The Swamp

Okay not out yet but Bill Watterson (yup the Calvin & Hobbs one) has a new book coming out.

https://lithub.com/calvin-hobbes-creato ... n-is-back/

Saw the comic Gary Gulman recently, but rather than buying the memoir he was selling, I got it at the library and just finished it. Quick, easy read and very entertaining.

nice - i'll definitely be getting the book as well. he was/is a friend of a friend and i got to see him a few times many years ago living in Boston when he was starting to make a name for himself; hilarious and truly a nice person

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Oct 19, 2023 6:32 pm Saw the comic Gary Gulman recently, but rather than buying the memoir he was selling, I got it at the library and just finished it. Quick, easy read and very entertaining.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Fri Jul 28, 2023 2:46 pm
(AB note: Pretend i didn't cut a picture of the book The Wager out of this part.)

Listening to it now. Absolutely insane.

Finished this earlier this week. I love me a good shipwreck story and this one didn't disappoint. Good from start to finish.

I heard the author interviewed on the "Distraction" podcast a few months back. Finally got around to reading his book, about the Fort McMurray fire in 2016.



Very well done...informative, and terrifying. And it should be required reading for every "climate change is a hoax!" dipshit out there.

About halfway through I Am Pilgrim, a spy thriller by Terry Hayes. Both my parents were pushing this on my at Thanksgiving, and my father wouldn't stand for me waiting for it from the library, so he sent me audiobook files. I've read (listened) to enough to say it's the best book in the genre I've read, and I've read a lot. It feels like 3 or 4 different books that he jumps between and you know they are all going to come together. He economically paints extremely vivid imagery and deep character development and the story is very detailed and intricate. Just frustrated that I have to listen at regular speed, because I want to get through the book faster.

I saw MGM bought the rights to make the movie in 2018 and the hired a director and producer, but I couldn't find anything indicating they cast it or started production. I think this needs to be a series to tell the story.

Sounds great. I just got the e-book through Kindle Unlimited.

This is a fun book to listen to. Lots of the original cast sharing stories.

bfj wrote: ↑Mon Dec 18, 2023 4:28 pm

This is a fun book to listen to. Lots of the original cast sharing stories.

I'm sure there is a reason I could've figured out had I walked the 15 steps to the display, but for some reason this was being sold at the Alamo gift shop last week. I don't recall an Alamo scene in that movie. Does it reference Pee Wee's Big Adventure or something?

I just finished this after starting last night (using my last PTO day from '23 with 0 plans) and thought it was an interesting way to tell a story. It's basically a family drama, and there are three parts that take place during different times of the day on the same date in three consecutive years (morning in '19, afternoon in '20, and evening in '21).

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 3:42 pm Does it reference Pee Wee's Big Adventure or something?

Airplane was a few years before Pee Wee, so shirley that can't be true.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 3:46 pm

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 3:42 pm Does it reference Pee Wee's Big Adventure or something?

Airplane was a few years before Pee Wee, so shirley that can't be true.

First off, that's funny shit.



David Zucker has memorabilia loaned out to them it appears.

Ah, that makes sense. He's no Phil Collins, though.

Giff wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04, 2024 3:51 pm Ah, that makes sense. He's no Phil Collins, though.

He certainly isn't a Philadelphia Collins!

Listening to The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11. Absolutely brutal, but incredibly well done. It's chronological through the day, with interviews from tons of rescue workers, office workers who were in the towers, family members of people who died, then it'll jump to Karl Rove, Condi Rice, Rumsfeld, lots of on-air journalists, Rudy, Bernie Keric... What really got me was the actual recordings of the stewardess from one of the hijacked flights calling air traffic control describing passengers and crew getting stabbed.

They had a lot of actors reading the different transcripts from interviews, and they do a good job. I can't imagine it's as impactful reading the book. Oh, and one thing that really shocked me was the interviews with the two F-16 pilots called out to intercept Flight 93 that crashed in PA. I knew Cheney gave the order to take down the plane (Cheney was interviewed about making this decision), but hearing them discuss their plan was chilling. As they ran to their planes they made a plan. They didn't have time to arm missiles, so one pilot would plan to crash his plane into Flight 93, aiming for the cockpit, while the other said she would shoot off the tail with her guns (sorry if that isn't the right term, Johnnie). Can you imagine being a fighter pilot on a mission over US soil to crash your jet into a fully loaded United 757 plane? FUCK!

I know I've told my story before so I won't repeat it, but listening to this is dragging back the emotions of the day and really the months that followed. Fully in tears at several points yesterday, but I feel like I need to hear these people's stories. My wife thinks I'm crazy for putting myself through this.

Finally got around to reading The Wager. What a great book. I couldn’t put it down!

Before that, I read Geddy Lee’s autobiography. One of the better musician memoirs I have read.

This is great stuff - a weird true story about the greatest art thief in history.

And unlike so many books about strange but true stories, it is succinctly so it doesn't drag.

