Saturday, January 14, 2017

Edi's Weekend Wave issue #1702

1 comments
Dear Readers,

another week gone. I must admit this will be a shorter issue because I did not find many interesting things to share.
Gaming wise the new upcoming Nintendo console dominated most of the gaming sites. Honestly I do not have any interest in this new console because I'm not a mobile gamer.
Book wise I'm in the mood  to complete series (means just to get the books) but off course I do not forget to have a look a new books.



ENJOY READING ...


Edi's Guidepost

The Lighthouse
News and information straight from the horse's mouth by Lighthouse keeper ediFanoB

  1. Reading progress 
  2. The book bag
Books
The latest report from our shelf shop net correspondent Bona
  1. New books on my shelf/reader or when one book leads to another 
  2. Books bought recently
Blogosphere
Messages from the depths of the blogosphere by spheronaut Bona Fide
  1. Early years of moving films
  2. Victorian Mustaches

Movies
Remote control junkie Fide and his zapping highlights
  1. Horizon: Zero Dawn

Quotes
The member of the house of quotes and a quote himself the Keeper of the minutes ( we call him Kotm) fished for you
  1. German proverbs, sayings and idioms Quote related to intelligence

The Lighthouse
I finished one book from my book bag and a longer short story. Beside that I continued reading two of my current reads.



I finished

- Alexander von Humboldt und die Erfindung derNatur (hc, 11. Oktober 2016) [ISBN-13:  978-3570102060]  von  Andrea Wulf.
I wrote on GOODREADS:
"Ich lese selten Biographien und Bücher mit wissenschaftlichem Anspruch. Doch ich bin sehr froh, dass ich dieses so überaus informative und exzellente Werk gelesen habe.

Ich war mir nicht bewußt, wie groß der Einfluss von Alexander von Humboldt gewesen ist. Es ist für uns kaum vorstellbar wie zu einer Zeit ohne moderne Kommunikationsmittel so ein reger Austausch von Gedanken, Theorien, Reise- und Forschungsberichte über Ländergrenzen funktioniert hat.


I rarely read biographies and books with a scientific claim. But I am very glad that I have read this very informative and excellent work.

I was not aware of the influence of Alexander von Humboldt. It is hardly conceivable for us as that at a time without modern means of communication such a lively exchange of thoughts, theories, travel and research reports on country boundaries has worked."


- Vor der Finsternis (digital, 9th January 2017) [Kindle Edition ASIN:   B01N2STS3F] by Torreck Ulf
Takes place in Paris 1797 where and eerie killer frighten the inhabitants ...
I wrote on GOODREADS:
"Das Buch fing gut an aber dann versank es in endloser und fruchtloser Polizeiarbeit. Man hatt das Gefühl, dass die Geschicht auf der Stelle tritt. Der Schreibstil ist nicht schlecht aber die Entwicklung der Geschichte ist zäh.

Ich habe dieses kurze Werk gelesen um zu entscheiden, ob ich den im Februar 2017 erscheinenden Historischen Thriller Fest der Finsternis lesen möchte. Nach der Lektüre von "Vor der Finsternis" lautet meine Antwort: Nein.

Ich gebe drei wohlwollende Sterne."


Current read

Yes, I'm reading real books.

- I'm on page 264  in The Fell Sword (pb, October 2014) [ISBN: 978-0575113343] by Miles Cameron which is the second book in Miles Cameron's  The Traitor Son Cycle.
Most of the chapters show the length of a short story. It really depend on the book whether I like long chapters or not. In case of this boo I like it.
There is a lot going on



My reader shows different paging. therefore I change to percentage for digital books as it is possible to see on GOODREADS.


- 16 % done in The Forgotten War (digital, 16th February 2014) [Kindle Edition ASIN:   B00II69U22] by Howard Sargent
No progress


-  54% in Holy Island (digital, 1st January 2015) [Kindle Edition ASIN:  B01M9CJ425] by L.J. Ross.
I have a suspect ...



