drneutron's (Jim's) Reading to Avoid Work - Part 10

For my next thread, here's 1400 lbs of spacecraft held up by six bolts. Six really strong bolts...

First Set:
The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Committed by Dinah Miller and Annette Hanson
The Inkblots by Damion Searls
Monstress, Vol 1 by Marjorie Liu
The Seventh Plague by James Rollins
You Disappear by Christian Jungersen
The Unwinding by George Packer
The Ferryman Institute by Colin Gigl
The One-Cent Magenta by James Barron
Three Gothic Novels by E. F. Bleiler
In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Invincible, Vol 1 by Robert Kirkman
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
Lola by Melissa Scrivener Love
Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King
Armada by Ernest Cline
Powers of Darkness by Bram Stoker
Coolidge by Amity Shlaes
Magic in Islam by Michael Muhammad Knight
Watchmen by Alan Moore
I Am Providence by Nick Mamatas
Orphan X by Greg Hurwitz
The Nowhere Man by Greg Hurwitz
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton
The Secret State by John Hughes-Wilson
Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan
The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
Rutland Place by Anne Perry
Brimstone by Cherie Priest

The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence by Bill James
Invincible, Vol 2 by Robert Kirkman
Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Scars of Independence by Holger Hoock
Strangers in their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild
The Dreamquest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson
The Presidents Book of Secrets by David Priess
Cold Earth by Ann Cleeves
The Horse, the Wheel, and Language by David W. Anthony
City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett
Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris
Wolf on a String by Benjamin Black
Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance
Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild
Autumn Princess, Dragon Child by Lian Hearn
The Lord of the Darkwood by Lian Hearn
The Tengu's Game of Go by Lian Hearn
The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn
Everything we Lost by Valerie Geary
Ararat by Christopher Golden
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Third Set

The Queen of Swords by R. S. Belcher
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
The Radium Girls by Kate Moore
The Girls by Emma Cline
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
World Gone By by Dennis Lehane
Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler
Seven Million by Gary Craig
American Eclipse by David Baron
The Caped Crusade by Glen Weldon
In the Woods by Tana French
Through a Glass, Darkly by Stefan Bechtel
Marvel Year by Year by Peter Sanderson
The Sixth Victim by Tessa Harris
Spy Schools by Daniel Golden
Burntown by Jennifer McMahon
The Likeness by Tana French
Cop Town by Karin Slaughter
Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw
On Monsters by Stephen T. Asma
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
The Exorcist by Willian Peter Blatty
Unnatural Creatures by Neil Gaiman
John Dies at the End by David Wong
Help for the Haunted by John Searles
Still Life With Crows by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Shark Drunk by Morten Stroksnes
We are Legion (We are Bob) by Dennis Taylor
The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone
Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan
Brimstone by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi
The White Road by Sarah Lotz
Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
What Angels Fear by C. S. Harris
Skitter by Ezekiel Boone
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
The Tiger's Daughter by K. Arsenault Rivera

And the stats:

Total Books: 100

Author Gender
Male: 68 (65%)
Female: 36 (35%)

Author Status
Living: 102 (99%)
Dead: 1 (1%)

Publication Medium
Hardback: 22 (22%)
Trade: 32 (32%)
Mass Market: 1 (1%)
eBook: 44 (44%)

Category
Fiction: 65 (65%)
Nonfiction: 35 (35%)

Source
Library: 79 (79%)
Mine: 21 (21%)

ARC: 10
Re-Read: 2
Series: 34
Group Read: 5

Door's open, come on in!

Happy New Thread, Jim, and thanks for getting that wiki in order so quickly once the LT gods gave the go-ahead!

Happy new one, Jim!

>6 drneutron: Thanks! And I'm just glad they got it sorted out...

>7 ronincats: Thanks!

Happy new thread, Jim! 6 bolts you say?! Holy Moly they must be huge!

99. The Devil's Knot by Mara Leveritt

Back in the 90s, in the heart of the satanism scare that swept the American South, three young boys were brutally killed in West Memphis, Missouri, a low income suburb of the city of Memphis. The police almost immediately decided at a couple of local weirdos - older teenagers into Metallica and tattoos - had to be responsible, because, well, everyone knew they were into Wicca and Wiccans are satanists, right? And satanists celebrate by killing babies and drinking their blood, right?

