What are you reading now?

[Scottysize]

I'm on Cross my Heart. It's the 3rd to last book in the Alex Cross series written by James Patterson. Should finish this one by the end of the week and move on to Hope to Die.

 

[Fid]

For the dystopian sci-fi readers out there...
I've been reading Afterloop by Jaims Brown. It is very fun, and I love the tech involved.
I know, I haven't been here in a while, but I really loved the iPhone app. Getting on in the browser is cumbersome, but I still love all of you. - fid

 

[J. A.]

Jochen Krautz, Kompetenzen machen unmündig
I need it for tomorrow's meeting.

 

[J. A.]

Brilliance, by Marcus Sakey

 

[twerppoet]

Just finished "Abaddon's Gate" by James S. A. Corey. Third book in The Expanse series.

 

[giradman]

Well, I was active on a book thread in the Good-Music-Guide Forum but just stopped posting there - I read a lot of books on the iPad and buy fewer 'real' paper books anymore - also I read virtually only non-fiction, so expect some possibly 'boring' posts - BUT - let me look on my iPad to see what is there @ the moment - I'm typically on a half dozen books at a time - as I've aged my 'attention span' has shortened so hard for me to sit down for an hour or more and read one book - will post some of my current reads soon - please let me know if this is a 'fiction-only' thread - if so, then I'll bow out - Dave

 

[giradman]

OK - let me post some recent computer related books that I've read and are all up to date for those who may want to learn more about their iDevices, El Capitan, & Apple networking:

iPhone: the Missing Manual (Dec 2015) - David Pogue - yet another release by this phenomenal prolific author - covers iOS 9 for any iDevice w/ special additions for the phone.

Take Control of iCloud (Nov 2015) - Joe Dissell - excellent coverage of iCloud and all of its features!

OS X - El Capitan (Nov 2015) - David Pogue - yet another Pogue update in the 'Missing Manual' series - if you own an Apple Mac computer and have updated to this OS X, then a recommendation!

Your Apple Wi-Fi Network (Nov 2015) - Glenn Fleishman - well, if you have Apple equipment including one of their AirPort routers, then this is the book for you! Dave
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[scifan57]

Well, I was active on a book thread in the Good-Music-Guide Forum but just stopped posting there - I read a lot of books on the iPad and buy fewer 'real' paper books anymore - also I read virtually only non-fiction, so expect some possibly 'boring' posts - BUT - let me look on my iPad to see what is there @ the moment - I'm typically on a half dozen books at a time - as I've aged my 'attention span' has shortened so hard for me to sit down for an hour or more and read one book - will post some of my current reads soon - please let me know if this is a 'fiction-only' thread - if so, then I'll bow out - Dave

Members have been posting about non-fiction books they've read since 2011. They're as welcome as any fiction books.

 

[giradman]

Members have been posting about non-fiction books they've read since 2011. They're as welcome as any fiction books.

Thanks Scifan.. for the welcome to this thread - have not really looked back, so will continue to post here about some of my recent non-fictional reads - Dave

 

[Mickey330]

Just finished the 6th book in The Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne, "Hunted." There are eight published books in the series (the eighth was just published and there will be nine total). So, I have to re-read the series to re-familiarize myself with the series. And, they are just as good as I remember!

Here is the synopsis so anyone can see if it's something they wish to read:

The series is set in our world (the first couple of books are set in a nicely researched Tempe, Arizona) where supernatural creatures exist, such as witches, vampires, werewolves, demons, elementals as well as various deities from many mythologies. The entire series is told in the first-person point of view and in the beginning is told exclusively by Atticus O'Sullivan (aka. Siodhachan O Suileabhain), a genuine Druid who owns and runs an occult bookshop, Third Eye Books and Herbs, as he gets embroiled in the day-to-day struggle of Gods and Goddesses and other supernatural creatures.

One of my favorite series that I can't recommend enough.

Marilyn

 

[J. A.]

Ascension by Terry Schott

 

[giradman]

Several books finished a month or so ago:

Ralph Peer & the Making of Popular Roots Music (2014) by Barry Mazor - synopsis quoted below from Amazon. Peer traveled throughout the south and southwest and eventually into Mexico and South America - one of his most famous recording ventures were the Bristol Sessions in 1927 - Bristol is a city on the Tennessee-Virginia border about 2 hrs drive for me - during those sessions, he recorded Jimmie Rodgers (considered the Father of Country Music and first of the initial 3 inductees into its Hall of Fame) and the Carter Family - pretty much the start of recorded country music. This was an excellent book and recommended if you have an interest in this music.

Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt: The Complete History of Presidential Drinking (2014) by Mark Will-Weber - second synopsis quoted below also from Amazon. In visiting the gift shop of James Monroe's Ash Lawn Estate last fall, I saw this book and on my return home bought a Kindle edition. If the description below is of interest, then highly recommended. Dave

This is the first biography of Ralph Peer, the adventurous—even revolutionary—A&R man and music publisher who saw the universal power locked in regional roots music and tapped it, changing the breadth and flavor of popular music around the world. It is the story of the life and fifty-year career, from the age of cylinder recordings to the stereo era, of the man who pioneered the recording, marketing, and publishing of blues, jazz, country, gospel, and Latin music.

The book tracks Peer’s role in such breakthrough events as the recording of Mamie Smith’s “Crazy Blues” (the record that sparked the blues craze), the first country recording sessions with Fiddlin’ John Carson, his discovery of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family at the famed Bristol sessions, the popularizing of Latin American music during World War II, and the postwar transformation of music on the airwaves that set the stage for the dominance of R&B, country, and rock ’n’ roll.

