Open Thread – Books!
I had a great suggestion from a Mudflatter who had just finished reading Open Secret by Stella Rimington, the former Director General of Great Britain’s Secret Service, and thought it was excellent. She asked that I throw out the question and ask everyone if they’ve got a biography or autobiography to recommend, about someone who’s really made a difference.
So I will.
And I’ll extend the question to ask what you’ve been reading, or plan to read for the new year? My “I’m going to read this” stack is usually divided into small piles which can be found in various places around the house. Here are the three that are on the top of my current piles.
The first one is written by a friend of a friend who was kind enough to send me a copy. Frankly, it’s freaking me out a little bit. It’s one of those things that most of us who are not in the judicial system never think about, but probably should. I’ll be writing more about this later.
Harvey Silverglate’s Three Felonies A Day focuses on how federal prosecutors invent creative interpretations of statutes, sometimes creating new felonies out of vague language or thin air, felonies never legislated by Congress. Federal criminal law is today so vast and so poorly worded that Silverglate reports, truthfully, each of us, every American, commits three felonies every day without knowing it. A respected Boston civil liberties lawyer, Mr. Silverglate shows his readers why federal prosecutors target innocent people (career enhancement) and how they do it (dispensing with the need to show criminal intent in order to commit a crime). The careers of Rudy Giuliani, William Weld and Michael J. Sullivan were built on the backs of innocent defendants.
Picking up where Three Cups of Tea left off in late 2003, Stones into Schools traces the Central Asia Institute’s efforts to work in a whole new country, the secluded northeast corner of Arghanistan. Greg Mortenson describes how he and his intrepid manager, Sarfraz Khan, barnstormed around Badakshan Province and the Wakhan Corridor, moving for weeks without sleep, to establish the first schools there. Those efforts were diverted in October 2005 when a devastating earthquake hit the Azad Kashmir region of Pakistan. Under Sarfraz’s watch, the CAI helped with relief efforts by setting up temporaray tent schools and eventually several earthquakeproof schools. The action then returns to Afghanistan in 2007, as the CAI launches schools in the heart of Taliban country and as Mortenson helps the U.S. military formulate new strategic plans in the region.
And for pure enjoyment and entertainment…
So, what do you recommend? What should we avoid? What’s on your stack? And since it’s an Open Thread, feel free to deviate anywhere you’d like to go!
I saw a reading/discussion by the authors of “Molly Ivins: A Rebel Life” on CSPAN2 the other day. Can’t wait to read the book: http://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/publicaffairsbooks-cgi-bin/display?book=9781586487171 AKM, I think you’ve got a bit of Molly’s spirit in you, hopefully without the addiction to spirits that plagued her. Molly was a breath of fresh liberal air in the many years we needed it.
Your first two suggestions are intriguing, but Dan Brown is such a poor writer his books are painful to read. I’ll pass on that.
Just finished Stephen King’s “Under the Dome.” If you haven’t read it, don’t bother.
I’ve made it a choice, because of money but also because of not wanting to waste energy, to only buy used books, and then at the thrift store where I can get them for 25 or 50 cents. So–I generally look for the classics, political books, cookbooks, and for “popular” books of the crime genre, although I don’t reject any other if it looks worthy. That way, when I “loan” them out and they’re not returned (or I can’t remember who has them), I don’t worry about it. I’d rather “lose” a book than deny someone reading material!
Meanwhile, our well froze up last night and it’s only 16 deg here in NC. : (
I told my son we should put a light in the wellhouse last night, but no….he thought it had to get colder. So, we have no water this am.
I’ll definitely look into “Open Secret.” Sounds like it would be interesting.
And, I’m run mad to read Geoffrey Dunn’s new book on Sarah Palin’s lies. Amazon.com says it will be released on April 13 (one day before by birthday), so I’ve preordered it as a gift to ME!
Here’s a New Year’s gift to all who strain their necks and eyes reading the astounding stories and feats of one-time Alaskan governor Sarah H. Palin:
http://lab.arc90.com/experiments/readability/
it works like a charm. Watch the tutorial video. It enables to to see and read the internet page you are reading without all the clutter.
I said G-i-f-t, not G-r-i-f-t !
Go for it!
Wow I have to agree with Albert Lewis with regard to Dan Brown. But I’m surprised at his appraisal of Steven King’s latest, although I haven’t read it. Right now I’m looking for to Sue Grafton’s latest – U is for Undertow.
for=forward
Funny thing, I found “Paula” by Isabelle Allende at the thrift store, but didn’t realize until I got home that it was entirely in Spanish–which I took years and years ago. From what I can tell, it’s about her sister who might have died young.
I also have piles of books scattered from one end of the house to the other and my tastes depend on my mood, as well as the time of day.
For light and easy reading that will allow me to sleep without nightmares, I go for the mysteries. I never tire of re-reading Agatha Christie and Doyle. There is a series by Archer Mayor of a fictional detective, primary story lines take place in the southern VT hometown I grew up in and enjoy the touches of nostalgia and recognizing familiar places.
I am also a big fan of Maeve Binchy, an Irish author. Her stories have a touch of romance, but deal with the every day ups and downs of us *common folks*, no matter our country of origin. I have always wanted to tour Ireland, so I live vicariously through the pages of her novels.
I belong to the Progressive Book Club and most of those are educational/informative, but they certainly aren’t pleasure reading. For instance, one of the more recent ones was “Blackwater”. It shows the desperation of the Bush cabinet to achieve their goals by any means. It is a dark and dreary look at our government and I simply can’t read but a few pages at a time.
As does Grandma68, I get most of my books from the thrift stores and will read just about anything but Sci-Fi……just not my cup of tea! I often read a whole book in a day, so if I didn’t buy used books, my bank account would definitely suffer!
I’m glad to read other’s reviews so that I can steer clear of some that don’t sound good, and go for others that do sound good – Thanks!
Frigid temps here in swKY – got down to 11 last night – fortunately no frozen pipes!
Oh, wrong, “Paula” is about Allende’s daughter:
One of the most highly praised and widely read writers of fiction to come out of Latin America in this century, Isabel Allende has mesmerized readers throughout the world with her own blend of magical realism, politics, and romance. With Paula Allende has written a new tour de force, a powerful autobiography whose straightforward acceptance of the magical and spiritual worlds will remind readers of her first book, The House of the Spirits.
Paula is a soul-baring memoir, which like a novel of suspense, one reads without drawing a breath. The point of departure for these moving pages is a tragic personal experience. In December 1991, Isabel Allende’s daughter, Paula, became gravely ill and shortly thereafter fell into a coma. During months in the hospital, the author began to write the story of her family for her unconscious daughter. In the telling, bizarre ancestors appear before our eyes; we hear both delightful and bitter childhood memories, amazing anecdotes of youthful years, the most intimate secrets passed along in whispers. Chile, Allende’s native land, comes alive as well, with the turbulent history of the military coup of 1973, the ensuing dictatorship, and her family’s years of exile.
I will look for this book in English…
Grandma68 – you might try using a hair blower on the pipes/regulator to warm up the pipes with…it usually doesn’t get that cold here for our pipes to freeze , but it DID happen once, and my wife’s blower worked quickly on our water pressure regulator – an actual good use for the darn thing that blows hair everywhere and drowns out football games !
I admit to being hooked on Sci-Fi /Fantasy for mental relief… looking forward to the last in the Robert Jordan “Wheel of Time” series, and have worn out 3 sets of Lord of the Rings over the years… and have an 1910 collection of Kipling – so my tastes are varied…
GreatGranny2C Says:
January 3rd, 2010 at 4:29 AM
I also have piles of books scattered from one end of the house to the other and my tastes depend on my mood, as well as the time of day.
____________
Yes, we sound like we’re from the same mold. : ) I now have 2 great-grandchildren, one just born 12/7 (Pearl Harbor Day), the other 16 mos. I also like Maeve (you should read the late Frank McCourt, though), but not Sci-Fi, although my grandson (new dad) took me to see “Avatar” which I thought was terrific for its special effects although the storyline was rather pedestrian, but also anti-imperialist.
Like GG2C I am a great fan of Maeve Binchy. I so enjoy her stories of ordinary people living ordinary lives yet somehow they seem extraordinary. I don’t know how better to explain it. I am also a great fan of Dean Koontz. My all-time favorite is Watchers and then Midnight and Lightning. I really like his new character Brother Odd and then any of his books that have a dog in it. Then there is Dorothy Sayers wonderful Lord Peter Wimsey series. I have read and re-read them so many times the covers are worn thin.
Presently I am reading Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. It’s about a young boy who is mute. His family has raised a special breed of dogs for generations. His father dies suddenly and Edgar is grief-stricken, blames his uncle for the death and runs away into the National Forest with his dog Almondine. I’m about a third of the way through it. The writing is rather languid and it’s a slow-moving story, but I find I don’t want to stop reading it. I’ll let you know how I feel when I finish it.
In the wings, waiting expectantly, is The Girl Who Played With Fire from the extraordinarily gifted mind of Steig Larssen. This girl is a character like no other you may have encountered in literature.
Ben, thanks for the advice, but an hour of the utility light did the trick. We have water now! : )
In the wings, waiting expectantly, is The Girl Who Played With Fire from the extraordinarily gifted mind of Steig Larssen. This girl is a character like no other you may have encountered in literature.
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I’m currently reading the last book in his trilogy. They are fantastic.
Other books I have really liked are The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is also an excellent read.
Our family enjoys books. We have an extensive library . . . mostly because we can’t borrow library books! The Newf pack likes to participate (wanting attention) and will do attack drools while we are reading! We have used books, classics that I’ve saved from the dump (yard sale treasures) and new books. Mom just recently read the new Stephen King novel and liked it. Very well written. Dan is reading a 1951 copy of Monsarrat’s “The Cruel Sea.” We’ve got biographies, science fiction, fiction, mysteries that are read over and over here.
I’m impatiently waiting for Spencer Quinn’s new book “There By Hangs A Tail” coming out on the 5th. I loved his first book “Dog on It.” Bernie (human) and Chet (dog) are quite the detective duo AND the book is told from Chet’s point of view. Maybe it’s just me, but Chet has a great view of life. My 10 Newfs agree with him frequently, but would not want to live in the desert.
Chet has his own website http://www.chetthedog.com which is another of my read daily blogs.
Gradma68, what is it about guys and plumbing? I remember when we shut up a part of the house and Dad said oh, it won’t hurt the plumbing. It gets to the negative degrees up here!! Needless to say, when we turned the heat back on we had a waterfall behind the wall from the upstairs bathroom. Now in that section we leave the heat at 45 degrees.
It’s 2 degrees this morning and WINDY! Wind chill factors are -20. The dogs are outside playing wondering why we’re not coming out.
This might sound quaint, but the most fascinating biography that I have read lately is “When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi” by David Maraniss. Lombardi may not have changed the world in any significant way but the former coach of the Green Bay Packers is an iconic figure. He is the person most responsible for transforming football into a metaphor of the American experience. In politics, candidates often have “their backs up against the wall” or need to “throw a Hail Mary” (as in McCain’s selection of Palin). Candidates will tell you that they must “give 110%” or that “winners never quit” (does that bring anyone to mind?). Strangely enough, the book reveals that it was not Lombardi who first uttered the memorable, “Winning isn’t everything. It is the only thing”.
The book is tremendously well written by a Pulitzer Prize winning author. We learn far more about the “man” Lombardi than the “coach” Lombardi and surprisingly it draws a lot of tears out of the reader. He was far more complex than one might realize.
Newf, guys are always right; haven’t you heard? (“But I thought [woops] it wouldn’t freeze up unless it was in single digits.”) : ) So much for women’s wisdom and good common sense. We seldom have weather this cold in this part of NC, but expect it to stay like this for another week. Therefore, the light goes back on in the wellhouse tonight and every night it’s below 20 deg (which is about the temp the pump starts to freeze up). And guess who has to use the plumber’s friend to suck all the hair out of the drains when they stop up…routine care and maintenance is not on their agenda.
Grandma68, i too buy my books at the goodwill, though about once or twice a year when i have some extra money i go a little hog-wild at amazon. this year i will go to amazon via the mudflats. i also joined this club: http://www.paperbackswap.com. it’s pretty cool, you list all your books that you’re finished with and look for books you want to read. all it costs is the shipping. you pay nothing for the books coming to you only for the books you send out. they don’t have to be paperbacks by the way.
i finished my copy of Going Rouge a few days ago, and am about to the end of All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. terrific anti-war story from WWI but tragically still relevant.
a quote: “How senseless is everything that can ever be written, done, or thought, when such things are possible. It must be all lies and of no account when the culture of a thousand years could not prevent this stream of blood being poured out, these torture-chambers in their hundreds of thousands. A hospital alone shows what war is.
“…I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another. I see that the keenest brains of the world. I see that the keenest brains of the world invent weapons and words to make it yet more refined and enduring….”
i’d never read it until now somehow.
I am finishing up “Molly Ivins, A Rebel Life”, my husband gave it to me for Christmas. I didn’t realize she was such a tormented soul and I wish I had found her (or become more politically aware long before I did) to have read her columns, she left us way too soon.
I had started Doris Kearns Goodwin’s “Team of Rivals, The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” because I heard President Obama read it while campaigning. I’ll get back to it when I’m done with the Ivins book. I like history; other good books in that genre: “John Adams” by David McCollough (sp?) and “His Excellency, George Washington” by Joseph Ellis.
A true story about WW II atrocities, “All But My Life” by Gerda Weissmann Klein is a wonderful story, full of courage amidst a very dark era.
I read a mish mash of books, some of my favorites:
“Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” by Barbara Kingsolver. Yes, *that Barbara Kingsolver, author of the “Poisonwood Bible”. In this book she shares her family’s journey of eating locally for one year with recipes included.
“A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove” by Laura Schenone. A history of American women told through food, recipes and remembrances.
Hm…I see a theme developing here…. LOL
I used to read Maeve Binchey and loved her earlier works. Her current books seem to I don’t know, repeat. “Circle of Friends” and “Light a Penny Candle” are my favorites.
For another look into that part of the world, I enjoy James Herriot’s series of books starting with “All Creatures Great and Small”. For all the animal lovers out there, I highly recommend them. They’re based on his life as a country vet in early 1930′s on through WW II England and they’re very humorous. I read them again and again.
“84 Charing Cross Road” is a good read; about an English bookseller and an American woman who correspond for 20 +/- years. He finds books that she requests…it’s all told via snail mail letters and was made into a movie with Anthony Hopkins and, and, and…I can’t remember the actress’ name.
I have “The Story of Edgar Sawtelle”, a Christmas present from ’08 but haven’t finished it yet….it is slow moving. I might try to tackle it again during the long winter ahead.
I love this topic and could go on forever…..books and I get along great.
Ack, how could I forget Amy Tan and Maya Angelou? Two of my favorite authors. I LOVE books. LOL
London Bridges thank you! that is one of the coolest tools ever and couldn’t be easier to use.
should have added, i can’t wait to try it on HuffPo which bugs the crap out of me with its busy-ness!
Right now I’m sloughing through Reinhold Niebuhr”s “The Irony Of American History.” Trying to figure out how Obama thinks. A hard read, sounds boring, doesn’t it.
Love, love, love to read. I think that’s why I love the Internet so much, so many more things to be reading!
My favorite books for the year:
The Steig Larsson books….The Girl Who Played With Fire is a great follow up to The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and I am very much looking forward to the final book in the Trilogy. I see that Irishgirl already has it and I know it’s been released in Europe, I need to see about picking up one there instead of waiting for it’s release here. These are wonderfully written books with a remarkable protagonist, Lisbeth Salander, who you will not forget.
The Help, by Kathryn Stockett….a book about the women who wait on white women and their families in the early 60′s in Mississippi. One of the best books I have read in years…..I did not want it to end.
Let The Great World Spin…..by Colum McCann…..set in NYC in 1974 with the tightrope walk of Philippe Petit between the Twin Towers as a central tying image among the people in the book. This one is still staying in the back of my mind. Loved it.
Cleaving, A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession…..by Julie Powell. I had found Julie’s blog where she wrote about cooking the recipes in MtAoFC about a month after she started the project. Read along with her the entire year. Loved her writing and her profanity and her drinking and her absolute hatred of George W. Bush at the time (it was very refreshing to be reading that back in 2002/03 or so, remember?) Julie/Julia the movie was nice, but they really did not let the real Julie out. This book does. It has horrible reviews on Amazon, but I really liked it a lot. The moralist scolds who reviewed it hate her because she talks honestly about her marriage and having an affair. This book is very honest and I admire her because it takes a lot of GUTS to go places by yourself, where you cannot speak the language, to learn about butchery and to end up eating parts of the heart or the liver or drinking the blood of a freshly killed goat in Africa. To write about her life so clearly and to lay it bare like that is an amazing thing.
I never buy books, but instead order the best-reviewed books from my library each week. The result is a never-ending supply of great reads. I liked Under the Dome, but my favorite book of the year has to be Dave Eggers Zeitoun. Finished it in one sitting.
I am reading “The Lost Symbol” now and I am really liking it. Hubby is reading “Knife of Dreams” now. He really enjoys Robert Jordons’ books.
Newfoundland Dogs Rule Says:
I’m impatiently waiting for Spencer Quinn’s new book “There By Hangs A Tail” coming out on the 5th. I loved his first book “Dog on It.” Bernie (human) and Chet (dog) are quite the detective duo AND the book is told from Chet’s point of view. Maybe it’s just me, but Chet has a great view of life. My 10 Newfs agree with him frequently, but would not want to live in the desert.
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LOL. I read Dog On It when AKM had it her sidebar some time ago. I loved it! Chet is a great dog. And brave. I’ve been hoping there would be another book.
I get lots of books from my library. I put in a request and they let me know when the book is available.
My daughters and my friends and I pass books around all the time and then we donate them to our local second hand bookseller or to Goodwill.
Reading is one of my true passions!
I finished The Lost Symbol on NYD. My sister got it for my mom’s recovery from surgery, then my sister read it and gave it to me to read it so the three of us could discuss it. They gave me Three Cups of Tea since they had read that and wanted to have our own mini book club with that one as well. I’ll pass on all of your recommendations as well. Normally, I have to read short things like magazines or else I will stay up all night reading like an addict and not get my work done, and I mean the work that pays the bills, so I must really be a reading addict.
The best biography I read this year was “The Invention of Air: A Story of Science, Faith, Revolution and the Birth of America”. It’s a great read that simplifies the reality of plants and the impact of the lack of plants on the earth. It also is a great insight into the people who created this country and their pure curiosity. This is soooo not a book Sarah Palin would understand.
Jennifer
Oops, I forgot to mention that “The Invention of Air” is by Steven Johnson and is about the Universalits Unitarian minister, Joseph Priestly, who discovered oxygen and carbon dioxide. He was a leader in early chemistry and a friend of Franklin and Jefferson.
Jennifer
Dog On it by Spencer Quinn perfectly captures the Mudflats essence, expressed so well n AKM’s comment “Brian, as the Mudflats mascot, has come to represent a certain spirit of wildness, bigness of heart, and sense of adventure and fun that I think of when I think of this community.” My favorite book in a long while. Just bought The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver and have high hopes.!
My most enjoyable and laugh provoking read in the last few years was “McCarthy’s Bar” by Pete McCarthy. This is an absolutely hilarious first person account by the author (a travel writer) of his trip through his ancestral homeland of Ireland. His #1 rule? “Never pass a bar that has your name on it”.
Don’t miss this one.
I love Barbara Kingsolver. Unfortunately my stack of “to read” keeps getting bigger instead of smaller, just not enough time. And I, too, can get so involved that nothing gets done until I finish the book. There is just nothing as great as a book you can’t put down, is there? Grandma 68, I would love to read the Isabel Allende in Spanish. I have read several of her books in Spanish; when I find them they are usually discounted because there’s not a huge hispanic population around here.
BTW, it’s 9 degrees with a windchill of -9; I don’t even want to go out to the front porch to get the Sunday papers!
“The Nineteenth Wife” was quite interesting. (How do I do italics or underlining?) I’m still slogging through “The Family” by Jeff Sharlett. All I can say about that book is WOW! My all time favorite book (fiction) is “The Monkey Wrench Gang.” Soooooooo funny if you’re a tree hugger.
For autobiography, I highly recommend all of Primo Levi’s works and enjoyed volume one of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s: “Living to Tell the Tale.”
For biography, I recommend “Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA.”
I’m revisiting a lot of great books lately, like Jorge Luis Borges’ Collected Fictions (nothing quite like them; rad in the original if you can!) and just about anything by Primo Levi and Jose Saramago (although “The Blind” still disturbs me).
Everyone in the family got a lot out of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.”
For those who enjoy non-fiction, heavy but worthwhile reads include “The Lost” and and Lazreg’s incredible “Torture and the Twilight of Empire.”
For those who enjoy more science and math non-fiction, “The Equation That Couldn’t Be Solved” is a fun read, as is anything by Stephen Jay Gould (my favorite is “The Mismeasure of Man”). His final work, “The Structure of Evolutionary Theory,” is a masterpiece.
Finally, for the really hard-core math and theoretical physics people, my sons are handing back and forth a surprise Christmas hit: “Putnam and Beyond,” by Gelca & Andreescu. The first page is well beyond me.
Try Lee Child for some excellent writing, story lines and suspense.These books are hard to put down once you start…. Jack Reacher is the main character….
Another favorite of mine is David Ellis—-a Chicago attorney .
All fiction—-but we need to escape now and then!
That should be “read” in the original, not “rad.” Although the 80s slang may fit there.
Finishing Edgar Sawtelle now, actually stopped and put it aside because I can’t yet bear what Edgar is about to face in the next section (it’s that powerful.) But I did just finish a delightful book, The Schooling of Claybird Catts by Janis Owens. Just a truly amazing book, with a wonderful voice and a well told story. Well worth the time to read. Also just re-read Water for Elephants, a recent favorite.
Grandma68–I share your pain—we have been without water since 11am New Years Day….it appears that the well pump has crossed over into pump heaven ( or hell).
Well repair people seem to be taking a loooong weekend off work….can’t say that I really blame them, but things are getting a bit tense around here….good thing we have a ton of snow to melt for the toilets!
Heading into town to use a friend’s shower…..
Ah…the joys of country living!
Lynnrockets-Glad to hear about “When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi” by David Maraniss. My son is a huge Lombardi admirer. I respect my son’s intelligence and want to know more about him (Lombardi). After reading it, I’ll pass it on to my son. Since Alaska doesn’t have a football team, most residents cheer for the team from their former state, but my children were born in AK. So my son chose to be a Packers fan when he was a teen, due to his admiration of Lombardi.
I just finished reading Going Rogue, Lincoln on Leadership, Joe Biden: Promises to Keep, and Inside the Kingdom -My Life in Saudi Arabia by Carmen Bin Ladin. Carmen’s book is an excellent read, inside story of the ruling class of Saudi Arabia and being married to Osama Bin Ladin’s brother. She escaped to Switzerland with her daughters, and wrote the book after 9/11. A moving memoir, and reveals what we are really up against in the war on terrorism.
correction: I meant Going Rouge, not Going Rogue. I read the latter here on the Mudflats! -via AKM
22 TerryNY, Thanks for the great list. A true book lover indeed!
Self interest Alert!! My husband has a site called HeadButler.com. He recommends one book, film, piece of music and the occasional product, every day. HeadButler is a great source for reading ideas.
Lateley he likes The Help, about the relationships between rich southern women and the black women who work for them.
Shining City is the funniest book I read in the last year or two. The author, Seth Greenland, made a very funny trailer for this book on youtube.
http://www.headbutler.com/
at the link are his top ten for 2009
Lilybart- thank you for the link!
