I've just finished the 17th book of the Harry Dresden "Dresden Files" series.  A lot of fun about Chicago's only Wizard Private Investigator.

I'm not usually into fantasy, but this series is funny and not so "out there" you can't keep up.

https://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden

Quote from: grnidone on January 11, 2023, 09:33:18 PM
I've just finished the 17th book of the Harry Dresden "Dresden Files" series.  A lot of fun about Chicago's only Wizard Private Investigator.

I'm not usually into fantasy, but this series is funny and not so "out there" you can't keep up.

https://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden

Ah Brad put me onto those Good eh?

>> would not have taken you for a "royals" reader

I'm not, usually, but my curiosity was piqued.

In recent weeks I've listened to several "Great Courses" about British history and Spare is relevant to that theme.

Harry is such a good reader that I'd highly recommend the Audible.com version for anyone who might be interested.

Quote from: buckworks on January 11, 2023, 02:58:37 PM
I started listening to Prince Harry's book Spare as soon as I was able to download it yesterday.

I've enjoyed it so far (first third). The writing is good (helped by a ghostwriter) and Harry is an exceptionally fine reader.

One thing is clear to me ... what some of the media gossips are saying about (projecting onto!) the book is wildly different from what it actually says.

... which kinda reinforces one of his major themes ...

Which bits? Because over this side of the pond they are seen as self obsessed and whiny, and M does not understand duty, or how to treat a family .

It does all seem a bit "all about me".  How he hopes to get back with his brother and Dad I really don't know.  If he does, it shows true understanding from them.

I am guess thats from the media then

>> Which bits

I'm not finished yet, but so far the biggest disconnect that has struck me is some writers howling how horrible it was that he bragged about how many Taliban he killed. He absolutely was not bragging when he talked about it, it was a profoundly sad reflection.

>> that's from the media then

Indeed.

You might find this interesting ... comparing some of Kate's and Meghan's media coverage for similar things. IMHO the double standards are wildly unfair and absolutely toxic. 

https://www.boredpanda.com/uk-media-double-standarts-royal-meghan-markle-kate-middleton/

Added:

>> does all seem a bit "all about me"

Well, yeah! Considering how many millions of words other people have written about Harry that he did not ask for, I don't think anyone should begrudge Harry for wanting to tell his own story from his own perspective.

>Dresden Files

I spend a lot of time lurking here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/dresdenfiles/

Warning: Lots of spoilers.   Best discussion of #17 back in the archives after the #17 "Battle Ground" came out.  Since it's been so long since the last book the discussion is filled with some outlandish theories because the main stuff has been covered repeatedly.

Brad - have you read any John Green? All the stories take place in Indiana. His "review" of Indianapolis is worth a read.

Quote from: ergophobe on January 12, 2023, 04:37:58 PM
Brad - have you read any John Green? All the stories take place in Indiana. His "review" of Indianapolis is worth a read.

I have not.  I'll look him up. Thanks!

>>double standards are wildly unfair and absolutely toxic. 

Buckworks, don't jump to conclusions. I mean, who you gonna believe, the British tabloids or your own lyin' eyes.

Seriously, that is an amazing article. If I were a high school teacher, I would assign that to my class (even if I were teaching math or physics).

QuoteYou might find this interesting ... comparing some of Kate's and Meghan's media coverage for similar things. IMHO the double standards are wildly unfair and absolutely toxic. 

https://www.boredpanda.com/uk-media-double-standarts-royal-meghan-markle-kate-middleton/

That list has been standard fair for some time.  The answer is see how Kate got hounded before Megan came along. The Press are horrible.  No one is denying that.  Its how they are dealt with that important.

  I have started listening to the Spare.  Much against Sues principles. The Firms line is not to answer back... on the basis it pointless.

