Books I am reading, read, or plan to read

[Willihammer]

1 year! Evidently people my age *never read*

[Vanimal46]

 

1 year! Evidently people my age *never read*

 

Nice! Did you answer Whinnie the Pooh as the only book you've read on the list? FWIW I'm 16 years old again! 

[Willihammer]

 

Nice! Did you answer Whinnie the Pooh as the only book you've read on the list? FWIW I'm 16 years old again! 

Yeah. And "can't decide" between Pride and Prejudice and The Fault in our Stars because "they're both good." Yep, that's why.

[Craig Arko]

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies for the win.

[Mike Sixel]

Finally finished the ocean at the end of the Lane.... As usual, Gaiman is a genius.

[Craig Arko]

I bought astronomer and space pundit Phil Plait's book "Death from the Skies!: These Are The Ways The World Will End." for some light reading on the plane.

[kab21]

I finished the Game of Thrones books (1-5) this winter.

 

The most interesting book that I have read recently was 'All the Light We Cannot See'. The young girl in the story has a bit of an Anne Frank vibe. Similar age and lives in Nazi occupied France. The story is quite different. She is blind but memorizes parts of cities due to her father. The story also follows a German boy that becomes an self taught expert in radios. 

Right now I am reading a couple of Jason Bourne novels that were given to me years ago. I got sick last week and wanted some light reading.

[Squirrel]

Geez, some of you and your ideas of light reading differs greatly from mine. If I want light reading I turn to someone like Sophie Kinsella. I'm usually laughing out loud at various points in her books. Probably not the reading anyone in this group would get into as I consider her books the epitome in chic lit.

[Craig Arko]

Light reading is the kind that doesn't have equations or source code in it. Graphs are acceptable.

[Squirrel]

 

Light reading is the kind that doesn't have equations or source code in it. Graphs are acceptable.

Yeah, light reading for me is the stuff I don't have to think about one iota while reading and will also provide me with some humor.

[kab21]

 

Geez, some of you and your ideas of light reading differs greatly from mine. If I want light reading I turn to someone like Sophie Kinsella. I'm usually laughing out loud at various points in her books. Probably not the reading anyone in this group would get into as I consider her books the epitome in chic lit.

Light reading for me is just an ordinary novel. Nothing to be learned but something of interest.

 

My normal reading is travel books with a lot of historical research mixed in. Annapurna - Herzog, One Man's Wilderness - Keith/Proenneke - Last Seen in Lhasa - Scobie, Finding George Orwell in a Burmese Teashop - Larkin

Heavy reading is a book that has been on my shelf for 4 years. The Ethnic Groups, Languages, and Migration Patterns of the Formosan (Taiwan) Natives - still haven't read this one

 

[Vanimal46]

Just finished reading "A Life in Parts" by Bryan Cranston over the weekend. He is a great story teller, and a very interesting background. 

 

Now on to reading the Seinfeld book. 

[Craig Arko]

I just heard of the amazing Henrietta Lacks and am starting to read her story.

 

http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/

[Vanimal46]

Any audio book recommendations? Looking for one to listen to on the plane...

[kab21]

Just blew through Around the World in 80 Days. Sort of interesting to read the accounts of almost fantasized places from 100+ years ago.

 

I have never gotten into audio books but I would download some podcasts to listen to. 99% Invisible is a great one.

[Mike Sixel]

On to Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, one of my favorite authors. It was (is?) on sale in ebook form on most sites, and Google had a $3 coupon for it.....I have a feeling it will be too close to the myths, and not enough Gaiman, but we'll see....

[Craig Arko]

Sam Harris: Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

https://books.google.com/books?id=dmhNAgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=sam+harris&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJpPGvmJrTAhWm4IMKHdJNCNEQuwUIIzAB#v=onepage&q=sam%20harris&f=false

 

This seems a much kinder, gentler, Harris than I'm accustomed to.

 

Owen Flanagan: The Problem of The Soul

https://books.google.com/books?id=lOxpTf870j8C&pg=PA327&dq=owen+flanagan&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjPs7iJmZrTAhUG5IMKHUrPDZM4ChDoAQgjMAI#v=onepage&q=owen%20flanagan&f=false

 

Flanagan is one of my very favorite contemporary philosophers.

 

 

Not light reading, but not especially difficult either. Until the thinking about them part.

[Vanimal46]

It took longer than expected, but I finally finished Seinfeldia: How a Show about Nothing Changed Everything by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong. 

 

A great read if you were a fan of the show like I am... It chronicles the show from the beginning to the end, filled with little nuggets that you may not have known about. 

Fun facts: Most writers only lasted one season. Once their real life experiences were captured in an episode or 2, Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld searched for other writers. Seems pretty rude to do, but it worked for them. 

