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

[kphoger]

Or, put more clearly, it's a crossover between Harry Potter and Battlestar Galactica where Harry and Ginny arrive on Caprica as Starbuck is retrieving the Arrow of Apollo and they join the fleet on the journey to Earth.  Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione are trying to figure out what Voldemort did so they can rescue Harry and Ginny while trying to figure out how to continue living their own lives.  It's really good and posts a new chapter once a week (this week's adapted "The Passage"), but the author finished writing so the risk of abandonment is minimal.

What was that about Harry Potter going to Starbucks?

[vdeane]

Or, put more clearly, it's a crossover between Harry Potter and Battlestar Galactica where Harry and Ginny arrive on Caprica as Starbuck is retrieving the Arrow of Apollo and they join the fleet on the journey to Earth.  Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione are trying to figure out what Voldemort did so they can rescue Harry and Ginny while trying to figure out how to continue living their own lives.  It's really good and posts a new chapter once a week (this week's adapted "The Passage"), but the author finished writing so the risk of abandonment is minimal.

What was that about Harry Potter going to Starbucks?

Or perhaps I should have written Lt. Kara Thrace - she's a viper pilot and her callsign is Starbuck.

[ZLoth]

I completed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Full-Cast Edition). Oh, what a dark turn of events.

Oh dear, it has been quite a while since I last updated. Okay....

• Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House - (With my mother) This is a good insiders view of the 2024 election election from the June debate, to Joe Biden dropping out of the race and select Kamala Harris, to the final election results. This is a must-read for any politicos.
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Full Cast) - Good drama, I hate Professor Umbridge. I really hate Professor Umbridge.
• A Rare Recording of Ian Fleming and Raymond Chandler - This is the only known audio recording of Raymond Chandler, and he gets to be "interviewed" by Ian Fleming for his 70th birthday courtesy of the BBC. This is an interesting conversation with insight on both author's perspectives. Recording is available through archive.org, and a transcript is also available.
• Don't Need the Whole Dog! - (With my mother) This is a continuation from the first book That Bear Ate My Pants!: Life and Near Death in an Ecuadorian Animal Refuge where the author, a self-described "idiot", returns from Ecuador only to go on a trip to America... but he lost his passport and got an emergency replacement. Then, there is this bright idea of renovating and "flipping" a home, followed by his mis-adventures being part of a yacht delivery crew before he goes off on a Fiji adventure.
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - The sixth book, so we get some more insight on Lord Vortemort. Also, I'm depressed on how this book ended, and can't wait until the seventh book drops on May 12th.

Currently in progress...

• Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections - With my mother. This is a re-listen for me as it gives some insight on how airlines and airports work from a 2013 perspective.
• ENIAC: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World's First Computer - Originally published in 1999, the first half of the book covers some of the pre-ENIAC computers as well as the development of the ENIAC computer during World War II. I'm currently in the second half of the book which covers what happened to the three key people of ENIAC and what happened in making and marketing the post-WW2 computers.

[ZLoth]

Completed the following:

• The Real James Bond: A True Story of Identity Theft, Avian Intrigue, and Ian Fleming - Interesting book about the ornithologist James Bond whose name was stolen by Ian Fleming in 1952 when Ian was having wedding jitters, decided to write a spy novel, and happened on the name on the book Birds of the West Indies by James Bond. It gives details on the two men meeting during a CBC interview as well as a history of bird watching as well as the shooting and stuffing of bird specimens.
• The End of the Road - A short horror story of five college friends who, post graduation, decide to cross America and take a road not on the map. The van, of course, breaks down, and they head to the nearby town for help. I felt it was a bit meh, but it was only an hour long.

I'm now listening to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Full-Cast Edition) which dropped this morning.

[ZLoth]

I'm starting to think the Harry Potter books is in three arcs:

• Books 1-3 - Harry Potter: The Early Years
• Books 4-6 - Harry Potter: The Teenage Years
• Book 7 -  Harry Potter: Nightmare Year

[ZLoth]

From WBEZ Chicago:

E-books and audiobooks are costing libraries an arm and a leg
E-books and audiobooks account for nearly half of the budget at some libraries, but that could change under legislation being considered in Illinois.

Have you ever waited for months to be able to download an audiobook from your local library? Well, there's a reason for that. Libraries don't permanently own e-books and audiobooks. Instead, they have to temporarily license them from publishers and after a set number of checkouts, they have to renew the license.

Say More learns more from the head of a suburban library. Plus, the hosts ask you to weigh in on the popularity of e-books and audio books. What do you like or dislike about e-books and audiobooks? Are there times you'd rather read versus listen to a book?

GUEST: Kate Hall, executive director, Northbrook Public Library

LINK TO FULL AUDIO REPORT

The Illinois bill is Digital Library Protection Act (House Bill 5236).

