Discuss and interact with contributors and members about Private Shots.
User avatar
By honora
#49044
Fast, I have heard of Goodreads before - I will definitely be looking into that now
User avatar
By mandadees
#49045
You guys are so bad!!

I love to read the newspaper. I love to see my paperboys cute tight butt as he rides by before I pick up that big hard roll outside my house and feel how firm it is! I just know its full of fun things I can chew over for hours and hours! :oops: Then when I get inside, I carefully open it up to its full size and lick my lips slowly in anticipation as I feel it in my hands as it opens up full size. I love a full sized paper, all firm between my fingers. :oops: My hard paper just does it for me, smelling of manly work and teaching me things I never knew before. :lol:

Oh let me tell you girlfriend its heaven!! :oops: :oops: :oops:

Bring it!!!
User avatar
By rockclimber
#49051
mandadees wrote:You guys are so bad!!

I love to read the newspaper. I love to see my paperboys cute tight butt as he rides by before I pick up that big hard roll outside my house and feel how firm it is! I just know its full of fun things I can chew over for hours and hours! :oops: Then when I get inside, I carefully open it up to its full size and lick my lips slowly in anticipation as I feel it in my hands as it opens up full size. I love a full sized paper, all firm between my fingers. :oops: My hard paper just does it for me, smelling of manly work and teaching me things I never knew before. :lol:

Oh let me tell you girlfriend its heaven!! :oops: :oops: :oops:

Bring it!!!
Dahammmm I knew you love the Sunday paper but Wow,
Call me The Tribune!!!
User avatar
By Thumper
#49057
honora wrote: Thumper, which cheeks would you rather see? :D
YOURS!


And as often as I can! (Now would be good)
User avatar
By FastFive
#49061
Good grief Manda... I feel like I need a shower now. :shock:
User avatar
By FastFive
#49063
honora wrote:Fast, I have heard of Goodreads before - I will definitely be looking into that now
If you like it and end up using it let me know and I'll send you my info to add me as a friend if ya' want... we can spy on each other's reading habits. :D
User avatar
By FastFive
#49066
Just finished "The Tombs" by Clive Cussler this aft.

Overall, a little bit underwhelming. CC is one of those authors I've collected avidly for years. I read my first CC novel when I was in 9th grade, and never looked back. Yes, his books are kinda' formulaic... but that's kinda' why I like reading them. They're like chocolate bars... not at all good for you, not really filling, but so sweet and so damned delicious you can't help but eat more.

They're all a bit like reading the original 007 novels by Ian Fleming: Bad guy wants to take over the world/destroy the world in some new way, good guy fights bad guy, gets caught, miraculously escapes, defeats bad guy, gets a girl somewhere in the process, saves the world. The only significant different is that Cussler (a history buff, particularly naval) generally adds an element of historical mystery into each tale.

Over 20 years of reading CC (originally just one series... a book every couple of years, he's now branched off into 5 different series, each "co-written" by someone else since CC is getting well on in years) and I pretty much know what I'm getting into each time... but it never stops me. :D

Like I said at the top... The Tombs was a little underwhelming. The co-author for this particular adventure was a new guy... writing with/for CC for the first time. I think some of his other co-writers have done better jobs.

Without spoiling anything, I did feel that this time too many things came together way too conveniently for the heroes. Defeating the bad guys should never fall into one's lap. :roll: Too many details were too tidy to be realistic (as far as you could expect this type of adventure to be "realistic").

Mind you, the "Fargo" series has always been the weakest of his work in my opinion. The "implausible" has happened more than a bit too often with them.

Still, I'm looking forward to the next book (moving to the "NUMA Files" next)... which I'm already a dozen pages into. :geek:
User avatar
By mrdangerous
#49067
FastFive wrote:Just finished "The Tombs" by Clive Cussler this aft.:geek:
I agree with you on this one. I've just started picking up his books and this one was not in the top ten so far. Kinda self serving how he writes himself into the book, but hey, if you can do it, go for it. My short list of good authors seems to keep getting shorter. Dean Koontz is usually a go to for a good read, but his stuff is getting kind of weak as well. Michael Crichton died and no one is really stepping into that void.

