August 2019: Reading Thread

[Danny McG]

Moving on now...
Birthright; The Book of Man by Mike Resnick

 

[Parson]

@dannymcg .... That lullaby is never named. But interestingly, when I searched I discovered that by plugging: lullaby "When the English Fall" into Google what to my wondering eyes should appear but a link that makes the book searchable. --- What a marvelous thing!

I would posit that the lullaby in question is "Rock-a-bye Baby" because I seem to remember a movie connection, but exactly what I don't remember.

 

[Elckerlyc]

Just finished Uprooted by Naomi Novik and now started reading Hannah Green And Her Unfeasibly Mundane Existence by Michael Marshall Smith.

 

[dask]

Moving on now...
Birthright; The Book of Man by Mike Resnick

This has been on my bookshelf for a long time. Be interested in knowing how it is.

 

[Bick]

Yes, I like Resnick and have read a few books set in the same universe that's set up by this book. Have you read much Resnick, Danny?

 

[Danny McG]

I've also read a few by him, and I've had this ebook for a long time without making a start on it.

I've got through a long and complicated intro/world build that shows how ruthless Man is to competitive alien species and it's finally making a start on a story.

I'm presuming it'll now become episodic, the two characters in this opening tale are somewhat unlikable

 

[KGeo777]

I re-read Jaws after many years

"The great fish moved silently through the night water, propelled by short sweeps of its crescent tail.
The mouth was open just enough to permit a rush of water over the gills. There was little other motion: an occasional correction of the apparently aimless course by the slight raising or lowering of a pectoral fin --as a bird changes direction by dipping one wing and lifting the other. The eyes were sightless in the black, and the other senses transmitted nothing extraordinary to the small, primitive brain. The fish might have been asleep,
Save for the movement dictated by countless millions of years of instinctive continuity: lacking the flotation bladder common to other fish and the fluttering flaps to push oxygen-bearing water through its gills, it survived only by moving. Once stopped, it would sink to the bottom and die of anoxia. The land seemed almost as dark as the water, for there was no moon."

It has some good points but is also quite trashy.


Now I am reading the Curse of Capistrano, (100th anniversary).

 

[Vertigo]

Annoying that he mentions over and over the lullaby as sang by the English..but never reveals it, or does he?

No he never names it and you are not alone in being annoyed by that; there's a few people made similar comments about it on Goodreads. It didn't bother me too much and I pretty much figured it was just mentioned as an example of inevitable crossover between the cultures.

@dannymcg .... That lullaby is never named. But interestingly, when I searched I discovered that by plugging: lullaby "When the English Fall" into Google what to my wondering eyes should appear but a link that makes the book searchable. --- What a marvelous thing!

I would posit that the lullaby in question is "Rock-a-bye Baby" because I seem to remember a movie connection, but exactly what I don't remember.

I seem to remember a movie reference and, for no apparent reason, Doris Day and Que Sera Sera sprang to my mind. Not quite a lullaby really but...

 

[anno]

I re-read Jaws after many years

"The great fish moved silently through the night water, propelled by short sweeps of its crescent tail.
The mouth was open just enough to permit a rush of water over the gills. There was little other motion: an occasional correction of the apparently aimless course by the slight raising or lowering of a pectoral fin --as a bird changes direction by dipping one wing and lifting the other. The eyes were sightless in the black, and the other senses transmitted nothing extraordinary to the small, primitive brain. The fish might have been asleep,
Save for the movement dictated by countless millions of years of instinctive continuity: lacking the flotation bladder common to other fish and the fluttering flaps to push oxygen-bearing water through its gills, it survived only by moving. Once stopped, it would sink to the bottom and die of anoxia. The land seemed almost as dark as the water, for there was no moon."

It has some good points but is also quite trashy.

I read and loved it for two reasons - it’s about Sharks, and it was proper ‘mucky’ lots of sexy stuff for an impressionable 10 year old.

Pretty sure it was this that introduced me to the term ‘breeders hips’ (could have been Stephen King though...)

