Whatcha readin now? (book, books, reading, read) (8 Viewers)

[AAABatteries]

My wife has become an avid reader as of late and I wanted to get her a few books for her upcoming birthday. I know we are 98% dudes but taking a chance that you guys might have a recommendation for some books that are maybe more female friendly- not romance novels or anything. I realize most books are gender neutral but shes in a women’s book club and most of what they read appears to be more female friendly from how she has described them.

 

[Don Quixote]

My wife has become an avid reader as of late and I wanted to get her a few books for her upcoming birthday. I know we are 98% dudes but taking a chance that you guys might have a recommendation for some books that are maybe more female friendly- not romance novels or anything. I realize most books are gender neutral but shes in a women’s book club and most of what they read appears to be more female friendly from how she has described them.

I read a lot of female authors, but not really sure if “female friendly” or not.

Maybe take a look at Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six, Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry, Xochitl Gonzalez’s Olga Dies Dreaming. Hamnet or The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. Any of those sound like plot that she would be into?

 

[AAABatteries]

My wife has become an avid reader as of late and I wanted to get her a few books for her upcoming birthday. I know we are 98% dudes but taking a chance that you guys might have a recommendation for some books that are maybe more female friendly- not romance novels or anything. I realize most books are gender neutral but shes in a women’s book club and most of what they read appears to be more female friendly from how she has described them.

I read a lot of female authors, but not really sure if “female friendly” or not.

Maybe take a look at Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six, Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry, Xochitl Gonzalez’s Olga Dies Dreaming. Hamnet or The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. Any of those sound like plot that she would be into?

I'm fairly certain she read almost all of those save the last two in the last year. Really appreciate it. Will check those two out.

 

[KarmaPolice]

My wife has become an avid reader as of late and I wanted to get her a few books for her upcoming birthday. I know we are 98% dudes but taking a chance that you guys might have a recommendation for some books that are maybe more female friendly- not romance novels or anything. I realize most books are gender neutral but shes in a women’s book club and most of what they read appears to be more female friendly from how she has described them.

I don't know why, but 2 that have been on my mind and recently randomly saw them on shelves in stores were The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova and The Secret History by Donna Tarrt.

Tom Perrotta also came to mind, and I really liked his mid 00s trio of Little Children, The Leftovers, and The Abstinence Teacher. Also Margaret Atwood's The Blind Assassin and The Nix by Nathan Hill.

I could see all those in a library book club.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

My most recent reads were:

1. The final book in Stephen Graham Jones' Indian Lake series. If you like horror/suspense with a healthy dose of humor, check him out. All of his stuff is really good.

2. James Ellroy's Widespread Panic and The Enchanters. I'd never read Ellroy before, but knew who he was (he wrote LA Confidential, among a million other things). These two books star the same real-life character narrating in first-person, though it's fiction. There are tons of real-life celebrities and politicians (including the Kennedys), and very few come off very well. I'm shocked he didn't get sued. It's a wild ride.

3. Stephen King's latest short-story collection. It's hit and miss for me. He can't help but be redundant at this point, but he has some fresh spins on some of his old ideas (also some not-so-fresh spins). There is a sequel of sorts to Cujo in there.

4. Just started Erik Larsen's new one - The Demon Of Unrest - about the lead-up to Fort Sumter in 1861.

I finished Larsen's book and it was on a par with his best.

I then whipped through SA Crosby's Razorblade Tears. His books are kind of pulpy, sort of like Stephen Hunter's early work - except that Crosby can write actual characters. The stories take place in south central Virginia. Crosby's works go along at about 100 mph and they are not especially long, so not a huge commitment.

I'm now on Hampton Sides' Hellhound On His Tail about MLK's assassination. This is the first of his I've read, and his work is similar to Larsen's in style. If you like one, read the other.

 

[Don Quixote]

My wife has become an avid reader as of late and I wanted to get her a few books for her upcoming birthday. I know we are 98% dudes but taking a chance that you guys might have a recommendation for some books that are maybe more female friendly- not romance novels or anything. I realize most books are gender neutral but shes in a women’s book club and most of what they read appears to be more female friendly from how she has described them.

I read a lot of female authors, but not really sure if “female friendly” or not.

Maybe take a look at Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six, Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry, Xochitl Gonzalez’s Olga Dies Dreaming. Hamnet or The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. Any of those sound like plot that she would be into?

I'm fairly certain she read almost all of those save the last two in the last year. Really appreciate it. Will check those two out.

If she liked Daisy Jones, I’ve also read Malibu Rising by her. Not as good as Daisy Jones, but still solid.

Also could look at some Kristin Hannah novels: Great Alone, The Nightengale, or Four Winds. Content a bit heavier, but style is not.

 

[beer 30]

Finished this yesterday, A Marine Named Mitch. It's the story of Mitchell Paige and his time in service from the 1930's into WWII and his exploits on Guadalcanal that lead to him receiving the Medal of Honor. I know there are more stories from WWII than I can ever know but I had never heard this one before and I read a fair amount of WWII history. Fascinating life story of man that was just an incredible marine. If you want a reference, most know the story of John Basilone from the series the Pacific and how he won his Medal of Honor. Paige did something similar but against a lot more Japanese and for a good portion of the action, on his own. Mitchell Paige Medal of Honor achievement. I became aware of it from a recent Jocko podcast reviewing the book. A good listen but I'd still recommend the book.

Just got Red Sky Mourning by Jack Carr. Book 7 in the James Reece series (Terminal List on Amazon Prime for you non-readers). Big fan of the series and I think Carr's writing has gotten better as he's published more.

 

[Brony]

My most recent reads were:

1. The final book in Stephen Graham Jones' Indian Lake series. If you like horror/suspense with a healthy dose of humor, check him out. All of his stuff is really good.

