[scuttle]

Does anyone use a Kindle and have a review of it from a practical "maybe I'd use it" point of view, and not from some book-fetishist perspective ("I need to smell my books, feel the pulpy goodness, the texture of the glue binding" etc.)?

VERY good question. In a nutshell, based on the latest model:

- Contrast is good if you are reading in reasonably bright light, but still isn't nearly as good as paper - so when the light gets dim you'll have a problem. An LED reading light is a reasonable cure. Get a good one that doesn't have any hotspots or rings , just a nice even light. Unlike a PDA the Kindle screen is gets readable as the ambient light level increases.

- I found the page size was ok for light reading (I enjoyed reading a copy of EE Doc Smith's "Spacehounds of the IPC" downloaded off Guttenberg) but far too small for reading serious books. I realized that as ideas get bigger you need to see more of the page to take them in effectively. (You tend to realize something you misunderstood and scan back at key points, for example.) Reading Bart Ehrman's "Jesus Interrupted" (recommended - terrific book on how Jesus's ideas where modified, hugely, to produce early Christianity) would have been torture on the Kindle.

- Reading most PDFs is a pain because the reader can't reflow them to suit the small screen size. I've been told that if you mail a PDF to your Kindle account for conversion this will get taken care of to some extent.

- The interface is pretty nice; using a Kindle is easy

Given these limitations and the price of and (to me) poor choice in Kindle books, I sent mine back. But I could easily see someone with different priorities going the other way.

[josemas]

I'm someone who likes to bounce around between different things. Since I get so much fiction with comics, I tend to go more with non-fiction (except for the first book on my list).

I like to bounce around between non-fiction and fiction too.  Biographies and history are my favorites in non fiction.  My fiction leans more toward the mystery/crime/thriller genres but I throw in the occasional sci-fi, fantasy, classic, western and what not too.

[scuttle]

I have some friends who are big ORson Scott Card fans. They gave me a book to read but I could not get into it. He did not make me care about his characters and if I can not care about the characters then I can not care about the book.

I could pursue this with you, narf, if you knew the name of the book. Read Ender's Game and then get back to me.

I was assuming from the description that the book WAS Enders Game... The only good Card I've read was a very early novel - "Wyrms"?

[paw broon]

The Cardinal's Blades by Pierre Pevel.  A sort of slightly alternative reality historical adventure set in France at thetime of Cardinal Richelieu.  There are also dragons. 

[Geo (R.I.P.)]

Beneath the Dark Ice by Greig Beck. An Australian writer, this is his first book out. A thriller that take the reader from the surface of cold wind blown Antarctica to a deadly world far below the ice and rock.

Geo

[CharlieRock]

Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
This is another Discworld novel with the main characters being Death, his grandaughter Susan, and a musician that literally has music for a soul.

[josemas]

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card-A really good read!  Very imaginative.  I believe Jim recommended this one to me (only my second Card book) and I send him my thanks.  I'll certainly be looking for the sequel mentioned on the back of the copy I read.

Man of Rock: A Biography of Joe Kubert by Bill Schelly-  I've known Bill from his writing in Alter Ego magazine and from his participation on one of my film comedy forums (Bill's also written a bio on silent film comedian Harry Langdon) so was not surprised to find this a very serviceable bio on one of the top comic book artists of all time (all though I did catch a few minor errors regarding information on the early years of the Kubert School). 

Sunnyside by David Glen Gold-  I think this is another one that Jim recommended to me.  I really wanted to like the book.  It does have a number of wonderfully written vignettes and the early Hollywood setting is certainly of interest to me but of the three main narratives running throughout the book I only found two of them engaging and whenever the author moved to third my interest slowed considerably.  I also found somewhat off-putting the way that Gold uses a number of real individuals (Charlie Chaplin, Lee Duncan, etc...) as main characters but then takes various liberties with the known facts (either from ignorance or for some artistic choice that usually eluded me) to the point where the book, at times, almost seemed like an alternative history novel to me.

Spook Country by William Gibson-Mr. Gibson was another author recommended to me by JVJ and I did like this book a good deal.  It was really hard for me to second guess and it kept my interest right up to the end.  Good job!

American Lightning by Howard Blum-Imagine America hit by a number of terrorist bombings that seem to culminate in the bombing and destruction of the Los Angeles Times building.  Then in the days after, as they are still pulling bodies from the rubble, the bombings start anew!  The manhunt to catch the terrorists escalates before more damage is done or lives are lost!   Sounds like the plot of some modern thriller novel doesn't it?  It does but the interesting thing is that it really happened-a hundred years ago!  Blum weaves an exciting narrative of those events that came to involve one of the county's best known lawyers, a famous pioneering film director and the man called America's Sherlock Holmes!

