Books Read in 2009

Everything else!

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ydejin
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by ydejin »

Zarathud wrote:Started late (March 23), so this isn't going to be a complete list.

Read:
Honor Harrington Series by David Weber
On Basilisk Station
The Honor of the Queen
The SHort Victorious War
Field of Dishonor
Flag in Exile
Honor Among Enemies
In Enemy Hands
Warhammer Universe
Gotrek & Felix, First Omnibus
Paul of Dune by Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
Winterbirth, by Brian Ruckley
Evil Genius, by Catherine Jinks

In Process:
Warhammer Universe
Gotrex & Felix, Second Omnibus
Hobscotch by Kevin J. Anderson
Fool by Christopher Moore
Wow Zarathud, when you start a series you don't mess around :D

I love the Gotrex & Felix books. I wish they would give the Warhammer license to Relic or some other really good game developer. The Warhammer: Mark of Chaos game is just pretty meh, but reading Gotrex & Felix really makes me want to play Warhammer on my computer.
iloveplywood
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by iloveplywood »

Quaro wrote:
iloveplywood wrote: 2. Wizard's First Rule (The Sword of Truth) by Terry Goodkind

Conversely, a book I would not have purchased if I had bothered to download a sample first, but for some reason I purchased this at 2:30 in the morning while half-asleep. The beginning was simply painful for me, but I have persevered and am 30% finished and am interested enough to get to the end. 800 pages??
It only gets worse -- if you already don't like the book I'd stop right where you are.

Well, I wouldn't say it got worse for me, but not a whole lot better. I wasn't too sad to see that the sequels were not available on the Kindle yet. I think I'll just consider this a one book series. Note to publishers, I probably would have blindly bought the second book if it had been available as an e-book.

I have finished the first two books in the Farseer/assassin trilogy by Robin Hobb and enjoyed them quite a bit after I got used to the naming conventions. The first book was free on the kindle and it hooked me, so their marketing scheme worked.
Quaro
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Quaro »

iloveplywood wrote:
Quaro wrote:
iloveplywood wrote: 2. Wizard's First Rule (The Sword of Truth) by Terry Goodkind

Conversely, a book I would not have purchased if I had bothered to download a sample first, but for some reason I purchased this at 2:30 in the morning while half-asleep. The beginning was simply painful for me, but I have persevered and am 30% finished and am interested enough to get to the end. 800 pages??
It only gets worse -- if you already don't like the book I'd stop right where you are.

Well, I wouldn't say it got worse for me, but not a whole lot better. I wasn't too sad to see that the sequels were not available on the Kindle yet. I think I'll just consider this a one book series. Note to publishers, I probably would have blindly bought the second book if it had been available as an e-book.

I have finished the first two books in the Farseer/assassin trilogy by Robin Hobb and enjoyed them quite a bit after I got used to the naming conventions. The first book was free on the kindle and it hooked me, so their marketing scheme worked.
Yeah, those giveaways work. I read that trilogy after they gave away the first one too. I liked them, they are certainly much more mature and thoughtful than typical genre fantasy and the characters are very human -- but an emotionally exhausting experience.
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Zarathud
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Zarathud »

ydejin wrote:Wow Zarathud, when you start a series you don't mess around :D
Picked up the next 4 Honor Harrington books today. :) They're popcorn reading every week when I need a break from the PC. My wife reads even more voraciously, and finished reading the last Harry Potter book while I watched a movie.
ydejin wrote:I love the Gotrex & Felix books. I wish they would give the Warhammer license to Relic or some other really good game developer. The Warhammer: Mark of Chaos game is just pretty meh, but reading Gotrex & Felix really makes me want to play Warhammer on my computer.
Agreed. I'd like to see a regular non-MMO RPG in the Warhammer universe. Other than Eisenhorn, the Warhammer 40K books I've read so far are just too dark to be enjoyable. So it's play in the 40K world, and read about the fantasy world.
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ydejin
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by ydejin »

Zarathud wrote:I'd like to see a regular non-MMO RPG in the Warhammer universe.
Count me in. That would be sweeeet!
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Bad Demographic »

On our way back from Octocon in Chicago, we listened to Born Standing Up, Steve Martin's memoir of his stand-up career. We thought it was pretty good, probably made better because Steve Martin was also the reader.
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Jeff V
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Jeff V »

The Machine Crusade by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky:

My complaint about the first book in the trilogy was the number of character threads being followed. By the end of this book, no fewer than 10 have ended in main character deaths. That leaves very few moving on to the last book of the series.

