danielcornell

appassionato , 12 hours ago to bookstodon

Into the Darkness: A Journey of Love, War, and Emotional Freedom by Dave Fielding, 2024

Into the Darkness is unlike any book you've ever read. Dave Fielding's gritty, no-holds-barred memoir is not just a tale of covert operations and daring takedowns of the planet's most notorious terrorists in the hostile terrains of Iraq and Syria.

@bookstodon
#books
#nonfiction
#memoir
#war
#Iraq
#Syria

danielcornell , 4 hours ago

@appassionato @bookstodon I really enjoyed this. It provides some real insight into challenges returning military face - especially folks serving in specialized, intel-based units

Originally found out about this book from the Team House podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/an-army-unit-more-secretive-than-task-force-orange/id1492797340?i=1000662807392

Da_Gut , 9 days ago to bookstodon

The Sparrow by Mary Doria russell and the second half of the book (allegedly) Children of God...

Thoughts? I've heard good things about it

"The Sparrow tells the story of a charismatic Jesuit priest and linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a scientific mission entrusted with a profound task: to make first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life. The mission begins in faith, hope, and beauty, but a series of small misunderstandings brings it to a catastrophic end."

@bookstodon

danielcornell , 9 days ago

@Da_Gut @bookstodon It has been quite a while since I read it, but I recall the Sparrow being fantastic. I went to a Jesuit high school so seeing that ethos translated to space travel was interesting. Pretty sure I read Children of God as well but can't remember how the story got chunked up between the two

danielcornell , 3 months ago to bookstodon

Just finished Biology the Whole Story by Lindsay Turnbull https://www.amazon.com/Biology-The-Whole-Story/dp/1788451937/ref=sr_1_1 Wow - what a great read! This was the perfect biology refresher for someone who took biology ... thirty-ish years ago? Steps through all the major topics - DNA, evolution, energy systems, animals, plants, and so on. Was great to dig back into some concepts I hadn't thought about in a long time

@bookstodon #Bookstodon

danielcornell OP , 3 months ago

@mvilain @bookstodon Ooh! Picked up a copy. Because I definitely need another to-read book on my shelf. Thanks for the tip and hope you get as much out of Whole Story as I did

danielcornell , 6 months ago to bookstodon

Finished The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Weather-Friend-Dean-Koontz/dp/1662500491/ref=sr_1_1

This was a goofy book. All the characters had wacky names and wacky backstories and did wacky stuff when thrust into crazy circumstances. I guess it was all right but it read more like YA fiction than the old school (Watchers, Strangers) Dean Koontz I was raised on

I've got the Koontz nostalgia so I'll order the next one, but I hope this isn't how things are trending

#Bookstodon @bookstodon

danielcornell OP , 6 months ago

@mvilain @bookstodon I definitely feel like there is a change in the writing style. It feels like it has drifted from Stephen King to Stephenie Meyer (Twilight) There might be some changes in the editing, but I those are less significant than the style changes from what I've read

That said, most of the Koontz I've read was from the late 80s with a book or two I've picked up in airports since then

I've read some Heinlein, but don't know enough about the history to weigh in

dbsalk , 10 months ago to bookstodon

I'm having a bit of a hard time with Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. I knew going in that some of the short stories were going to be a bit "out there." A few are quite good, but most I think are not really my taste. I'm about 60% of the way through and hope to have it done this weekend. Really, the sooner, the better.

I know Palahniuk has written a bunch of books. This is the first of his that I've picked up.

#FridayReads #Bookstodon #Books #AmReading #Fiction #Horror @bookstodon

danielcornell , 10 months ago

@dbsalk @bookstodon Yeah I've read a bunch of his stuff including "Haunted" and "out there" is a good characterization. Currently trying to chew through "Not Forever, But for Now" and I'm not sure I'm going to make it. Just too sad and weird and unsettling and gross - Chuck Palahniuk may have finally defeated me with that one

"Fight Club" and "Choke" were much more enjoyable reads, in my experience