What have you read recently? 2009 -2020

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Currently reading Three Seconds by Roslund & Hellstrom - a continuation of the Superintendent Ewert Grens series.
 
Just finished " Minding Frankie " by Maeve Binchy . I really like how all her books interconnect characters . They make you want to fly to Ireland and meet these people at the local pub.
 
Just finished An Unfinished Life by Mark Spragg - was rushing to finish it before my cataract surgery tomorrow. It is very beautifully written and though I have not seen the movie, I felt I was just standing at edge and looking at the screen and watched the whole movie with background narration. The main characters are 2 men over 70s (acted out by Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman in the movie), a woman (in her 30s and a child who is around 10). This is a good read about family and forgiveness.
 
Just read "The Perfect Nazi" by Martin Davidson. The authors grandfather who the rest of the family never mentioned his past, turned out to have been an SS (and even worse and SD Officer) in WWII. The author's main point is that the Nazi regime would not have run without ordinary people like his grandfather who were the cogs of the machine.
 
Trombone Al
I have been on a very low carb WOE for 9 months now. No grains, rice, or white potatoes. I eat an occasional small yam, a few berries. Mostly eat fats, beef, pork, seafood, high fat dairy, and vegetables.

I have lost 40 lbs. and no longer have diabetic BG levels. After about a month to transition into this WOE, it became very easy as I lost my cravings for high carb foods.

PS I have read both Taubes books, the second is a much easier read.
 
I listen to a lot of audiobooks during the long commute to work (only 325 days left but who's counting). Right now I'm listening to The Help by Kathryn (sp?) Stockett. It's about life in Mississippi in the early 60s and the impact of segregation on their lives.

Amazingly interesting for a book with minimal plot lines - I highly recommend it.
 
Free classic on my Kindle: Sacred and profane love, by Benedict Arnold. Well written but politically incorrect.

Summary: Teen falls for pop idol, inherits money, moves away to evade scandal, becomes a famous writer, falls for married publisher who commits suicide, escapes to Paris where she takes up with the now alcoholic down and out ex pop idol, rehabilitates him, writes lyrics for his opera and takes a back seat to his comeback.

I hate sycophantic women!
 
"100 Modern American Poets Reading their Poems" Volume III. Not bad. Not bad at all. You get a brief bio of each poet, then a few of their poems, read by the actual poet.
 
Just read City of Fear, by David Hewson who is new to me. It is a terroism thriller set in Rome. Good enough that I will check out more of Hewson's novels. The plot is so thick with conspiracies that you have to suspend disbelief. but I recommend that readers check out the author's afterword before reading the book. It won't spoil anything but when you see how rife Italy was with post WWII spy conspiracies and criminal corruption the novel takes on a new realism.
 
Finding Nouf, by Zoe Ferraris (on my Kindle). It's a detective story set in Saudi Arabia, where the author has lived. It's an entertaining story and an interesting setting, but Miss Katya Hijazi (the technician working in the medical examiner's office) in particular seems to be speaking with a Western voice. Three stars out of five.
 
"The secrets of Harry Bright" by J. Wambaugh. Not one of his best, but still a good read.
 
Post on good books you've read lately.

Didn't we have a post on something about what good books have you read. I did a search and can't find it.

Actually, I am looking for some good audio books. I don't like science fiction, horror or anything thing with blood and guts. I like a good court room drama, but don't like books with cops or detectives who talk like the Jersey Shore guys.

Some audio books I really enjoyed.

1. "The Help" (my favorite)
2. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
3. The Politician (about John Edwards - soon to have a sequel I'm sure)
4, Better (non fiction about a doctor practicing medicine)
5. Picking Cotton
6. Deadly Spin by Wendell Potter (not on audio I don't think)
7. Griftopia by Mat Taibbi of Rolling Stone (very good)
8, Wishful Drinking, by Carrie Fisher (very funny)

Any recommendations guys, or at least point me to old post.
 
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Amazon.com: You've Gone Too Far This Time, Sir! eBook: Danny Bent: Kindle Store

This is a free kindle book. I've read many walk/bike/motorcycle around the world type books, and this is one of the best. This guy is very tough, a little crazy, and willing to put up with a lot. He almost dies at several points. He keeps going even with the worst dysentery imaginable in places with non-existent or overflowing facilities.

But the main benefit of this book is that it reminds you of the absolute squalor in which most people on this planet live. People cooking in tents made of plastic bags on the polluted streets of major cities.

It makes you appreciate waking up in a clean bed in a huge house.

9/10.
 
Anna Karenina. They do not make them like this any more.

Also just finished The Dogs of Riga, part mystery, part international intrigue. Pretty good, but an older one so those of you read Henning Mankell have likely alrady read it.

