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Chip R
07-21-2010, 07:07 PM
Continued discussion from previous thread.

Right now I'm reading Baja Oklahoma by Dan Jenkins, One Very Hot Day by David Halberstam and Epic Rivalry: The Inside Story of the Soviet and American Space Race by Von Hardesty

UKFlounder
07-22-2010, 08:54 AM
General Lee's Army: From Victory to Collapse by Joseph Glatthaar

I've just started it in the last week or so and it's really good so far. I can tell he did a LOT of research, including on the demographics of those who jointed this army early on, even before Lee took charge of it. I really look forward to the rest of it. I have some time off work today & tomorrow & hope to spend a lot of time reading this. It is very readable and enjoyable

LoganBuck
07-22-2010, 02:54 PM
I have been wanting to get "The Passage", by Justin Cronin, the new weird zombie vampire book, that is supposed to be part of a trilogy that is also being made into a movie. It appears to be something that Stephen King really digs. Has anybody read this?

Redsfaithful
07-23-2010, 03:34 PM
I actually just finished it LoganBuck. I thought it was good for the most part. I wouldn't say it's anything groundbreaking or new for the genre but it's well executed and I finished it in just a couple of days because I was pretty hooked.

It's tough to pass full judgment also, since it's a trilogy, there are a couple of small criticisms I could make but it's possible they'll be fixed or answered in future volumes.

I think the movie is probably going to be a huge success.

LoganBuck
07-23-2010, 09:32 PM
Cool, thanks!

Strikes Out Looking
08-02-2010, 06:10 PM
I just finished James Hirsch's biography of Willie Mays. Very good baseball read.

I'm reading the Blind Side now; even better than the movie (which I really enjoyed).

redhawkfish
08-02-2010, 09:08 PM
I loved "The Blind Side." I have just started John Feinstein's "Living on the Black."

Roy Tucker
08-03-2010, 07:56 AM
Continued discussion from previous thread.

Right now I'm reading Baja Oklahoma by Dan Jenkins...

Loved Dan Jenkins' stuff. Jeez, I read this back in the early '80's. This is Juanita Hutchins, right? I always wished I could be as witty as these books.

Also recommend "Semi-Tough" and "Life Its Ownself".

Chip R
08-03-2010, 09:16 AM
Loved Dan Jenkins' stuff. Jeez, I read this back in the early '80's. This is Juanita Hutchins, right? I always wished I could be as witty as these books.

Yeah. He's really funny. I didn't enjoy this as much as I liked some of his other stuff.


Also recommend "Semi-Tough" and "Life Its Ownself".

I don't think I've read those yet. I've read Dead Solid Perfect; You Call It Sports, But I Say It's a Jungle Out There and Fast Copy.

RichRed
08-03-2010, 10:04 AM
I don't think I've read those yet. I've read Dead Solid Perfect; You Call It Sports, But I Say It's a Jungle Out There and Fast Copy.

You Gotta Play Hurt is another pretty good one by Jenkins.

pedro
08-03-2010, 11:47 AM
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts
by Julian Rubinstein

About a quarter of the way through. Like it a lot so far.

IslandRed
08-03-2010, 03:39 PM
I've been kind of stressed with work lately, so I've just relaxed the last couple of nights with Zits and Get Fuzzy comic-strip collections.


You Gotta Play Hurt is another pretty good one by Jenkins.

That one is absolutely hilarious.

Strikes Out Looking
08-04-2010, 05:38 PM
I don't think I've read those yet. I've read Dead Solid Perfect; You Call It Sports, But I Say It's a Jungle Out There and Fast Copy.

About 1978, I think all the boys at Harding Jr. High School in Hamilton, even those who weren't regular readers, read that book. I still vividly remember the scene in the TV truck.

vaticanplum
08-04-2010, 09:10 PM
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts
by Julian Rubinstein

About a quarter of the way through. Like it a lot so far.

WHAT is that about?? I'm intrigued.

I am reading Lost Souls by Nikolai Gogol. It's very funny at times, but I wouldn't exactly call it a barnburner of a book.

Jack Burton
08-05-2010, 05:18 PM
Started "Cat's Cradle" last night. That's why I love Vonnegut, it just flows.

BillDoran
08-06-2010, 10:43 AM
I finished Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian". All told, I can't say I was overly impressed. He's obviously an incredibly gifted writer, but dystopia and gore have their limits. I'd be interested in hearing recommendations on another McCarthy book, perhaps something in a more modern setting (and neither of the novels adapted to film).

I'm about 25 pages into Maugham's "The Razor's Edge". I read a profile of Maugham a while back and found myself immediately intrigued. When I get the time, I'm really excited to read "Of Human Bondage".

Jack Burton
08-26-2010, 12:16 PM
Just stopped reading "Atlas Shrugged", tortured myself for 3 weeks trying to plow through that dreck. Wow, it has to be the worst book I've ever had the displeasure of opening. Beginner prose. Complete garbage. I did minimal research online and saw it was the favorite book of quite a lot of individuals. Poor fools. It was flat pathetic.

BillDoran
08-26-2010, 12:28 PM
Ulysses by James Joyce


Wow, it has to be the worst book I've ever had the displeasure of opening.


I'm about a third of the way through Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. So far, excellent book by a talented writer.

reds1869
08-26-2010, 12:43 PM
Started "Cat's Cradle" last night. That's why I love Vonnegut, it just flows.

You're gonna love it. I think it is Vonnegut's deepest book but is also very funny.

RichRed
08-26-2010, 01:06 PM
"Band of Brothers" by Stephen Ambrose. Top notch.

Jack Burton
08-26-2010, 01:10 PM
You're gonna love it. I think it is Vonnegut's deepest book but is also very funny.
Indeed, definitely a great, quick read. Midgets, atom bombs, religion, apocalyptic situations.... classic Vonnegut. It's quite a transition going from writing of that quality to "atlas shrugged".

KittyDuran
08-26-2010, 01:14 PM
I'm now reading some fiction... starting off with Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. Pretty entertaining but I got a head start by looking at some of the clips from the BBC special shown a couple months ago on youtube.
Finished reading that... I'm now on the next book by Pratchett... "Making Money". I'm a third of the way through and I'm already debating whether to start all the way at the beginning of the series (Discworld) next...

Roy Tucker
08-26-2010, 01:31 PM
Just finished "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest". Not quite as good as the first 2 (IMHO) but still great fun to read. Highly recommend the Lisbeth Salander series.

Started "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver. Excellent so far.

But then I made the mistake of accompanying the spousal unit to the library and picked up the latest Dale Brown book (Executive Intent) and Dan Brown book (The Lost Symbol). Mindless summer reads but sometimes I need that over serious reading. I'll probably polish them off in a fw days and get back to the Kingsolver book.

The Reds playing on the west coast cuts into my reading time.

pedro
08-26-2010, 01:35 PM
Anthony Bourdain - Medium Raw

I like it.

Jerry
08-26-2010, 05:06 PM
Truman by David McCullough

MississippiRed
08-26-2010, 11:13 PM
At the risk of sounding like a doting parent (which I absolutely am), I recommend my daughter's blog about her first year in medical school. This is the 9th day, I believe, and she's already had a big test and today she got her cadaver. (She is at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine.)

If you've ever wondered what med school is like, give it a try. Or if you know someone who is interested in med school, please share.

She's only made a couple of entries so far, but she's a good writer.
Two Bugs and a Locust (http://erinnewman.blogspot.com/)

Aedan05
08-27-2010, 04:12 AM
em reading this thread !!!
\
http://www.redszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83827

VR
08-27-2010, 11:40 PM
Just finished Pillars of the Earth. Picked it up thinking I would never have time...finished it in 3 days.

Captain13
09-09-2010, 12:09 PM
I just finished "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and must say...I didn't get it.
Also just finished "Under the Dome" by Stephen King. It has it's moments, but it isn't his best work.

marcshoe
09-09-2010, 01:26 PM
I've owned Pillars of the Earth for about six years but haven't started reading it yet.

This is strange to say, but Under the Dome, coming in at apx. 424,515 pages, needed to be longer. Stephen King seemed to give up on bringing the thing to a logical conclusion and just burned it all down.

As to not getting The Hitchhiker's Guide, you clearly need to find a deserted island and maroon yourself with the first three books and the original radio shows and not leave the island until you finally get it. Until you do, your life will be nothing but an answer with no question, a mediocre Vogon sonnet, a postcard of a cathedral that has been made to have never existed, a ride through the space-time continuum on Eddie's couch. :(

pedro
09-09-2010, 01:36 PM
Just finished Pillars of the Earth. Picked it up thinking I would never have time...finished it in 3 days.

My dad (who really isn't a big reader) was just talking about this book yesterday. He said he really liked it.

westofyou
09-09-2010, 01:41 PM
My dad (who really isn't a big reader) was just talking about this book yesterday. He said he really liked it.

Knock me down with a feather

pedro
09-09-2010, 02:05 PM
Knock me down with a feather

you and me both. the more i think about it he and mom probably listened to it in the car on an audio book.

TRF
09-09-2010, 02:32 PM
I just finished the entire Dresden files series. I read each book in about 2 days. just loved it.

I plan to re-read Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality as I just found out he wrote an 8th book.

gonelong
09-09-2010, 04:52 PM
Lords of the Realm - captivating.

Captain13
09-13-2010, 03:43 PM
Just started I, Alex Cross.

OldRightHander
09-13-2010, 05:43 PM
If I can mention this here without some sort of violation.

Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions, by Greg Koukl.

For those who share my convictions, a very good read. For anyone else, not so much.

Sweetstop
09-13-2010, 06:16 PM
embarrassed to say i haven't already, but finally read elie wiesel's night the other night.

savafan
09-13-2010, 07:14 PM
I realized that I was in need of some... well, something.

So, I started reading The Path To Love by Deepak Chopra last night. I think I'll read a chapter a night and hope it somehow affects my life positively.

http://www.amazon.com/Path-Love-Renewing-Power-Spirit/dp/0517706229

Roy Tucker
09-15-2010, 12:12 PM
Reading "Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War" by Karl Marlantes.

Excellent Vietnam war book. I highly recommend it.

OldRightHander
09-15-2010, 02:03 PM
embarrassed to say i haven't already, but finally read elie wiesel's night the other night.

I read that about 25 years ago. A quick read, but disturbing.

cinredsfan2000
09-16-2010, 08:14 PM
This is strange to say, but Under the Dome, coming in at apx. 424,515 pages, needed to be longer. Stephen King seemed to give up on bringing the thing to a logical conclusion and just burned it all down.

