Good Reads for the Season

[PedalUma]

Here is one for you, Lost in Time by AG Riddle

Amazon.com

Just read a review. It has been awhile since I have read SiFi. I like how it can explore ideas by contrasting our world with a slightly alternate universe.

 

[PatriciaK]

I just read a book that is half wonder of creation and half science about animal perception. Fascinating. A bug that can detect a forest fire 80 miles away? Yes. An animal that can tell apart two similar pieces of sand paper from 50 yards at night? Yes. An animal who can tell if a human is newly pregnant at 90 feet? Yes. We see color as a one dimensional triangle with the points representing three colors and the middle area the blends. But some animals can see colors in four dimensions, like a pyramid and all the space within that pyramid. And some humans can too. There is a guy who is blind and can ride a mountain bike on a trail he has never ridden by using echolocation.

The book I am reading now is what I will call Mythological Fan Fiction. It is telling the back story of Achilles. It is very good. The only problem I had was at about 1/4 of the way through I realized that it is homo-erotic. But that is part of ancient Grease. And I overcame that because it is so well written and compelling.

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Madeline Miller fan here - "Circe" and "Galatea" were also excellent!

 

[PedalUma]

"Galatea"

She is brilliant. I liked 'Circe' but have not heard of 'Galatea,' "A fresh, feminist take on Pygmalion." Besides being a genius she is also super beautiful. The new Miss America is too. She is an Air Force Officer, Fighter Pilot - think Top Gun, and Harvard Medical Researcher, plus she is a super successful Fundraiser for a non-profit she started. She will be a rising star to watch in coming decades. If there were a novel sold a Target check-outs about a character like her, no on would think that it is credible.

 

[Mulezen]

The Third Policeman…If there are any bicycle riders reading…the great Flann O’Brien, a contemporary of Joyce, wrote a great novel with the bicycle as a central character. The book, now an acknowledged masterpiece, was unpublished in the author’s lifetime finally seeing print in the late 1960s. The action is in the rural Irish countryside of the early 1900s. The rural constabulary seems more at home arguing about cycle components than investigating a murder. Hilarious, even just to open casually with the footnotes equally funny. It is, however, one of the earliest examples of modernist fiction so don’t expect easy navigation.
I recently enjoyed Charles Mann’s 1493 which takes a dive into how the world was changed by Columbus and friends. Most are aware of the devastating effect on the Americas via disease and conquest…yet the exchange (called Colombian Exchange) influenced the whole world in ways we see everyday. Europeans brought measles…And the Andes (Bolivia) sent back a mountain of silver (Potosi) which killed its own share in Europe and China. Extremely engaging writing style with things you never knew on each page.

 

[PedalUma]

I really enjoyed the laugh a page high-tech dystopian novel by Dave Eggers, called 'The Every'. It is very scary. It is set in a San Francisco that begins one minute from right now. There is a field trip scene that is hilarious that takes place in my town and a nearby beach. It is thick and a super smart page turner. It also has a bike ridding female lead that shares elements of Winston in '1984' but has so much more depth to her character.

Dave Eggers’ Dystopian Novel ‘The Every’ In The Works At HBO From ‘Veep’s Rachel Axler

Dave Eggers’ book The Every – a dystopian story about an Amazon-esque company – is set for a TV adaptation with HBO.

deadline.com

 

[kevinmccune]

The UV spectrum of color blends may have the most shades. Most birds can see it and probably dinosaurs did. Many birds and butterflies are colored in ways that we cannot see. Males and females can look the same to us but are distinct to them. Some flowers have big glowing targets that we can't see. This is all in 'An Immense World'. I wish that religious fundamentalists world wide would read it to gain a deeper appreciation of the wonders of all creation and how very narrow our own perceptions are.

some flowers seem to glow in the evening,a strange thing IR radiation seems to penetrate most solids

 

[PedalUma]

some flowers seem to glow in the evening,a strange thing IR radiation seems to penetrate most solids

Yes, exactly. The longer wavelengths have lower attenuation and penetrate further. In that animal perception book, I learned that sperm whales can make tones that are louder by far than any other animal and far lower, or with longer wavelengths. These songs can carry from one pole to the other, and can be focused in a 4M wide beam. IR can pernitrate skin generating deep new cell growth, removing wrinkles. UV is damaging but only at the surface level. One wavelength of a sperm whale's song can be 75 yards long. Imagine if a ukulele were the size and density of a sperm whale's head.

