Book recommendations

[meridiver]

I just finished an amazing book called "Three Cups of Tea", subtitled "One Man's Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. This is the most inspirational book I've read in ages. It reminds us all that it is possible for one person to have a significant impact on the world.

Greg Mortenson is a former mountain climber who failed in an attempt to climb K2, but ended up promising that he would build a school for a tiny village in Northern Pakistan where he recovered after his attempt. The children in the village were sitting outside, tracing their lessons in the dirt because they wanted to learn, but had no school. Now, ten years later, Greg has opened over 50 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, most of them focused specifically on educating girls as well as boys. He is educating over 24,000 children through his non-profit. The amount of good that he has done (and the goodwill that he has spread) with very little resources is phenomenal.

The book is well-written and is a fast read. The fact that it is about an area of the world that we would all benefit from knowing more about is just a bonus. Plus, if you buy the book from the website Three Cups of Tea, a portion of the purchase price goes directly to support the non-profit that does the work.

[packrat44]

Originally Posted by two4theroad

I have been a member of PBS for over a year and it is great. I have about 75 books listed and have traded for about 20 so far and have about 15 credits saved up. Trading books for just the price of postage! The best ones to submit for trade are very recent bestsellers or one of a kind, hard to find books like old sci-fi. There is a shortage of financial how to books, in case you all have any of those laying around. I am 4th in line of 25 for Bogleheads guide to investing and 10 of 16 for the 4 pillars.....if anyone has a spare copy.
2fer

Great book if a bit long, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.

Have you tried your public library?

I have been going on line where one can access anything within the city library system. Upon finding what I want I have it sent to the branch nearest my house (no cost). So far I have been able to find anything I wanted by Bogle, Armstrong, Bernstein, Swedroe, Malkiel, Shiller, etc.

[Moemg]

Originally Posted by cj

For the women: I am less than 1/2 way through "The Hot Flash Club" by Nancy Thayer, and I love it! I just found out it's the first in a series, so I'll be set with reading material for a while. It's about 4 women, ages 52-62, and I can SO relate to some of their feelings and experiences.



CJ

Thanks for the recommendation .I need a few light books . I'm going to Pa. for several weeks to help my 91 year old mother while she has a knee replacement .So "The Hot Flash Club " sounds perfect .

[WithAllMyHeart]

For some serious but extremely interesting reading, try Collapse: How Socieities Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond. I loved Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel and his The Third Chimpanzee, and I wasn't disappointed with Collapse. If you like history, science, environment, politics, geography, archeology, paleobiology (or thing you would like them), Collapse is a great book. Highly recommended.

And if you haven't read Guns, Germs and Steel, then you should run, don't walk, down to you bookstore or library and immediately start reading. It's one of my all time favorite books.

[two4theroad]

Originally Posted by packrat44

Have you tried your public library?

I have been going on line where one can access anything within the city library system. Upon finding what I want I have it sent to the branch nearest my house (no cost). So far I have been able to find anything I wanted by Bogle, Armstrong, Bernstein, Swedroe, Malkiel, Shiller, etc.

Packrat,
We live outside town so access to library is a bit of a pain. I will check to see if they have the on line request mail it option. I wanted to keep those investment books as reference. I tend to keep that type of book and trade the fiction books. Thanks for the idea!
2fer

[Robert the Red]

The Thursday Next books by Jasper fforde (starting with The Eyre Affair).

[Jake46]

The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin.

[Oldbabe]

"Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Fabulous story of a woman's travels in Italy, India and Bali.

"Saving Fish From Drowing," by Amy Tan. Tourists get kidnapped by the Karen tribe of Myanmar. Great story, not heavy, not light. Just right!

[justin]

Originally Posted by Oldbabe

"Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Fabulous story of a woman's travels in Italy, India and Bali.

I read this for my book club. It gets a big "pass" from me, unless you like reading memoirs of self-absorbed individuals who I would describe as "shallow". Very little of cultural value in the book (a decent amount about Bali, a little about India).

[Sarah in SC]

Well, Justin it is a total "chick-lit" book, not surprised you didn't like it.
I thought it was passable, and gave it to my mom to read. It is definitely not a dude book at all!

DH is reading Hunters Moon, the latest Randy Wayne White mystery and says it is awesome--great Florida mystery writer who occasionally channels my beloved John D. MacDonald.
I myself am reading about Estate Planning, which I do not recommend to anyone.

[bright eyed]

Originally Posted by justin

I read this for my book club. It gets a big "pass" from me, unless you like reading memoirs of self-absorbed individuals who I would describe as "shallow". Very little of cultural value in the book (a decent amount about Bali, a little about India).

i just picked it up at the airport and LOVED it - i think if you can relate to her story than it is a great read...if you're an outsider looking in, you just think she's crazy!

maybe you're her ex husband?

[Joss]

If you like Robert B Parker (Spencer, et al), you might also like:

Jonathan Kellerman (Alex Delaware) and
Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch).

I also highly recommend Peter Bowen (Gabriel DuPre, Montana).

[Jake46]

If you like mysteries and sports, give Harlan Coben's series featuring Myron Bolitar - several paperbacks available.

[justin]

Originally Posted by Sarah in SC

Well, Justin it is a total "chick-lit" book, not surprised you didn't like it.

Can't argue with that! So maybe my advice only applies to men... No wonder I can't understand women! So complicated...

[tangomonster]

Actually, Justin, you get a couple of points for just being in a book club as a guy!
I thought the book in question was entertaining but not as profound as the author thought it was (and I do think her travels were done with an eye to a book and movie deal, and not true spiritual seeking).

[justin]

Originally Posted by tangomonster

Actually, Justin, you get a couple of points for just being in a book club as a guy!

I'm new to it and not sure I'll stick around for long. If it weren't for another guy being in the club, I probably would not have returned after the 1st meeting. My biggest problem is that there always seems to be one loud mouth domineering woman that somehow takes any subject and turns it into a 10 minute (extremely boring) personal story about her and how great she is or how much she knows.

Before any of you man-haters ( ) attack me, let me say that I'm not saying that "that is how women are", just that 90% of the group is female, so the odds are that the loudmouth attention-seeker is a female.

The book was entertaining in a voyeuristic kind of way - like reading someone's diary. And she has some funny one-liners/imagery in the book.

[Moemg]

[quote=Joss;560247
Michael Connelly (Harry Bosch).

.[/quote]


I just returned from three weeks in PA. and I read four of his books .Great mystery reading !

[Ronstar]

I loved "A walk in the woods" by Bill Bryson - his story of hiking the Appalachian Trail. Also cant go wrong with any of the Dirk Pitt adventures by Clive Cussler.

[happy2bretired]

I finished Water for Elephants (Sara Gruen) the other day. For a female author I was amazed at her ability to write from a male perspective. There were some really graphic type male stuff in there but the book was an amazing read for me. The sad but very thought-provoking theme was about the life, an amazing life, of a nursing home patient that everyone had dismissed because of old age. Just remember that the next old person you meet on the street may have lived one hell of a life.

[TromboneAl]

Water for Elephants is the top requested book at PaperBackSwap.com.

I read half of Kite Runner, another current favorite, but did not like it. If I summarized the plot in 25 words or less, you would understand why I didn't like it.