The war became more complicated, and in spite of an attempt at a "white peace" that lead to one of the major character blood baths, the almost 40 year old war isn't substantially closer to completion. But I'm sure it will be..."space folding" ships capable of instantaneous travel have just been created by the humans.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Jeff V »

Mysteries of the Middle Ages and the Beginning of the Modern World by Thomas Cahill :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky:

This is probably as odd a history book as I've ever read. My final rating of 5 tentacles was somewhat surprising, giving the effort it was to get to the end of the book (there were more than a few times that I nearly aborted altogether). But I persevered...

First, let's start with the production. Despite being a trade paperback, this book is the perfect example why the Kindle isn't ready for prime-time. Done in the manner of a medieval illuminated manuscript, the book is awash in colorful pictures showing medieval artwork, as well as various decorations in the margins. In places, an ornamental font dating back to the period was used. It is just absolutely beautiful.

Before moving on to the content, I'd like to reference a newly-formed Historiography group on Librarything.com. The founder of the group asked in the first post what "school" everyone identifies with. I've yet to answer because I don't think it's a really simple question. But I have no doubt that my answer would be radically different from Cahill, which would, I think, explain why I had such difficulty getting through the book.

Mysteries of the Middle Ages and the Beginning of the Modern World begins in the late Classical period and ends around the beginning of the Renaissance. That is a huge chunk of time. Rather than an encompassing overview, Cahill picks a trail of great people (one of the schools of Historiography, by the way) as he negotiates this wide swath of history. The book itself is really a long essay (and part two of a series at that, his How The Irish Saved Civilization comprising part 1). Thematic consistency is really only apparent late in the book, and only after reflection. Had I understood where he was going all along, the journey might have been less difficult. I don't often re-read books, but I suspect it would click much better if I read it again.

Cahill admits at the end that the path he chose omits many other important forces during the period -- and some I would argue as more important than the path he chose. Cahill's subjects are, for the most part artists and clerics. The most interesting of his choices I thought was Eleanor of Aquitaine, but only because she, of all the major persons highlighted in the book, was most tied to political and military events that I am most familiar. Thomas Aquinas and Dante Alighieri likewise held my interest. Hildegarde? Bernard of Clairvaux? Francis of Assisi? Not so much.

Cahill's writing style also left me a little disoriented. He has a tendency to use modern colloquialisms that just seems off in the context of the material. It is fine when he is drawing parallels to the modern world (ostensibly the purpose of the book), but frequently it's just a misplaced simile.

Much of the book focused on religious (particularly Catholic) subject matter, and at times I felt conflicting vibes regarding Cahill's bias on the topic. In the end, I decided he was trying to remain aloof, although that meant treating material that seems nonsensical to us today with a manner approaching undue reverence. In connecting the past to the present, though, he writes this in criticism of the modern Catholic church, hammering home an adage raised early in the book, "the more that things change, the more they stay the same." In reference to modern church sex scandals, he writes:
Dante bewailed the selling of church offices, describing this practice as "Christ [being] bought and sold the whole day long" in the Rome of Pope Boniface VIII. That was, however, a far less depraved situation than the current one, where, as Dante would be forced to conclude, the twelve-year-old Christ, who conversed with the doctors of the law in the Temple of Jerusalem (in Luke 2:41-52), is made to give blow jobs and rammed up the ass the whole day long by doctors of the law of the New Jerusalem, while the high priests of the Temple stand guard at the entrances, lest any uninitiated outsiders should discover what is going on.
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iloveplywood
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by iloveplywood »

Yesterday I finished the Fool's Fate by Robin Hobb -- which means I have read four Hobb books in the last two weeks or so. I guess I got into the series. I can see why some people might find the books slow, but I was blown away by them. It's such a nice experience to read a series that is already complete, much more absorbing than having to wait a couple of years to pick up the next installment.

On a different note has anyone read David Coe? I haven't seen his name pop up here at all, but I read the Forewinds series three years ago and it's what got me back into fantasy after a decade long break (my brother got the first book for me as a joke gift because of the ridiculous cover). They might be worth a look for people looking to read a completed series.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Jeff V »

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky:

This one got a lot of attention here a few years ago, and I finally got around to it. It's a book about origins, origins of various sciences and origins of our species. So technically, it does sort of cover the history of everything. Nice flow, and some forgotten pioneers get their kudos.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Bad Demographic »

Finished Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks. Zarathud recommended this highly when we visited him and Mrs. Zarathud a couple of weeks ago. I really enjoyed it. The writing style felt very comfortable to me, the characters were interesting and so was the story, though a little slow at first. Watching how the protagonist tried to deal with his situation(s) was like watching a snowball roll down a mountain. The ensuing avalanche was both funny and exciting.

