What are y'all reading?

Harry Callahan said:
Was going to post a "what are y'all reading?" thread but decided to call this one forth from the archives...
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Holy smoke! I didn't realize how old this thread was when I started posting questions for people who posted nearly a year ago. Never mind... :foot:
 
A Dogs Best Friend said:
Hi Marcelo. Is 'Cryptonomicon' really heavy on Math? Not my strong suit. I've read a couple of reviews and got that impression. The book otherwise sounds fascinating.
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What a funny coincidence, I didn't realised Marcelo Cantu posted more than 1 year ago about the very book I'm reading ...
I've read about 250 pages so far and there isn't a lot of math involved. It isn't heavy math either, just a few hints about basic cryptography, like key transmission using RSA-like techniques (based on the fact that the product of 2 big prime numbers it's very hard to factor using today math, even if you have a LOT of computer power at hand). Some of it isn't very exact either and it's expalined in a quite popular way. Anyway, I'd say you don't need to understand the math to enjoy the book, actually it might add a bit of mistery.
 
FullerH said:
I am now reading the second of two collaborations by S. M. Stirling and David Drake, The Warlord and The Conqueror. These are actually a rerelease of five former paperback novels, long out of print, that make up "The Raj Whitehead Saga". This is a series of stories set on an Earth colony planet after the collapse of the interstellar empire had led to the loss of interstellar flight and the loss of almost all techonology. The planet on which Raj finds himself is more or less at the technology of Earth in the 1870s or so and the political structures are very much based upon the Eastern Roman Empire around the beginning of the 6th Century CE and the reign of Justinian and Theodora. Raj is, clearly, the Byzantine general Belisarius, and he is picked by a battle computer left over from the pre-collapxe days to be an instrument to reunite the world and to begin the climb back to the stars. The books are good stuff if you like military s-f. The authors wrote a sequel in which the cloned mind of Raj and his computer were sent by a probe to a planet that was clearly modelled upon the Rome of the late Republic of the 1st Century BCE. The book is The Reformer and there is a sequel by Drake and Eric Flint (with whom Drake collaborates in the "Belisarius Series"), The Tyrant. I read them first and they are also good reads.
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Just a short bit to say that I am thoroughly enjoying these stories and that anyone interested should make the effort to locate the two consolidated books, even if they are out of print. If you like hard s-f and military style s-f, you will be very well rewarded. I got mine through one of Amazon's out of print dealers for about $4.00 apiece. They cost more to ship than they did to buy and the only "damage" was a black magic marker stripe on the bottom edges of each book. I assume that it was a "seconding" mark.
 
flava said:
What a funny coincidence, I didn't realised Marcelo Cantu posted more than 1 year ago about the very book I'm reading ...
I've read about 250 pages so far and there isn't a lot of math involved. It isn't heavy math either, just a few hints about basic cryptography, like key transmission using RSA-like techniques (based on the fact that the product of 2 big prime numbers it's very hard to factor using today math, even if you have a LOT of computer power at hand). Some of it isn't very exact either and it's expalined in a quite popular way. Anyway, I'd say you don't need to understand the math to enjoy the book, actually it might add a bit of mistery.
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Thanks for the post flava. I think I'll look for a copy of that book as it does sound like a great, and unusual read.
 
Just cracked open Ian Flemming's Casino Royale. It should be a short read.

I'm bummed out that there's such a big delay in starting production of the next Bond movie. This is my "fix."
 
Ron Andersen said:
Just cracked open Ian Flemming's Casino Royale. It should be a short read.

I'm bummed out that there's such a big delay in starting production of the next Bond movie. This is my "fix."
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I read all the Ian Fleming Bond's a long time ago. They were a lot of fun.
 
I just read Generation Kill. Excellent read. You should read Jarhead and The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell next.
I'm reading A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul, currently.
Cryptonomicon is worth reading, a lot of fun. No math involved unless you want to read the appendices about how the cryptography mentioned in the book actually works. The WW2 parts are my favorites, great characters.

An aside... can anyone recommend a good book or three (nonfiction) on the Burmese campaigns of WW2?
 
Finishing up Gangs of New York, the history of street gangs in New York from the 1800's to the 1930's. Martin Scorcese read it and based part of his movie of the same name on the book, taking a little poetic justice with some real life characters.

I'm also reading Disappearing Delmarva, a very interesting book about the disappearing businesses, jobs and most importantly people of the Delmarva peninsula. Accounts from bakery owners, shipyard owners, crabbers, watermen, beer garden owners etc.

The book I'm going to buy this month is going to be Hellboy Odder Jobs, a collection of short stories by horror writers about the character Hellboy.
 
