Books I am reading, read, or plan to read

[Mike Sixel]

So, I'm going to try a book thread.....

 

FYI, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell is on sale on Amazon for $1.99 right now.

 

I just finished a trilogy by Benjamin Wallace, the Duck and Cover trilogy. It was on sale on Kindle, not sure if it is still or not. The blurbs describe it as Monty Python meets the apocalypse. Clearly, that is an exaggeration. However, they are humorous books that take place after we blow the world up, as it were. I really enjoyed the first two books a lot. The third was good, just not as good. I'd recommend them to anyone that does not take fiction seriously, as lots of things just aren't "realistic". It is funny, entertaining, and very light in tone/style. The books feature a guy that just wants to make the world a better place, even though he was just a librarian before the nuclear bombs started falling.

 

I am currently reading the 2nd Discworld book, and just am not into it like the first. Hoping that changes as I get further along. Otherwise, I think The Arm is next on my list.

 

As always, read every Guy Kay book, if you like alternate history. Oh, and am probably going to buy the new Gaiman soon....

[jimmer]

Noah Hawley's 'Before The Fall'

[Vanimal46]

The latest book I read was A Life Well Played: My Stories by Arnold Palmer. It was a great read! Short chapters covering many topics throughout his life. It almost felt like you were in the same room as him sharing an Arnold Palmer together as he told you these stories.... 

Some of my favorite topics from him: 

- His thoughts on Jack Nicklaus

- Signing autographs (and doing a damn good job at it too - no lazy signatures, ever, from him) 
- His love of flying... If he didn't make it on the golf course, he would have been an airline pilot

- How he got the Golf Channel off the ground 

[Mike Sixel]

 

The latest book I read was A Life Well Played: My Stories by Arnold Palmer. It was a great read! Short chapters covering many topics throughout his life. It almost felt like you were in the same room as him sharing an Arnold Palmer together as he told you these stories.... 

Some of my favorite topics from him: 

- His thoughts on Jack Nicklaus

- Signing autographs (and doing a damn good job at it too - no lazy signatures, ever, from him) 
- His love of flying... If he didn't make it on the golf course, he would have been an airline pilot

- How he got the Golf Channel off the ground 

 

that's going to cost me money.....thanks!

[Mike Sixel]

Just saw one of my ALL TIME favorite books, The Lies of Locke Lamora is only $1.99 on google play books. If you like swashbuckling fantasy, with some dark tones, this is the book for you.

 

Frankly, HBO should make this into a series. I love this book. 

 

Also, the first three books in the Black Company series by Glen Cook, as one "box set" is $9.99 on Play books. 

[Vanimal46]

Other books that are on my list: 

A Life In Parts by Bryan Cranston 

Hitler: Ascent 1889-1939 by Volker Ullrich 

 

Seinfeldia: How a Show about Nothing Changed Everything by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

Generally I like reading about interesting, successful people's lives, or something that deals with history. The Seinfeld book is just because I was a big fan of the show. 

[Craig Arko]

Shoot, some books on Raspberry Pi projects. I just ordered one, and want to do some cool stuff with it.

[Vanimal46]

 

Shoot, some books on Raspberry Pi projects. I just ordered one, and want to do some cool stuff with it.

You and my brother both... He's way more technical than me, and is currently building a switchboard type thing with the Raspberry Pi. 

[TheLeviathan]

 

Noah Hawley's 'Before The Fall'

 

Oooh, thanks for this!

[jimmer]

Oooh, thanks for this!

you're welcome. Hopefully others enjoy it too.

[gunnarthor]

I'm currently reading book two of the Alien/Predator Rage War. Yep.

[biggentleben]

I'm currently a SABR book, "Scandal on the South Side: The 1919 Chicago White Sox" Very good organization to the story and I love the deep research to the topic.

 

I finished Jeff Passan's "The Arm" a second time recently, and that was inspired by reading "Still Throwing Heat" by J.R. Richard, which got me very interested in thoracic outlet syndrome and led me down a rabbit hole of calling people all over the place on TOS. I'll take Tommy John on a pitcher any day, I'll just say that.

 

Outside of that, I've been doing reading on baseball annuals recently, like Baseball America's prospect handbook and Baseball Prospectus' Annual. I've also been doing some reading on issues related to my foster kiddos, though I can't exactly expound on those issues...

[Willihammer]

Just finished "Homicide" by David Simon (of The Wire). One year if reporting form a journalist embedded in the Baltimore Homicide unit during 1988. I really enjoyed it.

[#1ShaneMackFan]

 

Other books that are on my list: 

A Life In Parts by Bryan Cranston 

Hitler: Ascent 1889-1939 by Volker Ullrich 

 

Seinfeldia: How a Show about Nothing Changed Everything by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong

Generally I like reading about interesting, successful people's lives, or something that deals with history. The Seinfeld book is just because I was a big fan of the show. 

The Seinfeld book is great.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I read nearly 20 Star Wars books after the election and burned myself out on reading a bit. I have a few things queued up right now, as I realized there are huge blind spots in my Neil Gaiman library. I recently read Ocean at the End of the Lane, which was quite good. I FINALLY read Stardust, which was even better.

[Mike Sixel]

 

I read nearly 20 Star Wars books after the election and burned myself out on reading a bit. I have a few things queued up right now, as I realized there are huge blind spots in my Neil Gaiman library. I recently read Ocean at the End of the Lane, which was quite good. I FINALLY read Stardust, which was even better.

