Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
ABOUT BOOKS AND READING
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What are you reading or what books have you read or heard about? (Part TWELVE) Ongoing general thread.
The last two weeks I have been reading a three book series by Veronica Roth----1) Divergent 2) Insurgent and 3)Allegiant.. Very poplar several years ago and I found all three volumes, so.......It is aimed at the YA audience but as an adult SF reader, I have found plenty to like..
It is SF of course, of a disutopian future world were all persons belong to a Faction group., At age 16 you select one of the five factions to determine the rest of your life. The story is told from the viewpoint of 16 year old Tris as she is approaching the Day of her "Choosing Ceremony. Highly recommended you read them in order. Otherwise you can j just read the first volume, Divergent which can stand along. Books 2 and three are harder to find. Recommended for any SF fan aged 14 or over.
I am reading, "Almost French," that is a good, funny book to chase away the gloom in the newspapers.
Nina, this one? Review says "delightful" which is an excellent choice as you say "to chase away the gloom" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
Added to my list to read. One would think I have a lot of time to read at this time but now we are home there are more dishes to wash with 3 meals and snacks to make daily. We are making more dishes and desserts so the refrigerator is full with good tasty leftovers. I'm hoping with the warmer weather coming I'll abandon (well sort of) the kitchen and sit outdoors on deck and read. Those days are coming soon. Something positive to look forward to and enjoy!
Yes, that is the one. And it is an easy read as you can read a chapter a day and not lose the sense of what came beforehand
Nina wrote: "Yes, that is the one. And it is an easy read as you can read a chapter a day and not lose the sense of what came beforehand"Always to have a book like that on hand - that's why I download some magazines on my Kindle or Fire - read a short article, look at pictures and go on your way.
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan was incredibly relevant even though it is almost 25 years old. I gave it a 5 star review here.
Washington's Farewell: The Founding Father's Warning to Future Generations by John P. Avlon was eye-opening & amazingly relevant for something that's over 200 years old. Avlon does a pretty good job filling in the times & GW's influences. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jim. You might like, "Eagle's Cry," by David Nevin. It is around the same time as the book you are recommending and excellent writing. And like the Washington gives an insight that I didn't know about things and people in that era.
I just listened to The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman & gave it a 5 star review. Absolutely fantastic & highly recommended, especially for anyone who makes anything. Even if you don't, you'll feel a lot better about yourself when you find out that you're not an idiot because you can't use a common item, it was probably poorly designed! Great, real world examples. I wish manufacturers would read this.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished reading, "1812" by David Nevin. Excellent.
I was surprisingly unhappy with The Third Chimpanzee: The Evolution and Future of the Human Animal by Jared Diamond. I really liked G,G,&S, but this one was old & pretty bad overall. I only gave it a 2 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics by Tim Marshall was great. It might be too elementary for those of you who keep up on foreign affairs, but then again it might provide some insight into the basis for many of the seemingly weird wars & struggles going on around the globe. It certainly did for me & it did so in a quick, flowing manner. Very well narrated, but I did have to look at maps (included in the book) before & after each chapter to fully grasp what was going on. My geography isn't awful, but it's not as good as it could have been.Highly & enthusiastically recommended. I included the ToC in my 5 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jim, I lost interest in River of Doubt. The beginning was great as you learned about TR's background and more of his personality along with his drive and interests. Plus the writing is very good.The part I'm at now just explains about the jungle and how they struggle to get through the tall greens. Perhaps its just a small lag in the book. For now, I stopped reading and will pick it up again at some point.
A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers was a dud. There were a few good stories, but most were too busy trying to be PC that they forgot to actually develop the story. My 2 star review is here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished reading, "The Shell Seekers," again as I had read it about thirty years ago; set in England from 1940 to the 1980's and still enjoyed reading it but parts were dated I thought as the main character who was from nineteen years of age to the age of sixty four was thought of and depicted as elderly. My youngest daughter will turn sixty in July and she is far from elderly/cares for horses, dogs, four acres, a swimming pool and teaches full time to disadvantaged kids middle school.
Nina, your family seems to have a lot of energy! I was doing yard work yesterday for a few hours and needed a shower. After that, I was done for the afternoon. Had to save energy to cook and do the clean up. :)
Never Home Alone: From Microbes to Millipedes, Camel Crickets, and Honeybees, the Natural History of Where We Live by Rob Dunn was a really good look at what lives in our houses with us & why we want to foster biodiversity not clean it out of existence. In these paranoid days, it's a must-read. I knocked it a bit for repetition, but that's probably just me. Call it a 4.5 star read. Review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Kentuckians in Gray: Confederate Generals and Field Officers of the Bluegrass State is a compilation of short biographies of KY folks who joined the Confederacy. I found it for free (link in the review). It's really interesting reading why they joined & what they did afterward, but I only skimmed what they did during the war. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm a real fan of xkcd.com & loved a previous book of Munroe's. It was also narrated by Wil Wheaton. Great combination, so when I saw the library had How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, I just had to read it. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I read your review with great interest, Jim. As usual you tell it like it is.