The Book Bag
This is my reading project for 2017 which has been inspired by  receiving of a digital copy of  The Heart of What Was Lost: A Novel Of Osten Ard (digital, 3rd January 2017) [Kindle Edition ASIN:  B01M9CJ425] by Tad Williams.

My project has had a good start with finishing one book and continuing a second one.




Enjoy your weekend ....


Books

Dear readers, I'm the one to tell you about books - only books? What about novellas and other stuff? My name is Bona. I scour shelves, shops and the net for books. If you call me a book whore I would not gainsay you. But be aware I have my own, sometimes elusive taste.
New books on my shelf/reader or when one book leads to another


I can't remember that I bought four books written by one author within a few days. To be precise I ordered a copy of one books in advance.
Most interesting fact is that two books at a time belong to series.

Let me start with author. You may know Andrew Mayne because he is also a successful magician.
The following four books are not the only ones written by this author but these are the ones I'm interested in and there was/is a cheap offer.

I can't tell you anything about these books except the following information because I did not read them.


Let me start with the crime fiction series  Jessica Blackwood. Two books are available and the third one will be published in march. Ratings for both books are not bad.

Angel Killer ( digital, 15th July 2015) [Kindle Edition ASIN: B010KNF6CS] by Andrew Mayne.
"Meet Jessica Blackwood, FBI Agent and ex-illusionist.

Called in because of her past to offer expertise on the mysterious 'Warlock' case, Jessica must put all her unique knowledge to the test as they try to catch a ruthless killer.

Needing to solve the unsolvable, and with the clock ticking, they're banking on her being the only one able to see beyond the Warlock's illusions.

The first in a brilliant new series, Angel Killer will have you feverishly turning the pages, and in Jessica Blackwood, Mayne has created a complex, sassy and unforgettable new heroine." [Source]


Name of the Devil ( digital, this edition 15th July 2015) [Kindle Edition ASIN: B010KNF6PK] by Andrew Mayne.
"In this electrifying sequel to Angel Killer, magician turned FBI agent Jessica Blackwood must channel her past to catch a killer consumed by a desire for revenge.

When a church combusts in rural Appalachia, the bizarre trail of carnage suggests diabolical forces are at work. Charged with explaining the inexplicable, the FBI's Dr. Ailes and Agent Knoll once again turn to the ace up their sleeve: Agent Jessica Blackwood, a former prodigy from a family dynasty of illusionists. After playing a pivotal role in the capture of the Warlock, a seemingly supernatural serial killer, Jessica can no longer ignore the world - and the skills - she left behind. Her talent and experience endow her with a knack for knowing when things are not always as they appear to be, and she soon realizes this explosion is just the first of many crimes.

As the death toll mounts, Jessica discovers the victims share a troubling secret with far-reaching implications that stretch from the hills of West Virginia to cartel-corrupted Mexico to the hallowed halls of the Vatican. Everyone involved in what happened on that horrible night so long ago has tried to bury it - except for one person, who believes that the past can be hidden but never forgiven. Can Jessica draw on her unique understanding of the power and potential of deception to thwart a murderer determined to avenge the past?" [Source]



Let me continue with the space thriller series Space Ops. The first book is available and the second one will be available on January 18th 2017 and read for pre-order.

Station Breaker ( digital, 17th February 2016) [Kindle Edition ASIN: B01BWMGT3G] by Andrew Mayne.
"If space doesn't kill David Dixon, Earth will.

Astronaut David Dixon's first mission to space goes horribly awry when a gun fight breaks out on a Russian space station. He finds himself making an emergency landing from orbit and becomes the most wanted man on Earth.

Desperate to unravel the plot he’s found himself in, he takes his pursuers on a wild chase from space to the backstreets of Rio and beyond. Dixon’s survival relies on his skills as a pilot and willingness to do whatever it takes, from crashing a passenger jet into the Mexican desert to pulling off an incredible heist in Low Earth Orbit." [Source]


Orbital: Station Breaker II ( digital, 18th January 2017) [Kindle Edition ASIN: B01N7RWHZS] by Andrew Mayne.
"For astronaut David Dixon, sneaking aboard a Russian space station and stealing a nuclear bomb was the easy part – now he has to survive re-entry on an untested inflatable heat shield and then deal with the aftermath of being the most wanted man on Earth.

