Which book are you reading now? Volume XI

[jackelgull]

I've been reading invisible cities, it's really good at using imagery to convey the character of a city and get its themes across. I think if you're a writer stuck on writing descriptions this is basically mandatory.

 

[Cutlass]

Shadow of Victory David Weber. This is part of the very long running space opera Honor Harrington series. And the series has really gone downhill. I don't know what happened to Weber, but he's phoning it in now. I've been following this series for I think most of 20 years now. And was really into it for a long time. But the recent books are less and less interesting. This latest one essentially did not move the main plotline of the core story forward at all. It was entirely filler. And I ended up skimming past near half the book. It took place coterminous with a couple of the other books, and was essentially all of a sideshow to the plots of the other books. With very little participation from any of the main characters of the series. It was essentially entirely unnecessary to the series. It just introduced, and then disposed of, a lot of unimportant side stories and characters. It's a lot like a Tom Clancy novel as a sideshow to space opera. Only not as well done.

The only reason I still read books from this series at all anymore (and only the ones I get from the library, haven't bought one of them in at least 10 years) is that after 20 years, I'd really like to see where it all ends up. But apparently Weber doesn't know either, and so we get stuff like this instead.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Economic Diversification Policies in Natural Resource Rich Economies, editors Sami Mahroum and Yasser Al-Saleh. A diversified economy is correlated with higher gross national income and democratization. The converse side of this relationship is caused by various factors such as Dutch disease and regulatory capture. Government activities are crucial to initiate and maintain the diversification of an economy. However, the role of the private sector in properly allocating capital and labor to productive sectors should not be downplayed.

 

[FriendlyFire]

But the recent books are less and less interesting. either, and so we get stuff like this instead.

It gone down the drain, adding in too many new charactors and very very slow advancement of the main storyline
I think the poor man has run out of good ideas. At least Weber has farmed out a Trilogy to Timothny Zhan (thrawn trilogy) for a prequel.

Iam giving hes recent works a skip.

 

[Cutlass]

It gone down the drain, adding in too many new charactors and very very slow advancement of the main storyline
I think the poor man has run out of good ideas. At least Weber has farmed out a Trilogy to Timothny Zhan (thrawn trilogy) for a prequel.

Iam giving hes recent works a skip.

I read the first of that new set. I won't be reading the others. The first one suffered too dramatically from Weber's other sin as an author; that being that his main characters are just too godlike.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Lash-up by Larry Bond is a techno-thriller about China shooting down GPS satellites and the US scrambling to build a defense spacecraft. Published 2015, its events are set a few months from now. Has some good ideas, but the execution seems to be bogging down. It's been over a hundred pages without any action, other than bureaucratic maneuvering. Interservice rivalry is fascinating only for so long.

Now I understand that point I read about the importance of pseudonyms. I expected an action-packed trip to Detroit space but instead I got the writings of an engineer who thought every single detail of his job was interesting.

 

[JollyRoger]

 

[JohannaK]

The most wonderful book that I ever read.

 

[Paul in Saudi]

I am about halfway through Bruce Canton's Grant Takes Command. There has been a lot of new thinking about the American Civil War of late, but Canton is (sort of obviously) old school and usually quite right. Still, the series is not for newbies.

 

[Lohrenswald]

The most wonderful book that I ever read.

From what I read about it in school it seems kinda weird

 

[JohannaK]

That is a huge understatement.

 

[Lohrenswald]

hope I don't seem confrontational lol:
what is it about it that makes you like it?

Also, just as I wrote this I remembered that I actually have it:

Spoiler :

I should try to learn how to resize images one of these days

 

[Lohrenswald]

Also, just as I wrote this I remembered that I actually have it:

copy is 27 years old and as good as new, even

 

[Takhisis]

With a bit of luck I'll be rid of having West's Business Law forever. I've just realised it's the book I've had to read the most of, even if it's a bloody textbook.

The most wonderful book that I ever read.

In its native Castillian, I hope.

 

[Kyriakos]

Borges>other latin american writers

 

[JohannaK]

Reading a book should always be done in the original language if possible. Therefore yes, of course I read it in Castilian.

 

[schlaufuchs]

Well especially for a book like cien años which is particularly distinguished for its beautiful use of the Spanish language.

 

[Traitorfish]

Reading a book should always be done in the original language if possible.

Given the number of literary languages out there, this may be advice of limited practical use.

 

[JohannaK]

I wouldnt expect the average person to be able of reading in more than two, perhaps three languages, and the average anglo to be unable to read anything other than English, but it is still what I'll do. On the other hand, when I start reading a book series in a language, I would rather read all of it in the same one, be it the original or not.

 

[JollyRoger]

I'm reading it out loud in Texican