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Whatcha readin now? (book, books, reading, read) (3 Viewers)

Where the Crawdads Sing - Had this sitting on my desk for a year and finally started reading it.  First work of fiction I've read this year and I'm not disappointed.  Actually look forward to sitting outside in the back yard with a cold beer and some tunes and turning pages on this one.

In March, when markets started tanking and the economy ground to a halt, I was reading Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian - My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph.  That really helped me put things in perspective.  Yeah, this is a scary time and I may lose my job, but this young lady fled the bombs and ISIS of Syria on a harrowing journey to become part of the 2016 Olympic Refugee team.  Incredible tale of resilience, determination and courage.  Highly recommend this one if you aren't familiar with the struggles of refugees.  Really eye opening.  

 
The Searchers

Somehow never read this before. Good western that kept me interested from start to finish. Included a forward that was equally interesting as it talked a fair amount about working with John Wayne and John Ford. 

Read it for free with Prime Reading. 

 
Reading The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids.  

Really well written book.  Great characters and would building.  Highly recommended.

 
Reading Marvel Comics starting with FF #1. About 40 issues in. Planning on reading all the main titles thru the 60s to start with. Around 800 or so issues.

 
During the quarantine, I've read

The Thirst (second to last Harry Hole thriller - excellent series and a good book)

The Colorado Kid (Stephen King "Hard Boiled Mystery" entry - eh)

Knife - reading now, latest Harry Hole.  Excellent, excellent excellent.  Best villain of the series, heart-wrenching story.  Can't recommend this series highly enough if you like detective/police mystery novels.

 
facook said:
During the quarantine, I've read

The Thirst (second to last Harry Hole thriller - excellent series and a good book)

The Colorado Kid (Stephen King "Hard Boiled Mystery" entry - eh)

Knife - reading now, latest Harry Hole.  Excellent, excellent excellent.  Best villain of the series, heart-wrenching story.  Can't recommend this series highly enough if you like detective/police mystery novels.
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I still can’t believe there’s a serious book series about a detective named Harry Hole.

 
Ilov80s said:
I still can’t believe there’s a serious book series about a detective named Harry Hole.
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Apparently in Hole's native Norway it's pronounced "Hool-ee" according to my wife's Norwegian boss.  :D    But yeah, for an American it's a little jarring.

 
Daywalker said:
The Stand

Was surprised how underwhelming it was.  1500 pages and i don’t think i could even visualize what most of the characters look like.  
 

I don’t get it.  
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Whoa, this shocks me. I bet it's been 20 years since I read that and I still picture most of the folks in that story. One of my favorites. I would have ended up with Fran.

 
General Malaise said:
Where the Crawdads Sing - Had this sitting on my desk for a year and finally started reading it.  First work of fiction I've read this year and I'm not disappointed.  Actually look forward to sitting outside in the back yard with a cold beer and some tunes and turning pages on this one.

In March, when markets started tanking and the economy ground to a halt, I was reading Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian - My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph.  That really helped me put things in perspective.  Yeah, this is a scary time and I may lose my job, but this young lady fled the bombs and ISIS of Syria on a harrowing journey to become part of the 2016 Olympic Refugee team.  Incredible tale of resilience, determination and courage.  Highly recommend this one if you aren't familiar with the struggles of refugees.  Really eye opening.  
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Where the Crawdads sing is one of my favorite books in the last year. Kya is definitely a top five female literary character for me and might even be my number 1. I don't think I can praise this book enough. This book for sure moved me emotionally.

 
I just finished a short story by Richard Chizmar called Long Way Home. It was very similar to Stephen Kings novel The Outsider. Maybe to similar if you know what I mean. Curious as to which one came first.

 
KarmaPolice said:
It really is - loving the idea of the book and the language/descriptions.   The quick chapters and switching back and forth between the characters is perfect for me too.  
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If you like that style, I would check out “Homegoing” — each chapter tells the story of a different descendant of one of the characters. It runs through ~300 years of history in about 300 pages, IIRC.

“Barkskins” is in the descendant style like Homegoing, but that book is about twice as long; so, I’m not sure it would be viewed as that quick.

 
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prosopis said:
I just finished a short story by Richard Chizmar called Long Way Home. It was very similar to Stephen Kings novel The Outsider. Maybe to similar if you know what I mean. Curious as to which one came first.
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The name of the story was Mischief in a book of short stories called The Long Way Home

 
Captain Fantastic said:
For what it's worth (and please forgive the blatant self-promotion), two of my books will be taking advantage of the quarantined reading population with "free" promotions for Kindle editions on Amazon in the near future. 📙

Hostile Takeover will be available free for 48-hours on March 27-28.

Second Son will be available free from April 1-4.

Both are thrillers, but Hostile Takeover is more psychological suspense while Second Son is a mystery thriller. The books are "related" but they're independent stories (no crossover characters, etc.).

This will be the first time either book has been offered free.

