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What are you reading Chapter 4

#2,881
kleinenenten said:
I used to love Kevin J. Anderson when I was a kid. Of course, those were his Star Wars novels, and I loved anything Star Wars. How is his other material overall? I don't believe I've ever read anything of his outside of Star Wars. I know he's helped with the Dune franchise, but I lost interest in that one after Herbert's original run, and hear the more recent sequels aren't that great.

I'd be interested to hear corroborating testimony about that... ;)
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I'm not sure I'm all that qualified to say much about Anderson's writing since Clockwork Angels is the only novel of his I've read so far. That said, I found his writing to be decent if not a little simplistic (though that opinion may be based on a comparison to all of the older, more verbose books I've been reading lately). If you're a fan of Rush and the Clockwork Angels album, by all means, read the book. Some of the Rush references feel a little clumsy, but it's good for what it is. As of right now I think the quality of the writing in Clockwork Angels was better than what I've seen so far in Clockwork Lives, but there's plenty of book left for the latter to improve. I do plan to eventually give his Saga of the Seven Suns a try to see what his writing is like when he's not tethered to a pre-existing property.
 
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#2,882
emperor.jpg
 
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#2,883
COVID absolutely kicked my butt this weekend, so I used the opportunity of doing absolutely nothing to power through two books.

The first was "Medieval Bodies" which was an interesting take on both the medieval perspective of medicine, but also on the various social roles/stigmas the body and its parts took on during that time, including how many modern phrases and even procedures were influenced by it all. Though their basic premise of the "humours" of the body was way off, some of the treatments used haven't changed much.

The second is a book on Alexander The Great. I'm halfway through that, and should finish today as I take a day off work to finish recuperating. Interesting for sure - I'm roughly about 3-4 years into his campaigns/reign at this point, and as always am learning plenty.

Besides reading (which can be mentally taxing in my current state), I've also taken this time to watch some movies on my list. Trying to make the most of my down time!
 
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#2,885
kleinenenten said:
COVID absolutely kicked my butt this weekend, so I used the opportunity of doing absolutely nothing to power through two books.

The first was "Medieval Bodies" which was an interesting take on both the medieval perspective of medicine, but also on the various social roles/stigmas the body and its parts took on during that time, including how many modern phrases and even procedures were influenced by it all. Though their basic premise of the "humours" of the body was way off, some of the treatments used haven't changed much.

The second is a book on Alexander The Great. I'm halfway through that, and should finish today as I take a day off work to finish recuperating. Interesting for sure - I'm roughly about 3-4 years into his campaigns/reign at this point, and as always am learning plenty.

Besides reading (which can be mentally taxing in my current state), I've also taken this time to watch some movies on my list. Trying to make the most of my down time!
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I hope you start to feel better soon! Covid is no joke .
 
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#2,886
WG Plum said:
Props to you, the one and only time I had COVID I felt so wretched my eyes were closed except for bodily input and output.
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CletusMarley said:
I hope you start to feel better soon! Covid is no joke .
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Thankfully, today is a much better day. Mostly back to normal besides a little weariness and minor headache with some throat soreness. FAR better than the past few days! Should be completely back to normal tomorrow, hopefully.
 
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#2,889
WG Plum said:
Glad to hear that! I think they're calling the new strain, or one of of the strains, that's going around razor lung or razor throat or some such god awful thing. I'm headed to get the new edition vaccine this afternoon.
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I'd believe it, and it makes sense. I don't recall the throat pain from the other time I caught it years ago. But it was the first thing I noticed this time! Even now, as pretty much everything else is gone, my throat (though much better) is still the thing that feels most "off".
 
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#2,890
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Anne of the Island - L.M. Montgomery

Frankenstein is the latest book club pick. First time revisiting it in over 10 years. As usual, I'm starting out by reading it aloud to my wife for as long as she can bear it. (No judgement to her if she taps out. Some of these books are hard to follow audibly, she doesn't have the time to read them independently, nor does she have patience for darker stories these days.)

Related to all that, we're continuing through the Anne of Green Gables series together to offer a light-hearted contrast to Frankenstein when we need it and to have it on deck if she does decide Frankenstein just isn't for her right now.
 
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#2,898
Been a few weeks since I check in - here's what I've been reading!

Stardance by Spider Robinson - a dancer ends us saving the world by dancing in space to newly discovered aliens. I like Spider Robinson's stuff, and this is a bit subdued compared to many of his works. I think it's likely due to his wife's (and co-author's) influence. Apparently she is/was a dancer. Regardless, enjoyable as a story, but not quite as "wild" as his other works which I prefer. I'll finish the trilogy sometime.

Aesychlus's Oresteia - the classic trilogy of tragic Greek plays. If you like family members holding grudges and killing each other, you can't go wrong with this one!

A coursebook on Norse mythology - nothing new to me, but I always love new takes and readings of Norse myth.

Achilles The Hero - an overview of the various stories of Achilles through history, focusing mostly on his changing interpretations through time regarding his participation in the Trojan War. Interesting, but at the same time, rather repetitive.

The Good Nazi - A biography of Albert Speer, Hitler's architect (and "friend"). He always presented himself as a "good Nazi" when asked about his involvement in the Third Reich over the years. This books certainly proves otherwise. I was personally invested in this book, as my college German Professor interviewed him during her graduate years working on her thesis in the mid-1970s involving ex-Nazis. I always find it so strange that there are literally only 2 people between myself and Hitler - history is closer than you think!

A History Of The Donner Party - A Tragedy Of The Sierra - an excellent take on the infamous incident, written by an author who had incredible contact with many of the survivors. He was a contemporary of the children in the story and apparently had about a thousand letters of correspondence between him and various survivors to build this text. It was rather enlightening, and while absolutely horrifying, also incredibly humanizing. Most people only know the cannibalism part of the story, but while a memorable part of the story, is really only a small part of the narrative, and one which most people took no part in. Certainly an interesting book!
 
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