The Woods by Harlan  Coben-  I can't remember who recommended Coben to me but this particular mystery thriller was well done!  I'll be looking for more from this author.

1491: New Revelations of the  Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann-I believe that I already briefly described this book in a previous post so I won't say much more about it except that I read the majority of it some time ago and then misplaced it and only recently found and finished it.   Now if I could only find that punk rock oral history that I started a decade or so ago!

Best

Joe

[CharlieRock]

The Merchants War by Charles Strauss (Book Four of the Merchant Princes)

[deni]

Like many others I got into more serious reading with ERB's Tarzan then on to John Carter Of Mars, Conan and tons of science fiction from too many authors to name.  Then some in most every other genre.   More recently the computer has devoured most of my free time to read. 

I am currently reading "Zombie Butts From Uranus" to a twelve year old boy with a broken arm.   Now this is not my cup of tea; and I would never think to read this type of 'aimed at juvenile reader' type of book for myself.   But if you can look past the repetitive 'butt' humor,  its actually surprisingly well written.   Before that I read him "Tarzan and the Castaways".   Quite a difference in literary style.

Which sort of brings me full circle.

  I  

[josemas]

Manhunt: the Twelve Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson  Well researched and grippingly written account of the events immediately leading up to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and of the hunt for his killer John Wilkes Booth and Booth's increasingly frantic attempts to avoid capture.  Recommended.

The Hilliker Curse: My Pursuit of Women by James Ellroy   James Ellroy is best known for his crime fiction-in particular the L.A. quartet-The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, L.A Confidential and White Jazz.  I'm a big fan of these books.  He has also written several non-fiction books where he has touched on parts of his early life such as the unsolved murder of his mother when he was a child and his life of petty crime when he was a young man.   This is more along those lines.  I would recommend this primarily to fans of the author.

Flashman on the March by George MacDonald Fraser    It was with a good deal of sadness that I finished reading this book as it is apparently the last Flashman novel written by Fraser before he passed away a couple of years ago.  Still I'm thankful for the dozen that he did write over the years.  For those unfamiliar with the series Flashman is quite a character (nothing short of cad) who manages to get caught up in many of the famous military and political incidents of the 19th century (including the Charge of the Light Brigade and Custer's Last Stand!) and always comes up smelling of roses!  The books are meticulously researched as to historical accuracy (always read the footnotes at the end of each novel) and delightfully written!  While this final entry may not be up to some of his earlier entries such as Flashman, Flash for Freedom, Flashman at the Charge, and Flashman and the Redskins its still head and shoulders above many other new books coming out.

The Girl Who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson   Larsson's worthy followup to his excellent first novel The Girl with the Dragon tattoo with its very unlikely heroine Lisbeth Salander returning.  Since this one ends on a bit of a cliffhanger I'm going to have to pickup the third in the series real soon!

Huey Long by T. Harry Williams   Wow!   The political climate in the Southern United States has really changed since Huey Long's days as a powerhouse in politics.  This is not a new book-it was published a bit over 40 years ago-but it still remains probably the definitive look at this controversial figure thanks to the fact that author Williams' was able to interview so many people who knew and worked with Long when he was alive.

Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile  Some of you may have seen the popular motion picture starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.  Well it's based on this book which goes into a whole lot more detail on how Wilson and co. pulled off what they did!

Best

Joe

[paw broon]

Yesterday, I received the Christmas goodie from ADCCC, which this year is a Desperate Dan collection from the early 50's.  About 20, 1 page strips by the quite wonderful Dudley D. Watkins. :-
http://www.thatsbraw.co.uk/Biog/DDW-Page.htm
  I also recently ordered a variety of newspaper strips from them and have been wallowing in the delights of Jane strips (literally) from the Daily Mirror, very early Buck Ryan strips by Jack Monk from the same newspaper and Jet Ace Logan comics from the Sun comic(1950's)
Some of you seem to be Terry Pratchet fans and I wondered if you had tried the Robert Rankin books.  Especially the East of Ealing trilogy.  Very English, very weird and funny.  The trilogy is up to 6parts now, I think but it's the originals you want  - East of Ealing; The Brentford Triangle; the Antipope (I might have got those in the wrong order)

[Drusilla lives!]

Just finished the last of "The Hand" stories from the Shadow pulp, thus completing all five fingers (which I read in succession)... now I'm starting on the nonfictional "McMafia" by Misha Glenny which I picked up in a bargain bin last week.  I was wanting to read this for some time, great deal btw (hardcover w/dust jacket for $5 USD). 

