Reading anything?

[BoyScoutKevin]

After a free-view weekend of HBO last week, I decided to start re-reading the SONG OF FIRE AND ICE series, better known by its TV title,
GAME OF THRONES.

Funny how my views on that series (the books) have changed. When I read them in 2011 I thought they were brilliant and today I can barely stand them. Shrug.

You are not the only one. I find the TV series unwatchable, and the books, which I am reading in graphic format, almost unreadable. I wonder if that is because, as a proud fantasy reader, back to the time I discovered Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" back in junior high or middle school, there are at least a half dozen contemporary  fantasy writers out there, that I considered far superior to Martin.

[Josso]

There seems to be a trend with people mistaking very popular with the best thing ever. I enjoy GoT but it isn't the best TV show in the world, it's of similar production values and ideologies as boardwalk empire / rome / anything like that on HBO. Someone asked me what it was recently and I described it as "lord of the rings with sex & violence"

[BoyScoutKevin]

Ye-es!

Some I remember better than others, but a read is a recommendation.

David Morrell's
Murder as a Fine Art

One of those writers who'' turn their hand to almost anything to earn some money.

25 more works of fiction, including 3 in the Rambo series -- 3 collections of his short stories -- 3 books of non-fiction --
1 graphic novel -- and 3 books edited.

Stuart Macbride's
Close to the Bone
8th in the Logan Mcrae series
3 more works of fiction and 1 collection of his short stories

Craig Johnson's
A Serpent's Tooth
The Walt Longmire series
8 more works of fiction

What do a 15-year-old boy running around the county butt naked, a man who claims to be someone long thought dead, a woman who tends bar in the next town, a leader of a Mormon cult recently moved into the area, a mysterious Mexican, and a more mysterious American have to do with each other? It is up to our hero to make all the connections.

This series has been adpated into a TV series for A&E Television, and while this book has yet to be adapted for the TV series, I like to see it done so, If only to see whether it is the TV series or the book which does a better job of depicting the "True West." I'm betting on the book.

The book also has one of those inevitable, but you hate to see it, because both characters are so likable, final confrontations between the hero and the villain, in which only one man can walk away alive.

And, oh yeah! This one of the few mysteries in which the villains actually scared the s@@@ out of me.

Archer Mayor's
Paradise City
23rd in the Joe Gunther series

When a burgularly ring clashes with a ring that brings in illegal immigrants for slave labor, it is up to our hero to set things right.

Actually, I am afraid, I did not recognize the author, the title, nor the series, till I was reading the 24th and next one in the series, which I'll review later.

Jo Bannister's
Deadly Virtues
10 more works of fiction

Eleanor Kuhn's
Death of a Dyer
2nd in the William Rees series

Who murdered the 18th century American dye maker in his dye house? Was it his wife? His teenage son? A servant? A neighbor? Someone who owed the dead man some money? Or someone else? It is up to our hero to find out, before an innocent is hanged for the crime.

This mystery contains one of the most unique relationships I have seen in a mystery, While the relationship is made clear only at the end, and is covered in only a couple of paragraphs, it is so unique, because it crosses so many boundaries, especially for that day and time.

And the auhoress has been practicing her writing. This is much better than her first book.

Keith McCafferty's
The Grey Ghost Murders
2nd in the Sean Stranahan series

What do a Congressman running for Governor, a fly tiers club, Richard Connell's classic short story "Most Dangerous Game," some missing flies, and murder have to do with each other? It is up to our hero to figure all this out by joining all the dots.

Set in Montana, which has become the go to state for new mystery writers. Some of the other mysteries set there. We'll review later.

Next time: 6 of 1 and a half dozen from Anne Perry + 1.

[Rev. Powell]

Cool so far to learn something about the pre-feature era (1890s to 1910s) when "movies" were just one-reelers you watched through an eyepiece at a nickelodeon.