Sort of like the gunslinger series also:beerme:

Roy Tucker
09-17-2010, 01:07 PM
Sort of like the gunslinger series also:beerme:

Oh jeez. I slogged my way through all 80 gazillion pages of that series (enjoyably so) wondering how in the world he was going to wrap up the story.

And when I read the last few pages of the last book, I threw the book against the wall and yelled "aaahhhhh!!! nooooooooooo!!!! he can't do that!!!!".

I muttered to myself for days.

pedro
09-17-2010, 01:13 PM
T.C. Boyle - A friend of the earth

BillDoran
09-17-2010, 03:39 PM
T.C. Boyle - A friend of the earth

I love T.C. Boyle's short stories, perhaps the best short fiction writer we have today, IMO.

I'm going to the library to pick up Franzen's Freedom. I'm pretty excited as I was a big fan of The Corrections.

Sweetstop
09-17-2010, 05:08 PM
i see that oprah just made freedom her book club pic, and mr. franzen will be coming on her show.

Roy Tucker
09-23-2010, 12:39 PM
Reading "Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War" by Karl Marlantes.

Excellent Vietnam war book. I highly recommend it.

Not to bludgeon this thread about this book, but I stayed up till 4 am finishing it last night. I cannot praise it high enough and I expect to see it on a lot of Top 10 books of 2010. From the NYT review:



Reading his account of the bloody folly surrounding the Matterhorn outpost, you get the feeling Marlantes is not overly worried about the attention span of his readers; you get the feeling he was not desperate or impatient to be published. Rather, he seems like a man whose life was radically altered by war, and who now wants to pass along the favor. And with a desperate fury, he does. Chapter after chapter, battle after battle, Marlantes pushes you through what may be one of the most profound and devastating novels ever to come out of Vietnam — or any war. It’s not a book so much as a deployment, and you will not return unaltered.

medford
09-23-2010, 02:04 PM
Just finished Pillars of the Earth. Picked it up thinking I would never have time...finished it in 3 days.

One of my favorites, enjoyed the series as well that was just on starz. You have to figure its good when both Oprah and Pres Bush credit it as one of their favorite fiction books ever. I've heard the sequal is pretty bad though, so beware should you decide to read that as well.

Recently read 3 day road, which was about canadian-indian snipers in WW1, very good, easy read.

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm struggling thru Infinet Jest right now. Been reading it for over a year off & on. It got a lot of praise, a long forward by David Eggers who's semi-true memoir I foud really good (A heart breaking work of staggering genius) for its 10th anniversary, but I just can't get into it for the life of me. Its starting to pick up a bit now that I'm on page 640. However with paragraphs that stretch on for 3-4 or more pages at times, its not an easy read for a fiction book. perhaps I just don't 'get it', but I've committed to finishing it at some point even if I'm not really enjoying. About 300 pages to go, which I guess I could put away soon enough if I really committed to it.

BillDoran
09-23-2010, 02:36 PM
As I mentioned in another thread, I'm struggling thru Infinet Jest right now. Been reading it for over a year off & on. It got a lot of praise, a long forward by David Eggers who's semi-true memoir I foud really good (A heart breaking work of staggering genius) for its 10th anniversary, but I just can't get into it for the life of me. Its starting to pick up a bit now that I'm on page 640. However with paragraphs that stretch on for 3-4 or more pages at times, its not an easy read for a fiction book. perhaps I just don't 'get it', but I've committed to finishing it at some point even if I'm not really enjoying. About 300 pages to go, which I guess I could put away soon enough if I really committed to it.

I can totally relate. I did manage to get through it, but more than anything I was motivated to finish the book and place it on my totem pole.

Obviously, DFW was an incredibly gifted and cerebral writer, but Infinite Jest, to me, is just him showing off. Yes, David we know you're prolific and you have a thing for footnotes. I suppose to truly enjoy the work, you better find appreciation in his voice, because the plot is methodical and restrained. I won't ruin the book for you, but if you're expecting fireworks in the denouement, I'd temper my enthusiasm.

For my money, his essays are the real ammunition of his canon.

Hillsdale87
09-23-2010, 02:55 PM
Just stopped reading "Atlas Shrugged", tortured myself for 3 weeks trying to plow through that dreck. Wow, it has to be the worst book I've ever had the displeasure of opening. Beginner prose. Complete garbage. I did minimal research online and saw it was the favorite book of quite a lot of individuals. Poor fools. It was flat pathetic.

I haven't read Atlas Shrugged, but I did read "The Fountainhead" and enjoyed that quite a bit. While I don't subscribe to Rand's objectivist views, I found the book quite interesting. I was planning to start "Atlas Shrugged" soon. Right now I am reading the Brothers K. I just started a couple days ago, but I have pretty high hopes for it.

marcshoe
09-23-2010, 03:05 PM
I haven't read Atlas Shrugged, but I did read "The Fountainhead" and enjoyed that quite a bit. While I don't subscribe to Rand's objectivist views, I found the book quite interesting. I was planning to start "Atlas Shrugged" soon. Right now I am reading the Brothers K. I just started a couple days ago, but I have pretty high hopes for it.

You hit on something for me. I've had tons of people I respect recommend Rand, but everything I've read about Objectivism turns me off. Sooner or later, though, I'll read her.

Still reading too many books at once. I've been reading "The Hemings of Monticello" forever, and, as compelling as it is, I keep putting it down for weeks at a time. There's a lot to absorb. I feel as if I understand more about the situation slaves, even relatively well-treated ones, found themselves in than I have before. The book highlights the Hemings family's human dignity.

Also, I'm reading Leonard Sweet's AquaChurch 2.0. At first I thought it was going to be a long, labored sea metaphor, but having gotten into it, I find it moving and relevant. For those who read Christian non-fiction, I'd highly recommend this as well as "So Beautiful". It doesn't hurt that Sweet has West Virginia roots. I won't say any more as to not get into forbidden territory.

code
09-24-2010, 03:50 PM
I just started "The Winners Manual: For the Game of Life " by Jim Tressel. So far, so good!

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZxYzfUlML._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

Todd Gack
11-08-2010, 04:42 PM
You hit on something for me. I've had tons of people I respect recommend Rand, but everything I've read about Objectivism turns me off. Sooner or later, though, I'll read her.

Still reading too many books at once. I've been reading "The Hemings of Monticello" forever, and, as compelling as it is, I keep putting it down for weeks at a time. There's a lot to absorb. I feel as if I understand more about the situation slaves, even relatively well-treated ones, found themselves in than I have before. The book highlights the Hemings family's human dignity.

Also, I'm reading Leonard Sweet's AquaChurch 2.0. At first I thought it was going to be a long, labored sea metaphor, but having gotten into it, I find it moving and relevant. For those who read Christian non-fiction, I'd highly recommend this as well as "So Beautiful". It doesn't hurt that Sweet has West Virginia roots. I won't say any more as to not get into forbidden territory.

Rand's books are certainly a different breed. I'm of the same line of thinking with Rand and although I don't agree with her on every subject, I loved her books. And even though I loved her books, I had to plug through Atlas Shrugged. I bought The Fountainhead and plan on reading it sometime this winter and I imagine I'll somehow plug through that book too.

As for right now, I'm reading The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. At first, this book was tough to read. It's a deep book, but it's picking up quite fast and I'll occassionally read chapter summaries off the internet to better understand it, but it's been considered one of the best books of the 20th century. I wanted to read more classics and some of the best acclaimed books and I just randomly picked it. It's a pretty neat book on religious satire and atheist culture of pre-WW2 Russia. I think if you're a political or religious junkie, you'd enjoy this. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who enjoys the lighter reads because it isn't easy.

Todd Gack
11-08-2010, 04:46 PM
BTW, I pre-ordered Mark Twain's autobiography. He wrote his memoirs shortly before he died and in his will, he stated he didn't want them published until 100 years after he died and the 1st volume is being released next Monday.

If you know anything about Clemens, you know he was quite an intruiging person and I think his autobiography would be a wonderful read for those who love auto-biographies.

edabbs44
12-01-2010, 08:59 AM
I've been on another financial book spree lately. In the past month I have read the following:

The Monster: How a Gang of Predatory Lenders and Wall Street Bankers Fleeced America--and Spawned a Global Crisis

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Predatory-Lenders-Bankers-America/dp/0805090460

Very cool book. Recommended as it is different than all the Wall Street ones out there, most of the focus is on the mortgage sales side.


Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System--and Themselves

http://www.amazon.com/Too-Big-Fail-Washington-FinancialSystem--/dp/0143118242/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291211833&sr=1-1

Finally got around to reading this one. Good overall view of the crisis from 2 years ago.


Crash of the Titans: Greed, Hubris, the Fall of Merrill Lynch, and the Near-Collapse of Bank of America

http://www.amazon.com/Crash-Titans-Merrill-Near-Collapse-America/dp/0307717860/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291211859&sr=1-1-spell

Liked this one as well, probably because I hadn't read a lot on the ML and BofA marriage previously.

Roy Tucker
12-01-2010, 09:30 AM
This is strange to say, but Under the Dome, coming in at apx. 424,515 pages, needed to be longer. Stephen King seemed to give up on bringing the thing to a logical conclusion and just burned it all down.


Just finished this book and I agree. Loved the first 900+ pages. King is great at painting a picture of a cast of characters and pulls off the improbable concept of a dome getting lowered over a town and the ensuing social and political problems with an unhealthy dose of weirdness and the ultimate mayhem.

But the resolution of it all, I was disappointed. It was all fuzzy brained and disjointed and basically... dumb. Like his publisher said "you have to finish this book *today*". I said "bah".

pedro
12-01-2010, 10:00 AM
Keith Richards - Life

I'm about a third of the way through. Fantastic so far.

RichRed
12-01-2010, 12:51 PM
But the resolution of it all, I was disappointed. It was all fuzzy brained and disjointed and basically... dumb. Like his publisher said "you have to finish this book *today*". I said "bah".

Don't most of King's books end that way?

SunDeck
12-01-2010, 02:38 PM
Founding Fathers Reconsidered

http://www.mountvernon.org/images/store/FoundingFathersBkPrizeFinalistMd.jpg

RollyInRaleigh
12-01-2010, 03:06 PM
"The Glass Castle," and "Half Broke Horses," by Jeannette Walls. Also read, "The Help," about a month ago.

