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
I tried reading it but it lost me within 50 pages. It read like a child's book, and a racist one at that. Loved the movie, was very disapointed in the book.
Funny I started doing the same thing a few years ago. One of those books was Moby Dick. It was a chore to read, but I finished. Not sure I fully appreciated it, so I may have to reread it at some point.
Same. Next on the list is Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, and Slaughterhouse Five.
I started doing that as well a few years ago, especially because a lot of those classics are free on the Kindle (I don't have them now though because all my kindles break no matter what).
But - I'm really glad I read Moby Dick - I loved it and thought it was amazing. Gatsby is also worth it. I somehow didn't read those in school but I'm glad I read them now. I even re-read Animal Farm, Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451 and a true masterpiece - The Dubliners.
Also - hugely important, especially for the world we live in today - 1984. Read it for the first time two years ago for the first time. Totally worth it.
Shantaram
You’ll thank me once you’re done.
Non-fiction, 'A Higher Loyalty', by James Comey; fiction, I'm on book 4 of the Wheel of Time series, 'The Shadow Rising', by Robert Jordan.
I finished the Wheel of Time series last year. Guy who recommended the books to me gave me a heads up that it really slogs down from Path of Daggers (book 8) to Knife of Dreams (book 11) - the last book written by Jordan and he was absolutely correct. Stick with it because the last 3 written by Brandon Sanderson are worth it. Great series.
Brandon Sanderson was chosen to finish the series for a reason and that reason is he is an incredible fantasy writer. Check out his other stuff if you haven't already (start with the Mistborn trilogy).
I never finished the series (it bogs way down at book 6) but decided since the whole series is done now, I should do a re-read and finish the whole thing. on book 3 so far. Actually started reading the series the first time over 20 years ago. I feel like it holds up ok over time, but honestly after reading George RR Martin, I'm afraid the whole genre is a bit of a bust for me. I have yet to find anything that comes close to the level of writing of Martin. But I will continue to slog through WOT (Amazon producing a series btw) and Sanderson and any other writers that catch my attention, hoping for the best.
George RR Martin new book has or will come out in the next month called fire and blood. I've been waiting for that 6th book but this one goes way back in time to when the Targaryen kings ruled. Kind of a disappointment, since I've been waiting for the Winds of Winter.
slight hijack - books to be read as a family, which all our kids enjoy, even the 20 yr old and the teenagers
1. we are starting read the narnia books.
2. the historical fiction novels of g.a. henty. lots of real history wrapped around fictional characters and the stories stretch from medieval times to westerns and everything in between. good heroes, adventure stuff.
as for me, systematic theology by louis berkhoff.
Ah... it’s been awhile, but yes! The Narnia series is fantastic? Still wish they would make all the movies.
No ? I meant !
Apparently the only hold up is in the legal disputes with the Lewis estate. They're having trouble gaining the rights to make the rest of the films. I do believe the Silver Chair is in preproduction, so that seems to be a go at least.
Magician's Nephew could make a good prequel style movie, but Silver Chair and Horse and His Boy would not translate well to the big screen, imo. And Last Battle has such a bizarre ending that it would make a pretty weird movie also.
Can't go wrong with Narnia. I just read The Horse and His Boy to my 8 year old and he loved it. He decided to read The Silver Chair to himself. (We already did Wardrobe a while back)
I inherited a bunch of G. A. Henty books from my grandfather when I was a teenager. I'm in my late 60's now and still remember them fondly.
G. A. Henty. Love his books. I own most of them. Great adventure novels that help keep your childhood spirit of adventure alive. Not the most complex books you’ve ever read but enjoyable none the less.
Just started reading Alas, Babylon. Don't really have much to report on it.
I did read The Road recently, if you're into Apocalyptic stuff it's a great read. McCarthy's prose are one of a kind.
If you're looking for beach reading Michael Crichton has never let me down.
If you're reading Alas, Babylon then give Earth Abides a try. Those are two of the best after the disaster books ever.
