drneutron's Read-o-Rama (Part 5)

Questo è il seguito della conversazione drneutron's Read-o-Rama (Part 4).

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drneutron's Read-o-Rama (Part 5)

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4drneutron
Modificato: Ott 29, 2015, 12:40 pm

56. The Fatal Flame by Lyndsay Faye
57. Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch
58. Lord Kelvin's Machine by James P. Blaylock
59. In Silent Graves by Gary A. Braunbeck
60. The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language by Steven Pinker
61. The Strange Case of Dr Doyle: A Journey into Madness & Mayhem by Daniel Friedman
62. Marco Polo: The Journey that Changed the World by John Man
63. The Romanovs: The Final Chapter by Robert K. Massey
64. Thin Air by Ann Cleeves
65. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
66. Jane Austen: A Life by Claire Tomalin
67. Masters of Death: The SS-Einsatzgruppen and the Invention of the Holocaust by Richard Rhodes
68. The Secrets of Life and Death by Rebecca Alexander
69. The Secrets of Blood and Bone by Rebecca Alexander
70. Green Rider by Kristen Britain
71. The Ravens by Vidar Sundstol
72. The Book of Strange New Things by Michael Faber
73. Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl by David Barnett
74. The Forever Watch by David Ramirez
75. Wonder Woman Unbound by Tim Hanley
76. Tommy: The Gun That Changed America by Karen Blumenthal
77. The Madman and the Assassin by Scott Martelle
78. Wayward Volume 1 by Jim Zubkavich
79. City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
80. Bad Paper by Jake Halpern
81. The Time Roads by Beth Bernobich
82. The Daedalus Incident by Michael J Martinez
83. Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo
84. Dead Wake by Erik Larson
85. Stolen Remains by Christine Trent
86. Enceladus Crisis by Michael J Martinez
87. Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon by David Barnett
88. Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch
89. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs
90. Ace of Spies: The True Story of Sydney Reilly by Andrew Cook
91. Live by Night by Dennis Lehane

5drneutron
Modificato: Ott 29, 2015, 12:46 pm

Total Read
91

Author Gender
Male: 69 (73%)
Female: 25 (27%)

Living/Dead
Living: 92 (98%)
Dead: 2 (2%)

Medium
Hardback: 22 (24%)
Trade: 14 (29%)
Paperback: 1 (2%)
eBook: 42 (46%)

Category
Fiction: 60 (66%)
Nonfiction: 31 (34%)

Source
Library: 73 (81%)
Mine: 17 (19%)

Other
ARC: 9
Reread: 3
Series: 42
Group Read: 8

Making progress with the male/female ratio, so that's good. I really, really have hit the fiction hard this year...

6connie53
Ott 29, 2015, 12:55 pm

Happy New Thread, Jim

7laytonwoman3rd
Ott 29, 2015, 1:00 pm

Marking my place!

8drneutron
Ott 29, 2015, 1:02 pm

Welcome!

9weird_O
Ott 29, 2015, 2:31 pm

Hi hey hello there, Doctor N.

10lkernagh
Ott 29, 2015, 3:28 pm

Happy new thread, Jim!

11jnwelch
Ott 29, 2015, 5:04 pm

Congratulations on the new thread, Jim. Man, you've had a good reading year!

12Familyhistorian
Ott 29, 2015, 7:35 pm

Happy new thread, Jim

13ronincats
Ott 29, 2015, 8:22 pm

Whoa, new thread! Hope you have a great rest of the year, Jim!

14msf59
Ott 29, 2015, 8:35 pm

Happy New Thread, Jim! I also enjoyed The Given Day and would like to read Live by Night. I have not read a Lehane in quite some time.

15scaifea
Ott 30, 2015, 6:47 am

Happy new thread, Jim!

16RebaRelishesReading
Ott 31, 2015, 1:10 pm

Happy new thread. That's a long list of books I haven't read with many that look really interesting in there :)

17drneutron
Nov 2, 2015, 8:10 am

Thanks for visiting, everyone! Looking back, I'm pretty happy overall with my reading - I just wish life would settle down enough for me to get more reading in... :)

18Familyhistorian
Modificato: Nov 2, 2015, 8:57 pm

>17 drneutron: I just wish life would settle down enough for me to get more reading in... :) I hear you on that one. Let us know your secret if that ever happens!