 

[Hugh]

Tony Hillerman "The Joe Leaphorn Mysteries" the first three Joe Leaphorn books "The Blessing Way" (1970), "Dance Hall of the Dead" (1973), "Listening Woman" (1978) in one volume.
It's rare for me to read police/detective/mystery yarns, but I thought these were brilliant. I couldn't put the book down and I hate that. In terms of world-building they are remarkable, giving a real sense of vast scenery and space alongside a feeling of genuine depth of immersion in Navajo culture. Joe Leaphorn is an officer in the Navajo Tribal police. I believe there are eighteen books in this series so I am sure I will be reading others in a while. The only weakness for me is the whodunnit (but then I always find this dull in detective stuff - for me it's always Professor Plum in the conservatory with the lead piping for some completely off-the-wall reason) but that's kind of irrelevant as the stories are so well paced.
I read these because Roger Zelazny was keen on them, and I also had some encouragement in the July thread from @Randy M. (for which many thanks).
The author received the "Special Friends of the Dineh" Award from the Navajo Tribe and was a best selling author back in the day. Of course I'd never heard of him.
One point of interest for me in terms of further reading: Hillerman repeatedly acknowledged his debt to Arthur W. Upfield's novels set in the Australian outback, first published in 1928, featuring detective inspector Napoleon (Bony) Bonaparte with a deep understanding of local tribal traditions. I will take a look at these before long.

 

[Randy M.]

Glad to hear you enjoyed them, Hugh.

Randy M.

 

[tobl]

So, i've been hearing the Gor books... The first three were okay i guess... A kind of barsoom. I kept reading critics saying how degrading it was for women and so on... So, i asked for a specific book to see what the fuss was about. I jumped to n°14... The first minutes were interesting But then dullsville. How someone can make sex scenes dull is beyond me. It's even duller than fifty Shades and i didn't thought that was possible. Buu i'm a man from Earth; buu she's a slave, buu i don't Know what to do when she's offering her self... Talk about annoying. I jumped to 15 and it's worst. Oh, the angst. Either i didn't got the right book or you guys have some strange sensibilities

 

[Danny McG]

I've also read a few by him, and I've had this ebook for a long time without making a start on it.

I've got through a long and complicated intro/world build that shows how ruthless Man is to competitive alien species and it's finally making a start on a story.

I'm presuming it'll now become episodic, the two characters in this opening tale are somewhat unlikable

It's very reminiscent of Asimov's Foundation in that it leaps forward decades, and centuries, at a time. Focusing on Traders, then Diplomats etc.
However Mike Resnick is doing this in reverse, the Man Empire is slowly losing power and influence.
A main difference is there is a plethora of alien races, all competing with or else being subservient to humanity

 

[Danny McG]

Also I'm starting this one for a bit of light reading...
Alpha Male: Stop Being a Wuss - Let Your Inner Alpha Loose! How to Be a Chick Magnet, Boost Your Confidence to the Roof, Develop a Charismatic Personality and Dominate Your Life Like a True Alpha Male
by James Becket

 

[Parson]

Also I'm starting this one for a bit of light reading...
Alpha Male: Stop Being a Wuss - Let Your Inner Alpha Loose! How to Be a Chick Magnet, Boost Your Confidence to the Roof, Develop a Charismatic Personality and Dominate Your Life Like a True Alpha Male
by James Becket

I wonder who this book is supposed to appeal to.

 

[tobl]

Moving on now...
Birthright; The Book of Man by Mike Resnick

i love the starship series.
i know i can be annoying but could someone please tell a book of gor that is actually degrading to women?

 

[KGeo777]

JAWS 2 by Hank Searls would have been my follow up but I can't find it (for under $33).
It is supposed to be much better than Jaws.

 

[Udo]

Getting ready to crack open The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. Finished The Name of the Wind earlier this summer. Hoping book 2 is just as good.

 

[tobl]

Getting ready to crack open The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. Finished The Name of the Wind earlier this summer. Hoping book 2 is just as good.

it is. and then you have book 2.5

 

[Foxbat]

Just started Robert Aitken's The River Of Heaven - a collection of Haiku from Basho, Buson, Issa and Shiki. It has explanatory notes and snippets of history for each poem.