What's The Last Book You Read?

[Bilbo 3,707]

I’ve certainly been listening to that score a lot lately! 

 

Its a fascinating book. It’s a social history of the time focusing on a few particular passengers and their part in society at the time. It kind of shows the transition of the world from the American Civil War to the start of World War 1 and how the Titanic was a microcosm of all that. The end of one era (the deaths of the Strauss’ and Astor) and the beginning of another (Dorothy Gibson being one of the first movie stars).

[Bilbo 3,707]

I finished it. I wish I had more of it to read 😭

 

The Darksome Bounds of a Failing World: The Sinking of the Titanic and the End of the Edwardian Era by Gareth Russel. 

I just finished listening to this on audible and really enjoyed it. 

The RMS Titanic and her sister ships would be one of my Mastermind subjects if I was to ever go on the show. It’s a niche topic that I just can’t get enough of. 

This book is more a social history using the Titanic as a prism with which to view the end of one world and the beginning of another.

There are better books if you want a history of the conception, design, building, and fate of the ship. And there are better books if you want an entire outline of the maiden voyage but this is a fantastic book for setting Titanic within the world in which it existed. A world building to war and social upheaval. 

Probably a bit niche but I loved it.

[Disco Stu 15,483]

Put it directly in my veins!  So good.

 

[Disco Stu 15,483]

Celebrate the coming of November with Robert Frost!

 

[Holko 8,908]

Currently finally reading LotR in English.

Just finished Treebeard, and it's probably still my favourite chapter.

I hate the movie for cutting it up so hard, changing the dynamics, removing a lot of personality, turning much of it into comic relief or just jokes.

And I love the movie for somehow, through some utter fucking miracle managing to adapt this completely unadaptable mammoth into something completely digestible and watchable onscreen while keeping its spirit.

Huh. You can apply all that to the entire thing I guess.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,261]

The structure of Tolkien's chapters are one reason why it was considered unfilmable for decades. I can't blame PJ for restructuring that. Imagine an hour of straight Ent scenes?

[Holko 8,908]

Of course I can't and don't want to imagine something like that.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,113]

I read GREAT EXPECTA - no; too early.

[Maglorfin 195]

Definitely haven't read it yet, but just today, I bought The Outsider by Stephen King. Having been a big SK fan and a 'Constant Reader' for decades, I'm definitely looking forward to this one.

[Jay 35,044]

The HBO show is pretty good so far

[Maglorfin 195]

Yeah, I'll need to watch that too. It's only that I can't decide if I should wait with it until after I've read the book (which'll take me some time) 

[Jay 35,044]

Usually I prefer seeing the tv/movie version of a book before reading the book, but YMMV

[Pellaeon 583]

I’m on the second Witcher book.

Not planning on watching the show.

[JoeinAR 1,943]

rereading the Stand. We may well be living a version of that book

[Holko 8,908]

On 1/29/2020 at 1:29 PM, Holko said:

Currently finally reading LotR in English.

 

So there are many things people can complain about that were left out of RotK... Denethor actually trying, him having the Palantír, Beregond and Bergil, Imrahil, etc... All useless pitiful things. Where are the masses taking to the streets wanting Jackson and co's head for not including Aragorn hilariously sarcastically snapping at Merry (and throwing shade at the herb-master) for asking for pipeweed when he hasn't slept and eaten for days, goddammit?

[Jurassic Shark 11,059]

I reckon they're busy doing more important things.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

I've been reading a lot recently.  I'm currently reading The Shining, hopefully I can finish it tonight.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

I started Stephen King's Under the Dome a couple of days ago.

[Jurassic Shark 11,059]

Any good?

[Trent Hoyt 13]

I'm about 200 pages into the book but I still feel like the story hasn't really gotten going yet.  I'm not bored by it but it doesn't feel like anything special so far.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

Started A Case of Need by Michael Crichton today.

[Jurassic Shark 11,059]

Did you really need to?

[Trent Hoyt 13]

It wasn't too bad.  It was a step up from his John Lange days but its not close to his classic Crichton stuff.