19LovingLit
Nov 2, 2015, 11:30 pm

>17 drneutron: my only advice there is, don't hold your breath! I am using the summer to catch up on pleasure reading, but as that now includes academic texts, I just have double the reading to long to get to.
What a wonderful problem we all have here. :)

20drneutron
Nov 5, 2015, 9:30 pm

92. The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry

The start of the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mystery series. Here in the first, Charlotte and Thomas meet over the investigation of a series of brutal murders that touches Charlotte's family. I'd call it fair-to-middling, but will keep reading the series.

93. The Witch of Lime Street by David Jaher

After the Great War, interest in what happens after we die spread rapidly among European societies - and eventually America. While mediums and those claiming access to the spirit world had been around for a long time prior, the huge loss of life in the war brought many who tried to profit from those who grieved. Scientists and philosophers studied and organized to try and understand what was going on, to the point that even the venerable Scientific American offered a prize for anyone who could definitively prove that life continued after the body died.

Harry Houdini, the great stage magician and escape artist, had his own personal grief in the death of his mother, to whom he was devoted, and he spent much time in the search for life after death. But his interactions with those who claimed to be able to communicate with the dead kept uncovering the same tricks he used to fool audiences, and he eventually came to the conclusion that all mediums were fake. And so began his mission to expose these fakers, even joining the committee put together to judge the SciAm prize.

After several false starts, the committee came into contact with Margery - the pseudonym for the wife of a prominent Boston surgeon - who seemed to be in contact with the spirit of her deceased brother, and who could get Walter to do some amazing things.

The Witch of Lime Street tells the story of her interaction with the various personalities on the committee, especially Houdini, the testing she underwent and the resultant media battles fought among her supporters and detractors. Jaher's writing is some pretty good narrative nonfiction - really bringing out the personalities involved.

21Deedledee
Nov 7, 2015, 12:07 pm

You hit me with a book bullet - perhaps I'll read The Witch of Lime Street during non-fiction November.

22cbl_tn
Nov 7, 2015, 1:36 pm

23drneutron
Nov 7, 2015, 9:19 pm

Thanks to both of you!

24charl08
Nov 8, 2015, 10:46 am

>20 drneutron: Sounds good. Added to the wishlist.

25drneutron
Nov 11, 2015, 2:52 pm

94. The Rosetta Key by William Dietrich

Second in the Ethan Gage adventure series set in Europe and the Middle East during Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and Palestine. Dietrich drags in Templars and the Rosetta stone to the story begun in the first novel dealing with a treasure possibly hidden in the Gaza pyramids. I'll keep reading the series, but I have to say I didn't like Gage so much in this one - he's a bit of a jerk, plus the implausible escapes wear thin after a while.

95. Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

An outstanding mix of The Haunting of Hill House and the Ikea catalog. The story's weird and funny, and the artwork is brilliant. Plus I loved poking fun at big box stores and consumerism. :)

26mahsdad
Nov 11, 2015, 6:54 pm

Hi Jim, pardon me while I hijack your thread for a moment....

Mark commented earlier today, that it was time for the Christmas Swap. I'm taking over this year and the thread is up. Stop on by...

https://www.librarything.com/topic/204658

27drneutron
Nov 12, 2015, 11:01 am

Definitely good news! I'll be right over...

28AuntieClio
Nov 15, 2015, 12:01 am

I just popped in to say that I got to see The Martian last Thursday and enjoyed it. Thanks for warbling about the book! :-)

29tymfos
Nov 15, 2015, 9:36 pm

Just stopping by with belated "new" thread greetings . . . I'm a bit behind on threads . . . have a great week, Jim!

30drneutron
Nov 16, 2015, 3:11 pm

>28 AuntieClio: Glad you liked it!

>29 tymfos: Thanks! We're doing our Mission Operations Review for Solar Probe this week... A bit stressful, but we're ready.

96. The Soul of Discretion by Susan Hill

8th in the Simon Serailler series. Wow, what a ride - Hill really shook things up in the series. Now to see where she takes things...

31Oberon
Nov 16, 2015, 3:33 pm

>30 drneutron: We're doing our Mission Operations Review for Solar Probe this week

I have to say that this sounds a lot cooler than anything I am doing this week. Good luck!

32jnwelch
Nov 16, 2015, 3:39 pm

Ha! Ditto. Good luck this week, Jim. I just read another article about how dangerous to power sources "coronal mass ejections" can be.

33charl08
Nov 16, 2015, 6:10 pm

>31 Oberon: Wow. Hope that's going well. (Tempted to ask about duct tape usage).

