Now Reading?

[peeker643]

Saw that a while ago. They'll get a 5'5" shit heel like Tom Cruise to play a guy who's 6'6" 240.

Unreal.

[justmebd]

Heading to FL w the family for a week. Gonna be a lot of pool/beer/Kindle time.

Any good suggestions separate from some of the ones in here?

I like King, Koontz, Clancy. Not a big fan of Patterson and the other wanna bes. Prefer fiction thrillers. Mystery/suspense.

Nelson Demille has had a few really good reads, but I have not read his complete works.

[swerb]

Gone Tomorrow officially purchased. Thanks fellas.

Also looking at "Fifth Avenue" by Christopher Smith, another book set in NY. Anyone read it?

David Baldacci? Worth trying one by him?

Still haven't read Under the Dome or JFK by King either.

Also - just finished one of the best books I've ever read in my life. "Intensity" by Koontz. Old school CLASSIC Koontz. Really an amazing book. Was the highest rated Koontz book on goodreads.com I hadn't read, and one of the 4-5 greatest books I've read.

[peeker643]

Gone Tomorrow officially purchased. Thanks fellas.

Also looking at "Fifth Avenue" by Christopher Smith, another book set in NY. Anyone read it?

David Baldacci? Worth trying one by him?

Still haven't read Under the Dome or JFK by King either.

Also - just finished one of the best books I've ever read in my life. "Intensity" by Koontz. Old school CLASSIC Koontz. Really an amazing book. Was the highest rated Koontz book on goodreads.com I hadn't read, and one of the 4-5 greatest books I've read.

Did you read his "Odd Thomas" series? I enjoyed those too. First two more so than last two.

[swerb]

Gone Tomorrow officially purchased. Thanks fellas.

Also looking at "Fifth Avenue" by Christopher Smith, another book set in NY. Anyone read it?

David Baldacci? Worth trying one by him?

Still haven't read Under the Dome or JFK by King either.

Also - just finished one of the best books I've ever read in my life. "Intensity" by Koontz. Old school CLASSIC Koontz. Really an amazing book. Was the highest rated Koontz book on goodreads.com I hadn't read, and one of the 4-5 greatest books I've read.

Did you read his "Odd Thomas" series? I enjoyed those too. First two more so than last two.

I haven't. Not sure why. Reviews on them are great, as are the aggregate rankings on goodreads. IMO, his older stuff is much better than his newer stuff (overall), and I think that combined with the fact its a series and longer time investment is why I've stayed away.

Have read pretty much everything else by him.

His older stuff is amazing. Dude can paint a picture, build suspense, and make paranormal situations seem so GD realistic.

[motherscratcher]

Two books that popped into my head tonight that I think a lot of you guys would like:

The Analyst - John Katzenbach

The Day After Tomorrow - Allen Folsom

I've read a lot of throw away fiction over the years, so much that I've started reading books only to realize sometime after a few pages that I already read them before. Those 2 I didn't forget.

Also, Swerb, if you like Koontz, " The Door to December" is pretty fuckin trippy if I remember correctly.


Edit to add - yeah, I'll bet you'd like Baldacci. I'd be surprised if you disliked him, anyway.

And Justmebd is right, Demille is pretty good. His character John Corey in a lot of his books is a world class smart ass.

[swerb]

Two books that popped into my head tonight that I think a lot of you guys would like:

The Analyst - John Katzenbach

The Day After Tomorrow - Allen Folsom

I've read a lot of throw away fiction over the years, so much that I've started reading books only to realize sometime after a few pages that I already read them before. Those 2 I didn't forget.

Also, Swerb, if you like Koontz, " The Door to December" is pretty fuckin trippy if I remember correctly.


Edit to add - yeah, I'll bet you'd like Baldacci. I'd be surprised if you disliked him, anyway.

And Justmebd is right, Demille is pretty good. His character John Corey in a lot of his books is a world class smart ass.

Thanks Moscratch.

Downloaded these two, Lone Survivor, and Gone Tomorrow. See what I can get through this week.

Appreciate it fellas.

[mattvan1]

Saw that a while ago. They'll get a 5'5" shit heel like Tom Cruise to play a guy who's 6'6" 240.

