Tower of the Swallow, Lady of the Lake) are 5 parts of one story - well, multiple parallel storylines with multiple main characters. I found it refreshing how Sapkowski doesn't really care about conventions and how freely he jumps around in these, the narrator inhabiting literally any character's point of view (be it an old friend like Geralt, a new one who will play an important or not so important role later, or a throwaway observer only introduced for one scene), deepening all their characters as well as building the world, showing differing knowledges and opinions in this tumultous land of warring nations, societal discord and racial tensions. By the latter books he gets really virtuoso with it, some events being told to us by multiple characters in multiple locations flashing back (not always necessarily telling the story at the same time in-universe, but shown to us like that), and cutting between them almost cinematically. In fact I'd even argue that by the end he was more interested in adding more and more of these characters and flashback structures (including

Spoiler

a sorceress character 130 years later who is a fangirl of these stories which have become legends

) than in actually following the main characters and telling their story. Thankfully he does wrap it up really nicely by the end, and even if the main big reveal and the fates of some characters were spoiled nonchalantly in the games already, I didn't know/remember exact details so I was still excited and got through the longest book 7 in 2 days.

 

But there's an 8th volume, too: Season of Storms, marking his return to the franchise after 14 years, and after the games reignited an interest in them. And... I didn't like it. It takes place between books 1 and 2, but I think he couldn't decide whether to just do short stories again or a standalone book-long plot, so he kinda did a mix and it feels really disjointed and rushed, a linear story with Geralt jumping around from place to conflict to character too quickly, feeling weightless when many of them come back at the end because we didn't spend enough quality time with them tied to a proper story initially. A shame because there are some really nice ideas to enrichen the universe in there.

[bruce marshall 1,314]

The author is a friend of mine, so buy it!😁

[Pellaeon 593]

On 9/11/2020 at 8:25 AM, Holko said:

1 and 2, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, are the short story collections.

 

3-7 (Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, Tower of the Swallow, Lady of the Lake) are 5 parts of one story - well, multiple parallel storylines with multiple main characters.

 

I read 1 + 2 recently, or rather listened to the audiobooks. I really enjoyed them. Not sure I want to keep going, though. Thanks for your summary. I’ll probably get back into them at some point!

 

I have been waiting for a not-completely-garbage edition of the books in English; looks like there is one now from Illumicrate (a small press I’ve never heard of):

 

 

 

I don’t love it, but the price is low, and sure at least to keep its value.

[Marian Schedenig 8,153]

 

That took a while.

[Jay 37,249]

That's the same version of The Hobbit I have!

[Bilbo 3,709]

I also have that version... but I have several versions of the Hobbit. 

[Marian Schedenig 8,153]

2 hours ago, Jay said:

That's the same version of The Hobbit I have!

 

That's the version everyone should have!

 

2 hours ago, Bilbo said:

I also have that version... but I have several versions of the Hobbit. 

 

Indeed. I've only photographed the versions I've read now. I have more Hobbits and LOTRs.

[Bilbo 3,709]

You can never have enough... but I agree, if you have only one copy of The Hobbit it should be the Annotated! 

[Hitch 57]

Currently reading this

[Disco Stu 15,495]

I got this book today through inter library loan

 

And look where it came to me from....

 

 

@Nick Parker

[bruce marshall 1,314]

Perfect timing!

[theMaestraX 106]

007 Diaries: making of Live and Let Die 

[bruce marshall 1,314]

On 11/8/2020 at 5:31 PM, theMaestraX said:

007 Diaries: making of Live and Let Die 

I bought the original paperback when the film premiered.

God. I'm old😥

[bruce marshall 1,314]

Believe it or not, this guy is/was my first cousin( once removed).

His father, my great uncle, made a fortune as a bootlegger and bookie- facts I never knew before reading this bio!

 

 

" Behind every great fortune is a crime".

 

 

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

Why the hell are all the Friday the 13th novels so damn expensive on eBay?

[bruce marshall 1,314]

5 hours ago, The Big Man said:

Why the hell are all the Friday the 13th novels so damn expensive on eBay?

" it's over Drax, it's OVER!"

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Picked this up at the flea market. The fin on the cover is not a GW nor that of a Bull which are the only two sharks remotely responsible. Thanks the recent observations in this short centuries its just as likely it was a Great White after all.  Both sharks are know to swim in brackish water. And juvenile GW's are very agressive.  Its a good book but kind if dry.

[bruce marshall 1,314]

One assumes JURRASIC already read this?

[Chen G. 3,940]

D.G. Tor's and ACS Peacock's Medieval Central Asia and the Persianate World: Iranian Tradition and Islamic Civilisation

 

You know, as one does.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

Currently reading The Black Box by Michael Connelly.  I've never seen the Bosch Amazon show but I've heard good things.

[Jay 37,249]

Trent Hoyt's back?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,488]

Last heard from on May 9th.

Welcome back, bro.

 

[Trent Hoyt 13]

I didn't realize it had been that long again!  Have the forums changed since then?  The formatting looks strange on my browser.