The Pendergast series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child are pretty good, and I've tried to fill the gaps with some classics like H.P. Lovecraft.
User avatar
By mandadees
#49068
Top Dog: The Story of Marine Hero Lucca

This was a great book! I thought it was inspiring and heart warming to explore the relationship between the marine and his dog. I like these kinds of books when I get time to read. I wish I had more time but I always try to make time for my Sunday paper. :)
User avatar
By mrdangerous
#49071
I'm an escapist. My library is 98% fiction, and what isn't fiction is usually a book someone else gave me, and I'm waiting until they forget it so I can give it to someone else. :roll: When I read, I want to be immersed in a different world or reality. I don't want to escape the nonsense of reality by reading about . . . the same stupid reality I'm trying to get away from. ;)

Sci-fi, gothic horror, historical fiction . . . those are the ones that draw me in.
User avatar
By mandadees
#49073
My escape is listening to all my girlfriends and their dramas, LOL!
User avatar
By FastFive
#49077
mrdangerous wrote:Kinda self serving how he writes himself into the book, but hey, if you can do it, go for it.
I don't really find it self-serving... more of a very long running, inside joke. He first did it in Dragon where he was just some random older gentleman who (if I remember correctly) wasn't even directly named... it was just clear by the description who he was. It was funny because the main character had this sense of déja vu.... like they'd met before, and then once the scene was over and done with he goes away, still thinking about this man he'd just met... then realizes he can't quite recall his name, except that it was an odd name. :lol:

When he wrote that scene into Dragon it was actually just for a laugh and he expected his editor to remove the whole thing. But he didn't, and the scene stayed in the book and became a sort of 'signature' of his.

Since Dragon he's dropped himself into every Dirk Pitt novel, either as a simple passer-by who just happens to know some small detail that helps the heroes on their way, or as a full fledged part of the story, albeit for just one brief scene. His cameo (along with his wife) in The Tombs is the first time he's been outside of a Pitt novel I think though.
User avatar
By FastFive
#49078
mandadees wrote:My escape is listening to all my girlfriends and their dramas, LOL!
Is that an escape?

Or a trap?!? :lol:
User avatar
By rockclimber
#49081
A little vintage for Hump day, relaxing after. The book club...
Attachments
IMG_20141105_082434.jpg
IMG_20141105_082434.jpg (429.66 KiB) Viewed 25992 times
User avatar
By FastFive
#49127
mrdangerous wrote:I agree with you on this one. I've just started picking up his books and this one was not in the top ten so far.
Have you read the latest NUMA Files book... Zero Hour?

Already so much better than the Fargo book. I'm loving this one. It's extremely "Bondian" in scope: scarred, megalomaniac bad guy bent on world destruction, underwater lairs, murdered informants, helicopter/boat chases... and that's just within the first 50 pages or so. I literally can't put this one down... pure fun and escapism from page 1!
User avatar
By mrdangerous
#49130
No, I haven't. That one must've come out since my last trip to Barnes & Noble. My last NUMA book was Poseidon's Arrow. Thanks for the heads up.

My last read that I would recommend would be Invisible by James Patterson. Kind of a Criminal Minds serial killer story. It was certainly better than The Tombs.
User avatar
By FastFive
#49136
A Cleavage Thursday pic for the Book Club:

Image
User avatar
By rockclimber
#49152
And another important literary work......

For the connoisseurs of the female form....... Oh wait! that's us!!
Attachments
IMG_20141106_182244.jpg
IMG_20141106_182244.jpg (139.4 KiB) Viewed 25965 times
User avatar
By FastFive
#49156
Stimulating topic... :ugeek:
User avatar
By rockclimber
#49158
Decidedly......

Favorite poets anyone?

