Jim's (drneutron's) Pile o' Books, Stack 2

I'm Jim, 63, husband of 40 (yes, 40!) years, father of a son gainfully employed creating our robot overlords, who reads pretty much anything. We're in central Maryland with roots in Louisiana. I like to read (obviously), cook, trail bike ride/kayak with mrsdrneutron, and want to learn to fly fish and sail. There's probably bourbon somewhere in there too. Of course, LT is a big time sink, but mrsdrneutron seems to have come to terms with my LT addiction...

1. The Albino's Secret by Michael Moorcock and Mark Hodder
2. Gun Girl and the Tall Guy by Maryka Biaggio
3. Absolutely on Music by Haruki Murakami
4. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
5. This Way Up: When Maps Go Wrong (And Why It Matters) by Map Men
6. The Society of Unknowable Objects: A Fantastical Novel about Secret Societies and Magical Objects by Gareth Brown
7. The Keep by F. Paul Wilson

Total Books: 7

Author Gender
Male: 7 (78%)
Female: 2 (22%)
Nonbinary: 0 (0%)

Author Status
Living: 9 (100%)
Dead: 0 (0%)

Publication Medium
Hardback: 1 (14%)
Trade: 1 (14%)
Mass Market: 1 (14%)
eBook: 4 (57%)

Category
Fiction: 5 (71%)
Nonfiction: 2 (29%)

Source
Library: 5 (71%)
Mine: 2 (29%)

ARC: 1
Re-Read: 1
Series: 3
Group Read: 1

Update Time!



5. This Way Up: When Maps Go Wrong (And Why It Matters) by Map Men

Interesting writing based on the Map Men podcast. It's what it says on the cover - stories of maps, mostly wrong ones. I'm fascinated by maps, and these guys write well, so yeah, this one's up my alley.



6. The Society of Unknowable Objects: A Fantastical Novel about Secret Societies and Magical Objects by Gareth Brown

Nice urban/contemporary fantasy with some good twists along the way. Brown's got a way with prose that made me fly through this one. It connects with his previous book, so now have to go read that!



7. The Keep by F. Paul Wilson

Reread for the Secret History of the World group read that's going on. If you've ever read a Repairman Jack book, this one's a precursor in the same universe setting the stage for later books. And also a great horror story in it's own right!

Welcome in!

Happy new thread, Jim!

>5 drneutron: Thanks, Susan!

Happy new one, Jim!

This Way Up sounds like it would be my jam. I assume you've read Maphead by Ken Jennings? That was a fun one.

>8 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie! Yeah, I think you'd like it. I've not read Maphead, though it's been on my list forever. Just haven't gotten to it, but need to.

>4 drneutron: I read Brown's previous book, The Book of Doors and enjoyed it quite a bit. I'll have to check the next one out!

>10 ChrisG1: This one's stand-alone, but there's a definite link to The Book of Doors. I'm the opposite, gotta check the previous one out. 😀

Happy new thread, Jim.

Happy new thread, Jim. I also love maps and enjoyed Maphead some years ago. I would rather read a physical map than rely on gps though I hear it's better now than in earlier days. I remember when it was *new*, some friends and I were going for dinner to some obscure little place. Good ole gps led us to a dead end street with no restaurant in sight. Call me a luddite but I bet a real map would have got us there before our stomachs started growling!

Adding This Way Up to the list!

Happy New Thread! 🧵

Happy new one, Jim. This Way Up: When Maps Go Wrong (And Why It Matters) sounds most interesting. I think I'll keep an eye out for it.

Happy new one!

Happy new thread, Jim.

Happy new thread, Jim.

Happy new thread, Jim.

Sweet Thursday, Jim. Happy New Thread. It looks like the books are treating you fine.

>12 BLBera: Thanks, Beth!

>13 jessibud2: Well, This Way Up may convince you that physical maps can lead you astray too! 😀

I've not been misdirected by Apple Maps in some time now, so the technology seems mature. Back in the day, when my family was taking long car trips, I used to follow along in the Ran McNally road atlas and wonder about all the little towns and byways we were passing. Harder to do that with electronic maps.

>14 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

>15 RebaRelishesReading: Great! I hope you enjoy it.

>16 figsfromthistle:, >17 PaulCranswick:, >18 Kristelh:, >29 SilverWolf28: Thanks, figs, Paul, Kristel, and Thomas!

