posted on September 3, 2004 07:40:55 PM new
I've just read the latest Jonathan Kellerman's mystery... psychological thriller.. I've read most of his books and all of Faye Kellerman's books.
Do you have a favorite author? What do you like to read? As you can see, I am bored tonight.. LOL.. Doc
posted on September 3, 2004 07:53:42 PM new
I always have several books going, but right now I am the captive of a particular series of books.
I am reading Alexander Kent's Richard Bolitho series. The series is set in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and follows Bolitho from midshipman to admiral in the British Royal Navy & then moves onto the character's adopted son after he dies. There are 26 of them, and I am currently on #18. Our library doesn't own all fo them, so I've had to get the rest through inter-library loan, which has slowed down the process somewhat, as I want to read them in order.
____________________
"Bad temper is its own scourge. Few things are more bitter than to feel bitter. A man's venom poisons himself more than his victim." --Charles Buxton
posted on September 3, 2004 08:05:28 PM new
The last book I read was called; Posting In Chat Rooms For Dummies. Oh man what an enlightening expose it was. I finally found out what "LOL" means and "ROFL" I thought previously that these were someones names or what a hairlip dog says, ROFL, see what I mean.
There were other useful things in the book also like the proper use of smilies and when to use them and when not to use them. Additionally I found out about how to respond to direct questions from other posters and there was even a whole chapter on what to do if I get myself in an argument.
I highly recomend reading this book as I feel it has helped me to be a better all around poster on this board alone.
Hey what can I say, i'm bored too. I'm sitting here watching Pulp Fiction for about the 10th time. The movie is now at the part where Zed & Maynard catches themselves a couple of flies, gotta go.
P.S. Doc, just kiddin about the for dummies book in case you thought I was being serious.
posted on September 3, 2004 08:07:38 PM new
Got my copy of "Unfit for Command" yesterday & I'm about half way through it. Excellent reading, kerry really needs to be held accountable for incompetence, his dereliction of duty and for the numerous time he placed his men in harms way for no reason.
One instance is when he "grounded" his boat on a sand bar. Rather than request assistance by radio, he chose to wait several hours for high time to refloat the boat. During this time his men were at extreme risk because the chief defense of the Swift boats was their capability to maneuver (and in kerry's normal case to run away at top speed).
Its really unbelievable how incompetent kerry was.
posted on September 3, 2004 08:22:34 PM new
Yellow.. LOL..
Did you ever think that you would reach an age or time in your life, where you would be posting on a Chat Board on a Friday night.. LOL.. Damn... we are a bunch of misfits.. aren't we.. LOL
Bunni, that sounds like a great series..
you mentioned that you have several books going at one time.. I have never been able to do that.. but like you, I will buy the entire series and read them in order.
Other authors that I enjoy are, John Grisham, Kathy Reichs, Anne Rice, and John Jakes..
Doc
posted on September 3, 2004 08:31:26 PM newDid you ever think that you would reach an age or time in your life, where you would be posting on a Chat Board on a Friday night
I look on Friday with relief, in a way, as it's one of the few nights I am home. It's a relief to just kick back and do nothing once a week.
____________________
"Bad temper is its own scourge. Few things are more bitter than to feel bitter. A man's venom poisons himself more than his victim." --Charles Buxton
posted on September 3, 2004 08:36:54 PM new
Bunni, the older I get, the more content I am to stay home, alone, with a good book.. and a glass of wine. Doc
posted on September 3, 2004 08:46:08 PM new
Favorite authors, hmmmmm, well I like Jean Auel and her Clan of The Cave Bear series. I see that she has a 5th book now in the series that I have not read. I also like William Sarabande's First American series. They are similar to the Clan of the Cave Bear books by Auel.
I don't much like reading fiction but both of the above series are about subject matter that I am interested in. Subject matter that deals with the time of the last ice age when people first came across the Bering Straight land bridge and then spread out across North America.
posted on September 3, 2004 08:56:31 PM new
The most recent three, all highly recommended:
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, by Lynn Truss
Bushwhacked, Life in George W. Bush's America, by Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose
___________________________________
Our `neoconservatives' are neither new nor conservative, but old as Bablyon
and evil as Hell." --Edward Abbey
posted on September 3, 2004 09:18:26 PM new
My favorite Anne Rice Book is "The Mummy." But I wish she'd have written a sequel!