[Faleel 5,326]

1 hour ago, Trent Hoyt said:

I didn't realize it had been that long again!  Have the forums changed since then?  The formatting looks strange on my browser.

Just had an update recently.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,488]

16 hours ago, Trent Hoyt said:

I didn't realize it had been that long again!

Yes it has, and by your avatar, I now understand why you were away. Wow, man, that HRT worked!

[Faleel 5,326]

[Jay 37,249]

On 11/28/2020 at 10:41 AM, Trent Hoyt said:

I didn't realize it had been that long again!  Have the forums changed since then?  The formatting looks strange on my browser.

 

https://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?/topic/33103-messageboard-update-454

 

[bollemanneke 3,334]

The Silkworm, finally. Like the real characters, but thought the whole literary backstory was a bit boring. Badly executed ending.

[Bilbo 3,709]

It’s the weakest of the series. The subsequent books are much better. 

[bruce marshall 1,314]

BERLIN DIARY by William Shirer

 A daily account of life in Germany in the Thirties - 1940.

 

 

The description of this Hitler guy remind me of someone...cant quite put my finger on it.

 

Great book!

 

[Holko 9,491]

In this year of being at home I've discovered I don't dislike ebooks, so I picked up some stuff I've heard of but never gotten around to yet. Of them, so far I've read The Picture of Dorian Gray (original shorter version) - beautiful use of language but I felt the "plot" was a bit weirdly paced/spaced out/constructed - maybe the longer rewrite helps with that; and Lord of the Flies which I've thoroughly enjoyed.

 

And then I found Richard Rhodes' The Making of the Atomic Bomb, and I adored it. Most of the time it almost reads like a novel, easy to pick up and get through, all the references and quotes are well-researched, curated and assembled. I enjoyed the first segment about the physics background of it all (though having learned about it all 4 or 5 times already surely helped understand it a lot better, I still thought it was well focused and helped me see how it all came together), but also the personal backgrounds of the people who advanced the fields and/or later helped create the titular monstrosities - Einstein, Rutherford, Bohr, Oppenheimer, Fermi, just to name a few - naturally, I was biased towards Szilárd, Wigner and Teller . The Los Alamos segment was also heavy on the science and all the tests, but still read very well, and the final third was a harrowingly accurate description of the final uses. But the book also describes the context and politics, WW1, WW2, other countries' efforts to use nuclear energy in such a way, the opportunities taken to save endangered, often Jewish scientists and their families from a darkening Europe, and later on all the moral and ethical dilemmas and multiple "characters's" stances on the terrible terrible but useful duality of the bombs. My only problem was the lack of a comprehensive wrap-up about where all the people we got to know went after Japan surrendered, what they thought of it all, how the technology and its politics developed later - but of course when it was first published in '87, the Cold Was wasn't even over, on some level I can understand not wanting to put such a bow on the package.

I really enjoyed it and I particularly think it's important to go back to these such events (great contenders for the darkest moments in the history of the entire human race) and keep them in the public consciousness, especially now, when 75+ years on, they are literally passing out of living memory as I'm writing this.

[bruce marshall 1,314]

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

[bruce marshall 1,314]

2 hours ago, bruce marshall said:

Oops!

I meant to post this in.the " Funny links and images" thread.

😎

[eitam 364]

On 1/12/2021 at 9:02 PM, Holko said:

And then I found Richard Rhodes' The Making of the Atomic Bomb, and I adored it. 

 

I read it last summer ! I agree with you, it's fascinating stuff ; at least until the sobering account of the bombings, which brings a necessary and unsettling balance to this thrilling story of discoveries and groundbreaking experiments by ultra-competent scientists. 

 

Mostly though I was in awe of the herculean amount of work that went into that book, the research and the writing. And now I'm a little sad that I've already forgotten most of it 

 

I've bought Richard Rhodes's follow-up, Dark Sun, about the making of the H bomb, but I haven't started yet. Maybe you'll find more closure in that one.. 

[Sweeping Strings 2,342]

Currently reading Paranormality by Prof Richard Wiseman, an examination of what a desire to believe in paranormal phenomena says/reveals about the psychology of the human race (Wiseman's stance is that the paranormal doesn't exist, which is mine too). It's nowhere near as 'dry' as it might sound. 

And also Uncommon Type, Tom Hanks' collection of short stories connected by them all featuring a typewriter in some way or another. Another thing he's good at, the multi-talented bastard!    

[Trent Hoyt 13]

Some interesting behind the scenes material in this book as well.

[Jay 37,249]

Trent is back?

[Naïve Old Fart 9,488]

Looks like it, and if his avatar is anything to go by, that HRT worked!

[bruce marshall 1,314]

Really interesting book and written in an accessible manner.

Lotsa talk about his relationship with motion pictures.

Check it out!

[Deacon Blues 65]

• George Orwell - Keep the aspidistra flying
• Graham green - our man in havana
• Emily bronte - wuthering heights (based on the kate bush song)
• John swartzwelder - the time machine did it, how i conquered your planet