Ha
 
TromboneAl said:
He almost dies at several points. He keeps going even with the worst dysentery imaginable in places with non-existent or overflowing facilities.
Click to expand...

What a story, and how reminiscent of the thread about the horrors of traveling! :2funny: Been there, done that, and after such misery I can sure sympathize with his plight.

Thanks for the tip about the free book, Al.
 
Dysentery? You want dysentery?

1963, hitchhiking in Turkey, two of us snagged a ride at night, on TOP of a truck travelling through the mountains. The load had a tarp over it, which was secured by ropes; we lay in our sleeping bags with one arm each under a rope so we didn't slide off...and watched the stars as the truck swayed back and forth around tight bends.......really good for the intestines.

I'd picked up the runs in Genoa, had them on and off since then, and the truck dropped us off in a small town just before dawn. I had to go, and I mean I HAD to go......ran down a side street, (well, maybe not 'ran'...more like the old Chuck Berry 'Duck Walk'), as lights started to come on and I could hear voices......no choice....dropped trou in the middle of an alley.

(Didn't finally get shot of the runs until I had 'egg & chips' in a Chinese restaurant in Quetta, Pakistan, quite some time later.)
 
Amazon.com: Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre (9781602399846): Brett L. Markham: Books - A very good survey of the basics of what to grow and how. Includes information on raised beds, starting seeds, examples of crop rotation, cover crops, raising and slaughtering chickens. I'd consider it a very introductory book and not worth your time if you've been gardening for more than a year or two.

Amazon.com: The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre! (9781603421386): Carleen Madigan: Books - Another survey book. This one covers more topics but at much less depth than Mr. Markham's work. I'd suggest this one is more suitable for someone living in a slightly more rural setting. It includes some basic information on goats, cows and pigs. Also has some information on food preservation. If your neighbors wouldn't mind a front yard full of wheat, then this book is a decent purchase. It's from the Storey County folks and I've enjoyed most of their little handbooks.

Amazon.com: Truman (9780671869205): David McCullough: Books - I'm a big fan of Mr. McCullough's work and this one is no exception. The tone of this book might strike one as very pro-Truman, but I've generally found the tone of his books to be set more from the vantage of the main character and so I expected it going in. At 1100 pages, it's certainly a tome, but none of it felt like a slog. I wouldn't rate it as high as, say, his John Adams work, but it's still very well done.
 
So far this year, I've read:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, about the HeLa cell culture line and the woman it came from (and her family). It's got interesting science, and even more interesting social issues raised. Well done, even if it does meander a bit in the middle.

Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin. Well-done, but very, very medieval. They've got the whole barbarian pentathlon in there: Murder, rape, pillage, torture, plunder. And you have to assume that every character you love will die a gruesome, medieval death, with no detail spared. First of a series that the author is still writing. I normally cringe from topics like this, and I found the book irresistible. Can't wait to start on the rest of the series.

The Checklist Manifesto: A guide to getting things right, by Atul Gawande. I find Atul Gawande one of the best writers about medicine around today. He occasionally write for the New Yorker, when he's not busy being a surgeon and all that. This book is about how simple checklists can increase positive results in complicated situations (like surgery, flight, emergencies and -- yes -- investing). It's a lively, interesting read and one I'd highly recommend.

365 Thank Yous, by John Kralik. Here's the short version: This guy is an attorney. His life is in the crapper. He's not sure what to do. He decides to write 365 thank you notes in a year. He does this, more or less. His life begins to get a lot better. Liked the story, but felt that the writing and editing of the book left quite a lot to be desired. Upside: it's not a big book, and it's an easy read to get through in an evening. A fine take-it-on-the-plane-and-leave-it-for-the-next-person-book.

And I just started Carsten Jensens's "We, the Drowned," a 678-page Nordic seafaring saga. On page 10. Love it already -- witty, quick and interesting so far. We'll see how I feel in a few hundred pages.

Oh, and I've burned through about six period romances by Lisa Kleypas, which are all set in Victorian England and are all quite entertaining, but are all basically the same book. You know how it is with those romances.
 
Urchina said:
So far this year, I've read:

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, about the HeLa cell culture line and the woman it came from (and her family). It's got interesting science, and even more interesting social issues raised. Well done, even if it does meander a bit in the middle.
Click to expand...

That was one of the most interesting books that I have read this year. I agree with your "meander" comment but otherwise I could not put it down even tho I was familiar with the general history of HL.
 
Lots of Civil War related materials in the bookstores this year. Being a biography buff, I just finished "Civil War Wives" (Carol Berkin), which gives an intimate overview of the lives of Angelina Grimke Weld, Varina Howell Davis and Julia Dent Grant. I think I might take a road trip down the Lincoln Highway before the snow flies again and visit the Gettysburg battlefield. It has been ages since I have been there, and I have never visited the Eisenhower farm at all.
 
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