Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (1990) is a World Fantasy Award nominate novel written in collaboration between the English authors Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
It is the coming of the End Times: the Apocalypse is near, and Final Judgement will soon descend upon the human species. This comes as a bit of bad news to the angel Aziraphale (who was the guardian of the Eastern Gate of Eden) and the demon Crowley (who, when he was originally named Crawly, was the serpent who tempted Eve to eat the apple), respectively the representatives of Heaven and Hell on Earth, as they have become used to living their cozy, comfortable lives and have, in a perverse way, taken a liking to humanity. As such, since they are good friends (despite ostensibly representing the polar opposites of Good and Evil), they decide to work together and keep an eye on the Antichrist, destined to be the son of a prominent American diplomat stationed in Britain, and thus ensure he grows up in a way that means he can never decide between Good and Evil, thereby postponing the end of the world.
Unfortunately, Warlock, the child everyone thinks is the Anti-Christ is, in fact, a perfectly normal eleven-year-old boy. Due to mishandling of several infants in the hospital, the real Anti-Christ is Adam Young, a charismatic and slightly otherworldly eleven-year-old who, despite being the harbinger of the Apocalypse, has lived a perfectly normal life as the son of typical English parents and as a result has no idea of his true powers. As Adam blissfully and naively uses his powers, creating around him the world of Just William (because he thinks that is what an English child's life should be like), the race is on to find him. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse assemble and the incredibly accurate (yet so highly specific as to be useless) prophecies of Agnes Nutter, 17th-century prophetess, are rapidly coming true.
Agnes Nutter was a witch in the 17th century and the only truly accurate prophet to have ever lived. She wrote a book called The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, a collection of prophecies that did not sell very well because they were unspectacular, cryptic and, ironically enough, all true. She, in fact, decided to publish it only so that she could receive a free author's copy. There is only one copy of the book left, which belongs to her descendant Anathema Device. Agnes was burned at the stake by a mob (because that is what mobs did at that time); however, because she had foreseen her fiery end ("Ye're tardy; I should have been aflame ten minutes since") and had packed 80 pounds of gunpowder and 40 pounds of roofing nails into her petticoats, everyone who participated in the burning was killed instantly.
Anathema teams up with Newton Pulsifer, the descendant of the man who initiated the burning of Agnes, to use the prophecies and find the Antichrist. Unfortunately, that is exactly what everyone else is trying to do, and time is running out.

I started on Science Fiction when I was about 7 or 8, got hooked &, while I may wander over to other genres occasionally, am still 'stuck with it.

A bit like the addiction to Seti@Home :-)

Other than Terry Pratchet, Heinlein, Asimov and Clark, some of my favourites are the Hospital Station, and the Unorthodox Engineers collections of stories, I still find them very engaging and re-readable.

I do remember a story from just after I got hooked, in a book I borrowed from the Public Library, and cannot recall the author, or title, It was about space travel, and referred to "Koenig Drive" as the propulsion system. Unfortunately, I cannot remember anything more, but I recollect that I enjoyed it... Neven been able to track it down! (May be because I've misremembered this info as well)

Any ideas anyone?

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Happy Crunching,

Graham

I started on Science Fiction when I was about 7 or 8, got hooked &, while I may wander over to other genres occasionally, am still 'stuck with it.

A bit like the addiction to Seti@Home :-)

Other than Terry Pratchet, Heinlein, Asimov and Clark, some of my favourites are the Hospital Station, and the Unorthodox Engineers collections of stories, I still find them very engaging and re-readable.

I do remember a story from just after I got hooked, in a book I borrowed from the Public Library, and cannot recall the author, or title, It was about space travel, and referred to "Koenig Drive" as the propulsion system. Unfortunately, I cannot remember anything more, but I recollect that I enjoyed it... Neven been able to track it down! (May be because I've misremembered this info as well)

Any ideas anyone?

Possibly Rocket to Limbo 1959

I recently found a first edition of Pearl S. Buck's Peony for an absolute steal in a used book store. Don't judge the story outside of the time it was written, but it is quite the little page turner.

My mother was a serious Pearl S. Buck fan. I think I still have some of her Buck books in boxes in the basement, along with the poetry books my mother collected.
Taken in strictly modern terms, some of Buck's work seems incredibly racist. But in context, she was one of the first popular western authors to portray Asians as "normal people".

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And a first addition also? Seems like the someone let that slips through the cracks. I take it wasnt signed though?

Not signed... that would have been awesome. It was in reasonable condition, given its age. I did point out to the store clerk (possibly the owner???) that it was a first edition and that perhaps it needed to be repriced before I purchased it. The clerk said I could have it as priced, and to please visit the store again. I certainly will, the next time I am in the lovely, slightly touristy town of Bayfield Wisconsin.