Leveritt tells the story of the crime, investigation and conviction on non-existent evidence, and resulting media/community circus, mostly concentrating on the three teenagers who were convicted. It's a compelling story of how the criminal justice system can go so badly wrong when the people involved pre-decide the issues and collude to get their way. Unfortunately, Leveritt is a pretty dry writer - I wonder what Millard or Krakauer would have done with the story - so it's tough for me to recommend it.

100. They Know Not What They Do by Jussi Valtonen

Joe Chayefski is a top neuroscientist with a beautiful wife and two daughters. When he comes to the attention of animal rights activists, bad things start happening to him, his lab, his family. But the son he abandoned 20 years ago may be the worst thing he has to deal with.

Valtonen's "ambitious" and "contemporary" novel won Finland's highest literary honor, and rightly so. It's a well thought out story that mostly deals with the uncontrollability of life and how choices we make ripple into our futures in ways we don't intend. The back cover blurbs compare him to Franzen and Eggers - the former I don't get, the later, oh yeah. There's commentary on our screen-obsessed culture, people caught up in oddness not of their own making, all the right elements. Well worth the read!

>10 Carmenere: Believe it or not, just 5/16" bolts - just high strength steel ones!

Happy New Thread, Jim. Good reviews. They Know Not sounds especially good. Thumb!

>1 drneutron:, >10 Carmenere:, >12 drneutron: My thoughts exactly...steel?! I was bettin' on titanium.

Good reads for #s 99 and 100!

I went looking for a "100"-shaped cake but this combo of coffee and Cthulhu made me snicker.

Hurrah for hitting the 100 book mark, Jim!

Congrats on a new thread and hitting

Happy new thread, Jim!

Charlie, looking over my shoulder: Why does that say "100"?
Me: Because Science Jim has read 100 books this year.
Charlie: Wow! Tell him I say, "Congratulations!"

Consider yourself told.

Congratulations on a new thread, And on reaching the 100 books read. And with all your other activities, like updating the wiki...

Six strong bolts is impressive, Jim.

Happy new thread dear chap for this your most successful year in threads and posting terms.

Well done on 100 books. buddy.

And >18 scaifea: Charlie is so cute.

I really like your topper, Jim, and my Dad would have loved it.

Interesting stat - only 1% dead authors. Is this your normal preference or is this year unusual?

Happy New Thread, Jim!

And congrats on the 100! Those last two both sound good. You've had a great reading year.

Don't forget to add this thread to the Threadbook. :-)

Congratulations on the year new thread, Jim!

And thanks for the Thread Book update - it's so nice to have the wikis working again!

Triple digits! Apparently reading IS rocket science! ;-)

Happy new one, Jim! Love the topper photo, and what impressive bolts. Heh. Congrats on reaching 100!!

>13 msf59: I'll let you know when it's on the way!

>14 richardderus: I. Want. That. Cake. Seriously, that's freakin'awesome!

>15 ronincats:, >16 Berly: Thanks!

>17 scaifea:, >18 scaifea: Thanks! Science Jim! I like it!

>19 EllaTim: Thanks! I'm hoping for 110 by the end of the year, but it ain't happening unless I play the graphic novel card. ;)

>20 PaulCranswick:, >21 PaulCranswick: Thanks! And yep, Charlie's quite a guy!

>22 karenmarie: Thanks! My Alive/Dead stat is skewed by the way I pick books. I mostly look at new books acquired by my library and by a couple of local book shops, and that's what goes on my wishlist. I have a list of rereads I want to do, but there are just so many shiny new ones that catch my eye! One of my projects for the next couple of years is to join in the author challenges to get me away from shiny and new. :)

>23 jnwelch: Thanks! Surprisingly, about half the time I do forget to add my new threads to the Threadbook and have to come back later to do it... :)

>24 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks! All in all, I was pretty happy with how the LT folks handled the situation, but I'd love to have that spammer's location so I can express my appreciation of his efforts with a lead pipe I have... ;)

>25 rosalita: Well, on this thread, rocket science keeps me from reading... Except for those glorious days when I have to travel, so have some time on a plane away from my emails. :)

>26 Crazymamie: Thanks, and thanks! That was a bit of a white-knuckle day. You do the math and you're sure it'll hold. Until they start tipping it over... :)

Congrats on the new thread! And Hi!

