Literature What are you currently reading?

[Emma JC]

I just read The Book of Longings - Sue Monk Kidd a very interesting take on the life of Jesus during the times of his life that we don't read about in the bible - it is fiction/novel, of course and I liked it...

She is the author of the Life of Bees.

I also read Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel - not sure if someone here recommended it. It is a "plague" book and I quite enjoyed it

also another plague book, it seems to be a theme - The Lightest Object in the Universe by Kimi Eisele - again, very much enjoyed it.

Now reading a new Nora Roberts Trilogoy, only the first one is out so far and I really like it because it combines mythological with every day life - it is called The Awakening.

Enid Blyton is next.... kinda like dessert after a savoury meal.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Lou]

I just started a Gathering of Shadows, book two of shades of magic. and I just got Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes. its a prequel to the hunger games. These are both e-books I borrowed from the library. I also have a Paperback from the library, Too lucky To Live. The e-book are due back in 2 weeks so I'll read them first . I also have an audiobook from Hoopla, the Bomber Mafia, by Malcolm Caldwell. Its non fiction but sounds interesting. I'll take it with me on walks and stuff.

I think I will have two more physical books to pick up from the library this week, too. This is probably too much. Hoopla books are easy to renew. and some of the the physical books from the library are renewable. My reading order is going to be somewhat dictated by how soon they are due.

 

[Chryssie]

I just finished an amazing novel by Jennifer Weiner called "Mrs. Everything." It is a multigenerational story of the women in a Jewish family who lived in Detroit. The book starts in 1950 and ends in 2022. It is a feminist story about the lives of 2 sisters and the trials they went through growing up. Jo is gay and her story is a difficult one which is all too real and contemporary. Bethie is the "good girl" who becomes the lost one for a while. It is an emotional story and I cried a few times. I really liked it and will find other books by this author.

 

[Chryssie]

I started another Tim Dorsey book called "The Stingray Shuffle." I am only a couple of chapters in but already have laughed out loud at the ridiculous humor! I love how many of the places mentioned I can relate to. After that "heavy" book I just finished, I need something light and funny.

 

[Chryssie]

This book is incredibly funny! It is so "over the top" crazy. It is Florida man on steroids. If you enjoy Hiaasen, this guy is twice as crazy and it is just hilarious!

 

[Lou]

This book is incredibly funny! It is so "over the top" crazy. It is Florida man on steroids. If you enjoy Hiaasen, this guy is twice as crazy and it is just hilarious!

I'm pretty sure I have one of his books waiting for me at the library. I should get it tomorrow.

 

[Raven]

I've read a couple books by a new (to me) author Cathryn Grant. The Guest and The Other Couple. I really enjoyed both of them which was good as I have had quite a few books lately that I haven't liked at all. Psychological thrillers with a twist.

The next one up for today is by her as well and called Only You.

 

[juliajhon43]

What you are talking about currently reading in here?

 

[Lou]

What you are talking about currently reading in here?

Hey, this thread is 60 pages long! just scroll up or page back.
But to answer your question

Literature - What are you currently reading?

I just read The Book of Longings - Sue Monk Kidd a very interesting take on the life of Jesus during the times of his life that we don't read about in the bible - it is fiction/novel, of course and I liked it... She is the author of the Life of Bees. I also read Station Eleven by Emily St...

www.veganforum.org

 

[Emma JC]

I am also making my way through the Malory Towers books. They are books written by Enid Blyton about a boarding school for girls set in Cornwall, England. I read those books as a kid and I am enjoying reading them again.

Thank you again @Raven for bringing Enid Blyton to mind - I finished the first and started the second of the Secret Series and it is exactly how I remember them and I am loving them all over again - running away and living in a cave is exactly the theme of the first one LOL.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

 

[Lou]

The Bomber Mafia
By Malcolm Gladwell

I'm listening to the audiobook version. As it turns out this book was conceived as an audiobook. Five hours long. There is a little music and some sound effects. It's like a super podcast. I may have to subscribe to Gladwell's podcast, Revisionist History now.

It's NF and when ever possible he quotes someone he has it read by the actual person. some of the quotes are people who are dead in which case he finds sound bites from newsreels or oral history projects.

It comes with a downloadable PDF, too. the PDF contains photos and other stuff that enhances the experience.

It takes one kernel of history and then explores all the threads that are connected to it. It starts with the story of the Norden Bombsight, and connects that to the formation of the Army Air Corps War College. The instructors at he college are the Bomber Mafia. And then connects that to the bombing of Germany and finally the bombing of Japan.

Fascinating stuff and I like how he explores the unintended consequences of technological innovations.

You can download if for free at Hoopla.

 

[Raven]

I read a book called Greenwich Park last night. I stayed up until 1 in the morning to read the ending. I liked reading it as I know Greenwich well.

Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner

 

[Raven]

Thank you again @Raven for bringing Enid Blyton to mind - I finished the first and started the second of the Secret Series and it is exactly how I remember them and I am loving them all over again - running away and living in a cave is exactly the theme of the first one LOL.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com

I just saw that the Secret 7 books 1-3 are only 99p. I'm buying them.

 

[Lou]

The New Breed
by Kate Darling.

Have started reading it yet. Just heard a book review that got me interested.

Not sure I'll like it. I will let you guys know.
but here is part of a review.

From Booklist

"Just like animals, robots don't need to be a one-to-one replacement for our jobs or relationships," writes Darling, whose work at MIT's Media Lab focuses on robot ethics. "Instead, robots can enable us to work and love in new ways." As clearheaded as that approach sounds, it's really complicated. Thus, even as humans partner with animals who have, for millennia, done our heavy lifting, transported us, fed us, clothed us, even befriended us, we're only now addressing the misunderstanding we brought into that partnership—for example, the specious hierarchy of the animal world that we have constructed, and the often-tragic consequences of that. So it will be in our relationship with robots, says Darling, who lays out in detail the vexing issues—robot rights, robot accountability, our fears of a robot takeover, our deep-seated anthropomorphism that leads to surprising attachments to these machines—more than resolving them. But it's a thoughtful, constructive starting point.​

​

 

[Chryssie]

That sounds interesting. I always really liked Isaac Asimov's robot series of books which were started in the 40's and continued into the 80's. The three laws of robotics should be incorporated into any modern robot.

They are: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. ... A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

 

[Lou]

That sounds interesting. I always really liked Isaac Asimov's robot series of books which were started in the 40's and continued into the 80's. The three laws of robotics should be incorporated into any modern robot.

They are: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. ... A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

in the review they mentioned Asimov. I think the author brings him up too.

But yeah, anyone who has read I, Robot, will be interested in reading this book.

One thing that I think the author discusses is that many of the domesticated animals that we work and play with are considered ethically superior to man. Asimov's robots are also ethically superior to man.

Why Oxen Were The Original Robots In media and pop culture narratives about robotic futures, two main themes dominate: there are depictions of violent robot uprisings, like the Terminator. And then there are those that circle around the less deadly, more commonplace, fear that machines will simply replace humans in every role we excel at. There is already precedent for robots moving into heavy lifting jobs like manufacturing, dangerous ones like exploring outer space, and the most boring of administrative tasks, like computing. But roboticist Kate Darling would like to suggest a new narrative for imagining a better future—instead of fighting or competing, why can't we be partners? The precedent for that, too, is already here—in our relationships with animals. As Darling writes in The New Breed: What Our History With Animals Reveals About Our Future With Robots, robotic intelligence is so different from ours, and their skills so specialized, that we should envision them as complements to our own abilities. In the same way, she says, a horse helps us travel faster, pigeons once delivered mail, and dogs have become our emotional companions. Darling speaks with Ira about the historical lessons of our relationships with animals, and how they could inform our legal, ethical, and even emotional choices about robots and AI.​

Science Friday

Brain fun for curious people.

www.npr.org

 

[Raven]

I'm quite sad that I have read all the Malory Towers books. I did remember the first 6 books well considering I hadn't read them in more than 30 years!

I only have 11 books left on my kindle. The next one up is The Devil's Work - Mark Edwards. He is a British author who writes psychological thrillers.

 

[Chryssie]

I have just finished "The Other Black Girl" by Zakiya Dalila Harris. This book was a Good Morning America Book Club recommendation and kept popping up on all the summer reads lists. It is brand new. It is a debut novel by this author. I am not sure about this book. It is about a young black woman working at an all white publishing company in New York. Another black woman is hired and she thinks she will have an ally but things get really weird. There are twists and turns and mysteries and weird stuff going on. The reviews say it is "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Get Out" combined. I don't know about that but it was different.

 

[Chryssie]

Finished another book, "The President is Missing" by Bill Clinton and James Patterson. It is a political thriller dealing with a very relevant and contemporary issue, cyberterrorism. How do you bring the most powerful country in the world down without firing a single shot? A virus that takes down everything. It was an exciting read and a scary scenario.

 

[Emma JC]

Finished another book, "The President is Missing" by Bill Clinton and James Patterson. It is a political thriller dealing with a very relevant and contemporary issue, cyberterrorism. How do you bring the most powerful country in the world down without firing a single shot? A virus that takes down everything. It was an exciting read and a scary scenario.

I read it too, thanks for the recommendation, oh man.... really does make you want to go and live in the forest, except the forests are burning....

I am waiting for the "The President's Daughter" to become available, same authors.

Emma JC
Find your vegan soulmate or just a friend. www.spiritualmatchmaking.com