TRF
12-01-2010, 04:20 PM
I just bought all 8 books of Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortailty. I've read the first 7 and didn't know there was an 8th until a few months ago, so I am re-reading it from the beginning. It's a fun read.

muddie
12-01-2010, 04:51 PM
A History of Modern Germany: The Reformation by Hajo Holborn

westofyou
12-01-2010, 05:15 PM
ADD Reading list

Breaking the Slump: Baseball in the Depression Era - Charles C. Alexander

The Longest Season - Jim Brosnan

Bums - Peter Golenbeck

U.S. History Uncensored: What Your High School Textbook Didn't Tell You - Carolyn L Baker

RichRed
12-01-2010, 06:15 PM
The Longest Season - Jim Brosnan



Do you mean "The Long Season?" Got me all worked up thinking Brosnan wrote a sequel I didn't know about (besides "Pennant Race," I mean).

Stephenk29
12-01-2010, 10:52 PM
I Am Legend

westofyou
12-02-2010, 01:18 PM
Do you mean "The Long Season?" Got me all worked up thinking Brosnan wrote a sequel I didn't know about (besides "Pennant Race," I mean).

Correct, "Long" found a pristine 1st edition paperback at Powells for 5 bucks 2 weeks ago.... I swear it's been in a box for the last 50 years.

Roy Tucker
12-02-2010, 01:29 PM
Keith Richards - Life

I'm about a third of the way through. Fantastic so far.

I bought this for my radical rock n' roll daughter for Xmas.

But I'm going to read it before her while trying to keep it looking new.

cumberlandreds
12-02-2010, 01:41 PM
I just finished Game Six. Very good read. In some ways I thought it was better than The Machine. I liked the way Frost gave the background of each player as they entered the game. You learned much about each player that participated in that game. Which was nearly everyone on both rosters. I was a little leary because I thought this book would be a Red Sox lovefest with much pining over what could have been. It really wasn't like that at all. He gave good balanced look at the game and all the aftermath of the Series. All Reds fans should read this book.

Raisor
12-03-2010, 08:34 PM
Re-reading Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin series.

Roy Tucker
12-08-2010, 08:59 AM
"A Dog's Purpose" by W. Bruce Cameron. Roy give it 5 stars. I just idly pulled it off the library shelf but discovered it was a real gem.

A great dog person book but also highly recommended for anyone else. Turns out dogs get reincarnated and this dog gets reincarnated several times. Many touching life stories ensue about dogs and people, both tragic and happy.

I looked it up on Amazon and 240 of the 263 reviews gives it 5 stars. Pretty remarkable.

Captain13
12-08-2010, 09:09 AM
Born Standing Up by Steve Martin. Light, funny insightful and easy to read. Highly recommended if you are looking for something that fits the above description.

15fan
12-08-2010, 10:01 AM
Recent reads:

Willie Mays, The Life, The Legend by James Hirsch.

Followed immediately by The Last Hero: A Life of Henry Aaron by Howard Bryant

Was coincidence that I read Aaron right after Mays. The two are featured prominently in each book, and it was fascinating to see how each was portrayed as both a protagonist and antagonist. Was also good to read up on Giants history as they were marching through the playoffs & WS this year.

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania by Warren St. John. Solid.

Just about done with The Match: The Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever by Mark Frost. Also solid.

New York Red
12-08-2010, 10:42 AM
Just recently finished the Frankenstein trilogy, by Dean Koontz. Was as good as I expected it to be, and a different twist from most previous Frankenstein works. I know at one point there was a movie in the discussion stages, based on this trilogy, but talks broke down over a disagreement about directing, screenwriting, etc? I don't remember the facts, but I hope at some point it gets back on track. I think it has the potential to be a really good flick.

SunDeck
12-08-2010, 11:30 AM
Re-reading Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin series.

Haven't re-read them yet. Instead I've decided to read as much other nautical fiction that I can find. Here is what I've come across this year, but other than a few I think it's just hard to compare anything to O'brian.

Reading Stockwin's Kydd series (http://www.julianstockwin.com/Series.htm) right now. Does as good a job with the nautical terminology as O'Brian, but his stories are less imaginative. He copies the Aubrey/Maturin relationship with a similar one of his own.

Read two Marryat books (http://www.leserglede.com/historical-fiction/frederick-marryat.html) Actual contemporary stuff- Marryat was a naval officer.

Read 5-6 of Dewey Lambdin's Alan Lewrie series (http://www.armchairsailorseattle.com/dewlamalser.html). These are fun- Lewry is similar to Aubrey, with all his shortcomings on display.

Read most of Hornblower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horatio_Hornblower), after Marryat, probably the original nautical fiction. Great stuff, although I get a little tired of Hornblower's brooding.

Alexander Kent's Bolitho Series is marginal. The nautical side is all right, but the character is just too invincible, too unerring.

Dudley Pope's (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dudley_Pope) Ramage is similarly uninspiring.

foxfire123
12-09-2010, 01:23 AM
Just recently finished the Frankenstein trilogy, by Dean Koontz. Was as good as I expected it to be, and a different twist from most previous Frankenstein works. I know at one point there was a movie in the discussion stages, based on this trilogy, but talks broke down over a disagreement about directing, screenwriting, etc? I don't remember the facts, but I hope at some point it gets back on track. I think it has the potential to be a really good flick.

There was a movie made of the first book I believe, but there was some controversy and I think Koontz demanded his name be taken out of any credits.

Ah yes, from ImDB on Frankenstein (2004):

"The concept for this telefilm was originally developed by Dean R. Koontz and collaborator Kevin Anderson, and intended as a television series. When USA Networks joined the project as production company and distributor, Koontz signed on as screenwriter and executive producer. Martin Scorsese also signed on as executive producer, and a cast (most of whom were in the final product) was assembled. Following creative disputes between USA and Koontz, both Koontz and Scorsese left the project (Scorsese was later convinced to return). Koontz and Anderson later developed the concept into a series of novels (as "Dean Koontz' Frankenstein"), but Koontz allowed USA to use the names of his characters as long as they altered the plot and removed his name from all consideration."

I agree that the story, done faithfully to the books, could make either an excellent mini series or even series. Koontz has a way of putting controversial things in his books in ways that make you curious enough to really read up on them. Like the genetic manipulation in Frankenstein, or the bioethics movement brought up in One Door Away From Heaven. He's not heavy handed with it, but he does make you wonder enough if some of this stuff is really going on to do more reading.

MikeThierry
12-09-2010, 01:29 AM
For some reason, I have always gravitated to the classics when I'm not reading my books for college. I'm reading 1984 by Orwell from time to time. I picked up Dantes Inferno the other day so I might start in on that early next year.

Strikes Out Looking
12-10-2010, 02:05 PM
I'm reading Bill Madden's biography of George Steinbrenner. The thing I find most amazing is the amount of GMs that the Reds and Yankees shared in the 80s and early 90s.

reds1869
12-10-2010, 02:29 PM
I'm reading NeXt In Line by Scott Gaede. It chronicles Chris Mack's first year as Xavier's head coach. I'm not very far in but it is enjoyable so far. Highly recommended for my fellow Musketeers and college hoops junkies.

westofyou
12-17-2010, 12:14 PM
Mark Twain Book Review

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/books/review/Keillor-t.html?_r=1&hp

SunDeck
12-17-2010, 12:19 PM
Island of Lost Maps, the story of a map thief.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Krk3FX0WwZ4/TNsZIc5sN5I/AAAAAAAAAN4/I-_PVBdtm1w/s320/island-of-lost-maps.jpg


Harvey's primary narrative (which originated as an article for Outside magazine) concerns the exploits of Gilbert Bland, a man who on the surface, according to Harvey, did indeed seem bland but who stole approximately $500,000 in antique maps from poorly secured rare-book libraries. Bland was apprehended in 1995 at Baltimore's Peabody Library; he was ultimately charged in several jurisdictions after numerous universities discovered extensive losses, but he plea-bargained for a light sentence. Harvey painstakingly reconstructs the map thief's various identities for Bland, a "chameleon," had abandoned a number of spouses and children and had engaged in questionable business ventures. Thus is Harvey launched into a larger meditation on the lure of "terra incognita," both literal and metaphoric, whether of Bland's enigmatic life or of undiscovered continents. Harvey uses the Bland case to explore both cartographic history and the dangers of obsession.
-- Publishers Weekly

westofyou
12-17-2010, 12:40 PM
Island of Lost Maps, the story of a map thief.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Krk3FX0WwZ4/TNsZIc5sN5I/AAAAAAAAAN4/I-_PVBdtm1w/s320/island-of-lost-maps.jpg

There's a web site (and potential book) devoted to the theft of baseball documents. It's pretty interesting.

http://haulsofshame.com/index.php

OldRightHander
12-18-2010, 12:27 AM
I picked up Dantes Inferno the other day so I might start in on that early next year.

Hell of a read.

BillDoran
12-18-2010, 01:52 PM
Whole Earth Discipline by the eternally rad Stewart Brand

Blimpie
12-18-2010, 06:00 PM
Just got around to picking up a copy of "The Machine" by Joe Posnanski.

I am glad that I waited--I found it in hardback for $7.99 on the bargain table at Joseph Beth Booksellers.

I have some pretty long flights coming up in a few weeks, so I am sitting on this one until then.

mam24rice
12-19-2010, 09:03 AM
I just finished "Shantaram" by David Gregory Roberts. Phenomenal book. 930+ pages but well worth the long read.

About to start reading "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy.

foxfire123
12-21-2010, 09:03 AM
A friend has convinced me that I must read the entire Eragon series by buying me the set for Christmas. No more avoiding it by saying they're checked out at the library.... lol!

Captain13
12-21-2010, 12:43 PM
Just read "Against Medical Advice" by James Patterson and Hal Friedman. It's the true story of Hal's son Cory and his fight with Tourrette's Syndrome, OCD and Anxiety Disorder. It is both uncomfortable and uplifting. Also, a quick easy read.

RichRed
12-21-2010, 01:07 PM
"Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe" by Bill Bryson.

reds1869
12-21-2010, 01:26 PM
I started reading The Last Train to Hiroshima without knowing the controversy surrounding it. A few things seemed a little too amazing to be true; it turns out there is a very good reason for that. I would highly recommend it as an anti-war work of art, not so much as a piece of solid historical research.

Sophie Hart
12-24-2010, 05:11 AM
Geoff Thompson Watch my back...the autobiography of a jack of various trades (punk, menial worker, nightclub bouncer, Martial Arts fighter) who is currently a martial arts, teacher, writer and instructor has been into martial arts since 30 years..