I’ve bookmarked it and am getting “The Help” on Monday.
@41 TrueBlueGirl – I just finished the part where his father dies and Edgar is trying to use the telephone to get help. I was tormented along with him at his helplessness to communicate and yet, in some subconscious way, he makes all the dogs bark and, thus, help arrives. This is not a book to hurry through.
I received Catalochee last Christmas. It is set in the mountains of North Carolina starting from the Civil War and follows the lives of families “where you was born where God wanted you.” It is a sweet, gentle and tragic story of people who endure like the mountains themselves. The upheaval of their lives and memories and culture for the Great Smoky Mountain National Park is heart-wrenching. This is another book to be slowly savored one page at a time.
Oh gosh, I could talk about books all day! I’ll never get anything done now. 8 )
What Hath God Wrought, by Daniel Howe. I read it twice last month, and I may read it a third time.
He writes about American life and history during the 33 years between 1815 and 1848 – I had no idea that so many inspriring and awful things went on then, or how they echo in today’s political and social alignments.
http://www.amazon.com/What-Hath-God-Wrought-ebook/dp/B0017QNL70/ref=kinw_dp_ke?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2
It is now 14 here in Central KY. But the sun is actually visible. I also loved The Shadow of the Wind by Zafon. Have read that his new novel is no where near as good. I love Jasper Fforde’s Nursery Crime series. they are laugh out loud. Good for this time of year. Daughter of the Dust by Julie Dash is a beautifully written novel about the Gullah folk. Anything by Sandra Benitez, Sandra Cisneros and
Leslie Marmon Silko. Have just finished the Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barberry. For Christmas I received My Life in France by Julia Child and Fifty Miles from Tomorrow by William L. Iggiagruk Hensley. Those are next. Happy reading everyone.
For light reading P.G. Woodhouse. Of course, I saw the BBC “Jeeves and Wooster” before reading the books, so I hear Hugh Laurie’s wonderful Bertie as I read.
London Bridges Says:
January 3rd, 2010 at 4:16 AM
Readability!
Thank you so much. An absoluty wounderful find. Super simple, woks great!
One of my favorite biographies:
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure The World, by Tracy Kidder
“The Places In Between” by Rory Stewart
[also see a recent article by him at TNR.com]
He walked across Afghanistan, and one learns the fractured inter family clan nature of a land that has no concept of centralized government and loyalty thereto not to mention democracy. He portrays a hopeless project as seemingly each village has a death-driven feud with its neighbors on either side…
I, too have quite a stack of books that I want to read this year.
For daily reading, I’m going to try again to read the whole Bible this year. I found a new website that lays out different versions and timelines to do it in:
http://www.biblegateway.com
Read through the Bible in 2010! Pick from several different Bible reading plans that will walk you through Scripture over a year. You don’t even have to have a Bible of your own, it’s all there each day on the website.
The book I want to start reading now is called, ” Silent Lives: How High A Price?” by Sara L. Boesser. She’s an LGBT advocate in Juneau who wrote this for personal reflections and group discussions about Sexual Orientation. The Social Justice Group at my church wants to work toward helping our congregation be more accepting and loving toward EVERYONE, so we’re reading this book among other things to help us with that.
What a great thread! I don’t have time right now to read everyone’s comments but will come back later and take names. Thanks, kids!
Those people who don’t want to pay retail for books, I highly recommend PaerBackSwap. It’s a place to trade books you’ve read for ones you want. There is no fee. The only cost is the postage to mail one of your books to someone else in exchange for someone else mailing a book you want to you. It’s brilliant! And occasionally you can actually get a book that is hard to find.
As for P.G. Wodehouse — if you haven’t read him you are missing out big time. I have a dozen or so Wodehouses on my shelf that I pull out and re-read whenever life gets to be too much. The Jeeves and Wooster stories are wonderful but don’t stop there. The Blandings Castle stories are hilarious. Reading his golf stories I thought I was going to break something laughing.
For those who enjoy crime stories, Donald Westlake cannot be beat. His “comic crime capers” featuring the inimitable John Dortmunder are incredible.
I currently have a blog where I keep track of what I’ve read, mostly within the last seven years, with ratings for the authors so I don’t make the same mistake twice! Clicking on my name will take you there.
I look forward to coming back later to go through the recommendations.
Thanks for a great thread, AKM!
to 21 “barbara”
- try to follow up on Erich Maria Remarque’s other books… on his return to his homland and the conditions forced on the Germans by the Brits and the French after WW1
to 38 “quince”
- great set of recommendations
All: the ‘used books’ at Amazon are my favorite source… the “The Places In Between” was USD 6.-
All: in a masochistic moment I decided to ‘wade through’ “Mein Kampf”, leaving his anti-semitism aside, and the fact he could certainly have used an editor[!] his perception – at a time when radio and film were new – of the effectiveness of mass-communication media was excellent and prescient… and his comments on the use of direct eye-ball-to-eyeball rallies remind me chillingly of the 1/2 term governess of Alaska!
It’s a balmy 10 degrees (-7 windchill) here in Rochester and it’s been snowing since yesterday morning. I live about 4 miles south of Lake Ontario so I have become very familiar with the joys of ‘lake effect snow’! I usually get at least fifty percent more than the official total at the airport, 10 miles south of me. If they measured the snow at MY house, Rochester might occasionally beat Buffalo and Syracuse for the annual Golden Snowball Award!
There’s well over a foot in the backyard and, after today’s 5-8 inches, it’s supposed to snow at least a little more every day this week. Guess I’m not gonna get those carrots out of my garden after all!
Thankfully, I made two important stops yesterday before the snow really got going. I bought the makings for the nice pot of chicken soup which is happily simmering away on the stove and filling the house with yummy smells. I also stopped at the library where I picked up several mysteries by Iris Johansen and one by Vince Flynn. I’ve never read Flynn before but saw some of his books at the airport last week and they looked interesting. I always enjoy finding new mystery authors who have written lots of books I can work my way through.
Time to curl up on the couch with my soup and my books and be grateful I’m not outside in the wind and snow!
I totally went thru the five stages of grief post reading Open Secret. With that said, I would still consider it recomended reading. After finishing the book, I did walk away with a greater knowledge of the legal system.
Open Secret = truth can hurt, yet become a healthy knowdege for your future. I’m glad to see this in your reading stacks. All Alaskans should read this, due to our recent federal investigations and for those who are aware of the many First Peoples federal prosecutions the last 50 years.
The Lost Symbol I could not get into, I have read half the book and have no desire to pick up where I left off anytime soon. However I could not put down Dan Browns The Da vinci Code Or Angles and Demons. I get alot of my books from Swaptree, http://www.swaptree.com/home/ you do not even have to leave your home to send or receive books, you only have to walk to your mail box. They also swap video games and CDs. If you send books to friend or relatives make sure you send it Media Mail postage, it’s a lot cheaper then regular mail and takes the same amount of time to arrive. My sister sent me 6 good size books in a large shoe box for only $5.00 and some change . Right now I’m reading Lovely Bones by Alice Seebold , Then I’m going to read The Shack by Wm. Paul Young and then start the trilogy by Stieg Larsson The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and then the other two.
If you are looking for a book about someone who really made a difference, and continues to make people wonder what she would have to say today,
for Christmas, my spouse got me the biography of
Molly Ivins, A Rebel Life, by Bill Minutaglio and W. Michael Smith.
Molly’s voice is sorely missed and I often wonder what she would have thought about our country today.
My spouse also got me Ted Kennedy’s True Compass, which I asked for.
My guilty pleasure books are true crime books by Ann Rule…
And for lighter reading and pure pleasure I also have the Lost Symbol by Dan Brown since I had the pleasure of visiting Washington, DC for the first time last year! What an amazing place! I am looking forward to reading this book.
Thanks for the recommendations thus far; I’ve already added them to my library Hold list. I will be keeping my eye on additions to this thread. It’s going to be another delightful year.
In addition to the books educating us about the real Palin story, I have the following on my January list (honestly, I am not including my secret passion – books by authors such as Charlaine Harris, Patricia Briggs, Kelley Armstrong – but those are such quick, escapist reads and are a constant):
Read by Pins by Madelaine Albright about her collection of brooches and how she used them to convey messages and set the tone for various diplomatic encounters. She said her “opponents” would look to see which brooch she was wearing to determine how the sessions would go. How wonderful to see art affect the political process. Brilliant.
The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag by Canadian author Alan Bradley. It follows Flavia de Luce’s latest attempt at solving murders in 1950′s England. She is a precocious 11-year old chemistry whiz who lives with her reclusive widowed father and her two elder sisters. The entire family is very literate and totally dysfunctional with one another. It is a refreshing portrayal of intelligent children living their lives creatively packed with humor and suspense – and, yes, it is a children’s book but in that special way that adults probably get more from it than kids.
(Capitalization as I found it).) An irreverent curiosity in search of the church;s strangest relic in Italy’s oddest town by David Farley. It’s about the continuing controversy over one of Christianity’s most bizarre relics: the foreskin of Jesus. One female saint was said to wear it as a wedding ring symbolic of her union with Christ. Several towns in France claimed to house it. One town just north of Rome still holds a sacred procession for it even though it was stolen (perhaps by the Vatican) though no one now faints or runs to kiss the priest who carried it. That religious scholars and politicos would spend hundreds of years arguing about and seeking this relic out just amazes me. They even argued about whether Jesus could get into heaven without a foreskin if he was to be “perfect”; therefore, wouldn’t God restore his foreskin when he ascended? Amazing, just amazing that folks cared so much about so little (not a judgment about size, just a comment on the issue).
How Sex Works: why we look, smell, taste, feel & act the way we do by Sharon Moalem. Well, I just couldn’t help myself because it is somehow reassuring to learn that there are many factors at work when it comes to human behavior – not just the obvious ones. Plus, the upside that knowledge is power. Who doesn’t want just a slight advantage when it comes to attracting a sexual partner or influencing others in a fun, subtle way.
Shopping for Porcupine – Seth Kanter – I absolutely loved this book and gave it as a Christmas gift to my whole family. If I was not already living in Alaska, then after reading this I would have immediately jumped into a car and driven up here. Wonderful story about a childhood spent on the tundra near Kotzebue. Also Fish Camp by Nancy Lord is a very poetic read about spending the summer in a fish camp cabin across the Inlet from Kenai.
Books, Oh my! Like many of you I have little piles of books everywhere. TerryNY and I have several books in common. I recently just finished “A Team of Rivals” by Doris Kerns. It was GREAT! I followed that with Joseph Ellis’s books “Founding Brothers,” “American Creation,” and am just starting “His Excellency George Washington.” Also learned lots from “A Magnificent Catastrophe” by Edward Larson. One stack I plan to read has David McCullough’s “1776″ (part way through it) and “John Adams.”
I enjoyed “The Invention of Air” and followed that with some old, old books, including “Men of Science in America,” by Bernard Jaffe published in 1944, and “Discovery” edited by John K. Terres published in 1961 (both used thriftstore finds). “Discovery” is a collection of essays by naturalists and includes a heart-breaking recollection by Don Eckleberry “Search for the rare ivorybill.”
Thanks to Loreen W. at the last Oregon Mudstock, I am currently reading Thomas Frank: “What’s the Matter with Kansas?” (sitting for years unread) while waiting for “Wrecking Crew” to come from Amazon.
Also at the top of my stacks right now: Susan Jacoby’s “The Age of American Unreason,” Michael Pollan’s “The Omnivore’s Dilemma,” and Ron Suskind’s “The Way of the World” (I’m halfway through that one and find it interesting).
To fall asleep or bring my blood pressure back down I read nature and animal stories.
Wow – Great Open Thread
Am going to have to come back with pencil & paper
I just started “Under the Dome” by Stephen King with almost 1100 pages, I wish I had a Kindle since it’s quite heavy in weight.
Politically reading, “The Inheritance; The Word Obama Confronts & Challenges to American Power” by David E Sanger
Check out your local library for Audio download books – many play on Ipods, MP3, or from your computer. It is a great way to listen to books! (Which I do while at work)
“Langdon stared in horror”
Reading a Dan Brown book is a (very) guilty pleasure. It’s like eating Cheez-its: once you start, it’s very hard to stop! If he could only find a decent ghost writer (not Lynn Vincent) so that the cliche-ridden writing were not so absolutely, painfully awful.
I just finished “Alaska’s Heavy Light” by Barbara Hunt. It is a medical mystery taking place in Palmer and Moose Cross, which is up in the Susitna Valley. She has some good descriptions of Wasilla, don’t think the author is a real Wasilla fan. The one that I cracked up about is “Wasilla is like a teenager with pimples during puberty”. Kinda bogged down in the middle but it is definately worth fininishing.
@weaver57
I also loved The Shadow of the Wind by Zafon. Have read that his new novel is no where near as good.
——————————————————–
I read his second novel. It definately was nowhere near as good as his first, which was a shame.
Next on my reading list is Life of Pi by Yann Martel. My husband thought this was a great book. Has anyone else read it?
I recently finished “City of Thieves” by David Benioff. It is the story of two young men who form an unlikely friendship during the 900-day Siege of Leningrad during WW II. By turns harrowing and hilarious, it is a wonderful story about love, loyalty, and imagination. I loved this book so much I gave it away as a Christmas present to a friend who needed it.
And speaking of imagination, check out a great novel from a few years back, Michael Chabon’s “The Yiddish Policeman’s Union.” It is a very weird, wonderful mash-up of alternative fiction and gritty detective thrillers, exploring the circumstances of “a dead Yid in room 202″ in a rundown hotel in the Yiddish-speaking Jewish homeland of Sitka, Alaska.
Happy reading in 2010!
Wow, I’ve really enjoyed reading these book picks and tips. I’m gonna check out the book-related websites mentioned and I WILL get around to finally reading the Maeve Benchley floating around here (somewhere).
I started collecting and re-selling used books many years ago for fun and profit, helping to support my small government stipend! Wrangling stacks of books is a daily love/hate thing. I’ve countless books with bookmarks in them, but seems often only selling a book gives me the impetus to finish it (first).
My book-reading has really gone bust this past year. We have had a drama to beat all fiction playing out on the national political scene. I have become addicted to on-going news of it’s most sensational character. No author could have made that one up, too unbelievable. She’s hard to take one’s eyes off of, and I’m afraid that if I do…I could be one of those who “did nothing”. (not that I do ANYTHING, but maybe a million me’s can help or at least stand witness).
I would like to resolve to spend less screen-time in the next year and more page-time. But until the current drama with the crazy queen and her frothing fans plays out…it’ll take a lot of resolve.
I’d recommend: “Going Rogue: An American Life”
In between the seed catalogues and longing for spring; here’s three fun “plant reads”. “The Orchid Thief”, Susan Orlean. VERY eccentric characters hunting rare orchids in the wilds of Florida- it generated the movie Adaptation, with a convoluted plot and even more eccentric characters played by Meryl Streep and Nicholas Cage.
“Flower Confidential”, Amy Stewart. The business of flower-breeding and global bouquets. If you love Stargazer lillies, this is their story.
“The Botany of Desire” Michael Pollan. The subtitle is A Plant’s View of the World. How we control plants, and how they not-so-secretly control us.
My husband gave me “Molly Ivins: A Rebel Life” as well as Margaret Atwood’s latest “The Year of the Flood”. I haven’t started either yet. I’m working through my latest stack of library books.I just finished “Hardball” by Sarah Paretsky. Her mysteries often focus on corruption and politics. I’m in the middle of “The Ghosts of Belfast” by Stuart Neville, a thriller set in Northern Ireland.
Irishgirl–”The Life of Pi” is a fantastic book! If you have not already read it, you may find an incredibly interesting follow-up in the real-life story “In the Heart of the Sea,” by Nathanial Philbrick. I’m sure you’ll see what I mean after you’ve read both.
In a vaguely similar vein, I think most would very much enjoy “River of Doubt,” which describes Teddy Roosevelt’s Amazon explorations in the wake of an electoral defeat. Let’s just say it’s a pretty far cry from what a certain failed VP candidate decided to do with her time.
Thanks to everyone for the wonderful recommendations. I’m making a list, too. What a well-read bunch you have here, AKM. Fiendishly clever of you to solicit book recommendations from the mudpuppies!
I highly recommend “Lit” by Mary Karr. An excellent memoir by an excellent writer.
I am going to read a book by Gloria Allred: Fight Back and Win.
I know from personal experience that judges and lawyers are bought out.
I was married to a man whose mother was the Chief Appellate Court Judge
in the state of Iowa and his father an attorney. Everyone was afraid of this
woman, because she abused her power. It is all about who you know, and
how much money you have.
I was turned down by over 100 Lawyers and misrepresented by three that betrayed the hiippocratic oath, but were sheep for
this judge. Even if lawyers did not like her they knew if they helped me and went against her son they would be punished in the court room of hers for
other cases.
What I learned is the justice system just like life is not fair. But I believe with faith and conviction that our actions do come back to us, maybe not right away but sooner or later.
Sarah reminds me of my X-Mother in law.
#69 KareninOR, I have to agree we’ve had the greatest reality show for the past few years, from the pre-primaries to the present. I’ve not watched the “reality” shows because I know they are scripted and edited to create the conflict, and frankly, I don’t care about these people (I will admit to watching Susan Boyle’s debut on You Tube).
#65 BigPete, you nailed it. Brown has a formula and is working it, but it is a guilty pleasure and a very fast read. The whacko torture stuff is what really surprises me, though.
Thank you all for these suggestions. I should have made it clearer on my earlier comment that I was going to send this link to my sister for a reading list, not blowing this off. I just need to moderate my reading-junkie ways, beyond The New Yorker, etc.
I ran out of coffee after today’s pot, so will be going out to get some Peets’s after the farmers market. There are two bookstores near my Peet’s, so my self control may go out the window. Unlike others’ reports, it is glorious, the waves are huge and the boats are sailing past. This after a beautiful sunrise, which the purring cat woke me up to see.
sarah reminds me of my mother
I agree about Zafron’s second book, and about Lee Childs’ very entertaining Jack Reacher series–great plots! Edgar Sawtelle is tragic (echoes of Hamlet) but truly unforgettable. This year I’ve enjoyed A.S. Byatt’s The Children’s Book; Julia Child’s My Life in France and also a bio of her earlier and later life (can’t recall the author); Lee Smith’s Agate Hill (NC after the Civil War); both of Tana French’s mysteries (In the Woods–talk about reverberations!); and also Dan Brown for what he is. He is better than some of his “lost mysteries” knock-offs. Seriously lame writing. But I am a sucker for lost mysteries, I confess. I find a lot of inexpensive books at our library’s Friends of the Library book sales, and some unusual things, too. It’s also bitter cold here in SE Tennessee, but sunny and always good reading weather. Love everyone’s suggestions and comments.
One more thing–for fantasy lovers, check out the Young Adult section of your bookstore or, first, test run them in the library. Some are too young, but plenty are imaginative and fun and written for anyone. Nancy Farmer, Tamora Pierce, Garth Nix, Eoin Cofer, to name a few.
I like fiction with strong background detail- modern accounts of places I’ll not likely visit, or sometimes alternate reality that mirrors such a place.
Thanks for tips on Alaska-set stories! I’m taking notes.
Here are some keepers that I will hunt for in used book stores if I lend them and they don’t come back.
The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison- first in a series of 4 crime procedurals set in recent Tibet
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larson- trilogy about grown-up Pipi Longstocking- a mudflatter special
Appaloosa trilogy by Robert Parker- old West told in conversations of 3 or 4 word sentences, great styling
Point of Dreams by Melissa Scott & Lisa Barnett- crime procedurals in a matriarchal magical reality- one author has died, there may be a third book eventually
Anything in alternate Cambridge by Terry Pratchett; wanting to get Unseen Academicals, with orangutan and football, very soon.
I love the audiobook format but they are expensive and the local library selection is terrible. Nicest if the author reads and you can hear his phrasing and interpretation of voices and accents. Will buy King’s Dome as an audiobook with the next monthly coupon.
I’m dying to get my hands on the Molly Ivins book, I think I own everything she’s ever written. Her voice is missing from our current goings on. I read and highly recommend Repubican Gomorrah by Max Blumenthal. I also recommend anything by Frank Schaeffer, I’m about to finish reading his book Patience with God, Faith for People who don’t like Religion or Atheism. It is excellent. I’d also recoommend in advance the next book of his that I am picking up called Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back . His work has been eye opening and very inspirational for me.
Thanks for all the great suggestions also, too
I’m writing them down and adding them to my already long list of books to check out.
Correction to my earlier post: I want to read Maeve BINCHY, not Maeve BENCHLEY (sp?). It’s in a pile somewhere here I know.
Also thanks for the link to a guide to “reading through the Bible in a Year”. Actually reading the Bible has been on my bucket list forever…it has put me to sleep too many times! So, when I found a book yesterday in the 10 cent box titled “Read Through the Bible in a Year”, I brought it home; “. Surely any well-rounded literate person must sometime manage to read this book, so it’s great to have some guidance (anything to get past beget, beget, begat, etc.)
The website pertaining to reading the bible (given earler post) sounds even more useful than this slim book, so Thanks!
i am half-way through Richard Dawkins Greatest Show on Earth (about evolutionary biology and a major smackdown on creationism with pictures!!)
my guilty pleasures are suspense novels — currently reading Lee Child books with the character Jack Reacher. yummy and fast reading. I have been known to read a novel every few days.
for christmas, i received: The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert An Unfair Economy by Lisa Dodson
and Righteous Porkchop: Finding a Life and Good Food Beyond Factory Farms by Nicolette Hahn Niman.
and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson which i have already read so will be jaunting down to the bookstore to get The Girl Who Played With Fire (the first of the trilogy if i am not mistaken).
One of the best audio books i listened to this past year was The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dustbowl — a fantastic and utterly sad non-fiction. I highly recommend it.
If you are game for more fantastic and utterly sad non-fiction — then i also highly recommend Buried in the Bitter Waters: The Hidden History of Racial Cleansing in America by Elliot Jaspin.
and last but not least i recommend The 1000 Journals Project which is an amazing project sending 1000 journals all over the world to be passed along by bus stop and cafe counter and their amazing returns filled with journaling, art, and huge slices of humanity. there is a movie too.
One more: the just now published graphic novel:
“Footnotes in Gaza” by Joe Sacco,
who achieves through his ‘visual journalism’ the immediacy of cinema on the printed page…as he did in his previous books ‘Palestine’ and ‘Safe Area Gorazde’. As a fan of Daumier, Mauldin, Grosz, etc. I am fascinated by Sacco ability to graphically convey his reportage.
KateinCanada mentioned audio books, especially ones read by the author and I just have to heartily recommend Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. I was working at a repetitive job at the time and was allowed to use headphones. Listening to McCourt recount his horrific (and FUNNY) impoverished childhood story in Dublin was absolutely spellbinding. That’s ONE book that I think must be much enriched many times over by hearing that author’s (heavily accented) voice read his own story. I was under a spell each day until it ended (and it echoed a long time). It’s likely to be at your local library, where I got mine.
I will second “Orchid Thief”! And “Botany of Desire” as well as “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”
Two I have read recently have been really haunting. As a caucasian with little familiarity with the Afro-American experience (but much sympathy for it, since my ancestors were serfs and considered “untermensch” by their German overlords as recently as WWII), I wanted to know more. I read two shocking, revealing, informative, very well-written, completely compelling books: The Hemmingses of Monticello and The Help. I recommend them both.
