What have you read recently?

[braumeister]

A little off topic, but here’s a link to an interview with him by Tyler Cowen, who is (IMHO) on of the best current interviewers in the US. https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/daniel-kahneman/

Thanks for that; it was great listening to him. What a clever guy!

 

[upupandaway]

I just finished Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics by Richard Thaler on OldShooter's recommendation. I'm 12% done with Thinking fast and Slow also on his suggestion.

I liked Misbehaving a great deal because of the anecdotes about how things actually happened in the emergence of that discipline. Thinking fast and slow is proving to be equally interesting but it seems a little less humorous then Misbehaving was. Of course I have a lot of book left so my impression may change.

I'm also reading Letters to a Young Scientist by Edward Wilson for a nonfiction science bookclub I'm a member of online. It's too early to tell on this one but it is a quick read from a well regarded scientist in his field.

 

[Lsbcal]

I read and enjoyed Snowblind by Jonasson Ragnar. He is an Icelandic author and the story takes place in a small town in northern Iceland. An exotic location considering my location in the world. The author interweaves time and events especially at the beginning. He focuses on character traits as well as a mystery.

I plan on reading more of his mystery.

Amazon reviews: https://smile.amazon.com/Snowblind-audiobook/dp/B01N5R5YIJ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1HBXZ9K0DZD0K&keywords=snowblind+ragnar+jonasson&qid=1646672311&sprefix=snowblind+%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1

 

[Trailwalker]

Read Eye of the World by Robert Jordan. It's the first book of the Wheel of Time series. First fantasy series that I've read since Tolkien. I will continue with Book Two at some point soon.

 

[anethum]

I read the 2 most recent Provencal mysteries in M.L. Longworth's series. These were #8 & #9 titled A Noel Killing and The Vanishing Museum on the Rue Mistral. I enjoyed these, just as I enjoyed her earlier books. I learned recently that a new BritBox mystery series titled Murder in Provence has been created based on these books. Magistrate Judge Antoine Verlaque, the main sleuth, is played by Roger Allam who plays D.I. Fred Thursday in the superb Endeavour series. I believe that the first 3 are already available on BritBox. I haven't watched them yet.

I just finished reading Michael Pollan's latest book, This is Your Mind on Plants. It's split into 3 sections titled Opium, Caffeine, & Mescaline. I enjoyed it, but not as much as his previous book How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. The Caffeine section was the most interesting section for me, especially where he talks about the history of coffee and tea, and their economic influence and history.

The Book of Difficult Fruit by Kate Lebo is an unusual book. It is comprised of 26 chapters/essays, one for each letter of the alphabet. Aronia, Blackberry, Cherry, Durian, Elderberry, Faceclock,...etc. Not all are fruit, and not all are edible. For those which are edible, there are a few recipes. The writing style is distinctive. The author often writes about her personal life. I liked some chapters, others less so. BTW, faceclock is apparently another name for dandelion, though I had never heard it used before.

 

[anethum]

That’s an excellent book. He makes it easy to see how a psychologist could earn a Nobel (Memorial) Prize in Economics.

A little off topic, but here’s a link to an interview with him by Tyler Cowen, who is (IMHO) on of the best current interviewers in the US. https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/daniel-kahneman/

I read Thinking Fast and Slow a couple of years ago and liked it. I listened to this interview after you posted the link and enjoyed it, too. Thank you.

I had never heard Tyler Cowen's interviews before. Though I was aware he is an Economics professor, I knew him mainly thanks to his restaurant review blog for the DC area. His food writing is often idiosyncratic. He is very knowledgeable about ethnic cuisines and is adventurous. I have discovered several excellent local mom & pop restaurants thanks to him.
https://tylercowensethnicdiningguide.com/

 

[anethum]

I highly enjoyed A Sunlit Weapon, the latest "Maisie Dobbs" novel by Jacqueline Winspear. In addition to excellent writing, I like how the author weaves in historic events into the plots of her novels. This latest takes place in England during WWII.

Martin Walker wrote his first collection of short stories based on the characters in his superb "Bruno" murder mysteries set in the Perigord region of France. The short story collection is titled Bruno's Challenge: And Other Stories of the French Countryside. The short stories are wonderful, and nobody dies.

Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them by British journalist Dan Saladino, is a detailed description of the homogenization of our global food chain, including food crops, domesticated animals, seed companies, and even concentrated business sources of bacteria used to make cheese. Lots of detail about how agriculture has changed, and the risks which have resulted.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire23]

Thoughts on well-known authors partnering with their children...

First read: Stephen King with Owen King - Sleeping Beauties.

To me, this one read just like the expected Stephen King novel. At 700 pages long, it's quite the tale. I won't spoil it here but it was a good read.

Second read: Lee Child with Andrew Child - The Sentinel.