When a clandestine intelligence agency offers David the chance to return to space and probably not get killed – he finds himself in a world of intrigue when a secret mission takes an unexpected turn and David goes undercover on an orbiting science platform in order to track down the spymaster known as Silverback.

Orbital is a fast-paced blend of space action and mystery thriller set in the fast-emerging aerospace age." [Source]


ATTENTION !!!
You can get both books (Kindle edition, ASIN: B01BWMGT3G and ASIN: B01N7RWHZS) over at AMAZON for 0,99 EUR or 0.99 GBP or 1.05 USD depending on your country.



No more today, see you next week ......


Blogosphere

Hey, I'm Bona Fide. I just came back from my last foray through the blogosphere. What can you expect from me? I tell you: Everything from Art to Fart as long as there is any faint connection to books. And here is some honey  from the beehive blogosphere...


Early years of moving films
This not about the silent movies screened in the 1920s. The Virtual Victorian goes back a bit further in time. Have a look at 




Victorian Mustaches
Nowadays it is state-of-the-art to wear a beard. There has been a period of time where it was up-to-date to wear a mustache as you can see over at vintage everyday.




That's it for today. Come back next week for more ......


Movies

Hey, it's me Fide. I'm a remote control professional. I'm that fast that I can watch two movies at the same time.

No movie trailer this week.
Instead I would like to share the Horizon: Zero Dawn story trailer.
I like the trailer because it calmed down my concern that there is not enough role playing content in the game.





That's it for today. Come back next week for more ......


Quotes
I 'm the Keeper of the minutes. But I don't mind when you call me Kotm. No, no. I don't explain to you how to pronounce.

In honour of J.R.R. Tolkien .....


"An intelligence test sometimes shows a man how smart he would have been not to have taken it."

Laurence J. Peter, US educator & writer, 1919 - 1988

Saturday, January 07, 2017

Edi's Weekend Wave issue #1701

2 comments
Dear Readers,

with this new issue of Edi's Weekend Wave I'm finally back. I used the break to recharge my battery.

There is no real resolution for 2017 from my side.
I just hope to find more time for reading and reviewing than in 2016.

The growth of my to TBR pile (digital and real) did not stop while I was away.

That means I will talk about books I bought during my absence within the next weeks.

Beside that I started to put together a list with books I would like to read in 2017 and had an idea ....
I will explain in detail within this post.

Despite the fact of limited time I will continue to play STARDEW VALLEY  (available for PC, XBox One, PS4) on PS4. My wife and I are totally addicted to the game. Before you ask it is a farming game in the style of Harvest Moon but it delivers so much more. Unbelievable but true I stopped to play Witcher 3, Fallout 4, and even did not start with Skyrim special edition just to play this mesmerizing game.


Stardew Valley Will Make You A Happier Person 


I must admit that sometimes I feel totally paralyzed by all the books I want to read, all the the games I want to play, all the stuff I want to learn and as a result I do just nothing ... This is horrible and leads to frustration and so far I have no real clue what I can do against it.


Now let's have a look at what I put together for you.


ENJOY READING ...


Edi's Guidepost

The Lighthouse
News and information straight from the horse's mouth by Lighthouse keeper ediFanoB

  1. Reading progress 
  2. The book bag
Books
The latest report from our shelf shop net correspondent Bona
  1. New books on my shelf/reader or when one book leads to another 
  2. Books bought while on hiatus
Blogosphere
Messages from the depths of the blogosphere by spheronaut Bona Fide
  1. Sci-Fi to Reality
  2. Birthdays
  3. Y2K - Y1.9K?

