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Books.
Dec 16, 2012 17:31:34 GMT -5
Post by Holy Schist on Dec 16, 2012 17:31:34 GMT -5
Hi,
Any recommendations? I am hoping for some more reading time in coming weeks.
I just finished David Brooks' The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement which was interesting and not exactly like I know him in his usual writing. I think it's one some here might like.
I also finished Doc Watson's biography.
Thanks.
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Books.
Dec 16, 2012 19:05:02 GMT -5
Post by blowtorch on Dec 16, 2012 19:05:02 GMT -5
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Books.
Dec 16, 2012 20:30:56 GMT -5
Post by lindaw on Dec 16, 2012 20:30:56 GMT -5
Sounds good. I'm currently reading Behind The Green Mask by Rosa Koire. Just finished Surviving a Shark Attack on Land by Dr. Laura and Into The Storm by Reed Timmer.
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Books.
Dec 18, 2012 9:37:04 GMT -5
Post by thedude on Dec 18, 2012 9:37:04 GMT -5
It would help to know what genre you like.
If you are into non-fiction, you would likely enjoy Jon Krakauer's books. His one about climbing Mt Everest and his one about Mormon fundamentalists are both very good. Into the Wild is also really good.
Another really good non-fiction work grounded in outdoor adventure is Merle's Door. It's based around the author's life with his dog, but it's so much better than what you would likely think such a book would be. The author is also a free lance outdoor adventure writer, so you might like his background and approach to life.
For historical fiction, I really like Ken Follet and am currently reading one of his right now.
If you like fiction, there is obviously a huge variety of material, so I couldn't begin to recommend anything without knowing what you enjoy.
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Books.
Dec 18, 2012 10:01:57 GMT -5
Post by Holy Schist on Dec 18, 2012 10:01:57 GMT -5
It would help to know what genre you like. If you are into non-fiction, you would likely enjoy Jon Krakauer's books. His one about climbing Mt Everest and his one about Mormon fundamentalists are both very good. Into the Wild is also really good. Another really good non-fiction work grounded in outdoor adventure is Merle's Door. It's based around the author's life with his dog, but it's so much better than what you would likely think such a book would be. The author is also a free lance outdoor adventure writer, so you might like his background and approach to life. For historical fiction, I really like Ken Follet and am currently reading one of his right now. If you like fiction, there is obviously a huge variety of material, so I couldn't begin to recommend anything without knowing what you enjoy. Thanks. I will look into some of those. Most of my reading is non-fiction but recalled how I loved reading Kurt Vonnegut when I was young so just loaded a short story book from the library. I've read a few from some popular fiction authors my wife will pick up such as Michael Connelly and and Lee Childs. The Childs books seemed too fake but I read them with nothing else while on a vacation etc.... The David Brooks book I mentioned cited his sources and I put some of those on my library system waiting list. Not sure about all of you, but we have a good library system where they share books in the member cities and have the Amazon system for loaning Kindle books. I'm leaning towards Kindle format because I can keep reading even if it's a coffee break and my phone's screen. There's probably some irony with my loving the library's Kindle loans. Our local library and a branch near in Madison are regular stops in our routines. I will get paper copies of guitar magazines, The Economist, and the trips are good family activities. My 4th gen iPad has also renewed interest in the library's Kindle loans. It's practical for web and other app use beyond our e ink Kindle and you can read on with SO much ease compared to other tablets. Thanks again all for the suggestions.
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Books.
Dec 18, 2012 13:08:55 GMT -5
Post by thedude on Dec 18, 2012 13:08:55 GMT -5
I like Michael Connelly for some good old fashioned crime novels that are easy page turners. Some of his older stuff is a bit better, or at least I recall it that way. Maybe I have just changed. Either way, I still read all his books. I remember The Poet being really good.
As for Childs, do you mean Lincoln Childs? I have read some of the books co-authored with Preston Douglass. Some are goofily fake, but some are really fun. You MUST read The Relic if you haven't done so.
I also really enjoyed The Monster or Florence by Douglas Preston, which is a non-fiction work about a serial killer in Florence. What helps to make it current is that the prosecutor involved in the case is characterized as being not only incompetent, but terribly, terribly corrupt and the same guy who put Amanda Knox in prison for almost 4 years.