Just been watching a doc about the Jodrell Bank telescope. Lots of v impressive science talking plus the history stuff about the politics of tracking Sputnik made for good tv.

34drneutron
Nov 16, 2015, 9:47 pm

>31 Oberon: Well, it doesn't suck. :)

>32 jnwelch: cool! I still owe you some swag... PM me an address.

>33 charl08: Back in the Sputnik days, a couple of the engineers where I work tracked Sputnik, then figured out they could do in reverse to find a location on Earth if they knew where the spacecraft are. They used this to invent the Transit spacecraft system so the Navy could navigate ships more accurately - the precursor to GPS. That was the start of our Space Department.

35drneutron
Nov 18, 2015, 2:44 pm

97. nEvermore! Tales of Murder, Mystery and the Macabre edited by Nancy Kilpatrick and Caro Soles

What a surprisingly good collection of stories centered around Edgar Allen Poe's works! Not a single clunker in the bunch - I savored every one. I do have to confess, Tanith Lee's contribution was my favorite, though. Recommended for fans of Poe, or scary, weird, horrific stories in general.

36drneutron
Nov 20, 2015, 10:24 am

I get a daily list from my public library of new items added, some of which make it to my Wishlist. Today was a particularly bad day....

The Triumph of William McKinley by Karl Rove (ok, not my favorite guy, but should be interesting)
The End of the Cold War by Robert Service
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard (and by 'history' she means 1600 pages...)
Forgotten: The Untold Story of D-Day's Black Heroes, at Home and at War by Linda Hervieux
Custer's Trials: A Life of the Frontier of a New America by T. J. Stiles
Imperial Gamble: Putin, Ukraine, and the New Cold War by Marvin Kalb
Solar Express by L. E. Modesitt (one of my favorite fantasy authors does hard sf)
Made to Kill by Adam Christopher (mix of robots and noir detective in a post-Asimov world)
So You Don't Get Lost in the Neighborhood by Patrick Modiano

Ok, so maybe it's not "bad", just bad for my Wishlist burndown. :)

37Ameise1
Nov 21, 2015, 7:31 am

Hi Jim, I finally find time to do some weekend greetings. Wishing you a most lovely weekend.

38drneutron
Nov 21, 2015, 8:22 pm

Thanks!

39msf59
Nov 22, 2015, 8:41 am

Happy Sunday, Jim! Have you read The Man in the High Castle? This sure seems like your cuppa. I just started it and I want to watch the current TV series based on it, which is getting solid reviews.

Hope you are having a good weekend.

40sibylline
Nov 22, 2015, 9:49 am

The Witch of Lime Street sounds irresistible. BTW, I'm listening to Gravity's Rainbow and Pynchon is/was well aware of the interest in mediums and seance, it forms quite a large piece of the book, in fact, about which I had totally forgotten.

After the Civil War too, there was an equivalent 'bounce' of interest in spirit mediums, seances, etc.

41charl08
Nov 22, 2015, 9:52 am

>36 drneutron: Nice list.That Cold War reading sounds interesting. I'm hovering over a new book about China, the USSR and the US and their attempts at controlling 'the third world'.

42drneutron
Nov 22, 2015, 10:21 am

>39 msf59: I have, but it's been a while. I'm interested in the series too, but don't have Amazon Prime, so hopefully it'll get distributed a bit wider at some point,

>40 sibylline: I'd forgotten about that too. Maybe it's time for a reread!

>41 charl08: Sounds interesting! What's the title?

43Whisper1
Nov 22, 2015, 12:42 pm

>35 drneutron: Happy Sunday Jim.

I've added nEvermore! Tales of Murder, Mystery and the Macabre to the tbr pile. Poe is a favorite of mine.

44charl08
Nov 22, 2015, 5:35 pm

Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World by Jeremy Friedman.

Fingers crossed, with a few judicious hints it'll turn up under the family tree, and I can find out if it's as good as the review claimed.

45drneutron
Nov 23, 2015, 10:59 pm

Just in case...

For whoever gets my name in the Christmas Swap, I made a wishlist. But it's really just meant for guidance - don't feel you have to pick from it. I'm open to most anything!

46drneutron
Modificato: Nov 24, 2015, 10:29 am

98. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

I loved it. 'Nuff said!

Seriously, it's a really good sf/space opera/revenge story with a very creative universe and some really interesting ideas. The plot's a bit slow at first, but the building of the characters and ideas is well worth it for me.

