Book Thread number ?

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

My year in Books, via Goodreads

TOTALS I read 68,000 pages across 191 books

SHORTEST BOOK
29 pages
Double Cross by Jeffery Deaver

LONGEST BOOK
1,177 pages
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

AVERAGE LENGTH 356 pages

MOST POPULAR 1,615,114 people also read
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

LEAST POPULAR 3 people also read
George W. Bush: America's 43rd P... by Matt Donnelly

MY AVERAGE RATING FOR 2017 2.7 I rate most books 2 or 3 stars

1 star books
Wolf of Wall St by Jordan Belfort
You've been Warned by James Patterson and Howard Rougan
My Silent War the Autobiography of a Spy by Kim Philby

No 5 Star books this year

I also read my 100th James Patterson book last week.

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

My 5 star books from 2017 - Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly, Cross Justice by James Patterson, Ocean Soul by Brian Skerry, and Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella.

1 star books - only one: The Rice Krispie Treats Cookbook. This was awful. I thought they'd do different things with them, but they just made them different shapes and colors.

 

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Recent reads

One Day in September: The Full Story of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and the Israeli Revenge Operation "Wrath of God" by Simon Reeve Pretty good straight forward look at the hostage taking of the Israeli athlete’s during the 1972 Munich Olympics by Black September. The horrendous response and cover up of the negotiations and rescue by the German authorities. Lastly the revenge operation taken by the Israeli’s to kill the surviving terrorists and the members of Black September who plotted and supported the plot.

Home (Myron Bolitar #11) by Harlan Coben Interesting Myron Bolitar book as it mainly revolves around Win. Win has dropped out of site and is searching for his cousins son who disappeared 10 years ago. Tracking down a lead he gets into trouble and calls the new engaged Myron for help. All hands are on deck as Myron and Win tried to find out if the boy and his friend are alive after 10 years or if this is a sick joke. Okay but like the last couple this isn’t the same Bolitar book, the sports agency is gone everyone has gone on to other things.

American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies by Michael W. Kauffman A very good book detailing the life of John Wilkes Booth and his plot to first kidnap and then kill Abraham Lincoln. Great details about the plot and how it unfolds and then the escape of the perpetrators and the hunt and trial of the various conspirators. I didn’t like it quite as good as Manhunt but a good read.

Fighting the Second Civil War: History of Battlefield Preservation and the Emergence of the Civil War Trust by Bob Zeller I have been a member of the Trust for quite a few years and this book covers the rise of the preservation movement from the 70’s to present. It covers many of the groups formed especially the former APCWS and Civil War Preservation Trust which eventually merged to form the present day Civil War Trust. Each chapter covers a preservation battle and the various principals involved. It also covers the contentious merger of the two preservation groups into 1.

Count to Ten (Private #13) by James Patterson (Goodreads Author), Ashwin Sanghi Another Private India novel finds them in New Delhi and involved in a political fight between the two men who govern the city. In the middle is Private’s investigation into a ring selling people’s body parts and the killer who is stalking them. Ok read

Power and Empire (Jack Ryan Universe #24) by Marc Cameron (Goodreads Author), Tom Clancy New Clancy book which combines the two Jack Ryan’s, previously they had kind of separated into Campus novels highlighting Jack Jr and Jack Ryan Sr novels with him as President though they each made cameos. A new author in Marc Cameron who stand alone novels I enjoy. Interesting plot with an internal Chinese power struggle involving the United States and the Campus investigating a human smuggling ring connected to the plot. It was okay but for me a bit too many moving parts and some parts are developed a bit and then never returned to, like the sinking of the cargo ship early on.

Camino Island by John Grisham Interesting novel where a young author goes undercover for an insurance company to see if she can track down the man who bought stolen F Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts. Reminded me a little of The Firm though instead of a law firm it was the literary scene. Ending was a little strange as some parts that had been built up, like one of the thieves trying to steal back the books after getting ripped off by the middleman kind of vanishes with not a real conclusion. Ok read.

I Know a Secret (Rizzoli & Isles #12) by Tess Gerritsen It’s been a bit of time between Rizzoli and Isles books and coming back to the books I was a little confused since I watched the TV Show as well and they don’t mesh up, like Frankie wanting to be a cop or FBI guy in this book but on the show he’s been a cop the whole series. A very good thriller about a group of acquaintances from the same town who are ending up getting killed in a ritual manner and Jane and Maura keep trying to find the connection. It’s not a particularly long book so a nice quick read.

The Switch by Joseph Finder This book is about a young businessman whose laptop gets mixed up with a US Senator’s a airport security. It’s seems the Senator has downloaded Top Secret NSA files to the laptop and is desperate to retrieve it. The measures that are resorted to get this laptop are amazing and while I realize this is a work of fiction many of the things that happen seem very unbelievable.

