[2014] What Are You Reading?

Just finished The Ocean at the End of the Lane and halfway through Fight Club.

 

Labyrinth and The Giver at the moment.

 

Needed a quick read to help get me back on pace for 52 books read this year. I'm about three weeks behind now. Finished Alas, Babylon in a couple days. Forgot how good that book is. Starting James Ellroy's Blood's A Rover today, but should probably go back and read the synopses of the two preceding novels of the trilogy.

 

Cat in the Hat
Hop on Pop
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish should get you back on track

 

How do you think I'm only three weeks off my pace?

BTW, Jeremy Lin...star? (wonder if that was you)

 

There is actually some Croatian or Czech that also tends to use 'bobrek', but in this case, it was me.

Back to the topic at hand - The Martian is a really good book.

 

I'm on the waiting list.

 

Finished Freedom TM. Not as good as Daemon, but still a decent read. The whole gamer subculture didn't resonate with me, although the augmented reality aspect seemed very cool and very useful. Good book and a can't miss if you read Daemon, obviously. I'd give it an A-.

I also read Influx by Daniel Suarez. It started off very good but seemed to lose traction in the second half of the book and just go Hollywood Sci-Fi popcorn movie. I do love good action books and movies it was just a big shift from Suarez's norm. I liked it, though. A.



Currently reading yet another Suarez book (I tend to gorge on new Authors), Kill Decision. So far very much a spy/tech thriller with tech that isn't so fantastical. A lot of what I liked about Daemon is represented here; the tech is more realistic and achievable with modern standards. I'm not as drawn in to the book as with his other books, but that may just be me as I'm slammed at work and home life.

 

I'm currently reading "Masters of the Air", by Donald L. Miller. As a WWII history buff, I try to read at least 1 new book on the topic each year. I decided to read this one for 2 reasons...1) because I had not read a tremendous amount about the air war in Europe, and 2) because this is the book that is being used by Spielberg and Hanks for their upcoming HBO mini-series about the 8th Air Force during WWII.

Having read about 80% of the book so far, I would say it lives up to the hype its gotten. I've learned a lot of things about the war I never knew before (example, "neutural" Switzerlands treatment of our downed airmen) and can safely say if I had a choice, I would have rather been in the first wave at Normandy or Iwo Jima than to be a B-17 airman over Germany in 1943.

Highly recommended.

 

just finish The Giver
PIC---vvv

Spoiler

I have 2 questions

Spoiler

So does Jonas and the baby die at the end?

Are the other books related to Jonas or just set in the same time period?

 

I've never heard anyone who likes the last act. The first two were so good that I was still able to overlook the awful ending. Good news is they're completely scrapping that act for the movie.

Still working on Blood's A Rover by James Ellroy.

Sorry about your divorce, man. Good luck!

 

Just finished The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

Great book, just like his other ones. I'd put this one above The Angel's Game but Below Shadow of the Wind.

 

I'm a "buff" myself. I'll check this out. Thanks! I assume that you've seen Twelve O'Clock High (1949), with Gregory Peck. An outstanding film about this topic.

 

Rocket River

 

I haven't, but noticed it on Netflix recently so its now on my list to watch. Thanks for the tip!

Decided to take a break from my normal and try my hand at a writer I keep hearing good things about. Currently reading



"Killing Floor" by Lee Child....the first of the Jack Reacher novels. His first person perspective is interesting and so far I like how the book reads. Certainly, the "never a dull moment" phrase applies.

 

Thomas Piketty - Capital in the 21st Century

 

I just started reading One Hundred Years of Solitude. I'm about 100 pages in, and I'm really enjoying it so far.

 

I enjoy the Reacher novels, although I have to take a break from time to time, unlike when I discovered the Harry Bosch novels of Michael Connelly. Could not stop reading them until I got to the most recent one and simply had to wait for the next. If you haven't checked out Connelly's Bosch crime fiction, the first is The Black Echo. They're addictive.

 

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Khaneman. Started reading for a work focus (decision making with System 1 and System 2 , particularly under time constraints and stress) but am finding it fascinating and worthwhile personally as well.