Jim's Cafe - Tuesday - Sept 3, 2024 - books!

[Holding my breath]

Hi there.
Mine is a series of books by Lucinda Riley called the Seven Sisters. There are 8 books in the series and each one brilliantly builds the bigger picture of the family and how they all intertwine with each other. Each book also has a duel story where you read about the present and the past, very cleverly written. Xx

 

[Livelife]

I hope you enjoy it. @Livelife

I'm sure I will!

 

[KM76710]

With my being a fan of history and biography that route would be works of Theodore Ayrault Dodge and his biographies on what he called the greatest generals that came before his death in 1909, three ancients: Alexander, Hannibal, Julius Caesar and three moderns for his time: Gustavus Adolphus which was also heavy on the Wars of Spanish Succession, Frederick The Great, and Napoleon.

For fiction I have always been a big lover of anything by Jules Verne. I loved how his stories From The Earth To The Moon and Around The Moon put the launch of the capsule, actually a huge in ground cannon firing a spaceship shell right where Cape Kennedy was located and had the return trip and splash down much what NASA did for the spaceflights of the '60s and '70s.

 

[Baywasp]

I tend to read nonfiction more than fiction, but my favorite book is the novel Catch-22. I found it to be darkly funny and well-written, and I get something more out of it each time I reread it. It is written out of chronological order, so it’s confusing the first time through, but it can be rewarding to go back through another time piecing everything together. I love Catch-22 so much that I frequently use the name of the protagonist, Yossarian, as an online pseudonym.

I also love the series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but the first book is the best, and to me, the series kinda gets progressively worse, and I can’t stand the fifth book, Mostly Harmless, and find the characters annoying. I never bothered with the 6th one, And Another Thing… which was written by Eoin Colfer after Douglas Adams died.

 

[LumberJack]

The Stranger by Albert Camus. I read it before I was diagnosed or even suspected I had mental illness, but for some reason I found it therapeutic. I guess the main character is an anti hero as opposed to a sympathetic character. I didn’t read it that way because I could identify with his feelings very much.

…and now I have the Cure sing about this book playing in my head.

 

[Angie]

I tend to read nonfiction more than fiction, but my favorite book is the novel Catch-22. I found it to be darkly funny and well-written, and I get something more out of it each time I reread it. It is written out of chronological order, so it’s confusing the first time through, but it can be rewarding to go back through another time piecing everything together. I love Catch-22 so much that I frequently use the name of the protagonist, Yossarian, as an online pseudonym.

I also love the series of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but the first book is the best, and to me, the series kinda gets progressively worse, and I can’t stand the fifth book, Mostly Harmless, and find the characters annoying. I never bothered with the 6th one, And Another Thing… which was written by Eoin Colfer after Douglas Adams died.

I do agree that Hitchhiker's gets progressively worse, but the first book was genius.

I read Catch-22 young, and was confused lol . Would be worth a reread now I think.

 

[JMG]

Can’t believe no one has said the Harry Potter series, but ya I love them and they are some of my fave books, there’s others too but I will just talk about them for now.

My fave one is the 3rd one, read it dozens of times over the years. I love it so much because I can relate to how Harry’s very existence was so hated and resented by his horrible aunt and uncle (was, and still is, my situation with my miserable, pure evil stepmother), and I love it so much when he leaves and gets to enjoy at least part of his summer.

Then when he goes to school and gets such special treatment (from everyone pretty much I guess, lol) but also from Professor Lupin. I never had any teachers who were even half as nice as he was to Harry, but always wished that I woulda. Could definitely have made a huge difference for me. Oh well, they were all just too stunned to recognize a one-in-a-million opportunity when it was right in front of them, so their idiotic loss, not mine

 

[Livelife]

Watershed Down by Richard Adams

@SillyOldBear ......I just got it in the mail today! Can't wait

 

[SillyOldBear]

@SillyOldBear ......I just got it in the mail today! Can't wait

Enjoy!

 

[Angie]

@SillyOldBear ......I just got it in the mail today! Can't wait

you are in for a treat!

 

[SillyOldBear]

you are in for a treat!

Livelife got the book in the mail. I have already read it. It is my all time favorite.

 

[Brân]

Hello SF lovelies! I hope today brings you good things and the night peaceful sleep!

I have a simple question today:

What is your favorite book or series of books, and why? If you have favorite books in different genres go ahead and share that too!

I look forward to discovering new books!

Favourite book: The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath. I'm a cliché I guess but this was the first book I read where I felt seen or what I was feeling/going through was normal. That and her poetry - really got me through some tough times in school and college.

Honorary mention for 'The Final Girl Support Group' - Grady Hendrix. Unique concept, fast paced, written so well - unlikeable but addictive characters. Binged it. Haha

Series of books:
Hater - David Moody

 

[Dante]

Oh so many good books out there...

Fantasy

Spoiler: The Scholomance Books - Naomi Novik

A magic school fantasy with a twist. The magic school is more dangerous than the outside world. It is a daily struggle for survival and the main character is fighting her own destiny on top of it. A rather well thought out concept and setting, the school itself is a character in its own right.

Spoiler: The Discworld Books - Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is to fantasy what Douglas Adams is to Sci Fi. He regularly critiques the modern world or classic tropes by twisting them into his unique and unforgettable Discworld where light travels slowly, wizards are all drunken fools and the eternally burning down city of Ankh Morpork boasts the only river so polluted you can walk across it, all carried on the backs of 4 great elephants standing on upon Great A'Tuin the World Turtle.

Spoiler: The King Killer Chronicles - Patrick Rothfuss

If you don't mind waiting potentially 30 years for the last book to drop this is an unmissable series. As ever it is supported by compelling characters, an original magic system, and a flair for gravitas. A young performer becomes fixated with magic and though hardship and poverty he pursues it relentlessly, he pursues the name of the wind.