Stephenk29
12-26-2010, 11:46 AM
Just finished reading the The Hidden Oasis, don't do that yourselves.

And now I'm beginning The Confession by Grisham.

Stephenk29
01-03-2011, 03:05 AM
Guests of the Ayatollah by Mark Bowden. I have read two of his previous books and they were excellent. So far I'm enjoying this one as well.

medford
01-03-2011, 08:21 AM
Finished up two books over the weekend. Hogan by Curtis Sampson which was a bio on the great golfer. Interesting read, nothing earth shattering, but it spells out all the troubles the man overcame, as well as dealing with his pyschy a bit. Good read overall, about 250 pages, that can be picked up and put down at whatever pace you like w/o missing too much. As a side note, if your looking for a book to improve your golf game from hacker to somewhat respectable, I'd recommend Hogan's 5 fundamentals of golf.

Also finished up Game of Thrones, thanks the rec of several redszone poster after I saw HBO was picking it the movie adapation (I guess that would be extended series adaption) this April. I enjoyed it very much, gives you several characters to root for, though you're not sure which ones you'll ultimately side with, even as the book comes to an end. I figure I'll be reading the 2nd book in the series sometime after I watch the HBO series.

edabbs44
01-03-2011, 08:45 AM
The Pittsburgh Cocaine Seven: How a Ragtag Group of Fans Took the Fall for Major League Baseball

http://www.amazon.com/Pittsburgh-Cocaine-Seven-Ragtag-Baseball/dp/1569762880

Interesting read so far as I was too young to appreciate the situation at the time.

bucksfan2
01-03-2011, 11:16 AM
Plowing my way through Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy. The book is like 3 novels in one and I just can't find the time to put a major dent into it. I have been reading it for about a month and still have 300 pages to go.

westofyou
01-03-2011, 11:34 AM
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Call-Rise-Fall-Prohibition/dp/0743277023

Stephenk29
01-03-2011, 10:34 PM
Plowing my way through Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy. The book is like 3 novels in one and I just can't find the time to put a major dent into it. I have been reading it for about a month and still have 300 pages to go.

Just got that as a gift. It looked like a mamouth, is it worth the time investment if I have some others on the shelf?

Roy Tucker
01-04-2011, 08:16 AM
Just got that as a gift. It looked like a mamouth, is it worth the time investment if I have some others on the shelf?

IIRC, its was nice respite from Jack Ryan's ascendency to world emperor and about Clark and Chavez and black ops. I read it back in the day before Clancy jumped the shark. This book has been out for quite a while, hasn't it?

It's worth it if your a Clancy fan. He is still in pretty good technothriller form in this book. Not "Red Storm Rising" or "Sum of All Fears", but still pretty good.

bucksfan2
01-04-2011, 09:10 AM
Just got that as a gift. It looked like a mamouth, is it worth the time investment if I have some others on the shelf?

The only other Clancy books I have read are Teeth of the Tiger and Hunt for the Red October. I don't think Rainbow Six gets nearly as technical as October but I don't think it is as good as Tiger.

Here is my one big complaint with Rainbow. It truly is 3 novels wrapped into one. Clancy does a good job of describing the back stories but they come at all parts of the novel. I mean I am 500 pages into the novel and a new back story starts to develop. But I will say this. I just got done reading an action scene that was 40 or so pages long and I couldn't put down the book. It am starting to get closer and closer to the end and it keeps getting more interesting, I just wish it could have been done in 600 pages instead of almost 900. I would recommend reading it as long as you realize its going to take you a while.

medford
01-04-2011, 12:09 PM
The only other Clancy books I have read are Teeth of the Tiger and Hunt for the Red October. I don't think Rainbow Six gets nearly as technical as October but I don't think it is as good as Tiger.

Here is my one big complaint with Rainbow. It truly is 3 novels wrapped into one. Clancy does a good job of describing the back stories but they come at all parts of the novel. I mean I am 500 pages into the novel and a new back story starts to develop. But I will say this. I just got done reading an action scene that was 40 or so pages long and I couldn't put down the book. It am starting to get closer and closer to the end and it keeps getting more interesting, I just wish it could have been done in 600 pages instead of almost 900. I would recommend reading it as long as you realize its going to take you a while.

What you described to me is classic Tom Clancy. It seems like everybook takes about 350-500 pages to 'get into', but once the background has been laid, the story really takes off and he takes you on an exceptional ride. I've often wished the first parts weren't such a struggle to get thru, but I think its part of what makes the last 400-600 pages so great.

FWIW, "Without Remorse" is by far my favorite Clancy book, one of my favorite fictional books ever. There's long been discussion of an impending movie, but its hit multiple snags along the way and I have my doubts it will ever get put into full production. However, if someone thought it a good gamble to start the John Clark series hoping that character could do for the movie studios what Jack Ryan did, it would be a good starting point.

RedsBaron
01-04-2011, 12:41 PM
IIRC, its was nice respite from Jack Ryan's ascendency to world emperor and about Clark and Chavez and black ops. I read it back in the day before Clancy jumped the shark. This book has been out for quite a while, hasn't it?

It's worth it if your a Clancy fan. He is still in pretty good technothriller form in this book. Not "Red Storm Rising" or "Sum of All Fears", but still pretty good.

I read several Clancy novels years ago but I became burned out on his work by the time I finished Debt of Honor. I started Executive Orders but never finished it. I have two or three other Clancy novels that I received as gifts that I have never started to read. His first novel, The Hunt For Red October, remains my favorite. I did like Red Storm Rising for the insights into how a war between NATO and the Soviet forces could have been fought.

Raisor
01-05-2011, 05:32 PM
FWIW, "Without Remorse" is by far my favorite Clancy book, one of my favorite fictional books ever.

Totally agree. John Kelly is a fascinating character.

mitchaldavis
01-06-2011, 03:20 PM
I read Bleak House was. There is a novel, detective Mr. Bucket. Clearly, Mr. Doo literature in the 18th century the first dectective figures. I do dectective story, of course, the real concern, Bleak House there are more than just a mystery.

medford
01-06-2011, 03:29 PM
I read Bleak House was. There is a novel, detective Mr. Bucket. Clearly, Mr. Doo literature in the 18th century the first dectective figures. I do not dectective story, of course, the real concern, Bleak House there are more than just a mystery.

Huh? A few words short of a thought there.

pedro
01-06-2011, 03:32 PM
Skippy Dies

http://www.amazon.com/Skippy-Dies-Novel-Paul-Murray/dp/0865479437

I like it.

Redsfaithful
01-07-2011, 03:25 AM
I read Bleak House was. There is a novel, detective Mr. Bucket. Clearly, Mr. Doo literature in the 18th century the first dectective figures. I do dectective story, of course, the real concern, Bleak House there are more than just a mystery.

This is a fantastic advertisement for your blog commenting service.

marcshoe
01-07-2011, 11:38 AM
Unfortunately, the Lafayette bio I'm reading seems to be historically questionable. I haven't read very far into it, but the author, Harlow Unger, has presented some info about the importance of Lafayette's Masonic affiliation that seems a bit overdone. I'm checking it out, but Unger's presenting this material as straight fact without giving sources, and it contradicts what I've read elsewhere.

I'll finish the book, which tells a fascinating story, but I may end up giving this the same amount of credence I give Allan Eckert's books: Double check everything before passing it on.

vaticanplum
01-10-2011, 11:36 AM
I'm reading Black Snow by Mikhail Bulgakov. It's a sort of satirical/semi-autobiographical take on the pretension and self-indulgence of artists. Very funny, but I keep accidentally calling it Black Swan, which is very different. Or maybe not so different.

BillDoran
01-10-2011, 11:57 AM
Just picked up What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly from the library. I've found myself picking up lots nonfiction by Wired/Bay Area thinkers of late, for better or worse.

marcshoe
01-18-2011, 05:56 PM
Race, Gender and Human Identity in a Diverse Societ, an anthology. 'course I'm teaching this starting Monday. One of my English classes was cancelled because of low enrollment, so I'm picking up a general ed class.

Cedric
01-18-2011, 07:40 PM
A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution by Orlando Figes.

Amazing book from my favorite historical period.

goreds2
01-18-2011, 09:02 PM
I subscribe to Baseball Digest. Here is a recent cover.

http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/m/mXNRipZqqWD2C1oAQ8bYBzA/140.jpg

Stephenk29
01-18-2011, 10:44 PM
A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution by Orlando Figes.

Amazing book from my favorite historical period.

Read that in college. I think Russian history is just awesome, simply because it seems rather unique and they do things their own way.

reds1869
01-20-2011, 08:26 AM
I subscribe to Baseball Digest. Here is a recent cover.

http://thumbs3.ebaystatic.com/m/mXNRipZqqWD2C1oAQ8bYBzA/140.jpg

Nice cover!

I'm currently reading The Comeback Kids about the 2010 Reds. It is never to early to bask in the glow of a fun season.

bucksfan2
01-20-2011, 10:22 AM
The Confession by John Grisham. Its another fantastic read by Grisham

Redsfaithful
01-20-2011, 12:50 PM
Columbine by Dave Cullen

It's really remarkable how much the media twisted what happened in that school shooting. Nearly all of the popular narrative I took as fact was incorrect.

Captain13
01-25-2011, 02:50 PM
Dead Time by Stephen White.

Kingspoint
01-25-2011, 03:37 PM
I read Bleak House was. There is a novel, detective Mr. Bucket. Clearly, Mr. Doo literature in the 18th century the first dectective figures. I do dectective story, of course, the real concern, Bleak House there are more than just a mystery.

I assume that you do not speak English very well, but it looks like you speak and understand it well enough to watch the BBC series, Bleak House. They did it right by turning it into six parts. It's available online for a cost and at many libraries around the U.S. for free. I thoroughly enjoyed it myself.

mth123
01-26-2011, 11:49 AM
Just started I, Alex Cross.

I'm a big fan of James Patterson's detective series. I've been reading the Alex Cross series starting with Along Came a Spider and I'm all the way up to Cross Country which I'm reading now. I've also read the first six books in his "Women's Murder Club" series. The 7th book, 7th Heaven is next on my list, though I, Alex Cross is next in line for me in the Cross Series and I imagine I'll be anxious to read it when I'm done with Cross Country.

