What Are You Currently Reading?

This might warrant its own thread, but to get the word out I will start here. If anyone doesn't know, the site goodreads.com is pretty good for keeping track of books you have read and want to read. The iphone app uses the camera to scan the barcode of a book to get its info or add it to your list of read books. It is VERY handy if you consume books like @Freefalling consumes ranch dipped goodies. (I keed I keed). It is also good for seeing what your friends are reading and to get ideas and leave reviews. Worth a gander. To give you an idea of how it works here is my profile. Feel free to friend or peruse:

https://www.goodreads.com/ke4gde
 
Almost half way through "Comrade J: The Untold Secrets of Russia's Spy Master in America After the End of the Cold War" by Pete Earley. Very very interesting read so far...
 
I'm not going to post what I'm reading, because I'd have to post multiple times a day. I'll burn through a 200 page paperback in an hour.

having said that... anything by:

Mark L. Van Name
Neal Asher
James Axler

Axler has the Deathlands/Outlanders series of books, 30+ in Deathlands series alone.
Neal Asher has a pretty bad-ass universe going on, Mark L. Van Name does as well but only has about 5 books out with it so far (Jon and Lobo series)

I'll edit this as I go along.
 
Ehh, I don't know. It doesn't really follow my preferred literary format of regular characters that get built up more in the "prime" series, with some spinoff stories/books that exist in the same mental universe. Plus, I really have to actually look at something in-hand before I'm willing to buy it, solely because I really get pissed off if I spend good money on a shit book given that I read so quickly. It's one thing if it was torturing me for a day or whatever, but when a mocha crapapchinino lasts longer on my desk than your standard paperback.... I'd rather buy a couple quarts of Miller from the gas station down the way than buy a book purely on faith. At least I know I'll get more enjoyment out of a 2 quart of shit beer.
 
Ranger Psych said:
Plus, I really have to actually look at something in-hand before I'm willing to buy it...
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I've got a couple of his books laying around here somewhere. PM me your address and I'll mail you one. I love to share a good read!

Also, this doesn't follow your preferred format either, but if you're after something interesting - like, make you think and work a bit - have you read any Neal Stephenson (I've got spares of my favorite one, Anathem, and I can toss it in with the Reynolds) ?
 
Board and Seize said:
Have you discovered Alastair Reynolds yet? If not, prepare to have your mind blown!
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lol that is an understatement. You had better be into some serious hardcore scifi if you read Reynolds. I have read several of his books and end up getting lost with some of his writing. It is like trying to organize the mind of a schizophrenic composer while balancing tea and shooting a .45 out to a klick. More power to you if you can follow along! lol. I will admit though that some of his universe was very interesting to consider.
 
Board and Seize said:
Also, this doesn't follow your preferred format either, but if you're after something interesting - like, make you think and work a bit - have you read any Neal Stephenson (I've got spares of my favorite one, Anathem, and I can toss it in with the Reynolds) ?
Click to expand...

Neal Stephenson is a good author. I enjoyed Cryptonomicon.
 
Throw in L.E> Modesitt Jr into the mix. The Eternity Artifact is quite a good read.

Annnnddd all the new books are spent. Time to either recycle or otherwise requisition more reading material. Reading at the rate I do is more of a curse than a blessing, considering the cost of books. Maybe it'd be more benefit if a collegiate atmosphere was something I enjoyed, but that's a discussion for another place and possibly an argument against (Given the absurd costs of dry textbooks regularly full of information rendered worthless/inapplicable post grad)
 
Ranger Psych said:
Annnnddd all the new books are spent. Time to either recycle or otherwise requisition more reading material. Reading at the rate I do is more of a curse than a blessing, considering the cost of books.
Click to expand...

If you've got Amazon Prime and a Kindle, there is a huge number of books you can 'borrow' for free. Also, given the cheap price of e-books compared to hard copies, this might be a good way for you to reduce the cost of your habit.

And, not to insult your intelligence, but libraries man. The base libraries got me through what would have otherwise been a pretty dry reading period of about 8 years (try getting decent books on the market in Okinawa, or paying the shipping - ouch!). There's plenty of good (if pulpy) scifi from the 50's and 60's out there in libraries.

I'm sure you've at least encountered them, but the Dune series (original) is great, thought-provoking scifi over a couple of books. More in line with your preferred format is the new series, building the universe, characters, and backstories from the original across many more books.

The Eternity Artifact; added to the list. Sounds interesting.
 
I'm in "past the sticks and through the dunes, Nevada" dude. This is as bumfuck as it gets without banjos, and so's the NAS next door. I would rate the local civ library good enough for work up to 3rd grade, and from what I can tell the base doesn't even have one (no listing under MWR, etc)

We already tried both, my library card just expired because we're better off with netflix and amazon prime for videos plus books.
 
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics by John Mearsheimer. Basis for my next paper.

The preface and introduction alone hook you in, especially as it was published in 2001 prior to September 11.
 
Had this one for a while and just picked it up. It's a series of stories from WW1 to the first Gulf War. Not bad so far but I'm not far into it yet.

The Taste of Battle - Front Line Action 1914-1991 Bryan Perrett
 
If you like alternate history, Harry Turtledove has some interesting books that start from the Civil War and progress through WW2. The series starts on the premise that the South won the Civil War and how the two halves continually warred with each other throughout the next century. Interesting reading. It is called the Southern Victory Series. There is another book (that stands alone) that focuses around a altered timeline where someone from the future goes back in time to the Civil War and supplies the Confederate Army with AK-47s. The Guns of the South.

Just started reading The Lost Fleet: Beyond the Frontier: Steadfast
 
"Practical Shooting" by Brian Enos. I'm only about a third through it, but it's an interestingly different take on a book about shooting. It seems to follow the author's philosophy about shooting and how he got there, so far it borders on something more like "the zen of shooting."
 
busdriver said:
"Practical Shooting" by Brian Enos. I'm only about a third through it, but it's an interestingly different take on a book about shooting. It seems to follow the author's philosophy about shooting and how he got there, so far it borders on something more like "the zen of shooting."
Click to expand...

I read it about a decade ago. Great, great book. His website/ forum is amazing.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/?act=idx
 

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