#84 KareninOR, same with The Kite Runner for the books on tape. I got that from the LAPL when I was working in DT LA, and a colleague recommended it. When I was checking out, a woman saw me holding it and said she would read the book even in the middle of the night when she woke up to go to the bathroom. I liked hearing the author pronounce the names as they should be as I was driving over an hour each way. I was ready to keep driving sometimes! Not going in to do the work I was hired to do!
I loved “The Color of Water” by James McBride — the story of his mother who was extraordinarily ordinary. It is just a touching tribute to a woman who lived her life the way she knew it should be lived and raised wonderful children in the face of adversity. I also love any Barbara Kingsolver book, and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Others too numerous to mention. I plan to go through all of these posts and make a list — like my list isn’t already too long! Thanks, all!
Maybe someone should write a book “The Bible for Dummies.” I agree that the begets and begats, make The Bible a tough read.
Just purchased Under the Dome by King. Now to find time to read. Just finished reading Atlas Shrugged for the 6th time.
A non-fiction Packing the Court by James Burns…is a little frightening, but a must read.
Happy New Year all.
“Enslaved by Ducks” by Bob Tarte is laugh out loud funny and a true story. If you have ever had pets, been enslaved by them even, you will love this book!
nswfm….I had forgotten about The Kite Runner. That was another great book.
Quince, thanks for the recommendation.
AKM, what a wonderful thread. I’m really enjoying it.
I just finished “Gone Tomorrow” by Lee Child on New Years Eve
Does anyone else try to figure out an actor who could accurately portray Jack Reacher?
How about Gilbert Godfrey?
The Lords of Finance, by Liaquat Ahamed, is another book I’ve already read twice and will probably take another tour through…
http://www.amazon.com/Lords-Finance-Bankers-Broke-World/dp/159420182X
The Book Thief is certainly different, if you haven’t already discovered it.
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375831002/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0
I am going to read “Open” by Andre Aggaisez [sp?] after hearing him talk with
Tavis Smiley. It sounded like he had learned an awful lot from being pushed into
tennis, then made it his own when in his late 20s. And he sounded so kind
in all his relationships now.
My primary ‘resolution’ is to work with my Buddhist books about the nature
of mind, and to try to control my mystery addiction, having read most of what
are not too gorey in the two nearest branch libraries.
Irishgirl – The Life of Pi surely is one of the best books there is!
nswfm – The Kite Runner is right under The Girl Who Played With Fire along with Broken Open, How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow on my pile of books I plan to read.
Someone mentioned The Lovely Bones – now THAT book is in a class all by itself. I read it in one day and cried my heart and eyes out. The movie is being released soon and I plan to see it.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan should be a must-read for everyone! In my book (no pun intended) Michael Pollan is a god!
Oh cr*p. I just looked out the window and it’s snowing. My friends in London, Ontario have so much snow they couldn’t find their 50 pound dog, and it’s snowing more there. They said they can’t remember so much snow. Here in NYC it has been awfully cold all day and very windy. I am so done with winter already.
For anyone with pain or illness that is stubbornly hanging on. “You can Heal Your Life” by Louise Hay.
If you even have the faintest interest in the mind/body connection, get this book. My doctor prescribed it. Believe it or not. If more doctors thought like this guy, there would be more people feeling better on less pills.
For three completely different topics:
All books by Agatha Christie (mystery)
“Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency” by Douglas Adams (sci-fi, Adams also wrote “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, and Dirk Gently is just as funny and quirky)
“The Brain that Changes Itself” by Norman Doidge, MD (science, re the plasticity of the brain (in easy to understand language), very interesting, recommended by a friend)
The Lovely Bones is another favourite of mine!
AKM, THANK YOU for this fantastic Open Thread! What a smorgasbord of variety in reading matter has been spread before us. What a wonderful and diverse community dwells here on The Mudflats.
Oh, BTW, Sarah Palin, what do YOU read?
I have to agree with “The Places Inbetween” by Rory Stewart and better still for learning about the part of the world which is Iran (Persia), Turkey, etc. It’s a fabulous book, a biography, called “The Orientalist” by Tom Reiss – a true story of a Jew who transformed himself into a Muslim prince in Nazi Germany. He was born in Azerbaijan and this biography maps his life escaping the Russian Revolution in a camel caravan, through the mideast, a stint in Hollywood, and then Berlin. An extremely interesting man – a great read! And few have ever heard of this engima of a human.
And before we buy into the “evil Iran” scenario, you might want to read “All the Shah’s Men” (can’t remember the author) – a real eye-opener.
Ian Rankin for police procedurals, Kate Atkinson for kind of creepy humour, PG Wodehouse and Stephen Fry for ROFL humour, Jane Austen for pure happiness, Margaret Atwood for deliciousness, JK Rowling for FUN!, Philip Roth for I’m not sure what, but I’m amazed he is still writing, John Irving for weirdness, Geoff. Chaucer to keep my Middle English going (you never know when you might need it), and Annie Proulx to remind me that I don’t have it so bad.
A really great local (to me) writer is David Adams Richards, who writes stark, yet sympathetic stories about the lives of ordinary yet doomed people living in the backwoods and small towns of a lightly fictionalized New Brunswick.
And for those planning to read the Bible this year, I learned this afternoon about an interesting new blog at Slate in which the writer David Plotz reads and blogs the Old Testament book by book. Might be a handy (and humorous) companion, especially through all that begetting. http://www.slate.com/id/2150150/
I love reading both fiction and non-fiction about history.
Mark Kurlansky does a marvelous job tying all sorts of events in history together – Salt, Oysters, Cod, and 1968 are all interesting and fast reads.
Another book I read which gave me so much to think about during the last decade as our country was waging war is called “Human Smoke: The Beginnings of World War II, the End of Civilization” by Nicholson Baker.
For guilty pleasure I admit to sneaking in anything by Phillipa Gregory
70 aha Says:
January 3rd, 2010 at 9:39 AM
I’d recommend: “Going Rogue: An American Life”
____________________
Haha – you misspelled the title. I think it’s “Going Vogue – An Idiotic Life”
Wow, this is great! In addition to the dozens (hundreds?) of books on my bookshelves waiting to be read, I keep taking books out of the library. The last one I read and would recommend: An Unlikely Disciple, by Kevin Roose. He’s a student at Brown University who decided to take a semester off to attend the ultra-conservative, fundamentalist Liberty University (founded by Jerry Falwell), in order to see what people his age who were members of religious right were like. He goes on a missionary trip to Florida (I think) to try to spread God’s word to kids on spring break there, and joins Every Man’s Battle, a support group for chronic masturbat0rs. His conclusions are interesting and surprising. A good read, I think, for the Mudflats crowd.
How can I forget these wonderful books: “The Elegance of the Hedgehog”, “The Godforsaken Sea” (a must read for the men in your life), and “Bury the Chains” – novel, non-fiction and non-fiction.
LiladyNY Says…..Someone mentioned The Lovely Bones – now THAT book is in a class all by itself. I read it in one day and cried my heart and eyes out. The movie is being released soon and I plan to see it.
That was me. I’m on page 176 right now. As soon as I tear myself off this Great post with all the wonderful recommendations I’m sure I will finish today .
I’m with Irishgirl on Steig Larssen. Dan Brown is a snore. Pat Conroy’s South of Broad was worse. I was so disappointed.
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel was wonderful. It’s amazing how religious maniacs stay the same throughout the centuries.
I highly recommend True Compass by Ted Kennedy. In it, he accepts total responsibility (AND never blames others) for his mistakes, never stops learning or asking experts for advice, faces bitter personal devastation & still pushes harder for those less fortunate.
I was reading True Compass and your blogs about Going Rogue at the same time, AKM. The comparison of the two “public servants” was laugh out loud-able.
I go for escapism, so RA Salvatore’s “Drizzt” series make frequent appearances on my lap.
Also like JC & Barb Hendee a bit – vampires and elves, oh my!
Re; the Agassi/Open Life auto-bio. It’s a painful read, as you thought you knew the person from what he showed you out in public/on court, while all the while, things were not going well internally. Made him stronger for it in the end, and I think much more appreciative of what he accomplished in the last few years prior to retirement. As for the ATP/illicit drugs…shakes head a bit sadly, but if that truly is the only illicit activity he participated in, given the heady aura of ‘look who I am and whomy friend are’, Agassi is one lucky SOB.
PS: GA should NOT be having below 20 temps. This is the DEEP South already! Sheesh…
Got a Kindle for xmas (brilliant husband) — feeds my book addiction. The problem is that the books are so expensive! “only” $11 for a book? That’s a deal? Except that I could buy the used paperback for $2 or $3… So, I’ve loaded up on the $2 books on Kindle (do a book search in the Kindle store – online – and sort them by price, lowest to highest, then check the real amazon site for real reviews of the books). We’re going on a long overseas trip at the end of the month, so I’ll have lots of reading material.
I read a really creepy but great thriller this week — 18 Seconds by George Shuman. I read a historical fiction book before that, City of Thieves by David Benioff, and an awesome mystery in the vein of Sherlock Holmes called Some Danger Involved by Will Thomas.
The “serious” books I read off & on, clearing my brain out periodically by reading the others that I mentioned above. The ones that I never ever read are the Dan Brown books! Gah! They are like Dick & Jane mystery books! No no no nooooooo! Of course the movie reviews were horrible for The Davinci Code, the book was horrible!
Great spy thrillers? Daniel Silva is the successor to the mantle held by Robert Ludlum, the master! Great historical fiction? Wilbur Smith’s River God & Blue Monsoon series (that’s two different series). His latest books are a little off, but the older stuff is great. Same with Robert Tannenbaum’s legal (fiction/thriller/mystery) series — great until the last few, the first ones with Butch Karp will have you up all night to finish.
Hope those suggestions help others who are also addicted to reading!
Just finished Sara Paretsky’s “Bleeding Kansas.” Enjoy Diane Gabaldon’s books. Reading a short book on “My Life with Bonnie and Clyde” by Blanche Barrow…it was taken from her journals. Listening to Cokie Roberts reading her book “Founding Mothers.” Scheduled to read next “Atlas Shrugged” or “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne.
Off the book topic –
Gryph has new posting @ Immoral Minority
No (new) info – but a good post
I too love Philippa Gregory’s work…her latest, “The White Queen” is very interesting. But my prize for the best books that I’ve read in the last year go to “The Book of Negro” by Lawrence Hill and “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett.
Silverglate knows his stuff but he is full of doo-doo when he says everyone commit 3 felonies each day. Too much hubris on his part.
You know this whole, who is who, when it comes to the babies….is making my head really hurt. I must admit, I am checking out Grypens blog daily (ok…3x’s daily) and now I am stuck on Bree Palin’s blog as well. I am afraid that after all the truth comes out, there’s not enough water in Southeast Alaska to wash off how scummy I will feel after the truth is exposed. And we all know just how much it rains in Southeast Alaska! By the time all is said and done, those idjits are going to give Alaska and us Alaskan’s a terrible rap. Kind of like the banjo playing in the movie Deliverence. I am also feeling “terrified” for the children involved. How sad.
I could not imagine how damaging this whole circus is to them. Why is no one stepping in and saying, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”! Crazy ex-Gino is running AMUCK with our State reputation and dragging those poor children into her “HELL on EARTH”!
David Maraniss is an excellent story-teller, as lynnrockets points out @ 1. above. His Rome 1960: The Olympics Which Changed the World is one of my faves.
I never understand why people feel so compelled to describe Dan Brown as a poor writer. His style might be different but his is technically sound and entertaining. Isn’t that what book writing is all about?
I’m still reading “The Wrecking Crew” by Thomas Frank. How Conservatives ruined government, enriched themselves and beggared the nation.
Nothing surprises me anymore. Read this book and you can see with clearer vision as politicians lie through their teeth. We don’t live in a country for the people, by the people. We live in a country run by a political system that rewards manipulators and thieves. Highly recommended.
Marauder Seam Palin
i am loving my “memo widget” off to to the right on my laptop.
it is now full of book suggestions for eternity!
my suggestions:
any “booker award” novels out of england.
sure fire winners, one and all.
99 LiladyNY Says: January 3rd, 2010 at 12:21 PM
AKM, THANK YOU for this fantastic Open Thread!
Oh, BTW, Sarah Palin, what do YOU read?
———
She reads everything ever written. Didn’t you know? Oh, and she’s got The Bible for Dummies, too. Also.
Too bad she lacks the capacity to understand anything she’s ever read. Hungry Caterpilar, Very Hungry Caterpillar, Good Night Moon, etc.
I have just finished a marathon. One whole week of reading Stieg Larsson’s trilogy. My back and my neck hurts. I have stayed up till 3.30 once or twice this week.
It is probably the first time that I have gone on a reading spree since September, 09.
101 the problem child Says: January 3rd, 2010 at 12:28 PM
I learned this afternoon about an interesting new blog at Slate in which the writer David Plotz reads and blogs the Old Testament book by book. Might be a handy (and humorous) companion, especially through all that begetting.
———-
I don’t mind all that begetting; it’s the changing of dirty dipes that presents a real unpleasantness.
You might like this unusual history: “The Devil in the White City,” by Erik Larson, 2003. Intertwines the story of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (a world’s fair in Chicago) with the story of a serial killer who operated in Chicago during the same period. It was the same years that Jack the Ripper was in London — but the killer in Chicago was far more prolific.
Haven’t posted for quite some time, but have read this most fantastic of fantastic blogs religiously.
What a wonderful thread. It’s exciting to see what everyone is interested in reading. As I’ve read through the comments, though, I couldn’t help but wonder what the “other” side of the political spectrum would list–can’t quite get my mind around that one.
I’ve been buying books for my husband, and sweety that he is, he reads aloud to me when I’m doing busy work. Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill was chilling. Max Blumenthal’s Republican Gomorrah must be taken in small doses because it’s hard to get up off the couch to go pick the book up after I’ve thrown it across the room because I’m so infuriated. The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right by David A. Neiwert is a great read. At the end, he talks about liberals becoming what they dislike about the “right.” His insight was really thought provoking, and I had to do a couple of “mea culpas” with a “hope to be more tolerant” thrown in for good measure.
For pure enjoyment, nothing beats the Janet Evanovich’s laugh out loud funny Stephan Plum novels. The series is numbered (it’s up to 15) and best read from the beginning. The first eight or nine were my personal favorites. I second Lee Child’s Jack Reacher books.
If you like flawed characters, James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux novels are a wonderful read. This series is best read in order, also. Mr. Burke can paint the most beautiful pictures with words. I’m a fan of audio books when I’m doing tedious things like painting rooms or weeding the garden, so when I heard the actor Will Patten read the Robicheaux books I fell in love with Mr. Robicheaux. Mr Patten’s voice is mesmerizing, and he really brings the character to life. Listen to just one so as you read the others you’ll hear Mr. Patten’s voice telling you the story.
And finally, I’ve just discovered John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series. Hauntingly beautiful with flawed characters you will really care about.
Good luck to all with whatever you’re reading–just remember to read.
Happy New Year from a homesick ex-pat Alaskan.
Feck it…I’m allowed to say that since I’m Irish. Can you even imagine Mrs. Palin reading these books!!! I can’t. Yet she was a potential VP.
Currently reading The Audacity to Win by David Plouffe and Mama Dearest by E. Lynn Harris. Then there are only about 200 books sitting on my “To Read” shelf. If you like to browse, here is link to my personal library: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/firstladyofjazz (library)
@Irishgirl!!!!!!!!!!! What’s the 3rd book? I was trying to find out if I could get it here, pre-order, whatever, but no luck here in Canada.
I love those books and have gotten a couple of others hooked on the first two.
Title please? Can it be ordered thru amazon.co.uk so that I can have it ready & waiting for my upcoming trip to the UK?
Are you able to get the movies on DVD there? I’ve heard that the first 2 have already been made into movies in Sweden, not sure about the 3rd.
What a tragedy that such a talented writer’s life was cut short upon the release of his first books.
The best book I read this past year is by Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain
A must must read for any dog lover you will never look at your dog the same way again. I read this book in one day I couldnt put it down
Slipstream @ 120 – I loved that book – Devil in the White City! Fantastic history along with a good kinda scary story.
Remember the big thing that would “out Eiffel Eiffel”?? (referring to the Eiffel Tower, the great accomplishment of the Paris fair previously)
I agree SMR.
The title of the third book is The Girl Who Kicked the Hornest’s Nest.
Hubby probably wants to read it. He will take a week or so to finish it.
PM me and I will send it on to you. I rarely reread a book. But would be delighted to send it on to you.
Wow, AKM, you opened up Pandora’s box with this one (in a *good* way). What do Mudpuppies read? Everything! And we don’t just mean the John Bircher magazine sitting on the governess’s table, Katie! Both books on my “read now” pile are biographies. First, Birdwatcher: The Life of Roger Tory Peterson, by Elizabeth Rosenthal (it’s first because I borrowed it from the library), then Madame Tussaud: A Life in Wax by Kate Berridge, which was a present from my friend of 35 years. Next, I’ll return to Mannahatta: A Natural History of New York City by Eric W. Sanderson, with illos by Markley Boyer. As for fiction, I’ve read the first 2 novels in Sarah Dunant’s Italian Trilogy (The Birth of Venus, one of my all-time-favorite works of fiction, and In the Company of the Courtesan), so I’ll read the 3rd book in the trilogy. I believe it’s called Sacred Hearts. It’s fun and timely that this is today’s open thread. I stayed at the boyfriend’s place rather than go out with him because one of his destinations is Barnes & Noble, and I can’t trust myself in a bookstore when everything’s on sale! (I can’t trust myself in a bookstore when *nothing* is on sale!) I’ll read The Lacuna, Barbara Kingsolver’s latest, as soon as it’s ready for me at the library (there are 248 holds ahead of mine, but there are multiple copies, so it won’t take *too* long). In agreement w/#100, we must recognize that “Evil Iran” is a construct, and one largely of our own making. To get a brilliant take on it from a native, who was a kid during the revolution, read Marjane Sartrapi’s graphic novel, Persepolis, or rent the DVD — the movie’s superb. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be glad you’re human & can read (or watch a video). What I just finished was Merchant Princes: An Intimate History of Jewish Families who Built Great Department Stores, by Leon K. Harris. Highly recommend it, for American history buffs, afficianados of Jewish-American history, and merchants of every stripe (even if what you sell is Mary Kay, there’s something in it for you!). Last year (fun saying that!) I finally read Common Sense by Thomas Paine (not the G. Beck “update,” that whiner has nothing to tell me). No one, it seems, has mentioned Jean M. Auel’s Earth’s Children books. There are 5 so far, with one to go. They include: The Clan of the Cave Bear, The Valley of Horses, The Mammoth Hunters, The Plains of Passage, and The Shelters of Stone. I’d say I’m eagerly awaiting the last book in the series, but Auel writes slowly, so we just have to wait. They’re all set during the Ice Age, so you Alaskans can surely relate (summer’s very short!). I just pray her health is excellent (she is in her 70′s), which I suspect it is, since her herbal prescriptions and other healing knowledge are all right on target! Enough for now. To those who gather in the treehouse, see you in chat later. Health and peace to all.
Has anyone read this?
The Elinimatinists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right
http://www.amazon.com/Eliminationists-Hate-Radicalized-American-Right/dp/0981576982/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Reading the extensive review and the comments, I feel as if I’ve already squeezed all the juice out of this one and don’t actually need to buy it – but does anyone have a different take on that?
Oh brother, it helps to spell the title correctly: The Eliminationists
I’m skipping One book, One San Diego this year. Non-fiction fourth year in a row and I don’t care about soccer.
I heard a great review on NPR for Remarkable Creatures. It’s a fictionalized account of Mary Anning, an uneducated but self taught paleontologist who made some remarkable discoveries combing the beach for sea shells to sell (by the sea shore.) By Tracy Chevalier, the same author that wrote The Girl with a Pearl Earring.
I can personally recommend The Art of Racing in the Rain. It was fabulous as a book and on CD.
The next book I’m reading is Michael Pollan’s Food Rules: And eater’s manual. It condenses In Defense of Food to something a little simpler to reference. I picked it up for $7.00 at CostCo. (I also noticed they had The Art of Racing in the Rain in paperback. Why not get both?)
I guess what intrigued me about The Eliminationists [really had to concentrate to not get knuckles knotted whilst typing that] is its take on Palin’s word-salad-shooter approach to slinging buzzwords out there:
From a review:
“The result of all this perversion of nationalism and so-called patriotism is not just sprees of deadly shootings such as we saw in Pittsburgh. “This kind of rhetoric is, in effect,” Neiwert writes, “the death of discourse itself. Instead of offering an opposing idea, it simply shuts down intellectual exchange and replaces it with the brute intention to silence and eliminate.” And at the heart of democracy lies the belief that no matter our differences, we are committed to communication. When silence falls, democracy loses, and the author here maintains that when hate rhetoric is employed, at its base it really is a hatred of America itself–with its stated ideals of pluralism–that is the unacknowledged target.
“The cheerleaders, or “transmitters” as Neiwert calls them, of eliminationism are not limited to talk radio hosts but also include prominent politicians like onetime Senate majority leader Trent Lott and 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Palin was “the most significant transmitter in recent years,” according to the author. “
What a great list! I loved Pippi Longstocking when I was a kid (what girl didn’t?) and will look for the Steigg Larsen books.
On the topic of religion, take a look at R. Crumb’s “Genesis”, his illustrated graphic novel of the first book of the Bible. He follows the King James Version and doesn’t flinch from the tremendous amount of sex and violence in that so-called “good book”. It’ll open your eyes, guaranteed!
And my favorite antidote to an excess of belief is my boyfriend Christopher Hitchens’ “God Is Not Good”. (He’s really not my boyfriend. I’ve never met the guy. But one can hope, can’t one?)
Happy New Year!
This post needs a sticky. I’m bookmarking it. So many books, so little time.
I love my new library system. I check out the NYT and then request holds (or add to my book bag if they’re not available). I always have a fiction and nonfiction going at the same time. Sometimes I’ll have a truly fluff piece in the bathroom.
Robert B. Parker
Rex Stout
Stuart Woods
Pat Conroy
Iris Johannson
Stieg Larsson
I’ll be back to add to this list.
A great, little known book, An Accidental Cowboy by Jameson Parker.
ok, I’m back. & not to correct the misspelled word in my post above, but to say @114, WWRWTW, NO! We do not judge all Alaskans by a certain Sarah. Anyone who thinks Alaskans are like Sarah has never come across a Jeanne, or a Shannyn, or you, or Ann, or Slipstream … you get my drift. My roommate is disgusted that folks overseas think any of us relate to Mrs. Quittypants, that she’s bad for *all* Americans’ image elsewhere.
Anyhow, since I’m back, may as well mention John Dos Passos’s USA trilogy: The 42nd Parallel, 1919, and The Big Money. If you haven’t read it, DO SO NOW. He changed the way fiction can be written. He interspersed entries from his diaries (he was an ambulance driver in WWI), ripped-from-the-headlines news (I think he called them newsreels), and break-your-heart-it’s-so-good fiction, in which major characters from one book might show up as very minor incidental characters in another. Apart from that, he wove real people into his fictional stories in such a manner that if one didn’t know who they were, one would think he’d created these characters (e.g. labor leader Eugene Debs, who plays a big part in the early part of the story).
As a friend & I used to say, “Of course I’m dangerous! I have a library card, and I know how to use it!” (speaking of danger, I asked my sisters for a webcam, so I can skype with all my friends around the country — baby sister responded that they’d get me an Amazon gift card. It’s like handing a heroin addict a prescription for oxycontin … )
If you liked The Kite Runner by Khaded Hosseini you will like his second book A thousand Splendid Suns. A Glass Castle:A Memoir by Jeannette Wells revolves around her parents and how they lived. It’s really good. Also one of my favorites is by Ken Follett Pillars of the Earth.
