Books you're currently reading???

[wolf]

Doctor Who and the Coming of the Terraphiles - Michael Moorcock

Yes, after my last disastrous encounter with a Doctor Who novel, I decided to try again ... on two counts. First, Michael Moorcock is a fine author. Second, this book has been chosen by my SciFi and Fantasy bookclub as their discussion book for January.

We are still in disaster territory. So bad, I'm wondering whether Michael Moorcock is having an acid flashback. The only thing that makes The Doctor identifiable as the current doctor is the bow tie and the presence of Amy Pond.

I'm 3/4 through and you know what I've ended up wondering about? There's this big space battle about to take place and a bit of description has kept me awake wondering ... how does a centaur sit in a bucket seat?

To restore my faith in The Doctor I've unearthed my box of Target novels and am reading Terrance Dick's Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen.

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

I just finished We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver.

Just, wow. Well, I thought so. I thought the writing was wonderful. I think the author did a great job of dealing with the subject matter honestly. Anyone else read this? What did you think? It was one of those books I woke up in the middle of the night to read more (of course, I'm off work this week) and when I finished it, I just sat there for a minute. I'm still thinking about it.

I had to reread it, questioning how accurate the narrative voice was all the way through - we only heard it from her perspective and she was a very frustrated woman. I still wan't sure at the end of the second read, but it was due back at the library.

I enjoyed it and was disturbed by it in equal measure and yes it really did make me THINK.

[Gravdigr]

"Mojave Crossing" by Louis L'Amour.

First line of the book:

"When I saw that black-eyed woman a-looking at me I wished I had a Bible."

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

I had to reread it, questioning how accurate the narrative voice was all the way through - we only heard it from her perspective and she was a very frustrated woman. I still wan't sure at the end of the second read, but it was due back at the library.

I enjoyed it and was disturbed by it in equal measure and yes it really did make me THINK.

I think that's one of the reasons I liked it so much? Her fault, his fault, bad seed? Does anyone ever really have answers to those things? Her failings as a mother as vehicle for evil son, true or false? Was husband so damn stupid about it all? I would think the narrative voice of a person who were actually in her shoes would be hard to dissect. This is the beauty of it: I'm STILL thinking about it.

I read a bad review about it, some mad mother saying the woman didn't behave like a real mother would. Well, who gets to say how all real mothers behave? Miss Doting Overprotective isn't guaranteed a perfect child. She didn't blame video games or movies or society. There are all kinds of mothers out there, as we all well know. What sorts of things made this kid the way he was? So much food for my brain.

I thought the writing itself was extraordinary. I read it twice. Cried at the end both times, but slice of grim reality can do that to me. Neat little bows of explanation bore me...I'll be considering this tale for some time.


Of course, there were no spaceships or wizards or vampires.

[kerosene]

Originally Posted by Gravdigr

"Mojave Crossing" by Louis L'Amour.

First line of the book:

I love me some Louis L'Amour. I just got done with Utah Blaine.

[Stormieweather]

Mortal Fear by Greg Iles. Good book!! Very current.

[skysidhe]

The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

[plthijinx]

getting ready to start Shadow Divers - the true adventures of two americans who risked everything to solve one of the last mysteries of WWII

[Trilby]

At Home - bill Bryson

LIFE - Keef Richards.

[JuancoRocks]

"The Defector" by Daniel Silva.......Prior to that
"Moscow Rules" by the same author.......
"Hollywood Crows" by Joseph Wambaugh and
"Deliver Us From Evil" by David Baldacchi.......
since I have retired I now have the time to really enjoy reading.

Juanco.......

[toranokaze]

A brief history of time- Steven Hawking

the time machine - HG Wells

[wolf]

Continuing with the Doctor Who Fest ... I decided to read them in show order as much as possible, although I'm already getting tired of Hartnell's Whiny Old Man Doctor ...

An Unearthly Child
The Daleks
Edge of Destruction
Marco Polo

Keys of Marinus is nett up.

I've decided to read Last of the Breed - Louis L'Amour. Tester-San gave it to me last year because he'd liked it very much. I'm about 2/3 finished.

And I've got a book from one of the nurses from work ... The Book of Air and Shadows. It's developing slowly, so I'm taking breaks from it.

[Number 2 Pencil]

Currently reading:

Nomad, by Ayaan Hirsi Alli. Not as good as Infidel, but still very powerfully written.

and

Discarded Science: Ideas That Seemed Good at the Time, by John Grant. Part of a trilogy, the next one is Bogus Science, and then Corrupted Science.

I've got some Terry Prachett I want to read when I am done with these books, and I also have a graphic novel called Logicomix that is about Bertrand Russell

[Lamplighter]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

How do you generate enthusiasm or motivation for completing
a non-fiction book you started 3 months ago ?

I saw the author on one of CSPAN's book fairs and was very excited by her descriptions
of the research and interviews she did during the writing.
So I jumped on Amazon and ordered it that same day.

A third of the way through over several days of fitful starts and stops,
I realized I was utterly bored, and it became my "coffee table book".

Now dusty and forlorn, it's a matter of "Read it or Trash it".

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

Wolf, it's doubtful anyone else in the whole world is interested !

FWIW: Mendez v. Westminster
School Desegregation and Mexican-American Rights

It's a history of the civil rights movement in southern Calif
before the Brown vs Board of Education case.

Groan... I know. The title should have warned me what was coming.
But the author was very entertaining on CSPAN, and brought the events to life.


It was of interest to me because I grew up there (near DisneyLand),
and did not know anything of what was going on in the schools we attended.
But as far as I've read, the text is dry and dusty, like the bean fields all around us.

Hey Hey Hey... I finished the book. Turned out it was a great read !

This weekend being MLK Day, I decided I would either read it thru or donate it.
I went back a few pages to start over, and plugged away for while.
Then, it turned magic... exciting and moving... all the way to the Epilogue.

This little book, a layman's history of one legal case, falls mainly into 4 parts
A) All the people and organizations and institutions involved - boring
B) The legal strategies of Attorney Marcus - some interesting bits
C) The federal District Trial, itself - warming up, finally got my attention
D) Judge McCormick's decision - BAM, THERE IT IS... The reason I bought the book !

Judge McCormick''s "Conclusions of the Court" were wonderful reading.
So many of the facts and ideas and principals of the yet-to-come
Civil Rights Movement of the 60's started here with his writings:

He first determined the legal standing of the federal government in education
He developed the argument that segregation is discrimination
He established as Fact that all children are harmed by segregation
He decided the State of California was in violation of the 14th Amendment
He ordered the State to immediately integrate Mexican-Americans in all public schools

The case was appealed to the 9th District Court of Appeals and was upheld.
Although the case did not become national law at that time,
these writings and findings of fact became the basis for Brown vs Board of Education.

One last comment. Of all those people at the beginning of the book,
it's remarkable how many later became well-established figures in our legal and social system.
While most of their names were unknown to me, the organizations they started are now house-hold names.

This book stays on my bookshelf !

[GunMaster357]

"Darwin's Blade" by Dan Simmons (in English)