Book talk.

[jonesthecurl]

I'm working my way through several carrier bags full of books that I picked up at the library sale weekend before last. I've just finished Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut. Not his best, but still really good. I also finished Brainwave, an early book by Poul Anderson about what happens when all the mammals (including people) suddenly become about four times as intelligent. One of his best - another guy who sometimes missed the mark, but a star when working well.

[pimpdave]

I am almost finished with:



From the Amazon.com blurb:

In 1992 the FBI stumbled upon Mark Whitacre, a top executive at the Archer Daniels Midland corporation who was willing to act as a government witness to a vast international price-fixing conspiracy. ADM, which advertises itself as "The Supermarket to the World," processes grains and other farm staples into oils, flours, and fibers for products that fill America's shelves, from Jell-O pudding to StarKist tuna. The company's chairman and chief executive, Dwayne Andreas, was so influential that he introduced Ronald Reagan to Mikhail Gorbachev, and it was his maneuvering that ensured that high fructose corn syrup would replace sugar in most foods (ever wondered why Coke and Pepsi don't taste quite like they used to?). There were two mottoes at ADM: "The competitors are our friends, and the customers are our enemies" and "We know when we're lying." And lie they did. With the help of Whitacre, the FBI made hundreds of tapes and videos of ADM executives making price-fixing deals with their corrivals from Japan, Korea, and Canada, all while drinking coffee and laughing about their crimes. The tapes should have cinched the case, but there was one problem: Their star witness was manipulative, deceitful, and unstable. Nothing was as it seemed, and the investigation into one of the most astounding white-collar crime cases in history had only just begun.

Kurt Eichenwald, an investigative reporter, covered the story for The New York Times and interviewed more than 100 participants in the case. He methodically records the six-year investigation, leaving no plot twist or tape transcript unexplored. While his primary focus is on deconstructing the disturbed Whitacre and revealing the malleability of truth, the portrait of ADM (and even the Justice Department) is damning enough to make anyone a cynic. --Lesley Reed

Also being released as a film later this summer, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon as Whitacre.

But, since Public Enemies comes out first, I put down The Informant. I need some new novels or non fiction to read.

anyone have any suggestions? Jones, what title by Poul Anderson would be a good introduction to the author's canon? I'm also a huge Vonnegut fan, having read almost everything he's written.

[b.k. barunt]

I've been reading a lot of mysteries lately, as i've found 3 of the best writers i've stumbled across lately are in that genre. When i find authors this good i have to read everything they've written. The first is Harlan Coben who's the only author to win the Edgar and the Shamus awards. The second is John Connely, who writes for the Dublin Times, and last but not least is James Lee Burke, who will give you a true and gritty picture of New Orleans and Louisiana.

All 3 authors are top notch, and their books are the type that you don't put down till their finished.


Honibaz

[Gypsys Kiss]

I've been reading a lot of mysteries lately, as i've found 3 of the best writers i've stumbled across lately are in that genre. When i find authors this good i have to read everything they've written. The first is Harlan Coben who's the only author to win the Edgar and the Shamus awards. The second is John Connely, who writes for the Dublin Times, and last but not least is James Lee Burke, who will give you a true and gritty picture of New Orleans and Louisiana.

All 3 authors are top notch, and their books are the type that you don't put down till their finished.


Honibaz

I bought a book off ebay last year and the guy sent the wrong one. The one he sent was Gone for Good by Coben. Its the best thriller I've read for ages.

[jonesthecurl]

anyone have any suggestions? Jones, what title by Poul Anderson would be a good introduction to the author's canon? I'm also a huge Vonnegut fan, having read almost everything he's written.

If you can get hold of Shield, that's his best in my opinion. Or The Avatar. If you just want relaxing action-oriented stuff, any of the Flandry series, or the Time Patrol stuff. He also wrote an excellent late novel whose name escapes me in which he revisits the Time Patrol stuff, but pretends it was a fictionalised version of a real time-traveller's escapades, which is clever and thought-provoking as well as a good read.

When he died, I received by multiple forwarding a haiku which his daughter wrote about his death, just moments after. He would have loved that, as you'll see if you read Shield especially.

