What are you reading?

[waday]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Started the series in very late December, since I received the entire series as a gift for Christmas.

We had started the Potter books when our kids were young enough to be read to. By Goblet of Fire they were each reading on their own and the books would pass from me to older son to younger son. Kim would be last as she would have the least time to read and we didn't want to be held up.

That’s awesome! You’re the second person that told me they’re reading/read the series to their kids. I’m excited for our daughter to read them... but as she has a 2-year old’s attention span, that probably won’t be for some time.

 

[johngpt]

That’s awesome! You’re the second person that told me they’re reading/read the series to their kids. I’m excited for our daughter to read them... but as she has a 2-year old’s attention span, that probably won’t be for some time.

We read to the kids every night, probably up until middle school/junior high.

 

[Overread]

Right now I'm reading on the Kindle a sci-fi classic, Galactic Patrol by E.E. "Doc" Smith. It had started in 1937 as a serial in the magazine Astounding Science Fiction that had been edited by John Campbell. It was compiled into book form around 1940.

Doc Smith was a strong influence on the sci-fi genre. Heinlein, Asimov and Clarke are among those crediting him as influencing their thoughts and writing. I can see why now that I'm about 50% through the story!

On a totally random whim I looked that book up and was rather surprised. I've seen the anime Lensman years and years ago (sadly one of those series where the original UK translation has fallen into the cracks of only being found on rare vhs hidden in peoples attics with no dvd adaptation - only the US which has different audio). I loved that film! And now I find its based on a series - so I've had to go pick up Triplanetary on kindle!

 

[Designer]

We read to the kids every night, probably up until middle school/junior high.

My wife did that as well.

 

[waday]

That’s awesome! You’re the second person that told me they’re reading/read the series to their kids. I’m excited for our daughter to read them... but as she has a 2-year old’s attention span, that probably won’t be for some time.

We read to the kids every night, probably up until middle school/junior high.

Nice, we are trying to do that, as well. Reading is part of her bedtime routine now. We read 2-3 of her board books. And sometimes one of her board books three times.

 

[Original katomi]

The lens man series is only part of the doc smith books I will have to go and dig up my old e books but have a look for vortex blaster/buster it’s a stand alone but is linked to the lensman series

 

[pendennis]

Just finished a great book on the 1918 "Spanish Flu" pandemic -
The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History
by: John M. Barry
This is the "real life" story of how the 1918 pandemic started in Southwest Kansas, and how it spread, and was fought by medical scientists, in an age when virology and epidemiology were just getting started. The book also details just how vaccines were made under what we would say were medieval conditions. It also shows that after 100 years, the pandemic is still being studied.

I also just reread a great book on evolution -
The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge
by: Matt Ridley

Matt Ridley goes into great detail about how the science of evolution came about, and how we've come to discover that technology drives science.

 

[johngpt]

On a totally random whim I looked that book up and was rather surprised. I've seen the anime Lensman years and years ago (sadly one of those series where the original UK translation has fallen into the cracks of only being found on rare vhs hidden in peoples attics with no dvd adaptation - only the US which has different audio). I loved that film! And now I find its based on a series - so I've had to go pick up Triplanetary on kindle!

I started reading Triplanetary but it was as slow as trying to read Tolkien's The Silmarillion!
Galactic Patrol moves along.
The writing style is very different. Correct usage of English. Complete sentences.
Heroes instead of anti-heroes.
It's easy to tell that it was written 80 years ago.
I doubt I'll continue with the series but it's taking me back to my youth when I was reading The Rover Boys, a series published between 1899 and 1926.
It's also reminding me of cowboy movies from the silent era.

 

[johngpt]

The lens man series is only part of the doc smith books I will have to go and dig up my old e books but have a look for vortex blaster/buster it’s a stand alone but is linked to the lensman series

He had also written a Skylark series that I might check for current availability.

 

[oldhippy]

The Murmur Of Bees

 

[johngpt]

When Eagles Dare a sci-fi novel by Doug Dandridge, set in the Four Horsemen universe created by Mark Wandrey.

 

[Warhorse]

True Crime, by Andrew Klavan

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Years ago I bought a 1st generation Kobo ebook reader and it came with 100 free old books. Of those, I probably had only read about a dozen before on real paper. Since then, I have read some on the ebook reader. Before the pandemic I had finished a collection of Aesop's Fables. A long time ago I wanted to read "The Brothers Karamazov." Well actually, I didn't really want to read it. I would have preferred to see the movie. But it was not included on my ebook reader. So I decided to read "Anna Karenina" instead. I've gotten about 5 chapters in so far. It's not bad.

 

[Warhorse]

True Crime, by Andrew Klavan

I found this to be an excellent, albeit dark, well written book.

 

[Original katomi]

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