>20 msf59: Thanks, Mark! I'm a little down in numbers, but have tackled some big ones that I've been enjoying. Anathem is 950 pages in my paperback, and America, América is about the same electronically - still working on those...

>21 drneutron: Stephenson never writes a short book.

>22 blackdogbooks: That's for sure! Anathem is an interesting one - the premise of a society where mathematicians and scientists are segregated into monastery-like organizations leads to a pretty deep world-building. And he's really good at it. But so many words...

Happy new thread Jim!

I thought about joining the Secret History group read, but I don't think it'll work for me this year. Sounds like a good time, though!

>24 swynn: You should come on over - don't have to participate with every book - you can dip in whenever and wherever you want.

>24 swynn:, >25 blackdogbooks: Agreed! I'm not doing everything - focussing on the Adversary cycle and the original Repairman Jack series.

Happy new thread, Jim!

>27 atozgrl: Thanks, Irene!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/378417

>29 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

A little belatedly, happy new thread, Jim!

>31 Dejah_Thoris: Never too late!

Happy new thread, Jim! So 18 months or is that 17 by now?

>33 Familyhistorian: Summer of 27, not much firmer than that. I turn 65 that June, so makes a nice transition point.

>34 drneutron: ...gosh...to be 65 again....

>35 richardderus: We’re all getting older, every day…

Here's the Valentine's Day readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/378586

Thanks, Silver!

Happy new thread, Jim!

Thanks, Mary!

Happy New Thread Jim.

>41 johnsimpson: Thanks, John!

I've been neglecting my thread, but not my reading, so it's....

Update Time!



8. Between Two Rivers: Ancient Mesopotamia and the Birth of History by Moudhy Al-Rashid

Archaeologists uncovered a temple/palace in the ancient city of Ur, and inside, discovered what might be an early example of a museum - stored artifacts from centuries, even millennia before the ruins of the palace itself. Out of this, Al-Rashid looks at several of these "exhibits", and uses them as jumping off points to talk about subjects like the birth of writing, warfare in those times, etc. It's a well-done popularization of the archaeological work, one that I enjoyed a lot!



9. What Stalks the Deep (Sworn Soldier, 3) by T. Kingfisher

Third in the horror/fantasy series featuring a sworn soldier from a kingdom much like one in Eastern Europe around 1900. The series has a distinct Weird vibe, with Lovecraftian elements all over the place - and with some surprises too. You could read this one alone, but really, start with the first - What Moves the Dead



10. How to Survive a Horror Story by Mallory Arnold

A group of authors are invited to the mysterious mansion of a rich, famous horror writer after he dies. All are connected in some way to the deceased, and all are in his will. But once they get there, it turns out the weekend will be, well, a horror story.

This one's a meta, surreal story, one where the characters and the stories of their connection to the deceased and each other are peeled back one by one in a series of tests. It's a bit insane, and something of a "match the punishment to the crime" fest. And pretty gory at times. So, maybe not for everyone... but I liked it.

>43 drneutron: Did you ever get to Reborn?

Not yet - still finishing Simon Winchester's The Breath of the Gods. It's next up on the iPad.

>43 drneutron: You got me with Between Two Rivers. I’ve just requested it from my library. Thanks for the heads up!

Karen O

>46 klobrien2: Great! Hope you like it.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/378812

>48 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

>43 drneutron: Oh, Between Two Rivers sounds fascinating.

>50 swynn: It was a good one - hope you get a chance to get to it.

>43 drneutron: >50 swynn: Agreed. I've added it to my huge TBR pile.

>52 atozgrl: Great!

Between Two Rivers made it onto my hold list after reading your review. The Winchester looks interesting too. I hope you're enjoying it.

Checking in on you before I lose track of you again, Jim. Happy "new-ish" thread!

>4 drneutron: Very interested in both This Way Up! and >43 drneutron: Between Two Rivers. I will have to see if my local library has them. Thanks for the reviews and recommendations!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, Jim!

>54 Familyhistorian: Great! The Winchester's good as always - it's his usual drifting across topics, taking some dives in unexpected places. This time the uniting theme is the wind and how people have interacted with it.

>55 alcottacre: Both were great! I hope you'll be able to find them at the library.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/379026

>57 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

Hi there! Just trying to get caught up again around here. How to Survive a Horror Story sounds quite interesting. Onto the WL it goes! Happy Thursday.

>59 Berly: Great! Hope you like it.

>56 drneutron: One yes, one no. Ah well, I will take what I can get!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/379251

Update Time!