When I get caught-up with those two series, I intend to read the Michael Bennet series as well. Hopefully by then there will be more of the others.

http://www.jamespatterson.com/

Caveat Emperor
01-26-2011, 01:59 PM
After spending the majority of the last few years on a strictly non-fiction diet, I was given a copy of "A Game of Thrones" -- which is apparently being made into an HBO miniseries -- by a friend.

I'm 100 pages in, and every character that's been introudced is more depressing than the last.

medford
01-26-2011, 03:16 PM
After spending the majority of the last few years on a strictly non-fiction diet, I was given a copy of "A Game of Thrones" -- which is apparently being made into an HBO miniseries -- by a friend.

I'm 100 pages in, and every character that's been introudced is more depressing than the last.

I finished reading that a month or so ago, in anticipation of the HBO series. I came away very pleased. By the end, there were 3-4 characters that I viewed as my "favorite" and not really sure where the 2nd book will go. I'll probably wait until after the HBO series to start it, but I'm looking forward to it.

Betterread
01-30-2011, 09:35 PM
Skippy Dies

http://www.amazon.com/Skippy-Dies-Novel-Paul-Murray/dp/0865479437

I like it.

Me too. In a alternative universe, American Teenagers flock to this account of adolescence and ignore Hogwarts.

reds1869
01-30-2011, 10:19 PM
For those that are into graphic novels, I highly recommend A Sickness in the Family by Denise Mina. The book tells the story of the dysfunctional Usher family, a nice little nod to Poe. It is a short but thrilling read.

foxfire123
01-31-2011, 12:56 AM
Drek. Seriously. Sometimes you just need junk food for the mind, and right now it's the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris for me.

I also have the graphic novel series of the Stand and the new King book lying here, but haven't started them yet.

11larkin11
01-31-2011, 02:15 AM
Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes
Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems
Organic Chemistry and Structure
Fundamentals of Physics

The Operator
01-31-2011, 03:31 AM
Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes
Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems
Organic Chemistry and Structure
Fundamentals of Physics
Oh, yikes... Pre-Med?

11larkin11
01-31-2011, 12:46 PM
Oh, yikes... Pre-Med?

Chemical Engineering

The Operator
01-31-2011, 02:47 PM
Chemical EngineeringOh, cool... where are you doing your degree at?

Always good to know of another engineer on the board. I'm an EE myself.

11larkin11
02-01-2011, 12:24 PM
Oh, cool... where are you doing your degree at?

Always good to know of another engineer on the board. I'm an EE myself.

I'm at OSU

redsmetz
02-01-2011, 03:46 PM
I'm currently reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit). It's a gripping saga of a one-time Olympic runner whose B24 crashes during World War II and how he survived that and the Japanese POW camps he was in. I'm about halfway through and it's very gripping.

RichRed
02-01-2011, 05:02 PM
Reading Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer & Dick Schaap, a great behind-the-scenes look at the Packers and the NFL in 1967. I'm not even a Packers fan but I'm really enjoying it. One of those books I've been meaning to read for years.

Also just finished Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst, since it was recommended right here on RedsZone. Very entertaining.

BillDoran
02-01-2011, 09:33 PM
Tomrrow I begin Broken April by Ismail Kadare. It'll be my first book originally written in Albanian.

bucksfan2
02-11-2011, 02:35 PM
I have been reading the Steig Larrson trilogy recently. Finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and have about 150 pages left with The Girl Who Played With Fire. They are fantastic reads and I have a hard time putting down the novel. The two unfortunate things about them is that they were originally written in Swedish and the towns are completely foreign. And the second unfortunate thing is Larrson originally had a series of 10 books but died with only 3 finished and one in the works.

Roy Tucker
02-11-2011, 02:39 PM
I have been reading the Steig Larrson trilogy recently. Finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and have about 150 pages left with The Girl Who Played With Fire. They are fantastic reads and I have a hard time putting down the novel. The two unfortunate things about them is that they were originally written in Swedish and the towns are completely foreign. And the second unfortunate thing is Larrson originally had a series of 10 books but died with only 3 finished and one in the works.

Yup, great reads. I read the first 2 books last summer down on Sanibel Island with my feet in the Gulf and read them morning noon and night. Bought the 3rd book after we got home. Great fun.

I highly recommend the 3 Swedish-made movies of the same titles as well. Noomi Pace is absolutely spot-on and extraordinary as Lisbeth Salander. Kinda spooky as a matter of fact.

Cuban_Missile
02-11-2011, 02:45 PM
If you guys would like a quick, witty, and funny book to read. I just finished reading a book by comedian Patton Oswalt called Zombie; Spaceship; Wasteland. It was very well written and talks about his life and how he came to viewing the world in the way he does. I strongly suggest reading this book if you have ever seen any of his work even as Spence in the King of Queens.

westofyou
02-11-2011, 02:46 PM
Reading Instant Replay by Jerry Kramer & Dick Schaap, a great behind-the-scenes look at the Packers and the NFL in 1967. I'm not even a Packers fan but I'm really enjoying it. One of those books I've been meaning to read for years.

Also just finished Bullpen Gospels by Dirk Hayhurst, since it was recommended right here on RedsZone. Very entertaining.

I have a 1st edition of that, plan on reading it.. it's the Ball Four of football, the basketball version is Life on the Run by Bill Bradley and Hockey has The Game by Ken Dryden

Cuban_Missile
02-11-2011, 02:46 PM
I'm at OSU

Off topic but I will be down at OSU next weekend

Chip R
02-17-2011, 01:47 PM
Right now I have just started "A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood's Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports" by Brad Snyder. Very interesting so far. Flood was not exactly the saint people make him out to be. There were allegations of domestic abuse and he wasn't really a portrait painter. What he would do is take pictures of his subjects, enlarge it and have some guy in California paint over it.

I'm also reading, "The Politics of Glory: How Baseball's Hall of Fame Really Works" by Bill James. A little dated but it gives great insight on how players are selected to the HOF and why. I read this before I go to sleep so I keep losing my place in the book since I fall asleep while reading it.

I also got this book for Christmas from someone in my family called, "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" by Bill Bryson. This is such a delightful book. I would recommend it to any kid who grew up in the Baby Boomer generation. The author recreates his life as a kid in the 1950s. It is especially significant to me since he grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. I grew up in the 60s and 70s in a small town about 60 miles southeast of Des Moines so I recognize a lot of the things he talks about. One reviewer praised it as, "an exercise in hyperbole." For example he spoke of a time he was hurt as a kid and his parents called a "Dr. Alzheimer" to make a house call but the good doctor wouldn't go until the golf tournament on TV was over with. :lol:

marcshoe
02-17-2011, 03:45 PM
I read the Bill James book when it first came out, and I still run through his points in my mind every HoF vote.

MWM
02-17-2011, 03:48 PM
The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. Good read so far. Dawkins is good at communicating difficult scientific concepts into language the laymen can understand.

RichRed
02-17-2011, 04:24 PM
I also got this book for Christmas from someone in my family called, "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" by Bill Bryson. This is such a delightful book. I would recommend it to any kid who grew up in the Baby Boomer generation. The author recreates his life as a kid in the 1950s. It is especially significant to me since he grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. I grew up in the 60s and 70s in a small town about 60 miles southeast of Des Moines so I recognize a lot of the things he talks about. One reviewer praised it as, "an exercise in hyperbole." For example he spoke of a time he was hurt as a kid and his parents called a "Dr. Alzheimer" to make a house call but the good doctor wouldn't go until the golf tournament on TV was over with. :lol:

Absolutely LOVE that book. Bryson's great.

reds1869
02-17-2011, 04:54 PM
I just started The Yankee Years by Joe Torre and Tom Veducci. It is a very entertaining read so far. I also picked up The Last Hero, A Life of Henry Aaron by Howard Bryant to dig into over the weekend. I've heard great things about both books.

pedro
02-17-2011, 06:31 PM
Me too. In a alternative universe, American Teenagers flock to this account of adolescence and ignore Hogwarts.

It really was a great book.

SunDeck
02-17-2011, 06:38 PM
Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stephenson

Roy Tucker
02-17-2011, 11:22 PM
Absolutely LOVE that book. Bryson's great.

Yep. Hardly any book can make me LOL but that one had me snorting and blowing snot bubbles.

In a similar vein, I recommend "A Girl Named Zippy" by Haven Kimmel.

bounty37h
02-18-2011, 12:55 PM
Im on the last few pages of a book called "To Hate Like This is to be Happy Forever", by Will Blythe. Its a documnetary on the rivalry between UNC and dook, but more on life in general with college basketball almost as a background reference point. Very entertaining, would reccomend even to non UNC fans.

RadfordVA
02-27-2011, 06:29 AM
Just read THE GAME FROM WHERE I STAND by Doug Glanville. I thought it was pretty good and a very easy read that keeps you interested. Nothing earth shattering came from it but you end up being invested because Glanville seems like a really nice and intelligent guy. He gives more detail on what a players day to day life is like in MLB. Not as many great anecdotes as say Kurkijans book but after all this is just one guys biography and not a collection of stories.

Its the time of year where I stock up on baseball books till season starts. Up next is THE BAD GUYS WON. Not a fan of Pearlman so we will see how this goes.

Eric_the_Red
02-27-2011, 07:25 AM
Just finished "Radical" by David Platt. I highly recommend it to fellow Christian believers. Very convicting, and and energizing, stuff.

MWM
03-07-2011, 02:49 PM
Just finished The Big Short by Michael Lewis. First of all, Michael Lewis has written another fantastic story that you can't put down once you start. He's easily my favorite author right now and I can't wait for whatever his next book will be.

Secondly, all I can say is WOW! I'm speechless after learning of the events that led to the economic meltdown and can't believe it could have possibly happened in this day and age. It was all avoidable. And it happened in such a short period of time, that makes it all the more unbelievable (even though the culture that led to making it possible was about 20+ years in the making). And the disgusting part is that the small handful of people responsible for making it happen all walked away filthy rich with no real repercussions. Many of them are back working on Wall Street, some even in the mortgage business.

medford
03-07-2011, 03:02 PM
Finally finished a childhood dream, and finished the complete "Chronicles of Narnia" series. Inspired by reading "The Game of Throwns" in anticipation of the HBO series to air this April, I had the complete series as a kid, had read Lion, The Witch & The wardrobe a couple of times, and Prince Caspian a time or two, but never could get into the Dawn Treader.

