Landshark5's Books for 2011

Charlas75 Books Challenge for 2011

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Landshark5's Books for 2011

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1Landshark5
Editado: Ene 7, 2012, 2:07 pm

ticker re-purposed to 2012 challenge

Books Read in 2011 :

1. Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
2. Futures: 50 Years in Space: The Challenge of the Stars by David A. Hardy and Patrick Moore
3. B-17 In Action by Steve Birdsall
4. Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne
5. The Mad Scientists' Club by Bertrand R. Brinley
6. Freaky Future by Mark Frary
7. The Company by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge narrated by Jonathan Davis
8. The Things That Make Me Weak and Strange Get Engineered Away by Cory Doctorow
9. Stiff by Mary Roach
10. The Ruins Of Gorlan by John Flanagan
11. Rift: Telara Chronicles by Ricardo Sanchez and Pop Mhan
12. Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
13. The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan
14. Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
15. Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey
16. Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey
17. Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey
18. The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey
19. All The Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
20. Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett
21. The Dolphins of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
22. Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett
23. Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett
24. The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson narrated by Jennifer Wiltsie
25. Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson
26. Necromancer by Gordon R. Dickson
27. Under The Ocean To The South Pole by Roy Rockwood
28. MAD's Spy Vs Spy/Follow-Up File by Antonio Prohias
29. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints by Donald J. Sobol
30. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis narrated by John Cleese
31. Pick Up What Things? by Bill Keane
32. Pasghetti And Meat Bulbs! by Bill Keane
33. Methuselah's Children by Robert A. Heinlein
34. Saga of the Old City by Gary Gygax
35. The Ethical Engineer by Harry Harrison
36. Earth Alert! by Kris Ottman Neville
37. The Cosmic Computer by H. Beam Piper
38. Space Prison by Tom Godwin
39. Artifact of Evil by Gary Gygax
40. Dawn for a Distant Earth by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
41. The Silent Warrior by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
42. In Endless Twilight by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
43. Old Man's War by John Scalzi
44. The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
45. The Last Colony by John Scalzi
46. Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi
47. The Brick Moon and Other Stories by Edward Everett Hale
48. Who Controls The Internet by Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu narrated by Bob Loza
49. Death of a B.E.M. by Berkeley Livingston
50. How We Lost The Moon by Paul McAuley narrated by Kerin McCue
51. A Case of Identity by Arthur Conan Doyle
52. The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett narrated by Stephen Briggs
53. I Was a Teenage Secret Weapon by Richard Sabia
54. Stand By For Mars by Carey Rockwell
55. You Might Be A Zombie And Other Bad News by Cracked.com
56. Time For The Stars by Robert A. Heinlein
57. The Skylark of Space by E.E. "Doc" Smith
58. Skylark Three by E.E. "Doc" Smith
59. A Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich narrated by Ralph Cosham
60. Vampires v Zombies! by BBC Radio 4
61. Carry On, Jeeves! by P.G. Wodehouse narrated by Frederick Davidson
62. Ordeal in Space by Robert A. Heinlein
63. Dune by Frank Herbert narrated by ensemble cast
64. The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life writen and read by Steve Leveen
65. Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
65. Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
66. All Cats Are Grey by Andre Norton
67. Plague Ship by Andre Norton
68. The Cartoon History of the Universe Volume One by Larry Gonick
69. The Cartoon History of the Universe Volume Two by Larry Gonick
70. The Cartoon History of the Universe Volume Four by Larry Gonick
71. The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey
72. Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie
73. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
74. The Physics of Star Trek by Lawrence Krauss narrated by Larry McKeever
75. Alaska Bush Pilots In The Float Country by Archie Satterfield photos by Lloyd Jarman

2Landshark5
Editado: Ene 8, 2011, 9:40 pm

Welcome! Happy Holidays!

Hi. I'm Jeff (Landshark5) and this is my 2011 challenge thread. This is my third year doing the challenge.

Placeholder for intro message

Landshark5's Books for 2010
Landshark5's Books for 2009

3alcottacre
Dic 23, 2010, 3:46 am

Glad to see you back again! Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

4drneutron
Dic 25, 2010, 9:16 pm

Welcome back!

5ronincats
Ene 2, 2011, 7:17 pm

Happy New Year!

6dk_phoenix
Ene 2, 2011, 11:05 pm

I'm often tempted to hum the theme music to Jaws when I open your thread... or maybe just shouting "JAWESOME!" would be a bit more appropriate...

7Landshark5
Ene 4, 2011, 4:33 pm

#3
Had a nice holiday season. Always nice to see the family. Hope you enjoyed your holidays as well. All the work you do to keep up with everyone and make them feel welcome is part of why this is my favorite LT group. Thanks.

#4
Thanks for the welcome and thank you for all your work on organizing the group and keeping it fun.

#5
Happy New Year right back at you. Welcome to my new thread.

#6
The Jaws theme is appropriate to so many situations, as long as you aren't afraid to swim in the (rather shallow) waters of my thread.
Haven't seen that one before. When my new laptop arrives, I'll have to see if I can find any Street Sharks episodes online.
Let's see, cartoon wise, more Jabberjaw (No Respect).
My original inspiration, Candygram.