99. Dr Mutter's Marvels by Cristin O'keefe Aptowicz

I loved it. 'Nuff said!

Seriously, this is one of the better narrative nonfiction books I've read - right up there with Candice Millard's Destiny of the Republic and The River of Doubt. Mutter seems like a genuinely real and interesting person that I would have loved to know - or at least go to one of his parties! I loved Aptowicz's portrayal of the state of medical practice in the early and mid 19th century, and how more modern practices such as anesthesia and antisepsis worked in while meeting heavy resistance.

47jnwelch
Nov 24, 2015, 10:27 am

>46 drneutron: Oh good, Jim. I'm glad you ended up liking Ancillary Justice. I've still got the second one waiting for me.

48drneutron
Nov 24, 2015, 10:30 am

Yeah, I finished up both the books I picked up at Kramers, both were fabulous. Promptly put Ancillary Sword on my Christmas Swap wishlist. :)

49jnwelch
Nov 24, 2015, 11:24 am

50swynn
Nov 24, 2015, 12:26 pm

>46 drneutron: I'm on record as having mixed feelings about Ancillary Justice-- I just had a hard time engaging with the story, though I appreciated what Leckie was trying to do. I enjoyed Ancillary Sword more, whose more conventional chronological narrative probably helped. I've heard terrific things about the third book, which I hope to get to soon.

51drneutron
Nov 28, 2015, 10:28 pm

100. Dietrich & Riefenstahl: Hollywood, Berlin, and a Century by Karin Wieland

Marlene Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl were born a year apart and grew up within sight of each other in Berlin. They came of age during and after the terrible losses of World War I and both found their way into the German film industry - Dietrich by playing the vixen with a heart of gold, Riefenstahl as the innocent heroine of stories around mountain folk. Their paths diverged as Dietrich moved to Hollywood and Riefenstahl worked her way into directing films, even to the point of directing the filming of massive Nazi Party rallies and the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

Wieland uses these two to explore how traditional gender roles in Germany changed after the war, as well as the way the life paths of these two were driven by outsized egos and a desperate need to be admired and held above others. It's a well written look into two interesting, but ultimately sad people.

52drneutron
Nov 28, 2015, 10:35 pm

101. A More Perfect Heaven by Dava Sobel

Biography of Copernicus, description of his various printed works, and a history of the idea that the Earth moves around the Sun through Galileo. Ok, but somewhat spoiled by this long 2-act play in the middle imagining episodes from Copernicus' life that did absolutely nothing for me.

53drneutron
Modificato: Nov 28, 2015, 10:44 pm

102. The Reckoners by Doranna Durgin

A mix of science fiction (or maybe fantasy) alien world story and paranormal urban fantasy, The Reckoners doesn't fully work as either. I think the concept has potential, but the mix of the two threads didn't gel for me, and really, any Ghostbusters-esque work ought to have some humor in it.

54charl08
Nov 29, 2015, 7:35 am

>51 drneutron: Glad to hear this is well written. I'm keen to read it, two interesting lives.

55Berly
Nov 30, 2015, 1:58 am

Delurking to say Hi! You got me with The Witch of Lime Street!

56drneutron
Nov 30, 2015, 8:07 am

>51 drneutron: Let me know what you think of it.

>55 Berly: Cool! It was a good one.

57rosylibrarian
Nov 30, 2015, 10:52 am

>46 drneutron: Both are on my wishlist.

58connie53
Nov 30, 2015, 11:07 am

>46 drneutron: Het recht van de Radch will be our book club book in January

59drneutron
Nov 30, 2015, 1:35 pm

>57 rosylibrarian: Cool! I hope you enjoy them!

>58 connie53: It'll be interesting to see what folks think of it!

60connie53
Nov 30, 2015, 1:39 pm

I will let you know, if I remember it by January. ;-)

61drneutron
Dic 3, 2015, 3:26 pm

103. Divergent by Veronica Roth

Picked this up for the car ride to visit the son over Thanksgiving. No need to summarize, I think most folks will know it. In fact, I'm probably the last person on LT to read it. :) Anyway, I loved it - even better than the movie!

104. Scream: Chilling Adventures in the Science of Fear by Margee Kerr

Part memoir, part scientific popularization, mostly a fun discussion of why and how we experience fear. Kerr works with one of the big haunted house attractions in Pennsylvania to study the experience of fear and to help make the attraction more scary. As part of this, she spent a year traveling around the world exploring scary things. The best part of the book, though, is the discussion of the anatomy, physiology and neuroscience of the brain as we feel scared.