[elsmere241]

Notes on a Foreign Country: An American Abroad in a Post-American World by Suzy Hansen

[ZLoth]

While real life prevented me from writing up about the books that I completed for the past month and a half, it didn't prevent me from listening to books. Especially when I'm in the pool coping with the Dallas heat.

First up, I completed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Full-Cast Edition). I'm planning on a full write-up of the entire series, so stay tuned.

Next up, since I had two Harry Potter books back-to-back, I listened to The Invisible Spy: Churchill's Rockefeller Center Spy Ring and America's First Secret Agent of World War II by Thomas Maier. From the summary, "The untold WWII story of a former NFL player turned White House insider who worked with Churchill's undercover agents in New York City to conduct the biggest foreign spy operation ever within the US, and inspired Ian Fleming's James Bond, for fans of Ben Macintyre and Erik Larson." These British spy operations were headquartered in Rockefeller Center, and covered the pre-war 1930s as well as World War II. Part of this was to encourage the United States to be involved with the war in Europe. I liked some of the insight into these operations, although I found the post WWII information a bit repetative with the involvement of Ian Fleming. Still, it was a good listen.

Then, I flipped over to Science Fiction comedy Space: 1972 by Bill Oakley which is a direct sequel to Space: 1969 released in 2022. This is one of those "alternative history" novels where the premise is that John F. Kennedy survived the assassin's bullet, pushed the space race into overdrive, and established a moon colony by 1969. The book series outright states that it's "wild and outrageous sci-fi comedy" while I just think it is completely whacked, and it is not afraid to poke fun at itself. You get that idea at the beginning of 1972 and the upcoming theatrical release of Godfather starring Burt Reynolds as Sonny, Bill Bixby as Michael, Dean Martin as Vito, and directed by Roger Corman. Also, Richard Nixon is a manager of a Shakey's Pizza on the moon. You do have to listen to both books in order. I did understand the humor, although some of the humor fell flat.

Since I tend to follow satirical with serious, I listened to Heaven, Hell, and Secret Cow Levels by David L. Craddock. This is a direct followup to the 2016 book Stay Awhile and Listen: How Two Blizzards Unleashed Diablo and Forged a Video-Game Empire, and covers the period of Diablo II development to the point that Blizzard North was effectively dissolved. I loved hearing some of the insider information including the post-release issues of the first Diablo game including exploits that were actively being used by the players, the determination to have more distinct classes, and the long nights of crunch to get the Diablo II completed. Some of the corporate culture clashes between Blizzard North and Blizzard South are also documented as well as the inability for Blizzard North to commit on a new project after Diablo II was released. Good listen.

Finally, I completed James Bond: The Authorised Biography by John Pearson. This fictional book takes the premise that James Bond was not just a figment of Ian Fleming's imagination, but an actual agent for the British Secret Service, and that James Bond and Ian Fleming encountered each other multiple times, including an explanation of why a series of 007 books was actually created in the first place that is extremely plausible. Having listened to all 14 of the Fleming books a year or so ago, this "what-of" book proved interesting, with some new adventures thrown in as well as a little bit of "whatever happened to that Bond girl".

[vdeane]

I'm re-reading Kindred Spirits, a fanfiction crossover between Harry Potter and Sailor Moon.  I've been finding that it's gripping me the same way as it did the first time I read it, which is rare.  The friendship (and later relationship) between Harry and Hotaru is really touching, and I like how the story prefers to summarize sections that remain unchanged from canon rather than spend long periods of time being a "everything is the same as canon except I reassigned some lines to a different character" story.  Although such does mean that the vast majority of the chapters are years 4 and 5, the parts of the story where the fact that it's a crossover with Sailor Moon becomes important (prior to that, it's easy to think that it's just "Harry Potter except Hotaru is there", though the fact that there's more going on is foreshadowed in year 2 and especially year 3).

[ZLoth]

I've started to listen to Master of Puppets by Eric Ugland abouut a Secret Service agent (loaned to the FBI)/Prepper who somehow ended up into another world and turned into a fully functional puppet.

[Ned Weasel]

I just got Street Design: The Secret to Great Cities and Towns, Second Edition:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1119892953

It's huge, and I've only gotten about 50 pages into it, because I just started reading it yesterday. It starts off a bit heavy on the placemaking elements and aesthetics, which are important, even though I'm more into the safety and functionality aspects. I'm looking forward to getting to the part where it goes into Dutch traffic engineering and the work of Hans Mondermon, etc. So far as I've read, it does pay a lot of attention to geometry, so it seems to be appropriately technical.

[elsmere241]

After the Fall: Being American in the world we've made by Ben Rhodes.

[ZLoth]

From The Conversation:

Does it matter what children read, as long as they are reading?

This summer, the National Year of Reading is teaming up with sporting figures including Joe Wicks, Clare Balding and Georgia Stanway to encourage people to read. The initiative, part of the campaign's Summer of Sport programme, links reading activity to major sporting events including Wimbledon, the Fifa Men's World Cup, cricket and Formula 1.

