OT: Summer reading suggestions
Anyone have read some good book recommendations? I've never really strayed away from fiction but I am going to start trying some non-fiction this summer. What was the last book you read?
My last few reads:
- The In-Between World of Vikram Lall by MG Vassanji (highly recommend)
- East of Eden by Steinbeck
- The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin
- The Broken Earth trilogy by NK Jemisin
And of course I can't edit the post so I can't fix that terrible first sentence.
I have read some good book recommendations. Thank you.
(Not being able to edit sucks.)
I recently read Fight Club and Night Mother because despite having been an English major, I don't make time for reading and appreciate something I can read in one or two flights.
I'm now finishing David Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon, the story of a series of murders in the Osage tribe in Oklahoma. It's an incredibly compelling story. On the fiction front, just finished David Mamet's new novel Chicago. Would recommend both as pretty quick summer reading.
I'd also recommend Masha Gessen's recent National Book Award winner, The Future is History, Ronan Farrow's War on Peace, and for a Michigan connection, UM professor Tiya Miles' excellent history of slavery in early Detroit, The Dawn of Detroit.
killers of the flower moon was a really good book, but so, so depressing. if you haven’t read it already, the lost city of z (same author) was an enjoyable read.
just finished a book of norse mythology and now i’m reading sometimes a great notion by ken kesey.
Last book I read was The Russian Five, but speaking of Masha, I just picked up The Man Without a Face. I'm also really looking forward to evenyoubrutus's new novel!
I would have guessed that it was either "Art of the Deal", "Art of the Comeback", or "The America We Deserve".
/no politics
You guys wanna read a good one about Ol' Uncle Vlad, check out Putin's Kleptocracy: Who Stole Russia? by Karen Dawisha an incredibly brave writer and professor (she recently died - thankfully of natural causes). Pretty dry and reads like an intelligence dossier but holy smokes there is some stuff in there. Highly recommend.
"Thankfully of natural causes"
I know a lot of her colleagues. She had a pretty awful fight with cancer. Nothing thankful about that.
The best book I have read in the past 15 years is City of Thieves, the second, is the Killer Angels.
City of Thieves, a WWII era story set during the siege of Stalingrad. Two thieves are caught and the penalty at the time is death. Or.....they can get a dozen eggs for a Soviet Colonel's daughter's wedding. I could not put it down.
Killer Angels, is historical fiction set at the Battle of Gettysburg. Awesome story, awesome read.
And yes, I read much more than war novels, just that these two stand out or "jump off the page" for an Mgoblog pun.
I would second The Killer Angels along with the successive Civil War books Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure which I believe were authored by the son Jeff Shaara? The father Michael Shaara wrote the first book The Killer Angels. Good lord, I'd actually forgotten how good those books were until reading your post.
Agree wholeheartedly about City of Thieves. So so good. I read it years ago and still think about it.
City of Thieves was really interesting!
Interestingly, the book was written by Game of Thrones co-showrunner/creator David Benioff and was written essentially about his grandfather.
I've had Killer Angels sitting on my bookshelf for probably 15+ years now. I should probably get around to reading it. Civil War just isn't a setting that interests me.
The Martian. Best book I've read.
Just finished Devil in the White City. which was pretty good Currently reading The Three Muskeeteers, about 1/4 of the way thru and it's very entertaining.
Agree with Devil in White City being a good non-fiction.
Erik Larson has long been one of my favorite authors - Devil in the White City was one of my favorite's. I also enjoyed Thunderstruck and Isaac's Storm quite a bit.
I'll have to pick up one of his other books in the near future.
I have read almost all of Larson's work and he has yet to disappoint me. Dead Wake, about the Lusitania, is also tremendous.
I have read almost all of Larson's work and he has yet to disappoint me. Dead Wake, about the Lusitania, is also tremendous.
Been a lurker on the site for a long time and this thread made me jump on board. I'm from a family of Michigan fans. Shameless plug, read Deadman's Tome The Conspiracy Issue if you are into horror. It's a books of short stories, mostly horror, focused on conspiracies. I have a story featured in it. To be honest though, based on the books you listed you appreciate a little higher brow literature than Deadman's Tome. But hey, if you purchase it off Amazon you're helping another Michigan fan! Like I said, shameless. Honestly since I'm a horror writer it's also what I mostly read. A great, GREAT thinking man's horror would be any collection by Laird Barron. He is the modern day H.P. Lovecraft; I'd suggest his collections The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All and Swift to Chase.
Here's my list:
Deadman's Tome The Conspiracy Issue (shameless I know, I know,)
The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All or Swift to Chase both by Laird Barron (when I say Laird Barron is for a thinking man and he is the modern day Lovecraft I'm not lying; he is not a friend of mine or anything he is just that damned good.
I actually just finished "Postwar" by Tony Judt. Absolutely fascinating read.
I was going to move to a book I had bought ages ago but hadn't gotten to read yet - "The Embarrassment Of Riches" by Simon Schama.
Highly recommend Pierce Brown's Red Rising trilogy
Currently reading Mark Lawrence's new trilogy (first two are out) and they're great - Red Sister and Grey Sister
Just added Jim Butcher's Dresden Files back onto the Kindle to give it another go through. Best series out there.
Best new book/author I've read recently was Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames though, just a fun and funny book. Loved it
I can't get into Dresden Files. Have tried multiple times. Codex of Alera is Butcher's better work.
Ehh, agree to disagree on that one. The first couple books are a bit of a chore for DF but once it really gets going it's incomparable imo
Co-sign, The Codex Novels have an intriguing premise, but the characters just don't crackle the same way they do in The Dresden Files. The Cinderspire novel he wrote was okay, but also not Dresden.