8Landshark5
Ene 4, 2011, 4:57 pm

Book 1
Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham
Theo Boone, 13, wants to be a lawyer and knows everybody at the courthouse. Obvious setup for a series. Quick, fun read.

9Landshark5
Ene 7, 2011, 4:23 pm

a last second decision
In the spirit of trying something new, I'll participate in the Jan 7-8 read-a-thon

starting time : 3:23
book : Futures: 50 Years in Space: The Challenge of the Stars by David A. Hardy and Patrick Moore
starting page : 36

10Landshark5
Ene 7, 2011, 5:01 pm

Time : 4:00
Book : Futures: 50 Years in Space: The Challenge of the Stars by David A. Hardy and Patrick Moore
Page : 57

11Landshark5
Ene 7, 2011, 6:00 pm

Time : 5:00
Book : Futures: 50 Years in Space: The Challenge of the Stars by David A. Hardy and Patrick Moore
Page : 87

12Landshark5
Ene 7, 2011, 6:15 pm

oh yeah, the 1st hour meme

1. Where are you reading from today? home :P
2. Three facts about me:
I started eating salt and vinegar potato chips in college (no one else liked them) because they didn't disappear on me.
I love sour patch kids.
I'm a very private person.
3. How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours? none specifically, hundreds generally
4. Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on threads)? no goals, read what I can
5. If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, any advice for people doing this for the first time? first timer

13Landshark5
Editado: Ene 7, 2011, 7:19 pm

Finished
Time : 5:57
Book : Futures: 50 Years in Space: The Challenge of the Stars by David A. Hardy and Patrick Moore
Page : 112

Book 2
Futures: 50 Years in Space: The Challenge of the Stars by David A. Hardy and Patrick Moore
Science/Art/Astronomy book. Nice book, beautiful pictures. Because this is a revisit of an earlier book, the differences between what was believed then and now is interesting. Since the book was written in 2003, Pluto was still a planet and even more changes have happened since.

14Landshark5
Editado: Ene 7, 2011, 8:01 pm

starting time : 6:23
book : The Man Who Lied To His Laptop by Clifford Nass
starting page : 60

15Landshark5
Ene 7, 2011, 8:03 pm

Time : 7:00
Book : The Man Who Lied To His Laptop by Clifford Nass
Page : 68

taking a break to watch the Cotton Bowl

16Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 1:02 am

Time : 12:00
Book : The Man Who Lied To His Laptop by Clifford Nass
Page : 80

17Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 2:02 am

Time : 1:00
Book : The Man Who Lied To His Laptop by Clifford Nass
Page : 93

18avatiakh
Ene 8, 2011, 2:55 am

You are doing pretty well on this readathon.

19Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 3:03 am

#18
Thank you, although the reading seems pretty slow at times.

Time : 2:00
Book : B-17 In Action by Steve Birdsall
Page : 15

20Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 3:32 am

Finished
Time : 2:30
Book : B-17 In Action by Steve Birdsall
Page : 54

21Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 4:00 am

Time : 3:00
Book : The Man Who Lied To His Laptop by Clifford Nass
Page : 95

22Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 4:05 am

12th hour meme

1. What are you reading right now?
The Man Who Lied To His Laptop by Clifford Nass

2. How many books have you read so far?
Two.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-Thon?
Haven't planned my reading out.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day (or the hours you're spending with us)?
Not really.

5. Have you had many interruptions?
Yes.
How did you deal with those?
Grumpily.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-Thon, so far?
How little reading I'm getting done when you add up all the interruptions.

7. Are you getting tired at this point?
Yes.

8. Do you have any tips for other readers, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Nope.

23Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 5:01 am

Time : 4:00
Book : The Man Who Lied To His Laptop by Clifford Nass
Page : 102

24alcottacre
Ene 8, 2011, 5:30 am

#22: 7. Are you getting tired at this point?
Yes.


Sounds like maybe a sleeping break might be in order, LS!

25Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 5:52 am

#24
too true.

Finished
Time : 4:50
Book : Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne
Page : 40

26alcottacre
Ene 8, 2011, 6:29 am

So, are you going to take one? :)

27Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 11:06 am

#26
I got like three hours of very fractured sleep over the last five hours :(

Next time I'm dreaming of special precautions like a shark filled moat and armed guards to stop interruptions before they get to me.

28Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 12:00 pm

Time : 11:00
Book : The Mad Scientists' Club by Bertrand R. Brinley
Page : 27

29Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 1:01 pm

Time : 12:00
Book : The Mad Scientists' Club by Bertrand R. Brinley
Page : 76

30Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 2:02 pm

Time : 1:00
Book : The Mad Scientists' Club by Bertrand R. Brinley
Page : 110

31Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 3:00 pm

Time : 2:00
Book : The Mad Scientists' Club by Bertrand R. Brinley
Page : 140

paying more attention to the bowl game than reading at the moment

32Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 4:02 pm

Time : 3:00
Book : The Mad Scientists' Club by Bertrand R. Brinley
Page : 168

The End-of-Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
13th hour 3-4am for me

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a reader engaged next time?
recommendations are really individual to the reader

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the next read-a-thon?
not sure

4. How many books did you read?
Five

5. What were the names of the books you read?
Futures: 50 Years in Space: The Challenge of the Stars by David A. Hardy and Patrick Moore
The Man Who Lied To His Laptop by Clifford Nass
B-17 In Action by Steve Birdsall
Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne
The Mad Scientists' Club by Bertrand R. Brinley

6. Which book did you enjoy most?
The Mad Scientists' Club by Bertrand R. Brinley

7. Which did you enjoy least?
The Man Who Lied To His Laptop by Clifford Nass

8. How likely are you to participate in another read-a-thon?
very likely at some point

33Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 4:32 pm

24 hour read-a-thon
last second decision to participate
started 30 minutes late
took a 4 hour break to watch one bowl game
another 4 hour bowl game with time split between game and reading
took a 5 hour break for sleep
another 2 hours worth of various breaks
got in 6 1/2 hours of reading over the 24 hour period
lots of small interruptions or I would have got more reading time in
the longer I've been up, the higher the brain candy quotient should be
Stasia's cheerleaders brought a smile to my face every time they showed up
more thoughts later

34alcottacre
Ene 8, 2011, 5:11 pm

#27: Next time I'm dreaming of special precautions like a shark filled moat and armed guards to stop interruptions before they get to me.

I like that idea!

35Landshark5
Ene 8, 2011, 9:37 pm

Some more thoughts on my first read-a-thon. Comments are on my experience, not the read-a-thon as a whole.

Time stamps and page markers are great for keeping track of pages read but don't really say a whole lot about what was going on.
Not having anything specific planned does not mean there will be no interruptions, actually blocking the time out should cut some of those down.
If I'm going to try another 24 hour stretch, I need to rest beforehand.
At one point I looked at all my books and had trouble picking a new one up because several looked interesting.
Have a pile of easy fiction reads prepared ahead of time.
I looked at some people's threads for breaks from book reading. More thread reading and posting would make it more social, but cut into book reading time and some might not want the interruptions. How to balance?

36Landshark5
Ene 12, 2011, 11:23 pm

catching up on past activity.

Book 2
Futures: 50 Years in Space: The Challenge of the Stars by David A. Hardy and Patrick Moore
I picked this up as a used (and therefore cheap) space book I didn't have. I only realized I had a David Hardy space art book after I started it. Yay! Bonus. A rework of an earlier book, I found the astronomical differences between versions interesting. Great artwork.

Book 3
B-17 In Action by Steve Birdsall
Appropriate for a young kid who is interested in planes or military machines. I picked this up as a bargain bin purchase as anything involving B17s is of interest as my grandfather crewed a B17.

Book 4
Winnie The Pooh by A.A. Milne
A late night read-a-thon pick where I chose based on easy to read and a mental palate clearer before I got some sleep. An eternally entrancing children's book.

Book 5
The Mad Scientists' Club by Bertrand R. Brinley
A Christmas gift wish-listed on an LT recommendation. YA boys' adventure. A quick, fun, very enjoyable read.

Seem to have ended up with a kids theme for the beginning of the year.

37dk_phoenix
Ene 13, 2011, 9:29 am

RE: Winnie the Pooh: An eternally entrancing children's book.

Isn't that so true! A lovely, simple statement.

38alcottacre
Ene 14, 2011, 8:26 am

#37: Aw, I was going to say that! You stole the words right off my keyboard, Faith!

39Landshark5
Feb 1, 2011, 9:56 am

Argh, Only February and behind already.

#37, 38
Thank you. Occasionally a book inspires the right words to come from even me. I need to read more kid's books. They remind even a skeptic why we have some faith in humanity.

Book 6
Freaky Future by Mark Frary
Subtitled Over 1,500 Facts and Predictions For Tomorrow's World, it is little snippets looking into the future. It ranges from pie in the sky to serious extrapolations and road maps of today's technologies, often side by side with no effort to differentiate between them. Very quick and somewhat interesting, but very shallow.

40Whisper1
Feb 2, 2011, 12:44 am

Hi There

I'm compiling a list of birthdays of our group members. If you haven't done so already, would you mind stopping by this thread and posting yours.

Thanks.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/105833

41Landshark5
Editado: Feb 8, 2011, 1:47 pm

Book 7
The Company by John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge narrated by Jonathan Davis
Looks at the history of the joint stock company. I listened to sections of this on longer car trips leading to a fractured experience and that may be why I never truly got into this history. There were tidbits that I found interesting, but overall I'll rate this one okay.

Book 8
The Things That Make Me Weak and Strange Get Engineered Away by Cory Doctorow
Free ebook download released under creative commons. Take the war on terror and the surveillance state and extend them and you have this story. More of a short story that makes you think on a subject than a narrative you enjoy. Another okay, nothing bad about it, but nothing great either.

42Landshark5
Feb 8, 2011, 2:05 pm

So, what little free time I've had lately has been used up playing around with setting up my new laptop and I'm a couple of weeks behind on LT. Have to set some time aside to try and catch up.