Thanks for the recommendation, zarathud. Have you read the following book? If so, what did you think?
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Isgrimnur »

Assassin's Apprentice

A much different book than the title suggests. It was free for the Kindle app for my iPhone. It was an excellent read and kept me reading past my bedtime on several nights. It's certainly not as bloodthirsty as the title suggests. It certainly was a good enough read to sell me the second book through the same method for $6.39, 20% off the paperback price.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by silverjon »

Just finished the very chilling Låt den rätte komma in (Let Me In), by John Ajvide Lindqvist, the book on which the movie Let the Right One In is based. Probably the best horror novel I've read in a very long time, comparable to a writer like Ramsey Campbell say... excellent, and not just by the standards of genre fiction.

John Maberry's Patient Zero was I think what you'd call a beach read, even if it wasn't exactly beach season... and at least the guy can write well. If you're interested in fiction about government agents, terrorism, and/or zombies, it's worth checking out.

Amanda Ripley's The Unthinkable : who survives when disaster strikes-- and why caught my attention a lot more than I expected. For a book about the reality of what people do when faced with terrible circumstances, it was ultimately hopeful, as people can be taught what to do to save themselves and others.

Also read 3 books by Don McKay, 4 by Glen Sorestad, and 2 by John Newlove... a trinity of Canada's old man poets, and 3 books by Mary Karr who is none of those things, except for also being a very fine poet.

And other stuff. I will say that Malcolm Gladwell is one of the more recognizable names in popular nonfiction for a reason. Outliers was as readable as any of his other books. Maybe don't read it if you're really invested in the ideal of the American Dream though....
silverjon wrote:Total books read in 2009: 96 (approximate)
Total books read in 2008 (etc.): a lot
wot?

To be fair, adolescent power fantasy tripe is way easier to write than absurd existential horror, and every community has got to start somewhere... right?

Unless one loses a precious thing, he will never know its true value. A little light finally scratches the darkness; it lets the exhausted one face his shattered dream and realize his path cannot be walked. Can man live happily without embracing his wounded heart?
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Scuzz »

The Sun Also Rises by Earnest Hemingway (4 1/2 stars out of 5)


I have now read three Hemingway novels (Farewell to Arms & For Whom the Bell Tolls) and I think this one may be my favorite. It is a very easy read with interesting characters and great flowing narration. It describes a group of friends who go to Pamplona for the running of the bulls, and in doing so deals with the results of WW1 on a generation.

And for your info, nobody can drink like a character in a Hemingway novel.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Jeff V »

Dune - The Battle of Corrin by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky:

The last of the Machine Wars trilogy which sets the foundation myths for Dune. Virtually every institution in place thousands of years later in the time of Dune traces it's roots to the 100 years or so covered by this series. To put things in perspective, that would be akin to us still paying homage to still-ruling Julio-Claudian Caesars, worshipping Greco-Roman gods, and waxing philosophic over the ever-relevant musings of Plato and Aristotle. Dune does give a lot of stories to tell, and I suppose a trilogy is probably the maximum mileage the authors thought they could wring from telling these foundation stories.

What I thought was interesting was the way they turn on it's ear the assumption that Atreides was always the embodiment of good and Harkonnen evil. Vorian Atreides is more of an anti-hero, a figure to be pitied for the decisions history had thrust upon him. In the end, it's his drive to win at all costs that prevents him from having compassion for the ancestral Harkonnen, declaring the family name to be forever a pariah and enemy to his kin. The Harkonnen, meanwhile, was merely trying everything in the power to prevent what he thought to be needless collateral deaths of 2 million people.