[JVJ]

My own writings, over and over again. I'm writing and proofing the next issue of ImageS (#12 for anyone that's counting), to the sad detriment of my leisure reading. I still get some pages in of The Gods Are Thirsty by Tanith Lee, an historical fiction of the French Revolution. It's really captivating me (in ways that my own prose certainly is NOT) and helping me understand the sequence of events and the personalities that were involved.

Joe - Greatly enjoyed Dangerously Funny. Thanks for the recommendation. It actually encouraged me to get Karen to order the E DVD releases of The Best of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour - 3rd Season and actually WATCH them all. That's a major concession for me. As it was, I came away unsatisfied. I think it was a mistake to edit the shows. They need to be seen whole to really appreciate them. I saw many of them when they came out and even if they weren't 100% successful 100% of the time, the excerpted format didn't work for me.

The biggest problem I have is the "to be read" PILE of reading material that has accumulated while I work on the magazine and never-ending task of sorting through my parents' estate. My older brother is the executor and I think he's both overworked and both grateful for the help and somehow certain that it means that he's not doing enough fast enough. You can't win...

For the digitally prejudiced, I recommend Lane Smith's It's a Book. You can read it five minutes and remember it for a long time.

Off of the stack and read since last time:

The Spies of Warsaw & The Polish Officer & The Spies of the Balkans by Alan Furst - all very enjoyable WWII stories that take place on the peripheral of the battles and behind the scenes. Furst is excellent at recreating that era and those clandestine characters, who end up being rather normal people thrust into abnormal situations.

Three Stations by Martin Cruz Smith - If you like his Arkady Renko character, Russian police detective featured in Gorky Park (for the video-literate amongst you), then this continues his saga. It helps to have read several of the earlier books in the series as his status and personality are severely formed by the earlier events in his "life".

The Whisperers by John Connolly - good "supernatural" mystery with more focus on the latter than the former. Kept me entertained and guessing.

The Road Home by Rose Tremain - an Eastern European man leaves his mother and his daughter to find work and money in England of today. The life of an itinerant immigrant in London - language, customs, and prejudice up against a strong will and determination. Good story.

The Four-Color Four Color Index (volumes 1-5) and The Giant Dell Giant Index (and Follow Up) by Alan Hutchinson and Gary Brown. Learning about and sharing my little knowledge of Dell artists. This massive project attempts to list every issue and give any known credits. Whew!

Modern Masters Volume Eleven: Charles Vess by Christopher Irving and Eric Nolen-Weathington. Needs no comment from me.

Others on the list calling to me:

Fever Dream by Preston & Child (still haven't gotten there)
Blood Hunt by Ian Rankin - another non-series book. We'll see.

Eva Moves the Furniture - from the

[narfstar]

Some list Jim. The Gods Must be Thirsty sounds like something I would like as I enjoy historical fiction that gives you insight into the thinking of the people. After having watched I Claudius I really liked reading this book. I tried wading through Claudius the God but it just did not catch me. I recommend the Eagle and the Raven set from the English perspective during the reign of Claudius in Rome. The Alan Furst books also sound good as I enjoy David Morrell.

[josemas]

Jim-Glad you liked the Smothers Brothers book.   Regarding the DVD collections being edited-while I haven't seen them I suspect they're having the same problem that has plagued releases of most other comedy/variety shows-clearing the music rights on the guest performers.   Apparently this has lead to big increases in the expense of putting out collections of such shows causing some planned collections to be canceled and others to be edited.

I haven't read a Martin Cruz Smith book in years.  I think the last one I read was only so-so and I just never got back to him.  Maybe time to give him another chance.

I read the Spiderwick Chronicles series that Tony DiTerlizzi co-wrote a couple of years back.  An enjoyable series for younger readers.  Is this new book of his more along those lines?

I read Crichton's Eaters of the Dead decades ago.  IIRC, it's his variation of the Beowulf story.  I know I also read Congo but can remember nothing about it.

I also love those book sales and used book stores.  We have a small store at my library where they sell off both library discards and donated books.  I've picked up many books there including numerous graphic novels and strip collection-quite a few in the $1-3.00 range.  Best recent buy there was 20 of those Archie Double Digests for 10 cents apiece!

Best

Joe

Thanks for the heads up on those Dell Indexes.  Sounds like great reference material!

[josemas]

Some list Jim. The Gods Must be Thirsty sounds like something I would like as I enjoy historical fiction that gives you insight into the thinking of the people. After having watched I Claudius I really liked reading this book. I tried wading through Claudius the God but it just did not catch me. I recommend the Eagle and the Raven set from the English perspective during the reign of Claudius in Rome. The Alan Furst books also sound good as I enjoy David Morrell.