I've only read the first four because, as I said, I just can't get into them. The magic system is too hand-wavy and nothing is coherent. The books are too short for effective world building.
Yes, sir. Red Rising is very good though I've only read the first of the trilogy.
Get these guys asses off my ads.
Brutal.
hit the X in the top right corner of the ad. it will ask you if you want to report the ad and then another page showing 4 reasons to remove the ad. google ads claims they'll try to avoid sending that ad again. i just tried this earlier today (turned off ad-blocker after 3.0 launch) so i'm hoping the man-butt ads don't return.
they're back. argh.
Read anything by Economist Thomas Sowell or Walter Williams.
The puppy who lost his way...
Last 2 non fiction books I've read were Guns, Germs, and Steel, which you probably already know about since it was really popular. Great book. And the Imjin War by Samuel Hawley. About the Japanese invasions of Korea in the 1590s. Also a really good book for an incredibly important war that I'm sure most people don't even know about. It's right after Japan unifies for the first time. The plan was actually to conquer China (and more) by going through Korea. A couple decades after the war they become a closed country until the US rolls up a few hundred years later. It absolutely devastates Korea and gives Korea its most famous military hero by far, Yi Sun Sin. He almost does literally save the country himself because he prevents Japan from taking the seas so Japan's supply routes get overstretched. And China's Ming dynasty was in decline. Cost of the war was a contributing factor to the end of the dynasty.
Good topic. I like the idea of fiction, but I usually get bored.... I guess I’m to much of a realist. I know, I’m weird. I did like “Gump and Company” though. Anyways, a great Civil War book that is NF is called “Confederates in the Attic”. It is a great read. A couple other books I recently read that are NF that I loved are.. “My Lost Brothers” by Brendan McDonagh, he was the lone survivor of the Yarnell Wildfire that killed 19 Hotshots in 2013. You may have heard of the movie called “Only the Brave” that is how I heard about the book. Watch the movie first if you haven’t. (ALWAYS WATCH MOVIE FIRST......NEVER EVER READ A BOOK FIRST.........DONT DO IT!!! Another is called “Not Without Hope” by Nick Schuyler. Crazy situation and Great read. Any book about Band of Brothers is a great read as well. There are many done by the vets who were not as involved in the original book.
Anything and everything by Brandon Sanderson set in his Cosmere is incredibly well written and super compelling.
I cannot agree more. The Stormlight Archives are absolutely incredible.
Loved how Oathbringer had more blatant tie-ins to the other worlds. "Azure" was especially awesome.
I will continue my quest to read all of John Grisham’s novels, 16 and counting.
I used to read mostly non-fiction, but I am taking a break for a few years.
I'm the same. I just finished Camino Island. Not his best work, but I love Grisham. They're easy reads with music on in the background.
I will continue my quest to read all of John Grisham’s novels, 16 and counting.
I used to read mostly non-fiction, but I am taking a break for a few years.
If you’re looking for non-fiction sports, my two favorites are Friday Night Lights and Moneyball.
If you're interested in a history / civil rights read, I read the MLK biography 'Bearing The Cross' recently which was fascinating and am currently reading 'Devil in the Grove' which is about Thurgood Marshall. Really enjoying that one
Some books that I have enjoyed
Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman is a great book about WWI. The audiobook was amazing with an incredible narration.
Lawrence in Arabia is a recent biography about TE Lawrence. Helps give perspective about how we got to where we are today in the Middle East.
Endurance is an incredible book about Shackleton and offers great inspiration about leadership and perseverance.
The Fall of the Ottomans is a great book that illustrates the factors involved with today’s Middle East. Good description of the Armenian genocide.
Devil in the White City or anything by Erik Larson is good.
Richard Rhodes books are also all great. My favorite is the Making of the Atomic Bomb.
Hamilton by Ron Chernow is amazing
Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow is even better than Hamilton. It inspired Chernow to write the bio about Hamilton.
Fiction
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Girl on a Train. Much better than the movie!
The Alchemist
'Shackleton's Valiant Voyage', I read that as a kid; Sir Ernest was a badass, holy cow! Back in the day when men were made of iron and ships were made of wood. Nowadays it's the other way around; special forces pukes would be hard put to survive that journey.
I am reading Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow now. It was the inspiration for the Broadway musical. It's over 700 pages, but definitely worth the effort. Agree that it is amazing.
For you younger MGoBlog-gers - You should try "If I Don't Six". Fiction about a U-M football recruit and player, set in Ann Arbor, in the late 80's. Written by Brian "Elwood" Reid, a former U-M lineman who got injured and became a full time novelist and screenwriter (and still is). Very good author. - his other books are great too Though it is fiction - believe that 80%+ of what he wrote rings and feels true about the crazy life as a D1 football player in the late 80's.
Other than that - best book I have read in last 5 years is "Ready Player One". Put the movie to shame.
Enjoy...
As a 37 year old, I just read Moby Dick for the first time. I have been reading all the classics that I missed in HS and college. I used to hate reading due to ADHD, but I actually have been reading instead of playing Madden.
Your neighbors wife read to you?
I haven't seen her recently. I'm guessing that salad I ate 3 weeks ago is showing some results.
One of these days I have to get around to reading Last of the Mohicans.
Its worth it alone just for Cooper's descriptions of the pristine and largely untouched Hudson River Valley and upstate New York. His use of language and his powers of description is gorgeous. Also Magua is an amazing character in the book.