Anyways, I decided to plow thru it for better or worse. Having not read it since about 10, but still holding "The Lion, The Witch & The Wardobe" as one of my favorite stories from childhood, I enjoyed most of it. I had definently forgotten how much of a children's book it is. Easy read, you could easily do a story a day if you had the time. "The Horse & His Boy" seemed to be forced in, I'm not really sure why it was in there, other than perhaps a way to introduce the antagonist in "the last battle", but then again "The Last Battle" seemed to have little point other than to get you to the end of the story. though I liked the way the series officially ended, the last book "The last battle" was perhaps the worst of the 7 stories. "The Magician's Nephew" was a fun read, however I read it in the chronological order presented in the latest full edition. I'm not sure it really belongs at the begining of the book, I think the "opening of Narnia" holds a little more mistique after having read the first book or two and getting a gradual feel for everything.

BillDoran
03-07-2011, 03:27 PM
Just finished Peter Carey's Parrot and Olivier, a fictional take on DeToqueville's Democracy in America. Carey's a gifted writer (two Bookers, no surprise there) and his parallels with the waywardness of contemporary democracy serve as interesting commentary.

Next up: William Trevor's The Story of Lucy Gault and William Vollman's brick Europe Central.

Hillsdale87
03-11-2011, 11:43 PM
Just finished "Radical" by David Platt. I highly recommend it to fellow Christian believers. Very convicting, and and energizing, stuff.

My dad loved that book as well. That's one I'm going to read soon.

RichRed
03-14-2011, 01:02 PM
I have a 1st edition of that, plan on reading it.. it's the Ball Four of football, the basketball version is Life on the Run by Bill Bradley and Hockey has The Game by Ken Dryden

Just finished reading this after I saw you mention it here. It didn't have the humor of Ball Four but was very interesting nonetheless. Bradley's writing is very introspective and analytical, and he gives good insight into what it was like to be a pro athlete in New York. There are also some interesting stories to compare and contrast what it was like for his black teammates.

Oxblood
03-21-2011, 02:51 PM
In the past week or so I've finished; "1984", "The Great Gatsby" & "The Stranger". I had read them all before a few years ago and I thought they were all better 2nd time around. I'd say 1984 & TGG are a bit better than The Stranger but all were great reads.

TRF
03-21-2011, 05:32 PM
Changes. The latest in the Dresden Files series.

Oxblood
03-24-2011, 11:44 AM
Finished "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess. Excellent read once you get use to the odd jargon.

"I viddied a nice devotchka with real horrorshow groodies" lol.

edabbs44
03-24-2011, 12:10 PM
Just finished The Chris Farley Show. Verry interesting read.

marcshoe
03-24-2011, 01:50 PM
2/3 through 'Bob Dylan in America' by Sean Wilentz. Excellent book. I've always avoided Dylan bio's, but this one focuses on the influence of culture and history on the development of Dylan's music. Not sure I will hear Dylan the same way again.

And this finally cleared up what I've never understood about 'Tangled up in Blue'--multiple POV's!!

Eric_the_Red
03-24-2011, 03:04 PM
Currently reading "The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism" by Timothy Keller. It is a challenging read, as he discusses some very heady philosophical topics, but it is definitely worth it for great nuggets spread throughout.

westofyou
03-24-2011, 03:11 PM
And this finally cleared up what I've never understood about 'Tangled up in Blue'--multiple POV's!!

Correct, very Joycian in nature.

Ron Rosenbaum wrote in Slate that Dylan had told him he wrote the song after spending a weekend immersed in Joni Mitchell's Blue.

The album (Blood on the Tracks) is awesome

Oxblood
03-29-2011, 03:04 PM
Finished "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse. Excellent read, I couldn't put this one down.

Todd Gack
03-31-2011, 04:21 PM
'33 Questions About American History You're Not Suppose to Ask" by Dr. Tom Woods

marcshoe
03-31-2011, 08:19 PM
Correct, very Joycian in nature.

Ron Rosenbaum wrote in Slate that Dylan had told him he wrote the song after spending a weekend immersed in Joni Mitchell's Blue.


I've heard that. This book claims Dylan came up with the title after his art teacher, working through a dry spell by painting a blue still life of a vase, said, "I'm tangled up in blue."

Not that Dylan would ever adjust a story...:)

TRF
04-01-2011, 05:13 PM
Has anyone read Real Love by Greg Baer? I'm getting it tomorrow.

OldRightHander
04-01-2011, 10:21 PM
After watching The Pacific, I decided to pick up With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge. I'm just getting ready to start it.

MWM
04-02-2011, 12:33 AM
After watching The Pacific, I decided to pick up With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge. I'm just getting ready to start it.

After watching it, I did the same thing. If you like very honest war memoirs, you'll like his.

marcshoe
05-03-2011, 08:20 PM
Just started 'The Hidden Reality' by Brian Greene. If you've read it, don't tell me how it ends. I want to see if I can find reality by following the clues as I go along.

(It might not be that kind of book in this universe, but somewhere it is.)

cinredsfan2000
05-03-2011, 11:23 PM
I hope they serve beer in hell-Tucker Max
not exactly high brow reading:nono::yikes: But a funny read never the less

bucksfan2
05-04-2011, 08:18 AM
Just finished Live Wire by Harlan Coben. They Myron Bolitar series is probably my favorite all time series. It seems like this may have been the last book which is disappointing.

Just started The Sixth Man by David Baldacci. I am only 20 pages in right now.

BillDoran
05-09-2011, 06:43 PM
Finally finishing up Vollman's Europe Central. Hell of a writer, but it's just such a dense book in a number of ways. Tough read.

Next up William's Stoner, JPS's The Wall, and Kotlowitz's There Are No Children Here.

MWM
05-09-2011, 07:31 PM
Reading The Snowball: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life

medford
05-10-2011, 02:25 PM
Code to zero by Ken Follett.

Definently an easy read, pretty captivating, I think I finished out the last 250 pages in one sitting (I typically read about 20-40 pages of any book at a time, if that much). I'd definently qualify it as a page turner. Overall its, pretty good, not great, but an easy enjoyable read.

Started "Born with a tooth" a collection of short stories by Joseph Boyden. I've read his "3 day road" previously which I highly recommend (well unless you're easily turned off by the graphic description of some activities in WW1), so we'll see how this goes.

I'm also about half way thru undaunted courage, by the same author of Band of Brothers, about Lewis & Clark's expedition across America. A very entertaining historical read, using the excerpts of Lewis & Clark's writings to depict what that journey felt like. Ed Norton & Brad Pitt alegedly picked up the "movie rights" and were in talks w/ HBO to develop a series, but I haven't seen anything additional for quite some time, thinking taking this book to HBO has been put up on the shelf, hopefully not permanetly

medford
05-10-2011, 02:25 PM
n/m

Sweetstop
05-12-2011, 09:37 AM
tina fey's "bossypants", which i got for mother's day. hmm.. that must mean something. :)

of course, it's one lol after another.

juvey21
05-12-2011, 09:57 AM
Im reading Liberty Defined by Ron Paul. This man is a modern day Founding Father. Talks about 50 essential issues that affect our freedom. Great book so far.

cumberlandreds
05-12-2011, 10:05 AM
"Mornings on Horseback" by David McCullough. I've like everything I have read so far by McCullough. Truman, John Adams and 1776 were all superb. 1776 little less so but good anyway.
This is about the young life of Theodore Roosevelt. Just getting started but its an interesting read but a little slow at the start.

CrimsonCrusader
05-12-2011, 04:56 PM
My book. I'm a budding author. ;)

Roy Tucker
05-19-2011, 08:12 AM
Just finished Carl Hiaasen's latest "Star Island". Lots of drugs, booze, and sex and a pop star named Cherry Pye.

Pretty good, outrageous characters, some snort laugh moments, but ultimately went nowhere. Hiassen fans will like it, others ought to start with his better books.

Roy Tucker
06-20-2011, 05:55 PM
Just finished "Full Dark, No Stars" by Stephen King. 4 very spooky novellas.

I was a little surprised I liked it so much. The first story "1922" reads like a Springsteen "Nebraska"-era song. Plus rats. Second is "Big Driver", a brutal tale of rape and revenge. 3rd is "Fair Extension" or how far would you go to save your own life. Last is "A Good Marriage", a very chilling look at how well do you think you know your spouse.

All good yarns in modern King form. Sometimes I like it when he boils his stories down from 750+ page epics to a short form. I liked it a lot.

chicoruiz
07-04-2011, 01:00 PM
Anyone read the new Bill James non-baseball book, Popular Crime? Everything from Lizzie Borden to the Kennedy assassination to Jonbenet Ramsey. I'm not buying everything he's selling, but it's a fun read.

Cooper
07-05-2011, 07:48 AM
Just finished Popular Crime. I enjoyed it though at one point he writes about serial killers and i took a break.

TRF
07-05-2011, 09:15 AM
American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Sweetstop
07-12-2011, 01:11 PM
finished "freedom" by jonathan franzen...feel like i've known walter and patty berglund all of my life.

finished "wish you were here" stewart o'nan..1st of his books i've read. i'll search out more from the library.

now reading "the story of charlotte's web: e.b. white's eccentric life in nature and the birth of an american classic" by michael sims...excellent.

next up.."the lonely polygamist" by brady udall

bigredmechanism
07-19-2011, 12:31 PM
Just got Surely You Must be Joking Mr. Feynman in the mail. 20 pages in, so far so good.

foxfire123
07-19-2011, 06:44 PM
A friend got me started on the Dresden Files series. Sort of a grown up Harry Potter-ish kind of thing. lol! http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden

PickOff
07-19-2011, 07:27 PM
finished "freedom" by jonathan franzen...feel like i've known walter and patty berglund all of my life.

finished "wish you were here" stewart o'nan..1st of his books i've read. i'll search out more from the library.

now reading "the story of charlotte's web: e.b. white's eccentric life in nature and the birth of an american classic" by michael sims...excellent.

next up.."the lonely polygamist" by brady udall

Freedom was impressive - reminds me a bit of Dostoevsky

Sweetstop
07-20-2011, 10:37 AM
Freedom was impressive - reminds me a bit of Dostoevsky

well, it definitely made me feel like i needed to read something substantial and all encompassing as a followup. :) franzen doesn't miss anything.

i also felt much empathy and discomfort there in the trenches of the berglund's marriage.

i liked "mistakes were made" autobiography of patty berglund by patty bergland.

btw, i'm pretty sure we have a pair of cerulean warblers that summer in our "wild wood". :)1

izzy's dad
07-21-2011, 11:57 AM
Just picked up Game of Thrones and Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. Haven't started yet. Anyone read the series?

hebroncougar
07-21-2011, 12:41 PM
Just picked up Game of Thrones and Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. Haven't started yet. Anyone read the series?

