Books Read 2010

[YellowKing]

No braid-tugging or skirt-smoothing here. Based on what I've seen here, I have high hopes for when I get to his Wheel of Time stuff ... in about 18 months or so.

Spoiler for The Gathering Storm re: braid tugging:

Spoiler:

I'm not finished with the book, but I laughed out loud because early on Sanderson talks about Nynaeve trying to break the braid-tugging habit. Nice way to write out one of the most overused and annoying writing crutches Jordan used.

[Pyperkub]

Books Read in 2010:

U is for Undertow - Sue Grafton
The Black Company - Glen Cook

That's two. I suspect the Black Company series is going to dominate this space for January...

[Scuzz]

Books Read in 2010:

U is for Undertow - Sue Grafton
The Black Company - Glen Cook

That's two. I suspect the Black Company series is going to dominate this space for January...

it took about 50 pages but now I am really enjoying The Black Company.....very different and a really good read, about 170 pages in now....

[Jeff V]

The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodnow

Mlodnow sets out to prove that in many cases, past performance is not an indication of future returns. We've all seen that disclaimer on mutual fund advertisements, but it also applies to movie studio execs, sports coaches, and Fortune 500 CEOs. The avowed purpose of the book is to demonstrate how and why it is incorrect to predict the future based on the past; however, he really doesn't offer much of an alternative method.

Still, The Drunkard's Walk is a nice overview of the science of probability and statistics. Some of the content is rehashed from Stephen Jay Gould and others, so some of the examples were actually familiar to me. It's Mlodnow's explanation of the title concept, "the drunkard's walk" (describing a system of sequentially random data points) and "the butterfly effect" (how a seemingly trivial event can snowball in to major consequences down the line) that are the best parts of the book.

[Pyperkub]

Books Read in 2010:

U is for Undertow - Sue Grafton
The Black Company - Glen Cook
Shadows Linger - Glen Cook
The White Rose - Glen Cook

Bump to add the next two Black Company books.

[Scuzz]

I finished the Black Company by Glen Cook. Very good. A different approach but very interesting once you get used to it...almost like Richard Sharpe in a fantasy world with Croaker as a Sharpe.....

Now it is on to Shadows Linger, book 2 of the three, by Glen Cook.

I have the Chronicles version, so all three are in one volume.

[noxiousdog]

Finished Terry Pratchett's Pyramids. Good Discworld reading. It was definitely up there with my favorites Men at Arms and Mort. 4 of 5.

[Scuzz]

Can anyone recomend Glen Cooks Books of the South Series......?

Please don't give away any spoilers.....

[GreenGoo]

FYI, I am using this thread to help me decide on which books I will read. I often times finish a book and think "what now?". I don't read enough to simply pick up stuff at random and hope it's good.

Also, from the Horror thread, having read the Hyperion series, hearing recommendations for Dan Simmon's The Terror, I picked it up from the library. A hundred pages in, it certainly seems to be a winner. Even with just the barest hint of what is to come, the author has managed to make me interested in 18th century sailing vessels trying to find a North West passage above Canada. Which in itself is an accomplishment, because I had zero interest in that before.

The Black Company is on the list. It was out at the library or I would be reading it right now.

I'm also reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, while commuting. It varies from barely holding my interest to the occasional funny or interesting segment. Not something I'd call a "best seller" despite its status as such. Maybe if I had any familiarity with the original text I would find it funnier. Still, I find myself interested in the fates of several of the characters, so it can't be as bad as I originally thought.

[noxiousdog]

Can anyone recomend Glen Cooks Books of the South Series......?

Please don't give away any spoilers.....

Absolutely. They are fantastic, though the 3rd in the set (sold in a set, actual name is The Silver Spike iirc) will aggravate you. Croaker isn't in it. First two are awesome though.

[silverjon]

Also, from the Horror thread, having read the Hyperion series, hearing recommendations for Dan Simmon's The Terror, I picked it up from the library. A hundred pages in, it certainly seems to be a winner. Even with just the barest hint of what is to come, the author has managed to make me interested in 18th century sailing vessels trying to find a North West passage above Canada. Which in itself is an accomplishment, because I had zero interest in that before.