11. The Breath of the Gods: The History and Future of the Wind by Simon Winchester

Winchester's usual - pick an interesting topic, wander in and out of it with fascinating side quests, wrap it all up in the end. This time, the subject's the wind, from gentle breezes to the worst of the worst storms. If you like his style, you'll probably like this one but his wanderings may not be for everybody.



12. Fatal Castle by David Boito

13. Reborn by F. Paul Wilson

A new read for me in the Secret History of the World. It's a meta-interpretation of Rosemary's Baby, a bridge to future events with Repairman Jack, and a pretty chilling horror story in its own right. Glad I picked it up!



14. Swallowing the Muskellunge by Lawrence P. O'Brien

15. The Librarians by Sherry Thomas

Four quirky librarians in Austin (keep Austin weird!) wind up with two dead ex-patrons and police that think at least one of them is the leading suspect. So they have to solve the murders before all their secrets come to light.

It's tongue-in-cheek, a bit of a parody, non-linear in telling, and just downright fun. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

>63 drneutron: The Breath of the Gods sounds good! Of course, I pretty much feel that way about all of Simon Winchester's works. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

ETA: >65 drneutron: This one sounds good, too!

>66 Dejah_Thoris: Both were fun!

>65 drneutron: This one's been on my list since before it came out - I'm happy to hear that it lives up to the hype!

>65 drneutron: It's weird for a denizen of the weird Austin they're harking back to, this nostalgia. The year I moved there it broke 250,000 people...now it's a million, most of 'em from California. Tempus do fugit, don't it.

>65 drneutron: - That one sounds fun. (Austin is no longer weird, sadly.)

>65 drneutron: I've been seeing this around and know I should make time for it eventually, it looks like a fun time.

>68 scaifea: I think it does, but I wasn’t following the hype - it just looked like a keeper on Overdrive. 😀

>69 richardderus: Yes it do. I bought my house in horse country, similar situation on a smaller scale over almost 30 years. Too many new houses being built, too many fewer farms.

>70 katiekrug: Sadly, it’s not. My SIL lives in Temple, and I was a bit disappointed when we visited the first time.

>71 bell7: I’d love to get your take on it, given how the library plays such a starring role.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/379488

>73 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

>65 drneutron: You're adding to the good things I've heard about that one. Hope to get to it soon.

>75 swynn: You should!

>65 drneutron: Now that sounds right up my alley, Jim. The Librarians is now on my library hold list which, given the title, is probably appropriate. I remember picking up one of Sherry Thomas' books at the Surrey International Writers Conference and, if my memory serves me correctly, Sherry Thomas was at the conference when I was looking over the books on offer.

>77 Familyhistorian: Neat! I think it would be fun to hear her talk about her writing. I loved the somewhat nonlinear storytelling she used in this one, would be interesting to understand her process.

You got me with three books!

Between Two Rivers, The Breath of the Gods ( I like Winchester's style) and The Librarians

>72 drneutron: I have driven up Route 15 through Virginia and Maryland for the past 20 years and have watched the suburban creep. Vineyards and Civil War battlefields are the only things saving open land sometimes. My husband and I did get off the main road to check out the covered bridges in Maryland. There were still a few farms and parks.

>79 witchyrichy: Yep, 15 through that area has grown up. There are still areas that are pretty rural. Western Maryland's got some beautiful places to get away.

And we're fans of the vineyards along Rte 15! 😀

Update Time!



16. Jack: Secret Histories by F. Paul Wilson

Early history of Repairman Jack, Wilson's fixer hero. We're learning about Jack's teen years, seeing his back story - here, the first of his fixes. It's a YA, so not my usual. Still it's fun, and it's the next segment in the Secret History of the World.



17. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown

Yeah, go ahead and make fun... I read a Dan Brown...😀

Had a long plane ride that turned into a really long plane ride, so needed something light to read. This filled the bill. It's entertaining, utterly ridiculous, and kept my attention. I've heard that his latest is decent, so I'll probably make my way through the series.

>81 drneutron: No book / author shaming! I've read it, too. :)

>82 Dejah_Thoris: 😀

I read A&D in 2004 and remember it being solidly entertaining, if ridiculous. The Davinci Code, on the other hand, was - for me - just ridiculous and oddly ponderous.

>84 katiekrug: I read The Davinci Code when it was big, and at the time felt about how I feel about A&D now. Utterly ridiculous, kept my attention. I'm gonna reread it, so we'll see how it holds up.