2. James Ellroy's Widespread Panic and The Enchanters. I'd never read Ellroy before, but knew who he was (he wrote LA Confidential, among a million other things). These two books star the same real-life character narrating in first-person, though it's fiction. There are tons of real-life celebrities and politicians (including the Kennedys), and very few come off very well. I'm shocked he didn't get sued. It's a wild ride.

3. Stephen King's latest short-story collection. It's hit and miss for me. He can't help but be redundant at this point, but he has some fresh spins on some of his old ideas (also some not-so-fresh spins). There is a sequel of sorts to Cujo in there.

4. Just started Erik Larsen's new one - The Demon Of Unrest - about the lead-up to Fort Sumter in 1861.

I finished Larsen's book and it was on a par with his best.

I then whipped through SA Crosby's Razorblade Tears. His books are kind of pulpy, sort of like Stephen Hunter's early work - except that Crosby can write actual characters. The stories take place in south central Virginia. Crosby's works go along at about 100 mph and they are not especially long, so not a huge commitment.

I'm now on Hampton Sides' Hellhound On His Tail about MLK's assassination. This is the first of his I've read, and his work is similar to Larsen's in style. If you like one, read the other.

I really liked Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides - the Bataan Death March one. . I also read his book 'On Desperate Ground' - the title might lead you to think it's a Steven Seagal movie. But it's not. It was good, but not as good as Ghost Soldiers.

I'm queued up for the new Erik Larsen book from my library. On hold spot #52. Should get it by 2026.

 

[WVU Alum]

My most recent reads were:

1. The final book in Stephen Graham Jones' Indian Lake series. If you like horror/suspense with a healthy dose of humor, check him out. All of his stuff is really good.

2. James Ellroy's Widespread Panic and The Enchanters. I'd never read Ellroy before, but knew who he was (he wrote LA Confidential, among a million other things). These two books star the same real-life character narrating in first-person, though it's fiction. There are tons of real-life celebrities and politicians (including the Kennedys), and very few come off very well. I'm shocked he didn't get sued. It's a wild ride.

3. Stephen King's latest short-story collection. It's hit and miss for me. He can't help but be redundant at this point, but he has some fresh spins on some of his old ideas (also some not-so-fresh spins). There is a sequel of sorts to Cujo in there.

4. Just started Erik Larsen's new one - The Demon Of Unrest - about the lead-up to Fort Sumter in 1861.

I finished Larsen's book and it was on a par with his best.

I then whipped through SA Crosby's Razorblade Tears. His books are kind of pulpy, sort of like Stephen Hunter's early work - except that Crosby can write actual characters. The stories take place in south central Virginia. Crosby's works go along at about 100 mph and they are not especially long, so not a huge commitment.

I'm now on Hampton Sides' Hellhound On His Tail about MLK's assassination. This is the first of his I've read, and his work is similar to Larsen's in style. If you like one, read the other.

I really liked Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides - the Bataan Death March one. . I also read his book 'On Desperate Ground' - the title might lead you to think it's a Steven Seagal movie. But it's not. It was good, but not as good as Ghost Soldiers.

I'm queued up for the new Erik Larsen book from my library. On hold spot #52. Should get it by 2026.

I really liked the new Larsen book.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Big surprise - I sunk back into my usual and have been reading movie adjacent books this summer.

The Last Detail and Last Flag Flying were both decent enough. Good short reads, but I had issues with a couple things, specifically the end of Detail, and the start of LFF. When possible, I am going to try to tie in a novel with the DotM stuff we are doing.

The Last Action Heroes - Book about the main action stars of the 80s/90s. Gives a little back story about the lives and movies of Arnold, Sly, Chan, Van Damme, Segal, Lundgren, and Willis. I really enjoyed this one, and it got me watching some movies that I had never gotten to. Learning about Lundgren and his background was one of the best surprises. Chan was another I knew zip about and really haven't seen his movies outside of new stuff like Rush Hour.

Alright, Alright, Alright - I am about 60pages in, and so far I am absolutely loving it. As you can guess, it's a book about the making of Dazed and Confused and Linklater. It's mostly in interview/quote format and taps into the actors, people behind the camera, and people who when to HS with Linklater. So far some great insight from the realism of the hazing, to why there was only 1 black guy in the movie, to the nugget that Linklater wanted to show how much the 70s sucked.

I also relistened to Sapiens before tackling this list. Next is a novel for next month's DotM.

 

[Eephus]

My last two books have been very long so I'm taking a palate cleanser with a quick work of fiction. I enjoyed E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime.as a teenager so we'll see what's changed in nearly 50 years.

I finished Ragtime a while ago. It definitely didn't make the same impression that it did on teenage Eephus back in the day. Doctorow writes some beautiful prose but his recreation of the past seemed contrived.

I've moved on to Our Band Could Be Your Life, Michael Azer's book about the 80s American musical underground scene.

 

[trader jake]

My wife has become an avid reader as of late and I wanted to get her a few books for her upcoming birthday. I know we are 98% dudes but taking a chance that you guys might have a recommendation for some books that are maybe more female friendly- not romance novels or anything. I realize most books are gender neutral but shes in a women’s book club and most of what they read appears to be more female friendly from how she has described them.

I read a lot of female authors, but not really sure if “female friendly” or not.

Maybe take a look at Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six, Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry, Xochitl Gonzalez’s Olga Dies Dreaming. Hamnet or The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. Any of those sound like plot that she would be into?

I'm fairly certain she read almost all of those save the last two in the last year. Really appreciate it. Will check those two out.

This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell is also good. Reclusive star actress decides to disappear. Covers all the interconnected family members and how their paths flow before and after this event. Some others I'd recommend:

Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami - short read (under 100 pages) about a Japanese woman behind a counter and how a young boy goes to see her each day. Then his friend finds out.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - fantasy-ish novel takes place in a house setting that's infinite, with endless hallways. Not my normal cup of tea, but the world building is incredible.
The Guest by Emma Cline - struggling young woman in NY gets the boot and has to con her way with rich people around their summer homes. Leaves chaos behind her while she figures out life / get honest with herself.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab - woman makes deal with the devil, extended time for her to live but she can't retain possessions and people can't remember her. Takes place over hundreds of years. Interesting, summer page turner.