Thanks! And hi back!

Happy new thread, Jim, I am glad the wiki is back :-)

Thanks! I am too...

Happy new thread Jim mate.

Thanks, John!

>1 drneutron: I always knew that bolts were important.

Happy new thread, Jim. Congrats on reading 100 and good luck reaching 110 - there are some very good GNs out these days, just saying.

>35 Familyhistorian: Thanks! I've used the GN card before, but was hoping it wouldn't be needed this year. Oh well, as you say, some really good ones out there!

Jim, congratulations on 100!

Thanks!

Congratulations on hitting 100!

Woo-hoo 100! Congratulations!

Congrats on hitting 100! I was hoping to make that this year but it doesn't look like I'm going to :(

>39 rosylibrarian:, >40 mstrust:, >41 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks!

Congrats on 100! I would have to read pretty quickly to reach it although there are a few children and young adult books that might get me there.

Meanwhile, I think I mentioned that I have a friend who works at Udvar Hazy...she is now the school programs and partnerships coordinator at the Air and Space museum. She came to our tech conference in early December and built a geodesic dome with our attendees. She also brought her telescope so we could see the super moon. So fun!

Just wondering if you know if we'll be seeing the 2018 75ers anytime soon?

>43 witchyrichy: Thanks!

Cool dome! We’re planning to do some things with the Air & Space folks when we get closer to launch, I think. Maybe your friend and I will meet!

>44 mstrust: Yep, planning to get to it this week, though I’m not committing to a specific day yet. 😀

Here's a vote for not rushing into 2018, Jim! Maybe the only one, I don't know. :-)

I’ve made the group mid-December and we get a looong period of having to keep up with two chatty groups. Plus, 2017 will get neglected if I start 2028 too early. So yeah. I’ll try to strike a balance. 😀

Chilly night in mid-Maryland calls for chicken and sausage gumbo. Just about to make the roux!

2028? Are we skipping a decade then? Time travel, and I have lived to experience it!!

🤣 Might be a saner President by then...

Good thinking, Jim!

>50 drneutron: Might not *be* a president by then, I fear. Twitler could still be with us. *shudder*

I myownself cast a vote for 26 December start date on the new group. What better Boxing Day gift could there be?

Unfortunately, I may be ripping apart a spacecraft on the 26th - we’ve got to pull the flight computer off the spacecraft for repair. So I’m thinking the 23rd or 24th.

I second Richard's Boxing Day idea. : )

>52 richardderus: Yup great idea.

Have a wonderful weekend, Jim.

>47 drneutron: Those are all the reasons I had for wanting it to be later, so I guess I'm not the only one! Thanks, Jim.

>53 drneutron: Yikes! I hope ripping apart a spacecraft to fix the flight computer isn't a serious or unexpected setback. It sounds gnarly.

>54 Berly: Noted! 😁

>55 PaulCranswick: Thanks!

>56 rosalita: Gnarly, but we have a recovery plan. It's a schedule hit, but not too bad - we have some margin built in.

Hi, Jim! Just stopping by to say hi and see congratulations are in order. So, congrats on your nice new thread and big congrats on hitting 100 books (so far).

I for one cannot wait for 2017 to be over and for the new year to begin, though, like Richard (>52 richardderus:), I'm feeling more pessimistic about it than probably is emotionally healthy.

Thanks! I hope we can make 2018 a little better for you - good books, good company go a long way! 😀

>59 drneutron: Agreed! I spend too much time annoyed on Facebook and not enough time sharing the love of books and life with folks here on Library Thing!

Hi Jim, hope you had a good weekend mate and wishing you a good week ahead.

Thanks! We did our Christmas program at church - mostly choral with some narration. I sang tenor for the first time in a while. Fortunately it wasn’t a high tenor part. 😀

The book arrived. Thank you, Jim. They Know Not What They do sounds like a companion piece to my current story collection, The Things We Don't Do. Grins...

Congrats on singing tenor!

Great! I hope you like it!

So I'm 200 pages into the 700 page Wind-up Bird Chronicle from Overdrive. I also had Killers of the Flower Moon and Artemis on reserve. They were nicely spaced out, everything should have been fine. But suddenly both appeared - I've now got all three on the iPad, all three have a 21-day window with no possibility for renewal. *Sigh* I think the library folks planned this... 😁

>65 drneutron: Word of advice...let Artemis be the last of the three to take your time. I myownself won't ever read another Murakami but chacun à son goût.

