What have you read recently? 2009 -2020

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Gawande's last book, Being Mortal, may be depressing to some. I would suggest his first book, Complications, which tells the reader that doctors are only humans, not God. The human body have maladies that can be difficult to diagnose and pinpoint.

All three books are worthwhile reading material for laymen to learn more about the healthcare profession. No, I do not get depressed by these books. I have been through a lot, and nothing much scares me. And I am not one who sticks his head in sand.
 
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Thanks NW. Have been on a long wait list for Being Mortal. I'll check out Complications first.
 
TCM is showing Mockingbird at 10pm EST tonight (Wed 2/18). That's one of the "I'm glad I saw the movie before I read the book but loved them both" on my list. The Godfather is another.
 
I heard of The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (2006) by Michael Pollan some years ago, but only recently remembered to request it from the library.

The author describes how so much of the food we eat today comes from corn, either as processed food or as animal feed. He spends some time at a true organic farm, and learns how the food produced there differs from industrial organic food sold at Whole Foods which must be produced on a large scale. At the end of the book, he talks of a meal he obtains as a hunter-gatherer, with meat from a feral pig and wild mushroom and fruits collected from the wild. Here, he sidetracks quite a bit with his mycology enthusiasm, but I find the discussion interesting.

Pollan understands that truly wholesome food grown by small organic farmers may not be accessible to everybody, but he makes us aware of the nature of the food that we eat, and the way livestock is raised. He also asks questions about the moral and ecological consequences of our food production methods.

I am not sure how the knowledge I gain from this book will change the way I eat, but I have learned a lot about the origin of my meal.
 
The Survivor by Gregg Hurwitz. Nate Overbay, a former soldier suffering from PTSD and ALS, goes to an eleventh-floor bank and climbs onto the ledge, ready to end it all. But as he's steeling himself to jump, a when a crew of gunmen bursts into the bank and begins shooting employees and customers. With nothing to lose, Nate climbs back inside and, with military precision, Nate begins taking out the robbers, one by one. The last man standing leaves Nate with a cryptic warning: He will make you pay in ways you can't imagine…
 
Reading (A "Better Call Saul" lawyer type character): Past Due by William Lashner. A defense attorney who lives his life in shades of gray, Victor Carl fights all the right fights for all the wrong reasons. With a failing legal practice, a dead-end love life, a pile of unpaid traffic tickets, and a talent for mixing it up in tough working-class bars and sparring with obstinate cops, Victor skates on the razor's edge of legal ethics in search of the easy buck. But the one absolute in Victor's life is loyalty, especially to a client--even if he happens to be dead.
 
I am reading the book, "One Man, One Vote," a 1972 book about the history behind the landmark SCOTUS case, "Baker v. Carr." That case established the rule that Congressional and state legislative districts must be of (approximately) equal (population). Back in the first half of the 20th century, state legislatures routinely defied their own constitutions which required redistricting every 10 years so rural areas (the ones whose populations were declining) got the big breaks when it came to allocations of funds while the urban areas (the ones whose populations grew) got the shaft. Legislative leaders who almost always came from these rural areas repeatedly stymied attempts to fix this inequity while the state courts did the same. The federal courts were bound by an earlier SCOTUS decision until Baker v. Carr overturned it in 1962.
 
Just finished Unbroken. I couldn't put it down. I saw the movie around New Years but the book is even more riveting. Really an unbelievable story of survival and beautifully written. Highly recommended!
 
Marita40 said:
Just finished Unbroken. I couldn't put it down. I saw the movie around New Years but the book is even more riveting. Really an unbelievable story of survival and beautifully written. Highly recommended!
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In my opinion the book is much better than the movie.
 
I'm reading Erik Larsen's new book Dead Wake. It's about the Lusitania. I really enjoy his books.



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Finished The Bogleheads Guide to Investing! I found it pretty accessible and a great "reinforcer" to the topics mentioned here and at bogleheads.org. Started into The Bogleheads Guide to Retirement and that is much more meaty & dense.
 
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Sarah in SC said:
Just finished the Linda Tirado book, Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America…. It is a well-written, honest account of what life is like as a low wage worker in America today. She's engaging and funny, and able to explain her life without lengthy political asides…. If you are interested in social justice topics or just want to know a little more about life at the edges of our society, I think you'd like this.
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Thanks for the tip, I have ordered from the library. In the meantime, I Googled the book and found a review at the New York Times. While I have no experience of blue collar work, the following excerpt rang true to me as common in contemporary employment of all sorts (emphasis added):
The factory manager of the Landmark Plastic Company in Akron, Ohio, once told me that he was so concerned about high turnover among workers that he began holding exit interviews to find out why they were leaving. The answers surprised him. It wasn’t the meager pay, the noise, the mind-numbing assembly lines or the mist of plastic dust in the air. Instead, most employees complained “that they didn’t feel needed, necessary or wanted,” the manager reported, and were treated like “just another body.”
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No one likes to feel taken for granted. Sadly, more and more businesses treat their employees as little more than fungible, easily replaceable commodities: see generally Fraser, White-Collar Sweatshop: The Deterioration of Work and Its Rewards in Corporate America (2001). The attitude "I'm paying you for your work, I shouldn't have to say 'thank you'" may be understandable, but is unlikely to result in loyalty or dedication.
 
I just finished book three of the “Ashfall” series. The disaster event which sets events in motion is the eruption of the Yellowstone caldera, which blankets much of the US in ash then snow, with years of darkened skies. The books focus on a teen age couple and the extended family they accrue in their efforts to not only survive, but begin a new thriving community.

Mike Mullin | I write books teens love to read.

As far back as second grade, science fiction was my favorite genre, how intelligence and scientific achieve could continue to lift humanity. Since retirement though it’s been “post-apocalyptic world” (PAW) fiction. To me, it continues to seem ever more likely that we face widespread disaster, then a future of peaceful development.

I got the books on “interlibrary loan”, but have put them on my to be purchases list whenever we finally get out of living in rented housing and into a place we own… I am, and am not, looking forward to one final move (once the wife finally decides she is ready to retire also).
 
been binge reading this winter. went thru Sue Grafton's alphabet and am close to finishing local library's Alex Crosses
 
Ella Minnow Pea. Great read about words and letters and the perceptions of the truth of words.


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We are going to be in Italy in September so I want to get some more Roman history into my head. I chose this Colleen McCullough book after reading several reviews: The First Man in Rome (Masters of Rome): Colleen McCullough: 9780061582417: Amazon.com: Books

It's really good so far and appears to be well researched as historical fiction goes. It covers about a decade from 110BC. So there is a Julius Caesar in it but he's the grandfather of the most famous one. Each chapter covers one year which is the span of a consul's term I guess. I've used my tablet to look up a few images and character references but the book also includes a glossary and pronunciation guide plus maps and the authors own head drawings (which are not bad for a writer).

The only problem is it is a heavy book and not available as an Ebook. So I read it with a pillow on my lap to prop it up. There are several books in her series and all are very long ones. This one is 1152 pages ... pray for me :).
 
mh said:
this is a great book. You'd probably like Richard Burton's books also

Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Meccah — Volume 1 by Burton - Free Ebook

First Footsteps in East Africa by Sir Richard Francis Burton - Free Ebook


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Thank you.....much appreciated....(guess I'll have to see if Speke had a rebuttal. ;) )........books are downloaded and on the e-reader, (along with a zillion others.....my acquirement far outpaces my perusal......the older I get, the further behind I become).
 
I read The Hustler by Walter Tevis, the novel on which the film of the same name starring Paul Newman, Piper Laurie, George C. Scott, and Jackie Gleason was based.

It was my first adventure into the Kindle Owners Lending Library.

It's very good. There are significant differences between the novel and film that I won't reveal. The general story of a pool hustler is still the core, though.

It focuses more on psychological aspects. Still, he did a great job describing the nuances of the game which, like many sports, is inherently visual.
 
No Simple Highway: A Cultural History of The Grateful Dead, by Peter Richardson, is pretty good. It comprehensively covers the cultural roots of the Dead and follows developments until Garcia's death in some detail, then closes with a brief epilog on the Dead follow-up bands. it is an easy read despite the mass of detail. Recommended for the Dead Heads among us.
 
Meadbh said:
I am in the middle of "The Emperor of all Maladies" by Siddartha Mukherjee. The author is an oncologist who started a project on the history of cancer and realized that he was describing a phenomenon with a personality. So it's subtitled "a biography of cancer". He has a very engaging writing style and the suspense keeps the pages turning. It has won a ton of awards, including the Pulitzer prize. Highly recommended.

The Emperor of All Maladies
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I know that some here have read the book 'The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer' written by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Pulitzer Prize in 2011 for non-fiction. Just a heads up that it has been made into a 3 part series airing on PBS the next 3 Monday nights starting tomorrow.
 
Dante's Inferno - very poetic but the surprising thing was the personal judgments on a significant number of Italian political figures from his era. Given Dante's political leanings, hardly surprising but it would be very er... entertaining if someone wrote something similar about a country's current political leaders post-life punishments.
 
traineeinvestor said:
Dante's Inferno - very poetic but the surprising thing was the personal judgments on a significant number of Italian political figures from his era. Given Dante's political leanings, hardly surprising but it would be very er... entertaining if someone wrote something similar about a country's current political leaders post-life punishments.
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"Inferno", by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle is a not-bad lightweight modern update, with fresh sins and penalties. There's even a sequel.


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