December Reading Thread

[Danny McG]

 

[Montero]

OK how come the pretty girlie doesn't wear a face shield but the dog does?

 

[AE35Unit]

OK how come the pretty girlie doesn't wear a face shield but the dog does?

She has a mask on

 

[Elentarri]

Finished:
The Library: A Fragile History by Andrew Pettegree & Arthur der Weduwen
An interesting, dense, but somewhat turgid, (mostly European + colonies) history of collections of books (i.e. libraries); their acquisition; upkeep and funding (or lack thereof); development from elite, private collections to various public collections; and often their plunder or destruction; from ancient times to the modern era.

 

[Montero]

She has a mask on

I can see the mask. But why does the dog need their whole head protecting, and she doesn't?

 

[AE35Unit]

I can see the mask. But why does the dog need their whole head protecting, and she doesn't?

Maybe because dogs pant?

 

[AE35Unit]

Next up, after A Christmas Carol there comes The Chimes. I do wish more books had the built-in ribbon bookmarks of these books!

 

[hitmouse]

Slow Horses (2010) Mick Herron. The first in a series of spy novels about errant spooks, exiled to a dump called Slough House for their mistakes, in the hope that they will quit out of boredom.
The books have been getting some publicity lately, write -ups in The Economist, and general chatter. I discovered that Mrs H had dowloaded them to the Kindle last year.
Well into the first book. Interesting, intelligent, and witty character development, and a slowly developing, intangible, slightly le Carre-esque espionage plot. One suspects the slow horses, written off for supposed incompetence, will be a surprisingly handy group.
Really enjoying this one, and look forward to returning to it this evening.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

Next up, after A Christmas Carol there comes The Chimes.

What amazing illustrations! Who was the artist?

 

[Chris von shannow]

Have just started a reread of Cloud Warrior the first book in the Amtrak wars which I did enjoy years ago

 

[Elentarri]

Accursed Tower: The Fall of Acre and the End of the Crusades by Roger Crowley

About half the length of the usual Roger Crowley history book, the book covers the siege and fall of Acre, the last stronghold of the Crusader in the Holy Land, in 1291. Acre was an important city during the Crusades as a maritime foothold on the Mediterranean coast of the southern Levant. The first half of the book covers the politics and events of the thirteenth century in Outremer leading up to the seige. The second half provides a detailed examination of the siege, from the various siege engines (catapults and trebuchets), the various parties and leaders involved (on both sides), the towers and defensive fortifications. An easily digestible and straightforward narrative history.​

 

[Rodders]

Have just started a reread of Cloud Warrior the first book in the Amtrak wars which I did enjoy years ago

Its been a while, but i remember enjoying these. I always felt that with a little reworking, the Wool series and the Amtrak Wars could be a shared universe.

 

[Steve Harrison]

Just finished Kings and Queens (edited by Iain Dale), a chronological collection of essays by different writers on each of England's monarchs. Fascinating, and in my opinion, the best of the trilogy which includes The Presidents and The Prime Ministers.

...and started Dead of Night, the second book in Simon Scarrow's WWII Berlin crime thriller series. The first one, Blackout, was excellent and this one looks like it's going to be as good.

 

[Toby Frost]

I'm currently reading L.A. Confidential, which I've not read for 20 years or so. It's very good, if stylised. The film is excellent, but the book includes a lot of additional depth.

 

[Danny McG]

I can see the mask. But why does the dog need their whole head protecting, and she doesn't?

It's to protect the dog's hearing because it's a crucial early warning system for the bad alien attacks

 

[alexvss]

Ender’s Game. A genius boy is sent to a military school where gifted children play war games, with the purpose of finding the officers that will lead mankind against the aliens in the next invasion.

I was so very hyped going into this. Not many books have been so award-winning. I can only think of Neuromancer as something that got close.

And maybe that’s because I was so disappointed in the beginning. I didn’t enjoy the first act very much; but I’m enjoying the second, especially the war games. I think it was because of the lack of descriptive writing.

I’m enjoying the worldbuilding though. Orson Scott Card does it without info-dumping. You get to know the world little by little, through the expressions used by the characters. This technique takes time.

 

[AE35Unit]

What amazing illustrations! Who was the artist?

Not sure. It seems there are at least two different artists.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Do unabridged, undramatised audiobooks count? If so, Danny Robins' Uncanny, which feels like one of his (excellent) podcasts, but which allows for occasional diversions and musings

I didn't even bother considering buying the hardback, as - when I knew that Danny himself would be narrating it - the audiobook would be by far the best media.

If you liked his 'Uncanny podcasts, or you have an interest in non-fictionalised accounts of the paranormal, this is well worth a listen/read.

 

[Randy M.]

Reading Seasonal Work: Stories by Laura Lippman. Four stories in and so far I'd say it's simple, direct, unadorned prose put in the service of depicting fairly complex character motivations. I'm looking forward to trying one of her novels. If I recall rightly, my wife enjoyed Lady in the Lake.

 

[AE35Unit]

Ender’s Game. A genius boy is sent to a military school where gifted children play war games, with the purpose of finding the officers that will lead mankind against the aliens in the next invasion.

Is it anything like the film?