More Books
Four more books this time! yay!
T is for Trespass, by Sue Grafton.
Goliath, by Steve Alten.
Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett.
Victory of Eagles, by Naomi Novik
Pacific Vortex, by Clive Cussler.
Knife of Dreams, by Robert Jordan
Wild Fire, by Nelson DeMille, read by Scott Brick
Arctic Drift, by Clive and Dirk Cussler, Read by Scott Brick
Duma Key, by Stephen King, read by John Slattery
The Trench, by Steve Alten
Feet of Clay, by Terry Pratchett
@Arctic Drift - Enjoyable, far-fetched, but fun. The law of Character Conservation can only be stretched so far, and I think the Cussler boys are beginning to reach taht limit, but it's a fun read. The machinations of a greedy billionaire duping Canada and the US to the brink of a shooting war, and the only thing that can stop it is finding the lost shipwrecks of a British exploratory expedition in the frigid Arctic, from 160 years ago. Nice.
@Duma Key - I heart Stephen King so much, that I have a hard time describing it. I mean, some of his work from the 80s, at the height of his drug-fueled craze, where he really was going for the gross-out when he couldn't reach the scare - that stuff I can leave off, and have. But, I have said before and will continue to shout from the rooftops - there is no author currently publishing that can pull off characterization the way King can. You know these people, and they never once do a thing that is out of character. Also, especially in his latest works, it seems like his ability to throw in - not foreshadowing, but how would you call it - a feeling of rightness and inevitability is amazing. It's like, you're reading the story and at one point a character will walk into a room and it's like King is saying to the reader "What do you think he'll find in there? Do you think it's XYZ? Yeah, me too." And it seems so perfect, so right, even if it also seems like its coming completely out of left field. I know I'm not describing it well at all, but suffice it to say, King is a master, and I will humbly bow down before his offerings.
@The Trench - Book 2 in a loosely 3 part series by Alten. I had read books 1 and 3 already, having found them out of order. Again, his characterizations are horrendously overt, no subtlety at all, but I think that's more the nature of the potboiler set-up, rather than his abilities. But, since he only seems to write potboilers, we'll never really know. I think if I went back and re-read any Dan Brown, I think I would feel exactly the same about his ability at characterization as well. As for the book, meh. It was a page turner, and hard to put down, but I found the formula a bit too formulaic, and there was enough of the science being wonky for me to lose my suspension of disbelief a few times. I'd mention a few instances, but then, that'd be dropping major spoilers, as they all occurred at life-or-death moments. Also - this was written pre-September 11th, and there are a few mentions of this little known Saudi Arabian terrorist named Osama bin Laden. In this day and age, it was a little jarring to read characters talking about him as if he were some minor fictional character that no one knew about.
@Feet of Clay - Can I just tell you how much I am enjoying the The Watch series of Discworld books by Terry Pratchett? I am reading them as I find them, which is out-of-sequence, but that is in no way diminishing my enjoyment of this awesomeness. I haven't read any of his other Discworld novels, but eventually, I may work my way over to them. He had a short story in the Legends Anthology that is now a legend in its own right, and I read that shortly after the anthology came out, and that was a story involving the witches. It was definitely enjoyable and humorous. So, I know what I have to look forward too. But, at the moment, I am enjoying Captain Vimes, Captain Carrot, Constables Colon, Nobby, Angua, Littlebottom, Detritus, and Dorfl far too much to go elsewhere first. My eternal thanks and gratitude to radnama for introducing me to them.
So, that's it for now. 11 books down, 3 months into the year. Not a bad effort so far, but below where I'd like to be. It's this grant that's doing me in. I have less than a week left to finish and submit my NIH grant, which if not quite kicking my ass, it is at least, as the Watch would say, prodding some serious buttock. I have a few unread Clive Cusslers lying in wait, and then off to the library to get those books about the Spanish Flu that I mentioned last time! But, for the next week, lying in wait they will have to remain. joy!
No Worries,
Matt
@Arctic Drift - Enjoyable, far-fetched, but fun. The law of Character Conservation can only be stretched so far, and I think the Cussler boys are beginning to reach taht limit, but it's a fun read. The machinations of a greedy billionaire duping Canada and the US to the brink of a shooting war, and the only thing that can stop it is finding the lost shipwrecks of a British exploratory expedition in the frigid Arctic, from 160 years ago. Nice.
@Duma Key - I heart Stephen King so much, that I have a hard time describing it. I mean, some of his work from the 80s, at the height of his drug-fueled craze, where he really was going for the gross-out when he couldn't reach the scare - that stuff I can leave off, and have. But, I have said before and will continue to shout from the rooftops - there is no author currently publishing that can pull off characterization the way King can. You know these people, and they never once do a thing that is out of character. Also, especially in his latest works, it seems like his ability to throw in - not foreshadowing, but how would you call it - a feeling of rightness and inevitability is amazing. It's like, you're reading the story and at one point a character will walk into a room and it's like King is saying to the reader "What do you think he'll find in there? Do you think it's XYZ? Yeah, me too." And it seems so perfect, so right, even if it also seems like its coming completely out of left field. I know I'm not describing it well at all, but suffice it to say, King is a master, and I will humbly bow down before his offerings.
@The Trench - Book 2 in a loosely 3 part series by Alten. I had read books 1 and 3 already, having found them out of order. Again, his characterizations are horrendously overt, no subtlety at all, but I think that's more the nature of the potboiler set-up, rather than his abilities. But, since he only seems to write potboilers, we'll never really know. I think if I went back and re-read any Dan Brown, I think I would feel exactly the same about his ability at characterization as well. As for the book, meh. It was a page turner, and hard to put down, but I found the formula a bit too formulaic, and there was enough of the science being wonky for me to lose my suspension of disbelief a few times. I'd mention a few instances, but then, that'd be dropping major spoilers, as they all occurred at life-or-death moments. Also - this was written pre-September 11th, and there are a few mentions of this little known Saudi Arabian terrorist named Osama bin Laden. In this day and age, it was a little jarring to read characters talking about him as if he were some minor fictional character that no one knew about.
@Feet of Clay - Can I just tell you how much I am enjoying the The Watch series of Discworld books by Terry Pratchett? I am reading them as I find them, which is out-of-sequence, but that is in no way diminishing my enjoyment of this awesomeness. I haven't read any of his other Discworld novels, but eventually, I may work my way over to them. He had a short story in the Legends Anthology that is now a legend in its own right, and I read that shortly after the anthology came out, and that was a story involving the witches. It was definitely enjoyable and humorous. So, I know what I have to look forward too. But, at the moment, I am enjoying Captain Vimes, Captain Carrot, Constables Colon, Nobby, Angua, Littlebottom, Detritus, and Dorfl far too much to go elsewhere first. My eternal thanks and gratitude to radnama for introducing me to them.
So, that's it for now. 11 books down, 3 months into the year. Not a bad effort so far, but below where I'd like to be. It's this grant that's doing me in. I have less than a week left to finish and submit my NIH grant, which if not quite kicking my ass, it is at least, as the Watch would say, prodding some serious buttock. I have a few unread Clive Cusslers lying in wait, and then off to the library to get those books about the Spanish Flu that I mentioned last time! But, for the next week, lying in wait they will have to remain. joy!
No Worries,
Matt