The only Dune book I haven't read is the very last one Brian Herbert wrote after his father's death. He is in the midst of a trilogy set between Dune and Dune Messiah, I think I will wait for him to finish this before I re-read the last 5 Frank Herbert books (some which were painful to get through the first time, but may be easier to read now with more "history" behind them).
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Bad Demographic »

Read Fool by Christopher Moore. A retelling of the story of King Lear from the point of view of his fool. I have not read anybody's King Lear and only kinda sorta know the story. I was glad that Moore explains at the end of the book that he incorporated elements from other Shakespearean plays and just plain made some stuff up. I was wondering if Birnham Wood was in both plays or just MacBeth. For that matter, I've never read MacBeth, but I have read "MacBird", so the little I know of the MacBeth story is kind of ... twisted (double double, toil and trouble, burn baby burn, and cauldron bubble).
I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but then, I've really liked nearly everything I've read by him.
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ska5fe
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by ska5fe »

Reading:
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (unabridged version) I started this in January, still working on it, though I should finish it up sometime in May.

Books read in 2008: 22
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Jeff V »

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky:

Levitin is a recording engineer turned scientist. In this book, he takes a comprehensive look at the science of music, from it's component level (pitch, beat, timbre, tone, etc.) to the neuroscience behind what is happening when we listen and play music (and how those with disorders such as Williams Syndrome and Autism show differing results) to the evolutionary benefits leading it's development in the human species.

Of these three major divisions in the book, I enjoyed the first part (musical definition) because of his anecdotal experience as a recording engineer. Levitin brings in samples from all music genres, from classical to the Beatles to the Ramones. The middle if the book discussed which parts of the brain are responsible for various elements of listening to and playing music. While some of this caused my eyes to glaze over, some of the revelations were interesting, particularly his assertion that we all become "expert listeners" to music by age 6, but developing musicianship skills can take a fair bit longer. He also discusses the 10,000-hour theory (that it takes 10,000 hours of doing a thing to become good enough to achieve greatness), suggesting that it more or less follows suit in music as in other artistic forms. Early on, Levitin discusses an episode from a visit to an African tribe, where the idea of passively listening to music was unheard of (everyone sings, everyone dances, everyone at least bangs a drum). Music was completely participatory, and they couldn't fathom it being any other way. At the end of the book, Levitin returns to this theme in postulating a theory on how music has evolutionary importance in the rise of the species, refuting claims by Steven Pinker that music was a useless parasite that developed on the back of language. Levitin trots out archeological evidence suggesting that music actually preceded spoken language by a fair bit, and then returns to the tribal example, claiming that such participatory music would be a display of virility. He then transposes the notion to modern times, where popular [male] musicians attract huge followings of the opposite sex willing to sleep with them...but these same women, by and large, are not interested in musicians for long-term relationships. This suggests that the genetic makeup embodied in a popular musician is a stronger attractant than more pragmatic considerations such as life-long stability. At some point in time, this must have been one and the same...as tribal dances are feats of endurance lasting hours, a primeval musician may have been showing his stamina that translated into prowess at the hunt, when a wounded animal might have been chased for sometime before it expired.

All in all, I think Levitin made a good case for the evolutionary benefits of music. It's been about 20 years since I've read Pinker's The Language Instinct, and I wonder if current evidence would have him reconsider his harsh stance.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Bad Demographic »

Some of you guys amaze me - some of you read so fast, some of you read stuff that impresses me.

I just finished Armor by John Steakley, a book pressed on me by Zarathud. Wow it was good! This was published in 1984. How come I never knew about it before?
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Zarathud »

I saw Armor mentioned in the forums and mentioned it to snow. I found myself in his role when we were talking....

Steakley seems to have had one great story. After I picked up his book Vampire$, my wife read it first (she'll read almost anything in the vampire genre) and told me it was pretty similar but not as good.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Jeff V »

Bad Demographic wrote:Some of you guys amaze me - some of you read so fast, some of you read stuff that impresses me.
Some of us have nothing better to do at the moment.... :?
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Zarathud »

Jeff V wrote:Some of us have nothing better to do at the moment....
Then it's time to figure out a board game night, I think.
"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." - Albert Einstein
"I don't stand by anything." - Trump
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/1867
“It is the impractical things in this tumultuous hell-scape of a world that matter most. A book, a name, chicken soup. They help us remember that, even in our darkest hour, life is still to be savored.” - Poe, Altered Carbon
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Jeff V »

Zarathud wrote:
Jeff V wrote:Some of us have nothing better to do at the moment....
Then it's time to figure out a board game night, I think.
Archinerd and I have been talking about playing Friedrich, but we optimally need two more players. I still have this new, unpunched railroad game begging to be played as well. So I'd be up for something.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by apatdapat »

I enjoy reading through this thread since it gives me a good idea on what to pick up when I go to the bookstore. If I could only remember what I meant to buy when I enter the store though. 90% of the time I forget what I mean to buy and end up making impulse purchases and then remember what I wanted to buy after leaving the bookstore!