Narf-I remember seeing the 13 episode I Claudius back in 1977 when it first ran on Masterpiece Theatre.   I was so impressed that I soon after read Robert Graves' two Claudius books (as well as several of his other books) and that lead to reading numerous non fiction books on Roman history and even some of the original Roman historians such as Suetonius and Tacitus.
I also felt that Claudius the God wasn't up to I, Claudius.  You may have noticed that the majority of the TV adaptation was based on the first book and they only used the best parts of the second book for the final episodes.

Best

Joe

[narfstar]

Joe you should read the take from the other side THE EAGLE AND THE RAVEN by Pauline Gedge.

Spanning three generations, this historical novel tells the tale of Boudicca, the most famous warrior of ancient Britain, and Caradoc, the son of a Celtic king, who sets out to unite the people of the Raven and lead them against Rome. Caradoc's objective is not easily accomplished as the Roman army advances into Britain, raping Celtic women and burning villages to the ground. His efforts are also met with fierce opposition from Aricia, the vain queen of a northern tribe who swears allegiance to the Romans after Caradoc slights her, and from Gladys, Caradoc

[JVJ]

Read The Eagle and The Raven many moons ago, narf. No recollection of it. Still have the book filed in my Leo and Diane Dillon dust jacket section. I notice that I have Gedge's Child of the Morning and The Twelfth Transforming, her novels of ancient Egypt shelved beside Eagle - also with Dillon covers. I think I read those as well.

I, too, saw I Claudius back in the '70s and also got the books and read them. Again, too many paragraphs under the bridge to reconstruct my thoughts. Sorry.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

printing and proofing, printing and proofing....

[josemas]

Joe you should read the take from the other side THE EAGLE AND THE RAVEN by Pauline Gedge.

Spanning three generations, this historical novel tells the tale of Boudicca, the most famous warrior of ancient Britain, and Caradoc, the son of a Celtic king, who sets out to unite the people of the Raven and lead them against Rome. Caradoc's objective is not easily accomplished as the Roman army advances into Britain, raping Celtic women and burning villages to the ground. His efforts are also met with fierce opposition from Aricia, the vain queen of a northern tribe who swears allegiance to the Romans after Caradoc slights her, and from Gladys, Caradoc

[narfstar]

I never read I, Claudius just watched PBS. I have never been able to read a book after watching the movie. I can read the book first then watch the movie. Like most, I would find the book better but just can not read one after a movie. I like historical fiction that is heavy on facts and gives me a good take on the perspective and feel of the individuals. I love analyzing my own thinking and the thinking of others. I like to know the why of why people do things.

I really hope to be able to teach a couple years in Europe after I retire in the US. I want to live among the people more so than just visit tourist traps.

[narfstar]

Went to the used book store today got some more Civil War historical fiction for my wife. Picked up
The Gods Are Thirsty by Tanith Lee for me and my wife might read it after me. Thanks for the recommendation Jim

[JVJ]

Went to the used book store today got some more Civil War historical fiction for my wife. Picked up
The Gods Are Thirsty by Tanith Lee for me and my wife might read it after me. Thanks for the recommendation Jim

You're welcome, Joe,
I just hope you like it and please remember (recommendation-wise and review/spoiler-wise) that I'm STILL in the middle of it. I am SO worn out at the end of the day I haven't been able to "hit the books" like I used to.

Just finished the LAST page of ImageS #12 and have printed out a proof of all but the last two pages. Things progress. Now I need a new ISSN and some color corrections and, and, and...

and on top of EVERYTHING else, ONE of Karen's 13 year old twin nephews is spending the next two weeks with us as a "trial separation" from his brother. Hmmm.

I quit for today! Time to READ.

Peace, Jim (|:{>

[josemas]

Despite the usual hectic Holiday season I did manage to get a few books read.

I am the New Black by Tracy Morgan with Anthony Bozza  A slim somewhat enlightening moderately entertaining memoir from the SNL/30 Rock comedian.

Resolution by Robert B. Parker   I really liked Parker's early mysteries but after a while they became real hit and miss and I found myself reading him less and less then this past year someone suggested I should try his recent westerns and I picked up Appaloosa and I found it to be a nice lean, mean return to form.  This followup is nearly as good.  Maybe he just needed a change of pace to recharge his batteries.  Unfortunately he passed away before he got too far into this genre (IIRC he only finished one more western before his death).

A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O'Reilly  Bill O'Reilly is not someone I think I would like to meet or whom I particularly care to watch on TV but I do invariably find something to enjoy in his books. Maybe its our shared background in parochial education.