#6
So my first attempt at looking up Street Sharks led me to the series in Italian. I'm a computer languages, not people languages guy so no help there. With some looking I found a site with the first couple of episodes available along with several other cartoons. Okay, didn't really grab me, but now I'll know the reference. And the site has several other old cartoons so a cool find.

#40
Hello yourself and thank you for stopping by. As I listed on the birthday thread, September 16th. I'm not big on listing personal information online, but I already posted it to the Green Dragon a couple of years ago and information posted on LT hasn't led to spam or silliness yet.

43mamzel
Feb 8, 2011, 3:13 pm

>41 Landshark5: I really enjoyed Doctorow's book Little Brother which he also made available on line.

44Landshark5
Feb 8, 2011, 7:11 pm

Cory Doctorow is a big proponent of the creative commons system so many of his stories are available for free online. I have a couple of his books in my TBR pile. I grabbed this story based on the title since I like Future Soon.

45alcottacre
Feb 9, 2011, 5:30 am

Congrats on the new laptop, LS!

46Landshark5
Feb 19, 2011, 5:31 pm

Book 9
Stiff by Mary Roach
Subtitled The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, this is Roach's first book. I read her fourth and latest book, Packing For Mars, last year and loved it. Based on Mars and the multiple compliments I'd heard, I favorited her and started picking up her other books like Stiff. The book looks at dead bodies and the various uses and ways of dealing with them. Don't know whether this was because it was the first book or the subject matter, I found the book less focused and the humor more forced. I noticed that only one case of modern western crime involving bodies was mentioned. All the other crimes involving bodies were historical or took place in Asia or other places far away. I'm sure that figuring out the balance between information and humor and respect and discretion was interesting. Not quite to the level of Packing For Mars IMO, but another excellent book from Mary Roach.

47alcottacre
Feb 20, 2011, 12:39 am

#9: Not quite to the level of Packing For Mars IMO, but another excellent book from Mary Roach.

I agree with that assessment, LS. I cannot wait to see what she tackles next.

48dk_phoenix
Feb 20, 2011, 12:06 pm

>42 Landshark5:: Haha... yeah, it wasn't exactly what anyone would call a "good" cartoon... "crap awful" is more accurate, I think... :D

49Landshark5
Feb 25, 2011, 8:29 pm

Book 10
The Ruins Of Gorlan by John Flanagan
First book in the Ranger's Apprentice series. I picked this up when I saw it on sale as a first of a series test. YA, it was a fast, easy read for me and I will pick up others in the series, if I see them at the right price, for light reading. Okay for what it is.

50Landshark5
Mar 3, 2011, 6:50 am

Book 11
Rift: Telara Chronicles by Ricardo Sanchez and Pop Mhan
A graphic novel/compilation of comics based on the back story of the new MMO Rift. Really of little interest except to those who play the game.

51Landshark5
Mar 12, 2011, 2:00 pm

Book 12
Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
I found the book alternately amusing and annoying. I disliked Alcatraz, in his authorial voice, and the interruptions and digressions. Ignoring the writing style, I found the story silly and enjoyable. I was put in mind of an improv setup where comics are trying to incorporate subjects yelled out at random by an audience and I consider this part of the story successful. I'm not sure how I feel overall about the book.

52ronincats
Mar 12, 2011, 5:43 pm

>51 Landshark5: That is EXACTLY how I felt about the Alcatraz book. I really got annoyed at the authorial voice--it may have worked in the Lemony Snicket series, but I did not like it here!

53jadebird
Mar 12, 2011, 7:30 pm

Interesting. I may have to bump Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians down on my to-read list.

54Landshark5
Mar 13, 2011, 1:39 pm

Book 13
The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan
Second book in the Ranger's Apprentice series. Quick read, fun, YA fantasy.

Still behind on LT, but I've managed some reading time.

All three Borders in the Austin area are closing. Found a few books, but the stores are being picked clean quickly.

55Landshark5
Mar 13, 2011, 1:41 pm

>52 ronincats:
Opinions on Lemony Snicket? I liked the movie A Series of Unfortunate Events. The books aren't officially on the wish list, but they are ones I may pick up at some point.

>53 jadebird:
Not sure what to tell you about Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians since it has decently high ratings and even though the Alcatraz as author talking to the readers is annoying IMO, I kind of want to find out what happens in the series. I'm still of two minds and don't have an overall opinion of the story.

56jadebird
Mar 14, 2011, 7:48 pm

Thanks for the extra comments about Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians.

I really enjoyed the first few of the Lemony Snickett books, but I sort of drifted away from them; I think because they are highly repetitive and, I think, written for younger than YA crowd.

57Landshark5
Mar 27, 2011, 8:42 pm

Serious case of the blahs, picked up some old favorites for a reread.

Book 14
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

Book 15
Dragonquest by Anne McCaffrey

Book 16
Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey

Book 17
Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey

Book 18
The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey

Book 19
All The Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey

Love Pern. I may even get around to giving Todd another chance.