I think I’ve read 2 fiction books my entire life so I will throw out my recent non-fiction reads.
The Penomenon by Rick Ankiel was absolutely terrific. If you are a baseball fan, you should check it out. Just Google Rick Ankiel playoff game and you don’t know his story and you will watch the beginning.
Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance. Great insight into a pretty remarkable guy.
Left of Boom. About a CIA case officer. Just a normal dude for the most part that took a job with the CIA. A bit self serving from the authors standpoint, but he provides some pretty cool stories about the inner workings of the CIA.
Currently reading Shoe Dog by Phil Knight of Nike. Only a few chapters in but it’s pretty good so far.
I read EVERYTHING that John Sandford publishes. I love his Lucas Davenport series and really love his Virgil Flowers series. Good cop procedurals that are easy reads and the characters become like old friends after a bit.
Someone should start a thread on best movie adaptations since some of us don't read to good.
Recently got around to reading The Metamorphosis by Kafka. After a few failed attempts I made it through this time. The whole collection was amazing and you can see where the likes of DFW and other post modernists get their schtick.
I also recently finished The Mars Room by Rachel Kuschner which is a great book about a woman sentenced to life in prison for murdering a stalker.
Last recommendation: Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward. She's a UofM MFA graduate and arguably one of America's most highly touted current literary authors. Highly recommend all of the above.
Hm, if you liked Broken Earth then I doubt my recommendations will help you much.
But if you didn't like it, then maybe try The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu? Although judging by your list, you may have read that already.
I read 3 Body Problem. I thought it was a good, but not necessarily outstanding. The premise was pretty interesting, but it didn't make me immediately want to run out and buy the following novels.
The most page turning fiction I read last year was Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind, which I devoured in a couple of days, and immediately bought and binged the sequel (The Wise Man's Fear). He's such an entertaining writer, I found them both extremely hard to put down.
My favorite non-fiction book in the past year was Alex Von Tunzelman's Blood and Sand - a historical narrative non-fiction about the 1956 Suez War. I found it absolutely fascinating. Gives a ton of historical context to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Cold War, the decline of the European colonial powers, and the emergence of the U.S. of the dominant global superpower. Highly recommended.
Currently reading Thomas Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century, a bestseller that examines the structure of wealth and capital and the evolution of income inequality over the last two centuries. Probably have to be a bit of an econo-nerd to really get into it, but if you are its a fascinating, detailed look into the nature of income inequality.
+1 informative
I'm curious--what didn't you like about Broken Earth? I thought the wordbuilding was top-notch and the characters were super interesting (particularly in the first book).
I agree with the above review of the Three-Body Problem--interesting ideas but the character work was lacking for my taste.
I'll always recommend the Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway. Simultaneously hilarious and thrilling.
My favorite book: The Count of Monte Cristo
Dracula is really good too.
It is also a pretty good sandwich.
Dracula is one of the greatest works in English-language literature. I'm not even kidding. Incredibly well-written and TERRIFYING. I had to read it with all the lights on in the entire house - and that's when I was a grown-ass man. Masterpiece of horror. Would love to see a movie version that stays true to the book as much as possible.
Genghis Khan and the making of the World by Jack Weatherford.
I’m about halfway through “The Death and Life of the Great Lakes” by Dan Egan. I remember the piles of dead alewives along the lake shores in 1967 when I was a kid and the fight to control the sea lamprey invasion. Did not realize what a complete mess the lakes have become due to the completion of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. This is a great read if you want to understand what is going on under the waters of the lakes.
Still life with Crows or Thunderhead by Preston and Child. Always love reading a story set in a heatwave during the summer, or a boat story on a boat, arctic story during the winter, etc.
I have not read everything by Preston and Child. I even had to put some of their books down as they never hooked me. However, Still Life with Crows is a book I would also recommend. It grips the reader by the neck from chapter 1 and never lets go. A very fun read.
Just read A Confederacy of Dunces and loved every single page.
Highly recommend it if you haven't read it already.