[FatFreddysCat]

I recently scored a half dozen old books from the "Mack Bolan" aka "The Executioner" pulp-adventure series, which I haven't read since I was in high school. Currently I'm a little more than halfway thru "Blood Testament," #100 in the series, from 1987.

[indianasmith]

I used to read those when I was in the Navy.  I called them the masculine response to Harlequin Romances.

[Neville]

I just picked up a couple of interesting reads from my local library.

The first one is "Horns" by Joe Hill. I liked Hill's previous books, specially his collection of short stories, an I think he's worth following. Here he mixes small town misteries (the main character lost his girlfriend and everybody thinks he killed her but managed to skate) with some rumiations regarding the devil, because as the book starts the main character has grown a couple of horns (!) and seems to posses some supernatural abilities. A great read, but I think the end somehow falls short.

The second book is "A Man Without Breath" by Philip Kerr. Is the latest book in a series starring Bernie Gunther, a German investigator who works in Nazi Germany. This time he works for the War Crimes department, where he's find a temporary shelter from the nazis, and he is sent to Poland to investigate the founding of human remains near the Katyn forest. If you know your WWII history you don't need to be told the mess he just got into. I'm still reading it, but so far it's very interesting.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Ye-es!

Anne Perry's mysteries set in Victorian times are seldom about just one thing, especially her early books.

From the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series.

If "Paragon Walk" and "Midnight at Marble Arch" are about the rape and murder of teenage girls, then . . .

"Bluegate Fields" is about the sexual abuse of teenage boys and sexually transmited disease.

"The Hyde Park Headsman" is about spousal abuse and homosexuality.

And "Death in Devil's Acre" is about prostitution in all its forms and abortion.

And from the William Monk series.

"Blind Justice"
The trial begins with the judge on the bench and a man in the dock for fraud, and ends with the man dead--murdered--and the judge in the dock for the man's murder. And it is up to our hero to prove the judge, a friend of his, innocent of the murder and to find out who did commit the murder.

And Lindsey Davis' "The Ides of April"
1st in the Flavia Alba series

Who is poisoning the citizens of Rome and why, since the victims seem to have nothing in common?

I can remember when there was at least a half dozen mystery series set in ancient Rome, and I read them all. As that, for some reason, is one of my favorite times for mysteries set in the past. This is the only one that is left and is a continuation of her early Falco series, where--here--the adopted daughter takes over from her father who has more or less retired. This series will continue with the next book in it "Enemies at Home," which I look forward to reading.

Next time: 6 of 1. Half dozen of the other + 1 non-fiction.

[Trevor]

I just ordered this from www.kalahari.com:



This should be very, very interesting to read: after all, it is written by a guy who shrugs off his quadriplegia as 'no big deal' so it should be inspiring too. 

[Rev. Powell]

Had to but it, I'm cited in a footnote! 

[Trevor]

I just picked up a couple of interesting reads from my local library.

The first one is "Horns" by Joe Hill. I liked Hill's previous books, specially his collection of short stories, an I think he's worth following.

Is that Stephen King's son? 

[Neville]

Yep.

[Trevor]

Yep.

[Pilgermann]

Decided to read the entire Holy Bible.  I'm reading the NIV but I kind of think I might switch to the King James because this one is less stimulating from a linguistic standpoint.  I'm only in Numbers right now and my god, some of this stuff is a tough slog.  Mind-numbing lists of names of descendents and tribes, anguished and detailed descriptions of all the sacred ritual B.S. and what have you.

I've spent the majority of my life identifying as a Christian but over several years my feelings of devotion have waned to almost nothing.  I'm at least willing to gain a better understanding of the religion but so far the god of the Old Testament is not deserving of love or admiration.  Anywho, I don't want to go off on a religious tangent here.  While I doubt much of the Bible is truthful I can admire the historical and (some) literary value.

[Void Mother]

"Fanged Noumena"

Nick Land's mad intellectual ramblings from '87-2007. Very nihilistic philosophy, but very engaging. Helped me discover the great poet Georg Trakl, whose gorgeously morbid prose are referenced a few times throughout.