I wish I could find the damn poem now. Did anyone else get it?

[neanderpaul14]

If you like fantasy read The Wheel of Time series, it may be very long, but it is well worth the time. Also S.M. Stirling does some really interesting works.

[Genghis Khant]

Here's a short story by Jeff Noon from his book, Pixel Juice. It's called Metaphorazine.

Johnny takes Metaphorazine. Every clockwork day. Says it burns his house down, with a haircut made of wings. You could say he eats a problem. You could say he stokes his thrill. Every clingfilm evening, climb inside a little pill. Intoxicate the feelings. Play those skull-piano blues. Johnny takes Metaphorazine.
He's a dog.

Lucy takes Simileum. That's not half as bad. She's only like a moon gone slithering, upside-down the sky. Like a tidal wave of perfume, like a spillage in the heart. With eyes stuck tight like envelopes, and posted like a teardrop. Like a syringe, of teardrops. Like a dripfeed aphrodisiac, swallowed like a Cadillac, Lucy takes Simileum.
She's like a dog.

Graham takes Litotezol. Brain the size of particles, that cloud inside of parasites, that live inside the paradise of a pair of lice. He's a surge of melted ice cream, when he makes love like a ghost. Sparkles like a graveyard, but never gets the urge, and then sings Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! like a turgid flatfoot dirge. Graham takes Litotezol.
He's a small dog.

Josie takes Hyperbolehyde. Ten thousand every second. See her face go touch the sky, when she climbs that rollercoaster high. That mouth! Such bliss! All the planets and the satellites make their home inside her lips. It's a four-minute warning! Atomic tongue! Nitrokisserene! Josie takes Hyberbolehyde.
She's a big dog.

Alanis takes Alliterene. It drags a deeper ditch. And all her dirty dealings display a debonair disdain. Her dynamo is dangerous, ditto her dusky dreams. Dummies devise diverse deluxe débâcles down dingy darkened detox driveways. Alanis takes Alliterene.
She's a dead dog, ya dig?

Desmond takes Onamatopiates.
He's a woof woof.

Sylvia takes Oxymorox. She' got the teenage menopause. Gets her winter-sugar somersaults from sniffing non-stick glue. She wears the V-necked trousers, in the blind-eye looking-glass. Does the amputated tango, and then finds herself quite lost, in the new old English style! Sylvia takes Oxymorox.
She's a cat dog.

But Johnny takes Metaphorazine. Look at those busted street lamp eyes, that midnight clockface of a smile. That corrugated tinflesh roof of a brow. The knife, fork and spoon of his fingers, the sheer umbrella of the man's hairdo! The coldwater bedsit of his brain. He's a fanfare of atoms, I tell you! And you know that last, exquisite mathematical formula rubbed off the blackboard before the long summer holidays begin? Well, that's him. Speeding language through the veins, Johnny takes Metaphorazine.
He's a real dog.

[Juan_Bottom]

This is BS. The library is forever away and a pile of crap. If I want to read any of this I have to buy it online.
Any cheap used bookstores online?????


Also, Review?
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith

[neanderpaul14]

This is BS. The library is forever away and a pile of crap. If I want to read any of this I have to buy it online.
Any cheap used bookstores online?????


Also, Review?
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies author Seth Grahame-Smith

Wow that sucks. I live in Connecticut all the libraries in the state are linked and I can requests books from any of them and pick them up at my library in a few days.

Also Juan go to http://www.amazon.com they have great deals on new books and many many used books as well.

[Juan_Bottom]

I live in Connecticut all the libraries in the state are linked and I can requests books from any of them

I think that it is like that in all states. It's like that here too, but you won't believe this part,
The "big library" in my community was built for the city by a corrupt mayor who was removed from office. A library card costs $85 for 1 year (so they can pay for the multi-million dollar library). They accept library cards from other librarys in the area, BUT NOT TO REQUEST BOOKS FROM OTHER LIBRARYS. And they charge $1.50 per requested book. It's bullsh*t. I'm pretty disquested by the whole thing.
My local-local library is open Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to noon. I get off work at noon. It doesn't even make sense.