Finally, I've found author Sigrid Nunez extremely readable, yet jarringly clever and insightful. Her ability to write lines that hit home in shorter novels is incredible. Would recommend What are you Going Through or The Friend.

Would be interested in people's thoughts on any of these books above or similar-ish recommendations.

 

[Don Quixote]

My wife has become an avid reader as of late and I wanted to get her a few books for her upcoming birthday. I know we are 98% dudes but taking a chance that you guys might have a recommendation for some books that are maybe more female friendly- not romance novels or anything. I realize most books are gender neutral but shes in a women’s book club and most of what they read appears to be more female friendly from how she has described them.

I read a lot of female authors, but not really sure if “female friendly” or not.

Maybe take a look at Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six, Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry, Xochitl Gonzalez’s Olga Dies Dreaming. Hamnet or The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. Any of those sound like plot that she would be into?

I'm fairly certain she read almost all of those save the last two in the last year. Really appreciate it. Will check those two out.

This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell is also good. Reclusive star actress decides to disappear. Covers all the interconnected family members and how their paths flow before and after this event. Some others I'd recommend:

Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami - short read (under 100 pages) about a Japanese woman behind a counter and how a young boy goes to see her each day. Then his friend finds out.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - fantasy-ish novel takes place in a house setting that's infinite, with endless hallways. Not my normal cup of tea, but the world building is incredible.
The Guest by Emma Cline - struggling young woman in NY gets the boot and has to con her way with rich people around their summer homes. Leaves chaos behind her while she figures out life / get honest with herself.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab - woman makes deal with the devil, extended time for her to live but she can't retain possessions and people can't remember her. Takes place over hundreds of years. Interesting, summer page turner.

Finally, I've found author Sigrid Nunez extremely readable, yet jarringly clever and insightful. Her ability to write lines that hit home in shorter novels is incredible. Would recommend What are you Going Through or The Friend.

Would be interested in people's thoughts on any of these books above or similar-ish recommendations.

I’ve read both The Invisible Life and Piranesi. The Invisible Life is good; Piranesi is great. I’m not sure if Piranesi would be his wife’s cup of tea based on other reads mentioned, but I could be wrong.

On Emma Cline, I haven’t read that one, but read “Girls” by her and was so-so on that one (plot intriguing as loosely based on Manson cult, but execution not that good).

 

[guru_007]

Just finished Erickson's "Garden of the Moon", first book of The Malazan Books of the Fallen.

It was good - super high fantasy (tons of magic, gods demons) - but I found it a bit disorganized. It seemed like at times, Erickson wasn't sure where he was going, and at others he seemed to be in too much of a rush to get somewhere.

I've got the second one. I like the setting and the story, but I hope the structuring improves as the series progresses.

Received "Gardens of the Moon" for Christmas and finally cracked it open last week.
Really good, really disorganized, tons of characters, it's like you're just thrown into this universe and expect to know all the nomenclature and back stories on everything. Not saying I've minded because it is a pretty good read, just a bit slow going for my feeble brain. That said, I didn't realize it was the start of a 10-book series My wife did this on purpose, I know it
Should finish this book next week, will decide if I want to proceed. I do like epic stories, but even I tapped out of Wheel of Time midway through book 9. May or may not revisit.
Oh, Hi @Drifter !

 

[kupcho1]

Next up: Upton Sinclair's Dragon's Teeth, the 1943 winner.

I didn't realize one of the Lanny Budd stories won the award.

I ain't gonna lie, I was a tad worried that this book was part of a series, and the 3rd one (of 11!) at that. Fortunately, it did not rely much, if at all, on events of the previous books. It was an enjoyable read where Lanny Budd serves as Zelig-like narrator of Europe (from post 1929 crash til around 1934) chronicling the rise of Nazi Germany. Hitler appears in the book as a character (as do Goebbels, Goering and Rohm among others).

The primary narrative driver is the Nazi arrest and subsequent shakedown of one of Budd's friends (and father-in-law of his half sister) and the arrest of his son.

This is a good book and I might someday read some of the others, but for now, no more digressions (although a re-read of Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is calling) and I'm moving on to the 1944 winner Journey in the Dark by Martin Flavin. I've never heard of either the book or the author, so I can only hope it's a good one.

47 read / 52 to go (congrats to 2024 winner Jayne Anne Phillips for Night Watch).

 

[AAABatteries]

My wife has become an avid reader as of late and I wanted to get her a few books for her upcoming birthday. I know we are 98% dudes but taking a chance that you guys might have a recommendation for some books that are maybe more female friendly- not romance novels or anything. I realize most books are gender neutral but shes in a women’s book club and most of what they read appears to be more female friendly from how she has described them.

I read a lot of female authors, but not really sure if “female friendly” or not.

Maybe take a look at Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & The Six, Bonnie Garmus’s Lessons in Chemistry, Xochitl Gonzalez’s Olga Dies Dreaming. Hamnet or The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell. Any of those sound like plot that she would be into?

I'm fairly certain she read almost all of those save the last two in the last year. Really appreciate it. Will check those two out.

This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell is also good. Reclusive star actress decides to disappear. Covers all the interconnected family members and how their paths flow before and after this event. Some others I'd recommend:

Ms Ice Sandwich by Mieko Kawakami - short read (under 100 pages) about a Japanese woman behind a counter and how a young boy goes to see her each day. Then his friend finds out.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - fantasy-ish novel takes place in a house setting that's infinite, with endless hallways. Not my normal cup of tea, but the world building is incredible.
The Guest by Emma Cline - struggling young woman in NY gets the boot and has to con her way with rich people around their summer homes. Leaves chaos behind her while she figures out life / get honest with herself.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab - woman makes deal with the devil, extended time for her to live but she can't retain possessions and people can't remember her. Takes place over hundreds of years. Interesting, summer page turner.

