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The Library => Haley Center Basement => Topic started by: Townhallsavoy on December 09, 2009, 10:53:15 PM
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I just finished reading Blink and Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, and I need a new book to read.
Any recommendations?
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If it's not the law...it's historical (well researched) fiction for me. Sunne in Splendor by Sharon Kay Penman is one of my faves. You'll never see Richard III the same.
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I read Stephen King's 1500 page bloated monstrosity the other night.
That man -- and I think The Stand is the greatest work of apocalytic fiction in history -- is in dire need of an editor. Dire, I say.
1498 pages of bloviation and trite characters those who've read his books have seen before. Then two pages of asinine and utterly ridiculous wrap up.
It's a serious disappointment.
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I just finished reading the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. There are 10 books out in paperback, 1 that's out in hardback. About a wizard who lives in Chicago, and freelances as a consultant for the Chicago Police Department.
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Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged. The way it parrallels what is going on in our country today is scary. Great read.
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Green Eggs and Ham by Dr Suess is a good one. Its a short read and even an idiot can get it. I try to read it every night before going to bed. :)
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mmmm... my favorite topic!
Monster Hunters International by Larry Corriea. Apparently monsters do walk amongst us, to the point where the Feds pay bounties for those who hunt them down. EXCELLENT read for the fantasy/paranormal intrusion onto real life crowd - plus guns!! Larry is a HUGE gun nut in real life, so some of the descriptions of weaponry drag on a bit, but still, excellent.
Boone: A Biography by Robert Morgan. One of the best, most interesting bios I have read in a long time. I never knew that much about Daniel Boone other than the legends and tall tales. While the author is not out to do a hatchet job, the reality is that Boone was not a good guy in terms of caring for his family, etc. Very good read.
Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott. This is a true account of the Everleigh sisters, who ran a world famous brothel in Chicago in the early 1900s. In fact the term "To get laid (everleighed)" originated with their house of ill repute. Extremely interesting story.
When the Devil Came down to Dixie: Ben Butler in New Orleans by Chester G. Hearn Historical narrative about Major General Benjamin F. Butler's administration in New Orleans during the second year of the Civil War. Some historians have extolled the general as a great humanitarian, while others have vilified him as a brazen opportunist, agreeing with the wealthy of occupied New Orleans who labeled him "Beast" Butler. In my opinion? A greedy thieving moronic Yankee. Still, well written.
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I read Stephen King's 1500 page bloated monstrosity the other night.
That man -- and I think The Stand is the greatest work of apocalytic fiction in history -- is in dire need of an editor. Dire, I say.
1498 pages of bloviation and trite characters those who've read his books have seen before. Then two pages of asinine and utterly ridiculous wrap up.
It's a serious disappointment.
Damn! I'm 3/4 of the way through this. Are you reading the one that came out later than the first version...without all the editor's cuts in it? AKA "The unabridged version"? Because that's what I'm reading, and might be the reason why you think it needs an editor...he purposefully left the additional character and plot development to be included in the unabridged version so the reader could see what all was cut before the original version came out. I think it's a great read, however....
Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged. The way it parrallels what is going on in our country today is scary. Great read.
Another good one. It was tough for me to get through some parts, but that's only because I'm a Simpleton. I felt like I was doing homework at some points through this book, and other times it was like a window in today's society. Ageless soical commentary, if you will.
If it's not the law...it's historical (well researched) fiction for me. Sunne in Splendor by Sharon Kay Penman is one of my faves. You'll never see Richard III the same.
Sweets...the wife loved The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. It was about Mary Boleyn and King Henry VIII.
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Salvation on Sand Mountain: Snake Handling and Redemption in Southern Appalachia by Dennis Covington. A journalist of some sort out of BHM. Started writing about the snake handling churches on Sand Mountain and got all caught up in it. Kind of a wild story. Not all that well written, but still worth a read.
Hetty: The Genius and Madness of America's First Female Tycoon by Charles Slack When J. P. Morgan called a meeting of New York's financial leaders after the stock market crash of 1907, Hetty Green was the only woman in the room. The Guinness Book of World Records memorialized her as the World's Greatest Miser. She turned a comfortable inheritance into a fortune that was worth about 1.6 billion in today's dollars and was frugal to a fault. I loved this book.