Unreal.

CDT should play Jack Reacher. Right out of central casting.

[motherscratcher]

Saw that a while ago. They'll get a 5'5" shit heel like Tom Cruise to play a guy who's 6'6" 240.

Unreal.

CDT should play Jack Reacher. Right out of central casting.

I always thought it should be the dude who plays Opie in Sons of anarchy, but yeah, CDT would work.

[e0y2e3]

Lars is taller than CDT and one of two people in existence that makes me feel short.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

There's a lot of people taller than me.

[peeker643]

Lars is taller than CDT and one of two people in existence that makes me feel short.

If CDT is 6'8", Lars isn't taller.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Lars is taller than CDT and one of two people in existence that makes me feel short.

If CDT is 6'8", Lars isn't taller.

6'10"...... imma freak.

[swerb]

Got through 40% of Gone Tomorrow today. Very fun read so far. Reacher is outstanding. Thanks for the rec.

[swerb]

Gone Tomorrow was a highly entertaining read. Really enjoyed it.

Many thanks for the recommendation.

[gotribe31]

Heading to FL w the family for a week. Gonna be a lot of pool/beer/Kindle time.
Any good suggestions separate from some of the ones in here?
I like King, Koontz, Clancy. Not a big fan of Patterson and the other wanna bes. Prefer fiction thrillers. Mystery/suspense.

You might want to try Vince Flynn's "Mitch Rapp" series, Swerb. Bad dude. Very readable. Lots of spy/international intrigue/SEAL team-type stuff. Start with "Transfer of Power" (1999), available as a Kindle download.

Liked it a lot. Liked the prequel just fine too (American Assassin).

But I couldn't freaking take the girlfriend and that entire story in the Third Option. It so annoyed me that I stopped after that one. Unless someone tells me they kill her I can't read any more of 'em.

In case no one has told you yet, they kill her eventually.

[StewieG]

Currently about half-way through:


It is very good.

I take a lot of suggestions I find here and read them when I can. I had a VA trip this week and needed sommething for the flight there and back and for any downtime.

I am NOT a zombie culture guy at all but I saw the book at the library and remembered the recommendation.

This book is not a zombie book. It's a tremendous commentary on politics and media with the zombies as the tie that binds.

Two drugs that were created, one that wiped out common cold and one that wiped out cancer apparently combined to create the zombie virus. Huge Rising, almost apocalyptic, new era starts with crazy groth in disease testing technology, looks at relationships, trust, ratings-driven whores, distrust of mainstream media, "liberal" vs. "religious right" method of dealing with the situation, the whole nine yards.

I can't tell you how well the thing is done. I really enjoyed it when I thought there was no effing way I would. I don't know if the author intended for all of that and to write such an effective allegorical read (at least the first book, anyway) or she wrote a zombie book that turned into this by accident, but I'm already reading the second one on the trilogy, called "Deadline".

Most chapters begin or end (or both) with one of the main characters 'blog post' about what's going on. Those would be worth the read alone.

Very good book.

YMMV

Just finished with the 3rd book in the Trilogy. It was excellent, and Peeks put it much better than I could.

[swerb]

Moving on to "The Analyst" tomorrow.

[peeker643]

Currently about half-way through:


It is very good.

I take a lot of suggestions I find here and read them when I can. I had a VA trip this week and needed sommething for the flight there and back and for any downtime.

I am NOT a zombie culture guy at all but I saw the book at the library and remembered the recommendation.

This book is not a zombie book. It's a tremendous commentary on politics and media with the zombies as the tie that binds.

Two drugs that were created, one that wiped out common cold and one that wiped out cancer apparently combined to create the zombie virus. Huge Rising, almost apocalyptic, new era starts with crazy groth in disease testing technology, looks at relationships, trust, ratings-driven whores, distrust of mainstream media, "liberal" vs. "religious right" method of dealing with the situation, the whole nine yards.

I can't tell you how well the thing is done. I really enjoyed it when I thought there was no effing way I would. I don't know if the author intended for all of that and to write such an effective allegorical read (at least the first book, anyway) or she wrote a zombie book that turned into this by accident, but I'm already reading the second one on the trilogy, called "Deadline".

