August Reading Thread

[Danny McG]

I'm currently reading Guilty by Definition, by Susie Dent.

Excellent debut novel.

Yeah, I started it Wednesday....see post 147 in this thread and you'll see I'm struggling a bit with it

 

[Elentarri]

Dark Matter, Missing Planets and New Comets: Paradoxes Resolved, Origins Illuminated by Tom Van Flandern [science]

Astronomer Tom Van Flandern turns cosmology on its head! This is a well written and interesting book that raises questions about the nature of the universe and the origins of our solar system. I will need to re-read this book to fully understand what he wrote about gravity and the origins of the universe, but the exploded planet(s) hypotheses is delightfully juicy, makes so much sense, and has so much observational data to back it up. Tom Van Flandern also raises a particular problem that affects all scientific fields - that scientists are dogmatic and resistant to change, even in the face of evidence, and are more likely to shut down new ideas and hypotheses before even examining them or the associated evidence. An enjoyable read that provides lots of food for thought and rumination - even if I'm not sure I agree with some of the stuff (more research needed on my part). It would be lovely if someone could update/revise this book with all the new research in the last 15 years.​

Additional website: What's New

 

[Ian Fortytwo]

Yeah, I started it Wednesday....see post 147 in this thread and you'll see I'm struggling a bit with it

Susie Dent is a lexicographer (word smith or works on a dictionary) so she uses a lot unusual words. Some people can find it a bit of a challenge. I'm finding it okay, sometimes looking in the dictionary.

 

[Chris von shannow]

These are very good

The Musket Men by Gilbert M Stack

 

[AE35Unit]

Next up The Funhouse by Dean Koontz (1980)

 

[Elentarri]

Blood of the Celts: The New Ancestral Story by Jean Manco

Manco presents a broad, but multidisciplinary synthesis of Celtic origins and identity, tracking the Celts from their distant origins to their modern descendants through genetics, archaeology, history and linguistics. She defines Celts as “...an ancient person known to have spoken a Celtic language” and states that the Celts were not a race as the “...genetic differences are far too subtle to talk in terms of a Celtic race.” The book starts with an examination of early medieval Irish and British texts, allowing the Celts to speak in their own words and voices . It then traces their story back in time into prehistory to their deepest origins and their ancestors, before bringing the narrative forward to the present day. This is not an exhaustive text on the subject, merely a broad and rather concise overview, with a probably too technical coverage of Y-DNA. I found this book mildly disappointing as I was expecting more in terms of genetic research, rather than a summary of Celtic history, especially their conflicts with Rome.​

 

[Orcadian]

About to finish (listening to) Lighton's book on the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804 - 1806. I'm familiar with Ken Burns'wonderful documentary but had hoped to learn more about the actual reasons for & goals of the mission, the arrangements & logistics and the numbers, origins & characters of the men (all volunteers) who formed the 'Corps of Discovery'. But I'm finding it all rather confusing: for example we are told that Clark was in his late teens (in fact he was 34), and large stretches of the journey are omitted, so that one moment you are on the plains in Mandan territory, and the next you're descending a river towards the Pacific. I'm sure there are some mountains in there somewhere...

 

[Danny McG]

Lake of Darkness by Adam Roberts

 

[Elentarri]

The Origins of the Anglo-Saxons by Jean Manco

Manco presents a broad, but multidisciplinary synthesis of the origins of the Anglo-Saxons, tracking the Celts from their distant origins to their modern descendants through genetics, archaeology, history and linguistics. This is similar to what was presented in Blood of the Celts. The book starts with an examination of early Anglo-Saxon texts such as Beowulf, and then traces their story back in time into prehistory to their deepest origins and their ancestors in Eurasia, before bringing the narrative forward to the present day. This is not an exhaustive text on the subject, merely a broad and rather concise overview. I found this book rather disappointing as I was expecting more in terms of genetic research, rather than a summary of Anglo-Saxon history. But it does include a collection of lovely photographs, maps and illustrations.​

 

[Elentarri]

Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age by Peter Green

This is a concise, whirl-wind overview of what has become known as the Hellenistic Age, the years 336 to 30 BCE, from the days of Philip and Alexander of Macedon to the death of Cleopatra and the final triumph of Caesar’s heir, Augustus. Green manages to deal with important themes such political continuance and government, issues with succession (this makes Game of Thrones look like a toddlers' play session), issues of cultural inheritance and spread, as well as perspectives on art and science (the Ancient Greek scholars seem to have preferred abstract concepts to applied sciences (unless prodded to produce war machines); and while fiddling around with primitive steam "engines" and pistons, never got around to an industrial revolution because the slaves wouldn't have anything to do all day!!!). Green has a way of writing - the pithy observation or turn of phrase - which made this book fairly entertaining to read, even while being rather dense. The book also includes a number of maps, genealogies, a timeline, and a section of books for further reading. This is probably not a good introductory text to the subject, but it is helpful for further study and an entertaining reminder of what is known about the 300 years between Alexander the Great and the Roman Empire.​

 

[Dave Vicks]

On the stack of books SEAN PENN:his life
And times.By Richard T.Kelly.2004.

Biography.