>85 drneutron:
I also read Dan Brown. I thought his books were good thrillers. Mind candy. Great recreational reading. Kept my attention and distracted me from other things when I needed it. I like spy thrillers and space opera for just those qualities.

>86 benitastrnad: Yeah, it was great as an airplane read!

>81 drneutron: enough talk about Dan Brown already. How about that Repairman Jack book. So much more interesting!

😀 It was. I liked how Wilson seems to have matured in his female characters - though that's not too surprising given how much earlier he was in his career when he wrote The Keep. Histories had a definite YA feel to it, again expected since he wrote it that way. All in all, it was a winner.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/379749

Thanks, Silver!

Pshaw, I'm a big Dan Brown fan. Plus, who cares what people think of what we read?!

>92 scaifea: 😀

I read the Da Vinci Code just to see what the hoopla was about. I enjoyed it although found it ridiculous. I've been reading Doc Savage books for the same reason. I think of them as palate cleansers in between the real books.

I read The Keep a long time ago and enjoyed it, I will have to go back and check out some of his other books.

>94 hredwards: There are a few of us doing a read-through of Wilson's Secret History of the World series in this thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/376695

The Keep is one of the early books in the series. You may want to check it out, join in, We're going at our own individual pace so you could jump in anytime.

I'm just popping in briefly to wish you a great weekend, Jim.
I enjoyed The Keep too - and others by the author...

>96 SirThomas: I hope yours is great too!

I like the Dan Brown books, it made me look things up, for a while there was even a DaVinci code tour you could take in DC going to the points of reference in the book.

I’ll have to look that one up!

My dad is a historian in the DC area and he was asked to help out with the DaVinci Code tour but he had to decline because most of the info on the tour was...less than factual

>100 norabelle414: 😆

>78 drneutron: I'm not sure if I attended any of Sherry Thomas's workshops or if she gave a keynote speech that year because it was back in the 2010s sometime. Many authors have spoken about their craft at SIWC.

Drneuton I read something the other day that I thought was funny. I think it was serious, but I can't remember where I saw it at.
I thought I would have to get your take on it.

They said that Nasa was an anagram for Satan. But there was no T and that is why when they do a launch countdown they always say T minus whatever.

Have you ever heard anything like that? Could it be true? ;)

>103 hredwards: 😆 That's a good one!

In reality, we always put a built-in hold in the launch sequence just in case. T-minus is "Time-minus" and is the count-down clock with built-in holds. This correlates to activities on the launch script.

L-minus is "Launch-minus", and is a straight countdown to the scheduled launch time. If an unplanned hold is called, the L clock will get reset to the new launch time.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/383150

Thanks, Silver!

Here's the Easter readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/383354

>107 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

It's been a while, but.... Update Time!



18. Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America by Jeff Chang

Quite a good biography of Bruce Lee along with a history of the Asian experience in the US since about the beginning of the 20th century. Bruce was a fascinating person, and Chang's able to bring him to life beyond the images we have from his movies.



19. Jack: Secret Circles by F. Paul Wilson

Next in the young Jack trilogy as part of my reread of the Secret History of the World. Jack's beginning to think about fixes, but is also learning that sometimes the right thing doesn't fix things. Good one!



20. The Monsters We Make: Murder, Obsession, and the Rise of Criminal Profiling by Rachel Corbett

Corbett grew up knowing someone who became a murderer, and this sparked in her a deep interest in murder, profiling, and how these things are investigated. Not really a history, more a collection of examples from the history of criminal profiling and evidence gathering that focuses on how these things have been and are being abused within the system. Frankly, it was interesting, but somewhat unsatisfying - like going to a buffet and sampling three dishes.

21. Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Wonderful fantasy based on Russian folktales and ideas - Novik's really good at this. My secret Santa last year sent this one to me - have to say, excellent choice!



22. Jaws by Peter Benchley

Yep, the classic is 50 years old, so it was time for a reread. It held up well, though this time around some of the characters really came across as unlikeable - Brody, in particular. I had forgotten the Mafia subplot going on in the background - that was left out of the movie.

>110 drneutron: I love Uprooted, so I wholeheartedly agree with you there, but I have never been able to get through Jaws - and I promise I've tried! I never enen got as far as a Mafia subplot, lol.

Have a lovely weekend!

>110 drneutron: Oh, I loved Uprooted! Have you read Spinning Silver? That's another excellent one of hers.