Also Juan go to http://www.amazon.com they have great deals on new books and many many used books as well.

Thanks!

[neanderpaul14]

I think that it is like that in all states. It's like that here too, but you won't believe this part,
The "big library" in my community was built for the city by a corrupt mayor who was removed from office. A library card costs $85 for 1 year (so they can pay for the multi-million dollar library). They accept library cards from other librarys in the area, BUT NOT TO REQUEST BOOKS FROM OTHER LIBRARYS. And they charge $1.50 per requested book. It's bullsh*t. I'm pretty disquested by the whole thing.
My local-local library is open Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to noon. I get off work at noon. It doesn't even make sense.

Holy crap that sucks. Libraries are supposed to be free. Sounds like there still may be some corruption in your city.

[Lord and Master]

Here's a short story by Jeff Noon from his book, Pixel Juice. It's called Metaphorazine.

Johnny takes Metaphorazine. Every clockwork day. Says it burns his house down, with a haircut made of wings. You could say he eats a problem. You could say he stokes his thrill. Every clingfilm evening, climb inside a little pill. Intoxicate the feelings. Play those skull-piano blues. Johnny takes Metaphorazine.
He's a dog.

Lucy takes Simileum. That's not half as bad. She's only like a moon gone slithering, upside-down the sky. Like a tidal wave of perfume, like a spillage in the heart. With eyes stuck tight like envelopes, and posted like a teardrop. Like a syringe, of teardrops. Like a dripfeed aphrodisiac, swallowed like a Cadillac, Lucy takes Simileum.
She's like a dog.

Graham takes Litotezol. Brain the size of particles, that cloud inside of parasites, that live inside the paradise of a pair of lice. He's a surge of melted ice cream, when he makes love like a ghost. Sparkles like a graveyard, but never gets the urge, and then sings Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! like a turgid flatfoot dirge. Graham takes Litotezol.
He's a small dog.

Josie takes Hyperbolehyde. Ten thousand every second. See her face go touch the sky, when she climbs that rollercoaster high. That mouth! Such bliss! All the planets and the satellites make their home inside her lips. It's a four-minute warning! Atomic tongue! Nitrokisserene! Josie takes Hyberbolehyde.
She's a big dog.

Alanis takes Alliterene. It drags a deeper ditch. And all her dirty dealings display a debonair disdain. Her dynamo is dangerous, ditto her dusky dreams. Dummies devise diverse deluxe débâcles down dingy darkened detox driveways. Alanis takes Alliterene.
She's a dead dog, ya dig?

Desmond takes Onamatopiates.
He's a woof woof.

Sylvia takes Oxymorox. She' got the teenage menopause. Gets her winter-sugar somersaults from sniffing non-stick glue. She wears the V-necked trousers, in the blind-eye looking-glass. Does the amputated tango, and then finds herself quite lost, in the new old English style! Sylvia takes Oxymorox.
She's a cat dog.

But Johnny takes Metaphorazine. Look at those busted street lamp eyes, that midnight clockface of a smile. That corrugated tinflesh roof of a brow. The knife, fork and spoon of his fingers, the sheer umbrella of the man's hairdo! The coldwater bedsit of his brain. He's a fanfare of atoms, I tell you! And you know that last, exquisite mathematical formula rubbed off the blackboard before the long summer holidays begin? Well, that's him. Speeding language through the veins, Johnny takes Metaphorazine.
He's a real dog.

Yes mate! Jeff Noon, I'd forgotten about him, his books are dead good, totally trippy yet believable, highly recommended!

[thegreekdog]

I'm not sure what genre these books fit into, but I would recommend Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun. Essentially, it's told from a first person point of view, is a mixture of fantasy/science fiction, but is more of a character study (or an historical character study). It's hard to explain, you just have to take my word for it. It's probably my favorite "series" of all time.

[neanderpaul14]

Any one here ever read any "alternate history"??

[pimpdave]

Any one here ever read any "alternate history"??

You mean like People's History of the United States?

I've read it. He doesn't cite sources very much, which is disappointing, to say the least.

[thegreekdog]

Any one here ever read any "alternate history"??

Yes, only Harry Turtledove though.

