What have you read recently? 2009 -2020

[Lsbcal]

My first Tana French mystery: Broken Harbor: A Novel (Dublin Murder Squad): Tana French: 9780143123309: Amazon.com: Books

It was particularly good for the first 2/3 of the book. She has very absorbing characterizations. It takes place in a failed Irish housing estate with a family that suffered through the 2008 decline (husband lost job, shoddy new house construction, unfinished estate). I cannot really go into the criticisms because that would spoil some of the plot. So 4 stars, overall a good but not excellent book.

Thanks to whoever mentioned this author here. I will go back and read her 3 earlier novels starting with In the Woods.

 

[redduck]

<snip>

Daniel Silva, The Unlikely Spy -- German female deep cover agent in England tries to steal secrets of coming Allied invasion. British former professor now with MI5 works to stop the agents.

I liked Silva's book best. Hope I'm not giving away anything by letting you know that the Allies did win the war.

Well, thanks a lot. Guess there's no need to read the book now.

Just so you know for next time, you might want to use the warning "SPOILER ALERT" before you give away some important information that might ruin the story line for some of us not well-versed in world history.

 

[braumeister]

One of the best books I've read in a long time. Fiction, obviously, but so realistic I was captivated. The engineers in the group will particularly enjoy it (despite a few unfortunate lapses in terminology, it's quite accurate).

The Martian: A Novel by Andy Weir. (Kindle Edition)

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?

 

[donheff]

Holy Orders by Benjamin Black is quite good. Black is a pen name adopted by John Banville for a series of "lighter" crime novels. This one is set in Ireland in the 1950s and features Dr Quirk, a troubled pathologist and his equally troubled daughter. This not a thriller or pot boiler, more of a portrait of troubled souls and a compelling glimpse of a long past Ireland. I will order more Black books from the library.

 

[steelyman]

What have you read recently?

I'm still working on F. Scott Fitzgerald (crazy since this winter was so awful!). But next up is The Maltese Falcon by Hammett. I'm also reading the poems of Emily Dickinson, they are short but make you think.

 

[ggbutcher]

Just finished Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson. I usually only read when I travel, and I've been working on this one for three trips now. This story's close association with real history and a rather far-out backstory is quite entertaining.

I'm also reading The KaliSun Initiative, by Nick Wyckoff. Disclosure: this is a self-published book by a friend. It's actually pretty good, but it's really a space/military geek read. There's some political commentary, but it premises an interesting speculation. You need to be prepared for the situation where there are really no 'good' guys, in the moral sense.

 

[Marita40]

I'm reading Larry Sabato's The Kennedy Half-Century. I highly recommend it. It deals with JFK's accomplishments, the assassination (is fair minded and detailed on the lone gunman vs. conspiracy theories), and the legacy. Since I was too young to understand the Kennedy years but am a product of the legacy it is quite absorbing. Very well written and researched.

 

[Nemo2]

Just finished Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson. I usually only read when I travel, and I've been working on this one for three trips now. This story's close association with real history and a rather far-out backstory is quite entertaining.

Read that a few years back...thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[Moemg]

Just finished "Sycamore Road " by John Grisham . One of his best books . I could not put it down .

 

[W2R]

Flash Boys, what else! With all the marketing of it going on, I guess we have all read it by now.

Like Michael Lewis's other books, it is well written and engaging. I did not find much of the content to be terribly new and surprising; odd, because this is not one of my areas of interest, but I thought everyone already knew about this type of computer facilitated "skimming off the top" in a general sense (though perhaps not in as much detail). Ho hum.

Anyway it was fun to read even so, due to Lewis's writing style. He should start applying his talent towards fictional works, IMO. Seemed like a very quick read considering all the fuss being made over it.

 

[Lsbcal]

Flash Boys, what else! With all the marketing of it going on, I guess we have all read it by now.

...

Not quite all of us have read it. I'm 30% through it. Slow reader and easily distracted. I like some of the details even though I'm confused by the total problem.

Makes me wonder how much ETF and fund gains are lost to HF front running. I'll be interested to hear Vanguard someday discuss their approach to minimizing damage.

 

[TromboneAl]

Free book: Bad Doctor by John Locke. Ignore cover, first few pages are off-putting, but after that, funny and action-packed.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[Mr. Paul]

Just finished Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.

Interesting read, highly recommended.

Praise for this one is no longer universal. Couldn't get through it as it came across as written by one who already had a conclusion and then went out looking for snippets of evidence.

One of the best books I've read in a long time. Fiction, obviously, but so realistic I was captivated. The engineers in the group will particularly enjoy it (despite a few unfortunate lapses in terminology, it's quite accurate).

The Martian: A Novel by Andy Weir. (Kindle Edition)

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

I'm on the library waiting list for this one, sounds right up my alley.

