Stephen King's Never Flinch.
I really like the character he's created going all the way back to the Mr. Mercedes trilogy.
I really like the character he's created going all the way back to the Mr. Mercedes trilogy.
Book(s) you are currently reading.
- Thread starter LionJim
- Start date
Anything by Richard Russo is terrific.
For history, Rick Atkinson WW2 trilogy is also excellent.
To learn about molecular biology and personalities invilved, try “The eighth day of creation”.
Also “”The emperor of all maladies”
I did read his book on how France was beaten so easily im WW2…but will check this one out! Thx!!
Erik Larson’s “In the Garden of Beasts” is fantastic too. Prewar (WW2) Germany.
The novel I regularly gift is Richard Russo’s “Straight Man,” that’s a can’t miss. I have every novel by both McCarthy and Russo, just those two.
Guessing it hits close to home for you. How many times have you been smacked in the face with a spiral bound notebook in a department meeting?
Does it hit close to home for me? Not really but it does for my wife, she was an English professor. Believe me, the characters in the English department in Straight Man are totally on brand, close to toxic. (NOT my wife.)
Russo is not a great stylist (he doesn’t know how to place commas, drives me crazy), but he creates his characters with such care and affection, that’s his brand. Every one of his books is character driven, and it works for me. Again, I got every one of his novels, have read each multiple times. Now, off to the gym, ffs!
David Baldacci's To Die For featuring Travis Devine....
This guy is a f'ing machine. That book is sitting on top of two others from Baldacci.
This guy is a f'ing machine. That book is sitting on top of two others from Baldacci.
Ten Caesers:Roman History from Augustus to Constantine. It is written in a narrative tone and easy to read and quite informative
Me, preparing for a trip to Greece: Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. A great leap forward for Hellenistic society was the development of their phonetic alphabet, around 800 BC. It was easy to learn (especially compared to Egyptian hieroglyphics) and directly lead to Homer, Plato, Aristotle, Euclid. (No direct writings from Socrates survive; what we know of Socrates we get from Plato, is my understanding.)
This Tender Land by Wm. Kent Krueger. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.
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Finished Swamp Kings, which was written in an interesting way. Instead of being linear, the author (Jason Ryan) details past crimes from previous generations, then similar crimes from the current generation. Essentially proving that when it comes to the Murdaugh family and their near century of corruption, history often repeats itself. Would recommend to anyone that likes true crime, although there could be some bias on my part.
Due to several discussions by the board, I've picked up Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.
Due to several discussions by the board, I've picked up Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.
Nearly finished my Murakami book and switched things up on vacation. Opted for the girthy ‘Fire & Blood’ by George RR Martin. He’s such a terrific world builder; and though this reads more like an oral history of the Targaryen’s, it’s still very compelling (and fun!). Highly recommend for fans of fantasy.
I read Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar’ many years ago. Talk about a way with words…
I read Plath’s ‘The Bell Jar’ many years ago. Talk about a way with words…
I see myself exiting the rat race and "retire" Dec 2030 at 65. I am starting to really dig into investment/retirement/tax planning strategies. This book is an outstanding read...
Recommended to me by two others not on this board.
Die with Zero is currently sitting in the pile of books I want to read on my desk. May be the next one. I would lump this one into the prepping for retirement reads(2032 is my target year but if I can exit the rat race sooner....)
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Invention and Innovation:A brief History of Hype and Failure by Vaclav Smil
How do you feel about House of the Dragon after reading Fire and Blood? I've not read it myself, but there's a lot of complaints online concerning accuracy to the source material. I guess George RR Martin has made a "it's no longer my show" comment (or something along those lines).
I haven't got to the 'Dance of the Dragons' part of the book yet (upon which 'House of the Dragon' is based), but F&B is not written as a traditional narrative with the narrator or character describing events as they happened or are happening (like 'A Song of Ice and Fire'); each chapter is told from the perspective of someone else, not involved in the story at all, sort of passing down the stories as they have been heard (usually a maester from the Citadel). There is A LOT that is speculation and 'well, that is what I heard, anyway....' and many gaps that can be filled and pondered. I think they did substantively change some of the characters and plot points in HOTD (some characters do not appear at all, or are 'merged' with others for the sake of streamlining in a TV format) and GRRM isn't happy with it, but I'm not a purist and consider the items to be two separate pieces of canon (with HOTD more 'inspired by' than anything else). I thought S3 was a big improvement over S2 (which I also really liked to be honest) but could always do with less moping around Harrenhall.