Find Her (Detective D.D. Warren #8) by Lisa Gardner The latest DD Warren book finds he investigating a young woman who has killed the man who attempted to rape her. She was held captive for over a year before and DD believes that she may be a vigilante especially after finding her obsessed with other missing people. The mystery deepens when the woman disappears and DD fears she may have been abducted by the monster she was searching for. Good read.

Wrestling with the Devil: The True Story of a World Champion Professional Wrestler--His Reign, Ruin, and Redemption by Lex Luger, John D. Hollis During my Wrestling watching days I was never a fan of Lex Luger, to me an over glorified pretty boy who couldn’t wrestle a lick. Surprisingly he admits much of this in his book that he kept it simple, looked good and let the more experienced guys like Ric Flair and others lead him to good matches. He tells of his early problems as a juvenile delinquent. His brief college career and his time in the CFL, NFL and USFL. He covers his intro to wrestling his training with Hiro Matsuda and his meteoric rise, rookie to Southern Champ to Jim Crockett promotions and member of the 4 Horsemen within a brief period of time. After that his description of wrestling is brief and kind of skips around, he mentions jumping to the WBF and WWF, the Lex Express and the jumping back to WCW on Nitro. He tells of his major drug and alcohol problems and his incarceration. The comeback from his neck and back problems is pretty remarkable and he appears to have turned his life around at the end of the book. One item I really wanted to hear about which was left out of the book was his feelings on the night Bruiser Brody shot on him in the cage just before he left Florida for Jim Crockett. It’s okay but not nearly as good as most of the other wrestling biographies.

The Mullah's Storm (Michael Parson & Sophia Gold #1) by Tom Young Interesting debut novel that takes place in Afghanistan. A plane is transporting a top level Taliban commander when the plane is shot out of the ground. Pilot Michael Parsons, translator Sophia Gold and the commander are forced on the run being hunted by the enemy in the middle of a blizzard. Pretty good.

The Pagan Lord (The Saxon Stories #7) by Bernard Cornwell Another good edition of the Saxon Chronicles. Once again ostracized due to his Pagan beliefs Uhtred takes a small crew and goes Viking to try and retake his ancestral home of Beddanburg. When the Saxon’s and Mercia find themselves threatened by the Danes he quickly takes action to unravel the plot and save the Saxon’s good read.

The Crystal Shard (The Icewind Dale Trilogy #1) by R.A. Salvatore The start of a new Drizzt trilogy finds him somewhat settled on the surface near the 10 towns with some friends but not exactly trusted. He warns the towns of a impending barbarian invasion and also helps protect them against an evil wizard who invades with an army of monsters. Didn’t like it as much as the first trilogy but an okay read.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Probert: Does Luger cover anything about the death of Miss Elizabeth?

 

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Probert: Does Luger cover anything about the death of Miss Elizabeth?

Yeah there is a chapter on their relationship, the break up of his marriage when his wife found out, her death and his legal issues as a result of her death.

 

[The Rube]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Yeah there is a chapter on their relationship, the break up of his marriage when his wife found out, her death and his legal issues as a result of her death.

Might check this book out. He was awfully quiet during that ordeal, and that pizzed me off. She was no angel, but that incident really got to me.

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I think <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Deep-Deadly-Descent-Treacherous/dp/0446527092">Beyond the Deep: The Deadly Descent into the World's Most Treacherous Cave</a> was a recommendation from someone here (I can't imagine where else I would have seen it). Finally read it. Absolutely riveting, and I knew nothing about the subject. It really drew me in, and those people are absolutely effing crazy. The hand-drawn maps really helped me imagine how far down they were.

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Another one that I believe was a thread recommendation - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1924981.High_Crimes">High crimes: the fate of Everest in an age of greed</a> by Michael Kodas. This was really interesting, but if you want to feel good about humanity, you may not want to read it. Lots of stories about theft, negligence, and just downright awfulness from people climbing Everest.

Currently reading <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26620372-terror-in-the-city-of-champions">Terror in the City of Champions: Murder, Baseball, and the Secret Society That Shocked Depression-Era Detroit</a> by Tom Stanton. I've really enjoyed several of his baseball books, so we'll see how this one goes.

