What book are you reading, and what do you think of it?

[hbelkins]

I put my reading of Geddy Lee's book on hold because I got a notice that my digital download of a library book loan on which I'd placed a hold was ready. I read the first few pages last night and I have 21 days to read the whole thing before I either have to "return" the book or renew the loan.

The Democrat Party Hates America by Mark Levin.

And no, I'm not intentionally trying to get the thread locked. That's the name of the book.

[ZLoth]

I'm going through the James Bond series in book order, and Moonraker is the third book. The first two books, Casino Royale and Live and Let Die, have a significant resemblance to the actual movie although, as you have noted, significant omissions as well. Moonraker, on the other hand, lacks that. Also, all of the James Bond novels came out between 1953 to 1966, while only the first four James Bond movies (and the Casino Royale TV episode) came out during that time period, and thus the significant time jump.

I also went in with the assumption that what I was about to "read" (listen to) was going to be significantly different than what I saw in the films.

From Collider:

Every James Bond Novel by Ian Fleming, Ranked According to Goodreads

Ian Fleming is the most influential writer of spy fiction. His signature creation, James Bond, is the archetype of the fictional secret agent: suave, sharp, armed with high-tech gadgets, and deadly with a gun. 007's adventures tend to be larger-than-life and even a little ridiculous, but Fleming manages to ground them in reality, perhaps because of his experiences as a naval intelligence officer during World War II. His approach resonated with readers: Bond quickly became a hit and, later, a cultural icon.

Despite being a product of the 1950s and 1960s, with the Cold War in full swing and World War II in recent memory, the character has proved itself to have impressive staying power, continuing to charm audiences today. Indeed, there is must speculation over who will be chosen as the next actor to take on the secret agent's mantle. Those waiting impatiently for the next Bond film could do worse than to check out some of the books. Here are all of the Fleming Bond novels, ranked by the users of the book review site Goodreads.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

FWIW.... Moonraker is listed as the fifth best book, while Live and Let Die is ranked as the eleventh best book (out of fourteen). Live and Let Die is certainly a book of 1954, and has elements which would be considered inappropriate today.

[1995hoo]

I am reading Wrath of the Sun, the sixth and final book in the "Lords of Alekka" series by A.E. Rayne. The series is the sequel to the same author's "Furyck Saga," another six-book series I read a year or two ago. Fast-moving and entertaining stuff, though some people might feel there is too much violence. The author says she is fascinated by the Vikings (although she lives in New Zealand), and that's apparent from how many of the characters have Norse-looking names.

I'm at a loss for what I'll read next.

I posted the above in early 2023. Ms. Rayne now has another sequel series, "Fate of the Furycks," and I'm currently reading the third book in that series (I don't know how many books she has planned). This one focuses on the characters from her original six books, the Furyck Saga, and I'm kind of wondering whether at some point she'll tie the two stories together in more than a passing manner.

[bandit957]

I'm about to start on Chap Petersen's book.

[ZLoth]

I finished The Midnight Library a few days ago. It has a big of a Quantum Leap feel to it. Now, I'm listening to Esther Diamond, Book 4: Vamparazzi.

[ZLoth]

Unfortunately, my mother and I punted Disaster! A History of Earthquakes, Floods, Plagues, and Other Catastrophes, and instead listened to Bear Bloopers which is a companion book to the two Bear in the Back Seat books while driving to West, Texas and back. Now, we're on Now I Know More: The Revealing Stories Behind Even More of the World's Most Interesting Facts.

[ZLoth]

I personally completed Esther Diamond, Book 4: Vamparazzi and am now on Play by Play - Inside the NFL's Greatest Moments which was released yesterday. And it's short.

[ZLoth]

Completed Play by Play - Inside the NFL's Greatest Moments... recommended if you are a NFL fan and some insight on some famous plays including "The Catch".... ironically now between the two teams I'm geographically close to.... San Francisco 49ers (from where I lived in Sacramento) and the Dallas Cowboys (where I live now). What gets forgotten is that there was one minute left to play and Dallas could have scored. There was that pass to Dallas's Pearson that was brought down by 49er's Wright, but I could swear that was a horse collar that is now considered a personal foul as of 2005.

This was followed by Car Talk Classics: Four Perfectly Good Hours. Then, A Spy's Guide to Thinking a pretty good if short listen.

[bandit957]

I finished Chap Petersen's book.

[ZLoth]

My mother and I finished Now I Know More: The Revealing Stories Behind Even More of the World's Most Interesting Facts on Monday, and have moved on to The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket. Meanwhile, I have started on the celebrity performance of Ian Flemmings' Diamonds are Forever.

[ZLoth]

I finished the celebrity performance of Ian Flemmings' Diamonds are Forever. Unlike the movie, the diamond smuggling operation is the major plot point, with no satellites to be spoken of.

[ZLoth]

Another short book completed: Esther Diamond, Book 5: Polterheist. Okay book.

Meanwhile, my mother and I are working through The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket. This is an interesting book about the grocery store.

[ZLoth]

Now listening to Storm Kings: The Untold History of America's First Tornado Chasers. Interesting listen, although I'm still in the mid-1800s in the book progress.

[Ned Weasel]

I just finished reading Killed by a Traffic Engineer by Wes Marshall (https://www.amazon.com/Killed-Traffic-Engineer-Shattering-Transportation/dp/1642833304).  I'm surprised I haven't found any mention of it in this forum yet.  It provides a great amount of clarity regarding bad choices many traffic engineers have made over the decades, leading to poor safety outcomes, especially for the most vulnerable road users (pedestrians)--and how we need to revise old practices and so-called "standards" in order to provide better safety outcomes.  This book really makes me want to get serious about learning what makes good, safety-focused traffic engineering for all road users (not just cars).  I also found it somewhat more focused and optimistic than Charles Marohn's book, Confessions of a Recovering Engineer, which deals with many of the same topics. 