Team captains like Wicks, Balding and Stanway will share book recommendations, discuss how reading has shaped their sporting interests, and encourage audiences to engage with reading in a range of formats.

The idea is simple. Millions of people already care deeply about sport. Rather than asking people to become interested in reading for its own sake, the campaign seeks to connect reading with interests they already have. It is a sensible approach, but it also raises a question that sits at the heart of many debates about reading today: what counts as reading?

FULL ARTICLE HERE

[1995hoo]

We're watching season three of Silo on Apple TV. It's based on a book trilogy by Hugh Howey and a few weeks ago when I had nothing to read, I decided to read the first of the books. It was a fairly quick read despite being 500+ pages and it was interesting to see where the storyline differed from the TV show. I'm now partway through the second book, which is also a fast read so far. It's roughly around the same overall point in the story as the TV show is in the current season, but it's also showing significantly more differences in the storyline, so I'm not overly concerned about too many spoilers. I'm sure I'll finish the trilogy before the final season airs, but so what.

[vdeane]

Does it matter what children read, as long as they are reading?

I mean, that's an obvious yes from certain perspectives.  Children have the literal ability to read, say, Princess of the Blacks, but it's a very bad idea unless you like the idea of them getting mentally scarred for life from the voodoo rituals or answering awkward questions regarding Candyland.

[ZLoth]

Does it matter what children read, as long as they are reading?

I mean, that's an obvious yes from certain perspectives.  Children have the literal ability to read, say, Princess of the Blacks, but it's a very bad idea unless you like the idea of them getting mentally scarred for life from the voodoo rituals or answering awkward questions regarding Candyland.

While I am a believer of free speech and against book bans, I also think that material should be "age-appropriate". Some of the books, such as Ian Fleming's 007 series which were released from 1953 to 1966, are products of their time, and the young adult must be able to keep that in mind... along with the fact that the books do not match the movies.

What is age appropriate? Sometimes you can judge by the book's cover and the summary, others require a deeper dive. At some points, it's a subjective opinion.

[kphoger]

Does it matter what children read, as long as they are reading?

I mean, that's an obvious yes from certain perspectives.  Children have the literal ability to read, say, Princess of the Blacks, but it's a very bad idea unless you like the idea of them getting mentally scarred for life from the voodoo rituals or answering awkward questions regarding Candyland.

Reading the articles in Playboy helps little Timmy improve his literacy.

[kurumi]

I read through Patrick Lee's Breach trilogy: sci-fi thrillers with some handwavy stuff, not all that deep, but Lee is skilled at moving the plot along and getting you interested in what's coming next.

* Hypercompetent MC
* Women who are smart, good with firearms, and more than just a love interest or reward for MC
* Futuristic science doodads that do exactly what the plot needs at the right time
* Political and military intrigue

[bandit957]

One book I'm reading now is 'Nothing Left' by Evan Barker. I'm getting to the part where it might get really good.

[ZLoth]

From The Times via archive.is:

The great audiobook boom — why listening is the new reading
With Hollywood casts and millions of new listeners, Johanna Thomas-Corr investigates how the rise of audiobooks is changing the novel and the future of literature
FULL ARTICLE HERE

[1995hoo]

An article in the Washington Post this weekend mentioned that back in 2004 or so, one of their reporters had written a book about Michael Jordan's ill-fated tenure with the Washington Bullets. I didn't know that book existed and I needed something to tide me over until the end of this month when a book I pre-ordered is due for release, so I bought a copy and am reading it now. It does not exactly paint Jordan in a flattering light, that's for sure, though it also quite rightly points out how dysfunctional the Bullets franchise was (arguably still is). Easy, quick read so far.

[elsmere241]

Weren't they the Wizards by then?

[1995hoo]

Weren't they the Wizards by then?

There's always someone. He did wear this....

[vdeane]

I've been really enjoying the fanfiction Magic and the Machines.  From the summary:

Harry should have realised that Voldemort had some sort of plan. A way to try and ruin his life if he was ever defeated. Still, it was apparent that Voldemort did not truly understand the magic he'd used, or, perhaps, some other force had intervened to set in motion a sequence of events that would become the foundations of history. In any case, Harry was glad he had excellent company along for the journey.

Or, put more clearly, it's a crossover between Harry Potter and Battlestar Galactica where Harry and Ginny arrive on Caprica as Starbuck is retrieving the Arrow of Apollo and they join the fleet on the journey to Earth.  Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione are trying to figure out what Voldemort did so they can rescue Harry and Ginny while trying to figure out how to continue living their own lives.  It's really good and posts a new chapter once a week (this week's adapted "The Passage"), but the author finished writing so the risk of abandonment is minimal.

The last chapter of this story was posted today and I think it's one of my favorites ever.  I think I'm getting inspired to do a full rewatch of BSG at some point.

[Max Rockatansky]

What a second, there is some sort of Battlestar and Harry Potter crossover?  Is this original run of Battlestar or the remake?