Finally, I've found author Sigrid Nunez extremely readable, yet jarringly clever and insightful. Her ability to write lines that hit home in shorter novels is incredible. Would recommend What are you Going Through or The Friend.

Would be interested in people's thoughts on any of these books above or similar-ish recommendations.

I’ve read both The Invisible Life and Piranesi. The Invisible Life is good; Piranesi is great. I’m not sure if Piranesi would be his wife’s cup of tea based on other reads mentioned, but I could be wrong.

On Emma Cline, I haven’t read that one, but read “Girls” by her and was so-so on that one (plot intriguing as loosely based on Manson cult, but execution not that good).

Thanks for the recommendations to you and @trader jake and others.

I ended up getting one Kristin Hannah book and then one by Karin Slaughter (I ended up being able to find her book list on Amazon and this one was recommended by lady at the bookstore and was on her list so got it). Last one is The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - person at the bookstore HIGHLY recommended it and the premise sounded intriguing enough to me to get (and probably will read myself).

I will keep these others on my radar for down the road.

 

[TheBaylorKid]

Currently reading A flame in the north Lilith saintcrow, fantasy inspired by Norse mythology.

A problem I like to have, the “to read” list is currently long. Many of these come from Nebula and Hugo nominees:

The ministry of the future Kim Stanley Robinson

Ninth house Leigh bardugo

The bone shard daughter by Andrea Stewart

The book of koli m r Carey

Extinction Douglas Preston

Bookshops and bone dust prequel to legend and lattes by Travis Baldree

The will of the many by James islington

Theresa saint of bright doors by vajra chandreskera nebula winner

Null Set (book 2) s. L. Huang

These burning stars Bethany jacobs

Some desperate glory Emily tesh

 

[beer 30]

Nuclear War by Annie Jacobson

She did a brief podcast with Dan Carlin discussing this book and some other issues. Sounded good so started it yesterday. It starts with a little backstory then goes to a launch and what follows after. She interviewed all the right folks to write the book (listed at the beginning of the book). I think we all understand that nuclear war ends civilization as we know it but we've all grown up with the threat of nuclear weapons so we are accustomed to them. This book brings it home pretty quickly that the speed at which society would end is roughly 25-30 minutes. Launch at warning is the current US policy meaning that if a nuclear launch is detected, the US will launch a retaliatory strike before the missiles hit the US. This cuts down the time to establish what is happening to basically the flight time of an ICBM. Pretty good so far.

Edit - Finished it this weekend (6/9). I think we all know what happens with MAD, this details it from 2-3 seconds after first launch to final impacts and the unbelievably short period of time it takes to doom human civilization. It's impressive, depressing and makes you want to try to put nuclear weapons back in the bottle. It's incredible what a razor's edge we walk with these weapons. Good read

If you're not into reading but would rather hear the author discuss the book, she just did the Shawn Ryan podcast. Anyone that advocates a small scale nuclear exchange in Ukraine should listen to this. Everyone should listen to this anyhow but most assuredly if you think you can contain even a single nuclear launch. It's frightening but I guess the upside is it would be much like the 80's movie The Day After, all you'll see is a bright light and you'll probably be toast...literally.

 

[trader jake]

The New York Times posted their Top 100 Books of the 21st Century. Any must reads or avoids from the list?

NYT Top 100 list

 

[kupcho1]

The New York Times posted their Top 100 Books of the 21st Century. Any must reads or avoids from the list?

NYT Top 100 list

Can you post the list?

 

[AAABatteries]

Last one is The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - person at the bookstore HIGHLY recommended it and the premise sounded intriguing enough to me to get (and probably will read myself).

Wife ended up not liking this one so gave it to me. I loved the concept and it was great until the big reveal - I knew it was going to be difficult to land the story in a great way and ultimately I enjoyed the journey - which reminded me of the show Lost. The mystery and great intrigue but the ending leaves you wanting something different.

 

[simsarge]

A few audio books I recently finished :

The Talisman and Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub. I read Talisman a million years ago and never knew that there was a sequel (20 years later) A very good story, easy to see where the sequel idea came from because it's like King's IT where the main character fights off evil as a boy in the 1st part (Talisman) and has has to do it again as an adult in the 2nd (Black House).

A Dark Matter by Straub. This was a snoozer

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury. Really good story that could have been a little darker.

You Can't Make This Up by Al Michaels. Michaels has had quite a career and I liked this a lot. I never knew about the OJ Simpson connection.

Whispers Of The Gods by Peter Golenbock. Really good listen. This is interviews the author did with some well known and not so well known baseball players. This was much better than the trashy novel he wrote about Mickey Mantle in heaven.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

The New York Times posted their Top 100 Books of the 21st Century. Any must reads or avoids from the list?

NYT Top 100 list

Can you post the list?

It’s not easy to copy the way they have it in the app and on the web.

This is the list, though not in order: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/203571.NYT_The_100_Best_Books_of_the_21st_Century

 

[kupcho1]

The New York Times posted their Top 100 Books of the 21st Century. Any must reads or avoids from the list?

NYT Top 100 list

Can you post the list?

It’s not easy to copy the way they have it in the app and on the web.

