What are we reading?

[MetalDog]

I think...

[mirth]

Pretty sure the Silmarillion was my first Tolkien book. I don't think I made it a hundred pages.

[MetalDog]

I was put off by it, too.  And got about as far.  I think I was 11.  Or 12, maybe, when I first tried.  Like I told Toonces, I finally powered through the creation myth (the Ainulindale and the Valaquenta), and once you're through, it all starts to be pretty good stuff.  How the Valar shaped the world and came down to live in it, anticipating the coming of the Elves.  Morgoth being a venomous dick and poisoning the relationship between the Elves and the Valar.  Feanor, the Kinslaughter, and the return of the Noldor to Middle Earth.  Really good stuff.  Full of battles, betrayal, and tragedy.

[Martok]

McCullough is a great writer.

Good to know.  Anything in particular by him that you'd recommend? 

Pretty sure the Silmarillion was my first Tolkien book.

Yikes!  Well that was your problem right there, I guarantee it. 

The Silmarillion is way too dense a read if you're just diving into the Tolkien-verse for the first time.  Much better to start off with The Hobbit (especially if you're younger and/or can still have an appreciation for children's stories) and the Lord of the Rings books. 

The Silmarillion reads like sort of a combination history textbook and "Bible" for Tolkien's world.  It doesn't read like a narrative story per se. 

and once you're through, it all starts to be pretty good stuff.  How the Valar shaped the world and came down to live in it, anticipating the coming of the Elves.  Morgoth being a venomous dick and poisoning the relationship between the Elves and the Valar.  Feanor, the Kinslaughter, and the return of the Noldor to Middle Earth.  Really good stuff.  Full of battles, betrayal, and tragedy.

Agreed.  Getting through the creation story is the toughest part in my experience as well.  Once you're past that, though, the reading becomes much more interesting (and therefore easier). 

[mirth]

The Silmarillion reads like sort of a combination history textbook and "Bible" for Tolkien's world.  It doesn't read like a narrative story per se. 

Believe me, I know ;)

[Gusington]

One of my favorite books ever is The Great Bridge by McCollough...you can probably get it for free somewhere at this point.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

I'm pouring through a bunch of book simultaneously.

I'm reading:

Bomber Command: Reflections of War vol 1-5



Comprehensive history of the role of Bomber Command throughout the war.  It's good but relies a little too much on anecdotal accounts and doesn't go into the bigger picture as much as I'd like.


The Other Battle:  Luftwaffe Night Aces vs Bomber Command



It's very good so far.  It goes into a lot of depth concerning the back and forth technology race between the Germans and the UK/Commonwealth and shows how each new development in radar, jamming, navigation, etc brought about changes in the tactics utilized by both sides.



Avro Lancaster.  Owner's Workshop Manual



Lots of detailed information on the internal workings of the Lancaster.  (and full of pretty pictures!)

[bbmike]

Martok, question out of the blue: what's your favorite Star Trek novel?

[BanzaiCat]

^ I know you're not asking me, but my favorite was Vendetta. Imzadi was pretty good too. Basically any Peter David Star Trek novel, you cannot go wrong with.

[bbmike]

^ I know you're not asking me, but my favorite was Vendetta. Imzadi was pretty good too. Basically any Peter David Star Trek novel, you cannot go wrong with.

I am interested in Martok's thoughts but any others are welcome to answer. I haven't read Vendetta but I'll check it out. Imzadi's love story theme made me avoid it.  :P

[BanzaiCat]

^ Yeah I know, but it was still a good read.

[Airborne Rifles]

The Guns at Last Light by Rick Atkinson. Pretty good. Focuses on a lot of areas in the west in 1944 that usually get overlooked, like Operation Dragoon and the huertgen forest.

[mirth]

^ I know you're not asking me, but my favorite was Vendetta. Imzadi was pretty good too. Basically any Peter David Star Trek novel, you cannot go wrong with.

The Diane Duane Trek books are excellent - Wounded Sky, My Enemy My Ally, Spock's World, The Romulan Way, Doctor's Orders. I read almost every Trek novel from the 80s into the early 90s. The Diane Duane books were by far the best, imo. I still own several of them after getting rid of all the others.

Vonda McIntyre's novelizations of Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock were also quite good.

[BanzaiCat]

I'll have to try those. I was never really into the TOS books but I think I read Spock's World a long time ago.

[mirth]

I'll have to try those. I was never really into the TOS books but I think I read Spock's World a long time ago.

I started reading Trek novels after Wrath of Khan came out. I was into them pretty heavy for a while. Must have owned 30-plus paperbacks at one point. I got out of them around when the Next Gen books were taking off. I did read Vendetta though and enjoyed it. Nothing against the Next Gen novels, just started having different interests -college, women. Should have stuck with the books :P