58Landshark5
Mar 28, 2011, 9:28 pm

Book 20
Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett
First of Johnny Maxwell trilogy. Non discworld children's book. Real quick read, got some laughs out of it.

Book 21
The Dolphins of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
Another Pern story, with intelligent dolphins.

59Landshark5
Mar 30, 2011, 6:29 am

Still can't concentrate or focus for more than a couple of pages when I pick up a larger book. Oh well, I'll get to them someday.

Book 22
Johnny and the Bomb by Terry Pratchett
Second in the Johnny Maxwell trilogy. Johnny has an imagination too big for his head and he tends to drag others along with him.

60Landshark5
Mar 31, 2011, 7:28 am

Book 23
Johnny and the Dead by Terry Pratchett
Last of the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy. Okay, but a let down from the other two Johnny Maxwell books.

61Landshark5
Editado: Mar 31, 2011, 8:40 pm

First Quarter 2011 Summary

Books Read: 23 (30% of 75)

Paper: 16 (70%)
Audio: 1 (4%)
eBook: 6 (26%)

Fiction: 18 (78%)
Non-Fiction: 5 (22%)

New Read: 15 (65%)
Re-Read: 8 (35%)

Well, I'm ahead of pace to read 75 books for the year, but I've been reading lots of shorter, easier books due to an inability to force myself to concentrate on anything heavier so we'll see. Books read could slow way down if I ever get to A Song of Ice and Fire or Night's Dawn series.

62mamzel
Abr 1, 2011, 2:41 pm

I'm impressed you reread so many books! With so many new books sitting around waiting for my attention I can hardly think of rereading anything. I am keeping a lot of books for rereading "some day" but the only book I can remember rereading last year was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before the movie came out.

63Landshark5
Abr 2, 2011, 5:22 am

#62
I am very much a mood (and moody :) reader so re-reads provide a known quantity when I'm in a very picky mood. Re-reads are also great comfort reads. I've picked up over a dozen books in the past month that I've put right back down after reading at most two pages so some comfort reads were called for.

64alcottacre
Abr 2, 2011, 7:02 am

I am not going to go back and read every post in your thread, LS, but I hope to keep up with you the rest of the year! :)

65Landshark5
Abr 2, 2011, 11:36 am

#64
I know LibraryThing and those interwebitude pipes are the limiting factor, not your super cyborg reading speed, but you've had a couple of days and you haven't read every post for the past month?!? ;)

You know you are always welcome on my thread in however large or small a way you choose.

66alcottacre
Abr 3, 2011, 11:50 pm

#65: you've had a couple of days and you haven't read every post for the past month

Nope, and I am not going to either :)

67Landshark5
Abr 6, 2011, 12:13 am

Book 24
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson narrated by Jennifer Wiltsie
Commute and yard work listen. I haven't made any long car trips lately so this one took a couple of months to finish. Like his Snow Crash, I don't always understand everything going on, but the world is interesting and enjoyable. A fun read, or in this case, listen. It would be very cool if someone developed an Illustrated Primer.

68Landshark5
Abr 6, 2011, 12:16 am

I'm getting tired of receiving these notifications.

Dear "Valued" Customer,
We were recently informed by Epsilon, our (spamming) marketing vendor, that someone "may have" (definitely) "accessed" (stolen) your information.

I'm already receiving a lot more spam than usual, many with probably malicious attachments and suspect html, so I'm cranking security settings up from medium (some spam gets through, but I'm not constantly searching the spam folder for legitimate stuff) to (definitely gonna catch some legitimate email) max.

69alcottacre
Abr 6, 2011, 12:51 am

#67: The Diamond Age was the first Stephenson book I read. I have read a couple of his since. I really need to get to Snow Crash - if I can locate my copy, that is.

70Landshark5
Abr 6, 2011, 8:23 am

On Neal Stephenson books
loved Snow Crash
loved The Diamond Age
liked Cryptonomicon
not impressed by and never did finish Zodiac
and have a couple of others sitting around that I haven't read yet

71Landshark5
Editado: Abr 7, 2011, 5:33 pm

Book 25
Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson
blah blah blah I'll come back and write something later. liked it
see msg 75

72alcottacre
Abr 6, 2011, 10:03 pm

#70: I have both Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon here to read. I had never even heard of Zodiac. I guess I can give that one a pass.

#71: Love the review - 'blah blah blah' :)

73Landshark5
Abr 7, 2011, 12:52 am

I was in a hurry this morning, now I have to actually write something up.

74alcottacre
Abr 7, 2011, 8:08 am

'Liked it' works for me!

75Landshark5
Abr 7, 2011, 5:33 pm

Book 25
Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson
A re-read although it has been decades since I last read it. David Drake, in his introduction, lists Dorsai! as one of the top two military sci-fi books of that time along with Heinlein's Starship Trooper. I don't know if I'd go that far (not that I know what the contemporary military sci-fi books would be), but I liked the story. I think the engagements show the protagonist's super intuitiveness more than his military genius. I liked the world more than the characters and the book could have been longer and more fleshed out, but a good story.

