What are you reading right now (II)?

The Art of Smart Football by Chris Brown. Will follow this up with The Essentials of Smart Football by the same author. He has two really good chapters on Saban's defensive scheme.


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bobstod said:

I think I may have all of Cornwell's books. I'm currently reading Sharpe's Revenge, which I had read in May of 2010 and November of 2012. Like the Patrick O'Brian books, I tend to read them again every 2 or 3 years.

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I've only read the Saxon Tales, but I eventually want to devote the time to reading the Sharpe's Tales. Patrick O-Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series too. Heard nothing but great things about these collections.

About 35 years ago I got into Wilbur Smith novels and have a shelf of them above my desk where I am sitting. As I glance along the shelf I see Steven King, Winston Churchill, Leon Uris, George R. R. Martin, Tolkien of course, Sharon Kay Penman, Alexander Kent, Larry McMurtry, and Dorothy Dunnett. Also the complete Shakespeare.
Wow! Could it really be 35 years since I started reading Wilbur Smith?

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That's a nice collection. I read a couple of Wilbur Smith's books when I was in high school and college. Good stuff.

I read the Terry Brooks books years ago (don't want to think how many). I got into Tolkein somewhere around 1967. I was teaching formation to Navy flight students in Milton, FL, and a former squadron mate mailed me the trilogy. It went through that formation unit like wildfire! "Frodo Lives" began to appear on chalkboards. Guys took up Tolkein callsigns, Like Aragorn Flight and Strider. I will never forget how deeply I was involved in the life of Frodo and Sam. I have read that series five or six times, always with the intention of just enjoying the magnificent use of the English language, but always getting caught up in the story.

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Ha! Nice. Love it!

I got the Tad Williams books today. I'll finish Cornwell and dive in tomorrow (after golf).. Take care, old friend.

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Let me know if you like the Tad Williams books. Enjoy the reading and golf.

Well, I am 236 pages into the Tad Williams Dragonbone Chair. I have to say he uses simile extremely well! I have had quite a few amused smiles at how he uses words, and at his similes. He tends to use nouns as verbs occasionally. The protagonist couldn't 'unpuzzle' something.

It is following the standard plot for the classical quest story. Lazy kitchen and stable boy, (Simon) tall for his age, red hair, clumsy. Beloved king on his deathbed after 80 years of peace and plenty. Eldest son under the influence of an evil priest. Second son kind, unassuming, good-hearted.

Disaster at the castle. Simon escapes after harrowing underground flight.

The story draws me back, so that is good; and I really enjoy William's use of language.

So, so good!

Shot 40 on the front this morning, then crashed to a 48 on the back. Still, 88 ain't bad for a 75 year old not particularly athletically gifted.

Take care...

Hey, an 88 is a respectable score. My advice, though, would be just to shoot 9 holes and then double your score. Voila! You shot an 80!

The Elf Queen of Shannara. Book 3 of the Heritage of Shannara series by Terry Brooks

A Mighty Fortress. Book 4 of the Safehold series by David Weber.

Stuck here in front of the TV with the Royals and Mets in extra innings. The Dragonbone Chair has kept my interest very well. Some overtones of Christianity in the religious beliefs of the protagonist and his people. Also a similar base plot to LOTR: the evil we face with the elder brother on the throne is only a symptom of a much deeper and more frightening evil. One character says our hero and his allies are like mice in the wall, scheming how to deal with the cat, with no notion that the real problem is the homeowner who brought in the cat to kill the mice.
I'm almost through with Book One. There are three in the series.

The Survivor by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills

The Talismans of Shannara. Book 4 of the Heritage of Shannara series by Terry Brooks

Bodhisattva said:

The Talismans of Shannara. Book 4 of the Heritage of Shannara series by Terry Brooks

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How is this going. Debating trying this series. Is it similar to Wheel of Time or Sword of Truth?

Bodhisattva said:

The Survivor by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills

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I just finished Transfer of Power last night. I'm going to read the Mitch Rapp series in order. The first one was fantastic. I've been told I need to go back read Term Limits. While Rapp is not in them it supposedly explains the "government setting" he operates in as an asset.


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Mystical said:

How is this going. Debating trying this series. Is it similar to Wheel of Time or Sword of Truth?

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Finished the first two series and enjoyed them. Probably another half-dozen series (20+/- books) to go. I'm planning to read them all. There are some similarities to Wheel of Time and Sword of Truth, but I would say it is closest to Lord of the Rings.

rolltide_21 said:

I just finished Transfer of Power last night. I'm going to read the Mitch Rapp series in order. The first one was fantastic. I've been told I need to go back read Term Limits. While Rapp is not in them it supposedly explains the "government setting" he operates in as an asset.


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In Term Limits the spiraling national debt (and other things) inspire assassinations of America's worst politicians. What's "funny" is that the debt in the book is a fraction of what it is now ...... Life is more outrageous than art.

How Firm a Foundation. Book 5 of the Safehold series by David Weber

The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson. From the Elantris series.

Recently read The Man with the Golden Gun and Casino Royale, both by Ian Fleming. Working on Live and Let Die currently.

Midst Toil and Tribulation. Book 6 of the Safehold series by David Weber

Shadows of Self. Book 5 in the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson.

Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov. Galactic Empire series.