The First Family: Terror, Extortion, Revenge, Murder, and the Birth of the American Mafia by Mike Dash Until I read this, I had no idea how the Mafia got so entrenched into the history of New Orleans. The Mafia families in NOLA are equivalent too, and were indeed contemporaries of, the first families in New York. This was a fascinating book.
SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance
by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner Second book by these guys and just as good as the first one.
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Kaos is referring to the new King novel - and I have not read anything he has written since the release of the unabridged cut of The Stand for the same reasons Kaos mentions. If King were a speaker, I would say he loves the sound of his own voice. His books are formulaic, nastier than they need to be in terms of describing sexual acts and gore scenes, and he has completely lost the talent he once had to create a story that will suck you in and leave you sleeping with the lights on. I am like Joey on Friends - I keep my copy of The Shining in the freezer. That book scared the living shit out of me. Nothing he has written since has freaked me out like The Shining did. And what's with the sexual perversion? Nearly all of his more recent books have involved extremely gratuitous sexual acts and language that are just not germane to the story. Y'all know I am not a prude but sometimes he sickens me.
Sweets...the wife loved The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. It was about Mary Boleyn and King Henry VIII.
Hated this. HATED. IT. She is a hack. The books masquerade as historical, but all Gregory does is take a couple of historical figures and events and throw in a bunch of sex. That is fine, sex and "romance" has it's place, but I hate seeing English history totally fucked up like that, because some people never bother to find out the real story behind it all, and go the rest of their lives believing that is the way it really happened. And it's not.
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I think The Stand is the greatest work of apocalytic fiction in history
Absolutely. I love The Stand. Usually read it again every year or so. One of te most amazing books I have ever read. The unabridged version filled inmore than a few gaps, and is worth the sheckels it costs.
I also like Alas, Babylon, which is written around a US - Soviet nuclear apocalypse, set in the 60s when that was what everyone expected to happen. People not at the blast epicenter have to basically recreate their society. Short book, but very thought provoking, and not in some sociopolitical way.
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Hated this. HATED. IT. She is a hack. The books masquerade as historical, but all Gregory does is take a couple of historical figures and events and throw in a bunch of sex. That is fine, sex and "romance" has it's place, but I hate seeing English history totally fucked up like that, because some people never bother to find out the real story behind it all, and go the rest of their lives believing that is the way it really happened. And it's not.
Well, no wonder she liked it so much.
But I do think she was aware that it was fiction, and much like movies that are "based on a true story", she knew to take it with a grain of salt.
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Well, no wonder she liked it so much.
But I do think she was aware that it was fiction, and much like movies that are "based on a true story", she knew to take it with a grain of salt.
Was not impuning your wife. But a lot of people do read this kind of stuff, considering it as gospel and thinking it is "real", and as an English history major, that makes me insane.
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Was not impuning your wife. But a lot of people do read this kind of stuff, considering it as gospel and thinking it is "real", and as an English history major, that makes me insane.
Same with the movies that are based on history and true stories... And, because I'm a Simpleton, I had to look up the word impuning. You learn something new every day!
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Kaos is referring to the new King novel - and I have not read anything he has written since the release of the unabridged cut of The Stand for the same reasons Kaos mentions.
Did you read the Dark Tower series?
Amazing storytelling. He weaves all of his most prominent characters and stories into this one epic. The final book and end of the story are incredible and you finally see (whether it was planned or he just got inspired during the DT writings) that there is a forest in which all his novels stand as trees.
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Did you read the Dark Tower series?
Amazing storytelling. He weaves all of his most prominent characters and stories into this one epic. The final book and end of the story are incredible and you finally see (whether it was planned or he just got inspired during the DT writings) that there is a forest in which all his novels stand as trees.
This is still my favorite set of books at all time. Reading through this series and recognizing variations of characters from other novels kept me just as interested as the main storyline. And the ending...the part where he says read on only at your own risk, as this book has already ended...and then you read on...best ending ever.
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1776
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1776
Great book.
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1776
Yes, very good. His Excellency, the Washington biography, is also very good.
I started the Dark Tower series, but lost interest. Maybe I will try again.
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Wench,
Thanks for the Jack Reacher suggestion. Just starting the latest book of the series. Took me about 4 months to finally catch up after starting with the 1st. Pretty entertaining for flights and traveling.
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Wow. Awesome. I've got some good ideas from this thread. Keep it going, though. I could use a reference point next month.
