Books thread

[poptart]

What books have you read recently?  I'll start.  I finally finished Ride the Tiger and am working on The Benedict Option.  Also, finally ordered the Word on fire Bible, wow it is gorgeous.

 

[JamesBYoung]

Praying with one eye open : a gendered interpretation of Mormon Joseph Standing's murder in Appalachian Georgia, by Mary Ella Engel, is not well organized but remarkably interesting about President John Hamilton Morgan, converts in northwestern Georgia, the area where Morgan had marched with Sherman a decade earlier, and about gender and conversion and violence.

Melvin C. Johnson's Life and Times of John Pierce Hawley: A Mormon Ulysses of the American West, along with his article on the various restoration sects and their involvement in temple ritual and esoterica in a John Whitmer Historical Association Journal in 2019, demonstrates why he is considered one of the leading historians of American pan-Mormonism in the West.

I am beginning Frank J. Cannon’s 1911 biography of Brigham Young.

 

[The Nehor]

This morning I read a book of drawings derived from Star Trek scenes except the people are all replaced with cats. Also I actually didn’t read it because it was just pictures.

[Duncan]

I am helping to write a book! it's the history of our temple and church history here. I have had some amazing experiences doing it too. Plus, not twenty minutes ago an order of 8 books came in. it's from Cardston, Alberta so I have to wash my hands now, ugh

Edited December 23, 2020 by Duncan

[Amulek]

While I'm not reading it yet, in a few days I will be reading The Rhythm of War. It's the latest installment in Brandon Sanderson's "The Stormlight Archive" series. 

Normally, I would have already read it (since it came out last month), but apparently I'm terrible when it comes to making Christmas lists for myself so my wife forbade me from buying it - that way one of my kids could have the opportunity to get it for me instead.  

I've had to enforce a strict media blackout on my friends, which I hope to finally be able to lift by year end.

 

[Tacenda]

16 hours ago, Duncan said:

I am helping to write a book! it's the history of our temple and church history here. I have had some amazing experiences doing it too. Plus, not twenty minutes ago an order of 8 books came in. it's from Cardston, Alberta so I have to wash my hands now, ugh

That's exciting Duncan!

[Duncan]

1 hour ago, Tacenda said:

That's exciting Duncan!

😊

[Stargazer]

I've gotten pretty bad at reading books over the past few years. I seem to do most of my "reading" with audible books, and I mostly re-listen to books I've already "read." 

So, nothing new recently. However, a month or so ago I thought of my old chemistry instructor (J. Bevan Ott) when I briefly attended BYU just before running out of money and joining the Army, and wondered if he was still alive. He was a great instructor! Turned out he had passed away just a few years ago, and I recalled that he had co-authored the book we used in the class, and since I remembered the book, I went out and checked to see if I could get a copy of it. And I found it! I ordered a used copy (the only kind available) and it arrived a couple of weeks ago.

So now I'm trying to read "Chemical Thermodynamics (An Introduction)." It's quite interesting, but I don't know if I'm going to finish it or not.

Besides teaching chemistry, the author was at the time also the president of one of BYU's student stakes.  One amusing thing about his teaching from the book was that whenever he found a typo in the book he liked to jokingly blame his co-author, J. Rex Goates. Turns out, Dr. Goates died a few years ago, too. 

[rodheadlee]

I'm reading Uncompromising Honor by David Weber.

It's the last book in the Honor Harrington series that starts with On Basilisk Station .

There are split off series involving other people in the Honorverse. 

I believe the people on the planet Grayson started out as Mormons.

[poptart]

On 12/22/2020 at 5:24 PM, Duncan said:

I am helping to write a book! it's the history of our temple and church history here. I have had some amazing experiences doing it too. Plus, not twenty minutes ago an order of 8 books came in. it's from Cardston, Alberta so I have to wash my hands now, ugh

Neat!  You guys have some cool looking buildings.  Think next to Catholics and Episcopals it's just you guys who build beautiful houses of worship that don't look like mass produced shoe boxes, the kind a lot of evangelicals and Protestants use. 

[Chum]

On 12/23/2020 at 12:01 PM, Amulek said:

The Rhythm of War. It's the latest installment in Brandon Sanderson's "The Stormlight Archive" series. 

