What’s everybody reading?

[Cal Nevari]

I finished all the Discworld books, went on to all of Fleming's James Bond books, and now am reading the Rizzoli & Isles books by Tess Gerritsen, after watching the tv series. Trash, but easy.

I did start Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian, but sort of dropped off it about 2/3 through. Must finish that one.

Someone gave me the Kon-Tiki Expedition by Thor Heyerdahl, but I rarely read autobiographical stuff.
Must try harder!

Not familiar with the Rizzoli & Isles books other than the name. Will have to check it out. You might to give O’Brian another try. There’s 20 books in the series and they get better as you go along. Kon-Tiki is interesting but a bit dull, as are many of these so called adventure stories.

 

[JPummil]

Any Sci-Fi lovers here?

In 1988, Asimov published his suggestions on how to read his favorite fifteen books starting with "I, Robot" and ending with "Foundation and Earth". Here is his tweaked list

1) I, Robot (1950).
2) Caves of Steel (1954)
3) The Naked Sun (1957)
4) The Robots of Dawn (1983)
5) Robots and Empire (1985).
6) The Currents of Space (1952).
7) The Stars, Like Dust (1951)
8) Pebble in the Sky (1950).
9) Prelude to Foundation (1988)
10) Forward the Foundation (1993)
11) Foundation (1951)
12) Foundation and Empire (1952)
13) Second Foundation (1953)
14) Foundation's Edge (1982)
15) Foundation and Earth (1986)

Just starting book #10 now...

Some of these are pricey if you want first edition hard covers, but they're widely available and cheap on eBay for paperbacks!

And...reading them in the suggested order has worked brilliantly thus far...

 

[Cal Nevari]

Any Sci-Fi lovers here?

In 1988, Asimov published his suggestions on how to read his favorite fifteen books starting with "I, Robot" and ending with "Foundation and Earth". Here is his tweaked list

1) I, Robot (1950).
2) Caves of Steel (1954)
3) The Naked Sun (1957)
4) The Robots of Dawn (1983)
5) Robots and Empire (1985).
6) The Currents of Space (1952).
7) The Stars, Like Dust (1951)
8) Pebble in the Sky (1950).
9) Prelude to Foundation (1988)
10) Forward the Foundation (1993)
11) Foundation (1951)
12) Foundation and Empire (1952)
13) Second Foundation (1953)
14) Foundation's Edge (1982)
15) Foundation and Earth (1986)

Just starting book #10 now...

Some of these are pricey if you want first edition hard covers, but they're widely available and cheap on eBay for paperbacks!

And...reading them in the suggested order has worked brilliantly thus far...

By happy coincidence, I just finished reading the books in this sequence a few months ago! Incredible ideas in there. He was a true genius. Enjoy!

 

[SkyMonkey]

Kon-Tiki is interesting but a bit dull, as are many of these so called adventure stories.

Yup. The backstory part was interesting, but I'm not sure the monotony of 3 months at sea will keep the interest up.
Also, I saw the film.

 

[SkyMonkey]

Any Sci-Fi lovers here?

In 1988, Asimov published his suggestions on how to read his favorite fifteen books starting with "I, Robot" and ending with "Foundation and Earth". Here is his tweaked list

1) I, Robot (1950).
2) Caves of Steel (1954)
3) The Naked Sun (1957)
4) The Robots of Dawn (1983)
5) Robots and Empire (1985).
6) The Currents of Space (1952).
7) The Stars, Like Dust (1951)
8) Pebble in the Sky (1950).
9) Prelude to Foundation (1988)
10) Forward the Foundation (1993)
11) Foundation (1951)
12) Foundation and Empire (1952)
13) Second Foundation (1953)
14) Foundation's Edge (1982)
15) Foundation and Earth (1986)

Just starting book #10 now...

Some of these are pricey if you want first edition hard covers, but they're widely available and cheap on eBay for paperbacks!

And...reading them in the suggested order has worked brilliantly thus far...

I did read all the 'Empire', 'Robot' and 'Foundation' books in my late teens/early twenties.
But my favourite was a book that separates itself out from the Asimov 'Galactic history', by it's own narrative.
When you have read the '15', try 'The End of Eternity' (1955) and you will see what I mean.
It's the only Asimov I've ever re-read.

 

[10kDA]

We live near his Taliesin West in Scottsdale, AZ. What an incredible mind. Such creativity.

