What have you read recently? 2009 -2020

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Amy, my daughter, by Mitch Winehouse. The sad story of a very talented artist who succumbed to drug addiction and died of alcohol poisoning a year ago. Her music is haunting and utterly original. This is her father's perspective, and it's heartbreaking. Lots of love, lots of frustration dealing with drug addiction.
 
Gumby said:
If you could read only one, I would suggest the first, Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. The central conceit of the story is that the monastery in the fictional town of Kingsbridge in England is building a new and glorious cathedral in the "gothic" style, with the flying buttresses, stained class etc. The major characters are the master mason in charge of the project, the ambitious and ruthless local minor nobility, the conniving bishop and the clever abbot of the monastery. The characters are well drawn and capture the imagination. The tale explores a wide range of life in the high middle ages and really makes the reader want to turn the page to see what happens next. I truly enjoyed it.
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Did you watch the TV series based on the book (TV series also called Pillars of the Earth). I enjoyed the series but not sure I can endure so much reading - eye problems. But good to know that you enjoyed the book.
 
Just came back from a week at the cottage... distractions included:
Malaria Dreams: An African Adventure by Stuart Stevens
- recommended. Funny American guy who acts/writes like a Brit
The Disciple of Las Vegas (Ava Lee) by Ian Hamilton
- recommended. A good series that will no doubt soon be a movie trilogy
Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens
- recommended. So far...
WALK TO NEW YORK by Charles Wilkins
- not recommended. The concept is good but the author himself is an atrocious, PC, self righteous elitist of the highest order (a subspecies we grow entirely to much of in Canada).
 
Thomas Jefferson: Author of America by Christopher Hitchens.

A short (less than 200 pages) biography by one of our best modern writers. In the space available, Hitchens can only skim the surface of Jefferson's long and amazing life, but he gives an objective and insightful overview of a fascinating character in our history. A wonderful summer book.
 
Going into the last couple chapters of "The Amateur" by Edward Klein. The story of Barack Obama in the White House. To me it is very easy reading and spell binding. Something you really can't put down.
 
Well I liked Gone Girl so much that I got Dark Places out of the library . I could not put it down . She definitely has a weird mind but interesting .
 
JOHNNIE36 said:
Going into the last couple chapters of "The Amateur" by Edward Klein. The story of Barack Obama in the White House. To me it is very easy reading and spell binding. Something you really can't put down.
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I have 'The Amateur' kindle book on my e-reader and is next on my list. [mod edit]
 
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[mod hat on] Folks, just a reminder to keep partisan politics out of this book thread :) [mod hat off]
 
I recently read Hermann Hesse's Steppenwolf, a classic. I had owned the paperback for several years, but could never get past the first 30 or so pages, because it was so dark. Got past that and appreciated the book so much I dug up one of those old Cliffs Notes on it, which had good background and interpretation.
 
Unorthodox, by Deborah Feldman. http://www.deborahfeldman.com/about-the-book.php

An autobiographical account of a young woman who grew up in the Hasidic community of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY. She eventually left with her toddler. Very well written; i couldn't put it down. For the record, some people in the Hasidic community question the veracity of her story, but in the preface she did say that names and details had been changed.

If they are well written, I always enjoy accounts of struggle for independence from a repressive culture.
 
I have recent begun reading "How Texas Goes...." by Gail Collins. She has a fun writing style which makes this book about how the Texas agenda hijacked the nation pleasant to read.
 
I read Robert Harris's The Fear Index: Amazon.com: The Fear Index (9780307948113): Robert Harris: Books

It only got 3 stars on Amazon but I'd give it 4.5 stars. It was compelling to me probably because I'm a bit fascinated by market timing but not in the sense of how these guys did it. The main character may be a bit hard to relate too but he grows on you. Nice twist at the end.

DW is listening to it now on audiobooks from the library and is hooked. And she is not an investment type.
 
Maeve Binchy (Circle of Friends, Tara Road) has just died at age 72. Never intellectually challenging, she was always a good read. RIP.
 
Meadbh said:
Maeve Binchy (Circle of Friends, Tara Road) has just died at age 72. Never intellectually challenging, she was always a good read. RIP.
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I'm so sad to hear that. Her books were often so comforting and positive, I always felt good after finishing one.
 
Lsbcal said:
I read Robert Harris's The Fear Index: Amazon.com: The Fear Index (9780307948113): Robert Harris: Books

It only got 3 stars on Amazon but I'd give it 4.5 stars. It was compelling to me probably because I'm a bit fascinated by market timing but not in the sense of how these guys did it. The main character may be a bit hard to relate too but he grows on you. Nice twist at the end.

DW is listening to it now on audiobooks from the library and is hooked. And she is not an investment type.
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Thanks, I was able to put a hold on an ebook copy..
 
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles- delightful champagne cocktail of a book about New York city in the 30's.
 
Killing Lincoln, by Bill O'Reilly. It has been on the best seller list for many weeks and my public library had a copy on the shelf when I was browsing there yesterday. It is written like a contemporary thriller which makes for a quick read but a juvenile prose style. It certainly doesn't approach the many better-written biographies of Lincoln or histories of the Civil War.
 
Many people here recognize books that others read. There are thousands of new books published each year, so should it be more common that we would happen to read books that nobody else cares or knows about? Well, it may be that I am so out of touch that I do not recognize many books reported here. Conversely, people may not know what I read, because some of them are old, and others because they are out of the mainstream.

For example, here's a recent book that I read: Once upon the River Love by Andrei Makine, a Russian. His books are in French, and have won some top French awards. I read an English translation, however. The name of the river is Amur, which is close to the word amour for love in French.

The book is a novel about three Siberian boys whose coming-of-age sexual fantasies were shaped by their watching of movies starring Jean Paul Belmondo. By the way, I have not read fictions for a while.
 
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"Existence", by David Brin

Science Fiction
http://www.amazon.com/Existence-David-Brin/dp/0765303612

Set in the year 2030, the book poses a deceptively simple setup. An artifact not of this Earth is found, a sort of message in a bottle. The message it contains is simple; "Join us." We humans react to the discovery in, well, a very human manner, with fear, hope, greed, vanity, and more than a little panic.

The story itself is huge, sweeping across multiple generations, with dozens of characters, covering ideas related to death, birth, and everything in between. It's a book full of Big Ideas and astounding plot twists. Because of all this, it can also be a difficult read, so be forewarned. Characters come and go as their lives become more or less relevant to the story. Several of Mr. Brin's favorite ideas and themes pop up within the story, so if you've read his nonfiction articles or blog, there are a few chapters that will sound familiar. If not, well, there's an incentive to visit http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/.

Note: The story lands in a niche called Mundane Science Fiction, a flavor of SF story that has to play by the currently understood rules of the laws of physics. So, no vast interstellar empires, faster than light spaceships, or similar stuff. Still, the book packs in some things that you wouldn't expect under these ground rules...
 
Browsing the local used book store I found a copy of "The Sotweed Factor" by John Barth. I remember reading it in the late 60s or early 70s and finding it very entertaining so I am reading it again. It's even better than I remembered.
 
Just finished Up Country by Nelson Demille. Really enjoyed it. This book was published 10 years ago so some have probably read it. Vietnam era veterans will enjoy; it is a must read for actual Vietnam vets.

t.r.
 
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