THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB discussion
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WHAT ARE YOU READING AND WHY!!
I'm only on page 21 of Louise Penny's Still Life, and am in love already.
Visited the annual ‘Book Fair’(second hand books sold for charity) a week or so ago, and thought now that I’ve bought a Kindle I’ll not be too bothered about ‘real’ books – wrong!All books are in excellent condition
Vince Flynn
American Assassin
(finished last night - which one next ??)
Extreme Measures
Act of Treason
Stephen Leather
Hot Blood
Dead Men
Nightfall
Daniel Silva
The Defector
Douglas Reeman
The Last Raider
Wilber Smith
Assegai
Those in Peril
$47 later . . . and 90 enjoyable minutes later . .
I'm almost finished with The 500 by Matthew Quirk. This novel has been surrounded by lots of good buzz, and its easy to see why. I'm really enjoying this thriller.
Geoff (Scouse) wrote: "Visited the annual ‘Book Fair’(second hand books sold for charity) a week or so ago, and thought now that I’ve bought a Kindle I’ll not be too bothered about ‘real’ books – wrong!All books are i..."
I love me a good book fair. It's so much fun rooting through the books, chatting with other book lovers. Nice selection, Geoff.
I'm almost done with Little Bee what a fantastic book!
Our public library system sells off books they've pulled fairly often but I stopped going to the sales. They line people up at the door and let so many in at one time. When you get in the place is packed with people buying books "by the pound" to sell on line or even decorators buying books for height and color of binding and such. The book lovers seem to be in the minority.I'd like to fine a book fair locally where book lovers gathered.
Happy for you.
"Bill Veeck, Baseball's Greatest Maverick" by Paul Dickson. Reading it because 1) biographies of influential men are inspiring & educational, 2) real life stories give me great ideas for writing my own fiction! 3) I love reading about sports within the larger context of history & society. A great one for this is "When Pride Still Mattered," David Mariniss' biography of Vince Lombardi.
Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "Our public library system sells off books they've pulled fairly often but I stopped going to the sales."Ours doesn't have sales but they always have maybe 40 ft shelf-wise of hard covers for a buck. The nice coffee table books or sets are sold on a silent auction table.
Mod
love those kinds of thrillers Ethan!
just finished ALTAR OF BONES- pretty decent thriller- although lead characters seemed to havemore lives than 25 cats put together!! but fun and what more can you ask!!
Mod
What a great book!!! Love baseball history and Veeck certainly at the top! So deserving of a biography!
Mod
All books are i..."
as far as Vince Flynn- any book of his is great!!!
and Stephen Leather is a super writer- so so talented and a very nice fellow as well as a member of this James Mason Group!
Jerry wrote: "Re-visited Bradbury's classic, Fahrenheit 451. So glad I did."Excellent book ... I love revisiting the classics. :)
My favorite book is "A Prayer for Owen Meany," by John Irving, but I had never read his most famous novel, "The World According to Garp." I'm a bit over halfway through and love it, though my heart still belongs to "Owen Meany."
I'm reading "The Secret History," by Donna Tartt. It's one of the best books I've read in a long time.
I borrowed it from a cafe here in Venice (Italy) where they have bookshelves of stuff you can read while sitting on the antique sofas they have arranged into little intimate groups. I picked it up (being one of the few books in English) and read the first few paragraphs. It interested me, so I took it to read.
The Ghost of Caroline Wald; A Ghost Story and Horror Novel
I am reading these 3:1984
The Tin Drum
Return of the Native
I'm reading them because they are on my 1001 Books list challenge...
Jane wrote: "I'm almost done with Little Bee what a fantastic book!"I enjoyed it to.
Yesterday I finished My Husband's On Facebook! Unpublished - Richard Parise. Last night I started My Husband's On Facebook! - Unpublished -Richard Parise.
I am reading James Rollins' "Bloodline" his newest thriller. already it is hard to put down at bedtime.