Truth: A Brief History of Total Bullsh*t was fantastic as an audio book. It's short, really interesting, & funny. I couldn't ask for more. I gave it a 5 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sure Fire by Jack Higgins was something of a surprise, a fun YA novel. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I finished A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived: The Stories in Our Genes by Adam Rutherford a couple of days ago. Basically, I liked it, but found the repetition & gaping holes in his arguments hurt the book too much, so I gave it a 3 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I am reading, "Dream West," am excellent historical novel about Fremont in CA and wonder how it ever became a state. Lots of well known names scattered about. By David Nevin
The Last sin eater, by F Rivers is a life changer...
How Contagion Works: Science, Awareness and Community in Times of Global Crises by Paolo Giordano was a very good, short essay written at the beginning (Feb/Mar2020) of the Covid mess. Giordano is an Italian who was self-isolating early, so cranked this out. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind by Gary F. Marcus was a great look at the evolutionary reasons for the way our brains work. Enthralling! I gave it a 5 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In Oceans Deep: Courage, Innovation, and Adventure Beneath the Waves by Bill Streever was pretty good. It was more about the technical aspects of diving than I appreciated, but there was still a lot of interesting material. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Many years ago my son had a girl friend who was an underseas photographer and her photos were amazing especially the ones off the coast of Australia.
Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control by Stuart Russell was a real eye-opener & plain fantastic. Even though I work with computers daily (I'm the IT dept for a company.) I've never understood much about AI. I still don't, but Russell did a great job of explaining so many basics that I hadn't even considered. The only downside was not enough examples from SF, but that's a minor point. I gave it a 5 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
You Can Stop Humming Now: A Doctor's Stories of Life, Death, and in Between by Daniela Lamas was interesting & good. I'm torn between 3 & 4 stars since I don't think she dug deep enough for all the good info presented. My review is here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ten Days that Shook the World by John Reed was scary & very well written. It's a pretty straight forward account that paints the confusion of the Russian October Revolution of 1917. What a mess! I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I was told Sandra Brown's books are really good. I'm not sure they're really for me, but thought I'd give one a try. She has a lot - 46 listed on my library's site. Which one would you recommend I start with?
I've never read her, but I'll try one. While our library was closed I scratched about desperately (can't use ebooks hearing is too bad) and I stumbled upon Lisa Scottoline who is ok. Not a CJ Box but she'll do in a pinch. Since the library partially reopened it seems the pecking order for New & Popular has changed, not too my benefit, so my requests are not showing up. So I stuck with Lisa, who like Sandra, has written a scad of books. Give her a try.
Just read a book I didn't like, "The Other Einstein," and one I really did, "Mrs. Carnegie's Maid," same author, Marie Benedict
I just finished a long lecture of Great Presidents by Allan J. Lichtman. It's one of The Great Courses. It was really good. I gave it a 5 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Here is an old goodreads with Joy's comments among others. Maybe Jim you can enjoy looking at it. Memories.
Didn't include Joy's comments. Wonder what happened to her.
I haven't chatted with her in ages here or on FB. She said she wasn't into social media any more. It's a shame.
American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI by Kate Winkler Dawson is about Edward Oscar Heinrich whose incredibly innovative investigation techniques helped solve thousands of crimes. Incredibly, he doesn't have a Wikipedia page at this time, though! Unfortunately, the presentation was terrible. I only gave it a 3 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Parasite Rex: Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures was fantastic. I gave it a 5 star review. It's a great companion to Plight of the Living Dead: What Real-Life Zombies Reveal about Our World--And Ourselves which was more fun (My 5 star review.), but this one covers areas it missed & in a different way. It focused more on how parasites are a necessary part of the environment. In some ways, it reminded me of I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life which I also gave a 5 star review. That also made the point that we evolved with & depend on them. I highly recommend reading all three. Together they show just how intertwined the ecosystem is & how small changes to one portion can snowball throughout.
The Unexpected Truth About Animals: A Menagerie of the Misunderstood by Lucy Cooke was a fantastic read. I had a lot of fun learning so much about them & how my previous 'understandings' were shaped. Eye-opening barely describes it. I gave it a 5 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I've finished up my 2020 on Goodreads & it was another great year of reading even though I read fewer books. Most were nonfiction, amazingly good with some stranger than fiction; mostly those on parasites, but some history makes the mark, too.https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
My favorite book this year was also non-fiction, "The Splendid and the Vile." History.
Just finished a fascinating book centered on the persecution of the Irish by the British govt. and the potato famine. And later on the Irish in Canada around the middle and late 1800's. Also in this book a lade disappears into another self. Weird but fascinating book; "Away," by Jennifer Bonhot.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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Oh my goodness, what a vision!!