What's Everybody Reading? I'll Go First...
Entertainment
Posted by glen 7 years, 8 months ago
I'm always on the hunt for new books to read. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I'm currently reading old Agatha Christie novels. There's something very simple and neat about her mysteries, and for whatever reason reading them right before bed is an incredible sleep aid. (That and the Danger Juice.)
I'm really fond of a Japanese author named Haruki Murakami. He writes some very interesting stuff, but about this time every other year or so I'll crack open one of his best, the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
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brian
7 years, 8 months agoReply
Chet_Manly
7 years, 8 months agoA Narrative of the Life of David Crockett, by Himself
On a nightly basis, the training articles on EliteFTS.net
Update: finished the Davy Crockett autobiography. Never had any idea he was so politically minded, but it was an interesting window into life at that time in the "cane breaks".
http://www.read52booksin52weeks.com/p/well-educated-mind.html?m=1
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ahnyerkeester
7 years, 8 months agoTrue Grit by Charles Portis
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glen
7 years, 8 months agoLoved that movie as a kid. I'll have to check the book out.
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ahnyerkeester
7 years, 8 months agoBy all means, read the book! Some really great writing. The Coen Brothers version of the movie is very faithful to the book but there's nothing like reading Portis. :)
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OperationBrandon
7 years, 8 months agoThat Wind-Up Bird Chronicle looks interesting!
I'm just digging into Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair, and loving it already. I've been reading a lot of Pratchett over the last year but need to take occasional breaks!
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glen
7 years, 8 months agoThe Eyre Affair looks great. I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the recommendation!
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lhriv
7 years, 8 months agoThe Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (time-travel book about someone who lives the same life over and over again)
Symphony for the City of the Dead by M.T. Anderson (a YA book about the composer Shostakovich and the siege of Leningrad)
Also, I recently finished two non-fiction books that I highly recommend:
Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson (fascinating read with science and case studies that support optimal ways of learning and becoming an expert)
The Pursuit of Perfect by Tal Ben-Shahar (this one is for perfectionists, especially those that have anxiety, stress, or constraints as a result. Really gave me insight into how my mind works along with a new view on life. Will probably be referring to it often.)
I like this parlor topic! Always fun to find out what others are reading.
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lhriv
7 years, 8 months agoAlmost forgot! I'm also reading The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante. On the second book now - so so good.
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jordan
7 years, 8 months agoJust starting Fatal Journey by Peter Mancall
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elancaster65
7 years, 8 months agoHarlan Coben - The Stranger
G.K. Chesterton - Heretics
Matt Chandler - The Explicit Gospel
Just finished Grisham's - Rogue Lawyer.
8 more sitting on the shelf waiting to be read.
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lhriv
7 years, 8 months agoI've always been curious about reading G.K. Chesterton. Have you read a lot of his books? Any recommendations?
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elancaster65
7 years, 8 months agoJust started with Heretics. My Pastor quoted from Orthodox. Ordered it and found out you should read Herertics first.
The books are very specific to the era he was writing in. You have to have some knowledge of the movers and shakers in philosophy of the late 19th Century. I have to look stuff up.
That said, very interesting reading. I'm only half way through and see that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Nothing new under the sun.
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lhriv
7 years, 8 months agoThanks for the feedback, good to know. I hadn't thought about reading his essays so I'll look into it. I do like philosophy, but I have to be in a "mood" for it sometimes. I've been curious about reading The Man Who Was Thursday.
On a similar note, I picked up George Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman a while back and haven't gotten to it yet. I know that he and Chesterton were good friends, so it might be fun to try reading the two authors at the same time to get a better sense of historical context.
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elancaster65
7 years, 8 months agoChesterton goes after Shaw's Superman in Heretics. It's pretty amusing!
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lhriv
7 years, 8 months agoInteresting! I might read superman first then and then jump to the essays. Nothing like a good literary duel.
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Chet_Manly
7 years, 8 months agoI've purchased some Chesterton works, but the only thing I've gotten to is the occasional Father Brown story. They are pretty good for reading before bedtime and are reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes in holding your attention without giving the mystery away, but simultaneously unique. I have the full series so it's easy to place a book mark and read a few stories at leisure between other works.
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elancaster65
7 years, 8 months agoOnce I'm done with Heretics and Orthodox I'll pick up some of his other books. Looking forward to them as I've heard good reviews from many different people.
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Chet_Manly
7 years, 8 months agoWhen you're done, by all means, feel free to put up some commentary on this page.
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elancaster65
7 years, 8 months agoWill do!
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lhriv
7 years, 8 months agoJust looked up the Father Brown series. Those sound like fun. I always like to have some good short stories laying around.
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trigjoh
7 years, 8 months ago'Seveneves' by Neal Stephenson. Sci-fi. First of his books that I have read and thoroughly enjoyed. There's a lot of technical discussion in the book, but found worth getting thru. Also 'Waiting for Snow in Havana' by Carlos Eire & 'The Soul of an Octopus' by Sy Montgomery
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OperationBrandon
7 years, 7 months agoAbout half way through Freakonomics now...very interesting!
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dewtattoo
7 years, 5 months agoI recently finished 'Mr. Mercedes' by Stephen King, and am now working on the second book in the series, 'Finders Keepers', before I move on to the last book in the series, 'End of the Watch'.
I love to read, but I don't have as much time to do it as I would like. I go to bed an hour early each evening so that I can read in bed before dozing off. I go through about a book every couple of weeks.
I am most looking forward to 'The Winds of Winter' by George R.R. Martin. I absolutely love the Song of Ice and Fire series
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elancaster65
7 years, 5 months agoFields of Glory by Michael Jecks.
He wrote the Medieval Mysteries with the characters Simon Puttock and Sir Baldwin. It was set just after the Crusades.
Fields of Glory surrounds the Battle of Crecy, Sir John de Sully and his vintaines. Takes place in 1346 with King Edward the III. If you're into historical fiction, this is pretty good. Jecks does a lot of research. Think Conn Iggulden for comparison.
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ahnyerkeester
7 years, 5 months agoJust finished:
Psycho by Robert Bloch. That was good.
Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds Everyone at Gentlemint should read this book.
Working on:
The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis. Written in 1963 but I swear parts of it sound like today. Haven't seen the movie but the book is good.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. Heinlein can be tedious at times. The story is about a revolution on the moon and the pacing is a bit slow.
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Titanheart
7 years, 5 months agoI'm restarting my favorite series, about a wizard named Harry that fights injustice...
in Chicago...
Yeah you thought I was going with a different Harry didn't you. Pffft...
I'm reading The Dresden Files for like the 4th time. I could try to give it high praise, but let me just say that growing up my favorite book series was anything by Tolkien. I devoured his books over and over again. I can tell you pretty much anything you want to know about Middle Earth, yes I am that guy.
The Dresden Files is now my very favorite series of books. I don't know how I can give it higher praise than that. Delightful to read. Intelligent characters. Doesn't take itself too seriously. Everything a book series should be.
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Chet_Manly
7 years, 5 months agoHeh heh heh
Just curious if you ever got into any of the Frank Herbert Dune novels? I enjoyed those before I discovered Tolkien. Herbert had quality writing, excellent characters and dialogue. I'm picky about those things so both Tolkien and Herbert have made me more critical of other authors. Just curious.
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Titanheart
7 years, 5 months agoOddly no. But it is mostly a personal affinity toward specific tropes I think. I love the Star Wars movies for example. LOVE! But I have no interest in any novels in that universe. I've read a lot of fantasy books, some enjoyable, some not, but for the life of me cannot get into futuristic settings of any kind. I thought I would enjoy Herbert because like you said, obviously a lot of quality there, but it just didn't resonate for some reason.
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Chet_Manly
7 years, 5 months agoI understand. The Dresden Files look like a fun read (had to look them up). I have used Dean Koontz as an indulgence that I wouldn't typically admit, but the paranormal type element makes in interesting enough. I really prefer them as audio books when I'm driving long distances, but I'll check out Dresden Files next time, thanks.
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sam_acw
7 years, 5 months agoCurrently reading "The Subtle Art of not Giving a ----" by Manson. I read a crazy amount because of the disjointed nature of my job and using public transport. I've used goodreads to keep track this year and I've averaged just over 3 books a week in 2016.
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Bradleyd16
7 years, 5 months agoThings That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes, and Politics by Charles Krauthammer. Only a couple hours into it, but it's great.
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