 

[kevinmccune]

go get em" "mocha"! (mocha dick" the real moby dick)

 

[PedalUma]

Madeline Miller fan here - "Circe" and "Galatea" were also excellent!

I found it odd and disconcerting that the narrator of 'Song of Achilles' continues to narrate post mortem. Wait, this guy is dead and still talking? But that is me getting in the way with my own cultural assumptions and world views on how things work. The ancient Greeks are not playing by my rules, the are playing by theirs. To them a person in an unmarked grave will remain there and haunt. That is part of the value in reading such books, when we gain perspectives on our own views and assumptions, allowing then for our own expansion.

 

[PedalUma]

I spotted a used book and am giving it a try. It is the type of book that @Catalyzt would like. Instead of Jurassic Park with Cats, it is Jurassic Park with AI Self-regenerative Killer Nano-bots that can quickly evolve and have escaped into the wild. All the AI stuff is very topical these days. AI's ethics, philosophy, and parameters are delved into. It is called 'Prey,' by Michael Crichton. One thing that I like is that the SiFi is not just hidden in black box with a shrug. The tech is laid out in the open. It is a thriller. Another thing that I like is that the main character's flaws, relationships, domestic problems, and motivations are also out in the open, which is so much more compelling than with a one dimensional super hero. So on this rainy day I am back to the page turner. I just thought of this: Wouldn't Paige Turner be a great name for an author?

 

[scrambler]

There was a TV series made on that subject, I can't remember its name, but wonder if it came from the book...

 

[PedalUma]

There was a TV series made on that subject, I can't remember its name, but wonder if it came from the book...

I just read about Michael Crichton. Wow! Here are a few of his quotes. I think the first one applies to the NH primary Tuesday.

• Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled.
• They are focused on whether they can do something. They never think whether they should do something.
• Human beings never think for themselves; they find it too uncomfortable. For the most part, members of our species simply repeat what they are told - and become upset if they are exposed to any different view.
• The characteristic human trait is not awareness but conformity, and the characteristic result is religious warfare. Other animals fight for territory or food; but, uniquely in the animal kingdom, human beings fight for their 'beliefs.'
• We are stubborn, self-destructive conformists. Any other view of our species is just a self-congratulatory delusion.

 

[kevinmccune]

I just read about Michael Crichton. Wow! Here are a few of his quotes. I think the first one applies to the NH primary Tuesday.

• Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled.
• They are focused on whether they can do something. They never think whether they should do something.
• Human beings never think for themselves; they find it too uncomfortable. For the most part, members of our species simply repeat what they are told - and become upset if they are exposed to any different view.
• The characteristic human trait is not awareness but conformity, and the characteristic result is religious warfare. Other animals fight for territory or food; but, uniquely in the animal kingdom, human beings fight for their 'beliefs.'
• We are stubborn, self-destructive conformists. Any other view of our species is just a self-congratulatory delusion.

My two favorites by Crichton were "Jurrasic park"( much better than the movie-what did goldbloom add?) and" Andromeda strain" like Poe and others he left us too quickly, these pulp mill ghost writers authors like king kontz , and patterson have very few storys that hold my attention,oth "odd thomas and "the taking" were pretty good ones by koontz imo,Stephan Kings insane characters hold little appeal for me these days.In my formative years cutting my teeth on defoe.stoker.shelley,heinlein,clarke sort of set my meter for the prose i liked( wish FG Hamilton would bring "Repairman Jack" back) the alternate universe stories by"spider robinson"? were pretty good, boring after awhile and colored by his prejudice liked Ken follets "hammer of eden and flightof the gypsey moth( or was it tiger moth?) good reads imo.

 

[PedalUma]

I just stumbled on Crichton's 'Prey'. And am glad I did. It is very scary and has elements from Joseph Campbell's 'Hero's Journey'. The biggest hero is a petite and quiet Asian America woman named Mae. She is so courageous and innovative. The action where I am now is taking place in a underground cave. I classic literature and myths such a Beowulf, the subterranean stands for subconscious. A Campbell thing is to fight your monsters there and then to return with knowledge to the surface, like Luke's battle in the cave in Star Wars.