Funny thing with this, I had more than a passing familiarity with the Franklin Expedition prior to reading The Terror, and I didn't think the book was all that good. It was ok, but the most interesting thing for me was trying to find online translations of the Inuit words (difficult due to variations in spelling, but mostly doable, slightly illuminating).

[Bad Demographic]

Can anyone recomend Glen Cooks Books of the South Series......?

Please don't give away any spoilers.....

Absolutely. They are fantastic, though the 3rd in the set (sold in a set, actual name is The Silver Spike iirc) will aggravate you. Croaker isn't in it. First two are awesome though.

I wouldn't consider the Silver Spike to be part of the Books of the South series, partly because it came out well before any of the Books of the South came out, and partly because it pretty much just ties up loose ends from the original trilogy.

Something to be aware of if you read the entire set, the person writing the annals changes now and then. And the writing style changes,too. That is, each annalist has his/her own style.

[tgb]

CSL doesn't visit much anymore, so I'm taking his annual job away from him and opening this thread.

Reading


Next Up

Fixed in the interest of honesty.

[GreenGoo]

Funny thing with this, I had more than a passing familiarity with the Franklin Expedition prior to reading The Terror, and I didn't think the book was all that good. It was ok, but the most interesting thing for me was trying to find online translations of the Inuit words (difficult due to variations in spelling, but mostly doable, slightly illuminating).

Fair enough.

[tjg_marantz]

Read H.A.W.X. the novel tie-in, not that good. Also read the same guy's Splinter Cell tie-in... And it's actually kinda funny... as he wrote the same novel twice, albeit from two separate viewpoints! (Splinter Cell: Endgame, and Splinter Cell: Conviction)

I just finished Endwar and now I bought the game (probably stupid but oh well) and I am starting Ghost Recon. Splinter Cell books are my next targets before I tackle more Ludlum.

[noxiousdog]

I wouldn't consider the Silver Spike to be part of the Books of the South series, partly because it came out well before any of the Books of the South came out, and partly because it pretty much just ties up loose ends from the original trilogy.

I agree. However, if you buy The Books of the South: Tales of the Black Company (Chronicles of the Black Company), it includes The Silver Spike, and I was assuming he was talking specifically about that compilation.

[GreenGoo]

Not that I have any experience with The Black Company, but when I read the wiki entry on the subject, there were 3 books in the Books of the North, 2 (I think) in the books of the south, and 4 in the Books of the Glittering Stone. The Silver Spike was described as an independent or spin-off book, outside of but in the same universe as the Black Company series.

[Scuzz]

I wouldn't consider the Silver Spike to be part of the Books of the South series, partly because it came out well before any of the Books of the South came out, and partly because it pretty much just ties up loose ends from the original trilogy.

I agree. However, if you buy The Books of the South: Tales of the Black Company (Chronicles of the Black Company), it includes The Silver Spike, and I was assuming he was talking specifically about that compilation.

Yes, If I were to get it it would be the compilation.

[noxiousdog]

I wouldn't consider the Silver Spike to be part of the Books of the South series, partly because it came out well before any of the Books of the South came out, and partly because it pretty much just ties up loose ends from the original trilogy.

I agree. However, if you buy The Books of the South: Tales of the Black Company (Chronicles of the Black Company), it includes The Silver Spike, and I was assuming he was talking specifically about that compilation.

Yes, If I were to get it it would be the compilation.

It's worth getting and the Silver Spike isn't bad. It's just that Book 5 ends on a cliffhanger and it will aggravate you In fact, I would suggest skipping Silver Spike and coming back to it later assuming there's a later book that picks up the Croaker storyline. I actually don't know what happens beyond book 6, as I haven't returned to it yet.

[lildrgn]

Also, from the Horror thread, having read the Hyperion series, hearing recommendations for Dan Simmon's The Terror, I picked it up from the library. A hundred pages in, it certainly seems to be a winner. Even with just the barest hint of what is to come, the author has managed to make me interested in 18th century sailing vessels trying to find a North West passage above Canada. Which in itself is an accomplishment, because I had zero interest in that before.

That's one of the reasons I liked it so much. Simmons' way of describing how brutal everything was was very immersive. That, and the word "slops". I just love that word.