I snuck in a couple of chapters of Killers of the Flower Moon at lunch today... I needed a Murakami cleansing. 😁

How is Killers of the Flower Moon? It looks pretty good.

First two chapters are a great hook to get you into the story. Grann's a good writer, so I have no doubt I'll like it.

>65 drneutron: You've put your finger on it, Jim. Those library folks sit in the backroom and figure out how many holds they can give a patron at once. I bet they are back there snickering now.

So I’m wondering if I slip ‘em a little “Christmas cheer” they’ll give me an under-the-table renewal or two...

>69 drneutron: Great book and I am cautiously optimistic that Scorsese will do a great job with this one: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5537002/?ref_=nv_sr_1

All I could think during that book was how much violence and greed there is in pulling oil out of the ground and sadly how little things have changed. Regardless, driving across the Oklahoma prairie and stumbling across the wealth of the Osage Nation must have been quite the sight!

I feel like this book and The Woman Who Smashed Codes really makes me want to dig into a good J. Edgar Hoover bio

>72 pbirch01: The Woman Who Smashed Codes, is a BB just on the title alone. Looks interesting.

Just called into your last thread to read your comments on The Tiger's Daughter which I just picked up from the library. You've given me lots of good reasons not to read it, so is there another Asian epic fantasy type read that is better? I think I requested this one because the setting sounded so interesting.

I failed at The Wind-up bird chronicle this year, I never got to pick the book up even though it was on my 2017 tbr list. I'm trying very hard to get into Bacigalupi's The wind-up girl right now, another on my 2017 must read list.

>73 mahsdad: I really enjoyed it, hopefully you will too. I really like Fagone, for something totally different by him check out Ingenious: A True Story of Invention, Automotive Daring, and the Race to Revive America

>73 mahsdad: Yup, it definitely is!

>74 avatiakh: Take a look at Lian Hearn’s Tales of the Otari. It’s more Japanese than Chinese, but still very different from your usual epic fantasy.

>75 pbirch01: Gotta look for that one too!

Dang those librarians! The nerve...sending all those books at once. What are you doing here? Go read them! : )

>76 drneutron: Thanks, I've read most of those. I'm currently reading her debut novel, Space Demons, a 1985 YA about some kids who get sucked into a computer video game. Very early version of Ready Player One perhaps.

Adding my congratulations to you for your 2017 Century accomplishment!
And I cracked up ~~ of course the library folks planned that! :-D
How is The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle landing on you?

I bought The Women Who Smashed Codes recently but you've made me move it to the top of Mt. TBR. I'm really looking forward to reading it -- probably right after the first of the year.

>78 avatiakh: 😁 Sounds good! I'll look for your comments on it.

>79 EBT1002: Thanks! I'm about 1/3 of the way through - I'm getting a sense of a birth/rebirth theme from the scenes with the wells. Waiting to see how that develops.

>80 RebaRelishesReading: Cool! I'll look for your thoughts.

Happy Yule Book Flood!

😁 Nice!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas, Doc!

😂 Love that! I hope yours is merry too!

>74 avatiakh: Have you read Liz Williams' Inspector Chen fantasies? Set in a future Singapore. Also, THE classic is Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart for Asian Fantasy. Finally, Grace Lin has some wonderful fantasies based on Chinese mythology, starting with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

>53 drneutron: I hope that if you have to be ripping apart a spacecraft, it goes back together smoothly, Jim! Not stress you need at this time of year.

Happy Saturday, Jim. And hooray for The Killers of the Flower Moon. It is an excellent book and it keeps getting better and more horrifying, as it goes along. How did we never hear about this?

>86 ronincats: I haven’t read the Inspector Chen books, mainly because my library doesn’t have them. But Bridge of Birds and sequels are some of my faves. I forgot about those when responding!

>87 msf59: Yup, I had no idea about even the basic facts of the story, or even the situation with the Osage during this time. I just finished Part 1 last night, and am interested in seeing how the Bureau gets involved.

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones.

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas, Jim.

>86 ronincats: >84 mstrust: Thanks for the Bridge of Birds recommendation. I'll look that one up. My library does have the Inspector Chen series.
I've read all the Grace Lin books, they are really good. There's also the Moribito books by Nahoko Uehashi and Carole Wilkinson's Dragonkeeper series for the younger readers.

