All things Books and Reading thread - 2017

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plan

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The Smith story is in a collection "Cats in Space and Other Places". Amazon has it in paperback.
That sounds awesome, thanks for the recommendation. Spotting cats in science fiction stories has become almost like a hobby for me...I think it's fair to say that most science fiction writers love cats.
 

catspaw66

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That sounds awesome, thanks for the recommendation. Spotting cats in science fiction stories has become almost like a hobby for me...I think it's fair to say that most science fiction writers love cats.
And most science fiction readers love cats, too.

The Honorverse series by David Weber has "treecats" and Sir Terry Pratchett has cats all through the Discworld series. Look out for Greebo!
 

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Originally Posted by foxxycat  

>SNIP<
 

. I find these interesting but soon I will return to my light hearted romances that everyone says is a waste of time.
NOTHING can make me madder than a literary snob.  Waste of time?  In my book, anything that can lift someone out of their ordinary life and transport them to another world for an hour or six without breaking any laws or most moral codes is not only not a waste of time, but is a serious necessity!  And it's your time, so let them gnaw on that for a while as they read some musty, dusty tome full of high-flown ideas and low interest quotients, while I curl up with Charlaine Harris, or Jennifer Cruisie, or Miranda James, or Heather Graham, or even Preston & Child (I do love me some Agent Pendergast!).  YOU GO GIRL!
yes I had someone say to me why do I waste my time reading them? they are all the same..umm no. They aren't. Some are light fluffy international romances. Some are nitty gritty about hard to talk about issues like recovering from abusive spouse. Some talk about complicated issues with older children and new step parents. I found more help in life skills in these books than I did at home..then again I was raised to "figure it out" because they said you are smart enough=you can figure it out..uhmm no. Just no. So I was reading romances at 9 years old because I already read all the junior high books in the library..about 8 shelves of books that I read in one year..and most were stupid high school flirty romances that were let's say fluff and not much mystery to them.

So I found Romances to lift me up and look at things differently...so yes I will continue to read my books until I can't see anymore.
 

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That sounds awesome, thanks for the recommendation. Spotting cats in science fiction stories has become almost like a hobby for me...I think it's fair to say that most science fiction writers love cats.
It can also be found here if you don't mind used. 

http://www.thriftbooks.com/browse/?b.search=cats in spaces and other places#b.oos

If you order two more books, you'll go over $10 and qualify for free shipping.  

Goodness, I keep finding cute mystery series featuring cats every time I turn around!  At this rate, I'll need to dedicate one of the new bookcases (when I can get them) to just that genre!
 

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I feel that way about some of the books that I've read, notably the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. They really are pretty much all the same in my mind and I stopped reading them along around 19 or so, I think. 

Love me my Agent Pendergast, too! It's a great series! I've also read the Heather Graham books (I consider them guilty pleasures). I am kind of a Charlaine Harris fan, too, although I gave up on Sookie Stackhouse....I think she did, too, but I could be wrong about that. I have been reading her Midnight series. I think she writes the Aurora Teagarten series, too, as well as the Grave series. 

Just finished Salem's Cipher by Jess Lourey (quite a good book) and am working on Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (not so much a good book and I may bag it) and also Sweet Masterpiece by Connie Shelton.
 

plan

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It can also be found here if you don't mind used. 

http://www.thriftbooks.com/browse/?b.search=cats in spaces and other places#b.oos

If you order two more books, you'll go over $10 and qualify for free shipping.  

Goodness, I keep finding cute mystery series featuring cats every time I turn around!  At this rate, I'll need to dedicate one of the new bookcases (when I can get them) to just that genre!
Heinlein, LeGuin...that's some serious A-grade SF talent in that collection

 
yes I had someone say to me why do I waste my time reading them? they are all the same..umm no. They aren't. Some are light fluffy international romances. Some are nitty gritty about hard to talk about issues like recovering from abusive spouse. Some talk about complicated issues with older children and new step parents. I found more help in life skills in these books than I did at home..then again I was raised to "figure it out" because they said you are smart enough=you can figure it out..uhmm no. Just no. So I was reading romances at 9 years old because I already read all the junior high books in the library..about 8 shelves of books that I read in one year..and most were stupid high school flirty romances that were let's say fluff and not much mystery to them.

So I found Romances to lift me up and look at things differently...so yes I will continue to read my books until I can't see anymore.
My favorite author of all time, the great David Mitchell, touched on the issue of literary snobbishness when he said: “Confining an entire genre as being unworthy of your attention is a bizarre act of self-harm”:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/b...iterary-and-genre-fiction-world-fantasy-award

He should know. He's a hugely admired literary novelist who has gotten grief lately for dabbling in fantasy, science fiction and horror, as if those genres should be beneath him or unworthy of his talents. There was a similar outcry from the literary snobs when the author Colson Whitehead decided to write a zombie book.
 

Mamanyt1953

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I feel that way about some of the books that I've read, notably the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. They really are pretty much all the same in my mind and I stopped reading them along around 19 or so, I think. 