How about audiobooks? I love to listen to them in my car. Right now I am on the last tape of "Silent running: my years on a World War II attack submarine" by Admiral James Calvert. Next up is the audiobook version of "Eragon." I tend to listen, though, to mostly mysteries. Our library has a large collection of unabridged audiobooks. I got hooked on them when I had a 1-2 hour commute twice a day. They kept me sane in rush-hour traffic. Now I only have to drive exactly one mile to and from work, butstill love the aucio books--it just takes me longer to finish one.
____________________
"Bad temper is its own scourge. Few things are more bitter than to feel bitter. A man's venom poisons himself more than his victim." --Charles Buxton
posted on September 3, 2004 09:29:08 PM new
I like Kellerman but can't stand his wifes stuff. I love Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs who both write about forensic science (plus I am originally from virgina where many of Cornwells books were set and so was able to recognize many of the little streets and towns she mentions)`and Michael Connelly's Harry Bosche books.
I am currently reading Tom Clancy's Teeth of the Tiger
For my fellow Clancy fan ...same series, new heros - meet burgeoning spook Jack Ryan Jr and since John Clark is obviously too old to still be the powerhouse of past books, his part is portrayed by Jr's twin cousins, one a former marine just back from Aphganistan the other an FBI agent. I'm 60% in - very good so far plus the usual interesting Clancy tidbits updating you on all your favorite charachters including one major shocker (or maybe I just blacked it out from the last book)
I was reading Red Rabbit which goes back in time setting Jack in England before the fall of Russia and deals with the Pope threatening the russians with resigning. I didn't get far enough in to understand the implications before I left it on a plane... )
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on September 3, 2004 09:33:32 PM new
bunni - AMEN on The Mummy!! How in the world do you end a book with a cliff hanger and then not write the sequal? That's just wrong.... WRONG I tell you!
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on September 3, 2004 10:42:41 PM new
Bunni, I must have attention deficit disorder, because every time I try to listen to an audio-book I drift off.. completely blank it out..
Fenix, what don't you like about Faye Kellerman's writing?
I haven't read The Mummy yet.
posted on September 3, 2004 10:54:50 PM new
Fenix: I've often contemplated writing to Rice and asking why she never wrote a sequel.
____________________
"Bad temper is its own scourge. Few things are more bitter than to feel bitter. A man's venom poisons himself more than his victim." --Charles Buxton
posted on September 4, 2004 12:08:55 AM new
Doc - I read two of her books and just thought that her death scenes were gore just for gore sake. I'm more into the psychology aspects of books than the actual deaths and she struck me as too stuck on the death.
I'm also a little over Cornwell for the same reason... she seems to get to the the 90% mark in her books and suddenly realise she better start wrapping things up and forgets there needs to be some substance and logic in those last 20 pages I still love reading the old books because of the locations. One of the books has a scene near an intersection in a middle of absolutely nowhere town where I lived for about a year. She was so stuck on the authenticity of her street and location descriptions that I was able to remember and picture exactly the places she was describing.
Bunni - I love the talking books but hate that so few are unabridged. I just never got sold on the concept of "Psycholgical Thriller Lite". you are right though - they are great for long drives and the only thing that has ever managed to get me across New Mexico and Nebraska without nodding off.
As for Rice - If you do and she answers, you do know that you must come her immediately and sare her rationale, right?
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
[ edited by fenix03 on Sep 4, 2004 12:19 AM ]
[ edited by fenix03 on Sep 4, 2004 12:25 AM ]
posted on September 4, 2004 12:40:07 AM new
Generally I like Patricia Cornwell. But there is one thing about the series that drives me batty, and that's the niece character, Lucy. I grind my teeth during the segments where Scarpetta goes through major guilt over Lucy when she has done absolutely nothing to feel guilty about. In the early books the niece is a spoiled brat who needs a good swift kick in the rear and some duct tape on her mouth. In succeeding books, as the character grows up, she develops into an obnoxious woman who lays guilt trips on every one around her, goes out of her way tomake her own life difficult and then whines that it is difficult. And Scarpetta beats herself up about it while kowtowing to her niece. I finally stopped reading the series because I can't stand that one character...
____________________
"Bad temper is its own scourge. Few things are more bitter than to feel bitter. A man's venom poisons himself more than his victim." --Charles Buxton
posted on September 4, 2004 12:46:07 AM newBunni - I love the talking books but hate that so few are unabridged. I just never got sold on the concept of "Psycholgical Thriller Lite". you are right though - they are great for long drives and the only thing that has ever managed to get me across New Mexico and Nebraska without nodding off. As for Rice - If you do and she answers, you do know that you must come her immediately and sare her rationale, right?"
