In the summer, in the city

[miss_porcupine]

As I've griped about in the past, it's not that NYC gets hotter or more humid than anywhere else, it's that it doesn't cool off at night. Especially after a few days of sustained heat, the overnight lows on the weather forecast are mythical, fleeting moments that appear briefly at 4am, if at all

Comments

books

[4thdixiechick]

I am constantly amazed that Dan Brown has a book contract - I've read much better fan fiction (by you and others). And don't get me started on how many exclamation points he uses.

I'm not up on current military thrillers (I like the genre, just don't have time to read things that I am not required to). I do remember liking The Balance of Power by James Huston when I read it back when it first came out. Huston is a former Navy pilot, so that helps with some of the details (part of it takes place on an aircraft carrier).

I'm a middle school teacher, and "have" to read the books that are nominated for our state book award. My favorite out of this year's batch is a YA sci-fi novel called Unwind by Neal Shusterman. It takes place far enough in the future that iPods are antiques, and after a compromise law has been passed that bans abortion in America. The compromise is that parents can, when their child is 15 and hasn't lived up to potential or is a habitual troublemaker, decide to have them "unwound" - the child goes on to live in a "

Re: books

[miss_porcupine]

I got about twenty pages in to a Dan Brown novel and had to stop. Clearly, I did not get a copy with whatever crack the pages are laced with to make him a bestseller.

I shall look for the Huston book. Thank you.

Re: books

[4thdixiechick]

the only reason I finished the Dan Brown book is that it was the only thing I had to read when I had a 7-hour flight.

Re: books

[lurkerlynne]

I have been known to fully entertained by the sights outside my window on trips, with the exclusion of Nevada after hour 3. Fell asleep about then.

My point being, I would have to be damn desperate to read Dan Brown.

[ratcreature]

When I see people making money with something they are obviously crap at it, I often wistfully think "hey, I could be as incompetent as this and get paid!" but clearly the crucial skill I'm lacking is the ability to get people to give me money for something despite not being skilled at it.

[miss_porcupine]

Yeah. Salesmanship is clearly a major talent, even if storytelling is not.

[em_kellesvig]

I still recommend Dorothy Dunnett's The Lymond Chronicles for good, plotty prose and a look at a mercenary's life in the 16th century. It's interesting that she started writing because she couldn't find the kind of books she wanted to read. Game of Kings is worth the purchase price and, if you don't like it, your local library would be grateful for the donation.

[miss_porcupine]

I had to wait forever for it to be freed up at NYPL, got a few pages in, wasn't overawed (I found the writing a bit... heavy? even for period style) and got distracted by the other, more-desired books I'd retrieved at the same time. And then I had to return the Dunnett because there was a huge waiting list and I couldn't renew and I've not gotten it again since.

[doqz]

I just started Niccolo Rising, as it happens. A very idiosyncratic style of writing. Takes a bit of getting used to.

[em_kellesvig]

It does. Her layers have layers. On the plus side, her research is impeccable, so much so that Scottish historians followed her lead when she researched King Hereafter and she turned up several interesting facts about Anselm Adorne that had previously not been known (i.e. the connections had not been made) while researching The House of Niccolo.

I do a re-read every year or two and find something new each time.

[lillian13]

Sounds like Austin in the summer. Only for us those temps last well into September, maybe October. You park in the shade, even if it's on the other side of the parking lot, and I haven't voluntarily worn long pants since April.

Books, books. I haven't been reading thrillers much. I do recommend Charles Stross to you, if you haven't already discovered him, particularly his "Laundry" novels--"The Atrocity Archives" and "The Jennifer Morgue". Also "Halting State". And if you like fantasy at all, I recommend PC Hodgell and Steven Erickson. Stay cool!

[miss_porcupine]

I'll look into the Stross; it's a new name to me. Thanks. :)

[angelofmercy]

I commiserate with you on the weather. It got down to about 85 at three am last night, its in the nineties now with all the humidity implied being 2 minutes from the gulf of mexico and I'm trying to move out of my third story apartment.

Sorry the last books didn't work out, unfortunately I can't reccomend any right now :(

[miss_porcupine]

Good luck.