 

[RetiredAndFree]

Well, thanks a lot. Guess there's no need to read the book now.

Just so you know for next time, you might want to use the warning "SPOILER ALERT" before you give away some important information that might ruin the story line for some of us not well-versed in world history.

This is a joke, yes?

 

[RetiredAndFree]

I'm in a classic book club, and though I readily admit it's sometimes difficult to contemplate plowing through 100+ year old books, they almost always either thoroughly entertain, or leave me changed in some way. Guess that's why they're classics!

Just finished: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Up next, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

 

[Nemo2]

This is a joke, yes?

Can't pull one over on you, eh?

 

[RetiredAndFree]

Can't pull one over on you, eh?

I was looking for the emoticon to confirm!

 

[donheff]

A More Unbending Battle: The Harlem Hellfighters' Struggle for Freedom in WWI and Equality at Home, follows the experiences of the 369th Regiment (originally New York's 15th National Guard Regiment) fighting in France. Composed of all black infantry, including a world class band, and mixed race officers, the 369th faught side by side with the French spending more days in the trenches and fighting more valiantly than any other American regiment. Excellent book and an eye opening reminder of our past.

 

[AllDone]

I'm in a classic book club, and though I readily admit it's sometimes difficult to contemplate plowing through 100+ year old books, they almost always either thoroughly entertain, or leave me changed in some way. Guess that's why they're classics!

Just finished: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Up next, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

I like classics because the price is right for the e-versions. I resent paying $9.99 or more for a book that I can neither lend nor sell, but I like reading electronically and the libraries' offerings are pretty spotty (the library vrsions of e-books are outrageously priced). The last classic I read was North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell which was actually pretty good. Set at the beginning of the industrial revolution in England, it was a little weightier than Jane Austen, but equally as enjoyable. I'm planning on re-reading Dickens next and Trollope is always fun.

I guess because they have been winnowed by time, classics are pretty reliable choices. I still vividly remember the two you mention even though it has been years since I read them.

 

[Mr. Paul]

I like classics because the price is right for the e-versions. I resent paying $9.99 or more for a book that I can neither lend nor sell, but I like reading electronically and the libraries' offerings are pretty spotty (the library vrsions of e-books are outrageously priced).

I don't know how to do it but I know if you own a Kindle ebook you can indeed lend it to another Kindle owner.

I'm confused about your statement that "Library versions of ebooks are outrageously priced." The only library version of an ebook I've ever seen are the ones lent out by the library free of charge.

 

[zinger1457]

I like classics because the price is right for the e-versions. I resent paying $9.99 or more for a book that I can neither lend nor sell, but I like reading electronically and the libraries' offerings are pretty spotty (the library vrsions of e-books are outrageously priced).

If your library uses Overdrive it should have an option where you can request books not currently in their inventory. I've had very good success using this at my library, every book I've requested has been added within a month or two and automatically gets placed on hold for me when added. If you live in a small community another option is to join a library from a bigger city in state, sometimes at no cost or a small fee. The bigger city libraries will usually offer a much better selection but you'll also have a lot more people to compete with. I'm also confused with your comment on high prices of library ebooks, I've don't even see an option to buy ebooks at my library.

 

[zinger1457]

Just started reading A Peoples History of the United States by Howard Zinn. Definitely not what they teach in grade school history class. Any comments from others who have read it? I'm only 10% into it but it's certainly a very negative account so far.

 

[gardenfun]

I like classics because the price is right for the e-versions. I resent paying $9.99 or more for a book that I can neither lend nor sell, but I like reading electronically and the libraries' offerings are pretty spotty (the library vrsions of e-books are outrageously priced). The last classic I read was North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell which was actually pretty good. Set at the beginning of the industrial revolution in England, it was a little weightier than Jane Austen, but equally as enjoyable. I'm planning on re-reading Dickens next and Trollope is always fun.

I guess because they have been winnowed by time, classics are pretty reliable choices. I still vividly remember the two you mention even though it has been years since I read them.

alldone, Netflix has North & South, a great British production of the book.

You reminded me--I have a copy of Trollope's The Way We Live Now that I need to read. First saw the TV production on Netflix. Sometimes I'm introduced to classics via the TV.

 

[donheff]

If your library uses Overdrive it should have an option where you can request books not currently in their inventory. I've had very good success using this at my library, every book I've requested has been added within a month or two and automatically gets placed on hold for me when added.

My library uses Overdrive but I can't find this feature. Can you describe where you find it?

 

[zinger1457]

My library uses Overdrive but I can't find this feature. Can you describe where you find it?

When I connect to Overdrive for my library it shows a short list of 'New eBook Additions', click on 'view more' to see the complete list. On the bottom of that page there should be a box "Don't see the digital titles you were hoping to find? Browse and samples thousands of digital titles you can recommend to your library for purchase", click on it to submit your request.