If you like that sort of thing, please feel free to give one (or both) a shot. And if you end up reading it, please let me know what you think. I'm open to compliments and FBG-level roasting. 🔥 🤓
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I have less than fifty pages left in Hostile Takeover. I am really enjoying it, nice job. I will say that there is something going on right now that had better resolve the way I want or I am going to be pissed. In my opinion that is a very good thing for a story, I am emotionally invested. I wont spoil anything here. I will probably pm you when I finish. I wish I had grabbed Second Son when it was available. I am curious as to how they are related with no crossover characters. 

 
Just finished "The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History" by John Barry. Good read that covered far more than the pandemic itself. Covered the revolution of medicine in this country in the late 1800s to early 1900s, key characters in exquisite detail, WWI, Woodrow Wilson, and interesting scientific explanations regarding the immune system as well as the spread of disease. Lengthy read, but the author went above and beyond in his research. I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of the various leading scientists at the time and their contributions to science prior to, during, and after the pandemic. 

 
facook said:
During the quarantine, I've read

The Thirst (second to last Harry Hole thriller - excellent series and a good book)

The Colorado Kid (Stephen King "Hard Boiled Mystery" entry - eh)

Knife - reading now, latest Harry Hole.  Excellent, excellent excellent.  Best villain of the series, heart-wrenching story.  Can't recommend this series highly enough if you like detective/police mystery novels.
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I've knocked all 12 of the Harry Hole's out. Noone crawls into a bourbon bottle like Harry.

The only Nesbo I did not enjoy was Macbeth.

Almost finished with John Irving's Until I Find You, another epic fantastic saga that has the wild Irving stamp all over it- you'll be laughing your balls off one minute and then crying like a baby the next! One of those books that you hate to see the final pages approaching.

Also read a quick Molly's Game after seeing the movie. Remarkable, I'll never look at Tobey Maguire the same way again.

 
SouthJersey said:
Planning on tackling Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life next.  Was a gift from a history professor buddy when I asked for a recommendation about a recommendation about the battles of the Cuban revolution.
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Finally finished the Che book.  It was a really solid book that felt like a text book at times with the amount of detail.  I thought it was a fair portrayal of Che too. Showed him as equal parts revolutionary with a high moral code to communist values, but also a straight up murder who used the revolution as an excuse.  It convinced me that probably the majority of people who wear Che shirts in the country have no clue about the guy other than the iconic photo.

Now reading The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000 which i'm really enjoying.  The Office is my favorite show and hearing the background stories of casting this and how they developed characters, worked the scripts, etc is really fun.

 
prosopis said:
I have less than fifty pages left in Hostile Takeover. I am really enjoying it, nice job. I will say that there is something going on right now that had better resolve the way I want or I am going to be pissed. In my opinion that is a very good thing for a story, I am emotionally invested. I wont spoil anything here. I will probably pm you when I finish. I wish I had grabbed Second Son when it was available. I am curious as to how they are related with no crossover characters. 
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Thanks, prosopis! Very glad to hear you've been enjoying Hostile Takeover (and I hope the final 50 pages provided good resolution so as to avoid the pissing off 😉).

Seriously, thanks for investing your time on the book. Hope it was worth your while. 📖 :suds:

 
Captain Fantastic said:
Thanks, prosopis! Very glad to hear you've been enjoying Hostile Takeover (and I hope the final 50 pages provided good resolution so as to avoid the pissing off 😉).

Seriously, thanks for investing your time on the book. Hope it was worth your while. 📖 :suds:
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Finished and a pm sent.

I did enjoy this story. It was a fun distraction in these times.

 
msommer said:
Just started rereading the Jack Reacher series. Very entertaining
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If you like that, I would suggest the “Prey” series by John Sandford. Lucas Davenport is the protagonist. 30ish books long now. 

Thank goodness for eBooks. 

 
bigmarc27 said:
Going to do the Sprawl trilogy next - Neuromancer, Count Zero, and Mona Lisa Overdrive.
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HOW CAN YOU PUT THEM OFF???????'

Love them, in particular Neuromancer. And the later Gibson stuff is also very good, from Pattern Recognition onwards, particularly.

 
Spike said:
If you like that, I would suggest the “Prey” series by John Sandford. Lucas Davenport is the protagonist. 30ish books long now. 

Thank goodness for eBooks. 
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I like them, but Lucas is a bit of a Superman sometimes,. I actually like the VIrgil Flowers series (even) better.

Oh, and I made it half way through the Reacher series before I had to take a break. Still on it ;)  

 
Any other James Rollins fans out there?  I've very much enjoyed his Sigma Force series.  Started his latest "The Last Odyssey" last night.  

 
SouthJersey said:
Now reading The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000 which i'm really enjoying.  The Office is my favorite show and hearing the background stories of casting this and how they developed characters, worked the scripts, etc is really fun.
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This was good, not great. Gave some good insight into the show and the writing though wouldn't recommend unless you're a superfan of The Office.