Under the Dome by Stephen King   I've enjoyed King's books since the 70s but sometimes I really feel he needs an editor.  This book (which is a sort of long Outer Limits meets the Lord of the Flies sci fi tome) is a prime example.  There are just too many scenes that seem like the "deleted scenes" on some DVDs.  Scenes that were deleted for good reason.  Usually because they slowed the flow without adding substantially to the story.

The Weird World of Eerie Publications by Mike Howlett  Mike Howlett gets so jazzed up in writing about his fondness for these sleazy Myron Fass horror publications that you can't help but get carried along with it to a degree even if you never cared much for them when they were being published.  He's also done a yeoman's work tracking down the original story sources for the many, many pre-code horror sources that Fass and co. ripped off when they were seeking story sources.  Highly recommended!
.
Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith   Jim's earlier mentioning of Smith had me going back to revisit the author.  This one (the first in the Arkady Renko series) was almost as much of a cold war flashback as the Ian Fleming Bond novels I was reading earlier in the year so I checked out the original publication date which turned out to be 1981 (although it was obviously written before the 1980 Soviet action into Afghanistan) which interestingly enough was the same year that Stuart Kaminsky premiered his long running and somewhat similar Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov series.  Anyway it was a good read and I'm up for another go round with Arkady!

JEFFERSON AND HIS TIME Volume V: JEFFERSON THE PRESIDENT: SECOND  TERM 1805-1809 by Dumas Malone    I've been reading this massive Pulitzer prize winning, six volume series off and on for about a year and a half now (which is considerably less than the three and a half plus decades it took Malone to write it) and expect to have it done a little later this year.   I'm looking forward to the final volume where Jefferson and Adams, as old men, mend their hostlities toward each other and rebuild their friendship of younger days.

Best

Joe

[narfstar]

Weird World of Eerie is on my want list

[JVJ]

Hey, Joe,
Glad you liked Gorky Park. I just read the latest in the Arkady series, and, unlike King, "Three Stations" is tautly edited. Not my favorite of the series, but still a good read. (I haven't picked up a Stephen King book since I read his unexpurgated version of "The Stand.")

There are some other authors who seem to have forsworn editors, much to their detriment, I believe. High on the list is Tad Williams. I really like his stories, but they are SO overly descriptive and complex that his recent Shadowmarch trilogy turned into four books with the final volume the thickest of the batch. Sigh... And I'm enabling him by buying them.

Neal Stephenson's last book was SO overwritten that I have given up on him. I'll think two or three times before checking out whatever he does next. And I think his "Cryptonomicon" is probably the best book of the '90s. How the mighty have fallen...

I, too, gave up on Parker years ago. Never have been a fan of westerns, so I'm unlikely to revisit his new milieu.

I've got the Myron Fass Eerie book coming from Bud Plant. He was supposed to drop it by today, but a late start (he lives about 275 miles away) and a scheduling conflict mean that I'll see him on Thursday instead.

Recently read Bill Bryson's "At Home" and loved it! Subtitled "a short history of private life," in it he wanders through his 19th century English house and muses historically on what he finds. A fascinating way to learn about things we take for granted daily.

Finished "The Gods are Thirsty" which, though fictionalized history, gave me a much better understanding of the French Revolution and its primary proponents. I developed a new respect for Tanith Lee from this book. Surprise!

Haven't quite managed to get to the end of "Count Giger's Blues", Michael Bishop's "take on the modern myth of the superhero" (the blurb which inspired me to take a chance on it). His writing may have improved since this was written (mid-'90s if I remember right), but I'm unlikely to chance another and probably won't finish this.

Have you seen the new book on Harvey Dunn by Walt Reed? A student of Howard Pyle and a major influence, as a teacher, on the illustration art of the 1940s and 1950s, this had over 300 illustrations in color. Gorgeous and Reed's commentary is primarily on the art, after a brief but interesting bio of the artist. Published by my friend John Fleskes of Flesk Publications, it is a marvelous addition to the lexicon of art history books.

Am halfway through "Of Comics and Men" - an unexpected gift from Blastaar - which is proving to be a heavy read. Translated from the French, it's "A Cultural History of American Comic Books" and is a ponderous as its title. But it IS interesting and surprisingly (so far) free from errors. I can't tell you how many books on comics I've begun only to discard them (sometimes quite violently) due to the gross negligence of the authors.

And, for anyone who cares, The Vadeboncoeur Collection of ImageS #12 is out. See "Product Overview" at jvjpubs.com.

Happy New Year everyone and keep reading.

Peace, Jim (|:{>