Tomereader, what I like in those authors is that they also do a psychological analysis of the characters, not just laying down facts and events.  It makes it more interesting and life-like.
Agatha Christie used to do that with her Miss Maple.

Tome, Maryz, SCFSue & bubble -
It's good to see you all posting here in Library Bookshelf, in the past couple of days! There are still lots of our old members who haven't checked in, in a long time.

Yesterday I mentioned JeanneP.  We haven't heard from you in a while?  Also missing for a couple of weeks, are . . . 
maryc - I hope both you and Al, are doing well.  Drop in and tell us how things are going in your life?
Callie - It's always good to hear from you, either here in the Library, or in the Television discussion.
MarsGal - I've been missing you as well. Return soon, and tell us what you've been reading.
FlaJean - You've posted in Television recently, but haven't seen you here in the Library in a long time.
phyllis - It's been a long time since we've heard from you?  Come back and say hello, and tell us about your life and the books you're enjoying?

I did read Hidden Figures.  Much of it took place in my hometown of Hampton, VA.  My brother-in-law worked about 40 or 45 years for NACA (later changed to NASA) during much of what went on during the book, but he seldom talked about his work (all secret stuff,I guess).  I remember well the signs of "Colored Only" at local stores.  I believe the movie might be more interesting than the book for most people.  I think that era really needs the visual depiction to show what it was like regarding race.

Also just finished Donna Leon's latest Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery Earthly Remains.  This is one of her best books in this series.  I read not long ago that she doesn't like her books sold in Italy where she has lived for around 30 years in Venice.  She is very forthright with her description of corruption in Italian politics, so I can understand why if that is true.  I have read all her books but my husband has only read one other and he also enjoyed the book.  She is such a good writer it is easy to follow the story without having followed the characters previously.

It is good to see a little activity here in the book shelves.     I regularly check in to see what is going on here but I use my Kindle  and  can't reply with the Kindle, for whatever reason!!!    Anyway by the time I  sit down at the computer to write what's on my mind, I've forgotten what it was.      Well anyway,  we are both doing ok.....count every good day as a bonus.    The gardening season is upon us and I've been busy between house and garden.    Even so I'm  currently reading Abide With Me by Elizabeth Strout.   I'm enjoying the story though it is a little sad.   I had Hidden Figures on my list but haven't gotten to it yet.   

Good morning Marilyne. I'm here. I just haven't had anything real interesting to post here lately. I think we are having the same problem over on SeniorLearn. Our posters have gradually been dwindling even as interest in our Latin classes continues unabated. Very few of those interested in the Latin classes ever make it over to the other discussions, even with encouragement. Sad.

I am reading more SciFi at the moment. There doesn't seem to be much interest in that genre in its many forms here, on SeniorLearn or at my local Library.

The most recent non SciFi book, Phantoms in the brain : probing the mysteries of the human mind by V.S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee, got taken back to the library after I read less than one chapter, just couldn't get into it right now. I'd like to find something a little more up to date.

I just love reading a good SF book, but  it is hard to find good recent ones. Somehow I enjoy more the old ones.
Have you read any by O. Butler? They do hope new avenues of thinking.

H. Harrison - West of Eden {I}, Winter in Eden {II}  and Return to Eden {III} are a favorite.  Totally different from the previous author of course.

Robert Sawyer is the most recent I read and enjoyed it a lot.  Unfortunately he is impossible to find locally. I have only read the trilogy Hominids. But the synopsis of his other books are, each one, very intriguing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_J._Sawyer

Aside from reading the "old timers", my current new and newish science fiction writers are Hugh Howey, Evan Currie, Marco Kloos, and Daniel H. Wilson.

Howey, who is best known for his Silo series, has written Sand (post apocalyptic, very interesting story of salvage efforts), Beacon 23 (set on a "lighthouse" near an asteroid belt is more about PTSD than space), and The Shell Collector (a romance set in a near future climate change environment).

Wilson's new book, The Clockwork Dynasty, will release in little less than a month. A bit different than his usual robotics/AI themes, this one is about human looking mechanical robots (think those wonderful mechanical singing birds, carts, and other novelties of earlier centuries). This book is sure to appeal to Alternative History, robotics, and Steampunk fans. For those interested in modern or near future robot/AI wars, Wilson's Robopocalype and Robogenesis are very good.

