Bred Any Good Rooks Lately?

Kurben

not_nadine said:

Re reading the shining yet again.
Also.

Starting stranger in a strange land. Robert A Heinlien. I've never read it , but i've heard about it so much 

Its for a reason you heard about it. Quite like it myself.

Grant87

GNTLGNT said:

.....Chiz has written another banger.....

Started this one today!

Kurben

Read Dominus by Steven Saylor. Its a historical fiction. The lead is the imaginary Pinarii family and their up and downs from Emperor Marcus Aurelius to Constantine the Great. Most of them are senators bur during this period of 160 years or so the importance of the senate become less and less. This is the third in his trilogy of the Pinarii. The earlier books were Rome and Empire where Rome was set in the republic and Empire during the golden age of the empire with emperors like Augustus, Hadrian and Trajan. Here we see the decline of the empire that really started with Marcus Aurelius son Commodus. It is all well described and well written. Good book.

Kurben

Reading Dinosaurs by Robert Barrett and Darren Naish. About, you guessed it, the evolution and survival of dinosaurs. Originally written in 2018 but they have added newly discovered facts and illustrations to this 2023 edition. They are also including the birds here (justly so since they are dinosaurs) and discusses their evolution from the landliving dinos and their relationship to eachother. Its not centered on any part of the world which is good since most dinos were all around the globe. Very well written and not too technical but still not dumbed down. They are talking about clades and phylogeny but they explain terms that might be difficult. Really enjoying it.

Kurben

Started The Smart Neanderthal by Clive Finlayson. It is about the reappraisal of the neanderthal that has occurred in the latest decades. From being the dimwitted cousin to being a mentor that taught us a trick or two. With the discovery of neanderthal cave art in spain long before Sapiens were even in europe it isn't impossible that they got that idea from the neanderthal and brought to new heights in Lascaux and Altamira. Also the DNA research results points to several matings between the species and transferring of DNA. I have always found it interesting this tendency to look down upon new finds just because they look slightly different. It showed when the Neanderthals were found and held on for a long time and it showed when the first finds of Homo Floresiensis (The Hobbit or Flores man) were found. 

Hedda Gabler

I finally finished You Like It Darker.  I started it within weeks of its release. This is how long it took me. 

My favorite story? The Answer Man. Made me cry. But I cry over everything now. 

GNTLGNT

Hedda Gabler said:

I finally finished You Like It Darker.  I started it within weeks of its release. This is how long it took me. 

My favorite story? The Answer Man. Made me cry. But I cry over everything now. 

....I have to concur, that this was one of the best in that bunch of bananas....no need to sob Deej, just cuz I was in a concurrent state....

GNTLGNT

....got an autographed copy of this from Chiz and Billy Chizmar....they have a submission at the end of the anthology that is damn good, as are most of these entries....are they the bestest ever?....nah, but they leave an interesting taste in your imagination....

Hedda Gabler

Nice looking cover. I love book covers. 

GNTLGNT

Hedda Gabler said:

Nice looking cover. I love book covers. 

....one of the better I've seen of late....nice and gushygrusome.....

Kurben

Reading Chasing The Boogeyman by Richard Chizmar. Why the heck havent i read this earlier?? It is really good. It has been in my TBR pile for awhile and i have put it off for another book and then for another and so on. Big Mistake! 

GNTLGNT

....oh yeah Kurb!.....it's good stuff and Becoming the Boogeyman is equally as great......

Hedda Gabler

I just bought myself Chasing . Hope it’s good. 

GNTLGNT

Hedda Gabler said:

I just bought myself Chasing . Hope it’s good. 

.....trust the jolly old Village Idiot here.....it most certainly is.....

not_nadine

I'm going to get it myself

Kurben

Finished it. It was great!

GNTLGNT

Kurben said:

Finished it. It was great!

.....now move on to Becoming The Boogeyman.....it's just as captivating....

Hedda Gabler

GNTLGNT said:

Hedda Gabler said:

I just bought myself Chasing . Hope it’s good. 

.....trust the jolly old Village Idiot here.....it most certainly is.....

Arrrgh. I’ve read Chasing. I just bought Becoming. I hope it’s as good. 

not_nadine

Just got it thanks guys

Kurben

Have ordered Becoming. Shipping problems though. May not get it until after New Year......

GNTLGNT

....it was a compulsion.....couldn't fight it.....

not_nadine

   

Hedda Gabler

Bev, your Murakami book’s premise is intriguing. Was it good?

GNTLGNT

.....I am currently re-reading Billy Chizmar's debut novel Them.....no connection to the goofy old black and white movie frightener.....he originally serialized it on his Patreon page, but Lividian Press picked it up for publication in a beautiful limited edition, which I now own....autographed and all.....he's a chip off the Chiz block for sure.....

Grant87

GNTLGNT said:

.....I am currently re-reading Billy Chizmar's debut novel Them.....no connection to the goofy old black and white movie frightener.....he originally serialized it on his Patreon page, but Lividian Press picked it up for publication in a beautiful limited edition, which I now own....autographed and all.....he's a chip off the Chiz block for sure.....

I want to read that one too. I'm hoping they release a trade edition, though.