>111 Dejah_Thoris: 😀 Jaws was fun to reread, but probably not again for a while.

>112 scaifea: I haven’t but it’s on my list now!

I do like Novik’s writing and she does do Russian well.

Jim - Insight on the "disappearing Scientists" ?

>114 Kristelh: Yep!

>115 m.belljackson: I hadn't heard about this story - had to google it. Definitely weird!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/383511

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/383730

Thanks, Silver!

I'm impressed you're RE-reading Jaws. I never read it, only saw the movie. In unrelated news, I haven't gone above my knees into the ocean since 1975. What a film! (That I've never re-watched. And won't.)

I'm settling in to my new place, learning the neighborhood, getting the hang of the schedules and activities, and *reveling* in my privacy. It's been an adjustment, of course, but it's been a very satisfying change in my daily quality of life. It looks like you're well and contented, and your industry is scrapping hard and successfully to stay funded in these degenerates' regime.

>120 richardderus: Read it back in college, Ikve seen the movie about once a decade. Honestly, I think I like the movie better, the visuals are so well done!

I’m really glad you’ve found a better place! We’re doing ok. NASA didn’t freak out over the President’s budget this year, and Isaacman is surprisingly turning out to be a pretty promising administrator. He’s pushing the agency to be faster and do more, and focus better on the things it does well. All good changes!

>121 drneutron: Knowing the maddening trouble the mechanical shark gave them it's even more impressive.

I'm stunned that felonious yam accidentally put someone halfway competent in place! Excellent for y'all.

>116 drneutron: Jim - this got a lot more publicity today - be careful!

>121 drneutron: Thank you Jim. I needed to hear that something somewhere in government was actually working better. (But don't tell you know who or he'll fire him and get someone who will screw things up)

>123 m.belljackson: Saw that!

>124 RebaRelishesReading: 😀 Yeah, we don’t wanna screw this one up!

>121 drneutron: I read somewhere that if you watch the movie backwards it's about a benevolent shark who gives amputees new legs and arms.

And I saw a tv show once about John Williams and they showed part of the movie without the music and it wasn't nearly as scary. It was interesting how much the music added.

>126 hredwards: 😀

Yeah, it's amazing how all that fits together to make the movie. All you need are two notes and you've got a monster!

Here's a great interview with the Canadian astronaut, Jeremy Hansen and his wife. Ian Hanomansingh is probably one of Canada's best journalists and interviewers.

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.7169950

Cool!

Yeah, I’d be pretty terrified of re-entry. There’s a lot going on that’s not so controllable…

Saturday night, we went to a dive bar and one of the TVs was showing Jaws, sound off but with cc'ing. Several of us were enjoying the re-watch :)

>130 katiekrug: 😀 It's also showing up in my Netflix feed

I like all the recent publicity that NASA is getting but I am more excited by the science missions. I want more of that. I want to know more about places like Titan, Europa, the Sun, Venus, and Pluto. Our knowledge of the universe is so little and I want to know more.

One thing that really bugged me about the recent Artemis mission was the contiuous misstatements about the astronauts going where no one has gone before. The far (dark) side of the moon. Really? What about the previous Apollo missions that had those silent (no radio contact) times? Do they really not know what an orbit is? Or perhaps there are more people than I think who believe the entire space program is a hoax.

>132 benitastrnad: Yeah, the Apollos went on the dark side too - so that's bad reporting. But it is true that this trajectory was different from Apollo, so the astronauts were farther away from Earth than anyone's been before. That's the real story.

Hey, Jim. Neil deGrasse Tyson was just playing on TikTok the sounds of the solar winds from the Sun that the Parker Space Probe recorded. He called them “creepy” and “terrifying”. They just sounded like strange whistling to me, but what do I know. What a bunch of cool things the space probe has uncovered. He also talked briefly about how the sun’s surface is cooler than what’s above. How weird.

>134 jnwelch: Yep, the Sun's surface is about 6000 C, the corona (the Sun's atmosphere) is about 1 million C. What that means is that some physical process or processes near the Sun is energizing the plasma in the corona as it leaves and blows out into the rest of the solar system. This is one of the mysteries Parker was designed to solve by going into the corona and measuring the electric and magnetic fields there.

Turns out the Sun's magnetic field is very dynamic, and the motion of the magnetic field is what energizes the plasma. Only way to figure it out was to go there!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/383891

>135 drneutron: I love chatting with UBER/GRAB drivers Jim and am currently taking a rest from trying to get across the town in the mornings to get to the office.

