Recently read the latest additions to two of my favorite urban fantasy series':
"The Turn," a prequel to the Hollows books by Kim Harrison. She finally told the story of the Turn, the cataclysm that killed millions of humans and forced the Inderland species to come out of hiding. For a series that maybe went one book too long, this was a great surprise. Well crafted origins tale with a few characters from the originals.

"Silence Fallen," book 10 of the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. After the last few books getting a bit repetitive, this one takes a sharp left and puts Mercy and Adam in a very new kind of trouble, without their pack to back them up or bail them out. A fresh take on a series that was getting a bit stale.

I'd give both of these a strong nine and recommend either (or both) of them to anyone who likes the urban fantasy genre.

Now making my way through "The Memoirs of Lady Trent" by Marie Brennan. These stories are told in the manner of a Victorian diary or journal. Our main character, Lady Trent is a Natural Historian, studying the natural history of dragons. Set in a fantasy world that loosely mirrors Victorian era earth, these books are a lot of fun.

Finished "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" recently. It made me care. Not the most amazing book I ever read but no complaints.

Started Joe Abercrombie's "First Law" series today (yes, I'm late to the party). This is some seriously good fantasy.

I'm currently reading The Like Switch by Jack Schafer.  Schafer's emphasis on non-verbal (people can often sabotage their true intentions of goodwill and friendship via negative body language that they aren't aware of) and verbal communication along with his friendship formula (friendship=frequency+ duration+proximity+intensity), which he defines as the "foundation upon which friendships are built", is very interesting reading.

Not read it but ran into some random guy at the bus stop on Friday claiming he's going to be publishing his new book very soon, that he's been described as the "new Tolkien" and that his books will make me want to give up on any other science fiction/fantasy books!

They're really THAT good!! Apparently...

I told him I'd wait for the movies...

Why the fuck do the loons think sitting at a bus stop, quietly reading my book, is an invitation to talk to me??

(May 21, 2017 at 8:47 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote: Why the fuck do the loons think sitting at a bus stop, quietly reading my book, is an invitation to talk to me??

The loon part probably?  Oh I'm sorry, he's the new Tolkien, that's just why you'd never heard of him...


I just finished Hemant Mehta's "I Sold My Soul on eBay".   Mehta describes this as a book for Christians and atheists, but really, it's primarily for Christians.  Even then I'd go so far as to say Catholics mostly need not apply, as he pretty much says ritual is boring and incomprehensible to an outsider (although that's a valid critique.  I've attended one Traditional Latin Mass in my life, and I too, was very at a loss as to what was going for most of the three hours).  So really, the target audience of this book is primarily Evangelical Christians.

People over on Goodreads get defensive as he doesn't talk much about doctrine, dogma, or other things that are important to many devout Christians, however, they fail to realize, that's not the point. The point of this book is to show the nature of corporate worship through the eyes of someone who does not usually attend, and what sort of things they look for. So when he keeps talking about pastors' personal charisma, the hate shown by some people, or just the fact that there ALWAYS is a television camera blocking his view of the stage at any Evangelical church seriously, like every Evangelical church he talks about, he mentions trying to see around a camera, these are things that are worth noting. Outsiders don't care about the doctrine, they don't believe in it, and if they do come to believe, they'll learn about it better at a later date.

What Mehta does in this book is to appeal to the "seeker friendly" churches, to use the Evangelical buzzwords. He shows how they can improve their branding and guest retention experience in an era when church attendance is on the decline. All in all, this is 5 stars for me, because it's a better and more honest look at Christianity and Christians than any other book I've read recently, especially those written by Evangelicals like Lee Lying For Jesus Strobel.

Debt: the First 5000 years!

I cannot speak more highly of this book. Only two books have radically altered how I see the world - this is the second.

It hooked me immediately by bursting the myth that coinage was invented as an improvement over barter. It covers everything from Irish slave trade to the Chinese silver crisis. It has a vast scope the spans the Globe and all of recorded history. I learned about the relationship between military adventures, bullion, and the creation of market economies. The book details how the biblical Jubilee originated and how it fit into the larger culture of the ancient Middle East. It details Islamic mercantilism and it reliance on networks of reputation and trust. The book culminates in the 2008 debt crisis with speculation on where we are headed.

All in all, this is an amazing book!

I'm reading David McCullough's Truman, a fascinating book in its own right but also a sad reminder of how far we've fallen as a nation.

Once upon a time, this country had a President who was genuinely humbled by the weight of his office and who worked his ass off in an effort to make himself equal to the task. The contrast with President Trump couldn't be starker.

(May 21, 2017 at 8:47 pm)The Valkyrie Wrote: Not read it but ran into some random guy at the bus stop on Friday claiming he's going to be publishing his new book very soon, that he's been described as the "new Tolkien" and that his books will make me want to give up on any other science fiction/fantasy books!

They're really THAT good!!  Apparently...

I told him I'd wait for the movies...

Why the fuck do the loons think sitting at a bus stop, quietly reading my book, is an invitation to talk to me??

But what if he IS the new Tolkien?

So, I've finished the First Law series (but not the First Law universe). Very dark, very good. It's not a series for people who like thei good guys and bad guys clear cut and well defined. The characters are far more ambiguous.

I followed that up with "The Green Trap" by Ben Bova. Quite a good read from a master of sci-fi. It's a near future tale about oil dependency, green technologies, murder and corporate greed.