Just started Hillbilly Elegy which so far is fascinating.

 
Reading "Daisy Jones and the Six".  So far it's pretty good.  Interesting characters, creative story framework.

 
prosopis said:
Where the Crawdads sing is one of my favorite books in the last year. Kya is definitely a top five female literary character for me and might even be my number 1. I don't think I can praise this book enough. This book for sure moved me emotionally.
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Yeah, that was a great read.  Who plays Kya in the movie? 

Reading Outliers now.  Solid so far but I think I'll return to fiction next.  Anyone read Gentleman from Moscow?

 
General Malaise said:
Yeah, that was a great read.  Who plays Kya in the movie? 

Reading Outliers now.  Solid so far but I think I'll return to fiction next.  Anyone read Gentleman from Moscow?
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Gentleman from Moscow was pretty good. I’d recommend it. Towles is a great writer. And it seems appropriate for our current state in isolation.

 
Finished Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. Absolute explosion of action at the end, similar to The Way of Kings. I guess this is just how Sanderson writes. I liked it quite a bit. On to Words of Radiance.

 
Just finished the oral biography of David Bowie by Dylan Jones.  Bowie is a tough subject for a biography since his public images were a shield from his inner self.   He comes off by most accounts as unfailingly polite, remembered fondly even by people who Bowie cut out of his life.  Like a lot of biographies, the artist's rise is the most interesting part.  It dragged a bit in the 250 pages that took place after 1979.

 
Hillbilly Elegy was fantastic.  If you like memoirs I highly recommend this one.  It's right up there with Shoe Dog and Educated in the top memoirs I've read over the past few years.  Gives a good glimpse into life for white folks in the rust belt, a part of the country I'm far removed from.

Now reading Hunter S Thompson's book about the Hell's Angels which has been on my shelf for years.  2 chapters in i think this sucks, but let's see if it turns around.

 
The Goldfinch.

Engrossing.  Tartt really puts you right in the room.

I was just stunned that a crucial scene near the end was just glossed over.  Inexplicable.  A major letdown in an otherwise terrific read.

8/10

 
“Some of the biggest challenges faced by computers and human minds alike: how to manage finite space, finite time, limited attention, unknown unknowns, incomplete information, and an unforeseeable future; how to do so with grace and confidence; and how to do so in a community with others who are all simultaneously trying to do the same.”

- From the book "Algorithms to live by".

 
Finished Let it Bleed and I loved it. I do like the book Holly Gibney so I was good with a Holly Gibney story in there. I think Rat was my favorite story for many reasons. If you like S King you wont be disappointed.

* I also like HBO Holly Gibney but I do give the edge to book Holly Gibney. I did at times catch myself thinking of HBO Holly and it does throw me off as they are pretty different.

 
Recently finished The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski.  Really enjoyed it.  I was getting so into reading about magic that i ended up buying a book on how to do card tricks, but it'll likely just sit on my shelf forever.

 
SouthJersey said:
Recently finished The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski.  Really enjoyed it.  I was getting so into reading about magic that i ended up buying a book on how to do card tricks, but it'll likely just sit on my shelf forever.
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I may check this out. Thanks for recommending it. I really like Posnanski's baseball essays over at The Athletic.

 
Jennifer Egan's "A Visit from the Goon Squad" a $1.99 Kindle deal of the day today.  I think it has gotten some discussion here in the past. Just purchased; I've read Egan's Manhattan Beach, but I've been meaning to read Goon Squad.

 
Just finished “Storm Front” by Jim Butcher. Thought it was fun, looking forward to reading on in the Dresden series.

Stephen King’s “If it Bleeds” is next up.

 
Finished "My Stroke of Insight" by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor. 

Her writing style just wasn't my cup of tea, but I still enjoyed it. The discussion of the interaction of the right and left sides of the brain were interesting. Fascinating story overall of a neuroanatomist who suffered a rare stroke. 

 
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Just finished Lee Iacocca's autobiography.  Picked it up at a used book sale a number of years ago and finally decided to read it.  It's uncanny the parallels between that book and the current presidency and political environment.  He has a chapter called "Making America Great Again."  He talks about how he was being floated as a presidential candidate and his appeal was talking very plainly to Americans.  There was also a part about he was an advocate for mandatory seat belts and how Americans would complain about violating their civil rights...carbon copy of the argument around quarantine and masks.  Enjoyable read. 

 
Don't Toews Me said:
Just finished "The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History" by John Barry. Good read that covered far more than the pandemic itself. Covered the revolution of medicine in this country in the late 1800s to early 1900s, key characters in exquisite detail, WWI, Woodrow Wilson, and interesting scientific explanations regarding the immune system as well as the spread of disease. Lengthy read, but the author went above and beyond in his research. I particularly enjoyed his descriptions of the various leading scientists at the time and their contributions to science prior to, during, and after the pandemic. 
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About halfway through this. Good stuff and well written. 

 
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