Yesterday I started a conversation with a middle-aged Malay driver who suddenly jumped into explaining a number of extraordinary conspiracy theories amongst which:

1) He claimed to have seen proof that the moon landings were faked (dunno why it brought you and your fantastic body of work to mind);
2) He claimed that it was Kissinger alone who created the divide between Sunni and Shia muslims;
3) He claimed that the center for funding terrorism in the world in based somewhere in LA; and
4) That Iran had already won the recent conflict and that Israel was a pile of rubble.

I could tell by the animated delivery that it was pointless me countering his point of view and I was relieved for a change when I arrived home and didn't need to listen to any more of his litany of alternate truths.

>137 PaulCranswick: Yeah, I’ve come across my share of NASA deniers and flat earthers. Absolutely no point in trying to argue with them.

Update Time!



23. America, América: A New History of the New World by Greg Grandin

Interesting history of Latin America, and especially how the US has treated them. It was eye-opening - there's history here that I hadn't learned. But also a bit of a slog, and frankly, a little over the top sometimes. Worth reading!



24. Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre by Tom Scioli

Well that was a hoot!

Imagine Jay Gatsby, except as he's trying to win back Daisy, Godzilla shows up and destroys New York. So he recruits some help - Jules Verne, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, ... - and forms a team to hunt the Big Guy down.

Nice retro style to the artwork, with a fun, completely ridiculous story.



25. The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Moreno-Garcia is one of my favorites - I love her Gothic style. This time around, a student at a small college in New England is trying to unravel a mysterious disappearance at the college some 80 years prior, while also remembering her grandmother's story of how a witch destroyed her family in turn-of-the-20th-century Mexico.

26. The Laws of Thought: The Quest for a Mathematical Theory of the Mind by Tom Griffiths

Pretty much what it says on the cover. Griffiths starts with the development of formal logic, makes his way through Noam Chomsky, then to Boolean probability to discuss how cognitive scientists have tried to understand how we think and how to use that to build artificial intelligence. Here there be math, but it's not too bad.



27. Marble Hall Murders: A Mindbending Metafictional Murder Mystery by Anthony Horowitz

Third in Horowitz's Susan Ryland series. It's another book within a book, connected mysteries story. The concept works really well for me - I loved the intertwining of the two mysteries in this one, and in each of the books in the series. Highly recommended!

>140 drneutron: I love those books, just finished the 2nd.
I saw an interview this weekend where he said the third was the last. (We will see.) He has a new book coming out about the making of a Television series and a murder and he is writing himself into it, I didn't quite get the explaination but it sounded interesting.

Also, just saw that David Baron, author of the book about the Martian Invasion in the early 1900's is going to be presenting a program at my local library.

>141 hredwards: Yeah, the author's note in the this one says that it's intended to be a trilogy. And yeah, let's see if that holds...

I hope you get a chance to go. That would be great!

Horowitz has several ongoing series. I like his metafiction series Hawthorne and Horowitz. They are funky to read, at first, but once you get the hang of them, they are fun. I have listened to all of them and the recorded versions are very well done. I like the narrator.

>143 benitastrnad: I've got those on my list now that I've read the Susan Ryeland series. I really like his playing with metafiction - in the Ryland case, it's book within a book.

>144 drneutron:
In the Hawthorne and Horowitz series it is people within people. Well - more like real life within the fiction.

>81 drneutron: Dan Brown delivers thrillers with a side of historical conspiracies and as long as you don't expect literary genius, they are fun reads.

>140 drneutron: >141 hredwards: >143 benitastrnad: I am a huge fan of Anthony Horowitz and have kept up with the Hawthorne and Horowitz series. The new one came out yesterday, I think, but I have too many books going to read it right away. It does take some getting used to and I think there may be a tv series in the works.

>146 witchyrichy: I’m in the middle of The Davinci Code - I read it when it originally came out. These are fun, but they are a bit over the top. 😀

I’m a fan of metafiction and experimental books, so I’ve enjoyed these three. Looking forward to more of Horowitz!

You might be interested in checking out the "meta-mystery" by Martin Edwards, Miss Winter in the Library With a Knife. The audio book hold just came through for me so I have no opinion but I thought of your post when I read the description.

>146 witchyrichy: I really like Horowitz too. In the interview I saw he did say he was working on the tv series for his new book.
He does take a bit of getting used too. With Magpie Murders, I first listened to the audio version and had a hard time following it. Then I read the book and then watched the series. Enjoyed reading it a lot better.