Yeets for me.. And RW Emerson..... A favorite one below..... Reminds me of a Ben Folds Five song....


:ugeek:
Attachments
IMG_20141106_185715.jpg
IMG_20141106_185715.jpg (200.17 KiB) Viewed 25962 times
User avatar
By mrdangerous
#49187
rockclimber wrote:And another important literary work......

For the connoisseurs of the female form....... Oh wait! that's us!!

I've seen that one (several times ;) ).

I also recall there being a male version, but that isn't what floats my boat.

As to poetry, "Casey at the Bat" is about as poetic as I get.
User avatar
By FastFive
#49326
FastFive wrote:Still, I'm looking forward to the next book (moving to the "NUMA Files" next)... which I'm already a dozen pages into. :geek:
Five days... and I'm done. It was that good! So much fun.
User avatar
By rockclimber
#49344
mandadees wrote:Casey at Bat is epic!


Penn and Teller do Casey at Bat

:lol:
Classic! Good pick M!! :D :D
User avatar
By mandadees
#49500
honora wrote:Lol Manda for some reason I really feel like reading now ;)
LOL!! Me too :)
User avatar
By honora
#49508
Just started reading One Second After by William Forstchen. :D. Only on the second chapter but so far so good!
User avatar
By rockclimber
#49510
honora wrote:Just started reading One Second After by William Forstchen. :D. Only on the second chapter but so far so good!
Good morning Miss H,

Have you read his Day of Wrath? I am still plugging away at my book on the Irish influence on Catholicism and modern society myself, but I keep picking up the Berlin book you had suggested and am about a third of the way through it as well. Too much work and not enough free time I guess...... I did get another Dilbert one with my last order and hope it arrives for the weekend, I love Scott Adams!

Day of Wrath is shorter, I won't spoil the plot but it may be one you will like. Off to work!


:ugeek:
User avatar
By blondwife
#49512
I can't believe no one has mentioned 50 shades of grey , that is one of the few books the wife ever really got into enough to read the whole series , I wonder why ? lol
User avatar
By mandadees
#49558
rockclimber wrote:Decidedly......

Favorite poets anyone?

Yeets for me.. And RW Emerson..... A favorite one below..... Reminds me of a Ben Folds Five song....


:ugeek:
That's very romantic Rock. :) What ifs are always on my mind too lately.

I like Sylvia Plath, here is a saying of hers I like,
“I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want. I can never train myself in all the skills I want. And why do I want? I want to live and feel all the shades, tones and variations of mental and physical experience possible in life. And I am horribly limited.”
― Sylvia Plath, The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
User avatar
By FastFive
#49571
I'll have a closer look when I get home...

But a gallery of our COFFettes delving into their fave books would be better, no doubt. :D
User avatar
By FastFive
#49743
Interesting "Battle of the Sexes" infographic from Goodreads:

Image
User avatar
By FastFive
#49791
After blitzing through "Zero Hour" I've moved onto "The Striker", Book 6 of the Isaac Bell series.

Set in 1902, the book kind of qualifies as "historical fiction" since the plot of this particular book in the series revolves around the formation of America's earliest labor unions, and specifically the Coal Strike of 1902. The fictional characters move around in a world where actual events happened, where historical figures influenced those events, but with that said, I wouldn't be expecting this book to help me pass any history quizzes. It's still basically a techno-thriller / detective novel (though the "tech" is turn of the last century tech).

While Zero Hour was paced like a movie (ie: crazy fast, blasting the reader from one scene to the next), The Striker is a much slower read. If I had time to sit down and really get into it, it would definitely feel faster, but since the pace of the novel itself is slower, I don't feel quite so compelled to be turning pages every spare waking second. That's not saying the book is bad though... it's actually pretty fitting. Things happened more slowly back then. Communication wasn't instant, research took hours, or even days. "Instant" communication is 1902 was a telegraph... just a few words per message, time to send across whatever distance, for the message to be delivered, responded to, sent back, etc. Staying faithful to the period drastically slows down how quick the story moves.