This is the list, though not in order: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/203571.NYT_The_100_Best_Books_of_the_21st_Century

OK, from this list

Must reads (great books properly ranked or even * ranked too low):
2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
5. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
12. Wolf Hall, 6. Bring Up the Bodies and unranked The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel (Thomas Cromwell trilogy)
13. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
16. A Visit from the Goon Squad *
17. Atonement by Ian McEwen
18. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay *
19. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen *
30. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
38. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
45. 2666 by Roberto Bolaño
49. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
56. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
62. The Passage of Power by Robert A. Caro
75. The Human Stain by Philip Roth
81. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño

Avoids: None; everything they list that I've read was worth reading

Books I've read that I think are good, but that they've ranked way too high:
1. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
4. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
10. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
27. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
32. On Beauty by Zadie Smith

If you only have time to read 4 from this list, I'd recommend:
2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
18. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay *
19. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen *
5. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

 

[beer 30]

I've heard of a total of 1 of those books on the NY Times list.

Started reading Chaos by Tom O'Neill. "What if everything we thought we knew about the Manson murders was wrong? O'Neill spent 20 years wrestling with that question, and Chaos is his final answer. Timed to the 50th anniversary of the Manson murders, it's a sweeping indictment of the Los Angeles justice system, with cover-ups reaching all the way up to the FBI and CIA."

Rogan mentions it all the time so figured I'd finally get to it. Only a little ways in but I've always been fascinated by the whole Manson genre so looking forward to it.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

The New York Times posted their Top 100 Books of the 21st Century. Any must reads or avoids from the list?

NYT Top 100 list

Can you post the list?

It’s not easy to copy the way they have it in the app and on the web.

This is the list, though not in order: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/203571.NYT_The_100_Best_Books_of_the_21st_Century

OK, from this list

Must reads (great books properly ranked or even * ranked too low):
2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
5. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
12. Wolf Hall, 6. Bring Up the Bodies and unranked The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel (Thomas Cromwell trilogy)
13. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
16. A Visit from the Goon Squad *
17. Atonement by Ian McEwen
18. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay *
19. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen *
30. White Teeth by Zadie Smith
38. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
45. 2666 by Roberto Bolaño
49. Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
56. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth
62. The Passage of Power by Robert A. Caro
75. The Human Stain by Philip Roth
81. The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño

Avoids: None; everything they list that I've read was worth reading

Books I've read that I think are good, but that they've ranked way too high:
1. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
4. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
10. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
27. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
32. On Beauty by Zadie Smith

If you only have time to read 4 from this list, I'd recommend:
2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
18. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay *
19. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen *
5. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Station Eleven was number 93 and On Beauty was 94. The other 3 on your too high list were all very high (Undergroung RR - 7, The Road - 13, Brief Wondrous - 11)

 

[Barry2]

A Man Called Ove. it was good.

 

[kupcho1]

I just finished the 1944 Pulitzer prize winning Journey in the Dark by Martin Flavin. It was an excellent book and I highly recommend it. I've never heard of Flavin before, and once done with this exercise, I may have to seek out his other work.
From pulitzernovels

In a sensitive and full-dimensioned portrayal of American life, Martin Flavin has created a memorable character. By turns admirable, pitiable, tough, noble, weak, futile, and brilliantly effective, a lonely man going nowhere in the dark, Sam Braden mirrors thousands like him who have put their familiar stamp upon the American way of life.

It's a rags-to-riches story, but manages to avoid the cliches and delivers a heartfelt look at class, family and the evolution of America from ~ 1890 to 1942
It also helps that the main character, Sam Braden, is very interesting. Flavin has created an authentic character.

Anyway, 48 down, 51 to go
Next up, something I've heard of but never read: 1945's winner A Bell for Adano by John Hersey.

 

[mr. furley]

Next up, something I've heard of but never read: 1945's winner A Bell for Adano by John Hersey.

curious your thoughts. i read this one last year and thought it was fine. guess i expected more based on Hiroshima.


currently considering putting down Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. i try giving books a fair shot before bailing, and i rarely give up, but this one is a few more pages from going to storage. it's like a sex-obsessed, weirdo, 12 year old wrote a sci-fi novel using all the big words he could find in a dictionary.

too weird and pointless for my taste.

 

[TheBaylorKid]

Next up, something I've heard of but never read: 1945's winner A Bell for Adano by John Hersey.

curious your thoughts. i read this one last year and thought it was fine. guess i expected more based on Hiroshima.


currently considering putting down Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. i try giving books a fair shot before bailing, and i rarely give up, but this one is a few more pages from going to storage. it's like a sex-obsessed, weirdo, 12 year old wrote a sci-fi novel using all the big words he could find in a dictionary.

too weird and pointless for my taste.

I feel like Huxley, Ayn Rand, and maybe Orwell are good reads when you are young and idealistic but when you have matured your reaction is spot on. Hesitant to say that about Orwell because I have not tried to reread 1984 since high school but have attempted to reread the other 2 authors.

 

[kupcho1]

Next up, something I've heard of but never read: 1945's winner A Bell for Adano by John Hersey.

curious your thoughts. i read this one last year and thought it was fine. guess i expected more based on Hiroshima.

I just now started Bell (2 chapters in) as I was waiting for it from the library, I read Vonnegut's Player Piano (excellent, btw).
I'm not sure why Hiroshima would have raised your expectations as Adano is set in Italy.

 

[kupcho1]

Next up, something I've heard of but never read: 1945's winner A Bell for Adano by John Hersey.

curious your thoughts. i read this one last year and thought it was fine. guess i expected more based on Hiroshima.

Fine? Just fine?

A Bell for Adano (1945 winner) is, for me, the best Pulitzer prize winning novel since inception (I'd give a close 2nd to The Good Earth). It is a great story, and laugh-out-loud funny at times. Joseph Heller had to have been inspired by this book.

Maybe I'll have to check out Hiroshima at some point, if you were underwhelmed by A Bell for Adano because of it.

49 down/50 to go
Next up, 1946's Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener. I've read plenty of Michener, but haven't read this one. Looking forward to it.
(FYI, you may have noticed 1947 is missing. I've already read All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. It's also very good.)

