What Fiction are you reading this week, February 23, 2025?

[hermetic]

Still reading Resident Alien, The Graphic Novel, a unique science-fiction/murder-mystery mashup, written by Peter Hogan. The story is great and the art by Steve Parkhouse is wonderful.

Listening to the "absurdly funny and devastatingly tender" The Wedding People by Alison Espach. A story about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew. It's given me lots of laughs.

What books are you enjoying these days?

[roscoeroscoe]

1. Critical Mass, by Daniel Suarez

Stands alone, but it is actually the sequel to Delta-V. These lay out a science fiction tale of asteroid mining, lunar surface mining, building solar panels in space to send clean energy to Earth. Simply the best books I've run across in a long time. Highly Recommended!

[hermetic]

3. Sounds quite interesting

Thanks for sharing.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. "Local Woman Missing" by Mary Kubica.

[hermetic]

5. "Dark and twisty,

with white-knuckle tension and jaw-dropping surprises."

Yep, that's my kind of story. Thanks.

[cbabe]

4. Richard Powers/Playground

Story flips between characters and time. Baffled me until I caught up half way through.

The end was completely ‘whaaat!?’

Powers is a brilliant writer. But I wish he had a better editor.

Plot follows two male friends, poor black poet and rich white techie (cringe). They discover the game Go, also black and white. Becomes their intricate life metaphor.

And then Evie, French Canadian famous best ever oceanographer. And her dives with all the sea creatures. Best poetic parts of the book.

And the South Pacific Island and it’s people trying to stay above water, literally.

And the sentient ai.

Book is one big near future mishmash metaphor.

It could have been a masterpiece but not.

[hermetic]

6. Powers also wrote

The Overstory. I loved that book. Think I'll give this one a miss. Thanks.

[cbabe]

7. I have a vague memory of reading The Overstory. Nature writing is

challenging. Where exactly do humans fit in the rocks and clouds.

One of the best is Desert Solitaire/Edward Abbey.

[hermetic]

8. Oh totally

Desert Solitaire is one of my favorite books ever.

[cbabe]

13. Stepping aside, I read a great nonfiction book

about snow and skiing and avalanches. Can’t remember the title, of course.

Fascinating how snow flakes form and fall and compress into different banks and fields and turn to ice and glaciers.

Maybe someone knows the title?

[txwhitedove]

17. I'm intrigued. "Wall of White" at Lake Tahoe? Or "The Darkest White" at a glacier???

[cbabe]

19. Maybe. Do they include a lot of snow science?

[txwhitedove]

20. I'm just searching non-fiction on snow science, skiing and avalanche. How old was the book?

Now found Backcountry, or Dragons in the Snow, or Snowstruck? There's a lot.

[cbabe]

22. Dragons in the snow sounds right. Good searching. I'll have to read to make sure.

https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/dragons-in-the-snow-avalanche-detectives-and-the-race-to-beat-death-in-the-mountains

Dragons in the Snow
Avalanche Detectives and the Race to Beat Death in the Mountains
by Ed Power

2020 National Outdoor Book Award Winner - Outdoor Literature

[Bayard]

9. Finished, "The Mailman," Bentley Little

Half-way through, "Thunderhead," by Lincoln Childs and Douglas Preston. Liking it a lot, especially the Native aspects. Thank you for introducing me to these authors.

[hermetic]

11. Ooh, haven't read that one

It's at my library, though, so I'll probably be reading it soon. I do love those guys' writing.

Thunderhead is also a book I read when I was around 12 I'd guess. Great story about a horse by Mary O'Hara. Who also wrote My Friend, Fliicka, another of my faves. Thunderhead was a foal of Flicka's.

Speaking of faves, I go to that Reddit page of beautiful photos you posted the other day, every morning, to see the new posts. It's a nice way to start the day. So, thank you.

[japple]

10. Thank you for the weekly thread, hermetic. I'm in between books right now.

Am leaning towards reading Anne Tyler's A Spool of Blue Thread, but I might go for Meagan Church's The Girls We Sent Away. Decisions, decisions.

[hermetic]

12. Ain't that the truth?

Hope you are all better now. Or at least mostly. I've seen you've had some pretty wild weather, with ice and stuff. Take care.

[MIButterfly]

14. The Waiting by Michael Connelly

[hermetic]

15. Good one

Complex, satisfying, and full of dexterous twists, The Waiting demonstrates once more that “you can't do better than Michael Connelly” --Forbes

[mentalsolstice]

16. I loved The Wedding People! Just read that Sony bought screen rights.

I just finished Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, about a high school shooting. I love her books, however, this wasn’t one of my favorites.

Next book up is Daughter of Moloka’i by Alan Brennert. It’s the sequel to Moloka’i, which I read several years ago, excellent book about a Hansen’s disease colony in Hawaii.

Have a great week everyone!

[txwhitedove]

18. Great evening after kid volleyball and family birthday with margaritas and mexican food, yum.

The Wedding People is massively popular at library with all forms in use, more on order and 361 holds! I'm #362.

Currently reading Up on the Woof Top by Spencer Quinn, with my old friend Chet up to mischief again. "Chet discovers that he is not fond of reindeer. But the case turns out to be about much more than reindeer after Dame Ariadne's personal assistant takes a long fall into Devil's Purse, a deep mountain gorge."

[yellowdogintexas]

21. I finally finished "The Power" Berkely Blackfriars volume 2

It was a long book and I kept getting interrupted

So then I ran across the prequel to the "The Forgotten Coast" series that I have been working through. It was a short byt satisfying read I learned a few things about a couple of the characters that are not in the later books.

the Liberal Ladies Bookclub is reading Humans: A Brief History of How We Fucked It All Up by Tom Phillips as our March choice. I think this is the book Katy Porter was reading during a house session back before Christmas.
Before I dive into that I need to read something light so that will be this week's goal.

[question everything]

23. Murder and the First Lady, by Elliott Roosevelt

Yes, the First Son. A White House staffer is found dead, poisoned by cyanide at the apartment of a personal secretary to first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Mrs. Roosevelt refuses to believe the charges and starts her own investigation.

The President enjoys his wife involvement as he prepares for a possible war in Europe. Neither can stand J. Edgar Hoover but dare not antagonize him.

Easy enjoying reading.

[dwayneb]

24. Re-reading Stephen King's "IT"

It's been a long time so I don't recall most of this book. Since it was written in the late 80's there are no references to cell phones or computers so it's a bit of a time warp.