As I read this story, I liked it less and less. It's a Jack Reacher tale. I won't spoil the plot, but in this story, Reacher gets more involved in mobile phones and even learns how to read and send text messages. Not a fan. Reacher is a vagabond who pretty much travels from place to place with only the clothes on his back. He should not be using a cell phone. It's like if Kinsey Millhone started using a cell phone to track people down instead of her good old investigative skills. (Sad to have lost Sue Grafton, but at least she had Kinsey remain true to character.)

Third read: Nelson DeMille with Alex DeMille - The Deserter.

I just finished this one and I really enjoyed it. I like Nelson DeMille's sense of humor and found myself chuckling out loud while reading this one just like I have during most of his novels since I read "The Gold Coast" back in the later '90s.

So I guess my take would be that while it's nice to see authors collaborating with their children on new ideas for novels, it's better if they don't stray too far off track with familiar characters.

 

[Sunset]

1. Maximize your Medicare
2. Get what's your for Medicare

Read them just to make sure we didn't screw up our Medicare choice.

Now I'm reading: Get what's yours: the secrets to maxing out your Social Security.

This one, I'm reading in advance.
Our situation is simple, so probably nothing will be learned for us, unless one of dies suddenly.

I think it's a worth read for anyone approaching SS age (62 for most) as people can mistakenly make all sorts of mistakes about claiming, and end up with less money by accident.

 

[scrabbler1]

I am most of the way through "Sandy Hook, An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth," by Elizabeth Williamson. In this 450-page book, Williamson writes about what the families of the victims have endured since December 14. 2012, the day of that awful mass shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, especially their battles with conspiracist Alex Jones and his Infowars program leading to several lawsuits.

I have rarely gone more than a few pages before muttering and swearing under my breath at the antics of Jones and his horribly deluded followers in their endless tormenting of the relatives of the Sandy Hook massacre's victims, mostly small children.

It's a page-turner; I can hardly put the large book down.

 

[anethum]

I read Hidden Depths, the 3rd book in Ann Cleeves' Vera series. I had read several other Vera novels and watched many of the TV adaptations, but not this one. Though it was the 3rd Vera book, it was the basis for the 1st Vera TV adaptation. The book was good and after I finished it, I watched the TV adaptation on BritBox. Somewhat surprisingly, the TV adaptation was even better than the novel. The screenwriter added a few details which resulted in the plot being somewhat more credible.

I had never read anything by Nicholas Sparks before. I checked out his recent novel, The Wish, from the library. Although I enjoyed the book, the writing seemed more like what I'd expect in a young adult novel than in an adult novel.

 

[Trailwalker]

I'm reading Dragon Reborn, the third book in the Wheel of Time series. Parts of the first book are in an Amazon Prime tv. These are long books but pretty darn good if you are a fan of the genre.

 

[Toast]

We pre-ordered Jack Carr's 5th James Reece book. Release date is May 17th. Can't wait!

 

[Qs Laptop]

"Premonition" by Michael Lewis. Deals with the fact that there were people that had studied pandemics and what our pandemic response should be a decade before Covid hit us. Interestingly George W. Bush was the catalyst for getting a plan put together. The author states that having 911 and Hurricane Katrina happen on his watch he was going to make darn sure he was ready if there was a pandemic.

I expected the book to be a screed against the Trump administration but most bullets were aimed at the CDC and their propensity to want to study something to death and then write papers about it instead of taking action. In fact, the CDC was seen as a roadblock to stopping the pandemic, for various reasons.

One thing about the book that was a bit over the top was the hero worship of this cadre of infectious disease scientists that were at odds with the CDC. In particular, Lewis heaps praise on Charity Dean, originally a Santa Barbara county health official, then the assistant director of the California state Department of Health, basically anointing her with sainthood. I've just finished the book and I can't name what she actually DID to fight Covid aside from organizing this group of scientists, keeping a notebook, and attending meetings related to California's response to Covid.

 

[Rianne]

"Born to Run" Audiobook narrated by Bruce Springsteen. It felt like he was talking to me haha! What an amazing life, honest about his serious depression and early years. His success unfolded over many years of playing dive bars and small venues. I could not stop listening and I'm not his biggest fan.

He took notes throughout his life. His memories written down have an accurate account of his childhood, his father's abuse, and his love. Captivating! Not a typical rock star, that's for sure.

 

[Calico]

Detective in the Dooryard: Reflections of a Maine Cop by Timothy Cotton

The author has been in law enforcement for 30+ years in Maine. The book describes the people, places, and things of Maine that he has encountered over those years.

Some of the stories are funny; some are bittersweet; some will leave you scratching your head at the antics people can get up to!