I'm in, as soon as Michael Kramer reads it.  I'm in the group that transited to Sanderson from Wheel of Time.

[Calm]

I loved the first three Mistborn books. He is great at building a world and it fascinated me. But then life got a bit more difficult and I stay with lighter reading these days for escapism, so I haven’t read any more.  If a book or movie is depressing in tone, not a good mix with me right now. Too bad too, as some great sci-fi/fantasy out there that normally I would really get into. 

[bsjkki]

On 12/23/2020 at 10:01 AM, Amulek said:

While I'm not reading it yet, in a few days I will be reading The Rhythm of War. It's the latest installment in Brandon Sanderson's "The Stormlight Archive" series. 

Normally, I would have already read it (since it came out last month), but apparently I'm terrible when it comes to making Christmas lists for myself so my wife forbade me from buying it - that way one of my kids could have the opportunity to get it for me instead.  

I've had to enforce a strict media blackout on my friends, which I hope to finally be able to lift by year end.

 

I read the first two and a short story in this series. I decided I must live long enough to wait for him to finish the whole series and then will read them all in a row. 
 

I read so many books, my brain can’t wait years between books and remember details well enough. 😏

And then there is Patrick Rothfuss who must have not known how to end his series when he started.  
So frustrating. 
 

One of my favorite series ended this year. I think she took on average five years to write each book...the last two came a bit quicker. The Queen’s Thief series by Meghan Whalen Turner. Books 2 and 3 are best.

*Book recommendations in the epic fantasy category are always highly appreciated. 

Edited December 30, 2020 by bsjkki

[Calm]

The queen’s thief...I was waiting for her to finish. Good to know, we have the first book iirc. I will get the other and maybe audio for my daughter. Her thyroid has been messing her up for years and concentrating on reading on an unlit screen...her mind can’t stay awake enough.  Her thyroid finally got kicked out in August, but the understudy is taking its time learning its part. 

[bluebell]

I've been in a YA fantasy mood lately so I re-read the Fablehaven series and then started on Brandon Mull's sequel Dragonwatch, believing that it had been enough years that he had completed it.  I was so miffed when I realized that there are five books in the series and he just released number 4 in October when I bought it.  Now I have to wait a whole year!  So dumb.

My sister got me the Mortal Instrument series for Christmas so I'm reading that again.  It's highly entertaining.

I love authors that can build worlds and create really solid side characters, and who are so skilled at weaving a very complicated story together so that it all works and makes sense and they don't destroy the ending.

I tried Brandon Sanderson books and I've decided that I just can't get into books that take place in other worlds.  I have no problem with fantasy, and prefer it, but I like it to be grounded in this world.  The only exception is Lord of the Rings, but even that feels like it could have happened somewhere on earth, just a part that doesn't exist anymore or hasn't been discovered yet.

[strappinglad]

Currently reading " Abraham in Egypt " by Nibley . Those Egyptians sure had a seriously convoluted religion. 

Also struggling through a book titled " Behave " by Saploski (sp) about why we behave the way we do . Very interesting but, boy am I out of my depth. 

[Amulek]

17 hours ago, bsjkki said:

And then there is Patrick Rothfuss who must have not known how to end his series when he started.  
So frustrating. 

Seriously. I honestly don't see how he could wrap everything up in a single, final novel as originally planned.

And it's been so long since WMF came out, that I've pretty much given up on him at this point. I think the only thing that could redeem him at this point would be if he were to simultaneously release the third book along with an entirely separate continuation trilogy to flush out the ending of the story.

Pretty sure that's never going to happen though.

 

[Calm]

I am waiting on the ending of Stephen Brust Taltos series and the Butcher Dresden Files series (there was a one season tv series of it that was okay), I lost interest in reading the last separately...too much angst and stereotypes, but do want to see how he ties up the series.