Here's my list thus far for 2009:

Read

The White Tiger: A Novel (Man Booker Prize) - A good read for me, pretty funny at times.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao - I read this back to back with Tiger. Both were great books.
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex - An impulse buy on a subject i know nothing about. Very light popular history book that I thoroughly enjoyed.
I Am Legend - Read this after getting the OO effect
A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide (P.S.) - Very interesting read.
The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukuyama - had this in my back log forever. Finally after the long wait I wish I had read this sooner.

Currently Reading:

Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center by Daniel Okrent - For some reason I am struggling with this book. I'll end up finishing it but the constant transition between the multiple individuals responsible for the project makes the book a bit laborious for me to read.

On Deck

THE HISTORIAN A Novel by Elizabeth Kostova - An impulse buy. I'm hoping it is not total poop.


Aborted:
James Joyce's Ulysses - Tried my best to read this but ended up ultimately giving up.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by JonathanStrange »

So CSL's AWOL?
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Books Read 2013
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My Books Read in 2009

Post by jztemple2 »

I made an entry in the 2007 or 2008 thread, but never kept it up. I'm going to do better this year. Actually I have a head start since I've been keeping a "books read" list on my PDA. Here it is... dates are when I completed reading the book (sometimes I read two or more at once). I won't bother putting in Amazon links, if you need info just highlight, right click and search in Amazon. You do have Amazon as your default search engine, right? :wink:. If there is a link it's because it doesn't show up in Amazon for some reason. If you can't find the book via Amazon, it should be listed in LibraryThing.com.

BIHotVC is Ballantine's Illustrated History of the Violent Century
BIHotC is Ballantine's Illustrated History of the Car