Movies
Remote control junkie Fide and his zapping highlights
  1. Sully

Quotes
The member of the house of quotes and a quote himself the Keeper of the minutes ( we call him Kotm) fished for you
  1. German proverbs, sayings and idioms Quote by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lighthouse
So far I finished one book in 2017. Hopefully there will be more ....


I finished

- Hide and Seek ( digital, 18th September 2008)  [Kindle Edition ASIN: B002U3CBDY] by Ian Rankin.
I wrote on GOODREADS:
"This was my second approach to the excellent Inspector Rebus series.

I liked it as much as the first book and one of things is the way Ian Rankin writes.
Once a while I must even laugh while the story itself is dark.
And there was the one scene where I felt real pain ..... groin is the key word ...

I look forward to meet Inspector Rebus again."



Current read

Yes, I'm reading real books.

- I'm on page 200  in The Fell Sword (pb, October 2014) [ISBN: 978-0575113343] by Miles Cameron which is the second book in Miles Cameron's  The Traitor Son Cycle.
There is a lot going on

- I'm on page 210 in Alexander von Humboldt und die Erfindung derNatur (hc, 11. Oktober 2016) [ISBN-13:  978-3570102060]  von  Andrea Wulf.
This is a brilliant book.


My reader shows different paging. therefore I change to percentage for digital books as it is possible to see on GOODREADS.


- 16 % done in The Forgotten War (digital, 16th February 2014) [Kindle Edition ASIN:   B00II69U22] by Howard Sargent
A small progress in form of 1%.

-  37% in Holy Island (digital, 1st January 2015) [Kindle Edition ASIN:  B01M9CJ425] by L.J. Ross.
This is the first book in the DCI Ryan Mysteries which I discovered recently. The more I read the more interesting it gets.


The Book Bag

This is my reading project for 2017 which has been inspired by  receiving of a digital copy of  The Heart of What Was Lost: A Novel Of Osten Ard (digital, 3rd January 2017) [Kindle Edition ASIN:  B01M9CJ425] by Tad Williams.
"New York Times-bestselling Tad Williams’ ground-breaking epic fantasy saga of Osten Ard begins an exciting new cycle!

The perfect introduction to the epic fantasy world of Osten Ard, The Heart of What Was Lost is Tad Williams’ follow-up to his internationally bestselling landmark trilogy. Osten Ard inspired a generation of modern fantasy writers, including George R.R. Martin, Patrick Rothfuss, and Christopher Paolini, and defined Tad Williams as one of the most important fantasy writers of our time.
    
A NOVEL OF OSTEN ARD" [Source]

Before I continue please let me add that I don't think that this book is the perfect introduction to the world of Osten Ard. I would always recommend to read Memory, Sorrow and Thorn first.


What does it mean?
Beside the huge list of books on my reader I still own a lot of real books and most of the are unread. Based on that a reread was nothing worth to think about.

On April 5th 2014 I posted

Binbineqegabenik
This is the name of one of the main characters in one of my favorite fantasy series: Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams. And now after more than 25 years he returns to the world of Osten Ard.

This is the message from the author's blog:

"From Tad: THE LAST KING OF OSTEN ARD



I guess the cat has been debagged.
Several of you have seen and shared the news that, yes, I am returning to Osten Ard for a series of books called (collectively) “The Last King of Osten Ard”. It will feature many of the same characters a generation later (and many new ones as well). The book titles will be (as of now):

The Witchwood Crown
Empire of Grass
The Navigator’s Children

This is assuming I don’t do my normal try-to-squeeze-two-books-into-the-last-volume trick.
I haven’t gone back to my old worlds very often, precisely because I never wanted to be doing so simply to be doing it. (That’s called “franchising” and I don’t like it much, personally.) I always said, “If a story ever comes to me that wants to be written, then yes, I’ll consider it.” And it finally did. In fact, it sprang out of a conversation with wife Deborah Beale late last spring, and it’s been coming together for most of a year now, so we kept it secret pretty long.
I believe I can now write a story worthy of those much-loved settings and characters, one that people who haven’t read the originals can enjoy, but which will of course mean more to those who know the original work. More than that, I feel I can do something that will stand up to the best books in our field. I have very high hopes. I’m excited by the challenge. And I’ll do my absolute best to make all the kind responses I’ve already had justified.
-Tad"

Such wonderful news. Whenever the first book will be published, I will drop my current read as soon as I can grab a copy!