But I do like it though. It's a very different way of telling 'familiar' stories.

I'm about half way through now, but I'm not bringing it with me this weekend since I didn't want to take up any more room in my backpack in case I end up with some time to go shopping in FL. It'll be magazines for me all weekend, which is good, 'cause I'm still reading the June issue. :roll:
User avatar
By honora
#49832
Reading the June issue of what, Fast? ;)

Speaking of shopping in Florida, I have to mention that in the off chance (no need to respond) you are in the Orlando area, then the Orlando International Premium Outlet Mall is a great place to go shopping. Also the Mall at Millenia. The Blue Martini or Wall Street in Orlando is good for evening fun.

Hey, no matter where you go in FL, you can do a lot in one day!!
User avatar
By FastFive
#49844
honora wrote:Reading the June issue of what, Fast? ;)

Speaking of shopping in Florida, I have to mention that in the off chance (no need to respond) you are in the Orlando area, then the Orlando International Premium Outlet Mall is a great place to go shopping. Also the Mall at Millenia. The Blue Martini or Wall Street in Orlando is good for evening fun.

Hey, no matter where you go in FL, you can do a lot in one day!!
Racecar Engineering.

Sadly my only stop in Orlando might be for supper.:( I'm hoping to be in West Palm Beach before bedtime Saturday night.
User avatar
By rockclimber
#49953
Not a book, but an amusing look at some crazy laws revolving around our favorite pass time...... No, not base ball, sex!


http://ent.viralnova.com/sex-laws/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I laughed at Alaska and their prohibition. I've seen that particular infraction first hand, not sure I would be brave it dumb enough to try and enforce that one!
Attachments
IMG_20141123_201246.jpg
IMG_20141123_201246.jpg (76.1 KiB) Viewed 25781 times
User avatar
By mrdangerous
#49956
Just picked up 3 new books from B&N. Havana Storm by Clive Cussler, Desert God by Wilber Smith, and Blue Laberynth by Preston & Child. They should give me a break from the Complete Fiction of H.P. Lovecraft that I've been trudging through.
User avatar
By mandadees
#50156
blondwife wrote:I can't believe no one has mentioned 50 shades of grey , that is one of the few books the wife ever really got into enough to read the whole series , I wonder why ? lol
Isn't there a movie coming out too? I think it would be hard to do on screen and not be XXX?
User avatar
By Thinker
#50160
You could do some of the things *just* off screen. Most people could use their imaginations to fill in the rest.

I am surprised that adults have not had more of their parties morph into acting out the books...maybe they are!
User avatar
By honora
#50200
I started to read 50 Shades of Grey but I put it down after the third chapter and never picked it back up! Hate to say it but I got kind of bored with it :lol: I'm too impatient in general though.....but I have read many erotic stories from start to finish and for some reason could not get into the whole 50 shades thing. It won't stop me from seeing the movie though! In case anyone here doesn't know I LOVE going to the theatre! Nothing compares to seeing it on the BIG screen :D
User avatar
By rockclimber
#50203
honora wrote:I started to read 50 Shades of Grey but I put it down after the third chapter and never picked it back up! Hate to say it but I got kind of bored with it :lol: I'm too impatient in general though.....but I have read many erotic stories from start to finish and for some reason could not get into the whole 50 shades thing. It won't stop me from seeing the movie though! In case anyone here doesn't know I LOVE going to the theatre! Nothing compares to seeing it on the BIG screen :D
I may have made it further than that. I bought my copy from the Author so I felt some obligation. Honestly the violence of it is a huge turn off. Maybe a light spanking at most but the rest of it? No. The mental seduction, yes. I could spend hours in seduction if given half a chance, but CB was a tad of a damaged personality I think. I DID like what I read of it though excepting the violent S/M.