Most chapters begin or end (or both) with one of the main characters 'blog post' about what's going on. Those would be worth the read alone.

Very good book.

YMMV

Just finished with the 3rd book in the Trilogy. It was excellent, and Peeks put it much better than I could.

Forgot it was coming out in June. Have to grab it although it was only hours ago that I downloaded the first book in the Game of Thrones series.

[motherscratcher]

Anyone ever read Richard North Patterson?

He writes political/law fiction and can be pretty compelling. Also can get a bit preachy but when his characters get into a courtroom it's pretty great. Haven't read any of his books in a while.

If I'm not mistaken I think he's from Ohio (Bay Village?) and went to Case Law.

[swerb]

The Analyst by John Katzanbach, was OUTSTANDING. Highly recommend it. Great book. Hard to put down. Excellent premise and hundreds of pages of intense cat and mouse action.

[jfiling]

Good advice, and a funny read.

[peeker643]

Good advice, and a funny read.

That dude is nuts. I saw a review for this earlier and he's the same guy that wrote about following the bible as literally as possible for a year or two as well.

I'm backed up on the Game of Thrones and 'Blackout' ('Feed' Finale) but I saw this and wanted to read it myself.

[JabbaTheMutt]

I recently finished Confront and Conceal by Sanger. It is about Obama's foriegn policy issues and actions. You may have heard of it since it was recently in the news for reporting that the US and Israel created the Stuxnet worm.

The book is organized into sections about counties. There are sections on Pakistan, Iran, China, and others. Each section goes into a lot of detail about each country's issues vis a vis the US. I found Pakistan section absolutely fascinating due to it's insight into how the Pakistani's try to manipulate the US by leveraging their nuc capability.

While the book is about foreign policy, it is written in a very personable style. For example, the writer had you attending key meeting where issues and actions are discussed. It does not read like a dry text book.

I found the book to be slanted possitively towards Obama but that is to be expected. People who leak information will try to put themselves in a positive light and these leakers are, or were, key players in the Obama Administration. I don't think much of the data came from disgruntled employees. :shrug It was similar to Obama's War in that respect. Keeping this perspective in mind, I think a lot of insight can be gleaned from this book both in regards to the Obama Administration as well as our various foreign policy challenges. I definitely recommend it.

[StewieG]

The Analyst by John Katzanbach, was OUTSTANDING. Highly recommend it. Great book. Hard to put down. Excellent premise and hundreds of pages of intense cat and mouse action.

Just got this the other day, and I'm about a quarter of the way through. Definitely a page-turner.

I've gotten several recommendations from this thread, and I've enjoyed every one of them.

[swerb]

Yes. The Analyst was outstanding.

I just finished The Day After Tomorrow (Allan Folsom) on my flight back from Chicago tomorrow. It was even better.

Big, big ups to moscratch for the recs on those two. Both were amazing books.

[swerb]

Almost done with Calico Joe by Grisham, well worth the read for any true baseball fans. Short, quick read. Story of a fictional player for the Cubs in 1973 (non-fiction everything else about that season, only the player is fictional) that got off to an amazing start to his career before being plunked with a pitch that ended his career.

Very good read. Highly recommend.

[motherscratcher]

Yes. The Analyst was outstanding.

I just finished The Day After Tomorrow (Allan Folsom) on my flight back from Chicago tomorrow. It was even better.

Big, big ups to moscratch for the recs on those two. Both were amazing books.

Yeah, I'v e read a lot of books but those stuck out.

[swerb]

Yes. The Analyst was outstanding.

I just finished The Day After Tomorrow (Allan Folsom) on my flight back from Chicago tomorrow. It was even better.

Big, big ups to moscratch for the recs on those two. Both were amazing books.

Yeah, I'v e read a lot of books but those stuck out.

Based off those two, any other best of the best recommendations you have ... I'd love to hear em. I am totally back in reading mode.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

[Orenthal]

^

Me, ugh...

[FUDU]

[swerb]

[skatingtripods]

Just started that today. I'm not a big reader, but I was a huge fan of Prison Break, which he wrote. Also a writer for Law & Order, Breakout Kings, and won a contest to write a Sopranos episode to get his start.