I KEPT MY PROMISE PARTIALLY!
I bought a copy but I did not start to read it. Instead a thought popped up in my mind:
How great and satisfying would it be to read Memory, Sorrow and Thorn (this time the English edition)  BEFORE The Heart of What Was Lost: A Novel Of Osten Ard?
I went to all the places in our flat where I store books in order to find the books in question. It took me some minutes until I found them.
While searching the  books I saw so many other books I still want to read which led me to the final idea.
I took the bag shown own the following picture (measurement: height 25,5 cm, length 34 cm, with 18 cm) and filled it with books I want to read.
THE BAG

Afterwards I weighed the full bag:  11,7 KG !!
That will be how many books? The answer is 24 and I definitely want to read the all.
Then there are only two questions left.
Which books I chose and why?
Some of the books I got as gifts on Christmas and previous birthdays. For whatever reason they went to the back of shelves. Other books belong to series which I started and lost contact to the series.
Most of the books stand for more than 400 pages each. So it may take a while until I finish them. Beside that I will continue to read books on my reader.
I will post about the progress.

Now I will show you my choice. Don't worry, I took pictures. For details you can have a look at my GOODREADS bookshelf  book_bag_2017.
 
Book Bag 2017 Content 1
 
Book Bag 2017 Content 2
 
Book Bag 2017 Content 3
 
Book Bag 2017 Content 4



Enjoy your weekend ....


Books

Dear readers, I'm the one to tell you about books - only books? What about novellas and other stuff? My name is Bona. I scour shelves, shops and the net for books. If you call me a book whore I would not gainsay you. But be aware I have my own, sometimes elusive taste.
New books on my shelf/reader or when one book leads to another

Since my last post I bought more books and received several on Christmas.
I the following weeks I will try to share them with you. I'm not sure if it will make sense to show you the third or fourth book in a series.
For today

I loved to read
1884 No Boundaries A STORY OF ESPIONAGE, AND INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE (digital, 29th April 2015 [Kindle ASIN: B00NS53SX0] by A. E. Wasserman which I expressed in 

Therefore I was no question that I bought a digital copy of  1886 Ties That Bind A STORY OF POLITICS, GRAFT, AND GREED (digital, 8th November 2016) [Kindle ASIN: B01N8WXTG3] by A. E. Wasserman
"It is 1886 as Englishman Lord Langsford travels by train to San Francisco. Newly widowed, Langsford is desperate to escape his grief, demons, and life in England. As Langsford completes the last leg of his transcontinental journey, his life unexpectedly changes once again when he crosses paths with Miss Sally Baxter, a beautiful rancher who packs a pistol in her purse.

Sally has made it her mission to find the men who robbed a train and killed her brother. Unfortunately, no one—not even the owners of the Southern Pacific Railroad—seem to care. Unable to resist her pleas, Langsford offers to help Sally and soon becomes entangled in a web of politics, corruption, and greed. As murder, threats, and attacks ensue that endanger both Sally and Langsford, influential men in both California and Washington, D.C. jockey for positions of power. Langsford, who finds himself oddly attracted to Sally, now must sort through criminals and politicians alike to discover the truth behind her brother’s death and prevent his own murder." [Source]
I read it after Christmas and loved it too. Unfortunately I did not find so far to write a review.

Excellent reviews over at GOODREADS and a cheap offer have been reason enough to buy a copy of Children of Time ( digital 4th June 2015) [Kindle Edition ASIN: B00SN93AHU] by Adrian Tchaikovsky.
"A race for survival among the stars... Humanity's last survivors escaped earth's ruins to find a new home. But when they find it, can their desperation overcome it's dangers?