[Isgrimnur]

The Hero of Ages (Book 3 of the Mistborn series) by Brandon Sanderson

This book ramped up the action and the plot so far in the second half that I really wanted to keep going to finish it ... and now I'm sad that it's over. Truly an excellent series all around. I think some people might not care for the ending, but I enjoyed it. I highly recommend the series for anyone with a love for fantasy.

Next up: The Book of Honor: The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives

[Koz]

I wouldn't consider the Silver Spike to be part of the Books of the South series, partly because it came out well before any of the Books of the South came out, and partly because it pretty much just ties up loose ends from the original trilogy.

I agree. However, if you buy The Books of the South: Tales of the Black Company (Chronicles of the Black Company), it includes The Silver Spike, and I was assuming he was talking specifically about that compilation.

Yes, If I were to get it it would be the compilation.

It's worth getting and the Silver Spike isn't bad. It's just that Book 5 ends on a cliffhanger and it will aggravate you In fact, I would suggest skipping Silver Spike and coming back to it later assuming there's a later book that picks up the Croaker storyline. I actually don't know what happens beyond book 6, as I haven't returned to it yet.

I think Book 7 is the weakest in the series but Book 8 is fantastic. I just ordered the compilation of the last two books which was just released a couple weeks ago.

[noxiousdog]

Finished Alice Shroeder's The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life. I'm an unabashed fan of Warren Buffett not only for his investment skills, but also for his ethics and strategic outlook.

I was surprised reading it to find there has been quite a bit of failure to go along with the overwhelming amount of success. It was interesting reading the past 50 some odd years of business and how the cycles repeat over and over and people make the same mistakes again and again.

This is highly recommended for anyone that has even a cursory interest in Warren Buffett, and of cursory interest to people who are interested in business.

For me, 5/5.

[Jeff V]

Wake Up Dead by Roger Smith

Set in the squalid, racially-tense environment of the Capetown Flats, Roger Smith’s new novel revels in violence and vulgarity. There are really no redeemable characters in the book (save the boy, who is more pitiable than anything). Most of them wind up dead anyway in this page-turning bloodbath. And those who survive – maybe they shouldn’t have. The “heroes” all had their own death toll.

I would have liked the book a little more had the vulgarity of the characters (which may or may not have been over-the-top, Smith was advised on local flavor) didn’t carry on into Smith’s prose. It is one thing to for base language to be part of characters who simply are that, quite another to extend it to narrative. I still probably wouldn’t have found much value in the story, but at least I wouldn’t have been angry with how the write chose to tell it.

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins

Dawkins is in top form, refuting all of the common (and not so common) justifications people make to reconcile a believe in god in spite of evidence that challenges the plausibility of it all. Particularly funny is how he uses their own weapons against them. In challenging the argument that morality is impossible without the structure of religion, Dawkins reminds the reader that the coveted "10 Commandments" applied only to Jews. It was perfectly fine to kill your neighbor if he wasn't one of the "chosen people", and in fact, there was much encouragement to do so. Dawkins also reports on studies that show a highly negative reaction to some of the events in the bible when the perpetrators were not disclosed -- most, for instance, found Joshua's campaign of genocide reprehensible. However, when the biblical characters were identified, suddenly, the story met with much approval. Society has a seemingly infinite capacity to accept hypocrisy when it comes to religion.

Dawkins overall point is that while one might certain concessions to logic to accommodate their religious indoctrination, in all cases, this represents nothing more than a willing delusion. The lengths some will go to are comical to behold -- all the way up to urban legends with no factual basis cited by religious apologists as canonical truth. The God Delusion is a terrific read and will buttress any lingering disregard one has for "the word" regardless of who is delivering it.

[JonathanStrange]

Au contraire, I disagree with the esteemed JeffV here:

Dawkin's is clearly out of his field of expertise in The God Delusion; this is a book that I agree with the NYT review (!) as being a sort of "Michael Moore parody" of cheapshots and easy targets as if the failings of an ancient "proof" or a particular religion - generally Judaism and Christianity for Dawkins - is proof against the existence of God. It's convincing mostly if you're already inclined not to believe in a Deity and prefer hyperbolic statements about the infinite capacity for hyprocrisy of religious believers. (Robert Wright's The Evolution of God makes the point already noted by earlier philosophers that the establishment of monotheism did not necessarily make people more moral in the modern sense of the word; but it's independent of the existence/nonexistence of the Deity itself. Religious tolerance seemed to be greater among the polytheists.)