Love me my Agent Pendergast, too! It's a great series! I've also read the Heather Graham books (I consider them guilty pleasures). I am kind of a Charlaine Harris fan, too, although I gave up on Sookie Stackhouse....I think she did, too, but I could be wrong about that. I have been reading her Midnight series. I think she writes the Aurora Teagarten series, too, as well as the Grave series. 

Just finished Salem's Cipher by Jess Lourey (quite a good book) and am working on Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (not so much a good book and I may bag it) and also Sweet Masterpiece by Connie Shelton.
One of the "funnest" things about the Midnight series is that you run into characters from ALL her other series!  That just tickles me!   Yes, she has written the Southern Vampire series (AKA Sookie Stackhouse), the Aurora Teagarden series, the Lily Bard Shakespeare series, the Harper Connely (AKA Grave) series, and a trilogy, The Cemetary Girl, that I haven't read yet.

I got hooked on Agent Pendergast way back with Relic, and the subsequent movie.  Been with him since the beginning!  My main focus with Heather Graham has been the Harrison Investigation and Krewe books.  Haven't read much of her other stuff.

And I just keep running into MORE and MORE cat mysteries!  GOOD LORD!  I'll go broke trying to get them all!  Or have lots of fun trying!  I'm going to end up with over 1000 books for my kids to find homes for when I finally shuffle off this mortal coil!  
 

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I am currently reading The Demon Lover by Juliet Dark. I saw the set of books at the store a few days ago and picked them up without reading the back... I am usually do not read this kind of stuff but it is an interesting story so far. I like it.
 

Mamanyt1953

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O JOY O BLISS!  There will be money in this month's budget to purchase a few more of my favorite authors!  I'm a happy, happy camper!

ERM...to purchase their books, not, you understand, the authors themselves...
 

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I am currently loving the book Earnest by       Kristin Von Kreisler   I have to say the main character in the book sounds like a brat. but her boyfriend sounds like a true animal lover. I am about 3/4 way through it. Hopefully if I don't get home too late tonight I can finish it.

                                                            
I love her writing..
 

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Have you ever run into Mercedes Lackey's "Shipscat" series of short stories?  There are four stories, all excellent:
  • SKitty (Shipscat, #1)
  • A Tail of Two SKittys (Shipscat, #2)
  • SCat (Shipscat, #3)
  • A Better Mousetrap (Shipscat, #4)
Wonderful stories, about cats who are also partners with their humans in outer space.  I know I've read them all, and I thought I'd bought them in electronic format from Baen, many, many years ago, but I can't find them now; I think I'll have to buy them all again (and, yes, I just checked at Baen's website and it appears that I don't have them).  Sigh.  All except "SCat" are available from Nook; I've no idea why that one isn't.

Margret
 

foxxycat

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Have you ever run into Mercedes Lackey's "Shipscat" series of short stories?  There are four stories, all excellent:
  • SKitty (Shipscat, #1)
  • A Tail of Two SKittys (Shipscat, #2)
  • SCat (Shipscat, #3)
  • A Better Mousetrap (Shipscat, #4)
Wonderful stories, about cats who are also partners with their humans in outer space.  I know I've read them all, and I thought I'd bought them in electronic format from Baen, many, many years ago, but I can't find them now; I think I'll have to buy them all again (and, yes, I just checked at Baen's website and it appears that I don't have them).  Sigh.  All except "SCat" are available from Nook; I've no idea why that one isn't.

Margret
I haven't read her books but I see them all the time at the used book haunts when I go looking. I tend to like real actual books- I did find one of hers the other night at Salvation Army...don't remember the title. will check those out.

I am reading On a Night Like This by Barbara Freethy. She has written about I think 15 books. I really love her style. If you like Luanne Rice, Linda Howard, Jill Shalvis, Robyn Carr. I read Barbara's first books back in 1990s and felt she should have gotten more recognition.

I gave up on my men's fiction. I need something light and happy.
 

Mamanyt1953

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Tell me about it.  If I want angst, I'll turn on the news, or walk out the door and watch the neighbors.  I need something happy and warm and fuzzy and INTERESTING!  I'm patiently waiting for the next Southerns Ladies mystery to come out in paperback.  I'll even spring for a new copy.  One of the things I love most is that the two heroines are sister who are 76 and 80 years old.  I so wanna be them when I grow up!
 

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I started re-reading 1984 by George Orwell. 
That's a good book. :)

I just finished Strange Bodies by Marcel Theroux. It was an interesting story and I enjoyed reading it, but I don't think it will go down as one of my favorites. Now I'm starting The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck. I haven't read enough to have a real opinion on it yet.

I am challenging myself to read 52 books this year, so hopefully it results in some interesting discoveries and maybe reading some things that are outside of my literary comfort zone. We'll see.
 

rubysmama

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I started re-reading 1984 by George Orwell. 
I've got it on hold at the library. I've never read it, but always meant to. I'm # 4 on 2 copies, so should have it in 6 weeks at the latest.

I'm currently reading "The Underground Railroad" by  Colson Whitehead
 
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