[Jurassic Shark 11,059]

Have you read his pirate book?

[Holko 8,908]

J.W. Rinzler's The Making of Alien.

 

If you like Alien and are a bit interested in how it was made, go read the Wiki article, it has good stuff condensed.

If you really like Alien and are interested in how it was made, watch the pretty DVD docu, you probably already have.

If you love Alien, and feel that docu could have been more deep and detail-filled (like I did when I rewatched it right when @crocodile called attention to its existence), go get this! It's exhaustive indeed, tons of details and pictures, and reads well. The production featured many headstrong outspoken people clashing, and it certainly doesn't hold back on opinions, profanities and expletives. I do recommend rewatching he docu before, even if this repeats quotes verbatim from it, because it's fun to imagine them in their voices while reading. Perhaps my only problems were that all it had to say about the score was what's on the DVD or even less (though it's not like he could have reinterviewed Goldsmith ) and after the very nice "where did it go, where are they now, who is still alive" section, the very final paragraph is a weird and awkward, not very well formulated way to end it.

 

I'll watch the "DC" right now.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

On 4/6/2020 at 1:02 AM, Jurassic Shark said:

Have you read his pirate book?

I did.  Very in the vain of Pirates of the Caribbean, simple straightforward story.  Dragon Teeth is kind of the same way.  They are both were super quick reads for me.

[Jurassic Shark 11,059]

10 hours ago, Trent Hoyt said:

I did.  Very in the vain of Pirates of the Caribbean, simple straightforward story.  Dragon Teeth is kind of the same way.  They are both were super quick reads for me.

 

Are they as good as Timeline? I really like that one with its cliffhanger chapters.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

I haven't read Timeline yet.  I would probably work my way through his other books first before I'd read the pirate book and Dragons Teeth.

 

 

I started reading one of Shatner's Star Trek books last night, Captain's Peril.  All of the Star Trek novels are hit or miss but the Shatner books are usually entertaining enough.

[Jurassic Shark 11,059]

I'm guessing he had a ghostwriter.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens ghost wrote all his Trek books.  I'm guessing his input was along the lines of "Kirk is a superhero! Go write something."

[Edmilson 6,118]

Saga

 

Not a book per se, but actually a comic series written by Brian K. Vaughn and illustrated by Fiona Staples.

 

What happens when the young Star Wars fan grows up, gets married, have a child, a job, bills to pay, etc? This is space opera fiction as seen from adult eyes, and for adults. This means more sex, violence, a narrative without clear villains, complex and complicated characters. But, as Star Wars was so impactful, you still get a lot of great worldbuilding. 

 

It's the story of two soldiers whose planets are at war with each other. They fall in love and have a child - and then are pursued throughout all the cosmos by forces hired by both of their planets, who want to see them dead for political and religious reasons.

 

A mixture of dark comedy, war tragedy and thrilling adventure, the series is extremely unpredictable, with shocking plot twists happening at the end of every issue. This is thanks to the fact that the main protagonists and the colorful cast of aliens pursuing them is a well written, well constructed character, that you can't help but actually empathizing with them.

 

I recommend you all to check it out. If A Song of Ice and Fire is the adult Lord of the Rings, then Saga is the adult Star Wars. The narrative can get a bit depressing at times (much like adult life), but it's so well written that you will want to read all of the issues as fastly as possible.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

Neverwhere- Neil Gaiman

 

He has such a passionate fan base.  I keep giving him a try and I'm starting to understand his world.  

[Romão 2,244]

On 4/17/2020 at 3:03 AM, Edmilson said:

Saga

 

Not a book per se, but actually a comic series written by Brian K. Vaughn and illustrated by Fiona Staples.

 

What happens when the young Star Wars fan grows up, gets married, have a child, a job, bills to pay, etc? This is space opera fiction as seen from adult eyes, and for adults. This means more sex, violence, a narrative without clear villains, complex and complicated characters. But, as Star Wars was so impactful, you still get a lot of great worldbuilding. 