Stroll through our country’s memorable moments—from George Washington at Mount Vernon to the days of Prohibition, from impeachment hearings to nuclear weapons negotiations—and discover the role that alcohol played in all of them with Mark Will-Weber’s Mint Juleps with Teddy Roosevelt: The Complete History of Presidential Drinking.

As America transformed from fledgling nation to world power, one element remained constant: alcohol. The eighteenth century saw the Father of His Country distilling whiskey in his backyard. The nineteenth century witnessed the lavish expenses on wine by the Sage of Monticello, Honest Abe’s inclination toward temperance, and the slurred speech of the first president to be impeached. Fast forward to the twentieth century and acquaint yourself with Woodrow Wilson’s namesake whisky, FDR’s affinity for rum swizzles, and Ike's bathtub gin. What concoctions can be found in the White House today? Visit the first lady’s beehives to find out!

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[J. A.]

I've started a new book:
The Sorcery Code, by Dima Zales
I've read his Mind Dimension series within just a few days, I expect this one to be just as captivating.

 

[giradman]

Well being new to this thread, just catching up on some of the books I've read recently - the two below (synopses from Amazon) are related to the transition of the newly formed USA after the Treaty of Paris (1783) from the rather feeble Articles of Confederation to the adoption of the Constitution of the USA - during this decade George Washington was a crucial participant and both of these books clearly show how important his presence was in this process - for those interested in the first USA president and in the evolution of the American Constitution, then both are highly recommended. Dave

After leading the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War, George Washington shocked the world: he retired. In December 1783, General Washington, the most powerful man in the country, stepped down as Commander in Chief and returned to private life at Mount Vernon. Yet as Washington contentedly grew his estate, the fledgling American experiment floundered. Under the Articles of Confederation, the weak central government was unable to raise revenue to pay its debts or reach a consensus on national policy. The states bickered and grew apart. When a Constitutional Convention was established to address these problems, its chances of success were slim. Jefferson, Madison, and the other Founding Fathers realized that only one man could unite the fractious states: George Washington. Reluctant, but duty-bound, Washington rode to Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 to preside over the Convention (2015). - Edward Larson

The Quartet is the story of this second American founding and of the men most responsible—George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison. These men, with the help of Robert Morris and Gouverneur Morris, shaped the contours of American history by diagnosing the systemic dysfunctions created by the Articles of Confederation, manipulating the political process to force the calling of the Constitutional Convention, conspiring to set the agenda in Philadelphia, orchestrating the debate in the state ratifying conventions, and, finally, drafting the Bill of Rights to assure state compliance with the constitutional settlement.

Ellis has given us a gripping and dramatic portrait of one of the most crucial and misconstrued periods in American history: the years between the end of the Revolution and the formation of the federal government. The Quartet unmasks a myth, and in its place presents an even more compelling truth—one that lies at the heart of understanding the creation of the United States of America (2015). - Joseph Ellis

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[giradman]

At present, I'm reading about a half dozen books on my iPad - seem to be unable to just concentrate on one for a long time and go back & forth - SO, a change of pace - two recent books on wine, both published in 2015 and authors well known to me.

Grapes & Wines: A Comprehensive Guide to Varieties and Flavors by Oz Clarke - now, I have the older editions of both books shown; Clarke is a prolific wine writer and I've owned many of his books over the years - as the Amazon synopsis below states, this is a book which concentrates on grape varieties - the major ones have much expanded coverage regarding their origins & current geographic distribution - the author has other books (including a number of atlases) that look more at specific geographic wine areas - highly recommended if your goal is to learn more about the tremendous variety of grapes used throughout the world to make wine.

The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil - long awaited second edition (first published in 2001) w/ MUCH updated information - this is a more overall general introduction to wine, grape varietals, and wine regions - second Amazon synopsis quoted below. This would be the current book that I would suggest to a 'novice' starting in wine, but there is plenty of information for more experienced enophiles (or winos - ) - now, if you want to really concentrate on one or several wine regions, such as France or California, then there are plenty of books directed at specific wine regions (e.g. in my travelogue to the New York State Finger Lakes district, I showed a book there just for that area).

I've been a wine fan & consumer since the late 1960s and maintained a basement corner cellar that once had over 700 bottles on wine - my interest has wained and am now down to just a hundred or so bottles - Dave

What do you taste in wine? Why do you taste it? Consumers have changed the way they think and learn about wine, approaching the subject by going back to its origins: the grape. This expanded and updated edition of Oz Clarke's highly acclaimed award-winning guide explores the world's greatest grapes and the wines they make. Containing vivid descriptions of 350 grape varieties in an easy-to-use A-Z format, it looks at wine history, places, people, styles, and flavors, and offers hundreds of recommendations. Beautiful botanical illustrations plus more than 550 photos, maps, artworks, wine labels, maturity charts, and an appellation decoder make this a volume that's both attractive and informative.

Like a lively course from an expert teacher, The Wine Bible grounds the reader deeply in the fundamentals while layering on informative asides, tips, amusing anecdotes, definitions, glossaries, photos (all new for this edition), maps, labels, and recommended bottles. Karen MacNeil’s information comes directly through primary research; for this second edition she has tasted more than 10,000 wines and visited dozens of wine regions around the world. New to the book are wines of China, Japan, Mexico, and Slovenia. And through it all the reader becomes ever more informed—and, because of the author’s unique voice, always entertained:

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