What are you reading now?

[J. A.]

Cyber, by Terry Schott

Unputdownable - I've just read for about an hour and a half, and I'm almost halfway through it.

 

[KevinJS]

All These Quiet Places, by Chris Krzeminski and Jennifer August.

A harrowing tale of domestic abuse and subsequent recovery.

Available on Amazon.

 

[J. A.]

Just started with another book from Terry Schott: The Game. This is book one of a series of 5 books (The Game Is Life).

I've also started reading another book by the same author: Shadows

The topic is similar in both books - virtual reality, games having a bearing on true life.

 

[giradman]

Several more books on my iPad that I am reading at the moment:

The Earth Shall Weep: A History of Native America (2000) by James Wilson - short synopsis below from Amazon. I've been reading about Native American history and cultures for years and probably have a couple of dozen books in the house (many others 'cull out' and donated over the decades). This book is not new but the description piqued my interest - Wilson narrates a tale of the calamitous interaction of these peoples w/ Anglo-Europeans over the centuries from the perspective of the original natives - recommended.

Pacific: Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World's Superpowers (2015) by Simon Winchester - second synopsis below, again from Amazon. Recently, I heard Winchester interviewed on the Diane Rehm show (NPR) w/ the topic being this new book released last year. This is not a straight chronologic history of the Pacific Ocean, but selects specific topics that have impacted man and the planet - highly recommended. Dave

Native Americans continue to hold a special place in the modern imagination. Images of the Native American as "noble savage," as grunting Hollywood brute, or even as nature lover reinforce what author James Wilson describes as "the principal role of Indians in US culture throughout the twentieth century: helping America imagine its own history." Wilson hopes to rescue them from this role and place Native Americans within their own context by attempting to view the Indian-European encounter through their eyes. The result is an engaging history of North America and its peoples--and a welcome addition to the already voluminous literature on the subject.

Wilson weaves Native American oral traditions and archeological, ethnographical, and historical evidence into a compelling narrative. Chapters on regional groups and their histories--from the Algonquians of the Northeast to the Zuñi of the Southwest--emphasize both their differences and their similarities. Wilson also traces the shifting relationships between Indians and non-Indians and investigates the reasons behind their misunderstandings. As Wilson points out, the image of the Native American as spiritual guide and Green Party spokesperson, while more romantic, is no more realistic than the image of the ignorant savage. Frequent excerpts from personal interviews allow Native Americans to speak for themselves and remind us that, far from ending at Wounded Knee, the Native American experience continues to evolve. Wilson's clear prose, command of the subject, and detailed suggestions for further reading make this book valuable to scholars and general readers alike.

Following his acclaimed Atlantic and The Men Who United the States, New York Times bestselling author Simon Winchester offers an enthralling biography of the Pacific Ocean and its role in the modern world, exploring our relationship with this imposing force of nature.

Today, the Pacific is ascendant. Its geological history has long transformed us—tremendous earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis—but its human history, from a Western perspective, is quite young, beginning with Magellan’s sixteenth-century circumnavigation. It is a natural wonder whose most fascinating history is currently being made.

In telling the story of the Pacific, Simon Winchester takes us from the Bering Strait to Cape Horn, the Yangtze River to the Panama Canal, and to the many small islands and archipelagos that lie in between. He observes the fall of a dictator in Manila, visits aboriginals in northern Queensland, and is jailed in Tierra del Fuego, the land at the end of the world. His journey encompasses a trip down the Alaska Highway, a stop at the isolated Pitcairn Islands, a trek across South Korea and a glimpse of its mysterious northern neighbor.

.

 

[J. A.]

After finishing "Digital Heretic" today, I've started the next book by Terry Schott: Virtual Prophet.

 

[NSquirrel]

Maigret series by Georges Simenon

There are some 75 main stories and I am at about 55. Not sure whether I imagine Rupert Davies or Michael Gambon, which perhaps shows my age. (Apparently ITV in the UK are doing a couple of stories at Easter with Rowan Atkinson as Maigret.)

 

[J. A.]

I've started reading the last book I've bought from Terry Schott:
Digital Evolution.
Should read it within about five hours.

I guess I'll have to find another book written by him - obviously he's one of my favorite authors now -, or find a page-turner from a different author afterwards.

 

[J. A.]

Here's the next book I started reading today:
All The Birds In The Sky, by Charlie Jane Anders

This might sound like a book about nature, but it tells the story of a witch called Patricia and a mad (?) scientist called Laurence, both outsiders during their childhood, where the book starts, and that's where I am at the moment.

 

[J. A.]

Have Space Suit - Will Travel, by Robert Heinlein
The book was mentioned in the one I've read before, thus my decision to read it.

 

[scifan57]

Have Space Suit - Will Travel, by Robert Heinlein
The book was mentioned in the one I've read before, thus my decision to read it.

I first read it as a serialized story in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. I've re-read it many times over the years.

 

[twerppoet]

Have Space Suit - Will Travel, by Robert Heinlein
The book was mentioned in the one I've read before, thus my decision to read it.

This is one of my all time favorite Heinlein books.

 

[J. A.]

This is one of my all time favorite Heinlein books.

That was the very first Heinlein book I've read. I liked it very much, so I've got another one as well, since finishing Have Spacesuit...

In the meantime, I'm reading "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!": Adventures Of A Curious Character, by Richard P. Feynman and Ralph Leighton.
This one was also mentioned in "All the birds in the sky".

 

[twerppoet]

I'm on the thrid book of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. It's light, amsusing fantasy based on classic fairytails; with a twist of lemon.

Dealing with Dragons
Searching for Dragons
Calling on Dragons
Talking with Dragons.

The last was the first written, and I've read it a couple of times through the years. It's still my favorite, but I'm enjoying the backstory.

 

[Mickey330]

I'm on the thrid book of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede. It's light, amsusing fantasy based on classic fairytails; with a twist of lemon.

Dealing with Dragons
Searching for Dragons
Calling on Dragons
Talking with Dragons.

The last was the first written, and I've read it a couple of times through the years. It's still my favorite, but I'm enjoying the backstory.

Hmmm. Those sounded so interesting that I've just borrowed "Talking With Dragons" from the library (digital, of course). Thanks.

I'm currently in the second book of Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series, "Hunting Ground," but it's definitely up next.

Marilyn

 

[NSquirrel]

A few weeks back I came across 'The Piano Shop on the Left Bank' by Thad Carhart

Penguin Randomhouse describes the book as :-
Walking his two young children to school every morning, Thad Carhart passes an unassuming little storefront in his Paris neighborhood. Intrigued by its simple sign—Desforges Pianos—he enters, only to have his way barred by the shop’s imperious owner. Unable to stifle his curiosity, he finally lands the proper introduction, and a world previously hidden is brought into view. Luc, the atelier’s master, proves an indispensable guide to the history and art of the piano. Intertwined with the story of a musical friendship are reflections on how pianos work, their glorious history, and stories of the people who care for them, from amateur pianists to the craftsmen who make the mechanism sing. The Piano Shop on the Left Bank is at once a beguiling portrait of a Paris not found on any map and a tender account of the awakening of a lost childhood passion.

I do not play the piano myself, but I found the book fascinating from both point of view of the piano and of Paris. A very enjoyable read.