Andy Weir's new book, Artemis[/i], will have less science and more people interaction than The Martian. I am looking forward to what he does with it. The setting is the Moon, and the lead character is a smuggler.

Of course, I can never say enough good things about Jack Campbell and Jack McDevitt. Sad to see that McDevitt, who is 82, appears to be looking back rather than starting new projects. He updated his Hercules Text and wrote a follow on to his 1996 book Ancient Shores, called Thunderbird.

Oops! The time. Gotta run.

So good to see so many of our book lovers checking in!  Now, if we hear from Callie, phyllis, Sandy and JeanneP, I think that about covers the number of members who have posted in here in the past year.  We used to have a couple of men also, but Jerry dropped out of S&F a few years ago, and Kelly left about six months ago.

FlaJean - I noticed that Hidden Pictures is now playing for free, On Demand.  I've been trying to get AJ to watch it with me, but he's not interested. I think he considers it to be a "chick flick", just because all the principle characters are women.   Did Larry watch it with you? 

maryc - I'm glad both you and Al are doing okay, and I can certainly relate to your comment that you, "count every good day as a bonus".  Those are my feelings as well. 
I'm very interested in what you think of the new Elizabeth Strout novel, Abide With Me?  I liked Olive Kitteridge, and I was very impressed with the television movie, starring Frances McDormand and Richard Jenkins. 

bubble - My husband has read a couple of the  Harrison books, and liked them a lot. Now he's mostly reading the best sellers, like Patterson, Grisham, Lee Child, et al. Too me, they're all alike, so I rarely ever read them.  I'll send the Robert Sawyer link to him - I think he might be interested.

MarGal - I like the dystopian style of science fiction, and also time-travel - but I'm not fond of the Star Wars/robot/space style of SF.  I've read a few dystopian novels lately that I think you might like.  My favorite is, The Age of Miracles, by Karen Thompson Walker.  There is a new one out titled California, by Edan Lepuki, that sounds good.

I'm not a member of SeniorLearn, but I sometimes look in, to get ideas for interesting books to read.  I've noticed that messages have fallen off there, in Library, and in Fiction, and Movies.  In the past I've followed along with some of the Book Club Discussions, and have often read the selected book.

If I manage to get hold of Number our days, I hope to join that discussion in SeniorLearn. Library here don't have it

Marilyne, I had also noticed that the postings, both here and in Senior Learn, have been very slim.  Given that a good many of us are "of a certain age", it tends to be a bit worrisome when familiar names and faces don't show up for awhile.  Over the years I have been subscribing to S&F and SrLearn, we have lost so many members.  And it is always sad to me, even though I only knew them through on-line forums. 

Marilyne, I am not big on time-travel. I did however, run across a YouTube program where the narrator postulated that time is not dimensional but a process. He further argued that matter projects time forward and antimatter projects time backward. If that is the case, if we, in the far, far future, learn to use/control antimatter, can we at least "see" back in time if not actually go there?

If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.
- William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)

I imagine me in space in a future life. I also have no intention of going anywhere before I see boots on the ground on Mars.

A thought:

When I invented the web, I didn't have to ask anyone's permission. Now, hundreds of millions of people are using it freely. I am worried that that is going to end in the USA. ... Democracy depends on freedom of speech. Freedom of connection, with any application, to any party, is the fundamental social basis of the Internet, and, now, the society based on it. Let's see whether the United States is capable of acting according to its important values, or whether it is, as so many people are saying, run by the misguided short-term interest of large corporations. I hope that Congress can protect net neutrality, so I can continue to innovate in the internet space. I want to see the explosion of innovations happening out there on the Web, so diverse and so exciting, continue unabated. -Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web (b. 8 Jun 1955)

Bubble, nice to see that you read A Word A Day, too.   

I guess big business won again, not the customer, not small businesses that cannot afford the extra cost of buying faster internet services. We'll see.

Gotta run. Library day, today.

Thank you Bubble - Something to make us pause and think.  Good timing. 
I also get "A Word A Day".