76alcottacre
Abr 8, 2011, 1:03 am

#75: My local library has Three to Dorsai, which includes Dorsai!, Necromancer, and Tactics of Mistake. Have you read the other two, LS, and if so, are they worth the read too?

77Landshark5
Abr 8, 2011, 1:41 am

Obviously, I liked Dorsai!. I'm currently reading Necromancer for the first time and it is a slow start. I ordered Tactics of Mistake and should receive it shortly. I first read parts of the Childe Cycle a couple of decades ago and it made enough of an impression that I held aside the books I owned a couple of years ago when I first started on LT and have ordered all the missing books so I can read the whole series.

78alcottacre
Abr 8, 2011, 1:43 am

OK, I look forward to your thoughts on the other two books once you have had a chance to read them.

79Landshark5
Abr 12, 2011, 11:11 am

Yuri's Night April 12th
50 years ago today, Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space.
30 years ago today, NASA lauched STS-1, the first orbital test flight of the space shuttle.

Andrew Kessler, in honor of Yuri's Night, and to promote his upcoming book, is making pdf advance reader copies of his book Martian Summer available today on Facebook.

80mamzel
Abr 12, 2011, 3:31 pm

Google has a very cute logo today to commemorate Yuri's flight.

81Landshark5
Abr 12, 2011, 5:39 pm

Cool, YouTube has a space logo as well.

http://www.youtube.com/firstorbit
recreation of Yuri's first orbit using mission audio and video shot from the international space station

82Landshark5
Abr 22, 2011, 6:13 am

Book 26
Necromancer by Gordon R. Dickson
Part of the Childe Cycle. While this is the earliest book in the cycle time line, I do not recommend reading this first. Necromancer is a set up book and parts of it only make sense when looked at from a series perspective and in combination with other books. I found the book slow reading and it took a majority of the book before I got into the story. I'll have to read more books in the cycle before I can evaluate it as part of the series, but it isn't my favorite as a stand alone story.

83Landshark5
Editado: mayo 11, 2011, 6:03 am

Book 27
Under The Ocean To The South Pole by Roy Rockwood
second in The Great Marvel series. Stratemeyer syndicate book.

Book 28
MAD's Spy Vs Spy/Follow-Up File by Antonio Prohias
So I took apart some salvaged cabinets that the previous owner had set up in the garage as a workbench and found some books being used as shims. Considering they've been sitting in the garage for years, they're in decent shape.

Book 29
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints by Donald J. Sobol
kid's mysteries. can you solve the cases from the clues in the story? found book

Book 30
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis narrated by John Cleese
yard work listen

Book 31
Pick Up What Things? by Bill Keane
Family Circus. found book

Book 32
Pasghetti And Meat Bulbs! by Bill Keane
Family Circus. found book

84Landshark5
mayo 22, 2011, 11:13 pm

Book 33
Methuselah's Children by Robert A. Heinlein
First of the Lazarus Long stories.

85alcottacre
mayo 23, 2011, 11:52 am

What does 'found book' mean, LS?

86Landshark5
mayo 23, 2011, 1:21 pm

#85
The previous owner of the house made some salvaged kitchen cabinets into a workbench. Said workbench is falling apart and I was looking at how it was put together to get rid of them. I found several books had been used to shim and level the workbench. Considering they have been in the garage used as construction materials for years, they are in good shape. Yellowed, but no mold, mildew, rot, or animal destruction. Not sure if I'll read them all, but I quickly read the kids books and have passed them on.

87alcottacre
mayo 23, 2011, 1:22 pm

#86: Ah, OK. Thanks for the explanation!

88Landshark5
Jun 14, 2011, 12:26 pm

Okay, so I'm obviously behind on posting books read to LT, let alone reading threads. Oh well.

Book 34
Saga of the Old City by Gary Gygax
Book One of Greyhawk Adventures and a Gord the Rogue story. Liked it.

Book 35
The Ethical Engineer by Harry Harrison
Free download. Questions the applicability of universal versus situational ethics. Really too short to dig into the question. Nothing special.

Book 36
Earth Alert! by Kris Ottman Neville
Free download. Aliens breed human mutants to take over the earth. Meh.

Book 37
The Cosmic Computer by H. Beam Piper
Free download. Searching for an abandoned military computer that is fabled to be able to solve any problem. Okay read.

89ronincats
Jun 14, 2011, 5:52 pm

Welcome back, Jeff. Looks like you've been reading among the classics, lately.

90alcottacre
Jun 15, 2011, 12:26 am

Glad to see you have not forgotten about us, LS!

91Landshark5
Jun 17, 2011, 8:19 am

Book 38
Space Prison by Tom Godwin
Free download. Unwanted prisoners of war are dumped on a hell planet to die. A tale of survival and their fight to build up to revenge and redemption generations later. Some problems such as the narrative seems to have too many deaths for any survivors and where did the weapons, ammunition, and tools come from.

92alcottacre
Jun 17, 2011, 8:27 am

#91: where did the weapons, ammunition, and tools come from.

The weapons, ammunition and tools genie :)

93Landshark5
Jun 17, 2011, 8:27 am

#89
Thanks. I have plenty of newer books waiting for me to get to them, but I do seem to be reading a lot of older and shorter stories so far this year.