>89 Ameise1: Thanks! I hope your holiday is a good one too!

>90 cameling: Thanks! Merry Christmas to you and Edd!

>91 avatiakh: Sounds like I need to look into the Grace Lin books!

Make sure you get a look at the original hardcover editions, Lin does her own illustrations and the first book especially is every inch, an object of beauty.

Merry Christmas, Jim! Thanks once again for all you do to keep the 75ers group skiing downhill!

Hi Jim, stopping by to wish you and your loved ones peace, joy and happiness this holiday season and for 2018!

Have a good Holiday Jim and thanks for watching over the 75ers. Great topper photo and congrats on getting to 100.

>94 EBT1002: Merry Christmas to you too!

>95 lkernagh: Thanks! And I hope you have a great 2018 too!

>96 RBeffa: Thanks! I hope you have a great holiday too!

It is that time of year again, between Solstice and Christmas, just after Hanukkah, when our thoughts turn to wishing each other well in whatever language or image is meaningful to the recipient. So, whether I wish you Happy Solstice or Merry Christmas, know that what I really wish you, and for you, is this:

Wishing you and Mrs Kinnison a very Merry Christmas and sending love and hugs to you from both of us.

Merry Christmas! Peace, Light, and Joy!

>99 johnsimpson: Thanks! Danita and I hope you and Karen have a wonderful Christmas.

>100 nittnut: Thanks! Merry Christmas to you!

Happy Christmas, Science Jim!

Happy Christmas to you and your family!

^Have a great holiday with the family, Jim. Hope you get some bookish gifts.

Happy holidays, Jim, and best wishes for 2018.

Hi Jim!



Stopping by to wish you and yours all good things this holiday season.

Happy Christmas Jim, and thank you for keeping us all in such good order throughout the year :-)

Wishing you a very merry christmas Jim!

Happy holidays! I am thankful this holiday season for all the good friends I have made in this group. You are all so supportive. I don't know what I'd do without you!

Merry Christmas, Jim, and a sincere thanks for being such a good group "dad". You keep a very complicated enterprise humming along with lots of work no one ever sees and I hope you know how appreciated it is. Thank you, and I hope 2018 brings you everything you're hoping for.

(Or in other words, Happy Christmas, to you and yours!)

-Tom Gauld

Wishing you all good things this holiday season and beyond.

Dear Jim, best wishes to you and yours at Christmas!

Merry Christmas Jim, hope you are having a great day.

Hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season, Jim.

Merry Christmas to you and your family, Jim! Thanks again for leading this merry and raucous group, and I hope to finally meet you in person in 2018.

Happy Christmas, Jim. Where would we be without you? May all good things come to you in 2018.

Happy Holidays to you and yours! Its such a joy to be a part of this group, and I’m glad to call you friend.

>104 msf59: Happy holidays to you! I’ll tally up the bookishness later, but yep, got a few, expecting a few more!

>105 RebaRelishesReading: I hope you have a great 2018 too!

>106 karenmarie: Thanks! Good wishes and happy holidays to you!

>107 susanj67: The irony is that Mrsdrneutron is the orderly one in our family - I just fake it really well with the group! 😀

>108 EllaTim: Thanks! Merry Christmas!

>109 The_Hibernator: Yup, it always surprises me when I stop to think about it how important this place and you people have become to me! 😀

>110 rosalita: One of the things that make the group great are all the folks like you who join in. Thanks!

>111 SandDune: Thanks! Merry Christmas!

>112 msf59: 😂🤣 I’m saving that one!

>113 rretzler: Happy Holidays!

>114 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! I hope your 2018 is a great one!

>115 AMQS: Thanks! Merry Christmas!

>116 avatiakh: Merry Christmas to you!

>117 Familyhistorian: It’s been busy, but good. We’ve got lots of family with us this year, so having fun!

>118 kidzdoc: Looking forward to it! I hope your 2018 is a good one, even if you’ve got worries over family and things.

>119 laytonwoman3rd: Merry Christmas! I hope your 2018 is great!

>120 mahsdad: Thanks! I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you too. I hope we get a chance to actually get together someday!