I want to read all the Goosebumps books again haha. My son is 10 and at an age where I started collecting them as a kid. Loved those books!
Also, the wife and I watched the Seinfeld episode where Kramer thinks he sees Salman Rushdie at the health club. Not knowing who he was I looked him up on Wikipedia and now I want to read The Satanic Verses. Apparently the fatwa against Rushdie is still alive and worth a cool $3.3 million. Weird, wild stuff
The Satanic Verses is a trip. Honestly, I don't think it's my favorite Rushdie book either, though I believe it's the one that got him the most notoriety.
If you want to read Rushdie, I'd recommend 'Shalimar the Clown.' The narrative is a lot less fractured and I think in general it's a better overall story. Just my personal opinion.
I’m currently reading “3 and Out” by John U. Bacon on the Michigan coaching search that led to Rich Rod, Rich’s tenure here, all the crap that went on behind the scenes, and eventually Hoke. One of the best books I’ve ever read. Would highly recommend.
I don’t read much fiction, but within the last two years I re-read To Kill A Mockingbird and then read the sequel, Go Set A Watchman. Having first read To Kill A Mockingbird more than 50 years earlier, and many years before I first tried a case in an old courthouse that existed during the era when Atticus Finch was defending Tom Robinson, I gained a new perspective on Harper Lee’s first published novel. It remains one of my favorite fiction books.
Currently reading two non-fiction books that were published many years ago, but that I missed reading when they first were published: Tom Brokaw’s Boom!: Voices of the Sixties - Personal Reflections on the '60s and Today and Bill Bradley’s The New American Story.
Considering the deaths this year of Tom Wolfe, Philip Roth and Anthony Bourdain, I imagine that there will be people this summer who, like me, will be reading or re-reading Wolfe’s The Right Stuff, Roth’s The Plot Against America and Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential Updated Edition: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (P.S.).
I'd also rec 2 other Roth books - American Pastoral and The Human Stain
RIP Wolfe and Roth. Two American masters!
Am reading the right stuff now and its everything I wanted it to be
Always on the look-out for book recommendations from well-read groups so thanks for the post.
My non-fiction picks would be: Robert Caro's series on Lyndon Johnson; All the Devils Are Here (2008 financial meltdown); any of Michael Lewis's books; The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson; The Devil in the White City (mentioned above); Into Thin Air and Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer; Terror in the City of Champions by Tom Stanton
I've been reading more fiction last couple of years but its all preference so I would just highly recommend the following: The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson, One Second After by Wm Forstchen and just finished The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. All of those books blew my mind.
I was so excited for "The years of Rice and Salt" and thought it was such a great premise and for about the first 80% it was great and then the endgame got extremely boring and I couldn't finish it. A fascinating mental exercise.
I would agree with that assessment. It did kinda fizzle. I like books that make me think and the initial theory behind it definitely has stuck with me years later.
One Second After is the same but in a different way. It seems crazy to think that society could completely fall apart in 60 days but having read that book seems entirely plausible.
Connectography. An excellent Book about the modern era of Globalization
I've always enjoyed Non-Fiction. Some I would recommend:
The Boys in the Boat
Arsenal of Defense
The capture of El Chapo
East of Eden might be my favorite book of all-time.
Fiction, newish:
- The Sellout - Paul Beatty
- The Underground Railroad - Colson Whitehead
- Lincoln in the Bardo - George Saunders
Much of Whitehead's writing is worth visiting, and I also really enjoyed Saunders' "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline".
Nonfiction:
- Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann - This has been mentioned a couple times already. I'm reading it now and it's great. Super engaging.
- If you're interested in New York (and/or urban planning):
- The Death and Life of Great American Cities
- The Power Broker - Robert Caro's biography of Robert Moses. Huge, dense, fascinating
- City of Ambition - Chronicles the unlikely cooperation of FDR and LaGuardia in New Deal-era NYC
- Travels With Charley - Steinbeck
Thanks for all the responses! I think the next two on my list are Killer of the Flower Moon and Goldfinch.