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Robert Cosgrove
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 January 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1710
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| Posted: 21 January 2019 at 8:46am | IP Logged | 1
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Been absent from this thread for a good while, so I may do some doubling up to catch up. I read John LeCarre's latest, A Legacy of Spies. Went through most of it wondering how much sense it would make to someone who hadn't read his The Honorable Schoolboy and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, only to finally realize the most important background material was from The Spy Who Came In from the Cold. I'd seen the movie version as a kid, but never read the novel, so I went back and read it. A very good book. Legacy I found disappointing, particularly George Smiley's explaining his motivations to Peter Guillam after all these years. Wouldn't have been surprised if he had concluded by denouncing Brexit. In for a penny, in for a Euro: I then listened to the audio book of LeCarre's memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel, which I found very interesting, although the more you know about his books, the more you'll get out of it. Politically, he's way to the left of me, but so what?
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Didier Yvon Paul Fayolle
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 25 January 2005
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 5251
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| Posted: 22 January 2019 at 12:03am | IP Logged | 2
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Now starting this very funny book:
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Robert Cosgrove
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 January 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1710
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| Posted: 28 January 2019 at 9:02pm | IP Logged | 3
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Bernard Cornwell: Fools and Mortals. An interesting fictional take on Shakespeare, with his younger brother Richard as narrator/protagonist, largely organized around the first performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Will Kemp and various other names you may recognize appear. Lots of stuff about how theatre companies work, rivalries with the "boy theaters," censorship, etc. A fun and painless way to absorb much about the time period, orchestrated by a master storyteller.
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Adam Schulman
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 22 July 2017
Posts: 1717
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| Posted: 01 February 2019 at 7:45pm | IP Logged | 4
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I just read the first two collections of CLEAN ROOM, written by Gail Simone. It's a really great horror comic. I'm definitely picking up Vol. 3.
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James Best
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 02 March 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 890
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| Posted: 01 February 2019 at 9:09pm | IP Logged | 5
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Now starting the latest hardcover release by Michael Connelly, one of the best mystery writers in the business.
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Robert Cosgrove
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 January 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1710
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| Posted: 01 February 2019 at 9:10pm | IP Logged | 6
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Listening to it now on CD, James. Never read a bad Connelly yet.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 133389
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| Posted: 03 February 2019 at 7:37pm | IP Logged | 7
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RIN TIN TIN — THE LIFE AND THE LEGEND by Susan OrleanA well researched biography* of one of Hollywood’s most famous canine stars. I was surprised to learn that the original Rinty was found with his mother and siblings in a bombed out kennel in France during WW1. His name, in fact, comes from a pair of small string dolls, Rin Tin Tin and Nanette, who French children sold to soldiers as good luck charms. Which raises an interesting question: the name of the French comic character Tintin is pronounced Tantan. Is it the same for Rinty? Ran Tan Tan? Some credence is given this thought by the fact that his original owner, writing a poem dedicated to the dog when Rinty died in 1932, rhymed Rin Tin Tin with “man”. —————— * Albeit heavily leavened with legend. The author repeats as fact the old fable of Rin Tin Tin getting the most votes for Best Actor at the first Oscar awards.
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James Best
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 02 March 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 890
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| Posted: 06 February 2019 at 4:28pm | IP Logged | 8
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Going "retro" again this week, circa 1982...
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Robert Cosgrove
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 January 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 1710
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| Posted: 06 February 2019 at 8:55pm | IP Logged | 9
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I read the Susan Orlean book a few years back and really liked it as well. I seem to recall, years ago, reading somewhere that a child actor--maybe Jerry Mathers of Leave It to Beaver fame, but I'm not quite sure now--had a pet dog he named "Ron Ton Ton" back in the heyday of the RTT tv show.
Instant update: my memory seems to be correct. Doing an internet search, I find a website called "WayCoolDogs" which has an article about Mathers and his german shepherd dog, so named.
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Didier Yvon Paul Fayolle
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 25 January 2005
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 5251
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| Posted: 11 February 2019 at 8:53pm | IP Logged | 10
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Starting this one. Not the time travel story I was
hoping for ( at least up to where I am in the book now !
), but quite interesting none the less...
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James Best
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 02 March 2014
Location: United States
Posts: 890
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| Posted: 21 February 2019 at 5:02pm | IP Logged | 11
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Now diving into some more thriller stuff from Lee Child...
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Brian Floyd
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 07 July 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 8615
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| Posted: 23 February 2019 at 11:42pm | IP Logged | 12
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Currently reading NOIR, by Christopher Moore.
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