It took until the 2nd season for Larry David to get the idea to weave 4 different stories together in an episode and have it all tie together at the end. 

 

Jerry Seinfeld turned down $5 MM an episode to continue doing a 10th season. 

[Mike Sixel]

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman.....meh. Not sure what I was expecting, but it was kinda boring. 

 

13th Age RPG rule book. Love this game, should have been playing this variant of D&D.

 

Flexible Golf Swing....very good book on stretching, which I ignored and just picked back up yesterday (before my 6 days golfing in the HEAT of Phoenix).

 

Either going to read Think Like a Freak, or Red Rising next, I think.

[Bark's Lounge]

 

Sam Harris: Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

https://books.google.com/books?id=dmhNAgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=sam+harris&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJpPGvmJrTAhWm4IMKHdJNCNEQuwUIIzAB#v=onepage&q=sam%20harris&f=false

 

This seems a much kinder, gentler, Harris than I'm accustomed to.

 

Owen Flanagan: The Problem of The Soul

https://books.google.com/books?id=lOxpTf870j8C&pg=PA327&dq=owen+flanagan&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjPs7iJmZrTAhUG5IMKHUrPDZM4ChDoAQgjMAI#v=onepage&q=owen%20flanagan&f=false

 

Flanagan is one of my very favorite contemporary philosophers.

 

 

Not light reading, but not especially difficult either. Until the thinking about them part.

I love Sam Harris.

[Bark's Lounge]

Unfortunately, it's been a while since I have read a book. I have been too busy with other stuff.

 

"A People's History of the United States" is a great one. Penned by Howard Zinn.

[Craig Arko]

Back to technical stuff.

[Craig Arko]

 

Back to technical stuff.

Putting things on hold for this new gem.

 

[Sarah]

 

Any audio book recommendations? Looking for one to listen to on the plane...

 

Whenever I have a long drive my fallback is one of the Sue Grafton alphabet mysteries, most of them are read by Judy Kaye who is great. If you are in the Twin Cities you can get them all at the library but they might be pretty cheap online too.

[Mike Sixel]

Decided to read Consider Phlebas instead of what I said above.

 

Pretty good so far, about 1/3 thru.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_Phlebas

 

 

 

[Vanimal46]

I'm about halfway through "How America Lost Its Secrets" by Edward Jay Epstein. It goes into detail about Edward Snowden as a man, and his theft of NSA documents. 

 

If you've seen the Edward Snowden movie you may have felt sympathetic for him. This book challenges that popular opinion and gives insight into how much of an ego-maniac he was.... Especially on public forums online. 

[kab21]

After reading Game of Thrones 1-5 last year, I have decided to read through the Lord of the Rings. I have no idea why I started on the The Fellowship of the Ring (movies started there) but I regret never reading these as a kid. I must have read 10-15 of the Terry Brooks Shannara books. 

[Mike Sixel]

 

After reading Game of Thrones 1-5 last year, I have decided to read through the Lord of the Rings. I have no idea why I started on the The Fellowship of the Ring (movies started there) but I regret never reading these as a kid. I must have read 10-15 of the Terry Brooks Shannara books. 

 

I couldn't make it past book 1 of Shannara.....

 

the LotR books are really 1 book, but they wouldn't let him publish them as 1. There is a lot to like there, but there are long moments of boredom, imo. Really good books, important to the genre, but not my favorites at all.

 

If you ever want advice on fantasy books, series, let me know....

[kab21]

 

I couldn't make it past book 1 of Shannara.....

 

the LotR books are really 1 book, but they wouldn't let him publish them as 1. There is a lot to like there, but there are long moments of boredom, imo. Really good books, important to the genre, but not my favorites at all.

 

If you ever want advice on fantasy books, series, let me know....

Starting Shannara in 4th grade might have changed my expectations and now it is a nostalgic series for me.

Yes, they are 1 book (or 6 depending on your argument). Quicker reads than the Game of Thrones (good book value).

Not really sure what literary plans I have this year. I keep seeing a gazillion Star Wars books and it seems interesting to read some of those other stories in that universe. I would definitely get some advice (from Brock among others) if I ever started that plunge.

[Mike Sixel]

 

Starting Shannara in 4th grade might have changed my expectations and now it is a nostalgic series for me.

Yes, they are 1 book (or 6 depending on your argument). Quicker reads than the Game of Thrones (good book value).

Not really sure what literary plans I have this year. I keep seeing a gazillion Star Wars books and it seems interesting to read some of those other stories in that universe. I would definitely get some advice (from Brock among others) if I ever started that plunge.

 

Ya, I'd be curious what Brock and others say about SW books. So many in used book stores....