Regarding the library, kindle, etc., I have been trying to use the library for the last year or so whenever I can. I used to just buy books, but that seems to be kind of a waste of money and we have a really good local library. It's more about remembering to use it more than anything else. I also need to check into their electronic resources. I'm figuring that that is going to be how things are done in the future, sooner or later. It makes so much more sense.
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Books.
Dec 18, 2012 14:01:21 GMT -5
Post by Holy Schist on Dec 18, 2012 14:01:21 GMT -5
I like Michael Connelly for some good old fashioned crime novels that are easy page turners. Some of his older stuff is a bit better, or at least I recall it that way. Maybe I have just changed. Either way, I still read all his books. I remember The Poet being really good. As for Childs, do you mean Lincoln Childs? I have read some of the books co-authored with Preston Douglass. Some are goofily fake, but some are really fun. You MUST read The Relic if you haven't done so. I also really enjoyed The Monster or Florence by Douglas Preston, which is a non-fiction work about a serial killer in Florence. What helps to make it current is that the prosecutor involved in the case is characterized as being not only incompetent, but terribly, terribly corrupt and the same guy who put Amanda Knox in prison for almost 4 years. Regarding the library, kindle, etc., I have been trying to use the library for the last year or so whenever I can. I used to just buy books, but that seems to be kind of a waste of money and we have a really good local library. It's more about remembering to use it more than anything else. I also need to check into their electronic resources. I'm figuring that that is going to be how things are done in the future, sooner or later. It makes so much more sense. My bad, it was Lee Child. Yeah, on easy page turners. Maybe I read so much non-fiction that it happens some is too fake. Fiction seems fine when out there is something like Kurt Vonnegut. The electronic media from our library is getting better where there's an app that handles download of audio content now. My first attempts were a paid getting the file and getting it from your media manager to mobile device. If like ours, your library system call have wish lists in addition to searches for the Kindle books and holds. That lets you see how many are in line for a popular title. A down side to the electronic versions is having to read them in 1 - 3 weeks time. That does not always work out for me. FYI: You can lend your own Kindle purchases too. It doesn't apply to all titles. I just looked and can't offer you any more than some free classics or tech text books. I thought maybe some like Keef's book or Master Switch I bought could be lent out. Thanks for more ideas.
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Books.
Dec 18, 2012 14:11:11 GMT -5
Post by thedude on Dec 18, 2012 14:11:11 GMT -5
Our library has info about holds, waiting lists, etc. I'm in a book group, and my real problem is that I generally wait until there is about a week left before I even try to get the book. Often, the library doesn't have it available so I either buy one or do Kindle.
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Books.
Dec 18, 2012 15:40:31 GMT -5
Post by Holy Schist on Dec 18, 2012 15:40:31 GMT -5
Our library has info about holds, waiting lists, etc. I'm in a book group, and my real problem is that I generally wait until there is about a week left before I even try to get the book. Often, the library doesn't have it available so I either buy one or do Kindle. I think there's an iPhone joke somewhere in that one.
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Dec 24, 2012 10:31:47 GMT -5
Post by GOD on Dec 24, 2012 10:31:47 GMT -5
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
2312 by Kin Stanley Robinson
The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness by Harlow Giles Unger
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
Cascadia's Fault: The Earthquake and Tsunami That Could Devastate North America by Jerry Thompson
Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
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Dec 27, 2013 8:42:46 GMT -5
Post by Holy Schist on Dec 27, 2013 8:42:46 GMT -5
I just started Coud Atlas suggested here, and recently finished Traffic. www.amazon.com/Traffic-drive-what-says-about-ebook/dp/B001BAGWQE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1388151136&sr=1-1&keywords=trafficTraffic's not a thriller but holds a lot of interesting information. The Righteous Mind is on my library waiting list. I've heard interviews of the author and like his moved left to center, and respect for how people think. He was featured in the recent "This is interesting" podcast. Dollarocrasy is another I'm reading. I'm not always in agreement with one of the authors who's a local writer but like the refresh of history, and it's interesting to consider the money relationship with politics. Unfortunately a lot of the Kindle time is with text books but the newer cheap Kindle makes it a better platform than ever for text book learning via the skip around feature. It's usually easy to get classics via the Kindle loaning so I'm thinking about a re-read of classics I read in high school or college. I remember Ayn Rand, Catch 22, but not Hemingway as examples. So, what are you reading, recently read, what's in queue?
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