62swynn
Modificato: Dic 3, 2015, 5:24 pm

>61 drneutron: I've avoided the Roth series so far, and am still resisting. But the Kerr book sounds quite fun. Into the swamp with it!

63qebo
Dic 3, 2015, 5:27 pm

>52 drneutron: 2-act play
Yeah, I've heard about this and just the idea has put me off.

>61 drneutron: the last person on LT
Nope.

64msf59
Dic 3, 2015, 6:50 pm

Hi, Jim! I am glad you finally read Divergent. I was a fan too but I was not as crazy about the next 2, so that is up to you.

I am not sure if you are a John Varley fan or not but I do recommend, his Sci-Fi story collection, The Persistence of Vision, (which Jeff recommended to me). I think this would be just your cuppa.

65Ameise1
Dic 5, 2015, 6:51 am

Wishing you a lovely weekend, Jim.

66connie53
Dic 5, 2015, 12:44 pm

Hi Jim. I loved the whole series by Roth, so go for it.

67RebaRelishesReading
Dic 5, 2015, 1:18 pm

> far from last person I'm thinking

68drneutron
Dic 5, 2015, 10:47 pm

>62 swynn: I definitely enjoyed it. Plus I was really interested in the scientific side. I hope you enjoy it too!

>63 qebo: well, given the last few messages, it looks like I'm not the last... :)

>64 msf59: the beauty of the library is that they don't have to be great, cause they're free... :)

>65 Ameise1: we had a bit of drama with the nephew not getting a job he interviewed for, but other than that, so far so good!

>66 connie53: sounds great! I've got the next on reserve at the library.

>67 RebaRelishesReading: yeah, I'm getting that message... :)

69Ameise1
Dic 6, 2015, 2:09 am

Keep my fingers crossed that he is luckier the next time.

70tymfos
Dic 6, 2015, 2:12 pm

I'm another who hasn't read Diveregent...

71laytonwoman3rd
Dic 6, 2015, 3:57 pm

>51 drneutron: Not only have I not read it, but I have no plans to read it.

72Familyhistorian
Dic 7, 2015, 12:51 am

>51 drneutron: >71 laytonwoman3rd: I'm with Linda on that one!

73RebaRelishesReading
Dic 7, 2015, 12:01 pm

Well, actually, so am I.

74scaifea
Dic 8, 2015, 6:34 am

Chiming in to say that I read Divergent and thought it was okay, but I don't really have any thoughts of reading the rest of the series. *shrugs*

75khanPrasad123
Dic 8, 2015, 6:38 am

Questo utente è stato eliminato perché considerato spam.

76drneutron
Dic 8, 2015, 8:56 am

Heh. It seems there's less Divergent love than I thought! :)

77scaifea
Dic 9, 2015, 6:46 am

>76 drneutron: I honestly really enjoyed it up until that last couple of chapters, which took an unexpected (for me, at least) turn. I certainly don't regret reading it, although I still have no desire to continue with the series, because of where it seemed to be heading.

78drneutron
Dic 9, 2015, 3:44 pm

NPR's put up a Book Concierge that's just awesome!

http://apps.npr.org/best-books-2015/

79jnwelch
Dic 9, 2015, 4:19 pm

>78 drneutron: Nice! Thanks for posting that, Jim.

80weird_O
Dic 9, 2015, 8:09 pm

>78 drneutron: Yes. Vera nice. I think I actually read a couple of the books shown.

81scaifea
Dic 10, 2015, 6:50 am

>78 drneutron: Wow, thanks for that! Very cool!!

82EBT1002
Dic 15, 2015, 11:51 pm

>78 drneutron: I just love that and I have a lot of reading to do! :-)

83drneutron
Dic 16, 2015, 11:20 am

105. The Circle by Dave Eggers

1984 updated for 2015. I was less enthralled than I thought I would be, but I liked the ending better than I thought I would. A good, thought-provoking book!

106. The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard

Back in the early 18th century, a group of (mostly) British social outcasts, criminals and out-right scoundrels moved from an unorganized collection of pirates preying on mainly Spanish and French merchants and slavers in the Caribbean Sea to a largely organized, highly democratic (ok, mostly mob-ruled) society based in the Bahamas. This move greatly increased the efficiency and effectiveness of the pirates, and so greatly increased the response from the British government. The Republic of Pirates is the story of the rise and fall of this group. It was decent enough, but got a little tedious at times.

107. Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Second in the Divergent series, and frankly, not as good as I had hoped - this is one of those rare cases where I like the movie better. I'm going to finish the trilogy, but going into the third with a little lower expectations.

84jnwelch
Dic 16, 2015, 12:25 pm

>83 drneutron: I do think the Divergent and Insurgent movies are better, Jim. Roth's writing style is kind of clunky, but the story translates well to the screen. Shailene Woodley really nails it, and it helps to have Kate Winslet as the baddie.

85Ameise1
Dic 19, 2015, 7:50 am

Jim, I wish you a wonderful weekend.

86drneutron
Dic 19, 2015, 5:30 pm

Thanks! And you too!

87drneutron
Dic 19, 2015, 5:36 pm

108. Bedlam Lost by Jack Castle

ER book. Here's my review:

Strangers are arriving in HavenPort, Alaska, with strange gaps in their memories. And almost immediately, some pretty horrific things start happening. So who are these people? Why are they here?

Bedlam Lost is a crisply written work telling a bit of a bizarre story. It's not a masterpiece of horror, but I enjoyed it.

10. The Poetic Edda, translated by Carolyne Larrington

Translation of a manuscript rediscovered in the 17th century, filled with the mythological and heroic poetry of the Norse-Icelandic people. Lots of stories of Odin and Thor, Sigurd and Brynhild, the creation of the world and the coming of Ragnarok. Fun stuff, although if I had to give a short review it would be

Smack talk, then sword fighting. :)

88scaifea
Dic 20, 2015, 7:39 am

I've yet to read the Edda - I need to fix that!

89charl08
Modificato: Dic 20, 2015, 8:36 am

I like the short review. I guess not much really changes...

90connie53
Dic 20, 2015, 12:55 pm

Happy Holidays, Jim!

91drneutron
Dic 21, 2015, 10:08 am

>88 scaifea: I really enjoyed it - the Penguin edition had nice introductions to the poems and end notes.

>89 charl08: Not much. I kept thinking that this could have been two boxers talking trash before a bout. :)

>90 connie53: Thanks! SO far, so good. :)

92BBGirl55
Dic 21, 2015, 10:28 am

Has the 2016 thread gone up yet? Bedlem Lost I like the sound of that.

93drneutron
Dic 21, 2015, 11:15 am

I've been organizing thread texts this morning so I can make the group. I'm thinking later this afternoon I should get it done.

94jnwelch
Dic 21, 2015, 12:31 pm

The Poetic Edda: Smack talk, then swordfighting. Oh, that's irresistible, Jim.

95BBGirl55
Dic 21, 2015, 1:10 pm

#93 ok thank you.

96drneutron
Dic 21, 2015, 1:17 pm

Aaannnnd it's up. amanda4242 and I are in the 2016 group talking to ourselves. Wanna join us?

http://www.librarything.com/groups/75booksin2016

97jnwelch
Modificato: Dic 21, 2015, 2:02 pm

Thanks, Jim! Stars already strewn.

98qebo
Dic 21, 2015, 2:27 pm

>96 drneutron: You're early. I hadn't started checking for it. Also, QA department sez it should be "2016 Threadbook" in the description.

99drneutron
Dic 21, 2015, 2:30 pm

Ack! Will fix it.

100sibylline
Modificato: Dic 21, 2015, 5:26 pm

Interesting that you like the movie better than the books - I listened to Divergent and though I found fault, couldn't stop listening either . . . . it was uneven, I guess, but the story line was very simple and solid, so I can see how it would translate well to a movie.

The third Ancillary book? Oi, what lost planet am I living on? . . . rushes off ...

101Whisper1
Modificato: Dic 21, 2015, 6:02 pm

Mutter's Marvels is one of my favorite reads in 2015. You are reading many wonderful books!

102drneutron
Dic 21, 2015, 8:59 pm

>100 sibylline: I'll definitely finish the series. I think I liked the way they handled the relationship between Four and Tris better in the movies. The books are very angsty. :)

>101 Whisper1: Thanks!

103Carmenere
Dic 22, 2015, 8:18 am

Happy Holidays, Jim, thanks for all you do

104drneutron
Dic 22, 2015, 10:40 am

Ooo, trains! I used to have an HO scale Santa Fe engine just like that.