Last Updated 12/31/09; total for 2009, 120 books read

2009 Read Book List Newest added at top:
"Tommy Gun: How General Thompson's Submachinegun Wrote History" by Bill Yenne 12/25/09
"Nerve Center: Inside the White House Situation Room" by Michael K. Bohn 12/22/09
"Faster Than Sound: The Story of Supersonic Flight" by Bill Gunston 12/18/09
"Military Money: Fiscal History of the U.S. Army Overseas in World War II" by Walter Rundell Jr. 12/17/09
"Down Range: Navy SEALs in the War on Terrorism" by Dick Couch 12/14/09
"Iraq 1941" (Osprey Campaign 165) by Robert Lyman 12/10/09
"Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" by Jeremy Scahill 12/9/09
"Asteroids: A History" by Curtis Peebles 12/9/09
"Night Action" by Captain Peter Dickens 12/5/09
"Modern Warship Design and Developement" by Norman Friedman PDF 12/4/09
"Arming The Fleet: U.S. Navy Ordnance in the Muzzle-Loading Era" by Spencer Tucker 12/1/09
"The Boxer Rebellion: The Dramatic Story of China's War on Foreigners That Shook the World in the Summer of 1900" by Diana Preston 11/24/09
"Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938" by R. A. Scotti 11/18/09
"Don't Bunch Up: One Marine's Story" by William Van Zanten 11/16/09
"Mosby's Rangers: The True Adventures of the Most Famous Command of the Civil War" by Jeffery D. West 11/13/09
"Rocketman: My Rocket-Propelled Life and High-Octane Creations" by Ky Michaelson 11/13/09
"The March Up: Taking Bagdad with the 1st Marine Division" by Ray L. Smith and Bing West PDF 11/11/09
"We Were Soldiers Once... And Young" by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway 11/11/09
"Ferrari" by Leonard Setright (BIHotC) 11/6/09
"Measuring America: How the United States was Shaped by the Greatest Land Sale in History" by Andro Linklater 11/3/09
"Tanganyikan Guerrilla: East African Campaign 1914-18" (BIHotVC) by Major J R Sibley 10/26/09 (100th book of 2009!)
"Wall Street: A History From It's Beginnings To The Fall of Enron" by Charles R. Geisst 10/26/09
"The Samson Option" by Seymour M. Hersh 10/20/09
"Setting The Stage (The Vietnam Experience)" by Edward Dolye and Samuel Lipsman 10/19/09
"The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher" by Debby Applegate 10/15/09
"Soviet Helicopters: Design, Developments and Tactics" by John Everett-Heath 10/9/09
"Steel Victory: The Heroic Story of America's Independent Tank Battalions at War in Europe" 10/9/09
"Twilight of the Hapsburgs: The Life and Times of Emperor Francis Joseph" by Alan Palmer 10/6/09
"Snake Driver!" by Bob Rosenburgh 10/5/09
"Ghost Force: The Secret History of the SAS" by Ken Connor 9/30/09
“Ground War Vietnam, Vol. 1 1945-1965 - Vietnam Studies Group” by Jim Mesko 9/28/09
"Fire on the Mountain" by John N. MacLean 9/28/09
"England in Transition" by Dorothy George 9/23/09
"Triangle: The Fire That Changed America" by David Von Drehle 9/22/09
"Tan Phu: Special Forces Team A-23 in Combat" by Leigh Wade 9/20/09
"Rum: A Social and Sociable History of the Real Spirit of 1776" by Ian Williams 9/16/09
"The Battle For Saigon: Tet 1968" by Keith William Nolan 9/15/09
"Out in the Midday Sun" by Kate Caffrey 9/14/09
"Cutthroats: The Adventures of a Sherman Tank Driver In The Pacific" by Robert C. Dick 9/10/09
"Delta: The History of an Airline" by W. David Lewis and Wesley Phillips Newton (GU) 9/10/09
"Dusty Warriors" by Richard Holmes 9/8/09
"Other Powers: The Age of Suffrage, Spiritualism, and the Scandalous Victoria Woodhull" by Barbara Goldsmith 9/4/09
"War In The Streets: The Story of Urban Combat from Calais to Khafji" by Colonel Michael Dewar 9/3/09
"Seize The Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time" by David Prerau 9/1/09
"Combat Swimmer: Memoirs of a Navy SEAL" by Robert A. Gormley 8/31/09
"How Steam Locomotives Really Work'' by P. W. B. Semmens and A. J. Goldfinch 8/28/09
"Submarine Design and Development" by Norman Friedman 8/27/09
"The Gold Ring" by Kennth D. Ackerman 8/23/09
