Good books
I'm going to be taking my own trip to South Africa in a few days. Lots of time sitting in airplanes required.
So....anybody read any good books lately they'd recommend to soak up all the air time? I just started the latest Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) book, Lethal White. It's good and it's long but I can tell I'm going to blitz through the last third or so of the book.
FYI. I'm a fan of fiction and non-fiction books.
Thanks, MGoBoard.
If you want a great WWII book, one that never gets mentioned is Between Silk and Cyanide. It was written by a British cryptographer in the Special Operations Executive. A lot of cool stuff in that book about how espionage was conducted by the British against the Germans.
There are a couple of good WWII books about D-day told from the Germans point of view. Can’t rememeber the names but a quick google search will find them for you very interesting
I would also highly recommend the boys in the boat. Could hardly put that book down
The Great Halifax Explosion by FOTB John U. Bacon. There is something about how Bacon writes, I can't put down anything he writes. And the story of the explosion is an amazing story that I did not know a thing about.
Seconded. That was a terrific book. I think that the U.S. and Canada should have collectively done something significant in 2017 to mark the 100th anniversary. I had no idea of the impact that the explosion had on U.S.-Canada relations, other than Halifax sending the Christmas tree to Boston every year.
Agree. It's weird to think of now since Canada is so close, but I didn't realize how we were uneasy neighbors for the 50 years between Canadian Independence and WWI
If you have not read Into Thin Air by Jon Krakuer, now is the time. Damn book got me obsessed with Mt. Everest for like a year.
I read it in 1998 - after Carr used it to inspire his '97 National Champions! I'll second the reco...
Read it years ago and yes, the latest goings on at Everest make you think about that book. All those people standing around using up oxygen in the death zone,
I am also going to South Africa in a couple weeks! If it is your first time there, you are in for a treat. What's the itinerary look like? I lived there for a bit so this is a return after 3+ years away for me...can't wait!
In terms of books, I am a non-fiction reader. And for this trip specifically, you can't go wrong with...
- Long Walk To Freedom - Mandela autobiography
- My Traitor's Heart - Malan autobiography re: Apartheid S.A
- Kaffir Boy - Mathabane autobiography of a tennis player growing up in S.A. townships
The Name of the Wind
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Fire and Blood
Fire and Blood put me to sleep. Instead of “Fire and Blood” it should have been called “Words and More Words, and then Words.”
fifty shades series.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - good if you like mysteries (which it appears you do). Don't read the blurb on the back of the jacket or really anything about it at all as I think it sort of spoils what isn't really a twist but is a novel setup to discover as you read.
This is a fantastic book and a great recommendation. The concept is also unique and unlike anything else that I have read. Love this book.
The Upset - autobiography by the recently belated Tyler Trent is a most insightful book about the tragedy of living with childhood cancer and the power of faith to endure and even thrive during the suffering. Tyler was a passionate Purdue fan and sports writer. The book is well written, entertaining, and even somehow enjoyable to read despite the content which is heavy at times.
My stock answer for 30 years: Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Favorite book of all time and a constant recommendation is The Brothers K by David James Duncan.
Also,
Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames - super good, super funny. "sequel" Bloody Rose is good too
Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher (ongoing)
Red Rising series by Pierce Brown (first series is done, second series ongoing)
Skyward - Brandon Sanderson's first foray into Sci-fi
Greatcoats series by Sebastien de Castell (swashbuckling, fantasy series. Finished. Very good)
Lee Child's Jack Reacher series
Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp series
When I saw your first one, I though you meant The Brothers Karamazov by Dotsoyevsky.. That was a long, tough read, and I didn't like the ending....
Yeah, I threw in DJD's name for that reason.
I've tried so many times to get into Dresden Files and just cannot get hooked.
First few books are tedious but well worth it to get to the current books
I've only read the first Mitch Rapp book, and Vince Flynn was a guy with great story ideas who has no idea how to write dialogue. His novels would have been much better if he had any clue how people talk.
Star Wars - Darth Plagueis. It sets the prequels up nicely.
With the Old Breed - if you want a good (and horrifying) read about WWII in the Pacific...sort of relevant now because of all the remembrance of D-Day. If given a choice, I would have much rather gone ashore at Normandy than any shithole in the Pacific. This book focuses on one Marine's experience at Peleliu (a brutal yet basically unknown campaign - and possibly unneccessary) and everyone's favorite Hell-on-earth, Okinawa.