Yes, very, very good series. Complicated at first, refer to the appendix.

medford
07-21-2011, 01:36 PM
Just picked up Game of Thrones and Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. Haven't started yet. Anyone read the series?

Spoiler alerts in this thread...

http://www.redszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87947

Also some conversation here w/o any spoilers:

http://www.redszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85846

I believe there is also some discussion on this very same thread buried however many pages back.

Additionally, when you're 300 pages into it and can't figure out who's who, don't worry that seems to be a common reaction. Give it another 150 pages and you'll have it all figured out. It was definently fun to read, I'm about 25% thru the 2nd book now.

BillDoran
07-22-2011, 03:30 PM
Just finished Augustus by John Edward Williams, a criminally underrated American author. Though he did win a National Book Award, his stuff rates in the top tier of contemporary American literature. Admittedly, his understated tone and bleak denouements are right in my wheelhouse, but I still don't understand why he isn't more highly thought of. I suppose his modest output - three mature novels and two books of poetry - play a role.

Up next Halberstam's The Powers That Be, followed by Nelson Algren's, another underrated author, The Neon Wilderness.

LvJ
07-22-2011, 06:21 PM
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41IfyEt3rrL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg

cumberlandreds
07-25-2011, 11:26 AM
I finished reading Campy by Neil Lanctot. Very good biography of baseball player Roy Campanella. I never knew a lot about him other than he was one of best catchers in MLB history and that he had the unfortunate accident that left him a quadrapeligic. The author goes into very good detail about his upbringing and the challenges he faced then of being a child of a mixed race. His mother was black and father was Italian. He follows his path through the old Negro Leagues and finally getting the opportunity in MLB after they integrated in 1947. There was a lot about the rift between he and Jackie Robinson that never fully healed. Also the tragedy of his life when he became a quadrapeligic due to an automobile accident in January of 1958. It ended somewhat abruptly I thought, as there wasn't a lot about his life after the accident. But the author implied that his third wife really protected and shielded him from things. So most events of his life afterwards is not known. Also Campy was probably very hard to write in that Camapanella often contradicted himself in what he told the public. I'm sure it took a lot of detective work by the author to find the truth in some things. All in all a very good book of you like sports biographies and highly recommended.

Stephenk29
07-26-2011, 08:04 PM
Just picked up Game of Thrones and Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. Haven't started yet. Anyone read the series?

I agree with everyone else. I got half way through book 1 and went ahead and got the series. It has flat out sucked me in.

gonelong
07-27-2011, 10:41 AM
Super Freakanomics.

RichRed
07-28-2011, 01:22 PM
Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond by Paul Shirley

This guy's not your average professional basketball player. Very entertaining.

izzy's dad
07-29-2011, 11:52 AM
About 1/3 of the way through Game of Thrones, great book. Very well written.

reds1869
07-29-2011, 11:56 AM
I'm about halfway through Double Headers: A Major League History by Charlie Bevis. It has some pretty interesting tidbits concerning the history of double headers but I'm not sure I'd put it in a "must read" kind of category. Still, if you are interested in the more esoteric side of baseball history I'd give it a shot.

RedLegsToday
07-29-2011, 12:20 PM
Just finished Anna Karenina. Just started Game of Thrones (watched and enjoyed the HBO series)

reds1869
07-29-2011, 07:00 PM
Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond by Paul Shirley

This guy's not your average professional basketball player. Very entertaining.

I loved that book!

Roy Tucker
08-02-2011, 08:10 AM
Started "The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver. Excellent so far.

But then I made the mistake of accompanying the spousal unit to the library and picked up the latest Dale Brown book (Executive Intent) and Dan Brown book (The Lost Symbol). Mindless summer reads but sometimes I need that over serious reading. I'll probably polish them off in a fw days and get back to the Kingsolver book.



Only took me a year to get back to the Kingsolver book. :) Read it on the beach with feet in the Gulf.

Highly recommended. Great story, well-written, and gorgeous prose.

thatcoolguy_22
08-03-2011, 05:36 PM
Book 5 of the Malazan Empire series.

Raisor
08-06-2011, 09:15 PM
Just finished Jeff Shaara's The Final Storm, about the pacific war. Only a few days before V-J day.

marcshoe
08-06-2011, 10:35 PM
'Uglies' by Scott Westerfeld

'Under the Overpass' by Mike Yankoski

'The Elegant Universe' (still) by Brian Greene (I put it down for a while)

A Joseph Ellis book about (surprise) the founding of the US. Can't remember the title. edit-'American Creation'. I couldn't get into it when I first bought it, but right now am loving its philosophical bent.

marcshoe
09-06-2011, 05:28 PM
I hit the Borders close-out pretty hard. Bunch of new books on my shelf now. I'm starting out with "Drood" by Dan Simmons. Interesting conceit, but the readability suffers some from Collins trying to mimic Wilkie Collins' writing voice. And I say that having read quite a bit of Wikie Collins--Victorian era through early 1900's horror/mystery is my favorite mini-genre. I can't imagine trying to write in that voice, though.

Looking forward to, among others, "The Devil in the White City" an Oliver Sacks book about music and the brain, the story of the county in Mississippi that seceded from the Confederacy, a book that connects The Trail of Tears to the Civil War, a bunch of short stories about the end of the world. And many more.

Sweetstop
09-06-2011, 05:32 PM
"truth and beauty" ann patchett..

highly recommend brady udall's "the lonely polygamist" and barbara kingsolver's "the lacuna".

bucksfan2
09-07-2011, 08:45 AM
I hit the Borders close-out pretty hard. Bunch of new books on my shelf now. I'm starting out with "Drood" by Dan Simmons. Interesting conceit, but the readability suffers some from Collins trying to mimic Wilkie Collins' writing voice. And I say that having read quite a bit of Wikie Collins--Victorian era through early 1900's horror/mystery is my favorite mini-genre. I can't imagine trying to write in that voice, though.

I went there as well a couple of weeks ago. I stocked up with a couple of financial books, a couple of Ben Mezrich books, cleaned them out of Michael Connely, and got Brad Thor's new one "Full Black" as well as Daniel Silva's new one "Portrait of a Spy".

It was sad to see Borders go out of business but it was pretty evident as to why. Even though they were having a closeout sale it still was only a little bit cheaper than what I could have gotten books from amazon for. Heck some of the books were probably a tad more expensive.

gonelong
09-07-2011, 09:56 AM
Dollar Sign on the Muscle.

marcshoe
09-07-2011, 10:06 AM
I went there as well a couple of weeks ago. I stocked up with a couple of financial books, a couple of Ben Mezrich books, cleaned them out of Michael Connely, and got Brad Thor's new one "Full Black" as well as Daniel Silva's new one "Portrait of a Spy".

It was sad to see Borders go out of business but it was pretty evident as to why. Even though they were having a closeout sale it still was only a little bit cheaper than what I could have gotten books from amazon for. Heck some of the books were probably a tad more expensive.

The discounts have increased since. I ended up averaging about $5 a book.

The tall ladders are still too expensive, though--$600.00.

Caveat Emperor
09-07-2011, 11:34 AM
I went there as well a couple of weeks ago. I stocked up with a couple of financial books, a couple of Ben Mezrich books, cleaned them out of Michael Connely, and got Brad Thor's new one "Full Black" as well as Daniel Silva's new one "Portrait of a Spy".

It was sad to see Borders go out of business but it was pretty evident as to why. Even though they were having a closeout sale it still was only a little bit cheaper than what I could have gotten books from amazon for. Heck some of the books were probably a tad more expensive.

Hate the fact that Borders is closing -- shopping online for books is nowhere near as pleasant an experience as going to an actual bookstore is.

bucksfan2
09-07-2011, 02:00 PM
Hate the fact that Borders is closing -- shopping online for books is nowhere near as pleasant an experience as going to an actual bookstore is.

I loved going to books stores. I usually ended up buying more than I originally intended to. Heck I still enjoy heading out to Barnes and Nobles and browsing all they have to offer.

I tend to read the same authors all the time. When one of the authors I read comes out with a new book I generally head out and buy it. I could head out to the local Boarders and pay close to $30 for the book or buy it off amazon for $20. And now with the advent of readers like kindle I can browse the bargain bin or even the free books instead of paying inflated paperback prices. Boarders would charge roughly $8 for a paperback, even more if the book had become a hit movie or a hit read. They just weren't run with the best fiscal sense especially when other mediums hit the market.

TRF
09-07-2011, 04:10 PM
Ghost Story - Jim Butcher.

I love the Dresden Files books.

marcshoe
09-18-2011, 09:17 AM
Drood picked up steam about 500 pages in, and the last third or so was downright urgent. Unfortunately, the ending was pretty anticlimactic.

I had intended to start Caleb Carr's Sherlock Holmes pastiche "The Italian Secretary" next, and I still may, but it would be nice to get out of the Victorian era for a bit. This one does echo back to Mary Stuart's time, though.

BillDoran
09-18-2011, 10:31 AM
A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor. I've heard it described as "the best travel book written", thus far it just feels overwrought.

vaticanplum
09-20-2011, 12:49 PM
For Whom the Bell Tolls. My first Hemingway ever. I like the sparseness of it, but I'm still kinda bored.

marcshoe
09-20-2011, 02:53 PM
I've nearly finished "The Italian Secretary". Very disappointing, but short enough that I felt as if I should finish it anyway. The book seems very slight. Holmes just seems to be there, with Carr relying on our already knowing all about him. The Holmes of the book does nothing particularly amazing and just seems to fill a hole. I also have a question about the historicity of the way the murder of Mary's favorite Rizzio is portrayed. Everything I've read had him killed in front of her (she was seven months pregnant with James at the time) then thrown down the stairs, but Carr has him dragged away and killed on the stairs. I may be mistaken about this and will check later.

I have "The Devil in the White City" and an Oliver Sacks book on music and the brain waiting on deck, and I'm getting impatient.

Roy Tucker
09-20-2011, 06:04 PM
I have "The Devil in the White City"...



Read this last spring on a recommendation from my sister after we saw it in the gift shop at the Chicago Art Institute. Really liked it...

vaticanplum
09-20-2011, 10:51 PM
I preferred the serial killer parts of Devil in the White City to the architecture parts, and I was even living in Chicago at the time. This made me feel dirty.

medford
09-21-2011, 12:56 PM
I enjoyed The Devil in the White city, however spolier alert: I was very dissapointed the two stories never really crossed over.