I hope to get the book on the 16... Keep your fingers crossed for me

I just brought home from the library a new book on crocheted ornaments. I hope to use some of my scraps to do some of these quick projects. I like to use small ornaments for package toppers.

MarsGal - The Time Travelers Wife, was one TT book that I disliked, and never finished.  I know it was extremely popular, and I think it was even made into a movie?  I wanted to like it, but it just wasn't for me. 

I've finally gotten to the point where I don't feel personally obligated to finish a book if I'm not enjoying it, or unable to relate to any of the characters.  I used to hang in there, and plow through the book, like it or not.  I get most of my reading material from the local libraries, but occasionally I will buy books from Amazon or B&N.  My son and wife always give me a couple of books for Christmas, Mother's Day and my birthday.  So I do seem to have a steady stream of books to choose from.

Marilyne, I enjoyed reading the first four of Andre Norton's The Time Traders series). The last three were written much later and in collaboration with another writer. Those last three are still copyrighted; the ones I read are free on Project Gutenberg. LibraVox has an audiobook available, but I haven't listened to it. Norton updated Time Traders in 2000 to move the time period forward and updated some of the names of the competition and events, so the ones I read are the original edition. That is pretty much the extent of my adventures in time travel.

I'm enjoying reading The Accidental Tourist, again, after many years.  It's not my favorite Anne Tyler book, but it's very good, and was made into an excellent movie.  When I finish, I'll start a novel by Chris Cleave, titled Everyone Brave is Forgiven.  It was highly recommended on one of my favorite book sites - Off The Shelf. 

maryc - Let us know how you liked Abide With Me?  I'm on the waiting list at the library, but I fear it will be a long wait.  I'm looking forward to it, as I did really like Olive Kitteridge.   

Which reminds me: I was looking for things to watch or rewatch on HBO, and I see that Olive Kitteridge, is still available.  In fact all of the original HBO shows are there to see, starting with The Sopranos, and all the way up to Game of Thrones.  So those of you who have HBO, and missed some of the earlier programs, can still watch everything that has ever played on that channel.  The same applies to Showtime, and all the other premium channels. 

I've wanted to comment on the book, Abide With Me but have had trouble getting it right.    It was such a good story and the main character (the minister) was a great student of Dietrich  Bonhoeffer and so there were many quotes.     We had a Pastor years ago who also was apt to use many quotes from Bonhoeffer.     It felt a little like stepping back to that time for me.   Also since my parents were always close to the Pastor's family of whatever church we attended,  I felt a kindred spirit in looking at things  inside and out from the minister's family  .   There were so many good thoughts that against my usual idea of not buying fiction books,  I am tempted to own this one.

maryc - I'm embarrassed to admit, that I had never heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I'm interested in all things having to do with WWII, so I'm surprised that I don't remember ever coming across his name. I looked him up, and see that there are many books, articles and biographies about him.  I'm intrigued, and plan to read as much as possible about him before I get the book Abide With Me.

I'm a Presbyterian and Dietrich Bonhoeffer has been quoted in lots of Presby sermons! Evidently he was a much respected and gifted writer.

SCFSue

And there is an excellent Wikipedia article about Bonhoeffer, several movies and documentaries about him also.

I've read a number of interesting articles online about Bonhoeffer, and would like to know more.  I looked at one that lists his many quotes, which are certainly worthy of reading.  There are quite a few movies and documentaries about him, which might be available On Demand?? One was produced as recently as 2016.

Right now I am reading The Prefect by Alastair  Reynolds It is a scifi police procedural/detective story. It is strange, or more precisely, the environments and the "people" are often surreal. The story is set in a cluster called the Glitter Band. The Prefect and his co-workers are tasked with policing the area. They use forensic techniques and good old fashioned detective legwork to solve the crime(s). Included in the doings are sabotage, mass murder, and the complete destruction of habitats.

I am also in the middle of Outsystem by M. D. Cooper which has its own version of bizarre in places. This is also primarily an investigative story centered around incidents which are meant to slow down or stop a colony ship from being completed. The main character is a security officer who was hired to stop the perpetrators. The incidents include an attempt to blow up the ship, viral attacks on ships AI, cargo being stolen or destroyed, and attempted kidnapping or assassination.

