What books are you reading for pleasure these days?

I finished this one a couple of weeks ago - “The Republic of Nothing” by Lesley Choyce. This was a recommendation by the late Neil Peart (drummer and lyricist of the band Rush), who was a prolific reader and accomplished author himself. He wrote the afterword to this version too.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting with this book. The setting of Nova Scotia made me think it would be like The Shipping News by E Annie Proulx, which is set not far away in Newfoundland, and also concerns a small maritime community in Canada. I suppose it is similar, but there’s a lot here I wasn’t expecting (the Vietnam War, local politics, the supernatural, eccentric refugees). And there’s certainly plenty of plot and plenty of characters. It’s a quirky sort of book which stays with you after you’ve read it.

Should you be interested, Neil’s other recommendations can be found here, but I warn you it’s a long list …

Neil Peart’s mammoth reading list: The drummer’s favourite books of all time

I worked through the whole list over the course of a few evenings. I knew many of them already, but I selected about four unfamiliar books which looked promising based on the summaries and reviews I found online. This is the first one I've acquired.

-R

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Just read this on recommendation of a friend. While, at times, I found the writing style a little limited, I couldn't put it down.

www.goodreads.com

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot

An extraordinary friendship. A lifetime of stories. Their last one begins here.Life is short. No-one knows that better than seventeen ye...
www.goodreads.com

Now reading Expectations, which was recommended by the author of above.

www.goodreads.com

Expectation

What happened to the women we were supposed to become? Hannah, Cate and Lissa are young, vibrant and inseparable. Living on the edge of ...
www.goodreads.com
 
Just finished the "Murderbot Diaries". 3 quick, light, fun reads. Not great literature, but summer fun reading. Think Marvin the Robot (Hitchhiker's Guide) on his meds and with bodyguard training writing a diary just past his teen angst.

A good break from brain science and coping with personality disorders and building a viable low-cost van living space.
 
Walter Palmer said:
Just finished the "Murderbot Diaries". 3 quick, light, fun reads. Not great literature, but summer fun reading. Think Marvin the Robot (Hitchhiker's Guide) on his meds and with bodyguard training writing a diary just past his teen angst.

A good break from brain science and coping with personality disorders and building a viable low-cost van living space.
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I'm almost done Network Effect.
There are 4 books in the box set (last one is Exit Strategy) plus a full length novel Network Effect and a mid-size novel Fugitive Telemetry. Tor Books also has a free online short story Home: Habitat, Range, Niche, Territory. Murderbot is a great character.
 
I found a hard back copy of this when I lived in Hawaii in the 70's and of course lost in one of my many moves . It was first published in 1894 " I Think" or around there. In the 80's when I lived in Austin Tx. I found a esoteric book store in N.Dakota that said they had a copy mailed $35 and they sent me this fresh off their IBM printer. Paper cover not even drug store paper back quality and the prints are pretty smudged up but never the less , rereading it I realize where the davinci code and a dozen other popular books and movies got there inspiration. It really is a remarkable read.
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Acraftman said:
I found a hard back copy of this when I lived in Hawaii in the 70's and of course lost in one of my many moves . It was first published in 1894 " I Think" or around there. In the 80's when I lived in Austin Tx. I found a esoteric book store in N.Dakota that said they had a copy mailed $35 and they sent me this fresh off their IBM printer. Paper cover not even drug store paper back quality and the prints are pretty smudged up but never the less , rereading it I realize where the davinci code and a dozen other popular books and movies got there inspiration. It really is a remarkable read.
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Aphrodite, spelled backwards ...

"The Da Vinci Code" was almost straight plagiarism of Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln's "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail".
So much for Dan Brown ...
 
John King said:
@agentlossing I read my paperback copy of the LotR until it disintegrated at about 37 times.

I lost count then. I must have read my hardcover version 10-20 times.

This dates from about 1970 something.
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I am on the last book of the LOTR audiobook by Andy Serkis.
Although I am not a big fan of how Peter Jackson rearranged his adaptation, the Gollum character, voiced and live acted by Serkis, is remarkable.
If you have only listened to the older audiobook version, I highly recommend giving this newer version a go. Serkis really brings the characters to life.
He has read the Hobbit too, so that is next one on my list.
 
agentlossing said:
For those who are curious about The Silmarillion but can't get into it, the audiobook available on Audible is quite good. Even if only to listen to all the pleasant Elvish names ;)
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After reading the LOTR and the Hobbit multiple times from early teenage, I was really thrilled with Silmarillion was released. It has since really become my favorite Tolkien book. But I can sympathize with those who find it difficult. It is very dense and keeping track of all the references and names can be challenging, yet rewarding. Seems like the sections about the silmarils and the forging of the rings of power are the basis of the new Amazon adaptation. Trying not to get my hopes up to high for this new series. Amazon really didn't impress me with the first season adaptation of the Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time.
 
donlaw said:
I am on the last book of the LOTR audiobook by Andy Serkis.
Although I am not a big fan of how Peter Jackson rearranged his adaptation, the Gollum character, voiced and live acted by Serkis, is remarkable.
If you have only listened to the older audiobook version, I highly recommend giving this newer version a go. Serkis really brings the characters to life.
He has read the Hobbit too, so that is next one on my list.
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Jackson made a number of unforced errors, and a couple of 'improvements', but, all in all, a remarkable interpretation with which Tolkien would probably have been relatively happy.

Remember, Jackson was an almost unknown, penniless producer when he made The Fellowship of the Ring.
 
John King said:
Jackson made a number of unforced errors, and a couple of 'improvements', but, all in all, a remarkable interpretation with which Tolkien would probably have been relatively happy.

Remember, Jackson was an almost unknown, penniless producer when he made The Fellowship of the Ring.
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Agree, I have enjoyed Jackson’s adaptation many times. He captured the spirit of it all quite well. And the casting was really well done. But as in many adaptations the source material is rich and rereading it highlights some of the missing or rearranged bits.
 
Richard said:
Growing up, I must have read the Hobbit two or three times and the Lord of the Rings five or six. For a long time I listed the latter in my top three books. But something always put me off the Silmarillion, which felt like a 'book too far' to me. I still have that feeling now.

-R
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I read the Hobbit as an adult, and loved it. Then my son loved it too, and I can not think how many times I read it to him when he was young. Struggled with Lord of the Rings though, and couldn't watch the movie - too violent.
 
Rose McGill said:
I read the Hobbit as an adult, and loved it. Then my son loved it too, and I can not think how many times I read it to him when he was young. Struggled with Lord of the Rings though, and couldn't watch the movie - too violent.
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Rose, I have always found it interesting that Jackson saw the LotR as so very violent, which it is in some ways.

I have never seen it that way exclusively. It is so very much more than that.
His view was valid. However, I believe that mine is more so, and far, far deeper.
 
John King said:
Aphrodite, spelled backwards ...

"The Da Vinci Code" was almost straight plagiarism of Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln's "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail".
So much for Dan Brown ...
Click to expand...
John King said:
Aphrodite, spelled backwards ...

"The Da Vinci Code" was almost straight plagiarism of Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln's "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail".
So much for Dan Brown ...
Click to expand...
I guess using the word inspiration was questionable for the davinci code maybe he didn't research back far enough my point on this subject is its based on the freemasons and other secret brotherhoods about 90 years before the book you mention.
 

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