 

It's the story of two soldiers whose planets are at war with each other. They fall in love and have a child - and then are pursued throughout all the cosmos by forces hired by both of their planets, who want to see them dead for political and religious reasons.

 

A mixture of dark comedy, war tragedy and thrilling adventure, the series is extremely unpredictable, with shocking plot twists happening at the end of every issue. This is thanks to the fact that the main protagonists and the colorful cast of aliens pursuing them is a well written, well constructed character, that you can't help but actually empathizing with them.

 

I recommend you all to check it out. If A Song of Ice and Fire is the adult Lord of the Rings, then Saga is the adult Star Wars. The narrative can get a bit depressing at times (much like adult life), but it's so well written that you will want to read all of the issues as fastly as possible.

 

 

I really want to read this. As for A Song of Ice and Fire being the adult Lord of Rings...no way. LOTR is much more well written and with far more layers to it. A Song of Ice and Fire has much more plot than story

[JoeinAR 1,943]

GRRM is a terrible writer. He is Stephanie Meyers with a penis.

[Trent Hoyt 13]

Sycamore Row- John Grisham

 

A sequel to his first novel.  Good to see those characters again and as always it's compulsively readable.

[Kühni 484]

I just received two old books (from 1884/92, in top condition) on church architecture. An in-depth scientific excursion into the ecclesiastical architecture of Europe. Cost me a hefty penny, and going after the five volumes of depictions will be even more expensive and will take longer than the four years it took to track these two down... 

[Jurassic Shark 11,059]

Sounds fun!

[Naïve Old Fart 9,113]

2 hours ago, Kühni said:

I just received two old books (from 1884/92...) on church architecture. Cost me a hefty penny...

You mean that these books were written in 1884, and 1892?!

How much did they cost?!

[Jurassic Shark 11,059]

A kidney and a leg.

[Kühni 484]

1 hour ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

You mean that these books were written in 1884, and 1892?!

How much did they cost?!

 

I must correct myself: 1884 and 1901. Written probably before and in between those years. The German of that time has a particular use of words that have since fallen out of use. Cost me just under $200 (which is quite a bargain for these items, mostly because they got a new binding and cardboard covers, which are still over 80 years old). The five volumes of illustrations probably will be up to a 1000 bucks...

 

These are the copies I got (plus the DE of seaQuest DSV  to show that it is indeed me):

 

Like with CDs, I sometimes just need the physical thing. If you're curious, these two volumes I got are also available as high-resolution scans from several university libraries (look for the Download button):

 

Vol. 1: https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/dehio1892bd1

Vol. 2: https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/dehio1901bd2

[gkgyver 1,645]

I would like to read a real and original book about black magic. 

[Kühni 484]

47 minutes ago, gkgyver said:

I would like to read a real and original book about black magic. 

 

A. Kröner has printed my books, by the way...

[bollemanneke 3,161]

First three chapters of Mary Poppins (because I needed something simple to teach myself English braille). What an evil bitch! Every time the children ask a question, she sniffs or threatens to call the police. And then she has a day out and is bad-tempered because her date doesn't have the money to pay for her favourite jam cakes! The guy is clearly very poor and I'm assuming Poppins gets paid to look after children, so what's her problem? I need another book.

[Jurassic Shark 11,059]

Just watch the movie.

[bollemanneke 3,161]

I already have. Never again. Never.

[Jurassic Shark 11,059]

What about the recent sequel? At least I've read it's got decent music.

[Naïve Old Fart 9,113]

2 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

I already have. Never again. Never.

Whenever it's on the telly, I need to keep a syringe of insulin and a needle, standing by.

[bollemanneke 3,161]

3 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

What about the recent sequel? At least I've read it's got decent music.

It's on my must-watch list along with thirty other titles.

[Jurassic Shark 11,059]

28 minutes ago, bollemanneke said:

It's on my must-watch list along with thirty other titles.

 

Let us know what you think of it!

[Romão 2,244]

On 6/19/2020 at 3:02 PM, Kühni said:

 

 

 

I wish I could read German, it looks fascinating. This is the best book I've read on the subject, but I reckon it's infinitely less comprehensive than the one you bought: