What have you read recently? 2009 -2020

[Lsbcal]

Rimington also has an autobiography out: Amazon.com: Open Secret: The Autobiography of the Former Director-General of MI5 (9780099436720): Stella Rimington: Books

[clifp]

I finished a couple of non-fiction books recently. Moneyball (also a movie) now I am not a baseball fan, but I've enjoyed all of Michael Lewis books and this one was no exception. I think if you are big baseball fan this is a must read.

I also read Rawhide Down which was is about the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan. It actually was a very detailed look at what the Secret Service did that and to me the most interesting part was a minute by minute account of the ER team at George Washington hospital. Fortunately for the the President and the country the GW ER was just modernize a couple of years before Reagan was shot and was one of the top 10 ERs in the country, if Reagan had been shot most other places he would have likely been dead.

[Retch The Grate]

I just flew to NYC and back (from the Bay Area) for my grandfather's wake, so I picked up some ebooks for the trip. I read the three books of the Laundry series so far (The Atrocity Archives, Jennifer Morgue and The Fuller Memorandum) and Saturn's Children, all by Charlie Stross. I'd read the first two before so this was a reread of them. Great stories, really clever writing, Stross really turns a phrase well.

[Avalon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retch The Grate I just flew to NYC and back (from the Bay Area) for my grandfather's wake, so I picked up some ebooks for the trip. I read the three books of the Laundry series so far (The Atrocity Archives, Jennifer Morgue and The Fuller Memorandum) and Saturn's Children, all by Charlie Stross. I'd read the first two before so this was a reread of them. Great stories, really clever writing, Stross really turns a phrase well.

Thank you for the review. I'm sorry about the loss of your grandfather.

[Retch The Grate]

thanks, he had a very long full and happy life of 97 years (and only gave up going into the office somewhere in the last few years). It was a really lovely wake.

[Nodak]

Bought a box of books at a rummage sale, one was "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon. It's the story of his trip around the perimeter of the US on two lane blacktop roads. Very entertaining and I was shocked to find he had gone through my home town.

[Avalon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nodak Bought a box of books at a rummage sale, one was "Blue Highways" by William Least Heat Moon. It's the story of his trip around the perimeter of the US on two lane blacktop roads. Very entertaining and I was shocked to find he had gone through my home town.

That's a great book. I read it when it first came out.

[Moemg]

Just finished Grisham's "The Litigators " . Very good read ! I could not put it down !

[Sarah in SC]

Nodak you might also like his book about traveling by boat called River Horse. Interesting fellow.

[Nodak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC Nodak you might also like his book about traveling by boat called River Horse. Interesting fellow.

I'll look for it, thanks.

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moemg Just finished Grisham's "The Litigators " . Very good read ! I could not put it down !

That's available for me to download from the library, but there's some bug on their system, and it won't let me log in.

[Moemg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl That's available for me to download from the library, but there's some bug on their system, and it won't let me log in.

Also read Grisham's "The Confession". I think it is his best book ever.

[Moemg]

I just finished reading "Learning to swim" . It is Sarah Henry's first novel and very good .

[Lsbcal]

Finished the second book in McCall-Smith's Corduroy Mansion series The Dog Who Came in From the Cold:

Amazon.com: The Dog Who Came in from the Cold: A Corduroy Mansions Novel (9780307379733): Alexander Mccall Smith: Books

Light hearted, humorous, relaxing. If you want to read this, I'd recommend reading Corduroy Mansions first.

[ChrisC]

Just finished Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. This is a spectacular work by someone frequently mentioned as the most accomplished behavioral psychologist of the last 50 years. The excellent reviews do not do justice to an extraordinary work, engaging in its readabilty and thought-provoking in content. Micheal Lewis has a review of this book, which is fitting since Moneyball's focus on statistics and illusions of validity are based on Kahneman's work.

Kahneman was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002. And his work has turned utility economics or homoeconomicus on its head.

[happy2bretired]

I'm finishing up The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan and will start on all of Jane Austen's books after that.

[John Galt III]

I like Philip Roth, John Updike, and JD Salinger, but have read all their stuff. Can anyone recommend some other author(s) in the style of Roth / Updike / Salinger ?

Merry Christmas,

JG3

[TeeRuh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Galt III I like Philip Roth, John Updike, and JD Salinger, but have read all their stuff. Can anyone recommend some other author(s) in the style of Roth / Updike / Salinger ? Merry Christmas, JG3

Wally Lamb, Jonathan Franzen, Jeffrey Eugenides. No actual guarantee on how well you think the styles match. This input is from an engineer (retired) not an English major.

[Lancelot]

The Dark Arena by Mario Puzo. The plot is about a US Army veteran that returns to post war occupied Germany and gets involved with the black market. Good read

[tangomonster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Galt III I like Philip Roth, John Updike, and JD Salinger, but have read all their stuff. Can anyone recommend some other author(s) in the style of Roth / Updike / Salinger ? Merry Christmas, JG3

You may like Richard Russo, Richard Ford, Martin Amis, Paul Theroux, John Banville, Lionel Shriver....

And Franzen, as mentioned.

I also like literary fiction! Not too many of us out there.