 

[simsarge]

"My Cross To Bear" Greg Allan's autobiography. Pretty good, not great. I'm not a very big Allman Brothers fan, but I thought this sounded interesting especially since it was narrated by Will Patton who I like a lot. I thought it covered a lot of ground, but really only scratched the surface of a lot of things. Some nice inside stories of the trials and tribulations of being in a band. Especially one as long lasting and with with as many personnel changes as the ABB. Personally if I were a big fan and read this expecting the insider's biographical history of the band, you'd be disappointed. But overall I thought it was good.

 

[oso diablo]

i have a new favorite living author: Mark Helprin

Finished his marvelous short story collection "The Pacific and other stories". His writing is exquisite & lyrical, yet manly.

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Next up, something I've heard of but never read: 1945's winner A Bell for Adano by John Hersey.

curious your thoughts. i read this one last year and thought it was fine. guess i expected more based on Hiroshima.

Fine? Just fine?

A Bell for Adano (1945 winner) is, for me, the best Pulitzer prize winning novel since inception (I'd give a close 2nd to The Good Earth). It is a great story, and laugh-out-loud funny at times. Joseph Heller had to have been inspired by this book.

Maybe I'll have to check out Hiroshima at some point, if you were underwhelmed by A Bell for Adano because of it.

49 down/50 to go
Next up, 1946's Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener. I've read plenty of Michener, but haven't read this one. Looking forward to it.
(FYI, you may have noticed 1947 is missing. I've already read All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. It's also very good.)

Putting bell for Adano and Hiroshima on my list

 

[Long Ball Larry]

Just finished Nobody Move by Denis Johnson. Wasn’t familiar with him until I saw it as a recommendation in a local used book store a few weeks ago. I definitely like the style and it’s the kind of novel that I like to read as entertainment with the way the it moves and the characters that are gritty and seemingly simplistic though underneath it probably not.

Just got tree of smoke from the library, which I didn’t realize was so long, so interested to see how it goes over such a long book.

A little underwhelmed by tree of smoke. When it was good, it was really good, but it was kind of meandering and confusing at times, this may have been intentional to reflect the theme of the war, but didnt always make for the most enjoyable read.

About a third of the way through the three body problem now.

 

[kupcho1]

I just finished reading the 1948 winner Tales of the South Pacific by James Michener. Some of the stories were very good, and some were just ok. I'm embarassed to say that it took me until I got to Bali Ha'i that I realized this book was the basis for the musical/film South Pacific.


One thing I particularly liked about the book was the breadth of the stories: some WWII action, some comical, some suspenseful and some insightful. All-in-all a good range of tales.

So that's me over the halfway point: 50 down/49 to go.
Next up: 1949 winner Guard of Honor by James Gould Cozzens.

 

[kupcho1]

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I've read 4 of 5?
Whatcha got?

 

[shuke]

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I've read 4 of 5?
Whatcha got?

Is there a list?

 

[kupcho1]

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

I've read 4 of 5?
Whatcha got?

Is there a list?

Animal Farm
1984
Lolita
The Anarchist Cookbook
The Satanic Verses

ETA: the video is worth watching if only to see which countries banned these books, and why.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Nuclear War by Annie Jacobson

She did a brief podcast with Dan Carlin discussing this book and some other issues. Sounded good so started it yesterday. It starts with a little backstory then goes to a launch and what follows after. She interviewed all the right folks to write the book (listed at the beginning of the book). I think we all understand that nuclear war ends civilization as we know it but we've all grown up with the threat of nuclear weapons so we are accustomed to them. This book brings it home pretty quickly that the speed at which society would end is roughly 25-30 minutes. Launch at warning is the current US policy meaning that if a nuclear launch is detected, the US will launch a retaliatory strike before the missiles hit the US. This cuts down the time to establish what is happening to basically the flight time of an ICBM. Pretty good so far.

Edit - Finished it this weekend (6/9). I think we all know what happens with MAD, this details it from 2-3 seconds after first launch to final impacts and the unbelievably short period of time it takes to doom human civilization. It's impressive, depressing and makes you want to try to put nuclear weapons back in the bottle. It's incredible what a razor's edge we walk with these weapons. Good read

I have the audiobook version of this and just started it this weekend. I'm extremely disappointed.

The problem is the author. She really hates nuclear weapons, and it's important to her that you know how much she hates them. So she reminds the reader constantly how terribly bad nuclear weapons are. They're terribly bad. They. Are. Just. So. Very. Bad. So bad.

Did you know that the US has 1,419 thermonuclear warheads? 1,419. One thousand four hundred and nineteen warheads. Over fourteen hundred warheads. 1419 cities destroyed. 1419 warheads.

She writes like that, and she reads that text with breathless earnestness.

There's a section early in the book when she talks about how the US planning for a nuclear strike of the USSR is exactly like the Holocaust. This author is seriously bothered by the fact that our military war-games out lots of scenarios. I honestly think that she hears about a US "plan" to launch a first strike on the Soviets, and she is interpreting the word "plan" like "intention," as if we were affirmatively intending to start a nuclear war but then just changed our mind about it for some random reason. I know that sounds like I'm insulting her, but it's hard to understand what her problem is with this otherwise.

If you want to learn about how nuclear protocols work, there is good information here. But you have to pick through a lot of adolescent moralizing to get that. I would have preferred something much more straightforward without all the editorializing.

 

[Sand]

There's a section early in the book when she talks about how the US planning for a nuclear strike of the USSR is exactly like the Holocaust. This author is seriously bothered by the fact that our military war-games out lots of scenarios. I honestly think that she hears about a US "plan" to launch a first strike on the Soviets, and she is interpreting the word "plan" like "intention," as if we were affirmatively intending to start a nuclear war but then just changed our mind about it for some random reason. I know that sounds like I'm insulting her, but it's hard to understand what her problem is with this otherwise.

I mean, we've known this since that breakthrough documentary in 1983. The WOPR has been working, (fruitlessly, I might add), on nuclear war scenarios ever since.

 

[beer 30]

Nuclear War by Annie Jacobson

She did a brief podcast with Dan Carlin discussing this book and some other issues. Sounded good so started it yesterday. It starts with a little backstory then goes to a launch and what follows after. She interviewed all the right folks to write the book (listed at the beginning of the book). I think we all understand that nuclear war ends civilization as we know it but we've all grown up with the threat of nuclear weapons so we are accustomed to them. This book brings it home pretty quickly that the speed at which society would end is roughly 25-30 minutes. Launch at warning is the current US policy meaning that if a nuclear launch is detected, the US will launch a retaliatory strike before the missiles hit the US. This cuts down the time to establish what is happening to basically the flight time of an ICBM. Pretty good so far.

Edit - Finished it this weekend (6/9). I think we all know what happens with MAD, this details it from 2-3 seconds after first launch to final impacts and the unbelievably short period of time it takes to doom human civilization. It's impressive, depressing and makes you want to try to put nuclear weapons back in the bottle. It's incredible what a razor's edge we walk with these weapons. Good read

I have the audiobook version of this and just started it this weekend. I'm extremely disappointed.

The problem is the author. She really hates nuclear weapons, and it's important to her that you know how much she hates them. So she reminds the reader constantly how terribly bad nuclear weapons are. They're terribly bad. They. Are. Just. So. Very. Bad. So bad.

Did you know that the US has 1,419 thermonuclear warheads? 1,419. One thousand four hundred and nineteen warheads. Over fourteen hundred warheads. 1419 cities destroyed. 1419 warheads.

She writes like that, and she reads that text with breathless earnestness.

There's a section early in the book when she talks about how the US planning for a nuclear strike of the USSR is exactly like the Holocaust. This author is seriously bothered by the fact that our military war-games out lots of scenarios. I honestly think that she hears about a US "plan" to launch a first strike on the Soviets, and she is interpreting the word "plan" like "intention," as if we were affirmatively intending to start a nuclear war but then just changed our mind about it for some random reason. I know that sounds like I'm insulting her, but it's hard to understand what her problem is with this otherwise.

If you want to learn about how nuclear protocols work, there is good information here. But you have to pick through a lot of adolescent moralizing to get that. I would have preferred something much more straightforward without all the editorializing.

I can't imagine listening to her narrate her book. Her speaking style is somewhere between a husky jazz singer from 1932 and 4 pack a day Pall Mall smoker.

As for the critique, the book worked for me. Maybe I'm simpler than most and need it broken down like that but it was easy to digest and the message was received which, I thought, was that there is a little nuclear war. It can escalate pretty quickly, and she lays out how & why that could happen, as well as the potential secondary problems from landing a nuke on a nuclear plant. Like I said, the book worked for me, nuclear weapons are kinda bad, nothing really good happens because of them. Their upkeep & maintenance is a drain on society and the mechanism to order a launch and carry it out uses technology your kid would laugh at

 

[kupcho1]

Completed the 1949 winner Guard of Honor by James Cozzens. Wikipedia has a good description:

The novel is set during World War II, with most of the action occurring on or near a fictional Army Air Forces base in central Florida. The action occurs during a period of approximately 48 hours. The novel is chapterless in form, using three progressively longer parts entitled "Thursday", "Friday" and "Saturday". From dates on various memoranda quoted, the story takes place on September 2, 3, and 4, 1943.

I'll admit I didn't really like the book at first; it was slow going with a lot of jargon and references to Air Force manuals. Also, given it was set in WWII and involved the Air Force, I expected something quite different than what I got. It really grew on me as I progressed through it.

From neglectedbooks:

Guard of Honor is more than an account of the complex workings of a large air force base–and, by extension, of a country at war. It is two other things as well. For the reader, it is a living one’s way into the military mind. The two characters through whose eyes we most often look have both fairly recently been civilians, and with them we encounter the blundering idiocy of career officers, the well-known absurdity of army regulations. But from here (which is a point at which Catch-22 stops) we go on to understand and even to accept. Not that the military mind is right, but that there are right things about it–and more important, that there are comprehensible reasons why it is as it is.

Next up: 1950 winner The Way West by A.B. Guthrie, Jr. I'm expecting cowboys, but who knows.
51 down/48 to go; I'm cruising now!
Here's the list so far

Year	Title	Author
1918	His Family	Ernest Poole
1919	The Magnificent Ambersons	Booth Tarkington
1920	no award
1921	The Age of Innocence	Edith Wharton
1922	Alice Adams	Booth Tarkington
1923	One of Ours	Willa Cather
1924	The Able McLaughlins	Margaret Wilson
1925	So Big	Edna Ferber
1926	Arrowsmith	Sinclair Lewis (declined)
1927	Early Autumn: A Story of a Lady	Louis Bromfield
1928	The Bridge of San Luis Rey	Thornton Wilder
1929	Scarlet Sister Mary	Julia Peterkin
1930	Laughing Boy	Oliver La Farge
1931	Years of Grace	Margaret Ayer Barnes
1932	The Good Earth	Pearl S. Buck
1933	The Store	T.S. Stribling
1934	Lamb in His Bosom	Caroline Miller
1935	Now in November	Josephine Winslow Johnson
1936	Honey in the Horn	H.L. Davis
1937	Gone with the Wind	Margaret Mitchell
1938	The Late George Apley: A Novel in the Form of a Memoir	J.P. Marquand
1939	The Yearling	Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
1940	The Grapes of Wrath	John Steinbeck
1941	no award
1942	In This Our Life	Ellen Glasgow
1943	Dragon's Teeth	Upton Sinclair
1944	Journey in the Dark	Martin Flavin
1945	A Bell for Adano	John Hersey
1946	no award
1947	All the King's Men	Robert Penn Warren
1948	Tales of the South Pacific	James A. Michener
1949	Guard of Honor	James Gould Cozzens

 

[kupcho1]

I just started my Pulitzer project in earnest (pun intended, see below).