Both books are okay enough to keep reading.

After those, I have Elizabeth Moon's The Speed of Dark https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/elizabeth-moon/the-speed-of-dark/ which is about an autistic man who has a chance to try a new experimental treatment to cure him of his condition. The other is Lightless, the first of a trilogy, by C. A. Higgins to read. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/c-higgins/lightless/ Kirkus calls it psychodrama; Amazon lists is as space opera, or mystery.

MarsGal - Of all the books you're reading, I would most likely choose, The Speed of Dark.  That one sounds like a story that I could relate to, because I have an adult autistic granddaughter.  She is high functioning, but still is obviously very different, and has a difficult time talking and responding to people.  She's twenty five years old now, and I worry a lot about what her life will be like as the years go by.

Marilyne, I just started Speed of Dark last night. Moon won a Nebula Award for Best Novel in 2003 for the book. I read somewhere that her son is Autistic. She wrote an essay about autism in 2003. http://www.elizabethmoon.com/autism-general.html

I have a nephew that was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome when he was 17 or so. Up until then he had been diagnosed as ADHD even though he had definite motor skill problems. He was given special permission to use a computer rather than pencil and paper after several years of attempts at school to get him to write. Almost all the teachers refused to have him the classroom if he forgot to take his Ritalin.

While my sister has always expressed that she thought the state was very helpful with her son, I have always had my doubts. The misdiagnosis was not discovered until he was almost out of high school, I think, cost him a lot. Early diagnosis and training is important. He held a few jobs for awhile, but because of a business closing, one moving out of state, and another at Cornell University (his favorite) losing grant funding, and several temp only jobs, he was never able to establish a solid work relationship. Now in his mid-40s he is living in a halfway house with a helper to check on him, he is way overweight, has a fatty liver and high blood. Sad. When he was little he loved to draw pictures and make little books, oh, and he loved to push buttons on things. He seems quite knowledgeable on a number of topics, is a talker, and likes to wax philosophical on lots of things. I can't help but think that he could have been a writer or researcher (his job at Cornell involved cataloging bird specimens) if not for misdiagnosis and economic circumstances.

MarsGal - I read the essay by Elizabeth Moon, about her son's autism  She gave an excellent description of an artistic child. Her son sounds pretty typical.  All symptoms and actions are not the same in all autistic children - there is a wide range from severely affected (non verbal) to very high functioning savant. (like in the movie Rain Man).
Always new discoveries and so many theories out there, that it's hard to keep up.
 
I don't think we have any fathers, who post in this discussion, but just in case any men are  looking in, I want to wish all of you a wonderful Father's Day!   

We'll have a quiet Father's Day.  Our son and dil, always have us over for dinner, but this weekend they're in Oregon, for the graduation of their son, Jake . . . our youngest grandson. Our oldest daughter lives about 150 miles away, so she won't be coming today either.  That leaves Sandy, the youngest, who will come tonight and go out for dinner with us.  She's had a rough week this week, and is not doing too well.  She got laid-off, from her job on Friday, and is taking it really hard.  It was a job that she loved, and the termination came without warning.  My heart aches for her, as she is all alone, and the job meant a lot to her.  Not just for the steady paycheck, but also for the self esteem.
Today I'm reminded of a quote from author Anne Tyler, from the book, A Spool of Blue Thread:  "A mother is only ever as happy, as her unhappiest child".

Marilyne, I am so sorry to hear your daughter has to go through a lay off. It wasn't fun for me either.

I've been seeing lots of reports of retail closings affecting a number of stores (or the possibility of) around here. Many of the retailers have finally accepted the fact that more and more people are doing their shopping online and are readjusting. What gets me is Sears. They seem to have started the whole mail-order catalog thing, so why they have been slow to close stores and go to mainly an online market I don't know. But then there is Amazon, which is going in the opposite direction by adding storefronts. They just announced they are buying Whole Foods.

There are certain things I buy that I refuse to buy online, though, like furniture, large appliances, clothing, and shoes. I was forced to buy a hanging light online because Home Depot didn't carry it except for online. There are just some things I need to see and try on before I buy.