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Old 02-06-2019, 10:46 AM
 
1,483 posts, read 1,374,279 times
Reputation: 4995

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One Second After by William R. Forstchen

It's a 'what if' apocalyptic story, detailing the moments (days, weeks, months) after an EMP* attack on the United States. I'm about halfway through the book, and for some reason am not really getting into it. The premise itself is an extremely scary one, since, in the real world, it could possibly happen (EMP strike knocking out every electrical device (car, phone, appliances, hospital equipment, you name it) throughout the entire country - or countries - but I find the book itself to drag on a bit, and have found myself not really connecting with the characters at all. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I was expecting more. I don't know...but so far I'm rather disappointed.

*Electromagnetic Pulse Weapon
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Old 02-06-2019, 12:15 PM
 
Location: Europe
4,692 posts, read 1,150,156 times
Reputation: 924
Peter Pomerantsev
"Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia"
PublicAffairs (November 2014)
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Old 02-06-2019, 04:20 PM
 
3,493 posts, read 7,900,802 times
Reputation: 7235
Where Reasons End by Yiyun Li

I want to read this book, but I'm not brave enough.

The NPR book review sounds just like the sort of book I should like - here is a quote of their review:
Where Reasons End is the rarest of things: a perfect book, a masterpiece of American fiction, and it proves beyond a doubt that Li is one of this country's greatest writers. It's a beautiful look at what happens when language disappears, betrays us, lets us down: "Words provided to me — loss, grief, sorrow, bereavement, trauma — never seemed to be able to speak precisely of what was plaguing me," the narrator thinks. "One can and must live with loss and grief and sorrow and bereavement. Together they frame this life, as solid as the ceiling and the floor and the walls and the doors."

It is written as a conversation between a mother/narrator and her son who died by suicide. It sounds beautiful, but I just can't do it. If anyone reads this one, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
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Old 02-06-2019, 04:26 PM
 
Location: Middle of the valley
48,393 posts, read 34,538,432 times
Reputation: 73471
Quote:
Originally Posted by pinetreelover View Post
Where Reasons End by Yiyun Li

I want to read this book, but I'm not brave enough.

The NPR book review sounds just like the sort of book I should like - here is a quote of their review:
Where Reasons End is the rarest of things: a perfect book, a masterpiece of American fiction, and it proves beyond a doubt that Li is one of this country's greatest writers. It's a beautiful look at what happens when language disappears, betrays us, lets us down: "Words provided to me — loss, grief, sorrow, bereavement, trauma — never seemed to be able to speak precisely of what was plaguing me," the narrator thinks. "One can and must live with loss and grief and sorrow and bereavement. Together they frame this life, as solid as the ceiling and the floor and the walls and the doors."

It is written as a conversation between a mother/narrator and her son who died by suicide. It sounds beautiful, but I just can't do it. If anyone reads this one, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
That sounds beautiful and heartbreaking..... not sure if I could handle it.....

Added it to my list though.
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Old 02-07-2019, 07:01 AM
 
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 32,913,791 times
Reputation: 28902
Quote:
Originally Posted by pinetreelover View Post
Where Reasons End by Yiyun Li

I want to read this book, but I'm not brave enough.

The NPR book review sounds just like the sort of book I should like - here is a quote of their review:
Where Reasons End is the rarest of things: a perfect book, a masterpiece of American fiction, and it proves beyond a doubt that Li is one of this country's greatest writers. It's a beautiful look at what happens when language disappears, betrays us, lets us down: "Words provided to me — loss, grief, sorrow, bereavement, trauma — never seemed to be able to speak precisely of what was plaguing me," the narrator thinks. "One can and must live with loss and grief and sorrow and bereavement. Together they frame this life, as solid as the ceiling and the floor and the walls and the doors."

It is written as a conversation between a mother/narrator and her son who died by suicide. It sounds beautiful, but I just can't do it. If anyone reads this one, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
I'll read it. I'll also read her memoir Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life which seems to, sadly, tie into the novel.

But first -- and I'm only at 27% -- I have to finish A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne. So far it's quite brilliant and, as always, he writes flawlessly.
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Old 02-07-2019, 07:36 AM
 
Location: Nantahala National Forest, NC
27,074 posts, read 11,739,479 times
Reputation: 30347
Quote:
Originally Posted by DawnMTL View Post
I'll read it. I'll also read her memoir Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life which seems to, sadly, tie into the novel.

But first -- and I'm only at 27% -- I have to finish A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne. So far it's quite brilliant and, as always, he writes flawlessly.

Ladder to the Sky....looked it up, sounds wonderful...will be first time reading the author...

thanks, Dawn!
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Old 02-07-2019, 07:42 AM
 
3,493 posts, read 7,900,802 times
Reputation: 7235
Quote:
Originally Posted by DawnMTL View Post
I'll read it. I'll also read her memoir Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life which seems to, sadly, tie into the novel.

But first -- and I'm only at 27% -- I have to finish A Ladder to the Sky by John Boyne. So far it's quite brilliant and, as always, he writes flawlessly.
Thanks, Dawn, for taking one for the team.

If you ever need me to read a book for you because you are afraid it might open up a broken heart scar, please let me know!

Added Ladder to the Sky to my TBR list!
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Old 02-07-2019, 07:58 AM
 
Location: Montreal -> CT -> MA -> Montreal -> Ottawa
17,330 posts, read 32,913,791 times
Reputation: 28902
Quote:
Originally Posted by greatblueheron View Post
Ladder to the Sky....looked it up, sounds wonderful...will be first time reading the author...

thanks, Dawn!
Quote:
Originally Posted by pinetreelover View Post
Thanks, Dawn, for taking one for the team.

If you ever need me to read a book for you because you are afraid it might open up a broken heart scar, please let me know!

Added Ladder to the Sky to my TBR list!
Hahaha! Will do!

Ladies, you might also love -- as I did -- The Absolutist by John Boyne. That one introduced me to John Boyne. And while most people loved his The Heart's Invisible Furies, I stopped reading it a quarter of the way in because I found it horribly predictable and full of "oh really?!?! coincidences" that rang so false that my eyes hurt from rolling back so far. Not to mention that the children in this book spoke like adult royalty. But The Absolutist and this one (so far) -- A Ladder to the Sky -- are delicious.
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Old 02-07-2019, 01:39 PM
 
Location: Henderson, NV, U.S.A.
11,479 posts, read 9,094,358 times
Reputation: 19660
Into the Storm: Two Ships, a Deadly Hurricane, and an Epic Battle for Survival, Tristram Korten (2018).
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Old 02-07-2019, 03:11 PM
 
Location: East Coast
4,244 posts, read 3,689,176 times
Reputation: 6469
I finished up Happiness, and found it meh. It was nicely written, but I just didn't care about anything that happened.

I then picked up The Immortalists, which was highly recommended to me on a Facebook page that had a book discussion. The premise is that 4 kids in 1969 go to a psychic and are told their date of death. The book then follows the 4 siblings as they deal with this knowledge. Unfortunately, this just didn't work for me. Three of them die young -- one very young, one young, and one relatively young. The first is utterly predictable and something we've heard a thousand times over. The second was just kind of strange, and it doesn't really make sense why the character does the things she does. The third gets just ludicrous and the character does something really bizarre and downright insane.

It was a quick read, and I liked the premise and the initial set up of this family. But I thought it failed in the execution. Oh well.
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