For fiction, if you haven't tried any and you like crime novels, I'd go with Michael Connelly - any Harry Bosch books(there are losts of them). They are easy to read and hard to put down.
The Road Beneath My Feet by Frank Turner. One of the best books I have read in the past 20 years. Self biography of a musician going out on his own. Plus, his music is awesome.
I Heard You Paint Houses - Jimmy Hoffa's murder revealed among other teamsters/mobsters/JFK stuff. Great book.
Bad Blood - Theranos tell-all. Fantastic.
The Devil in the White City, reading it now - set in the 1890s Chicago invoving the World's Fair and a serial killer.
All great non-fiction.
+1 for Bad Blood. How the hell she got anyone to fund her is just mind-bogging!
Added bonus/spoiler - the serial killer was a UM medical student!
When asked for book recommendations I always go with "anything by Terry Pratchett." The Discworld novels are excellent (I usually prefer those in the latter half of the series, but they're all good), but Good Omens (co-written with Neil Gaiman and now a series on Amazon) is probably my favorite.
I actually sobbed when Terry Pratchett died. The Discworld series is my all-time favorite series of books. His was truly a great loss.
Anything by Richard K. Morgan, but my favorites are the Kovacs trilogy:
Altered Carbon
Broken Angels
Woken Furies
I particularly enjoy the explorations around the consequences of the main technology advance they posit.
The Charm School by Nelson DeMille
its an old book, published in '89 or '90, but it was the only book i ever read that was very difficult to put down.
full disclosure, i've probably only read a dozen books (including that one) that weren't assignments.
A new book called Ohio: A Novel by Stephen Markley. Incredibly well-written and engaging, one of the best novels I've read in years.
Depends on what genre you like.
Fantasy: Game of Thrones (obviously). Sanderson is pretty good as well. Robin Hobb is good, though I haven't read anything new from her in probably 15 years. The Steel Remains by Morgan. Morgan is an absolutely brutal author, he doesn't pull any punches. Really good series
SF: Expanse by Corey (also a TV show on Prime). Hyperion by Simmons, old school but still one of my favorites. Dune is a classic, though I couldn't get into the sequels. Peter Hamilton, you can start with Nights Dawn or the Commonwealth saga. Alastair Reynolds, though I wouldn't bother with his Blue Remembered Earth stuff. Altered Carbon by Morgan, also a series on Netflix but of course the book is better.
Non fantasy/SF: Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter. Hunter is about 50/50 for me, but this was one of his good ones. Lee Child is a fun, fast read. Action packed, though all his characters are paper thin. Harlan Coben is the same. I've read some good Vince Flynn books, though Amercian Assassin was crap.
Leviathon Wakes - 1st book in Expanse Series if you like a good space opera
All of the books in the series are engaging, having just finished the latest one (Tiamat’s War). It’s really hard to write an extended sequence of stories and keep each one as gripping as the last.
Good Night Moon
Goodnight Moon?
Yes, I don't read much
Goodnight kittens. Goodnight mittens.
The Pink Floyd of children's books
So, funny story: for some reason my wife bought us the Spanish version of Good Night Moon, Buenos Noches Luna, in addition to the English one. Out of respect for Hispanic culture she loves, I often read that one to the kids at night instead of the English version. The only problem is I don’t speak Spanish. So there were some really creative readings.
If you like Epic Fantasy, I would recommend the series "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" by Tad Williams
The Dragonbone Chair (1988)
Stone of Farewell (1990)
To Green Angel Tower (1993)
One of my favorites, and a lot of pages to keep you occupied.
I second the Cormac McCarthy recommendation and would add:
Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson.
And if you like that one, Stephenson has plenty more to keep you reading.
Cryptonomicon is kind of a tough first introduction to Stephenson. It was interesting but a bit of a slog. Snow Crash seems like the obvious place to start.
Completely understand. I find Stephenson's books generally a great ride after that initial investment.
I particularly like Cryptonomicon (and re-read it) because of the timeline back and forth, code breaking, etc.
My default recommendation has been Catch-22, for about 30 years now. I've read it several times, and I still love it! It's a great story that has everything in it - good comedy that will make you LOL; tragedy that'll make you cringe; mystery that will confuse you; and a story that ties it all together. Great book!
I tend to stay with non-fiction, historical, and biographical stuff. I realized a long time ago that reading takes time, so I might as well try to learn something out of it.
That’s one of my favorites too, it’s so good. I’m looking forward to watching the show
When Breathe Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi was the best book I've read recently