#90
I may not have the time available, but LT is one of my favored online hang outs and I doubt I'll be forgetting about you anytime soon.

94alcottacre
Jun 17, 2011, 8:29 am

#93: I doubt I'll be forgetting about you anytime soon.

Good to know!

95Landshark5
Jun 17, 2011, 8:32 am

#92
:)

The story makes a point of explicitly stating that the people dropped off on the planet had no time to plan anything and were allowed one bag of personal items only and some food. Yet they had rifles and used up huge amounts of ammunition the first couple of nights.

96alcottacre
Jun 17, 2011, 8:34 am

Obviously the people were all from Texas where you cannot go anywhere without packing a gun. There is no thought required for that here - it is just taken forgranted that you are armed.

97Landshark5
Jun 23, 2011, 1:46 pm

Book 39
Artifact of Evil by Gary Gygax
Book two of Greyhawk Adventures and another Gord the Rogue story. I need to look into finding the rest of the Gord series (they aren't part of Greyhawk Adventures).

Book 40
Dawn for a Distant Earth by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Book one of The Forever Hero trilogy.

Book 41
The Silent Warrior by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Book two of The Forever Hero trilogy.

Book 42
In Endless Twilight by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Book three of The Forever Hero trilogy.

The Forever Hero trilogy is one of those series I reread every couple of years. I like and enjoy it even though I don't agree with all the ideas presented.

98Landshark5
Jul 2, 2011, 1:07 pm

First Half 2011 Summary

Books Read: 42 (56% of 75)

Paper: 28 (67%)
Audio: 3 (7%)
eBook: 11 (26%)

Fiction: 37 (88%)
Non-Fiction: 5 (12%)

New Read: 23 (55%)
Re-Read: 19 (45%)

99Landshark5
Jul 2, 2011, 1:23 pm

It's been a weird year for me reading so far. While I'm reading at a good pace, it's all shorter fiction and rereads. There are plenty of new reads waiting for me to get to them, but I've ended up looking at them and going interesting but not right this second and picking up a reread. I've been unable to read more than a page or two at a time on non-fiction even though I find the subject matter interesting. I've had stretches of this, but never half a year of it.

100ronincats
Jul 2, 2011, 3:48 pm

Some years are like that. This year has been the lowest in re-reads ever for me--usually I am about 1/3, but this year it is only 10%. Maybe that comes from being retired and having time with little stress?

101Landshark5
Jul 3, 2011, 11:56 pm

Book 43
Old Man's War by John Scalzi

Book 44
The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi

Book 45
The Last Colony by John Scalzi

Book 46
Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi

Old Man's War is one of the favorite series that I read a couple of years ago. Excellent military science fiction. Thanks to a couple of sleepless nights, I've finished four books well before the discussion of the first book starts. Oh well. Even more rereads, but we'll see if I can continue on to some of Scalzi's other books which will be new reads for me.

102Landshark5
Jul 19, 2011, 2:51 pm

Book 47
The Brick Moon and Other Stories by Edward Everett Hale
Free download. The Brick Moon was written in 1869 and is listed as the first known mention of an artificial satellite. Men build a brick moon to launch as a navigational aid. It accidentally launches with people on board.

Book 48
Who Controls The Internet: Illusions of a Borderless World by Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu narrated by Bob Loza
The internet may seem like a global institution ignoring national borders and rules, but the internet does have boundaries and nations have the means to control and influence the internet both within and beyond its borders.

103alcottacre
Jul 19, 2011, 9:39 pm

#101: I like the Old Man's War series too. It was one of my LT discoveries.

104Landshark5
Jul 23, 2011, 10:16 am

Book 49
Death of a B.E.M. by Berkeley Livingston
Free download

Book 50
How We Lost The Moon by Paul McAuley narrated by Kerin McCue

Book 51
A Case of Identity by Arthur Conan Doyle
Sherlock Holmes mystery

105alcottacre
Jul 23, 2011, 10:25 pm

Congratulations on passing the 50 book mark for the year!

106Landshark5
Jul 29, 2011, 2:30 am

#105
Thanks

Book 52
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett narrated by Stephen Briggs
A Tiffany Aching Discworld book.

107alcottacre
Jul 29, 2011, 4:01 am

#106: I enjoyed that one. I hope you did too.

108Landshark5
Editado: Jul 30, 2011, 1:56 pm

Book 53
I Was a Teenage Secret Weapon by Richard Sabia
Free download. Accident generating eighteen year old is used as weapon of war. Okay, but missing something in my opinion.

Book 54
Stand By For Mars by Carey Rockwell
Free download. First of the Tom Corbett, Space Cadet series. 1950's juvenile space opera serial. A fast, fun read.

#107
Yes I enjoyed The Wee Free Men. I've already started listening to A Hat Full Of Sky and have Wintersmith and I Shall Wear Midnight waiting in the wings.

109alcottacre
Jul 30, 2011, 11:30 pm

#108: I need to re-read the first 3 books so that I can finally get the fourth read.