Happy Christmas, Jim, and I am sorry! I wanted to post this image, but when I tried to size it down, I couldn't. And then I accidentally posted it twice.

Peace and joy to you and yours, Jim!

Wishing you a wondeful new year.

>124 banjo123:, >125 banjo123: No worries, it's a beautiful image! 😁 Merry Christmas!

>126 Dejah_Thoris: Thanks! And you you and yours, as well!

>127 BBGirl55: ThanksI I hope yours is great - and we should be able to get a little jump on it as I'm getting the 2018 group going this morning...

Still a bit under construction, but here's the new group: https://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin2018

Happing Boxing Day!

>129 drneutron: Woo!

😁

103. Darktown by Thomas Mullen

Mark, our favorite postman, sent me his copy of Darktown and the sequel, Lightning Men, because he knew I'd like it. Yup. Except "like it" hardly covers it. I loved it. It's a hard story about a hard time, but is so well written, it's hard to put down. So very much like Dennis Lehane!

In 1948, eight African-American men were chosen to form a patrol squad as an attempt to integrate the Atlanta Police Department. The new policemen were hated by the white cops, disrespected by whites they encountered, and viewed with adoration and suspicion by the African-American community they patrolled. But when a young black woman is found dead in a trash dump, they refuse to let the usual scapegoats take the blame and begin to investigate without any authority. In the meantime, a new white officer is beginning to suspect that his old-timer partner is buried up to his eyeballs in crooked doings and decides to find out just what's going on.

Highly, highly recommended!

Happy Boxing Day!!

>132 drneutron: I have a copy of Darktown and will have to bump it up. I've been enjoying some crime reads of late.

>133 Berly: Thanks!

>134 avatiakh: Yup, you need to get to it soon. I'd love to hear what you think of it.

>132 drneutron: I had forgotten that I purchased the Kindle version of Darktown for $2.99 when it was on sale earlier this month. I'll try to get to it sometime next year.

Great! I’d like to hear your thoughts on it.

And Kriti’s Secret Santa selections for me were perfect!



The Thief
The Bear and the Nightingale
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
The Traitor Baru Cormorant
The Way of Kings

>132 drneutron: Hooray for Darktown, Jim. I am so glad you loved it. Keep on spreading the word.

Nice Swap haul! I have been meaning to read The Bear and the Nightingale, for most of the year.

Great swap, I finally read The Thief a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. I loved The Bear and the Nightingale and have the sequel home from the library. And I liked The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August.

>139 msf59: Planning to keep spreading the word! I’m hoping Darryl will be next up with it.

>140 avatiakh: cool! I think it was a fantastic set of choices and can’t wait to get going with them. Except now I have about 30 unread books in my stack by my chair...

Hi Jim, happy holidays to you and yours. I haven't checked if the 2018 group is up yet, as it will severely slow me down....all in good time....
I hope you got a stack of books for Christmas! (I got one, Anarchy by Noam Chomsky).

>138 drneutron: Glad you liked them, I had fun picking them out! I'm looking forward to seeing what you think when you're able to get to them.

>142 LovingLit: Yep, made the new group yesterday. When you’re ready, there’s a link in >129 drneutron:.

>143 kgodey: I’ll let you know!

A belated wish for a happy holiday and all the wonders of the new year



And thanks for setting up the new group. Now I know what I am going to do today.

😁 Glad I could get it done!

104. Kingsman: The Secret Service by Mark Millar

The son was watching the other night and I just had to look for it on hoopla. Of course they had it. And of course I checked it out. And of course I loved it! Great artwork, fun Bond-esque story, great characters. Everything needed in a graphic novel!

105. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Grann got me years ago with The Lost City of Z - and his retelling of an incredible, horrific history of the Osage at the hands of whites easily beats that one. As with many Native Americans, the Osage were forcibly moved from their homes to a barren area of Oklahoma nobody else wanted. Until oil was discovered on this land, and the Osage became the richest per capita group in the US. But these folks weren't white, so the wisdom of the day insisted that they couldn't handle the money and the government appointed white "guardians" for each Osage that was eligible to get money for oil leases. Then Osage started dying - some were shot, some were poisoned, some had money, some had information about other killings.

Back before the FBI was the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it was the little-known Bureau of Investigation, with no real authority or mission. Led by a very young J. Edgar Hoover, the agents were mostly cowboys and Lone Rangers. But they were also responsible for investigating murders on Federally managed land - like reservations. So Tom White, a leading Bureau investigator, was sent to find the culprits. And bring the Bureau into public light - and funding.