The general view over here (Big general, not absolute) is that Harry would be welcome back, but Megan is still being toxic.  Trouble is He loves her.  "What Megan wants Megan Gets"  (Its a good mantra for a good husband)

Not knowing them, and knowing how toxic (if I can use the word again) the press are it difficult to know what to believe.


Buckworks... YOU are to blame for me bothering to listen to it 

I think I've mentioned this, but when I was 22 my uncle was taken hostage in Beirut and held for five years. It was quite an education in the ways of the media. Many, perhaps most, reporters seem to start with the story they want to tell and then write from there. My uncle had severe mental illness before he was taken hostage, but the media wanted a hero, so they made one. Some things did come out. The NYT referred to him as "frail and disoriented" when he was released, but video was highly edited, quotes were taken out of context to make him look better, and so on. What showed up in the media was far far far from reality.

I cannot imagine the level of distortion that takes place when you move from an obscure guy nobody knows who becomes a hostage to the stratospheric level of celebrity of the royal family or famous actors or... in this case, someone who is both.

>> started listening to the Spare

I'm glad you're listening vs reading. :-)

I just finished it. "Enjoyed" isn't quite the right word for my reaction to the work as a whole, but it was a good listen.

I learned a new word: getting "papped" = being swarmed by paparazzi.

One thing I'd agree with Harry 110% is his opinion that Rupert Murdoch is evil.

Listening is when I drive... 6 hours yesterday.

I think we all know the Press lie, as we know it. Interesting about RM in particular. Maxwell did  not shower himself with glory either (or some of his family)

Perhaps a good will come from the book. Maybe the more who read it and learn about the press the better.  I feel there is too much acceptance of what is read. Perhaps Friendface is a better place to get news .  _{(Only half kidding)}

What I've learned the most from Harry's book is that so many of the headlines don't have a shred of truth in them.  It's not like some of it has a little bit of truth to it and was taken out of context.  It's flat made up.

>but Megan is still being toxic. 

Toxic?  Really?

If it were the other way around, and a man moved his princess wife to California to get away from the abusive press in the UK, he would be lauded for having boundaries for her and the family.  When a woman does it, she's a bitch who took the prince away. 

What I think most people miss is that the press has always villainized women. What sells papers is to find all the flaws of any particular woman -- is she fat, pregnant, sleeping around -- or better still: pit one woman against another.  Meghan vs Kate.  Diana vs Fergie.
Diana, Fergie, Camella, and before her, Margaret.  They were all headlines.  How many were actually true?   

On this side of the pond:  Fox News learned that making Hillary the villain in the 1990s was the best thing for selling ads.  When she lost the presidency, AOC became the villain.  (And better still, she was brown.)

And the worst thing about it:  women will tear down other women.  The crab in the pot syndrome. 

>> not usually into fantasy

Strangely, I've been on a fantasy kick the last few years. Lord of the Rings was the first book I truly, truly loved. As an adult, I tried Wheel of Time, Game of Thrones (before the TV series) and just never got into them. WoT I found to have particularly bad writing - it was like once he got a bestseller with volume I, editors didn't dare to edit him for fear of slowing down the timeline or something.

I have mentioned the Robin Hobbs books, which Rupert knows. The Assassin's Apprentice and the rest of that storyline are good. But my big favorites have been the first three Mistborn books and Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.

The Mistborn series, by the way, is currently six volumes with a projected three more coming 2025-2027,  but the first three are fully standalone. The next three take place in a essentially different universe with no overlapping characters.

Also, for some innovative sci-fi that often doesn't fit with the genre, I recommend Ted Chiang's collection of short stories. It ranges from things like a story about a work crew on the Tower of Babylon (so not really sci-fi at all) to a story of an AI companion product that tops out at sort of a child-level of intelligence that eventually launches a fight for their rights, a very interesting take on a problem that may be upon us. The book also has author notes at the end of each story that are fun insights into why or how he wrote each story, which if you care about the writing process is really interesting.

>> Indianapolis

For the record, he gives Indianapolis four stars.