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    • Foresight wrote:

      Foresight wrote:

      Well I finally finished Undaunted Courage. Should've stopped shortly after they left the Nez Perce. It seemed as if the writer, Mr. Ambrose, was merely looking for things to write so he could finish the book after they reached St. Louis. Pretty boring and lacking depth and desire there at the end.
      The more I think about it the more I believe the author was influenced by his own subject. The writing mirrors the story of Lewis. Gung ho and full of fervor until the end of the expedition was upon him and then he never really even got started on the conclusion which was his journals. Lewis pretty much just went through the motions of life until he finally ended his own.
      Kinda like post trail blues. After suh an epic journey what do you do? What compares?
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      WanderingStovie wrote:

      Many of Terry Brooks' books. Maybe I will finish The Gypsy Morph sometime.

      I have not been able to get into the television version of Shannara.
      I looked this author up and saw the criticism for the similarities of his books to those of J.R.R. Tolkien. I like fantasy but not sure I can read these, I'll constantly be comparing. :)
      I'm a die hard Tolkien fan and have my first book of The Hobbit printed in 1977. I read it for the first time when I was 10 and reread it many times. The pages are dry and yellow and I'm afraid to open it up for fear it'll fall apart. I have my first LOTR books too but they're not as old.
      I like JRRT, and read LOTR twice, the Hobbit, the Silmarillion, and whatever else I could find.

      There are similarities between the authors' books, but demons figure heavily into Brooks' writing, Druids take the place of wizards, and users of magic clash with users of technology.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does
    • Earlier I reported that I read The Twelfth Imam by Joel C. Rosenberg.
      I liked it so much that I got his second book in a 3 book series, it's titled The Tehran Initiative.
      So far I like that one just as much so I suspect my next book will be the 3rd and last book in the series , the name of which escapes me right now.
    • Finished American Meteor by Norman Lock, a fiction about westward expansion after the Civil War...excellent, excellent book.

      Listening to The Nightingale, it's a gut wrencher about two sisters surviving WWII in occupied France.

      And because I needed something lighthearted, started another Walter Mosley book.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      Just started Jack Kerouac, On the Road.

      Read a little bit of The Bluffer's Guide to Hiking this week.
      On the Road has to be one of my favorites. I just finished reading it again for maybe the 4th time back in November. Another favorite is The Dharma Bums, another Kerouac book which is another great book.

      Right now Im reading In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner
      RIAP
    • A.T.Lt wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Just started Jack Kerouac, On the Road.

      Read a little bit of The Bluffer's Guide to Hiking this week.
      On the Road has to be one of my favorites. I just finished reading it again for maybe the 4th time back in November. Another favorite is The Dharma Bums, another Kerouac book which is another great one.
      Right now Im reading In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner
      This is the first novel I've read by Kerouac. I like it!
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Just started Jack Kerouac, On the Road.

      Read a little bit of The Bluffer's Guide to Hiking this week.
      On the Road has to be one of my favorites. I just finished reading it again for maybe the 4th time back in November. Another favorite is The Dharma Bums, another Kerouac book which is another great one.Right now Im reading In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner
      This is the first novel I've read by Kerouac. I like it!
      I like Jack..he can be a bit self indulgent, but I like his "spontaneous prose" writing style
      RIAP
    • Astro wrote:

      Rasty wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      Most hikes I take the Hobbit with me. It is the ultimate hiking story.
      I read Stephen Kings The Stand which is also a hiking story.
      Reading Stephen King books while hiking alone in the woods probably is not for everyone. 8o
      Probably not. I have always liked horror when hiking.
      Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
      Dr. Seuss Cof123
    • LIhikers wrote:

      Earlier I reported that I read The Twelfth Imam by Joel C. Rosenberg.
      I liked it so much that I got his second book in a 3 book series, it's titled The Tehran Initiative.
      So far I like that one just as much so I suspect my next book will be the 3rd and last book in the series , the name of which escapes me right now.
      I've finished The Tehran Initiative and HAVE to read the last book in this series to see how it all ends. I'll be going to the library later to check out Damascus Countdown. I sure hope the world survives the war that started in The Tehran Initiative and I wonder if the main character ever gets together with the love of his youth. I'll have to read on to find out Coffee.gif
    • sheepdog wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      Trebor wrote:

      That's a good book

      sheepdog wrote:

      "Street Survival, tactics for armed encounters." Good stuff....guess I can't say s hit.
      Good read! I have a few books from Calibre Press
      Just had training by Caliber Press. Cell Block Survival. Outstanding!
      I might add that to my reading list. It might come in handy one day.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      Trebor wrote:

      That's a good book

      sheepdog wrote:

      "Street Survival, tactics for armed encounters." Good stuff....guess I can't say s hit.
      Good read! I have a few books from Calibre Press
      Just had training by Caliber Press. Cell Block Survival. Outstanding!
      I might add that to my reading list. It might come in handy one day.
      Couldn't hurt.
      bacon can solve most any problem.
    • Trebor wrote:

      It's a never ending story with numerous characters who have a similar interest, have short attention spans, a fondness of smartassery, and like to screw off on the computer while at work....

      And once in a while some of them go hiking
      Hiking is often cold and wet...it makes you late for supper
      bacon can solve most any problem.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      Most hikes I take the Hobbit with me. It is the ultimate hiking story.
      I'm not sure why, but I like books with short stories when I'm hiking.
      Suggest the series entitled 'The Best __________ Short Stories of __________

      Nearly every creative writing professor's required reading. A collection of previously published short stories considered the best of the past year. The series has expanded in recent years to include 'Sports' and 'Mystery' stories from the original nearly 30 year annual fiction collection.

      Best of all nearly every used book store I've visited has a shelf devoted to the series.

      Rasty wrote:

      Trebor wrote:

      Currently I'm reading a thread at the Appalachian Trail Café titled "What Are You Reading?"
      What is the plot?
      A disjointed collection of thoughts which may or may not be pertinent to the central idea. On occasion the storyline is punctuated with a particularly pithy observation. However the accompanying illustrations ofttimes strengthen the prose to a remarkable degree.

      Lest we forget.....



      SSgt Ray Rangel - USAF
      SrA Elizabeth Loncki - USAF
      PFC Adam Harris - USA
      MSgt Eden Pearl - USMC
    • A.T.Lt wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Just started Jack Kerouac, On the Road.

      Read a little bit of The Bluffer's Guide to Hiking this week.
      On the Road has to be one of my favorites. I just finished reading it again for maybe the 4th time back in November. Another favorite is The Dharma Bums, another Kerouac book which is another great one.Right now Im reading In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner
      This is the first novel I've read by Kerouac. I like it!
      I like Jack..he can be a bit self indulgent, but I like his "spontaneous prose" writing style
      I'm not sure what to think about this book. I knew nothing about Jack Kerouac before reading it and had no idea that it is considered a work of great literary value.

      It was an interesting read and seems to be one of those books that would be a different experience each time you read it.

      My impression is that it's a story about a couple of guys traveling the US who are only interested in sex, drugs, booze, and music who left girls pregnant in every place they visited. Sort of depressing.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Just started Jack Kerouac, On the Road.

      Read a little bit of The Bluffer's Guide to Hiking this week.
      On the Road has to be one of my favorites. I just finished reading it again for maybe the 4th time back in November. Another favorite is The Dharma Bums, another Kerouac book which is another great one.Right now Im reading In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner
      This is the first novel I've read by Kerouac. I like it!
      I like Jack..he can be a bit self indulgent, but I like his "spontaneous prose" writing style
      I'm not sure what to think about this book. I knew nothing about Jack Kerouac before reading it and had no idea that it is considered a work of great literary value.
      It was an interesting read and seems to be one of those books that would be a different experience each time you read it.

      My impression is that it's a story about a couple of guys traveling the US who are only interested in sex, drugs, booze, and music who left girls pregnant in every place they visited. Sort of depressing.
      seems like a waste of time reading a book about selfish assholes.
      bacon can solve most any problem.
    • I am reading some of the early books in The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind. I recommend it to fans of Tolkien, but movies made from the books would likely be rated R for the author's descriptions of war, murder, torture, sex, rape, prostitution, and sadomasochism. There are twelve books in the series. The language is fairly tame, with "bags" used repeatedly as an expletive by a wizard.

      I also read The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan. It is another magical fantasy series.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does
    • sheepdog wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Just started Jack Kerouac, On the Road.