I just finished The Queen's Vow: A Novel Of Isabella Of Castile by, C.W. Gortner and am now listening to The Last Queen by, the same author I am glad I am reading them in this order because The Last Queen starts right where Queen's Vow left off.
Mod
James Rollins
is such a great writer! and a terrific guy- Member of James Mason Group- been texting with him quite a bit over past few days. super nice fellow!
Continuing with Krisi Keley's On the Soul series, which I started last year with On the Soul of a Vampire, I'm now reading the second volume of the prequel, Pro Luce Habere (To Have Before the Light) Volume 2. Keley's one of my favorite writers; I'm fully expecting this to be a five-star read, as the two previous volumes of the series were.
Anne wrote: "I am reading James Rollins' "Bloodline" his newest thriller. already it is hard to put down at bedtime."I really enjoyed Bloodline as well! I devoured it in a couple days. It was my first Rollins novel, but certainly not my last.
I just finished The 500 by Matthew Quirk. This novel got a lot of pre-release hype, and is definitely worth the read. While not as good as The Firm, it was a fun and fresh legal thriller.
Now I'm changing pace and reading Amped by Daniel H. Wilson. I was really impressed with his first novel, Robopocalypse, so I'm excited to read his sophomore effort.
Ethan wrote: "Anne wrote: "I am reading James Rollins' "Bloodline" his newest thriller. already it is hard to put down at bedtime."I really enjoyed Bloodline as well! I devoured it in a couple days. It was my ..."
I should have mentioned that I have read just about all of James Rollins' books. I love the dog in the new one. Also I am reading "
a non-fiction garnered from diaries and writings of 5 people living in Berlin in 1933. Also I still have the one I read on and off which is not on GR yet, "The Nuremburg Trials" by the Tusas. I guess I am on a WWII kick right now.
Today I have read and finished My Husband's On Facebook! - Unpublished & My Husband's On Facebook! Unpublished - Richard Parise. Now I am reading Guilty Wives - James Patterson.
MissSusie wrote: "I just finished The Queen's Vow: A Novel Of Isabella Of Castile by, C.W. Gortner and am now listening to The Last Queen by, the same author I am glad I am reading them in this order because The Las..."Hi, MissSusie!
I'm not in the habit of self-promotion, but this cried out to me for three reasons. One - I just had a conversation with Mr. Gortner last week on Facebook, and the result was that he bought my book and is planning to read it when he gets the time. Two - Your comment was surrounded by two pertaining to Anne, who has read El Rey and given it a 5-star review. And three - El Rey covers a time period that spans the reigns of the two queens and mentions many events common to both Castile and Portugal.
Anyway, don't really know where I'm going with this. Suppose I just wanted to let you know that if you cared to continue a similar reading vein, here's a book that might appeal to you:
If not, please excuse the intrusion, and Rick, please don't ban me from the group. I couldn't resist the opportunity!
Off topic here; don't know where to ask this: Does anyone else feel a terrible sense of desolation when you come to the end of a wonderful book?Oh, and I just finished Condoleezza Rice's book, Extraordinary, ordinary people. No sense of desolation here, though. Braggadocio reigns!
Genine wrote: "Off topic here; don't know where to ask this: Does anyone else feel a terrible sense of desolation when you come to the end of a wonderful book?Oh, and I just finished Condoleezza Rice's book, Ex..."
Yes I call it a book hangover..
Ginger wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "I just finished The Queen's Vow: A Novel Of Isabella Of Castile by, C.W. Gortner and am now listening to The Last Queen by, the same author I am glad I am reading them in this ord..."Thanks I will take a look but am wondering is this one of those only available on Amazon books?
Genine wrote: "Off topic here; don't know where to ask this: Does anyone else feel a terrible sense of desolation when you come to the end of a wonderful book?Oh, and I just finished Condoleezza Rice's book, Ex..."
Yes! I feel like I've lost a limb when I finish a book that I wish would go on and on! lol
Really? Wow, I had heard all good things about her books to date. She certainly has much to "brag" about, if that's truly what she does. But of course a read is only as good as one's perception (there are many books I've read that others crowed about and I found insufferable!). Makes me want to read it for myself, though!