 

[PedalUma]

In that book 'Prey' Mae makes an assent on the final page. We don't know what her smile holds. Knowledge of victory or of her conversion to the now inevitable winning side. I just started 'Killers of the Flower Moon'. It is historical fact yet reads like crime fiction with compelling characters in a unique setting and is about how the FBI began. The (wild) flower moon is April. May kills them. The first murder is May 21st. I know, it is too many Mae's and Mays for one paragraph!

 

[kevinmccune]

In that book 'Prey' Mae makes an assent on the final page. We don't know what her smile holds. Knowledge of victory or of her conversion to the now inevitable winning side. I just started 'Killers of the Flower Moon'. It is historical fact yet reads like crime fiction with compelling characters in a unique setting and is about how the FBI began. The (wild) flower moon is April. May kills them. The first murder is May 21st. I know, it is too many Mae's and Mays for one paragraph!

as a group mankind has been his own worst enemy

 

[PatriciaK]

In that book 'Prey' Mae makes an assent on the final page. We don't know what her smile holds. Knowledge of victory or of her conversion to the now inevitable winning side. I just started 'Killers of the Flower Moon'. It is historical fact yet reads like crime fiction with compelling characters in a unique setting and is about how the FBI began. The (wild) flower moon is April. May kills them. The first murder is May 21st. I know, it is too many Mae's and Mays for one paragraph!

"Killers of the Flower Moon" was excellent!

 

[Rome]

I read national geographic I like reading about bears and gorillas stuff like that now days and it comes with very nice pictures of places.
When I was working for the State waiting in the cab of my State issue Freightliner truck to be loaded i read James Michener's Hawaii, Alaska, Texas, Chesapeake Bay.. I liked reading Larry McMurthy for funny kind things. I forgotten what title it was but there was a part when they were shooting frogs at a pond with high powered rifles but not directly at the frogs they were shooting into the mud under the frogs. I even read Shogun.
New National Geographic I received a week ago.

 

[RandallS]

I stopped reading for a while because of eyesight problems (since rectified) and got into audiobooks, which is now my preferred method of enjoying books.
For quite a while, when detailing my rides here, I would mention the book I was listening to.
I haven't been riding much, as I'm waiting on some orthopedic intervention on a knee that's finally given up - but I still enjoy a good read or listen..

Here's just a few of my favorites - and note that I am referring to the audiobook version as the narrator is a big part of the experience.
But a bad narrator also can't fix bad writing so the novels themselves are a worthwhile read:

• Definitely a must - Philip Kerr's "Bernie Gunther: historical novels. The main character is a Berlin detective and follows him from the 30's through the war and beyond.
• Robert Galbraith's (JK Rowling) "Cormoran Strike" books are a fun listen with excellent narration by Robert Glenister.
  The TV series was good - but the audiobooks are better.
  The latest is my next in the queue
• Richard Osmon's "Thursday Murder Club" series is fun and fluffy. (Just finished his latest)
• Some gritty, hard boiled stuff from Richard Stark - particularly his "Parker" novels. Yeah - very, very misogynistic and often cruel, but a good look in the mirror historically.
  Not for everyone - but there's many books and they are quick reads/listens. I listened to them all in sequence, mostly while riding or driving.
• Someone else mentioned Mick Herron's "Slough House" series - just magic! Also Adrian McKinty and his "Sean Duffy" books - also a really good look set during the "Troubles".
• "Dep't Q" novels from Jussi Adler-Olsen - some interesting Scandi Police Procedural.
• Peter May's "Lewis Trilogy" - great books.
• and finally - good luck finding copies of this series and definitely not for everyone.
  Paul Johnston wrote a dystopian series set in the near future (when they were written anyways) in Scotland.
  His main character is an anti-hero named Quintillian Dalrympole - an ex policeman turned PI.
  I have all but the last books and go back them from time to time.

As you can see - I favour mystery and police procedurals.
Not everyone's cup of tea of course.

Hope some of the above piques someone's interest and provides some enjoyment.

 

[Bubba zanetti]

A 10 day sojourn across America in the 1950’s on mere dreams, hopes and prayers with a great cast of interesting characters and places. Great read.