      Read a little bit of The Bluffer's Guide to Hiking this week.
      On the Road has to be one of my favorites. I just finished reading it again for maybe the 4th time back in November. Another favorite is The Dharma Bums, another Kerouac book which is another great one.Right now Im reading In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner
      This is the first novel I've read by Kerouac. I like it!
      I like Jack..he can be a bit self indulgent, but I like his "spontaneous prose" writing style
      I'm not sure what to think about this book. I knew nothing about Jack Kerouac before reading it and had no idea that it is considered a work of great literary value.It was an interesting read and seems to be one of those books that would be a different experience each time you read it.

      My impression is that it's a story about a couple of guys traveling the US who are only interested in sex, drugs, booze, and music who left girls pregnant in every place they visited. Sort of depressing.
      seems like a waste of time reading a book about selfish assholes.
      with all the interesting books out there to read -- more than i'll get to in my lifetime -- why would i want to spend any time reading about the adventures of some loser who drank himself to death before the age of 50?
      2,000 miler
    • I generally read 5-6 books at a time. 2 fiction, 1 Christian topical, 2 or more books about topics from gardening- honeybees-chickens- hiking or something. I just pick up what ever I'm in the mood to read and read it until I pick up another.
      bacon can solve most any problem.
    • WanderingStovie wrote:

      I am reading some of the early books in The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind. I recommend it to fans of Tolkien, but movies made from the books would likely be rated R for the author's descriptions of war, murder, torture, sex, rape, prostitution, and sadomasochism. There are twelve books in the series. The language is fairly tame, with "bags" used repeatedly as an expletive by a wizard.

      I also read The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan. It is another magical fantasy series.
      Thank you for the warning. There are some subjects that I can't read about.
      Lost in the right direction.
    • max.patch wrote:

      sheepdog wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      A.T.Lt wrote:

      TrafficJam wrote:

      Just started Jack Kerouac, On the Road.

      Read a little bit of The Bluffer's Guide to Hiking this week.
      On the Road has to be one of my favorites. I just finished reading it again for maybe the 4th time back in November. Another favorite is The Dharma Bums, another Kerouac book which is another great one.Right now Im reading In the Wilderness by Charles Dudley Warner
      This is the first novel I've read by Kerouac. I like it!
      I like Jack..he can be a bit self indulgent, but I like his "spontaneous prose" writing style
      I'm not sure what to think about this book. I knew nothing about Jack Kerouac before reading it and had no idea that it is considered a work of great literary value.It was an interesting read and seems to be one of those books that would be a different experience each time you read it.
      My impression is that it's a story about a couple of guys traveling the US who are only interested in sex, drugs, booze, and music who left girls pregnant in every place they visited. Sort of depressing.
      seems like a waste of time reading a book about selfish assholes.
      with all the interesting books out there to read -- more than i'll get to in my lifetime -- why would i want to spend any time reading about the adventures of some loser who drank himself to death before the age of 50?
      I'm definitely not a fem nazi but was dismayed at the portrayal of women in this book.

      To cite a few examples, he describes the bruises on one girl (Camille?) from domestic violence as cavalier as describing the green grass. In one scene, he goes home with a man and says something like, 'his wife just smiled and never said a word, like all good wives should do.'

      Every woman was used for sex, money, or food. Granted, it was the 50's...wasn't that the "Saran wrap" era?

      Wondering if I was being overly sensitive, I googled "how women are portrayed in On the Road"... I'm not the only one. ^^

      There was some good prose describing the landscape and I enjoyed the times when he was penniless and hitchhiking.
      Lost in the right direction.

      The post was edited 1 time, last by Traffic Jam ().

    • I think the Saran wrap thnig was later. In the 1950s women were supposed to stay home and cook. I thought that was dumb, but then my mom was a single parent for 3 years. I know she mentioned in later years she was looked down on because she dared to look for work and support the two of us.
      --
      "What do you mean its sunrise already ?!", me.
    • TrafficJam wrote:

      WanderingStovie wrote:

      I am reading some of the early books in The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind. I recommend it to fans of Tolkien, but movies made from the books would likely be rated R for the author's descriptions of war, murder, torture, sex, rape, prostitution, and sadomasochism. There are twelve books in the series. The language is fairly tame, with "bags" used repeatedly as an expletive by a wizard.

      I also read The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan. It is another magical fantasy series.
      Thank you for the warning. There are some subjects that I can't read about.
      Sometimes I find it comforting to think an author (Koontz) understands my pain. But in this case, Goodkind makes me uncomfortable with his inclusion of a Jack the Ripper type in Temple of the Winds.
      I am human and I need to be loved - just like everybody else does