I've been there a few times, and to Taliesin East a few times, Price Tower for about 6 years straight when I went to Bartlesville OK for an annual fly-in, SC Johnson HQ a few times, Wingspread a bunch of times and to some private residences once or twice. None of them ever get old, which is the mark of a true genius.

 

[Lo-Tek]

I'm still struggling to make reading part of my daily routine. Started "An Immense World" but moved to this Spanish fiction. Good book.

Gotta get back to Immense World now.
My wife is insisting I read Pam Anderson's bio; back in the day we were kinda fond of her so my wife bought it.
Wife said the book is pretty good but sad.

 

[10kDA]

Yup. The backstory part was interesting, but I'm not sure the monotony of 3 months at sea will keep the interest up.
Also, I saw the film.

I almost blew a bunch of money on a good-size sailboat, but then I spent some time on one. The view was always the same, except for the sky. I gave up on boats and stuck with airplanes for that very reason. I read the book and saw the movie and sure, Kon-Tiki is a great and true adventure story, but the 2 hour version of 3 months at sea covers all the important points.

 

[FutureProf88]

I did read all the 'Empire', 'Robot' and 'Foundation' books in my late teens/early twenties.
But my favourite was a book that separates itself out from the Asimov 'Galactic history', by it's own narrative.
When you have read the '15', try 'The End of Eternity' (1955) and you will see what I mean.
It's the only Asimov I've ever re-read.

Some years back I read one of the Isaac Asimov books - I think it was The Caves of Steel.

 

[Cal Nevari]

I've been there a few times, and to Taliesin East a few times, Price Tower for about 6 years straight when I went to Bartlesville OK for an annual fly-in, SC Johnson HQ a few times, Wingspread a bunch of times and to some private residences once or twice. None of them ever get old, which is the mark of a true genius.

Wow! You’ve been to a lot of his creations. Absolutely. Have you seen the Guggenheim in NYC?

 

[10kDA]

Wow! You’ve been to a lot of his creations. Absolutely. Have you seen the Guggenheim in NYC?

From a bus when I was 11 years old LOL but never inside.

 

[Cal Nevari]

From a bus when I was 11 years old LOL but never inside.

That’s wonderful!

 

[tubes]

Kon-Tiki is interesting but a bit dull, as are many of these so called adventure stories.

My parents had the Kon Tiki book on their shelf for as long as I can recall.
I dipped into it now and then.

In the 70s, in Tahiti, I met Bengt Danielsen (pardon spelling) - Thor Heyerdahl's accomplice.

I knew he was a very interesting person. Alas, I was a scarce-bearded youth: I did not know how to chat with him about interesting matters.

To find the Kon Tiki story engaging a person might need to be interested in those same anthropological questions that Heyerdhal was concerned with. Like, who sailed from where to where else, when and how.
I'm interested in that, being a South Pacific resident.

Sometimes I think that DNA analysis will answer these questions, Then there will be no need for sea-going adventures by anthropologists.

 

[Cal Nevari]

Some years back I read one of the Isaac Asimov books - I think it was The Caves of Steel.

The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun were the original robot mysteries. Very well written and very interesting. Will have to try The End of Eternity. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[ITburst]

This thread?

But seriously…..
Killing Commendatore, Haruki Murakami
Snow Country, Yasunari Kawabata
Don Quixote, Miguel De Cervantes

 

[Cal Nevari]

This thread?

But seriously…..
Killing Commendatore, Haruki Murakami
Snow Country, Yasunari Kawabata
Don Quixote, Miguel De Cervantes

Some wonderful authors there! Have always found Murakami brilliant but frustrating as his novels don’t seem to have any plot. Have had a couple of goes at Don Quixote but, like War and Peace, have never been able to finish it.

 

[DreamerDeceiver]

It never gets old , even after 20+ yrs.

 

[ITburst]

Some wonderful authors there! Have always found Murakami brilliant but frustrating as his novels don’t seem to have any plot. Have had a couple of goes at Don Quixote but, like War and Peace, have never been able to finish it.

I know, some of the chapters in Quixote can seem a bit repetitive at times and makes for a difficult read. I'm still struggling to finish it.

 

[Cal Nevari]

I know, some of the chapters in Quixote can seem a bit repetitive at times and makes for a difficult read. I'm still struggling to finish it.

Godspeed, John Glenn…

 

[circles]

How To Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy

also

Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy. Again.

I tend to have more than one book cooking at any one time.