BrianSD_42
New member
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll put it on my list. I read Black Hawk down and then a second time years later. I like his style of non-fiction writing.
:cheers:
Books you've read this month
- Thread starter 97t4r81
- Start date
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll put it on my list. I read Black Hawk down and then a second time years later. I like his style of non-fiction writing.
:cheers:
BrianSD_42
New member
theMayor
New member
Just finished "Call of the American Wild: A Tenderfoot's Escape to Alaska".
Hated it. Thought it would be like "Into the Wild" (one of my favorites), but it was just a Scottish dude who made an impulsive decision to leave his family for a few months to try to "wing it" in Alaska. The locals gave him everything he needed to survive after he basically just shows up with a sleeping bag. He literally did zero research on survival or backwoods techniques and had to be taught everything there. I was rooting for him to die through the whole book (but obviously knew he wouldn't).
Next will be "The Final Frontiersman."
Hated it. Thought it would be like "Into the Wild" (one of my favorites), but it was just a Scottish dude who made an impulsive decision to leave his family for a few months to try to "wing it" in Alaska. The locals gave him everything he needed to survive after he basically just shows up with a sleeping bag. He literally did zero research on survival or backwoods techniques and had to be taught everything there. I was rooting for him to die through the whole book (but obviously knew he wouldn't).
Next will be "The Final Frontiersman."
ericantonio
New member
Just finished "Where the Crawdads Sing"
ElectroBoy
Banned
I got into the Cormoran Strike series of contemporary crime fiction set in London, where war veteran turned private detective, Cormoran Strike, solves brutal murders with the help of his trusted assistant Robin Ellacott.
The author is Robert Gabraith, which is the pen name of J.K. Rowling!
The first Cormoran Strike novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling, was published in 2013.
Second book is The Silkworm (2014) and the third is Career of Evil (2015).
I’m now on the fourth in the series, Lethal White.
These books are great crime novels. They were so well received that the first three novels were made into a TV series by the BBC in 2017. Then in the USA on Cinemax and in Canada on HBO in 2018.
The author is Robert Gabraith, which is the pen name of J.K. Rowling!
The first Cormoran Strike novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling, was published in 2013.
Second book is The Silkworm (2014) and the third is Career of Evil (2015).
I’m now on the fourth in the series, Lethal White.
These books are great crime novels. They were so well received that the first three novels were made into a TV series by the BBC in 2017. Then in the USA on Cinemax and in Canada on HBO in 2018.
PrettyGoodSam
New member
Last week I finished Paddy Whacked: The untold story of the Irish Mob. It was a great historical read.
Just started The Founding Myth by Andrew Seidel, its very informative but a bit dry so far. I expect it to liven up as it goes on.
Just started The Founding Myth by Andrew Seidel, its very informative but a bit dry so far. I expect it to liven up as it goes on.
AntleredRuin
New member
I have a pretty good commute (around 3 hours a day) so I don't have as much time to read as I'd like. So I listen to audiobooks while driving.
I also found that you can find pretty much ANY book in PDF format online with a quick Google search. There are some 'read PDF out-loud' apps on Android, and with a little speed/pitch tweaking, they don't sound half bad.
Admittedly, this is a little sketchy legally, but anything I really like, I try to make sure to at least buy or already own the legit audiobook or hard copy.
I really don't read or even enjoy adult literature. I've always loved reading, but I've found most of the 'classics' to really just be annoying. I feel like most of them try too hard. Like they knew they'd be a big hit and were just pandering to the masses. Or, they were big because of the time period they were written in (some social issue or whatever) and the impact as been lost over the years. To me, reading should not be a chore. If I get more than a few chapters into a book and have to force myself to keep going, I usually don't pick the book back up after the next time I put it down.
I also don't like most adult literature for the same reason that I don't watch the news or watch cop shows. When things get too real, they lose their appeal to me. The world is a socially a pretty crappy place to live in. Why would I want to be reminded of all the bad things people do to one another?