 

I just bought Ocean at the End of Time. haven't cracked it open yet.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

I just bought Ocean at the End of Time. haven't cracked it open yet.

While Neil Gaiman books are good to read, I highly recommend saving some of his books for audio. He narrates some of his own novels and he's fantastic at it. Bloody brilliant.

 

I always have a hard time finding good audiobooks so when I find a good narrator, I save them for when I next need an audiobook.

[Mike Sixel]

 

While Neil Gaiman books are good to read, I highly recommend saving some of his books for audio. He narrates some of his own novels and he's fantastic at it. Bloody brilliant.

 

I always have a hard time finding good audiobooks so when I find a good narrator, I save them for when I next need an audiobook.

 

I don't think I've ever listened to an audio book. BBC recreations of books, like the Hobbit and Foundation, yes. But never an audio book.

 

btw, the Foundation recreation is free on line. A bit dated, and super hard to hear in a car as the audio goes up and down in volume....

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

I don't think I've ever listened to an audio book. BBC recreations of books, like the Hobbit and Foundation, yes. But never an audio book.

Generally, I feel the same way but I've found a few good narrators that turned me on to audiobooks. I still prefer reading and 90% of the books I consume are read, but I've gained a new appreciation for good audio in the past year.

 

Gary Sinise narrating a John Steinbeck novel was pure bliss. He sounds exactly how you expect Steinbeck to sound.

 

But I absolutely adore Steinbeck so YMMV.

[Sarah]

I read a lot of books during the winter - not so much during the summer because I am usually watching baseball. But here are a few that I have enjoyed this winter: 

 

American Heiress by Jeffrey Toobin

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 

Do No Harm by Henry Marsh

Writing my Wrongs by Shaka Senghor 

Bellevue by David Oshinsky 

My Korean Deli by Ben Ryder Howe 

Rez Life by David Treuer 

Bohemian Flats by Mary Ellis 

The badass librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer 

 

I have Mission Jimmy Stewart and Hillbilly Elegy on my desk so those are next on my list. 

 

Also a few more I hope to get to before baseball season starts (otherwise they will have to go on the list for next winter): 

My name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout 

Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick (he also wrote a book about the Mayflower that I enjoyed) 

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 

A student of weather by Elizabeth Hay 

The Mortifications by Derek Palacio 

Embers by Sandor Marai 

[Mike Sixel]

Craig Calcaterra reviewed both Hillbilly Elegy and Glass House. He finds Hillbilly to be completely wrong, and filled with no real supporting data for its premise. You should read his reviews, imo.

[nicksaviking]

I used to be a much bigger reader but fell out of habit a bit with all the good TV these days. I started getting back into it again lately. My wife does photo sessions out of our house on Saturdays so I take the kids and go to the donut shop then the thrift store where we each pick out a new book. It's been fun but I've had a couple duds which were hard to get into.

 

With the new adaptations of The Dark Tower and It, I'm thinking about going back and rereading those; see how they hold up a decade or so since I last read them.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

I'm currently a SABR book, "Scandal on the South Side: The 1919 Chicago White Sox" Very good organization to the story and I love the deep research to the topic.

 

Is that one of the free SABR books? Thanks to this thread I just opened a 1908 Cubs/Chicago book someone gave me a few years ago. I might do this 1919 book next.

[Mike Sixel]

Brock convinced me, reading Ocean at the End of the Lane. Love Gaiman.

[ericchri]

I'm a big fan of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher so I'm always looking for more like that, Urban Fantasy. Not the stuff that's become so prevalent of late, which I term Paranormal Romance (tough girls falling for the vampire/werewolf/angel/etc...), which seems to be proliferating at an extreme rate so that it drowns out the stuff I'm looking for.

 

My sister turned me onto a series which I just finished rereading along with a new book which came out end of January that is definitely in the right vein.  The "Rivers of London" series (or possibly Peter Grant series after the main character) by Ben Aaronovitch is excellent stuff.  Aside from trying to figure out British terms for stuff (apparently a jumper is a pullover sweater...).

[biggentleben]

 

Is that one of the free SABR books? Thanks to this thread I just opened a 1908 Cubs/Chicago book someone gave me a few years ago. I might do this 1919 book next.

 

I got it on Kindle. I wasn't a member of SABR when I got it, so I honestly don't know. I did enjoy the 1979 Pirates book from SABR, though.

[Sarah]

 

Craig Calcaterra reviewed both Hillbilly Elegy and Glass House. He finds Hillbilly to be completely wrong, and filled with no real supporting data for its premise. You should read his reviews, imo.

 

I will, thanks! And I put Gaiman's book on my list too. 

[gunnarthor]

Someone had this going around on facebook and figured it would fit well into this thread.  It guesses your age based on what you've read.  It was off by 10 years on me.  Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

 

http://en.what-character-are-you.com/d/en/4767/index/30101.html

 

 

[nicksaviking]

 

Someone had this going around on facebook and figured it would fit well into this thread.  It guesses your age based on what you've read.  It was off by 10 years on me.  Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

 

http://en.what-character-are-you.com/d/en/4767/index/30101.html

 

It was 27 years off on me. I think in this case calling me 64 was a compliment though.

[Craig Arko]

Off about five years on me. It fails to take into account non-fiction, though. That's my primary reading material these days.