105AuntieClio
Modificato: Dic 22, 2015, 8:12 pm

Just popping in to say that recently I had lunch with a friend and her freshman college son. As with all teenaged boys, he wasn't especially conversational. Plus, he's an introvert. The topic of The Martian came up and he gave a typical meh shrug and said, "it was okay."

"Well, what didn't you like about it?"

"It left the realm of hard sci-fi and became (unbelievable.)" *shrug*

I very adultly didn't point out that it had been recommended to me by a rocket scientist. I also didn't bother to point out that Andy Weir was a scientist himself and had consulted with NASA on both the book and the movie. Further, I did not ask what part of going to Mars would be real to him?

Aren't you proud of me for not shattering the poor kid's illusions? :-P

106drneutron
Dic 22, 2015, 8:34 pm

You did good! Although there were some spots in the movie that were less realistic than the book. :)

107Ameise1
Dic 23, 2015, 10:42 am



Sorry, also posted it on the 2016 thread. Shame on me.

108laytonwoman3rd
Dic 23, 2015, 12:00 pm



Merry Christmas to you and your family!

109lit_chick
Dic 23, 2015, 1:09 pm

Merry Christmas, Jim! Hope it's full of family and books! Thank you for all of your work to make the 75 Group great!

110ronincats
Dic 23, 2015, 3:11 pm



For my Christmas/Hanukkah/Solstice/Holiday image this year (we are so diverse!), I've chosen this photograph by local photographer Mark Lenoce of the pier at Pacific Beach to express my holiday wishes to you: Peace on Earth and Good Will toward All!

111SandDune
Dic 23, 2015, 3:15 pm



Happy Christmas Jim!

112drneutron
Dic 23, 2015, 9:11 pm

Thanks, everyone!

113Familyhistorian
Dic 24, 2015, 12:30 am



Merry Christmas!

114karenmarie
Dic 24, 2015, 9:55 am

Happy Holidays, doc! I don't post often, but enjoy your threads immensely.

115lkernagh
Dic 24, 2015, 11:06 am

Wishing you the very best this holiday season, Jim!


116EBT1002
Dic 24, 2015, 12:00 pm



Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas, Jim!

117drneutron
Dic 24, 2015, 1:36 pm

>113 Familyhistorian: thanks! That's a really cute card. :)

>114 karenmarie: I'm glad you're enjoying my thread. It's been a good year! And feel free to post anytime. :)

>115 lkernagh: Thanks! I love that picture!

>116 EBT1002: thanks! That's a great winter shot!

118PaulCranswick
Dic 24, 2015, 1:42 pm



Have a lovely holiday, Jim

119drneutron
Dic 24, 2015, 1:43 pm

Thanks! That's great!

120katiekrug
Dic 24, 2015, 2:20 pm



Warm wishes for a magical holiday season, Jim!

121catarina1
Dic 24, 2015, 2:52 pm

Wishing you a happy Christmas, Dr. Neutron, and a year full of wonderful reading. Thank you for managing this thread for us.

122roundballnz
Dic 24, 2015, 3:44 pm

Seasons greetings whatever you celebrate enjoy - smell the roses , slow down, enjoy your time with yours

also like to add my thanks for managing the group .....

123luvamystery65
Dic 24, 2015, 4:19 pm



Merry Christmas

Many thanks for all you do all year long.

124mahsdad
Dic 24, 2015, 8:01 pm

Merry Christmas! Hope its a great one!

125streamsong
Dic 25, 2015, 10:36 am



Thanks for all you do! And may you have a lovely New Year filled with wonderful books and all your favorite things!

126drneutron
Dic 25, 2015, 2:11 pm

Thanks for all the good wishes! Christmas was great - the gumbo was outstanding, Star Wars movie marathon begun!

Plus, Nancy (alphaorder) gave me two fantastic books - Slade House and The Keeper of Lost Causes!

127msf59
Dic 25, 2015, 4:31 pm

Merry Christmas, Jim! I hope you are having a fine holiday with the family.

Those are excellent Swap books, my friend. I loved them both.

128sibylline
Dic 25, 2015, 7:50 pm

We have yet to make it to Star Wars, but marathon sounds like a Good Idea!

Merry Happy from the newest member of the clan!

Tenzing Norcat investigates the tree:

129drneutron
Dic 25, 2015, 8:20 pm

Oh, that's cute! With our previous cat, we used to use fishing line to tie the tree to the ceiling to keep him from knocking it over...