>149 hredwards:
Reading the hardcopy of the Magpie Murders books really helps. The publisher used different type settings in the version I read. That visual clue helped me to understand what was going on. Like you, once I caught on I really enjoyed the book. And the sequels. And the Hawthorne and Horowitz books as well.

>148 witchyrichy: That sounds great! On the list it goes...

>149 hredwards:, >150 benitastrnad: Yeah, I think the audio book would have to be done carefully to make the story followable. Maybe two different narrators?

>149 hredwards: >150 benitastrnad: >151 drneutron: Indeed, not all books are made for audio. I stopped back to let you know that Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife is one of them. I started it yesterday and within the first few minutes realized that, if I wanted to really try to solve the mystery, I was going to need text and the images that were mentioned but not described. I ended up listening to the next Marlow Murder series book instead.

>149 hredwards: >150 benitastrnad: >151 drneutron: Indeed, not all books are made for audio. I stopped back to let you know that Miss Winter in the Library with a Knife is one of them. I started it yesterday and within the first few minutes realized that, if I wanted to really try to solve the mystery, I was going to need text and the images that were mentioned but not described. I ended up listening to the next Marlow Murder series book instead.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/384064

Here’s something new to play with!

https://www.librarything.com/stats/MEMBERNAME/usstates

>155 drneutron: That is interesting!!

>155 drneutron: That is fun. I have no authors from North Dakota or Utah!

>156 hredwards:, >157 BLBera: I'm missing half a dozen state, mostly Midwest and Western states

>155 drneutron: Oooh, cool!

>159 scaifea: I know! Been digging into the stats.

>160 drneutron: Interesting - I have a whole New Mexico library, written mostly by NM authors - none of it appears in the stats.

>161 blackdogbooks: The maps depend on data on the author page - there are a lot of them with no info. There’s a thread in the new features group on this. You may want to post there so Tim can debug.

>155 drneutron: That's nifty, Jim. I noticed a thread about a complete revamp of Common Knowledge, where this type of data is entered, but hadn't delved into it yet.

I hope they do authors' countries too at some point.
ETA: never mind, authors by country already exists!

>163 lauralkeet: Yep, after I posted this, Tim added to the fun.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/384205

>165 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

Update Time!



28. Anathem by Neal Stephenson

Been reading this one off and on since the beginning of the year - I love the world building, but Stephenson really likes words. Lots of words...

How to describe this one... A world similar to ours, yet not, where mathematicians and scientists are separated out into monastic communities where they can spend their lives thinking. Until our heroes find that there's a phenomenon in the sky they don't understand and that they're not supposed to know about. With world-changing consequences.



29. Jack: Secret Vengeance by F. Paul Wilson

Third in Wilson's YA trilogy with a young Jack developing his repair skills and making connections that will show up later in the Secret History. These are a fun insight into what got Jack to become Repairman Jack!

30. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

I suspect I don't need to say much about what this one's about! As always, it's way over the top, but a fun ride.



31. Imposter by LJ Ross

First in a series following psychiatrist Alexander Gregory as he reluctantly gets pulled back into forensic psychiatry and the hunt for a serial killer. Interesting lead, well written plot, all-around good entertainment.

>167 drneutron: Stephenson. I love him, but he's hit or miss for me. Mostly for what you describe....Words, too many words. Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon are two of my favorite books ever. But I tapped out on the Baroque Cycle, and Anathem and Seveneves "scare" me (well not really scare, but their bulk, helps me push them back on the TBR)

>169 mahsdad: I loved Seveneves - you should give it a try.

>169 mahsdad:, >170 blackdogbooks: I read Cryptonomicon years ago, have it on my shelf. One of my retirement projects is to tackle Baroque Cycle.

And yeah, 924 pages of a mass market paperback in tiny print is pretty daunting! 😂

>171 drneutron: I've got both the ebook and audiobook versions of Cryptonomicon - I just need to psych myself up to tackling it.

The audiobook is almost 43 hours, but since I'm planning to read The Far Pavillions this month, which runs almost 49 hours, I really can't use the length as an excuse, lol.

>172 Dejah_Thoris: Wow, those are both a commitment. If I listened every day on my commute it would take 6 weeks or so to listen!

>169 mahsdad: I am not a fan of Seveneves. Stephenson has a strong tendency toward plot torus as a foundational structure and Seveneves is nothing but.