You'll be the first to know, Fenix
Our library pretty much only buys unabridged audiobooks, though there are a few that are only done in abridged form (yech).
Well,off to bed now. Unfortunately, I have to work tomorrow & will have to get up pretty early (for me that is--I'm a bit of a night owl, I'm afraid).
edited for UBB
____________________
"Bad temper is its own scourge. Few things are more bitter than to feel bitter. A man's venom poisons himself more than his victim." --Charles Buxton
[ edited by bunnicula on Sep 4, 2004 12:46 AM ]
posted on September 4, 2004 05:26:19 AM new
Doc! You read the Sleeping Beauty trilogy?!? Those opened my eyes!....lol!
I enjoy Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear's books. The amount of research involved of these ancient American peoples, beliefs, tools, customs, etc. is a learning experience for me. We know so little about our ancient peoples. I also enjoy Jean Auel for the same reasons, but I skim over the "sex parts". If I want "porn", I'll read the Sleeping Beauty trilogy....lol!
The last book I read was "The Cat Who Cried Too Much", can't remember the author, an animal behavioural specialist. It was a little over my head in places, but I am out of practice. I liked it though. Loaned it to my daughter, Jazz.
posted on September 4, 2004 09:13:51 AM new
Presently I am reading 'Alien Contact' by Timothy Good. Some interesting viewpoints, but mainly (so far) a round up of alleged reports. The wacko and conspiracy thoerist labels are easy to attach to many people that subscribe to alternative thinking venues. Just like political paradigms there are those extreme left and right wing nuts. Sifting through it all to come up with nuggets of fact is entertaining and eye opening. Not being a TV watcher I first saw the Mexican UFO tapes on Shirley Maclaine's website http://www.shirleymaclaine.com/. Remember you are doing some serious threshing here. And where did Dashka's stone come from? http://www.mysteriousearth.com/stuff/archives/000037.html
And I have followed the adventures of Dr. Scarpetta through a number of novels. I think Lucy comes across as an enormous security risk and I wouldn't take it easy on her. I love Tom Clancy's books! If you want to discover a great author, try Clive Cussler, he wrote 'Raise the Titanic!' How could any adventure lover not swoon over Dirk Pitt?
If I could recommend one good book to romance novel readers to interest them in science fiction, it would be 'Lord Valentine's Castle' by Robert Silverberg. Shock! Just found out it is the FIRST book in a series of four. I have some reading to do! YAY!
posted on September 7, 2004 09:21:19 AM new
The 4 books I am reading right now may seem like an odd collection:
"The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis
"The Hobbit" (again, for the 500th time)
"The Bachman Books" by Stephen King
My favorite story in the whole thing is "The Long Walk"
"The Funhouse" by Dean Koonz
Just getting started on thisone.
I have always loved horror/sci-fi.
In Christ,
Rick
Romans 8:16
"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I do not accept His claim to be God." That is one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic....or else he would be the devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to."
C.S. Lewis: "Mere Christianity"
posted on September 7, 2004 11:15:00 AM new
I am also re-reading The Lord of the Rings (but only for the 5th time). Recently finished "Blind Mans Bluff - The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage" which was fantastic. If you are at all interested in submarines and specifically about some of the most intense aspects of the Cold War (which received little or no coverage until the book was written), then I highly recommend it.
Before that I read Woodward's "Plan of Attack," Clark's "Against All Enemies" and "Nothing Like It In The World : The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869" by Stephen Ambrose.
I've read most of Clancy's stuff but really have to be in the right mood to start one of his books.
I'm a big fan of Caleb Carr and think "The Alienist" and its sequel "The Angel of Darkness" may be two of the best written thrillers I've ever read. His command of the language and ability to set a scene is rare in thrillers today. I'm also a sucker for history and both of these books are set in 1890's New York and are based on an attempt at building a psychological profile of a killer to track him down. Nothing new about that in today's world but in 1890's New York, using a psychologist or "Alienist" in police work was never heard of. Makes for a very interesting read. Because Carr is a historian, his ability to put the reader into the time period is terrific.
posted on September 8, 2004 08:34:01 AM new
Thanks Fiset.. I am going on a hunt for the two Caleb Carr books you mentioned.. sound right up my alley.. Doc
Crow.. I sense your BP is climbing.. relax a little.. you are not fighting Bush and the Republicans entirely on your own.. there are several million others with you..
I look on Friday with relief, in a way, as it's one of the few nights I am home. It's a relief to just kick back and do nothing once a week.
)