Just pulling this forward to track progress. Started Aug 23rd, 2023 and I managed to finish 48 (50 listed by I'd already read Gone with the Wind and Grapes of Wrath)
(I was done with South Pacific on Aug 24)

 

[kupcho1]

Score another one for Oregon!

Kind of. Just finished The Way West by A.B. Guthrie, Jr. the 1950 Pulitzer winner. While Honey in the Horn (1936 winner) was actually set in Oregon, this is the story of a wagon train heading from Independence, MO to settle in Oregon around the mid-1840s. Once again, I'm surprised by the fact that this is part of a series, and the 2nd book at that. Fortunately, you don't need to have read the first book to enjoy this one. In face, I didn't find this out until I'd finished the book and saw a "Big Sky novels by ..." page at the end. I have already listed these books on my "to be read" list.
Big

What did I like about it, you ask?
Well, first off, the characters are great; they are well rounded and interesting. Also, the story of how difficult it was for these people to do what they did is riveting. Here's a great description of them that appears toward the end of the book:
Crossers of plains. Grinders through the dust. Climbers of mountains. Forders of rivers. Meeters of dangers. Sailors at last of the big waters. Nation makers. Builders of the country.

So that's 52 down, 47 to go.
Next up: The Town byConrad Richter. In this case, it is quite clear that it is the 3rd book in a series (clearly listed on the back cover). Hopefully, this one will also be like The Way West and Dragon's Teeth in that you don't need to have read the other books in the series.

 

[Da Guru]

Heard an interview with this Dr on a podcast. Very interesting on modern medicine and nutrition. One chapter in and I am hooked.​

​

Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health​

https://bookshop.org/p/books/blind-...ealth-marty-makary/21293241?ean=9781639735310
Description
From Johns Hopkins medical expert Dr. Marty Makary, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Price We Pay-an eye-opening look at the medical groupthink that has led to public harm, and what you need to know about your health.

More Americans have peanut allergies today than at any point in history. Why? In 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a strict recommendation that parents avoid giving their children peanut products until they're three years old. Getting the science perfectly backward, triggering intolerance with lack of early exposure, the US now leads the world in peanut allergies-and this misinformation is still rearing its head today.

How could the experts have gotten it so wrong? Dr. Marty Makary asks, Could it be that many modern-day health crises have been caused by the hubris of the medical establishment? Experts said for decades that opioids were not addictive, igniting the opioid crisis. They refused menopausal women hormone replacement therapy, causing unnecessary suffering. They demonized natural fat in foods, driving Americans to processed carbohydrates as obesity rates soared. They told citizens that there are no downsides to antibiotics and prescribed them liberally, causing a drug-resistant bacteria crisis.

When modern medicine issues recommendations based on good scientific studies, it shines. Conversely, when modern medicine is interpreted through the harsh lens of opinion and edict, it can mold beliefs that harm patients and stunt research for decades. In Blind Spots, Dr. Makary explores the latest research on critical topics ranging from the microbiome to childbirth to nutrition and longevity and more, revealing the biggest blind spots of modern medicine and tackling the most urgent yet unsung issues in our $4.5 trillion health care ecosystem. The path to medical mishaps can be absurd, entertaining, and jaw-dropping-but the truth is essential to our health.

 

[TheBaylorKid]

Currently reading the Mercy of gods (the captives war) by James SA Corey. These guys are the author of The Expanse series.

About 90 pages left, set on an earth like planet and those human’s first contact with an alien race. Easy read, so far haven’t been able to guess what is going to happen next which I appreciate. If you liked the Expanse you’ll like this based on what I’ve read so far.

 

[Eephus]

It's been a while since I finished Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From the American Music Underground 1981-1991 by Michael Azzerad. As you can probably guess from its lengthy title, it's the stories of fourteen 80s Indie bands. Each band got their own chapter and I found my interest fluctuating depending on my familiarity with the band. I did learn a lot about the Indie labels (e.g. SST, Touch and Go, SubPop) that helped to launch the bands' careers. There were definitely similarities in a lot of the stories except for Butthole Surfers who were one of a kind.

I've moved on to The Sand Pebbles, the only novel written by Richard McKenna after a 22 year stint in the US Navy. I've seen the movie with Steve McQueen so I'm familiar with the story but it's always interesting to see how the characters differ. The book was a best seller and prize winner when published in 1962 but McKenna died at age 51 before he could write another book.

 

[kupcho1]

I just this hour finished The Town, the 1951 Pulitzer prize winner by Conrad Richter. It is the 3rd book in The Awakening Land trilogy ( the first two being The Trees and The Fields; title creativity clearly not Richter's strong suit). It completes the story of the evolution of the Ohio Valley settlement from the pioneer days to a town with industry focusing mainly on Sayward Wheeler.

Her changing feelings are symbolized by her attitude toward the trees of the dense forest her family found as pioneers. The original settlers cut them down in a wide area, first for homesteads and then to cultivate more crops and land. Later, additional land is cleared as the town of Americus develops. In the beginning, Sayward has an almost personal animosity toward the trees, because of the backbreaking labor they required as settlers struggled to clear the land for homes and farms. Toward the end of the trilogy, Sayward is mourning the loss of the huge old trees

As I was looking on line for insight into the book after I'd read it, I was surprised to see that it was a 1978 miniseries starring (among others) Elizabeth Montgomery, Hal Holbrook, Jane Seymour and William H. Macy. It originally aired on NBC in three installments from February 19 to February 21, 1978 and ran 420 minutes. I have absolutely no recollection whatsoever about this series.

Anyway, 52 down, 46 to go.
Next up: The Caine Mutiny: A Novel of World War II by Herman Wouk. Now this one I've heard of before.