Not too bad a read on a snowy weekend.

So, at Pruitt’s suggestion, I just read The Art Thief. I’ll echo his praise. Very good read!

Finished this a couple of days ago...



And its fantastic. About 1/2 way through I was think "Ok...where is this going?", but it totally came together in the end. Very highly recommended.

I don't know if it's just me getting old and cranky, or if it's John Grisham is getting old and just mailing shit in, but...

I just finished the sequel to The Firm and it's probably the worst book I've ever read. I mean, I've read some stuff and just stopped due to boredom, but I felt compelled to finish this because I kept expecting, I dunno... *SOMETHING* compelling to happen.

Woof.

Nonlinear FC wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 2:49 pm I don't know if it's just me getting old and cranky, or if it's John Grisham is getting old and just mailing shit in, but...

I just finished the sequel to The Firm and it's probably the worst book I've ever read. I mean, I've read some stuff and just stopped due to boredom, but I felt compelled to finish this because I kept expecting, I dunno... *SOMETHING* compelling to happen.

Woof.

I think he wrote something called The Rooster Club and I had the same sentiment. David Baldacci still puts out readable ones.

I really enjoyed the last two I read. Finished them both in a 4-day span because no way my library is getting an extra dime.





This one is next on the list.

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:49 pm Finished this a couple of days ago...



And its fantastic. About 1/2 way through I was think "Ok...where is this going?", but it totally came together in the end. Very highly recommended.

I read this a few months ago. I was really drawn in at first, then like you said, halfway through I was wondering WTF was happening, then the point of the story completely shifted and it was a nice story. My mother was raving about how amazing it was and that I had to read it, so I went in with super-high expectations and was let down because of that. I discussed it with her afterwards to see why she loved it so much, and she said she didn't remember, she just thought it was a nice read.

Giff wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 3:06 pm I really enjoyed the last two I read. Finished them both in a 4-day span because no way my library is getting an extra dime.

Toronto libraries have done away with overdue fines. Kind of odd.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 3:09 pm

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:49 pm Finished this a couple of days ago...



And its fantastic. About 1/2 way through I was think "Ok...where is this going?", but it totally came together in the end. Very highly recommended.

I read this a few months ago. I was really drawn in at first, then like you said, halfway through I was wondering WTF was happening, then the point of the story completely shifted and it was a nice story. My mother was raving about how amazing it was and that I had to read it, so I went in with super-high expectations and was let down because of that. I discussed it with her afterwards to see why she loved it so much, and she said she didn't remember, she just thought it was a nice read.

[+] spoiler

I enjoyed how he kept introducing new interesting characters, and they all came together to make the story. I didn't know much about it, besides it showing up on a lot of "best of" lists, so I didn't have any expectations.

The author's other book "Deacon King Kong" is also really good.

Pruitt IV wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 4:16 pm

Giff wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 3:06 pm I really enjoyed the last two I read. Finished them both in a 4-day span because no way my library is getting an extra dime.

Toronto libraries have done away with overdue fines. Kind of odd.

Many libraries have actually. They may still have a lost item charge, but dealing with fines costs much more than what they get from people who pay them....that said Worcester MA Public now requires a cat pic payment in place of any fines accrued.

They don't enforce it at all, but I still like to pay. I have $2.20 ready for them next time assuming I can get through my next three books by Thursday.

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 4:29 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 3:09 pm

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:49 pm Finished this a couple of days ago...



And its fantastic. About 1/2 way through I was think "Ok...where is this going?", but it totally came together in the end. Very highly recommended.

I read this a few months ago. I was really drawn in at first, then like you said, halfway through I was wondering WTF was happening, then the point of the story completely shifted and it was a nice story. My mother was raving about how amazing it was and that I had to read it, so I went in with super-high expectations and was let down because of that. I discussed it with her afterwards to see why she loved it so much, and she said she didn't remember, she just thought it was a nice read.

[+] spoiler

I enjoyed how he kept introducing new interesting characters, and they all came together to make the story. I didn't know much about it, besides it showing up on a lot of "best of" lists, so I didn't have any expectations.

The author's other book "Deacon King Kong" is also really good.

I was a much bigger fan of Deacon King Kong.

Giff wrote: ↑Fri Mar 08, 2024 3:06 pm

This one was really good. Don't read it while hungry though.

Wonderfully written book that just sticks with me. I finished it a few weeks ago and I'm still thinking about different parts of it.


Really enjoyed it at first and then got bored with it. And it's embarrassing how much of the 90's I apparently missed.

One thing from this book and a few other things I've watched lately is Prince was pretty much a total asshole and it seems he got a pass for it, unless that's something else I missed.

EdRomero wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 8:49 pm
Wonderfully written book that just sticks with me. I finished it a few weeks ago and I'm still thinking about different parts of it.

I've never read a Murakami book(and I've just about all of them) that I wasn't totally blown away by. That guy is just an incredibly talented writer.