Apocalypse

Spoiler: The End of the World Running Club - Adrian J Walker

I love this story for just how real the characters are. Just because the world is ending doesnt mean a crap father and husband suddenly becomes a superhero. I love the main character in this book purely because he doesn't instantly become a good man when things get tough. He struggles and he earns it through the book.

Spoiler: The Girl with all the Gifts - M. R. Carey

PLEASE don't watch the film, read the book, its WAY better. With this unique and chilling slant on the zombie apocalypse. This has got to be one of my favourite books of all. Everything from the characters to the way the zombies happened are all so well thought out. And the main character is pretty unique.

Sci Fi

Spoiler: The Space Team Books - Barry J Hutchinson

An accessible and fun romp of a sci fi series with silly characters and whacky adventures. Simple enough for kids, engaging enough for adults. A team of the galaxy's worst criminals are put together to perform a dangerous mission, but one of them is simply a conman from earth mistaken for the galaxies most prolific cannibal.

Spoiler: Bobiverse Books - Dennis E Taylor

Written in the style of log entries, this followed Bob, a tech entrepreneur who died right after signing up for cryogenics. However in the future he isnt woken to start his new life in a new body but as an AI commanding the worlds first self-replicating von neumann probe. As a hopeless Trekkie, he cant resist the call to explore the stars and agrees. Soon the heavens are full of probes, full of Bobs. The story is well thought out and never strays far from science (no science fantasy bs here) Its just pure fantastic sci fi. Tackling the hard questions like only Sci Fi can

I have many more, from sci fi to crime to horror, but I REALLY should sleep now.

 

[Angie]

@Dante I loved the Rothfuss books, but dang is the 3rd one ever to be written?

 

[Windhover]

Women Who Run With Wolves is number 1
Then
The Outlander series

That sounds interesting; I'm wondering if it'd be a good gift for a young woman who is single again after a l.t. relationship, and is a powerfully intuitive person.

 

[Livelife]

That sounds interesting; I'm wondering if it'd be a good gift for a young woman who is single again after a l.t. relationship, and is a powerfully intuitive person.

It's by Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estes, a Jungian psychoanalyst, writer, poet...... It's a 500 page archetypal deep dive into myths and stories of the Wild Woman. I'm not sure if she'll like it or not. Dr. Estes used to have a fb page and instagram and I'm not finding any recent posts in them, was thinking it might be a way for the person to get acquainted with Clarissa. I'll attach a picture of the book.......

 

[silly kid ;P]

Well...I LOVE EVERYTHING to do with Sherlock Holmes, SO-
Books, series, all possible adaptations, I don't know what else to say

One day I will have all his books in physical form, I hope


By the way, I can't help but ask if it bothers anyone or if it's "wrong" that I barely respond to this thread, sorry if it sounds stupid, I just realized that everyone responds on the same day of publication, so...
I hope no one minds that I blatantly reply to old threads, I literally just realized the existence of Jim's Cafe (well not literally) and how fun this is, I didn't really understand this section before but now I do, and it's great!!

 

[Lisa the Ferrociraptor]

By the way, I can't help but ask if it bothers anyone or if it's "wrong" that I barely respond to this thread, sorry if it sounds stupid, I just realized that everyone responds on the same day of publication, so...
I hope no one minds that I blatantly reply to old threads, I literally just realized the existence of Jim's Cafe (well not literally) and how fun this is, I didn't really understand this section before but now I do, and it's great!!

I'd argue it's perfectly ok. The major appeal of this site is that it's a space we can go to and be ourselves on a level we can't anywhere else. And i don't think that freedom of expression should just apply to the content of what we're allowed to say, but to how we choose to express ourselves as well. So while i can't necessarily speak for everyone, i feel really confident saying that i don't see anything wrong with you responding to this thread when you want to, and i suspect most people here will see it the same way.

 

[KM76710]

Well...I LOVE EVERYTHING to do with Sherlock Holmes, SO-
Books, series, all possible adaptations, I don't know what else to say

One day I will have all his books in physical form, I hope


By the way, I can't help but ask if it bothers anyone or if it's "wrong" that I barely respond to this thread, sorry if it sounds stupid, I just realized that everyone responds on the same day of publication, so...
I hope no one minds that I blatantly reply to old threads, I literally just realized the existence of Jim's Cafe (well not literally) and how fun this is, I didn't really understand this section before but now I do, and it's great!!

Not wrong in the least. The Cafe section is open to all and is one of the best of the lighter sections here to get know more about folks here. Just join in. It took me a while to learn how to tag people and I just start up and put a goodly amount, and hope those members if they reply will add more, but anybody can post without a specific inviteand just let loose, relax and join in the good natured fellowship with all.

I always check these just to see what new thoughts and questions are put up and go from there.

 

[JMG]

By the way, I can't help but ask if it bothers anyone or if it's "wrong" that I barely respond to this thread, sorry if it sounds stupid, I just realized that everyone responds on the same day of publication, so...

Read everything you wrote, but quoted this part in particular cos just wanted to say it’s not wrong to reply whenever you want It doesn’t sound stupid at all either, it’s thoughtful of you to ask about it

For me, the reason I try hard to reply on the “day” a cafe is posted is a few different reasons:
1. To show support and gratitude to the person who posted the cafe (especially if they also take the time to tag me, I try hard to prioritize it).

2. Cos when I post cafes I really love it if it gets lots of replies the day I post it.

3. Probably not much of a “reason” but cos I just kinda put a lot of pressure on myself to be one of the “first” people to reply to them, and to hopefully be on the “first page” of replies. It’s probably a silly thing that doesn’t matter much to anyone else, but it matters to me anyway. I’m trying hard to calm down about this one though lol