WHO WILL INHERIT THIS NEW EARTH?

The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age - a world terraformed and prepared for human life.

But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare.

Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth?" [Source]

The following book hit me by surprise because I thought The Chronicles of Christoval Alvarez series came to an end with book seven. I read only  The Secret World of Christoval Alvarez which is the first book  and enjoyed it a lot.
But that did not hinder me to buy a digital copy of book eight which is
That Time May Cease (digital, 14th December 2016) [Kindle Edition ASIN: B01MZ079GZ] by Ann Swinfen.
"When the violent arrest of an innocent apprentice sparks a riot in Southwark during the summer of 1592, more lies behind it than a simple grievance. Increasing poverty, vagrancy, and crime in a restless London compel a nervous Privy Council to close the playhouses, forcing Lord Strange’s Men to go on tour, while hostility to foreign refugees, aggravated by Marlowe’s play, The Jew of Malta, adds to the danger on the streets for Strangers like Kit Alvarez.

Other dangers are more subtle. The ensnaring of young men by illegal loan sharks and the circulation of damning accusations, both public and private, increase the atmosphere of fear and distrust which permeates a city threatened by twin evils – death of the body from plague, death of the soul from heresy. The performance of the new play of Dr Faustus seems prophetic when it is followed by ‘a great reckoning in a little room’." [Source]


I can tell you that the combination of cheap prices and good ratings on GOODREADS are always tempting when it comes to books I find interesting.
That is the reason why I bought digital copies of following four books at once.

As you could read above Holy Island (digital, 1st January 2015) [Kindle Edition ASIN:  B01M9CJ425] by L.J. Ross which is the first book in the DCI Ryan Mysteries is one of my current reads. So far I'm happy with my decision to buy and read the book. Of course I do not know if I will like the three sequels.
"Detective Chief Inspector Ryan retreats to Holy Island seeking sanctuary when he is forced to take sabbatical leave from his duties as a homicide detective. A few days before Christmas, his peace is shattered and he is thrust back into the murky world of murder when a young woman is found dead amongst the ancient ruins of the nearby Priory.

When former local girl Dr Anna Taylor arrives back on the island as a police consultant, old memories swim to the surface making her confront her difficult past. She and Ryan struggle to work together to hunt a killer who hides in plain sight, while pagan ritual and small-town politics muddy the waters of their investigation." [Source]

BOOK TWO
Sycamore Gap (digital, 9th September 2015) [Kindle Edition ASIN:  B0157EGENU] by L.J. Ross.
"The past never stays buried for long...

Detective Chief Inspector Ryan believes he has put his turbulent history behind him. Then, in the early hours of the summer solstice, the skeleton of a young woman is found inside the Roman Wall at Sycamore Gap. She has lain undiscovered for ten years and it is Ryan's job to piece together her past.

Enquiry lines cross and merge as Ryan is forced to face his own demons and enter into a deadly game of cat and mouse with a killer who seems unstoppable.

Murder and mystery are peppered with a sprinkling of romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular scenery of Hadrian's Wall country in Northumberland." [Source]

BOOK THREE
Heavenfield (digital, 4th March 2016) [Kindle Edition ASIN:  B01CLFDCTC] by L.J. Ross.
"The hunter becomes the hunted…

When a man is found dead at the remote church of Heavenfield, DCI Ryan is the only other person for miles around. The police have no weapon, no motive and no other suspects.

Already suspended from Northumbria CID, Ryan must fight to clear his name. But soon, more than his career is at stake when prominent members of the mysterious ‘Circle’ begin to die. Somebody wants Ryan’s name to be next on the coroner’s list and to survive he must unmask the devil who walks among them – before it is too late.

Unfortunately for Ryan, the devil looks just like everybody else…

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast-paced crime whodunnit from LJ Ross, set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape." [Source]

BOOK FOUR
Angel (digital, 26th August 2016) [Kindle Edition ASIN:  B01IFJWM8A] by L.J. Ross.
" He’ll make you his angel, but first you have to die...