"Israeli Special Forces" (The Power Series) by Samuel M. Katz 8/18/09
"Benetton - Formula 1 Racing Team" - Alan Henry 8/18/09
"What If? Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been" edited by Robert Cowley 8/14/09
"The Fields of Bamboo" by SLA Marshall 8/13/09
“Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America” by Eric Jay Dolin 8/11/09
"Terry Jones' Medieval Lives" by Terry Jones & Alan Ereira 8/8/09
"The Making of an African Legend: The Biafra Story" by Frederick Forsyth 8/6/09
"San Francisco's Cable Cars" by Joyce Jansen 8/5/09
"The Last Valley" by Martin Windrow 8/5/09
"Building The Suez Canal" by S. C. Burchell 7/29/09
"Roberts Ridge" by Malcolm MacPherson 7/28/09
“ENIAC” by Scott McCartney 7/26/09
"Dustoff: The Memoir of an Army Aviator" by Michael J. Novosel 7/24/09
"What Hath God Wrought" by Daniel Walker Howe 7/23/09
"Death Ground" by Daniel P. Bolger 7/20/09
"The Bullet-Catchers" by Tony Geraghty 7/10/09
"Dr. Johnson's London" by Liza Picard 7/6/09
"Umbrella Mike" by Brock Yates 6/30/09
"U.S. Army Special Forces" (Power Series) by Fred J. Pushies 6/29/09
“Fire on the Rim” by Stephen J. Pyne 6/28/09
''Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation'' by Lynne Truss 6/28/09
“Summer of '49'' by David Halberstam 6/25/09
“Six Silent Men: Book 1” by Reynel Martinez 6/22/09
“Small Wonder: The Amazing Story of the Volkswagen” by Walter Henry Nelson 6/16/09
"Empires of the Word" by Nicholas Ostler 6/15/09
''A Closer Shave: Man's Daily Search for Perfection'' by Wallace Pinfold 6/14/09
“Railways of Australia” by Singleton and Burke 6/14/09
"Brown Water, Black Beret" by Thomas J. Cutler 6/11/09
"Jackboot" by John Laffin 6/4/09
"Jaguar: Britain's Fastest Export" by Lord Montagu of Bealieu (BIHotC) 6/1/09
"Battle For Hue: Tet 1968" by Keith William Nolan 5/30/09
"Washington's Spies" by Alexander Rose 5/27/09
"The Victorian Internet" by Tom Standage 5/24/09
"Porsche 356" by Dennis Jenkinson 5/23/09
"Mexico: Biography of Power" by Enrique Krauze 5/23/09
''15 Months in SOG: A Warrior's Tour'' by Thom Nicholson 5/17/09
"The River Congo" by Peter Forbath 5/16/09
"The Army of Flanders and the Spanish Road 1567-1659" by Geoffrey Parker 5/10/09
''19th Century Torpedoes and Their Inventors'' by Edwin Gray 5/4/09
''The Command of the Ocean'' by N.A.M. Rodger 5/1/09
"Washington at War'' by David Brinkley 4/28/09
“Rotterdamn invasion of Holland” (BIHotVC) by Wilhelmina Steenbeek 4/24/09
"Elizabeth's London" by Liza Picard 4/23/09
"Secret Underground Cities" by N.J. McCamley 4/21/09
"Weapons of Desperation" by Lawrence Paterson 4/17/09
"Vimy Ridge 1914-1918" (BIHotVC) by Kenneth Macksey 4/17/09
"South African War Machine" by Helmoed-Romer Heitman 4/15/09
''The Race'' by Tim Zimmermann 4/13/09
'"Operation Buffalo" by Keith William Nolan 4/7/09
''The Campaign of the Century" by Greg Mitchell 3/30/09
"Future Weapons" by Kevin Dockery 3/21/09
"The Box" by Kisseloff 3/19/09
The Fire of His Genius - Sale 3/14/09
Retreat from Gettybury - Brown 3/12/09
Brooklands (BIHotC) 3/8/09
The Perils of Peace (Flemming) 3/6/09
The New Mercenaries (Mockler) 3/1/09
The Hot Zone (Preston) 2/22/09
The Bloody Crucible of Courage (Nosworthy) 2/20/09
Condor Legion (BIHotVC) 2/16/09
Operation Barras - Fowler 2/13/09
Military Helicopters (Brassey’s) 2/9/09
American Silent Films 2/9/09
Sabre Squadron (Spence) 2/5/09
Guns of the Elite Forces (Walter) 2/1/09
Infantry Weapons (John Weeks BIHotVC) 1/23/09
The Soviet-Afghan War (ed Grau & Gress) 1/19/09
After the Ice: A Global Human History 20,000-5000 BC (Steven Mithen) 1/15/09
Weapons of Delta Force (Battle Gear) 1/15/09
Zeebrugge (Barrie Pitt) 1/12/09
Battle Rattle: The Stuff a Soldier Carries (Battle Gear) by Hans Halberstadt 1/12/09
Thunderstruck (Erik Larson) 1/2/09
Last edited by jztemple2 on Wed Jan 13, 2010 11:36 pm, edited 12 times in total.
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Jeff V
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Jeff V »