Say, Irish Girl, I am hawking Christian Moerk’s “Darling Jim” which combines several of my loves, including murder, sex, and fairy tales. Have you read it?
Anything by Christopher Moore – who gave us “Lamb” the story of Jesus’s first 33 years, as told by his childhood best friend Biff. “The Stupidest Angel” is a Christmas story involving angels, zombies, and a fruit bat. I just finished “Fool,” which is a comedic take on King Lear – with some Macbeth and a few other plays thrown in for fun. Moore is fun – big silly fun.
Dan Brown – I just can’t do it. He’s such an awful writer.
“Her Fearful Symmetry” by Audrey Niffenegger is strange and beautiful – it revolves around a Victorian cemetery in London.
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is one of my Favorites, also did anyone read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini the author of The Kite Runner.
A true story of the author Jeannett Wells A Glass Castle: A Memoir was a good read.
Testing 123
@Irishgirl –
Thanks for the offer of the book, I thought about begging, but then thought that if you have it there in Ireland it might not be much of a stretch to get it thru amazon uk and have it sent on to the friends that we’ll be staying with in Scotland. I re-read books like crazy, if they’re not worth re-reading they go to the used book store for credit for new books.
I will second the thumbs up for The Art of Racing in the Rain. That one hit home w/me on both the dog & child fronts. It’s a great book, sucks you in emotionally, lots of tears.
There are so many great suggestions here, I did not understand the memo widget that fawnskin mentioned, so will have to do it the old-fashioned way and bookmark this thread.
The Eliminationist book sounds good, but I’m not sure that I can take it while Rush/Palin/Hannity/Beck et al seem to be sucking up so much of the country’s oxygen. During the election days I was very very sad (more than a few tears) seeing the hate that had been fostered by some, festered within so many, whipped up by Palin (eff you McCain for your choice of VP) & her ilk. We’d recently returned to the US following several years in the UK, and it was a truly unpleasant thing to return to. With the teabaggers, the anti-health reform nuts, the idiots who talk about “Obamacare” (which should automatically disqualify them from being able to discuss anything substantive), the Obama=Hitler, and on & on & on, well, I just don’t think I could handle a closer view of that festering sludge. I can totally get on board with considering & naming Palin a hate transmitter. Suits her to a T.
I’m ready to read about the Chicago serial killer, though. At least I think I am. I thought 18 Seconds was going to give me nightmares, but so far so good.
Stieg Larsson is mystery/thriller stuff. I think his personal story went something like “turned in manuscripts for 3 books (or perhaps he meant them to be one incredibly long book?), publisher went wild, signs him, a few months later he is dead (car crash?) at 40 yrs old or thereabouts.” The books are incredible. Great talent lost.
Two great essay books: The B**ch in the House & the B**tard on the Couch. Interesting collection of stories by women (bet you can guess which one) talking about life/relationships/work/motherhood/marriage/etc. A couple of years or so later the husband of the editor of the B**ch book did the same with men and the B**tard on the Couch was born. Some of the wives in the first book have their husbands contributing in the other book. There’s much that resonates, that can be related to. I re-read those books every few years to remind myself that all relationships have their challenges, marriage, kids, parents, all of them.
Since it’s an open thread ———— watched Inglorious Basterds a couple of weeks ago. Wow. That is an incredible movie. Watched District 9 a few days ago, wanted to slit my wrists after.
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is very good. A Thousand Splendid Suns by the author of The Kite Runner also A Glass Castle: A Memoir .
love auel…and will be looking for that final installment of the series.
smr…
on windows vista and windows seven, i suppose, one has the ability to add “widgets” on the desktop. one of those is a memo pad where you can jot notes to yourself while surfing the innertubes.
i have the memo widget and my clock and the weather widget.
MimiC…I haven’t read that one but I will certainly get around to to it.
Susanthe….Have read The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Wow.
SMR..just give me the nod if you are having trouble getting it.
In between reading all the Books… make sure you read this document that Gryphen has exposed to the light of day in his most recent post.
Seems Bristol Palin is her own Corporation now…. and has been since 9/29.
Hmmm. Sarah didn’t put this ‘ accomplishment’ on FB or tweet about it.
I thought that was what proud GrandMa’s did…?
https://myalaska.state.ak.us/business/soskb/Filings.asp?384209#
C.Rock Says Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett is very good. The follow up book World Without End is also very good. Don’t know how that man can do such detail. Love this thread and ideas.
Fermat’s Last Theorem……I can’t remember who wrote it.
For anyone who enjoys a good mystery, Thomas Perry has a fascinating series of books featuring Jane Whitefield. Jane is a Native American ‘guide’ who helps people trying to escape from extremely dangerous situations create new identities. The books go into great detail about how this is done and how much planning goes into making a new life in the era of computers and instant communication. Jane changes and grows from book to book, and earlier characters sometimes reappear, so it’s best to read them in order, starting with Vanishing Act.
I particularly enjoy the stories since the main character lives near Buffalo when she’s not criss-crossing the country on her adventures, and there are quite a few mentions of locations around WNY. I’ve also read several of his other books and they are well written and real page-turners as well.
my 2nd comment must be in moderation for some reason (?). If you haven’t done so, do read John Dos Passos’s USA Trilogy (The 42nd Parallel, 1919, and The Big Money). He invented a new form of fiction, incorporating contemporary reality (for example, labor leader Eugene Debs is a character in 1919, and if one wasn’t aware of Debs and the Wobblies, he’d fit right in as a fictional character).
Many people mistake the acronym “LLC” as meaning a Limited Liability Corporation, when an LLC doesn’t create a corporation at all. “LLC” is the acronym for a Limited Liability Company. LLC’s are used quite commonly in business, especially small business, primarily as an asset protection tool.
The primary benefit of owning and operating a business under an LLC is the protection of your personal assets from creditors and lien holders. Here’s how it works. Say Connie wants to open her own fitness business. Instead of operating the business as an individual, Connie sets up an LLC. First, she gives it a name, “Connie’s Fitness Gym, LLC”. (After contacting the Secretary of State first to confirm that the chosen business name isn’t already taken).
After that, she files the necessary paperwork required by the State, including the formation documents and Articles of Organization. Once she has been approved by the Secretary of State (which can be expedited and approved within days for a higher filing fee) she must acquire an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS. (This can be done within an hour, online) Once she has the filing approved, and her EIN, Connie must open up a business checking account under the name of the LLC. And Voila, Connie now has her own business.
http://blog.ctnews.com/medico/2009/09/10/what-is-an-llc-and-how-can-you-benefit-by-owning-one/
wow, tnx Lilady – that’s really useful info for a lot of us.
I highly recommend the book Half The Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. This book will really make American women and the men who love them, thankful that they were born in the USA and living at this time. I started this book yesterday and finished it today . . . it’s that compelling. Kristof and WuDunn ask us to get moving to help women in these countries . . . let’s get started!
@honestyinGov….did you notice how Gryphen talked about Trig twice? The second time he did reference another baby when talking about Trig. Like where did this other little guy come from? I just can’t imagine putting my children through so much pain, turmoil and a totally crazy life style. I mean where is the man in this household? Is he as crazy as ex-gino and thinks it’s ok to mess with these children and their emotional well being? I am not getting this lack of compassion and caring about taking care of your children and their well being. Has this household always been crazy? Why are the grandparents not stepping in? Ok…enough of the blogs, thank god the majority of us take care of our children, grandchildren and even our household pets better then the ex-gino and her significant other does with their offspring. Once again…..”IDJITS”!
So Ordered: Making Partner the Hard Way by Ann Branigar Hopkins. Maybe it’s because I was working at Price Waterhouse while this was going on, but the book is a wonderful story about a woman breaking the glass ceiling without flaunting her sexuality. All she asked for was a level playing field, to be judged for suitability for partnership by the criterion as men. Her case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court before she was made partner. And, sadly, I wonder if Ann Hopkins was mounting her challenge to the SCOTUS of today if the outcome would be the same.
As a Young Adult Librarian for a couple decades, yes, there are many wonderful reads for adults waiting there. I don’t read much in the way of “adult” books because I don’t like the excessive verbiage masquerading as erudite writing.
Robin McKinley is a wonderful writer of fantasy; Anne McCaffrey is probably my all-time favorite writer; Tamora Pierce is another favorite. I also suggest Nancy Werlin for great, terse suspense (and she’s a wonderful person to boot). Jane Yolen has written books in just about every genre. Diana Wynne Jones is another top favorite. These are the authors whose books I read and reread.
Favorites:
Anything (non fiction) outdoors and hiking/mountaineering related.
Anything by Carl Hiaasen.
Anything by Christopher Moore.
And, realistically, not to sound cliche, but really anything sent my way and put in front of my face.
My reading list happens to me rather than me planning it
What I’m really longing to read is a history of the Rise and Fall of Sarah Palin. It will be a blockbuster and I predict a movie and…a MUSICAL!
As a low-down, sleazy, money-grubbing, low-class grifter that she is, in my humble opinion, S’error has pressured her daughter to sue for full custody of her son in order to use him to claim as a tax deduction as well as for the PFD. If joint custody were declared, there might have to be a sharing of tax deductions as well who provides what to the child. I don’t really know if that is so, I just surmising.
If I were advising Levi and Bristol, I would encourage them to put the PFD into a trust fund for college for Tripp. But, then, that’s me. I don’t see much emphasis on education in that family.
And Ms. Bristol is just as busy as busy can be with taking care of her son, going to college, working two jobs, and now starting a Public Relations business. How does she find the time?
I want to know where to get the little corner memo pad gizmo…
************
Anything by Sharon Creech, beginning with Walk Two Moons. A wonderful coming of age story written for upper elementary age but adults will love it as much as their daughters. Several books that are loosely related.
The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch. Another coming of age story, more jr high age, this time about a boy in Hoods Canal WA, for you NW folks. Great read and lots of great stuff about the local marine life woven into the story.
Slug Tossing and other stories by a reluctant gardener by Meg Descamp. True tales from a transplant to Portland OR’s Laurelhurst neighborhood. A lovely, funny and light read whether you’re a real gardener or wannabe.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Anne Barrow. Wonderful letter-based tale of the occupation of the Isle of Guernsey in WWII. Fabulous.
The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford tells the story of a Chinese boy and his Japanese (girl) friend in Seattle before and during the internement, again WWII. Fiction but lots of great background and a touching story.
The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez. Wonderful true story that gives some insight into the day-to-day lives and challenges of women in Afghan society. I second all the comments about Kiterunner, and also loved his other book, A Thousand Splendid Suns.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Another book set in Seattle. Very touching, excellent read, especially for you animal lovers.
The Orange Girl by Jostein Gardner. Norwegian author, kind of a coming age story. Beautiful read.
Geez, I feel like I don’t read enough, but when I do it’s all binging. Enjoy. Now I have to go back through all these posts to make my list!
It’s time for me to go to bed. It’s been a long day. Sorry for all the typos in that last post.
This has been one of the best open threads we’ve had here in the Mudflats. I’ve enjoyed it so much!
@kareninOR – Sarah The Musical. Love it!
For an odd way of putting life into perspective, I would suggest “The Life and Death of Planet Earth: How the New Science of Astrobiology Charts the Ultimate Fate of Our World” by Ward and Brownlee.
Great thread, thanks for starting it! I keep a list in my bag with all kinds of books/authors and use it to browse the library. There are enough recommendations here to make a few more lists!
I have to recommend the Spellman Files series of books by Lisa Lutz. Funny and smart (the footnotes are the best parts!)
So nice to see good books spotlighted as an antidote to all the GR coverage…
pdx mb @164, my sister was just telling me about The Guernsey Literary and the Potato Peel Pie Society tonight, she was raving about it. I’ll have to borrow her copy!
(not sure it posted…so sorry if it shows twice…)
Or then, there’s music: from Tom Chapin, at youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC4N5wkp2Ug
If you want some really ‘ light-hearted ‘ humor… THIS might give you a lot of chuckles.