After a turbulent time, DCI Ryan’s life is finally beginning to return to normal and he’s looking forward to spending an uneventful Easter bank holiday weekend with his fiancée.

Then, on Good Friday morning he is called out to a crime scene at one of the largest cemeteries in Newcastle. The body of a redheaded woman has been found buried in a shallow grave and the killer has given her wings, like an angel.

Soon, another woman is found at a different cemetery, followed quickly by another. Panic spreads like wildfire as a new serial killer is born, and Ryan’s band of detectives must work around the clock to unmask him before he can strike again.

Murder and mystery are peppered with romance and humour in this fast paced crime whodunnit set amidst the spectacular Northumbrian landscape." [Source]


No more today, see you next week ......


Blogosphere

Hey, I'm Bona Fide. I just came back from my last foray through the blogosphere. What can you expect from me? I tell you: Everything from Art to Fart as long as there is any faint connection to books. And here is some honey  from the beehive blogosphere...


Sci-Fi to Reality
So far BattleMechs do not exist in reality but for how long? First steps have been made as you can see in following post over at WebUrbanist


Birthdays
Everyone who like to read fantasy should know the name J.R.R. Tolkien. A few days ago you could celebrate his 125th birthday. There is a brilliant post by Adam Whitehead available on his blog The Wertzone



Y2K - Y1.9K?
This is a cryptic heading. You may remember that Y2K was the abbreviation for the year 2000 problem. But do you that there was a Y1.9K which stands for year 1900 problem. The difference between them is that the Y1.9K was not related to computers.
For everyone interested in I highly recommend following post over at the Edwardian Promenade



That's it for today. Come back next week for more ......


Movies

Hey, it's me Fide. I'm a remote control professional. I'm that fast that I can watch two movies at the same time.

Today I would to share a trailer with you of a film which hit the cinemas in Germany in December 2016. My wife and I watched the film last Thursday and I must say that I have been touched emotionally. From my point of view it is an excellent film.





That's it for today. Come back next week for more ......


Quotes
I 'm the Keeper of the minutes. But I don't mind when you call me Kotm. No, no. I don't explain to you how to pronounce.

In honour of J.R.R. Tolkien .....


"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.'"

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, British fantasy novelist, 1892 - 1973

Sunday, January 01, 2017

Welcome 2017

2 comments
Dear Readers,

first of all I wish you a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Finally I'm back after my hiatus.
I must say I don't want to look back to 2016 in details, a year full of ups and downs.

Nevertheless a few things need to be said when it comes to books and reading.

In 2016 I read 65 books with in sum 24202 pages. That means I missed my reading challenge by seven books.

But now it is 2017 and again I take part in the GOODREADS reading challenge.
I will try again to read 72 books.

There is no real books to read in 2017 list. I find it more and more difficult to set up such a list because what I read depends more and more on my mood and my gut feeling.

I still struggle to read epic fantasy but I hope that will change with the new books by Tad Williams who returns to the world of Osten Ard after a long time.

I really love to read crime fiction and I want to continue the series by authors which I discovered mostly in 2016

There are also several sf books I'm really keen to read.

And of course I want to return to my favourite period of time, the Victorian Era.

Beside that I got three most interesting books on Christmas and all of them do not belong to my comfort zone. Despite the fact that they are all written in German, I want to show you these books which may also inspire you.

The first book is about underwater archaeology which is a fascinating topic and I want to know more about it.

Tauchgang ins Totenreich (hc, 25. November 2016) [ISBN-13:  978-3498028381]  von  Florian Huber.
"Archäologie unter dem Meeresspiegel

Abenteuer in der Unterwasserwelt Kaum etwas fasziniert den Menschen so sehr wie das Ungewisse, das sich in den Tiefen unserer Ozeane verbirgt, seien es jahrhundertealte Schiffswracks oder versunkene Städte – denn die Welt unterhalb des Meeresspiegels hält Überraschungen parat, die den Inhalt der Geschichtsbücher dramatisch verändern könnten.