The scariest thing about the whole story is that it's almost completely forgotten. This was not the work of a single person, rather an extended conspiracy nearly wiped these people out, and almost no one knows about it. I'm glad that Grann brought back out in the light again.

Hope you had a great holiday!

Yep, thanks!

>147 drneutron: Good review of Killers of the Flower Moon! Warble loud and clear on that one. It deserves to be read. I think it will make my best NF list of the year.

Thanks! I've definitely been warbling about it.

>138 drneutron: Nice SantaThing haul! I can warble happily about The Bear and the Nightingale. I've read it three times this year. I also just read the second book in the trilogy and it held up very well.

Belated Christmas greetings, Jim and wishing you and yours a wonderful new year!
Thanks for all you do in setting up the 75ers year after year!

>152 nittnut: I’ve been wanting to read it for a while - was really glad to see it in the box Kriti sent!

>153 Carmenere: It’s been my pleasure to do it over the years!

Happy Holidays, Jim!

I'm a ways into Artemis and enjoying it.

Gonna start it today!

106. The Windup Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Last one of the year! I can’t decide whether Murakami is a genius or just pulling one over on the rest of us. As is usual, the story is surreal, using and abusing literary tropes to make us think. Or he’s figured out how to put stuff together to make us think he’s trying to make us think.

See, this is what a Murakami does to you mind. 😀 Guess I’ll have to read more to figure it out...

>147 drneutron: Nice review of Killers of the Flower Moon. That one is moving up my watch list based upon on all the buzz on LT.

Genius = Murakami, from my fanboy POV, Jim.

>157 drneutron: I think you've nailed Murakami, Jim. He's a genius, and he's pulling one over on us and he's put stuff together to make us think he’s trying to make us think. *smile*

>147 drneutron: My RL book group read Grann's book about the Osage Indians and we found we were angry about the way the people were treated in such a systemically racist way. It illustrates racism in a startlingly authentic way and it is sad that the story has been mostly forgotten. Just another time when white people took advantage of nonwhites and got away with it.

>159 jnwelch:, >160 karenmarie: I guess it doesn’t have to be either/or... 😀 I suppose I’ll keep reading to see if I can understand better.

>161 witchyrichy: Yup, there’s a lot to be angry about in the story and how history has forgotten it. I’m glad that Grann’s book has been so successful so that the story finally gets told.

>138 drneutron: Oh, The Thief!! YES!!

Yeah, that one caught my eye - may be the first from the batch I read.

Hi Jim, wishing you a happy new year, and a very good 2018.

Thanks!

I'll also warble about The Bear and the Nightingale, and for The Traitor Baru Cormorant too -- though with a grumble that the sequel is overdue. The Thief has been in the Swamp for a while now, so I look forward to your comments.

I just haven't gotten around as often as I would have liked this year. But it's drawing to a close. And not a moment too soon. Buh-bye 2017...



Happy New Year, Jim.

I'll be trying this reading business anew in 2018, hoping to do better both in numbers (just...just...well, uh....a half-dozen more would be satisfying) and in being more social (getting around the threads, tipping the hat, sharing a smile). See you on the other side, my friend.

Good work on hitting 100! I like the idea of figuring out stats, I'll try to do that. One book that you've inspired me to read in 2018 is The Silk Roads: A New History of the World by Peter Frankopan.

PS - I'll end the year at 98 or possibly 99 if I finish Artemis by Andy Weir.

>168 weird_O: See ya there, my friend! Closing the door on 2017 and starting fresh sounds great to me!

>169 brewbooks: oh, I’m reading Artemis too! It’s been really good, but I haven’t had time to finish it this year. It’ll be number one on the 2018 list.

Hi Jim!

Thank you, as always, for being such a good Group Dad.



Peace, Health, and Happiness in 2018

On this, the last day of a tumultuous and anxiety-ridden (for me) year, I wanted to stop by to say thank you for all you do for the group!

Wishing you a fantastic 2018 filled with health, joy, peace, and prosperity. Oh, and lots of great reading pleasure.

>172 Storeetllr: Thanks! I hope your 2018 is a great one!

>173 rretzler: Thanks! Happy new year!