Sweetstop
09-21-2011, 02:27 PM
I enjoyed The Devil in the White city, however spolier alert: I was very dissapointed the two stories never really crossed over.


eh, i don't know. just the notion that the horrifying and the amazing were taking place during the same time and in such close proximity made it pretty fascinating reading for me..esp. with added tidbits such as mark twain being very ill while in chicago for the expo.

medford
09-22-2011, 08:54 AM
eh, i don't know. just the notion that the horrifying and the amazing were taking place during the same time and in such close proximity made it pretty fascinating reading for me..esp. with added tidbits such as mark twain being very ill while in chicago for the expo.

I agree with that part, especially the little tid bits like Franklin Lloyed Wright's father working on the White City. I just kept expecting the two tales to come together in some fashion, which they never really did. Perhaps I was setting the book up for failure in that regard. I'd still highly recommend it to anyone looking for a book to read, but that will always be in the back of my mind.

bucksfan2
09-22-2011, 09:49 AM
I am about a quarter of the way through Brad Thor's latest novel "Full Black". If you like Thor and Scot Harvath you will enjoy this novel.

bklynkenny
09-24-2011, 10:05 PM
I'm reading The Extra 2%, which is about how the new Tampa Bay Rays management turned things around.

edabbs44
09-25-2011, 09:17 PM
Grunge is Dead. Loved it.

marcshoe
09-30-2011, 09:01 PM
Finished 'The Devil in the White City'. I was impressed with the author's craft, particularly the way he chose details and descriptions that brought the story to life without either boring or overwhelming the reader.

marcshoe
10-01-2011, 12:50 AM
I just received the following email from Barnes & Noble:


Dear Borders Customer,

My name is William Lynch, CEO of Barnes & Noble, and I'm writing to you today on
behalf of the entire B&N team to make you aware of important information regarding your Borders account.

First of all let me say Barnes & Noble uniquely appreciates the importance bookstores play within local communities, and we're very sorry your Borders store closed.

As part of Borders ceasing operations, we acquired some of its assets including Borders brand trademarks and their customer list. The subject matter of your DVD and other video purchases will be part of the transferred information. The federal bankruptcy court approved this sale on September 26, 2011.

Our intent in buying the Borders customer list is simply to try and earn your business. The majority of our stores are within close proximity to former Borders store locations, and for those that aren't, we offer our award- winning NOOK™ digital reading devices that provide a bookstore in your pocket. We are readers like you, and hope that through our stores, NOOK devices, and our bn.com online bookstore we can win your trust and provide you with a place to read and shop.

It's important for you to understand however you have the absolute right to opt-out of having your customer data transferred to Barnes & Noble. If you would like to opt-out, we will ensure all your data we receive from Borders is disposed of in a secure and confidential manner. Please visit www.bn.com/borders before October 15, 2011 to do so.

Should you choose not to opt-out by October 15, 2011, be assured your information will be covered under the Barnes & Noble privacy policy, which can be accessed at www.bn.com/privacy. B&N will maintain any of your data according to this policy and our strict privacy standards.

At Barnes & Noble we share your love of books — whatever shape they take. We also take our responsibility to service communities by providing a local bookstore very seriously. In the coming weeks, assuming you don't opt-out, you'll be hearing from us with some offers to encourage you to shop our stores and try our NOOK products. We hope you'll give us a chance to be your bookstore.

reds1869
10-31-2011, 10:32 AM
I'm reading George Vescey's biography of Stan Musial. The anecdotes are entertaining and Musial is shown to be a complex, interesting character. Unfortunately the writing is awful and focuses more on the author's personal feelings about Stan The Man than on Stanley himself. I really expected more from such an accomplished writer.

bigredmechanism
10-31-2011, 08:28 PM
What Do You Care What Other People Think? by Richard Feynman.

~15 pages left. Interesting stuff, a lot about his time spent on the Challenger Commission in the 80s, but not nearly as good as his other book I had read.

SunDeck
10-31-2011, 09:19 PM
That used to be Us- Thomas Friedman, Michael Mandelbaum
BRIC countries are eating our lunch, basically, and if we don't get hungry as a country, we're screwed.

Literati
10-31-2011, 10:39 PM
The Camel Club series by David Baldacci - his books are always great

zacharync
10-31-2011, 10:54 PM
I am reading Bill Clinton's book/memoir. About half way through it but it's clear he went into far more detail than necessary. I am a Peace Corps volunteer though which means I have lots of time on my hands.

SunDeck
11-01-2011, 03:25 PM
I am reading Bill Clinton's book/memoir. About half way through it but it's clear he went into far more detail than necessary.

I hope the detail was about economic policy and not about "that woman".
:eek:

marcshoe
11-01-2011, 03:37 PM
I'm reading a book called "Driven West" about how Indian Removal developed and listening to Ron Chernow's biography of Washington. I may be listening for a while--I just started and it's 41 hours long.

BillDoran
11-03-2011, 12:01 PM
I just finished You Deserve Nothing by Alexander Maksik; a good book by a very promising young author. If you have any interest in existential fiction, I'd recommend it.

Sweetstop
11-03-2011, 12:31 PM
reading through the justifiably well-regarded ann patchett..finished "truth and beauty", "bel canto" and "the magician's assistant" currently reading her new novel, "state of wonder"

Roy Tucker
11-04-2011, 12:35 PM
reading through the justifiably well-regarded ann patchett..finished "truth and beauty", "bel canto" and "the magician's assistant" currently reading her new novel, "state of wonder"

I read "bel canto" a few years back. Liked it a lot.

From the junk book side of things, I've recently read:

"A Time For Patriots" - Dale Brown - not one of his best works. A mishmosh of ultra-right wingers and the Civil Air Patrol.

"Carte Blanche" - Jeffrey Deaver - Deaver writes a James Bond 007 novel (evidently with the blessing of Ian Fleming's estate). A well-told tale with Deaver-ish blindside twists, but not Bondish at all. None of Bonds' savoir faire at all so it was disappointing in that regard.

"Dead Zero" - Stephen Hunter - Hunter recently retired as movie critic for the Washington Post and has re-concentrated on his books (his last couple were very blah). A welcome return to form. Extremely dry very black humor, Bob Lee Swagger, rogue snipers, and really bad government bad guys. Lots of fun and I loved it.

marcshoe
11-12-2011, 12:01 AM
In addition to the nonfiction mentioned earlier (and the Washington book is exceptional, btw) "Defending Jacob" by William Landay or something like that, about a prosecutor in a small town who ends up defending his son on a charge of murdering another local boy. I'm reading a promotional copy; the book's set to be released at the end of January.

BillDoran
11-12-2011, 04:50 PM
I've read the first section of Jeffrey Eugenides's "The Marriage Plot". Thus far, exceptionally disappointing, mundane plotting, trite characters, just plain boring.

It's early, I remain hopeful. "Middlesex" was an all-time favorite.

pedro
11-13-2011, 06:12 PM
I've read the first section of Jeffrey Eugenides's "The Marriage Plot". Thus far, exceptionally disappointing, mundane plotting, trite characters, just plain boring.

It's early, I remain hopeful. "Middlesex" was an all-time favorite.

That's too bad. I loved Middlesex.

BillDoran
11-19-2011, 02:08 PM
I've read the first section of Jeffrey Eugenides's "The Marriage Plot". Thus far, exceptionally disappointing, mundane plotting, trite characters, just plain boring.

It's early, I remain hopeful. "Middlesex" was an all-time favorite.


That's too bad. I loved Middlesex.

It gets better!

In my opinion, doesn't meet the brilliance of Middlesex, but an enjoyable read. Plot remains a bit narrow and predictable, but Eugenides is still an incredibly talented writer. I think he does a great job exploring manic depression as well.

pedro
11-19-2011, 10:42 PM
Just finished "The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint" by Brady Udall. Liked it a lot but not as much as "The Lonely Polygamist"

vaticanplum
11-20-2011, 11:19 AM
"The Line" by Olga Grushin. I am bored so far. This seems to be a trend in my reading these days. Maybe it's me. My friend who recommended it to me has promised that it is slow going in the beginning but gets better.

hoopfan1952
11-20-2011, 12:03 PM
just finished a neat book about baseball, cuba, and 1964. refers to the reds throughout, and especially pete. got it on kindle for 99 cents. well worth a buck.
summer with fidel by r.g. lawrence

http://www.amazon.com/Summer-With-Fidel-ebook/dp/B0067KAM6E/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1321312525&sr=1-2

westofyou
11-20-2011, 12:09 PM
just finished a neat book about baseball, cuba, and 1964. refers to the reds throughout, and especially pete. got it on kindle for 99 cents. well worth a buck.
summer with fidel by r.g. lawrence

http://www.amazon.com/Summer-With-Fidel-ebook/dp/B0067KAM6E/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1321312525&sr=1-2

Pete learned to play a passable 2nd base from a Cuban infielder coach IIRC

I'm reading Crazy 08, about the 1908 Pennant Race

reds1869
11-20-2011, 12:18 PM
I'm almost finished with In The Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson. The book tells the story of Ambassador Dodd and his family in 1930s Berlin. Well worth a read if you like US or German history.

hoopfan1952
11-20-2011, 11:17 PM
all of harlan coben books are great. love his myron bolitar series. action, mystery and sports themes.

Sweetstop
11-21-2011, 04:46 PM
Just finished "The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint" by Brady Udall. Liked it a lot but not as much as "The Lonely Polygamist"

ah, interested to hear that, pedro. i loved "the lonely polygamist" also.


now reading the richard pevear and larissa volokhonsky translation of "war and peace" (only read an abridged version in the past) read their "anna karenina" several yrs ago...really good.

also found my son's old copy of "the phantom tollbooth" i'm starting..noted it's the 50th anniversary ..jules feiffer illustrations are terrific.

pedro
11-21-2011, 05:07 PM
Long flight today from Portland to NYC and knocked off a good bit of Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. Spectacular is the first word that comes to mind.

BillDoran
11-21-2011, 05:11 PM
Long flight today from Portland to NYC and knocked off a good bit of Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. Spectacular is the first word that comes to mind.

I'd be interested to hear your opinion upon finishing.

Sweetstop
11-21-2011, 05:34 PM
Long flight today from Portland to NYC and knocked off a good bit of Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. Spectacular is the first word that comes to mind.

i thought he got it right..in fact, it's a little too close to home on occasion. :)