I'm a skeptic myself but this smug, self-satisfied book which shirks "the intellectual heavy work" of examining the usually more sophisticated modern reasons for believing in God is pretty close to an embarassment for Dawkins. A shame that Dawkins and Christoper Hitchens, for that matter, - both men whose writing and books I've enjoyed greatly; (The Blind Watchmaker and Letters to a Young Contrarian are two favorites) - both took the easy snarky route. I expected more from them.

[WYBaugh]

Au contraire, I disagree with the esteemed JeffV here:

Dawkin's is clearly out of his field of expertise in The God Delusion; this is a book that I agree with the NYT review (!) as being a sort of "Michael Moore parody" of cheapshots and easy targets as if the failings of an ancient "proof" or a particular religion - generally Judaism and Christianity for Dawkins - is proof against the existence of God. It's convincing mostly if you're already inclined not to believe in a Deity and prefer hyperbolic statements about the infinite capacity for hyprocrisy of religious believers. I'm a skeptic myself but this smug, self-satisfied book which shirks "the intellectual heavy work" of examining the usually more sophisticated modern reasons for believing in God is pretty close to an embarassment for Dawkins. A shame that Dawkins and Christoper Hitchens, for that matter, - both men whose writing and books I've enjoyed greatly; (The Blind Watchmaker and Letters to a Young Contrarian are two favorites) - both took the easy snarky route. I expected more from them.

I prefer Oolon Colluphid

[hentzau]

I freaking lost one of the books I was reading. Now I may need to go out and buy it again, just to finish it. I hate it when that happens...

[Isgrimnur]

The Book of Honor: The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives

A book that plays right to my interests. Written in 2000, the author sets out to tell the stories of the unnamed stars on the CIA Memorial wall. At the time of the writing there were 69 stars (there are now 90) representing those that lost their lives in the service of the CIA, 40 of these 69 without a name recorded in the Book of Honor, marked only by a year and a star.

This book details a number of stories from the very first man to lose his life in the CIA's service attempting to escape China overland into Tibet to those that lost their lives in the Beirut embassy bombing. The stories here represent interviews details from current and former CIA officers and the friends and families of those lost. These stories attempt to tell who these men and women were, what they were like, and the missions that they gave their lives for. It is a published epitaph for those who knew that they might never get one, yet so honestly deserve it.

[Pyperkub]

Books Read in 2010:

U is for Undertow - Sue Grafton
The Black Company - Glen Cook
Shadows Linger - Glen Cook
The White Rose - Glen Cook
Shadow Games - Glen Cook
Dreams of Steel - Glen Cook
The Silver Spike - Glen Cook
Nine Dragons - Michael Connelly

My rush to the end of the Black Company Series was interrupted by the latest Harry Bosch...

[Bad Demographic]

I'm working my way through a big stack of books lent to us by ChrisGwinn and AnnZ.
I finished Sewer, Gas & Electric by Matt Ruff. This is not the book to read when you're suffering from post-holidays attention span deficit. It seems to be full of wanders through a fictional past that later turn out to be important. So as my mind wandered off and I ran away to play computer games or knit, I would forget characters and back story. Once I recovered from short attention span and could focus on the book, I really enjoyed it. There's soooo little I can say about the book that won't give away key plot points, so I'll just say it was one of the craziest books I've read and yet Matt Ruff hangs it all together at the end.

[Bad Demographic]

Not that I have any experience with The Black Company, but when I read the wiki entry on the subject, there were 3 books in the Books of the North, 2 (I think) in the books of the south, and 4 in the Books of the Glittering Stone. The Silver Spike was described as an independent or spin-off book, outside of but in the same universe as the Black Company series.

I would describe the series thusly:
3 books in the first trilogy - the Books of the North - + 1 more book (The Silver Spike)
2 books in the second trilogy
The "third" book in the second trilogy was 4 books long.

[BigBoneTone]

Many thanks to OO for showing me the glory of the Black Company; I'm onto book 7 and loving it. Frankly, when these books were written, my whole world was fantasy; I still cannot believed I missed a series of this originality and greatness. I'm proud to say that I've passed it along to 3 peeps so far and the list is growing.