Show has made some improvements too - in the book Rhaenerya is supposed to be fat. I like this version.
Finished that one. Now on The Edge which is another 6:20 Man "thriller" with Travis Devine.
In between, I read Strangers In Time which is one of Baldacci's stand alones about WW2 in London. Loved it. It kind of remined me of Grisham's A Painted House in terms of hardships from bygone eras.
A Day in the Life by Andrew Masseur.Just finished:
I read it again after twenty years and was extremely impressed by how it holds up. Weiner is a great voice for scientists; he did a fantastic job with the earlier The Beak of the Finch.
Now reading, another re-read. I'm really digging this.
I read her back in the day. She was great. Hadn't read much since. Might have to pick the latest one up.
Louis L'Amour ....FrontierJust finished:
I read it again after twenty years and was extremely impressed by how it holds up. Weiner is a great voice for scientists; he did a fantastic job with the earlier The Beak of the Finch.
Now reading, another re-read. I'm really digging this.
I love bookstores and try to visit local stores whenever I see one. Thankfully, this love of books and reading has carried over to my kids so they get excited when we find a smalltown bookstore (we vacation in Camden, ME and they have a few wonderful shops - shoutout Owl & Turtle Bookshop!). One recently opened in Old Town Alexandria and it's great (the Books-A-Million closed a few years ago). So, while the kids were checking out their favorites and looking for new things to dig into, a book caught my eye and I bought it on a whim. It's called 'Tsubaki Stationary Store' by Japanese author Ito Ogawa. I tend to read a lot of Japanese writing for some reason; think it's the often simple but effective prose and my fondness and nostalgia for my time as a youth living there. Anyway, the plot is:
You always told me that writing is life itself.
After many years abroad, Hatoko reluctantly returns to Kamakura to take over the stationery store left to her by her late grandmother. As the custodian of the store, she also inherits the profession of public scribe, a role Hatoko trained for as a child under the guidance of her strict grandmother.
As the locals seek out Hatoko's help, she takes on all manner of writing letters of greeting, condolence, farewell, love, and more on behalf of those who come to her. A local community forms around Hatoko and the store, and when the secrets of her late grandmother begin to unravel, Hatoko learns that the role of the scribe requires much more than putting ink to paper.
Set to the rhythm of the four seasons and the Japanese rituals and festivities that come with them, Tsubaki Stationery Store is a charming story about the importance of community and the reconciliatory power of the written word.
Looking forward to getting into it this fall/winter in-between Fire & Blood.
As an aside, we're heading to Paris again next spring for Spring Break (Ireland as well), and I'm wanting to do some prep work on Napoleon (my son has been reading some age appropriate graphic novels about him) - anyone have a good recommendation here? We're gonna visit his tomb now that I think my kids are at the right age. I'd like to read about Joan of Arc as well if anyone has anything there to recommend....
You always told me that writing is life itself.
After many years abroad, Hatoko reluctantly returns to Kamakura to take over the stationery store left to her by her late grandmother. As the custodian of the store, she also inherits the profession of public scribe, a role Hatoko trained for as a child under the guidance of her strict grandmother.
As the locals seek out Hatoko's help, she takes on all manner of writing letters of greeting, condolence, farewell, love, and more on behalf of those who come to her. A local community forms around Hatoko and the store, and when the secrets of her late grandmother begin to unravel, Hatoko learns that the role of the scribe requires much more than putting ink to paper.
Set to the rhythm of the four seasons and the Japanese rituals and festivities that come with them, Tsubaki Stationery Store is a charming story about the importance of community and the reconciliatory power of the written word.
Looking forward to getting into it this fall/winter in-between Fire & Blood.
As an aside, we're heading to Paris again next spring for Spring Break (Ireland as well), and I'm wanting to do some prep work on Napoleon (my son has been reading some age appropriate graphic novels about him) - anyone have a good recommendation here? We're gonna visit his tomb now that I think my kids are at the right age. I'd like to read about Joan of Arc as well if anyone has anything there to recommend....
About to start Murrders, Massacres and Mayhem in The Mid Atlantic by Joe Farrell and Joe Farley.
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