Don't let my negative view deter you from reading the book. It did hold my interest, and she certainly is an accomplished woman.
MissSusie wrote: "Ginger wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "I just finished The Queen's Vow: A Novel Of Isabella Of Castile by, C.W. Gortner and am now listening to The Last Queen by, the same author I am glad I am reading t..."Unfortunately it is. Sorry for the shameless plug, but I had to try. As a habitual reader of historical fiction, you probably know that the setting is considered out-of-the-norm. I got excited by your adventurous spirit and Mr. Gortner's attention, and well... Anyway, thank you for not being upset!
Ginger wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "Ginger wrote: "MissSusie wrote: "I just finished The Queen's Vow: A Novel Of Isabella Of Castile by, C.W. Gortner and am now listening to The Last Queen by, the same author I am g..."That's fine..I have a nook not a kindle so if you want to pm me when it's available on B&N.
Mod
LOL!! of course I would never ban you!!! I congratuate you for the wonderful news on your book!!! GOOD GOING!!!
Mod
I really enjoyed Bloodline as well! I devoured it in a couple da..."
Love Jim Rollins- he has been a member of our James Mason Group for years- just texted me today to let me know his book MAP OF BONES is free on amazon for kindle/nook- here is the link
http://www.amazon.com/Map-Bones-Sigma...
super nice guy- great friend of mine
Thanks for the info, Rick. I picked up Map of Bones. And thanks for not blackballing me! Like I said, I don't usually go in for the kill like that, but it was RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF ME!! Anyway, if I offended anyone, I apologize.
Ginger wrote: "Thanks for the info, Rick. I picked up Map of Bones. And thanks for not blackballing me! Like I said, I don't usually go in for the kill like that, but it was RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF ME!! Anyway, i..."You will love "Map of Bones" Ginger. Rollins writes such great thrillers. He was a vet before he began writing. does he still practise at all, Rick?
I'm currently reading
by Fannie Flagg. I've seen several of her books that looked interesting. This was one of them and on the bargain table. So far, not all that great - I'm about a third through and the main character just seems pathetic. I'm also reading
, a Victorian mystery (with a small dose of romance) set in San Francisco. It's the second book in the series and I'm finding it a bit better than the first one.
adlin wrote: "I'm currently reading by Fannie Flagg. I've seen several of her books that looked interesting. This was one of them and on the bargain table. So far, not all ..."Don't give up on Fannie Flagg. Read her best - Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe before passing final judgement.
Finished The Last Queen by, C.W. Gortner and really enjoyed it after reading his 2 books about the Spanish Royals I didn't want to quit so am now listening to Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile by, Julia Fox...I think I am going to be in the era for awhile!
Jane wrote: "adlin wrote: "I'm currently reading by Fannie Flagg. I've seen several of her books that looked interesting. This was one of them and on the bargain table. So..."Thanks! I'll keep that in mind... saw the movie years ago, but haven't read the book....
Last night I started
Only had time for a few chapters since it was late and so far it is very interesting.
I plan on starting the book "The Aztec Incident" next. I just had the opportunity to meet one of the 4 authors, Dr. Frank Thayer. UFO studies at it's best. His argument is that the incident was covered up and needs work that brought Roswell to the fore front. Here is the book site: http://www.theaztecincident.com/Here is an audio coverage of the crash. Forward by Stan Friedman. http://www.theparacast.com/podcast/no...
Dr. Thayer was very gracious and certainly has solid academic credentials. Check him and the book out.
I'm reading Anita Desai's Clear Light of Day and Elizabeth Bowen's The Death of the Heart. I just finished Room, which I loved.
Mod
not sure Anne- I just texted James to ask if he still works as a Vet
"Along the Edge of America" by Peter Jenkins. I really liked his first book so thought I'd read some of the other ones. I'm also listening on audio "The Pilots Wife", just because.
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THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
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I dicovered Louise Penny via goodreads giveaway and I am so very glad.