In another admission of 'why did I wait so long?, I'm a huge Dresden fan and I finally started on the Codex Alera series. Holy sh*t, I can't believe I waited so long! I've just finished the first book (Furies of Calderon) which I was assured by friends and blogs that this would be a necessary slog onto greater rewards in books to come. Uh, no freaking way; this book is great out the gate. I'm very excited about this franchise.

[Pyperkub]

Books Read in 2010:

U is for Undertow - Sue Grafton
The Black Company - Glen Cook
Shadows Linger - Glen Cook
The White Rose - Glen Cook
Shadow Games - Glen Cook
Dreams of Steel - Glen Cook
The Silver Spike - Glen Cook
Nine Dragons - Michael Connelly
Up in the Air - Walter Kirn (very different from the movie)

After a brief interlude, back to the Black Company, though no one seems to have the 4th omnibus in stock...

[Bakhtosh]

I finished the Twilight Saga last week. I was really impressed with the series. Yeah, the vampire mythology was pretty hokie, and I could punch all kinds of holes in it, but the characters and humor were very well done. Meyer relied a little too heavily on Deus Ex Machina, but it worked for what it was. These are the written equivalent of popcorn movies. Don't think too much about them and have fun reading.

I'm now on to How To Survive TEOTWAWKI. I've been wanting a concise starter's guide to a broad range of survival topics. I'm not storing 2 years worth of food or digging a bunker, but I'd like to start thinking about what I'd do during a pandemic quarantine, loss of electricity for an extended period, or even loss of all utilities. I live in Arkansas. The New Madrid fault is a couple hundred miles away, but "The Big One" could break gas and water lines, disable the electric grid and telephone service, and ruin major roads all over the region (building codes around here the last 100 years haven't taken the fault into account). I don't want to be one of those people who has to beg or loot to get basic supplies for my family.

[Scuzz]

I wouldn't consider the Silver Spike to be part of the Books of the South series, partly because it came out well before any of the Books of the South came out, and partly because it pretty much just ties up loose ends from the original trilogy.

I agree. However, if you buy The Books of the South: Tales of the Black Company (Chronicles of the Black Company), it includes The Silver Spike, and I was assuming he was talking specifically about that compilation.

Yes, If I were to get it it would be the compilation.

It's worth getting and the Silver Spike isn't bad. It's just that Book 5 ends on a cliffhanger and it will aggravate you In fact, I would suggest skipping Silver Spike and coming back to it later assuming there's a later book that picks up the Croaker storyline. I actually don't know what happens beyond book 6, as I haven't returned to it yet.

I think Book 7 is the weakest in the series but Book 8 is fantastic. I just ordered the compilation of the last two books which was just released a couple weeks ago.

Okay, I get that the Books of the North are 1-2-3 in the series. The Books of the South are then 4-5 in the series. What books are 6-7-8?


I just finished the Books of the North and they are great.

[Bad Demographic]

Okay, I get that the Books of the North are 1-2-3 in the series. The Books of the South are then 4-5 in the series. What books are 6-7-8?


I just finished the Books of the North and they are great.

I believe books 6, 7 and 8 are the Glittering Stone series.

[Zork]

Updated book list (and shameless way to increase my massive post count).

I've really become addicted to Audible, so most of these are the unabridged audio version when available. Normal book reading is denoted by an asterisk (*).

READ
The Total Money Makeover - Dave Ramsey: [5/5] Great book. Explains how we get ourselves into massive debt and provides a (sometimes radical) method for getting out and staying out of debt. This book really motivated my wife and I to want to be debt free.

Financial Peace Revisited* - Dave Ramsey: [4/5] I was already familiar with Dave's plan by reading The Total Money Makeover and listening to some of his podcasts. I read this book in conjunction with his Financial Peace University class (through my church). This book provides the same info as The Total Money Makeover with more biblical references.

NurtureShock - Po Bronson, Ashley Merryman: [5/5] I wish I would have read this book 15 years ago before having kids. Provides some *GREAT* insight into raising kids from 0-18. I enjoyed this more than Screamfree Parenting. A MUST READ for any parent IMHO.