 

[Kepler]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Just getting into The Dark Forest, the first sequel to The Three Body Problem. It's neither as imaginative nor as original as the first book but it's still a seeming worthwhile read. Still early but the idea of the Wallfacers is a good plot and character driver.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Started reading Hollowed Ground, by MTU professor Larry Lankton. https://www.amazon.com/Hollowed-Ground-Community-Building-1840s-1990s/dp/0814334903

It is a history of Copper Mining in the Copper Country, from the beginning (native copper mining) through discovery by Douglass Houghton, and the development of the mines, ending at current day. It follows 3 mining companies pretty closely: C&H, Quincy and White Pine (and predecessors), but touches on all of the relatively important locations (Cliff, Amygdaloid, Minesota, Baltic, Isle Royale, Pewabic, Phoenix, Copper Falls, etc.). So far, it has been very, very good, and I'm still pretty early on in the book.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Started reading Hollowed Ground, by MTU professor Larry Lankton. https://www.amazon.com/Hollowed-Ground-Community-Building-1840s-1990s/dp/0814334903

It is a history of Copper Mining in the Copper Country, from the beginning (native copper mining) through discovery by Douglass Houghton, and the development of the mines, ending at current day. It follows 3 mining companies pretty closely: C&H, Quincy and White Pine (and predecessors), but touches on all of the relatively important locations (Cliff, Amygdaloid, Minesota, Baltic, Isle Royale, Pewabic, Phoenix, Copper Falls, etc.). So far, it has been very, very good, and I'm still pretty early on in the book.

We had to read two of his books for his "History of the Copper Country" course. The one you're reading is more about mining, and the other one is more about the culture and communities. They're both pretty good.

 

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Book Thread number ?

We had to read two of his books for his "History of the Copper Country" course. The one you're reading is more about mining, and the other one is more about the culture and communities. They're both pretty good.

I got this for Christmas from my parents. Apparently about 6 months ago I mentioned it to my wife that this book looked good, specifically because I was looking for one that focused more on the mining, more technical and industrial stuff. My wife remembered this, several months later and gave it to my parents as a suggestion for a gift. So far, the book is exactly what I was looking for in a history of the copper mining up there.

 

[leswp1]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I got this for Christmas from my parents. Apparently about 6 months ago I mentioned it to my wife that this book looked good, specifically because I was looking for one that focused more on the mining, more technical and industrial stuff. My wife remembered this, several months later and gave it to my parents as a suggestion for a gift. So far, the book is exactly what I was looking for in a history of the copper mining up there.

Sounds fascinating

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sourdough-Novel-Robin-Sloan/dp/0374203105">Sourdough</a> - Robin Sloan - enjoyed this one a lot. About a computer programmer who starts baking bread when her favorite restaurant closes. She sells it at a market run by a mysterious figure (this is where the slightly wacky Sloan-ish part comes in). The "feel" of the book was a lot like his other book - a little bit out there, but enjoyable.

<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Gravel-Memoir-Ruth-Wariner/dp/1250077702/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1516540090&sr=1-1&keywords=the+sound+of+gravel+by+ruth+wariner">The Sound of Gravel</a> by Ruth Wariner. Very interesting read - about growing up in a polygamist religious cult in Mexico. Her circumstances were appalling. Couldn't put it down.

 

[leswp1]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Just finished Origin by Dan Brown. Interesting read. Not totally in love with it- a little too wordy for bits- but parts were thought provoking. I like when books touch on things with historical perspective.

Before that read James Rollins- the Demon Crown. Again, not totally in love with it but parts were good. Some of the things made me squeamish to read and I think I know more about insect behaviour/biology than I might want to. Felt a bit force in parts and then the end felt rushed. When all sorts of detail happens in the middle of the book and then it seems like someone said you are running out of room and poof less words, skipping through parts you might want story for and then boom. Done.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Just finished Origin by Dan Brown. Interesting read. Not totally in love with it- a little too wordy for bits- but parts were thought provoking. I like when books touch on things with historical perspective.

It's a Dan Brown novel, he's known for that.

 

[leswp1]

Re: Book Thread number ?

It's a Dan Brown novel, he's known for that.

THe Davinci Code was good. Angels and Demons was def not as good. This explored some things I am not familiar- something I like- but it got like a lecture that forgot the story

 

[unofan]

Just getting into The Dark Forest, the first sequel to The Three Body Problem. It's neither as imaginative nor as original as the first book but it's still a seeming worthwhile read. Still early but the idea of the Wallfacers is a good plot and character driver.

Dark Forest is definitely still a decent read. The third one is the weakest of the three by far.

 

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Finished <a href="https://www.amazon.com/All-Single-Ladies-Unmarried-Independent/dp/1476716579">All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation</a> by Rebecca Traister - some interesting points, but a little dry. Parts of it read like a term paper. It felt like the author went all over the place - started with historical examples of unmarried women gaining acceptance in society, and then wandered through a LOT of different topics. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was a little more social and a little less political.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

Re: Book Thread number ?

THe Davinci Code was good. Angels and Demons was def not as good. This explored some things I am not familiar- something I like- but it got like a lecture that forgot the story

Interesting. The people I've talked to like Angels and Demons better. I'm with you though in that I liked Davinci Code the best. Those are the only two I've read.