130luvamystery65
Dic 26, 2015, 2:43 pm

>126 drneutron: The Keeper of Lost Causes was excellent Jim. I wish he had kept some of that suspense in the rest of the series but the crew is interesting enough to keep me going with the series.

131Berly
Dic 26, 2015, 4:11 pm


132tymfos
Dic 26, 2015, 8:21 pm


Belated Christmas greetings, Jim.

Thanks for all you do!

133karenmarie
Dic 27, 2015, 11:11 am

#126 - we didn't watch any of the Star Wars movies before going to see the new one. No spoilers - all I want to say is that I'm not a Star Wars fanatic like my husband is, but I really, REALLY enjoyed The Force Awakens. It felt right.

I hope you have a fantastic time during the rest of the holidays.

134Donna828
Dic 27, 2015, 3:45 pm

Jim, thank you so much for providing the leadership to keep this wonderful group in line. The 75ers have become a big part of my life. My wish for 2016 is that I will get to meet more of my fellow readers. I hardly ever get to the east coast but maybe our trips to Denver will coincide next year.

I see the new group is up. I will wait a few more days before I get over there to join in another great year of talking about books with friends. Happy Holidays to you and your family!

135jnwelch
Modificato: Dic 28, 2015, 1:07 pm

Happy Holidays, Jim!

I hope all the Neutrons have been having a good holiday break. :-)

I enjoyed Slade House. I almost think it could be a standalone, without the reader having read The Bone Clocks, although having read the former will bring some depth otherwise missing, especially toward the end.

What was less realistic in The Martian movie versus the book? You've piqued my curiosity.

136drneutron
Dic 28, 2015, 1:20 pm

Hmmm. Guess I should read The Bone Clocks first?

Will use spoiler tags... The ending where the captain is trying to capture Watney, mainly. The physics of their motions wasn't right - it's really hard to get zero gravity action and reaction right in movies. Plus, I'm pretty sure the stresses involved in trying to match velocities would tear things up.

137mahsdad
Dic 28, 2015, 1:52 pm

>135 jnwelch: I read Slade House first and really liked it once I got paste the first second. It just took a little bit to hook me. Started on Bone Clocks right after and had a few aha moments about Slade, but I did not feel I missed anything by reading them "out of order"

Great books either way.

138jnwelch
Modificato: Dic 28, 2015, 2:53 pm

>136 drneutron: Makes sense, thanks, Jim. I did wonder about that one in the movie.

>137 mahsdad: That's good to hear, Jeff. I've recommended Slade House to our daughter, who likes that type of book, but I haven't been sure she'd go for The Bone Clocks. Maybe she will after Slade House.

139drneutron
Dic 30, 2015, 11:00 pm

Last two for the year...

110. First Rider's Call by Kristen Britain

Second in Britain's epic fantasy series. Well written, well plotted, good characters. I'm enjoying the series, plan to keep going.

111. Destiny and Power by Jon Meacham

Over the last few years, I've been reading a biography of each US President, and have managed to find a pretty good one for each up to Carter. And now Jon Meacham had written one about George Herbert Walker Bush (AKA Bush 41).

Bush was an interesting guy - and other than his time as VP and president, I didn't know much about him. On the one hand, he was raised in privilege, but was raised to serve others. He was ambitious and competitive, but didn't like to put himself ahead of others. He was a very good international leader - dealing with the collapse of the Soviet Union and Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, for instance - yet couldn't connect with ordinary Americans and had no real domestic plan.

Meacham had access to Bush's recorded diaries, plus lots of other info, so the picture he paints here is personal and private. Bush becomes more than the characature his opponents presented. Highly recommended.

140katiekrug
Dic 31, 2015, 9:31 am

>139 drneutron: - Good to know the Meacham book is worthwhile. It's a chunkster! I went to a talk he did here at the Bush Library in Dallas with Bush 43 in November - fascinating to hear a historian and a son discuss a former President.

141laytonwoman3rd
Modificato: Gen 1, 2016, 4:44 pm

>139 drneutron: My boss (I guess I need to say "former boss" as of yesterday) has been reading the Meacham bio of Bush père and he found it quite interesting too. I'd like to hear the conversation between Meacham and George W. that >140 katiekrug: refers to. I wonder if it's online somewhere.
EDIT: Found it, or at least some of it. I'm not sure whether this is the whole interview or not.

142drneutron
Gen 1, 2016, 6:21 pm

Oh, awesome. I'll check out the interview when I get the chance!