>174 quondame: Plot torus - gonna steal that one!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/384299

>176 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

>4 drneutron: BB'd for Book of Doors and I would have been for Repairman Jack if I could find the first in the series on Libby/ Overdrive.

ETA: And This Way Up! is also on hold

>178 humouress: Yeah, I'm having the same issue with the Repairman Jack reread - just not available at my library. But I like them, so I'm buying them as I go.

>178 humouress: check out our read thru thread. At the top there are some resources for finding the books. Also, you can start at different points without losing any of the fun.

>174 quondame: >175 drneutron: Ha, I love Plot Torus too. Thanks for the insight Susan. I think maybe it will stay on the back burner for a while. Plenty of other things to read.

Hiya, Jim. You’ve intrigued me with your enjoyment of Repairman Jack; I’m also going to track down the first.

I wish Stephenson would go back to writing shorter books like Snowcrash and Diamond Age. I did like Seveneves and Reamde, but their length was excessive.

Did you get to There Is No Antimemetics Division? Our son just read it and, like me, enjoyed it and the ambitiousness of the ideas.

Platform Decay was another fun outing with SecUnit- Murderbot.

Ann Leckie has a new one out called Radiant Star. That’s probably my next.

>182 jnwelch: Check out our Secret History thread for the sequence including Repairman Jack. You can jump in at multiple points along the way, so it's not quite a commitment as it might seem at first glance. My intro was the original Repairman Jack books starting with Legacies. Or you can just dive into the whole thing! Here's the thread: https://www.librarything.com/topic/376695

And, I've got Anitmemetics on reserve at Overdrive - probably a month or so before I get it.

I don't see books at the beginning of the original Repairman Jack series currently in my Overdrive/ Libby libraries but it looks like I can get the second prequel trilogy (Cold City, Dark City, Fear City). Would that be a good place to start? But I don't like horror (unlike you, Doc) so please warn me if they're going to go that way.

>184 humouress: Those are a bit of jumping into the middle of Jack's story, but could be done. There are references to the first prequel trilogy, but nothing that you can't pick up from context. Cold City was definitely more action/suspense than horror - don't know yet how the rest will be as this is my first time through this trilogy.

>184 humouress: I think you can jump in there without any problems really - not too much horror in those, mostly thriller throughout. The last one I read that was strong horror was The Tomb, which comes chronologically after those three. And that one was horror only because of a monster/s in the book. I'd say it is light horror at best for The Tomb. You should be just fine.

>182 jnwelch:
I read Seveneves and enjoyed it. Well, I listened to it. It was one of my audio books on the 18 hour trip from Alabama to Kansas one time. In regards to the plot and world building, it reminded me of the Elizabeth Bear Jenny Casey series. There are lots of things presented in Seveneves that are current science topics and that was what made the book enjoyable for me. As I get older, I think it is fun to hear about things being used in the real world space (and other places) science. Seveneves made me think really hard about the validity of trying to get to Mars because of all the problems of long distance space travel. Things like having your space ship hit by a small (golfball sized) meteor. Very interesting book, I thought. I also have an audio copy of Reamde that I shall get to someday. As well as paper copies of Snowcrash and Cryptonomicon. Someday for all of them. As when the books call to me to be read.

>187 benitastrnad: Given my workplace, sounds like I need to get to Seveneves. 😀

Keeping humans safe in space is a hard problem! Exposure to radiation, meteoroid and dust impacts, changes in the body due to microgravity, then the whole risk of failure in systems we really on… honestly, though, I’d go in a heartbeat if I could.

>185 drneutron: >186 blackdogbooks: Okay then, thanks. I'll (trepidatiously) give them a go.

>188 drneutron: Well, you've got the rose tinted glasses on, Doc. It's the basic considerations that put me off, like going to the loo in zero gravity :0)

>188 drneutron:
All of those problems, as well as the social interactions of three separate groups of people with different agendas made for some interesting reading. Of course, the personalities of the seven were also a big part of the book. The engineering in it was amazing. How do you get three different spaceships docked together. Radiation played a big part in the plot. Oh heck! Just read it. I can't wait to hear an engineer's take on this work of Sci/Fi.

>190 benitastrnad: You've convinced me! 😀 I'll work it into my summer reading.

>191 drneutron: don’t think you’ll be sorry on that one. I never noticed its girth because it was so interesting and nerdy and readable.

Here's the Memorial Day readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/384526

Thanks, Silver!

On to a new thread!