Taken in strictly modern terms, some of Buck's work seems incredibly racist.

Yes. Agreed. And that is exactly why I started with the disclaimer "Don't judge the story outside of the time it was written,..."

It is the bigger themes in Peony that hold up over time - the importance of group identity; the inevitability of cultural assimilation; the interesting interplay between economics and social norms...

Possibly Rocket to Limbo 1959

That is the answer I come up with also. It is better than coming up with "Walter" as a match. LOL.

Yep me too:
https://www.sff.net/people/richard.horton/aced37.htm

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I was a preteen by a few years when I read a Sci-Fi book my Grandmother had in her library.She dint have much over a half dozen. And I cant remeber which I read first. It was either The Prodigal Sun by Phillip E. High or the Time Traders by Andre Norton.
I was hooked regardless of who I read first. And my grandmoms brother in law once he found I liked sci-fi would everynow and then send me some of his old Galaxy,Amazing science fiction,and Fantasy and sci-fi books.
Im glad I kept them all.

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[/quote]

Old James

OK, thanks Sirius B and Leyland. That might well be it as I can remember reading some A E Nourse books about then. Many thanks, I'll try to find it.

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Happy Crunching,

Graham

I've just started a three volume set by Richard Evans:
Coming of the 3rd Reich
The 3rd Reich in Power
The 3rd Reich at War

Before that I read my first book about the civil war.

These terrible things that happened somehow fascinate me.

--edit--
PS. read "the martian" that's my kind of sci-fi book I like. Somewhat realistic.
I never was much for sci-fi generally. Weird?

Any more books people want to share?

I'm actually reading the Outlander series that someone on seti recommended a long time ago and they made into a good tv series.

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Reality Internet Personality

It's a while since i've actually read a book, but since discovering Audible i've listened to a lot more.

Just finished Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, narrated by Scott Brick, that was good.
Before that i had Terra and Terra's World by Mitch Benn, whom in retrospect i think may have been at least slightly influenced by Asimov.

Also listened to Bond On Bond, written and read by Roger Moore. I enjoyed that one, not least for his narration. You don't feel as though you're listening to a book, it's more like him sitting by the fire in a wingback chair, sipping brandy and recalling past glories to a favourite grandson.

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

thanks Ess. I love to watch American electoral politics.
Right now I am reading Double Down. Wow, who knew.
edit,
I did Game Change, before the last election and found
that it helped me understand better what was going on.

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"The Woman who would be King" (Hatshepsut, 1472-1458 BCE), Kara Cooney.

There is just something about a book that feels right....

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There is just something about a book that feels right....

I agree..however I am such a prolific reader that I absolutely love my kobo ereader. It is a slice of heaven for me to be able to carry an entire library around in my bag.

I read at least a book a week and sometimes several at once. I don't have room to keep them in the house if I buy them and although our local library is actually very good its hard work endlessly schlepping back and forth.

So I am currently reading the 3rd book in the Outlander series. I just finished the final book in the Thomas Covenent series by Stephen Donaldson, The Last Dark. I also started to read Robogenesis (the sequel to Robopocalpyse) by Daniel H. Wilson, Snuff, by Terry Pratchett and an interesting looking book translated from Russian set in the future called Metro 2033. I'll finish all of these in the next couple of weeks I am sure.

Other books I have read in the last couple of months are:
The Girl With All the Gifts, M.R. Carey. A cross between the walking dead and day of the Triffids. It felt like good old fashioned British Sci-Fi.
The Shell Collector, Hugh Howney. An easy read. I liked his Dust series so I read this too. Set in a climate change affected future.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie. Actually a teen book about a young man growing up on an Indian Reserve. Really good book.
The Long Mars, Terry Pratcheet and Stephen Baxter. The 3rd book in the Long Earth series about parallel Earths.

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Reality Internet Personality

I finished Caesar's adventures in Gaul three months ago
then got too busy to start another book. Wow, just think
of a whole country talking like they did.


Commentarii de Bello Gallico english translation by W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn (1869.)

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Cookietaster and Granimal have gone the e book way, Mom is still reading the proper way.
Either way, reading is still in, this house.

Most of you have posted Books I have read or are in a box to be read.
WOOHOO
I do have a Games of Thorns book open, but I am coming up on a very bad part.

Think Balls and other nasty stuff.

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Pluto will always be a planet to me.

Seti Ambassador
Not to late to order an Anni Shirt

I'm patiently waiting for my Rosicrucian Beacon that was promised in November.

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rOZZ
Music
Pictures

I've read all the books, some a long time ago, but out of sequence, so now just started Downbelow Station, in the Alliance-Union universe by C J Cherryh, and going to read all in sequence.