About 65 pages in. Really entertaining so far.

[danwismar]

Two books by Erik Larson recently...both non-fiction written in a fiction-like narrative style

First the current bestseller "In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin"...

http://www.amazon.com/In-Garden-Beasts- ... ref=sr_1_1

the story of the Dodd family...mild-mannered Chicagoan sent to be the first US ambassador to Hitler's Berlin in 1933. He took wife, his son and daughter..the daughter had affairs with the head of the Gestapo and later, a Russian who turned out to be an intelligence agent for Moscow. Things go from bad to worse...obviously...Excellent.

That prompted me to go back and read Larson's 2004 book "The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America"

http://www.amazon.com/The-Devil-White-C ... pd_sim_b_1

This is a dual track narrative...following the story of the team of architects chartered with designing and building an entire city within a city in just over two years...to house the Chicago World's Fair of 1893...and the doctor/serial killer who schemed to abduct and murder many of the young single women flocking to Chicago at the time seeking work, love and adventure.

Both highly recommended.

But by far the best book I've read in the last year...."Hitch 22" the Christopher Hitchens memoir. Whatever else you think about the guy...and whether you lean right or left politically (he did both)...you have to be amazed at how engaged and fearless the guy was as a journalist.

http://www.amazon.com/Hitch-22-Memoir-C ... ref=sr_1_1

[peeker643]

Two books by Erik Larson recently...both non-fiction written in a fiction-like narrative style

First the current bestseller "In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin"...

http://www.amazon.com/In-Garden-Beasts- ... ref=sr_1_1

the story of the Dodd family...mild-mannered Chicagoan sent to be the first US ambassador to Hitler's Berlin in 1933. He took wife, his son and daughter..the daughter had affairs with the head of the Gestapo and later, a Russian who turned out to be an intelligence agent for Moscow. Things go from bad to worse...obviously...Excellent.

That prompted me to go back and read Larson's 2004 book "The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America"

http://www.amazon.com/The-Devil-White-C ... pd_sim_b_1

This is a dual track narrative...following the story of the team of architects chartered with designing and building an entire city within a city in just over two years...to house the Chicago World's Fair of 1893...and the doctor/serial killer who schemed to abduct and murder many of the young single women flocking to Chicago at the time seeking work, love and adventure.

Both highly recommended.

But by far the best book I've read in the last year...."Hitch 22" the Christopher Hitchens memoir. Whatever else you think about the guy...and whether you lean right or left politically (he did both)...you have to be amazed at how engaged and fearless the guy was as a journalist.

http://www.amazon.com/Hitch-22-Memoir-C ... ref=sr_1_1

The Devil in the White City was terrific. Wanted to start the other one too but still slogging through Books 4 and 5 simultaneously of Game of Thrones. Great books but most marriages don't last as long.

[GodHatesClevelandSport]

This is the Mike Trout of books -- it's better than the hype:



Absolutely loved it. First half was as good as any book I've ever read, and I am a big fan of Richard Russo and John Irving. It's in that class. Second half gets to more traditional thriller in the style of Harlan Coben. Some people aren't happy with the ending, but what I loved about the book is that it is just so well-written -- great imagery, wonderful descriptive lines. It's more of a character study than a plot-driven book, at least in the first half. This is the book getting all the pub this year (next to 50 Shades of Grey). It deserves the hype.

[leadpipe]

Two books by Erik Larson recently...both non-fiction written in a fiction-like narrative style

First the current bestseller "In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin"...

http://www.amazon.com/In-Garden-Beasts- ... ref=sr_1_1

the story of the Dodd family...mild-mannered Chicagoan sent to be the first US ambassador to Hitler's Berlin in 1933. He took wife, his son and daughter..the daughter had affairs with the head of the Gestapo and later, a Russian who turned out to be an intelligence agent for Moscow. Things go from bad to worse...obviously...Excellent.

That prompted me to go back and read Larson's 2004 book "The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America"

http://www.amazon.com/The-Devil-White-C ... pd_sim_b_1

This is a dual track narrative...following the story of the team of architects chartered with designing and building an entire city within a city in just over two years...to house the Chicago World's Fair of 1893...and the doctor/serial killer who schemed to abduct and murder many of the young single women flocking to Chicago at the time seeking work, love and adventure.