The book is full of very wry Maine humor; having lived in Maine for two years a long time ago it brought back memories of the very fine people I met there. If it weren't for the fact that I can't abide cold weather I might have stayed there!

Maine (like everywhere else) has its own share of "characters" and the book does a great job of capturing their stories.

I have his second book Got Warrants?: Dispatches from the Dooryard on my nightstand now.

 

[Lsbcal]

Really enjoyed this one: Michael Connelley's Dark Hours. Link: https://smile.amazon.com/Dark-Hours-Michael-Connelly-ebook/dp/B08WLRG1L2/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1653525473&sr=8-1

Again and again, Michael Connelly amazes with his penetrating look inside the machinery of the LAPD, all while keeping the human hearts inside the machine front and center. The Dark Hours is another perfect example, as night-shift detective Renee Ballard catches a case on New Year’s Eve that is linked to a case worked by Harry Bosch years ago Meanwhile, she also works on catching a vicious pair of rapists, known as the Midnight Men. Ballard’s job, already made difficult by the pandemic, policing in a post-George Floyd world, and the usual mix of office politics and protocols that tie one hand behind her back, becomes an adrenaline-fueled hunt for the criminals. Ballard and Bosch show the painstaking police work that goes into the “lucky” breaks that crack cases in this dynamite series. —Vannessa Cronin, Amazon Editor

 

[scrabbler1]

I just finished "Don't Say a Word," by Andrew Klavan. The 1991 book was the basis for a 2001 movie of the same name, starting Michael Douglas. In the movie, Douglas stars as a shrink (Dr. Nate Conrad) whose daughter was kidnapped by a man trying to recover some jewels he and some men stole in a robbery years earlier. The kidnapper needs Dr. Conrad to get a burial plot number from the institutionalized, teenaged daughter of one of the other robbers. Dr. Conrad gets the number, kills the kidnapper, and gets his daughter back.

The book is much different from the movie. While the basic framework is similar, the book goes in several different directions and I found it difficult to follow. The movie greatly simplified the book's often confusing subplots.

Unless you are very curious, as I was, about how the book differed from the movie, I suggest you avoid the book.

 

[6miths]

The latest movie inspired me to read (listen to) the Dune series.

 

[scfr]

"Moonshot: Inside Pfizer's Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible" by Albert Bourla (Chairman & CEO of Pfizer). I finished the book feeling profoundly grateful.

Currently working on "The Return of the King."

 

[Calico]

The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson.

This is the second novel by the author; she wrote her debut novel three years ago at the age of 70!

The Narrowboat Summer is a meandering story of friendship and second chances, which takes place on a narrowboat navigating the canals of England.

If you are looking for a fast-paced story with a lot of "action" this is not for you!

If you are looking for a charming story with characters who are pondering what really matters in life, and figuring out how to break out of their comfort zones in order to achieve their goals, you might enjoy this.

 

[Calico]

Just finished Someone Else's Skin by Sarah Hilary.

It is her debut novel; first in a series of six (so far) about DI Marnie Rome.

https://www.amazon.com/Someone-Elses-Skin-Introducing-Detective/dp/0143126180/ref=sr_1_1?crid=X7U4EROPJJ33&keywords=someone+else%27s+skin&qid=1656148730&sprefix=someone+else%27s+skin%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1

It was very different from my usual fare of "cozy" mysteries; much darker and edgier than I am used to. I'm very glad I took a chance on it; I am now going to read the other five books in the series.

 

[Chuckanut]

The Paradox Hotel Wealthy travelers stay at the hotel before they are whisked back in time to view various historic events such as the Gettysburgh Address, the building of the pyramids, etc. Unfortunately, odd things (like baby dinosaurs appearing in the hotel lobby and a mis-timed sunset) indicate that the time stream may be having problems.

 

[Qs Laptop]

The Paradox Hotel Wealthy travelers stay at the hotel before they are whisked back in time to view various historic events such as the Gettysburgh Address, the building of the pyramids, etc. Unfortunately, odd things (like baby dinosaurs appearing in the hotel lobby and a mis-timed sunset) indicate that the time stream may be having problems.

Yup, just finished this last week. Fast moving plot that kept my interest. The main character was a rough around the edges smartass female who was the director of hotel security. The author did a lousy job with this character as I continually had to remind myself it was a woman. At no point was she convincing to me in the role. Still, I recommend the book.

 

[KCGeezer]

Just finished “The Righteous Mind” by Jonathan Haidt. Along the lines of Thinking Fast and Slow. the author presents many neuroscience investigations that provide insight and support for the core events and tenants that drive human priorities. It’s well documented with the academic sources but approachable for a layman. I’ll let you decide if his conclusions about how and why these 6 core features of the mind drive various actions and how they explain the current state of society (especially in the U.S.) ring true. They do for me.

I do recommend it.