 

[Hugh]

Charles Allen "Soldier Sahibs, the men who made the North West Frontier"
Well researched account of the years @1839 - 1857, using unpublished diaries/manuscripts of the significant British players vis a vis the tribes of the North West Frontier and their crucial role in suppressing the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Well written and informative. Bloodthirsty incidents (perpetrated by all sides) are not sensationalised.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

I am well into Tool of the Trade (1987) by Joe Haldeman. Cold War spy thriller with an SF gimmick. The protagonist is a Soviet "sleeper" agent, who has lived in the USA for many years and who is now as much an American as a Russian. He also developed a gizmo, based on his genuine profession as a psychologist, that sort of acts as super-hypnosis; he can make anybody he's near do anything, up to and including killing themselves. (At one point he goes all Death Wish and deliberately attracts muggers and such so he can have them take their own lives. He's not always a nice guy.) He's now on the run from both sides, and the KGB have kidnapped his American wife. Very readable.

 

[Dave Vicks]

THE JOBaniel Odier,1969,1970.

Interviews with William S. Burroughs.

 

[williamjm]

I finished Ken Macleod's Beyond the Light Horizon, the concluding book in his Lightspeed space opera trilogy. I thought that it was a good conclusion to the series. One characteristic of Macleod's books is that they tend to be relatively short, at least compared to many of his contemporaries. I think that has advantages and disadvantages. It does mean that the story moves forward at a good pace and there aren't any major lulls in the story. On the other hand, there are so many ideas and concepts and locations and characters that it sometimes feels too much for a short book and some things perhaps deserve more thorough exploration. The characters are interesting and varied but I'm not sure that any of them have a huge amount of depth, perhaps because of the relatively short time we spend with each of them. The mysteries brought up in previous books do mostly get satisfying explanations and there are several new plot elements introduced, the highlight of the book is the discovery of a new star system with several habitable planets with some interesting inhabitants. It's also perhaps more topical than Macleod expected it to be with each of the human societies in this having their own form of AI, which might have its own agenda. There are some familiar elements here from older books (there's a big Le Guin influence including some homages to The Dispossessed) but I think it does also have some fresh ideas.

I am now reading another space opera, James S.A. Corey's The Mercy of Gods.

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

I'm reading Bittersweet by Susan Cain. It's a nonfiction book about 'how sorrow and longing make us whole.' My daughter wants to know why I enjoy listening to sad music, so hopefully I'll have some answers for her. I'm a little over 100 pages in and it's been interesting so far. I enjoyed Cain's previous book Quiet (about introverts) as well.

 

[ablackenedrose]

Just finished Alas, Babylon. Holds up remarkably well for one of the earliest examples of the nuclear war post-apocalypse genre, certainly far better than a lot of its contemporaries. And I must say, as a person who grew up in Central Florida not even fifty miles from the town upon which Fort Repose is apparently based... let's just say that some sections of the book were pretty harrowing to read (particularly when the bombs were falling on the major cities of Florida). And yet there's a genuine, fierce hopefulness throughout the novel, even at its bleakest moments, which I quite like.

Next up, Blade of Dream, book two of the Kithamar trilogy. I remember absolutely loving Age of Ash when I read it just under a year ago and I hope the sequel lives up to that.

 

[Vertigo]

I finished Ken Macleod's Beyond the Light Horizon, the concluding book in his Lightspeed space opera trilogy. I thought that it was a good conclusion to the series. One characteristic of Macleod's books is that they tend to be relatively short, at least compared to many of his contemporaries. I think that has advantages and disadvantages. It does mean that the story moves forward at a good pace and there aren't any major lulls in the story. On the other hand, there are so many ideas and concepts and locations and characters that it sometimes feels too much for a short book and some things perhaps deserve more thorough exploration. The characters are interesting and varied but I'm not sure that any of them have a huge amount of depth, perhaps because of the relatively short time we spend with each of them. The mysteries brought up in previous books do mostly get satisfying explanations and there are several new plot elements introduced, the highlight of the book is the discovery of a new star system with several habitable planets with some interesting inhabitants. It's also perhaps more topical than Macleod expected it to be with each of the human societies in this having their own form of AI, which might have its own agenda. There are some familiar elements here from older books (there's a big Le Guin influence including some homages to The Dispossessed) but I think it does also have some fresh ideas.

I am now reading another space opera, James S.A. Corey's The Mercy of Gods.

I am two thirds through the second book in that series right now, and would broadly agree with your general comments. One thing I've noticed is that, for the most part, he has kept his politics a bit more reined in than is sometimes the case with his books.

 

[The Judge]

Next up, Blade of Dream, book two of the Kithamar trilogy. I remember absolutely loving Age of Ash when I read it just under a year ago and I hope the sequel lives up to that.

I enjoyed it far more. I struggled with Age of Ash, and wasn't planning to continue the series, but williamjm's post in the April thread persuaded me to give it a go. Like him I found the characters in BoD more interesting, and for me the world-building -- which rather overwhelmed me in AoA -- was reduced and now made a lot more sense.

 

[Rodders]

I finished Diamond Dogs and Turquise Days.

Now on to Inhibitor Phase, read by John Lee.



After this, i'm not sure what to listen to on my bike ride. I might give Children of Dune and Dune Messiah a go. I couldn't get into them when i tried to read them a few years ago.