[Woodruff]

This is BS. The library is forever away and a pile of crap. If I want to read any of this I have to buy it online.
Any cheap used bookstores online?????

Absolutely...here is where I go:

http://www.abebooks.com/?cm_ven=ggl&cm_cat=corp-search&cm_pla=abebooks_terms&cm_ite=abebooks&afsrc=1

[neanderpaul14]

Any one here ever read any "alternate history"??

You mean like People's History of the United States?

I've read it. He doesn't cite sources very much, which is disappointing, to say the least.

No actually what I'm referring to is a type of fiction where a certain event from the past is changed and the story continues on from this point with completely different out comes than what actually happened. It's sort of considered a type of sci-fi/fantasy. Some of the more common themes of these books are "If the South won the Civil War", or "If Germany had won World War 2". But you can find, books with many different divergence points.

Yes, only Harry Turtledove though.

Yeah Harry Turtledove is one of the finest authors in this genre, in my opinion. However there are many others out there. Robert Conroy is pretty good, Harry Harrison is another decent one. Also believe it or not Newt Gingrich now writes them as well, although I have yet to read any of them.

If your interested in checking some of them out here is an excellent link: http://www.uchronia.net/

[jonesthecurl]

Juan:

I bought a ton of books on ebay and Amazon for next to nothing, and when I was selling hundreds of books before the big move, lots of them went for one bid or didn't sell at all.
Two secrets to buying: pick obscure authors, and buy job lots - I've seen a lot of ten books go for less than an individual book (which was in one of the lots).
Similarly perhaps my biggest eBay coup was buying a complete set of RoughnecksDVDs in a boxed set (from a French listing, with a Japanese cover), then selling the three DVD's and the one videotape which I owned (about half the series) individually for twice what I'd paid for the set.

[thegreekdog]

I have Newt's book on I believe the battle of Gettysburg. I read the first chapter, but found it dull. And I've read Shelby Foote's Civil War history, so you know it must be dull if I can't read it.

[Genghis Khant]

Any one here ever read any "alternate history"??

You mean like People's History of the United States?

I've read it. He doesn't cite sources very much, which is disappointing, to say the least.

No actually what I'm referring to is a type of fiction where a certain event from the past is changed and the story continues on from this point with completely different out comes than what actually happened.

In that case, yes. I heartily recommend The Man In The High Castle by Philip K. Dick. It follows an American Jew in post-WW2 USA, where the Japanese empire controls the west side and the third Reich controls the east, with a thin band of no man's land down the middle.

[thegreekdog]

Any one here ever read any "alternate history"??

You mean like People's History of the United States?

I've read it. He doesn't cite sources very much, which is disappointing, to say the least.

No actually what I'm referring to is a type of fiction where a certain event from the past is changed and the story continues on from this point with completely different out comes than what actually happened.

In that case, yes. I heartily recommend The Man In The High Castle by Philip K. Dick. It follows an American Jew in post-WW2 USA, where the Japanese empire controls the west side and the third Reich controls the east, with a thin band of no man's land down the middle.

I'll also throw my recommendation in for The Man in the High Castle... great book.

[neanderpaul14]

Any one here ever read any "alternate history"??

You mean like People's History of the United States?

I've read it. He doesn't cite sources very much, which is disappointing, to say the least.

No actually what I'm referring to is a type of fiction where a certain event from the past is changed and the story continues on from this point with completely different out comes than what actually happened.

In that case, yes. I heartily recommend The Man In The High Castle by Philip K. Dick. It follows an American Jew in post-WW2 USA, where the Japanese empire controls the west side and the third Reich controls the east, with a thin band of no man's land down the middle.

Thank You never heard of that one I'll have to check it out. I just started Redcoat's Revenge by David Fitz, where the British win the war of 1812

[JACKAZZTJM]

when it comes to reading a good book one word.......ZOMBIES

[Borderdawg]

Any one here ever read any "alternate history"??

Try David Drakes "Belisarius" series

Also if you like futuristic military fiction, try his "Hammers Slammers" series

David Eddings has two good epic fantasy series, "The Belgariad" and "The Malloreon".