Florian Huber ist leidenschaftlicher Unterwasserarchäologe und versucht, dem Meer diese Geheimnisse zu entlocken. Er taucht seit Jahren nach Schiffen, in Höhlen, in Brunnen und Seen, immer auf der Suche nach neuen wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen.

In seinem reich bebilderten Buch berichtet Huber von seinen spannendsten und riskantesten Forschungsexpeditionen: zum schwedischen Handelsschiff Mars, das 1564 mit 800 Mann Besatzung sank, zu den japanischen Schiffswracks im Pazifik vor Truk Lagoon und in die wassergefüllten Höhlen Yucatáns auf der Suche nach Überresten der Maya. Seine Geschichten sind wie Reisen in eine völlig fremde Welt." [Source]

In 2015 Leonard Nimoy died. I wanted to know more about the man who was/is/will ever be famous as SPOCK. Fortunately I found the following book which is available in several languages.
Spock und ich (hc, 24. Oktober 2016) [ISBN-13:  978-3453201439]  von William Shatner.
"Eine intergalaktische Freundschaft: Captain Kirk über Mr. Spock

Leonard Nimoy wurde durch seine Rolle als Mr. Spock in der Serie Star Trek berühmt. Mit dem stets auf Logik bedachten Vulkanier schuf er einen Charakter, der wie kaum ein zweiter die Popkultur bis heute prägt. Am Set lernte Nimoy William Shatner alias Captain Kirk kennen, mit dem ihn 50 Jahre lang eine enge Freundschaft verband. Gemeinsam gingen die beiden Männer durch Höhen und Tiefen, beruflich wie privat. Anhand zahlreicher Anekdoten zeichnet William Shatner nun das faszinierende Leben seines besten Freundes nach und zeigt uns den Mann hinter dem unemotionalen Vulkanier: den feinfühligen Poeten, Fotografen, gläubigen Juden und trockenen Alkoholiker.

Eine berührende Biografie und die Geschichte einer großen Freundschaft – nicht nur für Star-Trek-Fans!" [Source]
 The English edition: Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man (hc, 16th February 2016) [ISBN-13:  978-1250083319]  von William Shatner.


What do you know about Alexander von Humboldt?  I must say my knowledge about him and his impact on science is really limited. Fortunately that will change with the following book which appeared first in English.

Alexander von Humboldt und die Erfindung derNatur (hc, 11. Oktober 2016) [ISBN-13:  978-3570102060]  von  Andrea Wulf.
"Was hat Alexander von Humboldt, der vor mehr als 150 Jahren starb, mit Klimawandel und Nachhaltigkeit zu tun?

Der Naturforscher und Universalgelehrte, nach dem nicht nur unzählige Straßen, Pflanzen und sogar ein »Mare« auf dem Mond benannt sind, hat wie kein anderer Wissenschaftler unser Verständnis von Natur als lebendigem Ganzen, als Kosmos, in dem vom Winzigsten bis zum Größten alles miteinander verbunden ist und dessen untrennbarer Teil wir sind, geprägt. Die Historikerin Andrea Wulf stellt Humboldts Erfindung der Natur, die er radikal neu dachte, ins Zentrum ihrer Erkundungsreise durch sein Leben und Werk. Sie folgt den Spuren des begnadeten Netzwerkers und zeigt, dass unser heutiges Wissen um die Verwundbarkeit der Erde in Humboldts Überzeugungen verwurzelt ist. Ihm heute wieder zu begegnen, mahnt uns, seine Erkenntnisse endlich zum Maßstab unseres Handelns zu machen – um unser aller Überleben willen." [Source]

The English edition:
The Invention of Nature: The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, the Lost Hero of Science (hc, 24. Oktober 2016) [ISBN-13:  978-1848548985]  by  Andrea Wulf.

That's all for today.

Enjoy Reading!
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