110Landshark5
Jul 31, 2011, 7:22 pm

Book 55
You Might Be A Zombie And Other Bad News by Cracked.com
Humor compilation of Cracked.com articles. Pretty much all available for free online.

111Landshark5
Sep 15, 2011, 10:06 pm

Book 56
Time For The Stars by Robert A. Heinlein
Telepathy, time dilation, and space exploration.

Book 57
The Skylark of Space by E.E. "Doc" Smith

Book 58
Skylark Three by E.E. "Doc" Smith

112Landshark5
Editado: Sep 15, 2011, 10:08 pm

Hand Hand Fingers Thumb by Dr. Seuss

One Fish Two Fish Three Four Five Fish by Dr. Seuss

Pat the Bunny Sleep Bunny

Book 59
A Little History of the World by E.H. Gombrich narrated by Ralph Cosham

Book 60
Vampires v Zombies! by BBC Radio 4

113Landshark5
Sep 15, 2011, 10:09 pm

The Very Hungry Catepillar by Eric Carle

Spot Loves His Mommy by Eric Hill

Corduroy by Dan Freeman

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

Pete the Cat in Rocking In My School Shoes by Eric Litwin

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

Wheels On The Bus by Raffi

Brown Bear Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr.

What Spock Forgot

114Landshark5
Editado: Sep 15, 2011, 10:12 pm

Book 61
Carry On, Jeeves! by P.G. Wodehouse narrated by Frederick Davidson

The Berenstain Bears and The Truth by Stan and Jan Berenstain

Best Friends For Frances by Russell Hoban

Book 62
Ordeal in Space by Robert A. Heinlein
audio short

Book 63
Dune by Frank Herbert narrated by ensemble cast

Book 64
The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life written and read by Steve Leveen

115ronincats
Sep 15, 2011, 10:17 pm

Looks like you've been busy while you've been gone. I can't imagine keeping track of Dune via audiobook. How did that work out for you?

116Landshark5
Sep 15, 2011, 10:30 pm

I've read Dune before so I found it easy to keep track. My parents found it a lot harder, but they were taking naps when they weren't driving.

117Landshark5
Sep 15, 2011, 10:33 pm

I am so far behind after the past month. Far too much time on the road to Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Jersey, and all points in between.

118Landshark5
Nov 26, 2011, 1:42 pm

Book 65
Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry
Joe Ledger story. Black ops special forces versus a zombie type plague. A fun read, I liked it and will be looking for more books in the series.

Absolved by Mike Vanderboegh
So I read a news article about some guys arrested for planning domestic terrorism and listing this book as their inspiration. So I followed the link (probably landing me on a watch list somewhere) and looked this book up. Absolved is not published yet and there are some excerpts and chapters posted online. Definitely needs some polishing and TLC before it's ready to be published. Yeah it talks about people getting fed up with an overbearing federal government and rebelling, but I don't see any real parallels between the news story of these guys' plans and the book. Seems kind of like a Carlos the Jackal type situation where the mere linking of the book to a person is overblown. The only people likely to be inspired to rebellion by this book are probably already seriously leaning in that direction already.

Book 66
All Cats Are Grey by Andre Norton
Free download. Quick okay read.

Book 67
Plague Ship by Andre Norton
Free download. Quick okay read.

Book 68
The Cartoon History of the Universe Volume One by Larry Gonick

Book 69
The Cartoon History of the Universe Volume Two by Larry Gonick

Book 70
The Cartoon History of the Universe Volume Four by Larry Gonick

Graphic novels concerning (no surprise here) history.The Cartoon History of the Universe was written in the late 70's. Some of the ideas are considered outdated by today's understanding. Extremely high level overview and too tongue in cheek for my taste.

Book 71
The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey
On hearing the sad news of her passing, I had to find a McCaffrey story I hadn't read yet. I prefer the Pern series but a good read and I'll read some more of the series since I can borrow them easily.

119Landshark5
Dic 11, 2011, 3:37 am

Book 72
Peter and Wendy by J.M. Barrie
Reading inspired by the Neverland miniseries on SyFy (seeing SyFy still makes me cringe).

Book 73
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
One of my favorites and an obious christmas read.

120Landshark5
Ene 7, 2012, 2:05 pm

Book 74
The Physics of Star Trek by Lawrence Krauss narrated by Larry McKeever

Book 75
Alaska Bush Pilots In The Float Country by Archie Satterfield photos by Lloyd Jarman

122Landshark5
Ene 7, 2012, 2:13 pm


2011 EOY Summary

Books Read: 75 (100% of 75)

Paper: 36 (48%)
Audio: 14 (19%)
eBook: 25 (33%)

Fiction: 61 (81%)
Non-Fiction: 14 (19%)

New Read: 45 (60%)
Re-Read: 30 (40%)

123ronincats
Ene 7, 2012, 3:00 pm

Congratulations! Talk about hitting the mark!

124Landshark5
Ene 8, 2012, 2:07 pm

#123
It just worked out that way. I thought I was going to hit 75 before I left for vacation and then thought I was going to finish a couple of more before new year's.