I love sci-fi and fantasy books (but steer clear of A Song of Fire and Ice/Game of Thrones books. I mean, geez.) because you can usually get a gripping story with great characters that isn't based too much in reality. When there's violence, it's more detached and less relatable because the situation/scene it happens in is completely unrealistic.
That being said, the characters can still be well written and the story can still be extremely emotional, but the situations hardly ever hit close to home in a bad way.
Sci-fi and fantasy books are a great way to pass the time because they draw you completely out of the life you live and plant you somewhere else for a while.
They make the monotony of driving a traffic a distant memory.
I've found that the young(ish) adult fiction is really where it's at for me. Plenty of action and violence (but usually not too descriptive or gruesome). Plenty of mystery, but usually not 'adult themed'. Often Sci-fi, just because that's cool.
As weird and embarrassing as this is, I've actually gone back through the Animorphs series. I loved them as a kid and thought I'd try them again. And damn. I mean damn. There's almost 60 books in the entire series, so it's a damn saga. 5 pre-teens (and a friendly alien) are the last defense against a secret alien invasion trying to take over Earth, where literally anyone can be the enemy? They can't trust anyone, including their own families, because they could be the enemy too. They have to go about their days acting like nothing's wrong because if they let one thing slip, humanity is doomed. All while risking their lives fighting a losing war, trying to hold out for the salvation of the rest of 'friendly alien's' army.
They start out a bit choppy. It's all first person perspective, and the first few books were only around 80 pages each, so they move quick, but once the author finds her flow, she doesn't let up. She's a complete master of tugging at the heartstrings with minimal effort. She doesn't have to overly-describe anything to get a point across. Each character is so well written that you know how they'll react to any given situation and the entire series just feels natural.
They are technically kid's books, but if you can fall into rhythm with the simplistic writing, they are so much more than that.
I even introduced my wife to them a couple years ago, and she kept telling me how much they made her cry.
And yes, I still own all my paperback copies that I've had since I was 8.
I also found that you can find pretty much ANY book in PDF format online with a quick Google search. There are some 'read PDF out-loud' apps on Android, and with a little speed/pitch tweaking, they don't sound half bad.
Admittedly, this is a little sketchy legally, but anything I really like, I try to make sure to at least buy or already own the legit audiobook or hard copy.
I really don't read or even enjoy adult literature. I've always loved reading, but I've found most of the 'classics' to really just be annoying. I feel like most of them try too hard. Like they knew they'd be a big hit and were just pandering to the masses. Or, they were big because of the time period they were written in (some social issue or whatever) and the impact as been lost over the years. To me, reading should not be a chore. If I get more than a few chapters into a book and have to force myself to keep going, I usually don't pick the book back up after the next time I put it down.
I also don't like most adult literature for the same reason that I don't watch the news or watch cop shows. When things get too real, they lose their appeal to me. The world is a socially a pretty crappy place to live in. Why would I want to be reminded of all the bad things people do to one another?
I love sci-fi and fantasy books (but steer clear of A Song of Fire and Ice/Game of Thrones books. I mean, geez.) because you can usually get a gripping story with great characters that isn't based too much in reality. When there's violence, it's more detached and less relatable because the situation/scene it happens in is completely unrealistic.
That being said, the characters can still be well written and the story can still be extremely emotional, but the situations hardly ever hit close to home in a bad way.
Sci-fi and fantasy books are a great way to pass the time because they draw you completely out of the life you live and plant you somewhere else for a while.
They make the monotony of driving a traffic a distant memory.
I've found that the young(ish) adult fiction is really where it's at for me. Plenty of action and violence (but usually not too descriptive or gruesome). Plenty of mystery, but usually not 'adult themed'. Often Sci-fi, just because that's cool.