Honora, I finished One Second After, but again, I skipped a large part not wanting to read about the daughter. Anything with children who come to harm I just find bothers me a lot. It was a bit too dystopian for me. I just don't buy that society would break down so completely so quickly. I think the risk of EMP is overblown as well, just my opinion. Faraday Cage type containers and older vehicles and appliances are so ubiquitous that I just don't see it getting that bad. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, skipped the battle too I have to confess. But then, I skipped most of the battle parts of War and Peace too! :lol: :lol:
User avatar
By FastFive
#51748
Just looked at my final 2014 stats from Goodreads...

8 books, 3907 pages.

My best year was 2012 with 9 books and 5816 pages (the year I read through the first 4 "A Song Of Ice And Fire" novels.... hence the massive page-count).

Bring on 2015!
User avatar
By redback
#51749
Being an avid reader for many years {actually I think my 1st book was a stone tablet} I have had many favourite authors including Clive Cussler, Dean Koonttz, Steven King, Steven Coonts and Wilbur Smith to name but a few.
Thought Id mention a couple of Australian authors that some of you might find interesting if you can find them.
Mathew Reilly. He is pure escapism. Very fast paced action writer with a little over the top heroics. Like CC a lot of his books set in the modern world with an historical theme but Matt bends the history to suite the story. My favourite, Severn Ancient Wonders.
Steve Worland. Another fast paced action writer worth a read. Steve adds humour to his stories. His heroes are more the average man caught up in some plot to destroy the world. Again the heroics are over the top but its good escapism. My favourite, Combustion.
Geoff McGeechin. A humorous writer with a bit of action and love thrown in. His heroes tend to be a bit "anti hero". He will never be considered one of the greats but his books are a good read, almost believable and worth a laugh. My favourite, Fat Fifty and Fucked.
Kerry Greenwood. This ones mainly for the ladies but I like her. She writes a series about a female private detective set in Melbourne in the 1920s. They are a light easy read with action, humour and sex. My favourite, Death Before Wicket.
Peter Fitzsimons. Peter is a non fiction historical writer. He writes mainly about Australian history in general and Australian Military history in particular. The reason I include him here is that he puts a lot of work into his research. For example in Tobruk he spends a lot of time in Germany researching the Afrika Corps and interviewing surviving soldiers and even Rommel's family to get their side of the story as well as the Australian side. Anyone interested in military history will find his books very enlightening and entertaining. One warning though, he is Australian and he is a little biased. My favourite, Tobruk.
I hope I have interested you all enough to check these out next time your at you local library, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
User avatar
By mandadees
#51817
I like to read about nutrition and cooking, even though you probably would never guess LOL!

This one is a nice introduction:

The Food Babe Way: Break Free from the Hidden Toxins in Your Food and Lose Weight...

Happy New Year!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
User avatar
By redback
#51823
Nothing wrong with that Manda,, Knowledge is power and knowing how to balance your diet is important for good health and well being .
And don't forget that old saying, The way to a mans heart is through his stomach. :D :D :D :D
User avatar
By rockclimber
#52493
The topic tonight in another group has even poetry and literature. Yeats has been a favorite of mine for some time, here's a taste.....

William Butler Yeats....

"Wine comes in at the mouth

And love comes in at the eye

That's all we shall know for truth

Before we grow old and die.

I lift the glass to my mouth,

I look at you, and I sigh."


And on that toast I'm off to bed!
Attachments
IMG_20150116_004643.jpg
IMG_20150116_004643.jpg (24.21 KiB) Viewed 25129 times
Committee Suppressed

AND YET AGAIN what johnforbes is trying to say is […]

johnny, your old partisan song and dance is not &q[…]

8th Amendment

Geezus, sillydummy, inform yourself already. Trum[…]

The Engoron theory was utter nonsense and the enti[…]

The Best Man for the Job?

Surprisingly, Scientific American has leaned to th[…]

Mr Forbes does have the strength of a machine. An[…]

Had Kamala been an apple/tomato/cherry/peach pick[…]

8th Amendment

We have all been wondering, in the context of the […]