I am trying to remember the youth fantasy series I read at a relative’s home three years ago. Both were placed in Victorian England iirc....manor mysteries more or less which is one of my favorite genres...and both were young brilliant girls doing detective work. One had two sisters she semidespised as they played nasty pranks on each other...she has a chemistry lab where she makes some lotion that causes a rash for one of her sisters, but they work together at the end because they aren’t that bad, etc iirc. One was fantasy in that it involved some magic iirc and the other more a Sherlock Holmes/Enola Holmes type of young lady.  I am so mad I didn’t write them down as they were delightful reads and were series and I could use some light hearted somewhat predictable reading at the moment. 

added:  I figured I could try searching on “books like Enola Holmes” which yields masses of lists, but I did find one of the series:

https://www.amazon.com/Sweetness-Bottom-Pie-Flavia-Mystery/dp/0385343493
 

Now if I am lucky it will be on Scrib like the Enola Holmes books are.

Edited December 31, 2020 by Calm

[Rain]

On 12/29/2020 at 10:08 PM, Calm said:

I loved the first three Mistborn books. He is great at building a world and it fascinated me. But then life got a bit more difficult and I stay with lighter reading these days for escapism, so I haven’t read any more.  If a book or movie is depressing in tone, not a good mix with me right now. Too bad too, as some great sci-fi/fantasy out there that normally I would really get into. 

That's what I have been doing.  Audio regency romance type books from the Deseret Book choice program.  

I have moods with books.  I'll go for a period of time when I read non-fiction, or mysteries or thrillers etc and then switch.  This is the longest period of time I have been on fluff.  Maybe it is showing I have more stress than I thought. 

I am excited though because Salt Lake County Library finally put out their Reader's Choice nominees and I will be working my way through them now.

 

[poptart]

Anyone have this?  Yes, I'm a sucker for illuminated things/pretty pictures.

https://deseretbook.com/p/book-mormon-heirloom-edition-deseret-company-79775?ref=Grid | Book of Mormon Books | Taxon%3A 190-27&variant_id=191009-paperback

 

Was also getting into this before school started again.

Edited January 21, 2021 by poptart

[Chum]

I recently finished the Paladin Trilogy.  The setup is a preindustrial world with a few competing demigods, lording over their religious orders. A retired goddess returns to form a new order, to police a couple of gods who are behaving badly. The gods are mostly offscene, with the orders serving as their proxies. Hilarity ensues.

I'm rereading Lord Valentine's Castle. I'll probably redo Kingdoms of the Wall next. I like Robert Silverberg well enough but these plodding, staged-journey novels tap into some deep nerve I have. My best guess is they trigger some powerful dreams, that I've long ago forgotten.

[poptart]

Church Polity: How the clergy run the church.  

This one is being added to the pile, saw it on ebay, it's a rare find but wow it's an eye opener on how the Lutheran Church and other denominations do things.  

BTW, saw a cool illuminated BOM on Deseret, may get it.  I'm a sucker for pretty lettering and pictures.  

Also picked this up used and cheap.

NABRE Fireside Signature Edition Family Bible-Black Eurobond - Walmart.com - Walmart.com

It's getting hard to find that, I've had my eye on it for a while.  Saw it cheap on amazon, grabbed it.  Worth it, it's beautiful.  

[Kate]

I just finished All Things New by Fiona and Terryl Givens. It is a fantastic read! I highly recommend it. 

[latterdaytemplar]

I am currently in the middle of:

• A Case for the Book of Mormon by Tad R. Callister
• The Craft: How the Freemasons Made the Modern World by John ****ie
• Galloway by Louis L'Amour
• The Art of Public Speaking by Dale Carnegie

The next books on my list are:

• The Lost 116 Pages by Don Bradley
• Abraham's Seed and Covenant: The Story of the Sacred Lineage of the Human Race by Douglas T. Bentley
• Milo Talon by Louis L'Amour
• Solomon's Memory Palace: A Freemason's Guide to the Ancient Art of Memoria Verborum by Bob W. Lingerfelt

[Kenngo1969]

On 12/23/2020 at 8:17 PM, Stargazer said:

... [W]henever he found a typo in the book he liked to jokingly blame his co-author, J. Rex Goates. Turns out, Dr. Goates died a few years ago, too. 

Does that mean that Dr. Goates was a scape-Goates? [Cue rimshot!]

Yeah.   I know.    Don't quit my day job.    But I couldn't resist!

Edited March 19, 2021 by Kenngo1969