I was reading earlier today a book by Robert Fulghum… called ” UH-OH “.
This is like a little midnight snak citing ‘ Kitchen- counter Philosophy ‘ and gems of wisdom.
————-
“Another dead-of-night dining extravaganza happened because I sat up late reading ” The White Trash Cookbook “. There’s a recipe in there for ‘ Rack of Spam ‘ “.
He then goes on to describe how you prepare ” Rack of Spam “.
( Any Hawaiian Mudpuppies had this dish?… Spam is a favorite in HI )
I don’t know what else is in ” The White Trash Cookbook “, but I will bet it will make you laugh.
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is fantastic. Also just finished City of Thieves about the siege of Leningrad. We will be traveling there in June so I am fascinated by the story. Now reading Harrison Salisbury’s 900 Days also about the siege.
What a great topic. Many of the books mentioned here I have read or are in my stack to read. I am intrigued by some I haven’t heard of but will definitely look into them.
I am currently reading Gertrude Bell by Georgina Howell which is fascinating. It is a biography of the “female Lawrence of Arabia” and details a life of adventure, love, tragedy and her involvement with the creation of modern Iraq. I’m not yet finished with it but would heartily recommend it. What an incredible woman who was ahead of her time.
Another recent book I read was “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” by Mark Hadden. Loved it! Semi-light reading with a heavy message.
I recently finished The Red Leather Diary by Lily Koppel. Lily is a young woman and a new journalist, who acquires a red leather diary amongst abandoned steamer trunks from a NYC apartment building. The story of the find itself is fascinating. Lily tracks down Florence, the writer of the diary and interviews her extensively to fill in the life story of a 14 year old girl in the 1930s. The two were interviewed together on some of the morning shows, and it was fun to find those. The young girl shares quite a lot of detail of her friendships and romances. One of the fascinating glimpses into a long ago life is how that generation of smart teens relied upon writing, plays, books, theater, poetry and music for their entertainment.
I love to read, though admittedly I do not read books as much as I used to before the internet. I still knock off a fair few per year though. I will read almost anything but westerns and romance.
I just recently finished The Minds of Billy Milligan, Sybill and When Rabbit Howls. I liked all of them, but definitely liked The Minds of Billy Milligan the best of those 3.
I am currently reading The Know it All by A J Jacobs about his quest to read the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica. His other 2 books, The Year of Living Biblically and The Guinea Pig Diaries are on my “I’ll get to that” list.
In my ever growing stack of fiction, my next up are Heat Lightning and Rough Country by John Sandford, Breathless by Dean Koontz and the newest Dexter book, the name of which escapes me at the moment.
I have two to recommend, please, one fiction and one non-fiction.
The non-fiction is Carl Sagan’s ‘The Dragons of Eden – Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence’. It sounds dry but isn’t. Although Dr Sagan was a trained biologist he says he writes as a lay person. He sets out his ideas of how our intelligent species got to be where we are and he makes the subject very interesting. In doing so he writes with a wit, grace, charm, beauty and clarity that soothes and uplifts the soul crazed by an insane world, made mad by the cruelty around us and fed upon by a media no longer capable of recognising the good and the evil among us and describing it for us. I open the book every time I feel my world has gone crazy and I want my sanity back. Sagan engages the reader in a conversation that I’ve found rare in modern scientific writing, and I love the book for that.
My all-time favourite fiction is Smiley’s People by John le Carre. Mr le Carre creates a world of cold-war espionage so real it can make you shiver even when you’re snuggled up in front of your own fire, all comfortable and secure. It’s a world where ordinary people do great, and sometimes bad, things, like seedy little Toby Esterhaze, avoiding his creditors and worse, sliding out into the cold, foggy night to serve his country faithfully. It’s a long book, beautifully crafted and detailed, the characters very recognisable, and you never get an idea until you’re over halfway through the book, that it might end where it does. If you saw the BBC television series 30 years ago and never read any of the George Smiley trilogy, you won’t be disappointed; Alec Guinness WAS George Smiley, true to the book. Reading it, I can just see Sir Alec again, cleaning his glasses, and blinking through them, slightly surprised that the world isn’t any cleaner than it was before.
Sorry, but I can’t seem to reproduce the acute accent over the ‘e’ in Mr le Carre’s name.
Author / Title:
FICTION
Frank Yerby, historical novels
Barbara Kingsolver, The Poisonwood Bible
Pearl S. Buck, The Good Earth
Daniel Quinn, Ishmael
NON-FICTION:
Toni Cade Bambara, Those Bones Are Not My Child
Phipps Verner Bradford and Harvey Blume, Ota Benga: The Pygmy In The Zoo
Joe Bageant, Deer Hunting With Jesus: Dispaches from America’s Class War
Howard Thurman, Jesus and the Disinherited
Carl T. Rowan, The Coming Race War in America: A wake up call
Bit dated, but the story of Paul Farmer in “Mountains Beyond Mountains” is an excellent read and helps to put your own obstacles in proper perspective.
It’s 5:30 in the AM and I’m having one of those “my brain won’t shut up” nights so I might as well be up and playing Farmville on Facebook. LOL
This is just too delicious to go unmentioned from rumproast.com and we have a new word for the Palin dictionary: autobimbography!
John McCain Beats Out Palin to Scuttle Scott Brown�s Run for MA Senate Seat
John McCain delivers the Kiss of Death to Naked Teabagger Scott Brown.
McCain went public with his endorsement while Sarah Palin, whom many Conservatives Militant Secessionists had hoped would work her �NY-23 Magic� on the underdog Conservative candidate, was still snow-machining into the New Year under the Full Red Moon on her homeworld of Planet Denali.
One of them had to do it, eventually. A Palin endorsement�while burnishing Palin�s 2012 conservo-cred�would have rendered Brown, the only Republican in the race, almost radioactively Teabaggy in a state that was proud of hosting the original Tea Party before the concept was co-opted by crazed Obamaphobes and Kennedy-haters.
However, by exercising his first-strike capability, McCain has practically assured a GOP loss in a contest that is widely considered unwinnable by odds-makers on both sides (viz. Nate Silver and Real Clear Politics) and has already been abandoned by the national GOP.
Better yet�from a GOP strategy standpoint�McCain�s pre-emptive move has cast any subsequent Palin endorsement of Brown as a decidedly un-Roguey �me-too� suck-up to a man she whacked in the face with the stitched binding of her recent autobimbography, I�d Be VP Now If McQueeg Hadn�t Been Such a Senile Pussy.
I hate to give either McCain or the GOP points for intelligence, but it appears the lessons of the Hoffman debacle have not been lost on them. Plus, you just know Johnny McVengeance has been itching for a chance to stick it to Governor Ingrate.
Posted by StrangeAppar8us on 01/03/10 at 01:11 PM � Permalink
Favorite recent books and books piled on the nightstand:
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire are my favorite “can’t put them down and don’t want them to end” reads. Think Abby from NCIS on steroids.
At the Corner of Bitter and Sweet – gentle, sweet look at the injustices done to American citizens by Americans during WWII.
The Scarlet Letter – yea, it’s a classic but what book club chooses I read. Still relevant.
On to the pile!
Half Broke Horses – Heannette Walls’ follow-up to the amazing Glass Castles, her autobiography.
The Recipe Club – fiction and recipes… what could be better than a book about 2 of my favorite things — cooking and reading!
Lacuna — Barbara Kingsolver
The Help — Kathryn Stockett
Ditto on Stones to Schools and The Lost Symbol
True Blue — David Baldacci, one of my favorite guilty pleasures
Molaki — about leprosy colonies in Hawaii, it was a gift
a couple of new cookbooks including “In the Sweet Shop” about baking
That’s just the nightstand pile. If I started listing all those on the “to read” bookcase, I’d just get depressed. Enjoy!
True Compass – Ted Kennedy’s memoir…what a great read. What a man. What a family. And it has NOTHING to do with money or status.
Oh, I forgot one more book that I bought for a runner friend of mine for Christmas…
Born To Run…a very good read if you enjoy the sport of running!
What a great thread! After I post this, I plan to make a list of other mudpups’ recommendations.
Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back Frank Schaeffer
Backstage You Can Have Betty Hutton The multi-talented movie star of the ’40s and ’50s shares the story of her tumultuous life
The Ode Less Travelled (Unlocking the Poet Within) Stephen Fry
Another James Lee Burke character series, Billy Bob Holland, an attorney and ex-Texas Ranger with his dead grandfather’s ghost apearing now and again (some really good back stories), is worth checking out for excellent mystery reading.
And, Robert Crais’ series on Joe Pike and Elvis Cole, detectives who do business in the Los Angeles area. Great mystery reads.
I tend to find an author who I like and read everything I can find. It’s worked out pretty good so far.
JaneE
Yes! to the Art of Racing in the Rain and Sarah Dunant’s Sacred Hearts. One fascinating recent read (short novel) for anyone interested in writing herself or esp in writing poetry: The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker. Anything by Michael Pollan sets off wonderful reverberations.
An acquaintance of mine (who says having no friends makes his life simpler) who was a pretty good runner and coach recommended some good running books to me over the years. Some of these are great not only because they are well written and easy to read, but also because they shine a light on the author’s/subject’s training and racing theories:
1) The Perfect Mile, Neal Bascomb
2) The Four-Minute Mile, Roger Bannister
3) Run With the Buffaloes, Chris Lear
4) Bruce Fordyce: Comrades King, John Cameron-Dow
5) Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, Kenny Moore
this was one of the greatest threads ever. we got to do this again next year.
If you want to keep track of your home library (or just books you’ve read) online, check out http://www.librarything.com/
You can see what’s in other people’s libraries too and see what people with similar tastes are reading.
Three of my favorite series of books, all mysteries:
the Inspector Lynley novels by Elizabeth George
the Maisie Dobbs series by Jaqueline Winspear, set in England just after WWI
the Inspector Ian Rutledge novels by Charles Todd (the author is actually a mother-son team), which is also set just after WWI.
I second the mentions of Pillars of the Earth, The Lovely Bones (just finished it a few days ago), Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal (hilarious and thought-provoking), and The Unlikely Disciple (3 degrees of separation – it was written by my best friend’s son’s high school friend).
If no one else mentioned them, I strongly recommend The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, The Chosen by Chaim Potok and anything by Herman Wouk.
Ah, I wanted this thread to go on forever.
@Irishgirl — Perhaps there’s a thread in the forum that talks about books/movies/etc? If not, definitely worth starting one!
I am mulling over options for the 3rd Larsson book — could get it sent to friends in Scotland for me to pick up when I get there, don’t think it will get here from the UK before we leave. I cannot believe that it can’t be had via amazon canada or us until May! What a rip-off!
Thanks for all of the wonderful suggestions everyone!
Just to keep this thread going…..The Road by Cormack McCarthy was a definite downer but a great read. His style is classic and the message was very thought provoking so say the least. I would recommend it. This book was a page turner and changed my view on how comfortably we live and how much we take it for granted. So much could change in an instant.
@SMR, there was a thread on the forum at one stage. I will try to resurrect it.
Hubby hasn’t started the 3rd book yet, but he should do soon and I imagine he will have it finished by the weekend (he is on holiday)! So just say the word and I can either send it to Scotland or Canada sometime early next week.
@Irishgirl –
Send me a PM if you get it resurrected. I’d love to see one that talks about books & movies. I don’t get over to the forum much (that’s an understatement), but would wander over to talk books, movies (which I don’t get much time for, so am pretty particular about the ones that I do watch), and music too.
I like keeping books, so don’t worry about sending on your copy, though the thought is very very much appreciated. I’m still trying to decide whether I will buy it thru amazon uk and have it sent to the friends that we’ll be staying with, or just head to one of the big booksellers as soon as humanly possible after landing in Glasgow (no, that’s not where we’re staying!).
I cannot wait to get to your side of the world! My husband has talks with a couple of people lined up, hoping to get back over there for work, crossing fingers.