Both highly recommended.

But by far the best book I've read in the last year...."Hitch 22" the Christopher Hitchens memoir. Whatever else you think about the guy...and whether you lean right or left politically (he did both)...you have to be amazed at how engaged and fearless the guy was as a journalist.

http://www.amazon.com/Hitch-22-Memoir-C ... ref=sr_1_1

The Devil in the White City was terrific. Wanted to start the other one too but still slogging through Books 4 and 5 simultaneously of Game of Thrones. Great books but most marriages don't last as long.

Devil in the White City was fantastic on a number of levels.

[swerb]

Added Devil in the White City and Gone Girl to my goodreads "to read" list. Keep the reccommendations comin ...

[gotribe31]

I'm going to start reading the "Don't Kill Yourself" book from Wedding Crashers if this Indians season gets any worse.

[Hikohadon]

still slogging through Books 4 and 5 simultaneously of Game of Thrones. Great books but most marriages don't last as long.

4 and 5 are highly meh compared to the first 3. A whole lot of nuttin' goin' on.

[peeker643]

still slogging through Books 4 and 5 simultaneously of Game of Thrones. Great books but most marriages don't last as long.

4 and 5 are highly meh compared to the first 3. A whole lot of nuttin' goin' on.

Still not bad, but they didn't force me to pick them up and finish like first three did. I'm about 80% through them as I read them as one book.

What's status on next one, any idea?

[e0y2e3]

I have no idea what the status is, but I do know that if the wait is going to be too long you could just have mother and gotribe put on their dragon costumes at the next TCF function and run your own version of the show. JB will make a great blonde chick whose name I forget.

[StewieG]

still slogging through Books 4 and 5 simultaneously of Game of Thrones. Great books but most marriages don't last as long.

4 and 5 are highly meh compared to the first 3. A whole lot of nuttin' goin' on.

Still not bad, but they didn't force me to pick them up and finish like first three did. I'm about 80% through them as I read them as one book.

What's status on next one, any idea?

People are guessing 2014 online, but no date has been set yet. FWIW, the author said he wants to get this book done much quicker than the 5th book.

The series is expected to go 7 books, but he hasn't completely closed the door on an 8th if 7 just isn't enough.

[e0y2e3]

Peeker, you can play the troll guy!

[pup]

Peeker, you can play the troll guy!

Thought for sure you had Pros penciled in for that part.

[e0y2e3]

The troll guy in GoT is actually pretty awesome. He's just also really short and has to work hard to overcome his problem.

Sort of like Peeker with his baldness.

[pup]

The troll guy in GoT is actually pretty awesome. He's just also really short and has to work hard to overcome his problem.

Sort of like Peeker with his baldness.

My bad. Break a leg Peeker.

[peeker643]

The troll guy in GoT is actually pretty awesome. He's just also really short and has to work hard to overcome his problem.

Sort of like Peeker with his baldness.

My bad. Break a leg Peeker.

e0y2e3 probably means the dwarf. Dwarves and trolls are two different things. At least that's how moscratcher explained it after boring us with Dungeons & Dragons talk for an hour.

[cozmeesah]

still slogging through Books 4 and 5 simultaneously of Game of Thrones. Great books but most marriages don't last as long.

4 and 5 are highly meh compared to the first 3. A whole lot of nuttin' goin' on.

Still not bad, but they didn't force me to pick them up and finish like first three did. I'm about 80% through them as I read them as one book.

What's status on next one, any idea?

5 isn't bad if you read it on it's own. 4 is very slow if you read it by itself, but I still found it quite interesting.

GRRM said that he expects both Winds of Winter (6th book) and A Dream of Spring (7th book) to run about 1,500 manuscript pages (translates to around 900-1000 print pages) each. So he has 1800-2000 pages in which to wrap up the whole thing. Hopefully that's enough, as I don't know if I want to wait 8-12 years for the end of the story.

HBO's gotta be happy though. They already have 4 more seasons to do with the books that are already out since Book 3 will be mostly split up into Seasons 3 & 4 of the show. Which should be awesomely epic.