[Rothman]

I wonder how many young engineers get that cherished job at a consulting firm only to realize that transportation projects have public and elected official input and fiscal constraints which affect the scopes of the projects; and then realize that the sponsor or state call the shots as to what the project will entail and the firm is only to deliver the intended project.

[ZLoth]

Just finished

Storm Kings: The Untold History of America's First Tornado Chasers. This really covered the early years of weather forcasting from colonial times, the establishment of the Army Signal Corps as weather providers, the transfer to civilian authorities and the resulting problems, to the establishment of the F scale for tornadoes, and the key people being some of the tornado debates. The "modern" storm chasers are only covered in the book's epilogue.

Next up... Bond: Behind the Iron Curtain. This should be a short yet interesting listen.

The Book Collector presents Bond: Behind the Iron Curtain, written and read by James Fleming. The story starts with the full-page attack on James Bond, Ian Fleming and the film of Dr No that appeared in the Russian daily paper, Izvestiya, even before the film had been released.

"Who is Mr Ian Fleming, the creator of this—to put it mildly—rubbish?" The whole Bond phenomenon is attacked as pornography, capitalist filth and anti-socialist poison. Here, translated into English for the first time, you will also hear the long Russian critique of the Bond films by Maja Turovskaya published in 1966, and the extremely interesting account that appeared in Prague the following year of Sean Connery's rise to fame. A bonus is the Bulgarian attempt to publish a novel in which Bond was killed.

If you want to know about the "bourgeois inferiority complex" that was the standard party line to mock anyone who enjoyed the adventures of James Bond, this is the audiobook for you.

[/list]

[hbelkins]

I just "borrowed" It's Hard For Me to Live With Me, the memoir written by Rex Chapman.

Chapman was always my least-favorite Kentucky basketball player, and his social media presence is equally obnoxious. I wanted to read the book to see what he was prattling on about, but I refused to pay good money for it, so I borrowed a digital copy from the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives.

From what I've read so far, he confirms why I never did care for him, and I'm only to the point in the book where he has enrolled at UK.

[ZLoth]

I borrowed a digital copy from the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives.

What's wrong with borrowing a digital copy? I know that Hoopla which is available through libraries and schools has a digital book lending problem.

Meanwhile, I did complete Bond: Behind the Iron Curtain which was a short (3 hour) listen. It was what about I expected.... negative reviews from the soviet bloc about that double-oh fictional spy. Only a die-hard bond fan should read this book, and for $5, I didn't lose much money.

[hbelkins]

I borrowed a digital copy from the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives.

What's wrong with borrowing a digital copy? I know that Hoopla which is available through libraries and schools has a digital book lending problem.

Nothing's wrong with it. It enables me to read a book that I don't want to pay good money for and don't want to keep for my collection. Someone else has already paid for it so I don't have to.

[ZLoth]

Completed Esther Diamond: The Misfortune Cookie and listening to Car Talk: Field Guide to the North American Wacko. I'm still trying to get the full titles and air dates of the four shows, and all I can figure out was that disc 4 is "The Dispersion Principle: Male Answer Syndrome Strikes Again — August 2007"

Addendum: So, I figured out the show dates... as they are part of the end credits. But, not the CD titles assigned to the first three shows...

• July 21, 2007: Show #0729
• July 28, 2007: Show #0730
• August 4, 2007: Show #0731
• The Dispersion Principle: Male Answer Syndrome Strikes Again — August 11, 2007

[elsmere241]

Just finished Blood Money: The story of life, death, and profit inside America's blood industry by Kathleen McLaughlin, and More than I imagined: What a black man discovered about the white mother he never knew by John Blake.

[ZLoth]

Completed Esther Diamond: The Misfortune Cookie and listening to Car Talk: Field Guide to the North American Wacko. I'm still trying to get the full titles and air dates of the four shows, and all I can figure out was that disc 4 is "The Dispersion Principle: Male Answer Syndrome Strikes Again — August 2007"

Addendum: So, I figured out the show dates... as they are part of the end credits. But, not the CD titles assigned to the first three shows...

• July 21, 2007: Show #0729
• July 28, 2007: Show #0730
• August 4, 2007: Show #0731
• The Dispersion Principle: Male Answer Syndrome Strikes Again — August 11, 2007

The list of CDs are, courtesy of Highbridge Audio:

• Remember That Time Your Car Blew Up, Dad? — July 21, 2007
• Dave From Bemidji: Best. Roadtrip. Ever. — July 28, 2007
• Death Valley Dinesh and Other Hot Tales. — August 4, 2007
• The Dispersion Principle: Male Answer Syndrome Strikes Again — August 11, 2007

Anyways, I listened to Esther Diamond: Abracadaver which completed out the series as it was originally published November 25, 2014.

As for my mother and myself, we finished off The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket today. It's one of those "How the sausage is made, and it's dirty secrets" involving the food and grocery industry.

[ZLoth]

My mother and I took a road trip on Wednesday, and after blasting through NPR Road Trips: National Park Adventures which is just a 67 minute compilation of NPR reports involving national parks, we are now halfway through Now I Know: The Soviets Invaded Wisconsin?! ...And 99 More Interesting Facts, Plus the Amazing Stories Behind Them.

Meanwhile, I just started on the celebrity performance (reading) of From Russia With Love, this time with Toby Stephens.

[bandit957]

Another good book lately is 'The COVID Consensus' by Toby Green and Thomas Fazi.

[ZLoth]

Just finished From Russia With Love. The first third of the book is titled "The Plan" and involves planning to kill bond which is just the beginning of the actual film version.