Season of Life* - Jeffrey Marx: [4/5] Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Story of a pro football player turned minister (Joe Ehrmann) who is also a HS football coach. The book follows his team through a challenging season and is a good mix of football drama and positive life lessons. I think it's a must read for anyone who has (or is) playing sports.

READING
Linchpin: Are You Indispensible? - Seth Godin: [5/5] I'm not even done yet and this book is fantastic. I wish I was taking notes while I was listening to the first half (difficult when you're commuting to and from work). The book asks if we want to be a replaceable cog in the workplace or an indispensible linchpin. Favorite quote so far: "Tell your lizard (brain) to shut up.".

QUEUE
Screamfree Parenting - Hal Edward Runkle (listened in Nov 2009, need to listen to a few chapters again)
A Whack on the Side of the Head - Roger von Oech
Born to Run - Christopher McDougall
The Blind Side - Michael Lewis
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

FAILED
Dragons of the Dwarven Depths - Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman - The voice used for Tasslehoff Burrfoot was so bad that I had to stop. It's like a mix between Yoda and Grover from Sesame Street, which is *not* how I imagined it. I might try reading it the old-fashioned way.

-Zork

[Bad Demographic]

Damn that ChrisGwinn! In our most recent book exchange, Chris lent me John Scalzi's Old Man's War. I enjoyed it so much, I had to go out to buy The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi, which I just finished.

Now I notice that some of you are really good at commenting on the books you read - enough information to entice but not so much to either "give the book away" or to bore the rest of us. I'm not so good at that. I suspect that this year, John Scalzi will be my new favorite author. Sadly, he only has six books out so far, so I need to ration them.

Old Man's War is the story of John Perry, a 75 year old man who joins the Colonial Defense Forces, the space-going military that protects humans who are colonizing the stars from hostile aliens who want the same real estate humans do. Perry is not unusual. You can't report to the enlistment centers until your 75th birthday.
I'm not going to say anything else about the plot or the characters. Scalzi's writing style appeals to me. It's clear, it strikes a fine balance between brevity and description. The science -- well, I'm not a scientist so I can't offer a very useful opinion -- seems to agree with what little science I've heard about and the explanations of the science are short enough that they don't bore.

I liked Old Man's War so much that I ran right out and bought (and read) the sequel The Ghost Brigades. The first 50 pages or so kind of dragged, but then I was hooked. It will require a lot of self-discipline to not rush out and get the next book, then the next, etc. After all, four more books won't even last me a month.

[Jeff V]

Au contraire, I disagree with the esteemed JeffV here:

The theme of this book was quite particular: namely, that buying into religion involves deluding oneself, misrepresenting or ignoring even the most basic evidence in contraction of religious dogma. I've read some of Dawkins' more serious work, and while I do think he consistently makes his point, in those works, the examples he uses are often obscure and don't exactly provide for snappy comebacks during barroom debates. I found this book to me more accessible and practical, even if it is somewhat "lite" in nature. It fulfills its thesis and doesn't stray from the point he is trying to make.

[Jeff V]

The Godfather of Kathmandu by John Burdett

Depraved sex. Drugs. Organized crime. Tibetan Buddhism. Murder. Sounds like a party, no?

The Godfather of Kathmandu is John Burdett's 4th novel featuring Thai detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep; an increasingly devout Buddhist who also is part owner of his mother's whorehouse and the right hand man of the police chief/local crime syndicate boss. I adored the first two books: Bangkok 8 and Bangkok Tattoo; both stories had unexpected twists that were quite frankly warped. The third installment, Bangkok Haunts, started getting too much into mysticism and started to lose me. This book continues down that path, and the result is the least compelling book of the series.

Our hero's increasingly complicated life yields two major story lines in this book. They kind of intersect, but not really in a meaningful way. First, there is the obligatory murder of an American in Bangkok, this time, a rather famous Hollywood director. The second involves a Tibetan monk and exile trafficking in heroin to raise funds for his cause. Neither plot line was all that compelling, the twistedness found early in the series was absent. Meanwhile, Sonchai attempts to instruct us on the finer points of Buddhism -- I liked him better when he was telling us about the Thai sex trade. Rather than a book you can't put down, this was one where it was hard to find excuses to pick it up.

Fans of the series will read this out of habit -- and I'll still buy the next one. It is not a compelling entry point for new readers, however.