L.E. Modesitt Jr.'s Adiamante right now, it's for class. Recently read, Frank Herbert's Dune (For the umpteenth time), Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I've also read Glory Road, but I didn't like it as much. If you never read a military sci fi book again, read Starship Troopers. Hands down the best. Infinitely better than that ****** movie. David Weber's Honorverse is excellent, as are John Ringo's Posleen War novels. Larry Bond and Dale Brown write my favorite military fiction, and Clancy's old stuff is good. Umm... David Baldacci writes some amazing suspense fiction. Check out Last Man Standing. Great police novel.

Also, the short story "The Saucer of Loneliness" by Theodore Sturgeon is my current favorite short story. It's simply a work of genius.

Non fiction wise, second to my Bible is C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity. And after that is Larry Elder's Ten Things You Can't Say in America.
 
Heinlein's Starship Troopers was. of course, based upon his generation's World War II experience. If you weant to read the same experience, but from the VietNam generation's point of view, try Joe Haldeman's The Forever War. If you want to read an absolutely hilarious send-up of the Heinlein novel, try Harry Harrison's Bill, the Galactic Hero, just rereleased. It is a stitch. He actually did a whole series of Bill stories in collaboration with other writers back in the early 1990s. He also wrote a very funny series of send-ups of spy novels beginning with The Stainless Steel Rat.
 
I also just finished Generation Kill as assigned reading for a class I'm in. Excellent book, IMO. After that was Robert Heinlein's Tunnel In the Sky. Now I am about to start Notes From a Small Island by Bill Bryson.
 
FullerH said:
Heinlein's Starship Troopers was. of course, based upon his generation's World War II experience. If you weant to read the same experience, but from the VietNam generation's point of view, try Joe Haldeman's The Forever War. If you want to read an absolutely hilarious send-up of the Heinlein novel, try Harry Harrison's Bill, the Galactic Hero, just rereleased. It is a stitch. He actually did a whole series of Bill stories in collaboration with other writers back in the early 1990s. He also wrote a very funny series of send-ups of spy novels beginning with The Stainless Steel Rat.
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I've been looking for Haldeman's The Forever War for... well, forever. I really wanted to get it, but none of the local libraries had it and I wasn't going to spring for buying it, since I think it's out of print. And I've read a lot by Harry Harrison, I loved his Stars and Stripes alternative history trilogy... Harry Turtledove is also good for that...
 
Starting Philip Jose Farmer's Image of the Beast.

iotb3.jpg


I think I may have to redefine my concept of bizarre and warped. :eek:

Strangely exciting however..... :D
 
java said:
Starting Philip Jose Farmer's Image of the Beast.

iotb3.jpg


I think I may have to redefine my concept of bizarre and warped. :eek:

Strangely exciting however..... :D
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Heh! Pretty much anything by Farmer will do that to you.
 
Herbert: God Emperor of Dune and Dune.

Harrison: [ The Horse Barbarians

Williamson: The Legion of Space and The Cometeers

Jordon: Neanderthal (not sci-fi) a very good archeological work about the Neanderthal people

Musicant: Battleship At War (this is a true story of the U.S.S. Washington)
 
I'm reading Niven's 'Lucifer's Hammer.' I just realised, about halfway through the book, that I'd read this a looooong time ago. Years and years ago. What a great read. Very realistic.

Yeah. Thought I'd add, for those who aren't familiar with this book, it's about a comet strike on Earth. Actually, multiple comet strikes....ouch! I won't ruin any of it for you, but if you like these kinds of sci-fi disaster type stories, this is a real good one. Lots of interesting characters to lead you around the event and well paced, complex and well researched to boot. I got this one on the advice of some fellow forum members and they were right on with it. :)
 
A Dogs Best Friend said:
I'm reading Niven's 'Lucifer's Hammer.' I just realised, about halfway through the book, that I'd read this a looooong time ago. Years and years ago. What a great read. Very realistic.

Yeah. Thought I'd add, for those who aren't familiar with this book, it's about a comet strike on Earth. Actually, multiple comet strikes....ouch! I won't ruin any of it for you, but if you like these kinds of sci-fi disaster type stories, this is a real good one. Lots of interesting characters to lead you around the event and well paced, complex and well researched to boot. I got this one on the advice of some fellow forum members and they were right on with it. :)
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Niven cowrote that with Jerry Pournelle. They also cowrote a great satire called Inferno, a modern take on Dante's Inferno. As an example, the development at any cost people are cursed to build all day and the BANANAs (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) are cursed to tear it down each night. Great book!
 
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