As weird and embarrassing as this is, I've actually gone back through the Animorphs series. I loved them as a kid and thought I'd try them again. And damn. I mean damn. There's almost 60 books in the entire series, so it's a damn saga. 5 pre-teens (and a friendly alien) are the last defense against a secret alien invasion trying to take over Earth, where literally anyone can be the enemy? They can't trust anyone, including their own families, because they could be the enemy too. They have to go about their days acting like nothing's wrong because if they let one thing slip, humanity is doomed. All while risking their lives fighting a losing war, trying to hold out for the salvation of the rest of 'friendly alien's' army.
They start out a bit choppy. It's all first person perspective, and the first few books were only around 80 pages each, so they move quick, but once the author finds her flow, she doesn't let up. She's a complete master of tugging at the heartstrings with minimal effort. She doesn't have to overly-describe anything to get a point across. Each character is so well written that you know how they'll react to any given situation and the entire series just feels natural.
They are technically kid's books, but if you can fall into rhythm with the simplistic writing, they are so much more than that.
I even introduced my wife to them a couple years ago, and she kept telling me how much they made her cry.
And yes, I still own all my paperback copies that I've had since I was 8.
BrianSD_42
New member
Ghettocide. A True Story of Murder in America.
By Jill Leovy
I just finished this book. It was recommended to me and I looked it up. Very glad I did. Anything who finds the topics of crime solving, police work, crime in cities, issues with gangs, challenges around race in America ..... anyone who thinks they know about those topics I suggest you check out this book.
It is the non-fiction story of a single recent murder in Los Angeles. One that would have been unsolved if it were not for the fact that the black male victim happened to be a police officers 16 yo son. It is a true story making the case overall that what we need in poor neighborhoods is not less police but rather better a use of resources to put the murderers of young black victims in jail, to solve the cases, to invest the resources. Was a very very very good book imo. Very engaging. Great non-fiction.
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Attachments
Hepar
New member
I did a book report on Fear and Loathing when I was in the 7th grade. Needless to say that I got a bit of a chastising on my choice. My older sister was the one who suggested it. Honestly, the vast majority of things in the book went over my head at the time. It wasn't until I reread it much later that more of it made sense. Have you read The Curse of Lono? That's one of my favorite Hunter S Thompson books.
Lately I've switched back to a mode of non-fiction. A couple of recent books that I recommend:
Midnight in Broad Daylight - It's a true story of a Japanese family who had two brothers who fought in world war 2. One for Japan and the other for America. Very good.
Sapiens - A look at the history of humans.
The Selfish Gene - A book on evolution. But one of the most interesting things was how Dawkins saw the future of human evolution and how accurate he was. I never knew this, but it is where the term "meme" came from and he wrote the book back in the late 70's.
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Muzzle of Bees
New member
Started the Mueller Report. Like any Government document, it reads like Chaucer's English.
JoannaMcFadden
New member
Literature that save our education
I read a lot of literature. Books are my love. Every day I am reading different types of books and use this knowledge for writing essays on Free Essays on Literature. Examples of Research Paper Topics, Titles, Outlines GradesFixer for my college assignments.
I read a lot of literature. Books are my love. Every day I am reading different types of books and use this knowledge for writing essays on Free Essays on Literature. Examples of Research Paper Topics, Titles, Outlines GradesFixer for my college assignments.
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JonesBones
New member
I've been reading the Harry Potter series to my son. This month we just finally started the last book. He was young when we started doing this. He's 12 now, and could easily read them on his own, but we've kept up the tradition and it's been fun. Personally, I've been reading Eifelheim by Michael Flynn for the second time. Excellent book. Probably my favorite science fiction novel. If I'm reading non-fiction, it is usually physics/astronomy or theology.
BrianSD_42
New member
Awesome book. I read it back in high school in 1999. I'm sure its still great even today. BTW the Amazon series is pretty damn good, starts off a bit slow though.
My upcoming books:
* Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
* The Immortal Irishman by Timothy Egan
* The Outsider by Stephen King
* The Home Front: Life in America During WWII
Recently finished non-fiction: Ghettoside by Jill Leovy (I cannot recommend this book enough, one of the most powerful non-fiction stories I've ever read)
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