JonathanStrange wrote:So CSL's AWOL?
I think he accepted a career position at Walmart, which contractually requires that he devolve into illiteracy so he can fit in with the corporate culture.
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Kraegor
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Kraegor »

iloveplywood wrote:
On a different note has anyone read David Coe? I haven't seen his name pop up here at all, but I read the Forewinds series three years ago and it's what got me back into fantasy after a decade long break (my brother got the first book for me as a joke gift because of the ridiculous cover). They might be worth a look for people looking to read a completed series.
Forewinds... the characters were a little more difficult to like.... so I'm kinda mixed on it...

otoh... the Lon Tobyn Chronicles was his first series and it's an enjoyable, easy read. First book was standard fantasy with a couple custom conventions.... I liked the conceptual shift in the 2nd book and the 3rd book wrapped the trilogy pretty well.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by noxiousdog »

Edited my first page entry. Short version Hobb's Assassin series is as good as advertised and Feinstein doesn't disappoint.

In the future, I'll put the review here in the back.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by noxiousdog »

Finished Dracula. I enjoyed the first 280 some odd pages a great deal. However, right about then it lost me. The characters went from being intelligent and interesting to really, really dumb in a blink of an eye.

Still, it was a good read and it finished well enough. 3/5. I enjoyed it but there's very little chance of reading it again.
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"To wield Grond, the mighty hammer of the Federal Government, is to be intoxicated with power beyond what you and I can reckon (though I figure we can ball park it pretty good with computers and maths). Need to tunnel through a mountain? Grond. Kill a mighty ogre? Grond. Hangnail? Grond. Spider? Grond (actually, that's a legit use, moreso than the rest)." - Peacedog
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by JonathanStrange »

Jeff V wrote:Mysteries of the Middle Ages and the Beginning of the Modern World by Thomas Cahill :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky:

This is probably as odd a history book as I've ever read. My final rating of 5 tentacles was somewhat surprising, giving the effort it was to get to the end of the book (there were more than a few times that I nearly aborted altogether). But I persevered...
Thanks for the review. I'm moving this up my "Must Read" list -- it's been there awhile but as I am mostly a library user I tend to read first what I have to return first, it was languishing in 30th place. I've moved it into my top 10 - those usually get read.
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Jeff V
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Jeff V »

JonathanStrange wrote:
Jeff V wrote:Mysteries of the Middle Ages and the Beginning of the Modern World by Thomas Cahill :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky:

This is probably as odd a history book as I've ever read. My final rating of 5 tentacles was somewhat surprising, giving the effort it was to get to the end of the book (there were more than a few times that I nearly aborted altogether). But I persevered...
Thanks for the review. I'm moving this up my "Must Read" list -- it's been there awhile but as I am mostly a library user I tend to read first what I have to return first, it was languishing in 30th place. I've moved it into my top 10 - those usually get read.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on it. :)
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Zarathud »

Bad Demographic wrote:Finished Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks.
<snip>
Thanks for the recommendation, zarathud. Have you read the following book? If so, what did you think?
I didn't know there was a sequel to Evil Genius. I'll have to look into it.

I have 1 more Honor Harrington book to read before Origins at the end of June, where I'll be playing a space miniatures game based on the genre. After slogging through the weak books in the middle, it's discoverd some of the old magic. If I wasn't so familiar with the characters, I would have given up a few books ago due to the lack of editing.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by Canuck »

Jeff V wrote:
JonathanStrange wrote:So CSL's AWOL?
I think he accepted a career position at Walmart, which contractually requires that he devolve into illiteracy so he can fit in with the corporate culture.
LOL! Yeah where is he? A "Books Read" thread just isn't the same without him pumping out 5 or 6 books a month.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by CSL »

I don't visit this forum much anymore and I haven't been reading much this year. I've only read about four books in the last two months - the LOTR trilogy and a book on the political history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

I'm reading Diarmaid MacCulloch's book on the Reformation right now though and it is quite fascinating.

Also, Jeff maybe that is the case down south in your illiterate country.
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by jztemple2 »

Don't know the proper OO netiquette for posting updates here, so I will post as a reply here, but you can always click my sig link to get to my main post.

I've recently completed:
"Washington's Spies" by Alexander Rose
"The Victorian Internet" by Tom Standage
"Porsche 356" by Dennis Jenkinson
"Mexico: Biography of Power" by Enrique Krauze

And now I'm reading:
"Jaguar: Britain's Fastest Export" by Lord Montagu of Bealieu (BIHotC)
"Battle For Hue: Tet 1968" by Keith William Nolan
My father said that anything is interesting if you bother to read about it - Michael C. Harrold
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by theohall »

jztemple2 wrote:Don't know the proper OO netiquette for posting updates here, so I will post as a reply here, but you can always click my sig link to get to my main post.

I've recently completed:
"Washington's Spies" by Alexander Rose
"The Victorian Internet" by Tom Standage
"Porsche 356" by Dennis Jenkinson
"Mexico: Biography of Power" by Enrique Krauze

And now I'm reading:
"Jaguar: Britain's Fastest Export" by Lord Montagu of Bealieu (BIHotC)
"Battle For Hue: Tet 1968" by Keith William Nolan
There is no proper ettiquette. Some of us update one post repeatedly. Some of us post as we finish books with new posts. Welcome to the Thread!
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theohall
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Re: Books Read in 2009

Post by theohall »

CSL wrote:I don't visit this forum much anymore and I haven't been reading much this year. I've only read about four books in the last two months - the LOTR trilogy and a book on the political history of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

I'm reading Diarmaid MacCulloch's book on the Reformation right now though and it is quite fascinating.

Also, Jeff maybe that is the case down south in your illiterate country.
Something that makes me laugh - CSL started the thread, then basically gets accused of going AWOL on the thread :)

Anyway, good to hear from you CSL. Are the college days over? I'm guessing they are, because the prior heavy readling load was reminiscent of my college days.
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