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Hated this. HATED. IT. She is a hack. The books masquerade as historical, but all Gregory does is take a couple of historical figures and events and throw in a bunch of sex. That is fine, sex and "romance" has it's place, but I hate seeing English history totally fucked up like that, because some people never bother to find out the real story behind it all, and go the rest of their lives believing that is the way it really happened. And it's not.
it's fun if you know what it is. I read it on a dark and rainy day in Scotland...I thought it was great. Trash for sure, but great. I didnt like any of her other books.
The movie SUCKED.
I like my historical fiction well researched and based on facts.
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stop lying.... we all know women can't read.
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Damn! I'm 3/4 of the way through this. Are you reading the one that came out later than the first version...without all the editor's cuts in it? AKA "The unabridged version"? Because that's what I'm reading, and might be the reason why you think it needs an editor...he purposefully left the additional character and plot development to be included in the unabridged version so the reader could see what all was cut before the original version came out. I think it's a great read, however....
No, no... The Stand is an awesome book. The first one WITH the cuts is better than the second version.
I was talking about him needing an editor on the encyclopedia I just finished: Under The Dome.
Really a waste of a book. King has become hackneyed.
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Did you read the Dark Tower series?
Amazing storytelling. He weaves all of his most prominent characters and stories into this one epic. The final book and end of the story are incredible and you finally see (whether it was planned or he just got inspired during the DT writings) that there is a forest in which all his novels stand as trees.
I grew tired of the Dark Tower series. It's the only thing of King's I haven't completed.
I even read that tiresome Buick book. What a load... I like the guy and he inspired me to work harder at painting a picture when I write -- something I try very hard to do. But he's become fatuous lately. As have I, I suppose.
But I still have a book in me. I now think it will involve some random killing sparked by a message board comment.
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I grew tired of the Dark Tower series. It's the only thing of King's I haven't completed.
I even read that tiresome Buick book. What a load... I like the guy and he inspired me to work harder at painting a picture when I write -- something I try very hard to do. But he's become fatuous lately. As have I, I suppose.
But I still have a book in me. I now think it will involve some random killing sparked by a message board comment.
I've never been able to read a Stephen King book. They've always felt so generic like going to see the movie 2012 or G.I. Joe. Hollywood tells you that they're a blockbuster hit, but you know deep down inside that it's nothing but frivolous CGI and a weak storyline. Although, I've never attempted The Shining, The Stand, or any of his other earlier works.
As for the book about a message board killer? Sounds like a million bucks waiting to be made.
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Although, I've never attempted The Shining, The Stand, or any of his other earlier works.
The early stuff is the best. By far.
The Stand, The Tommyknockers, The Shining, It.....all really really good, even though every single movie was a joke. The Shining was a hit because of Jack's performance...but it really didn't even come close to the book.
Just my .02
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In order by my preference: The Stand (unabridged), The Shining, and Salem's Lot. The Stand is materful. The other two - scary as shit.
It: meh. It had its moments but went on a bit too long. Kind of an interesting idea but a spider? Really? All that buildup and that's the best you can do?
Needful Things: Great premise, but lots of unnecessary and non-germane nastiness makes it a tedious read.
Everything after that... blech.
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it's fun if you know what it is. I read it on a dark and rainy day in Scotland...I thought it was great. Trash for sure, but great. I didnt like any of her other books.
The movie SUCKED.
I like my historical fiction well researched and based on facts.
Again, as long as you know better, and don't take her version of "history" as fact, then fine, good airplane book. But there are other authors who do a better job on their historical fiction. Diana Gabaldon comes IMMEDIATELY to mind - the Outlander series is AWESOME. Have you read those, Sweets? If not, RUN to the bookstore and get them ASAP.
If you like the whole narrative feel but with accurate facts, then you should try anything written by Allison Weir. her stuff is non-fiction, but reads like fiction. The Six Wives of Henry the VIII is amazing, as is her bio of Elizabeth I.
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Wench,
Thanks for the Jack Reacher suggestion. Just starting the latest book of the series. Took me about 4 months to finally catch up after starting with the 1st. Pretty entertaining for flights and traveling.
The latest book is my second favorite, after the first one. I re-read the big ending twice - it was just so fucking awesome.
I love Jack.
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I've never been able to read a Stephen King book. They've always felt so generic like going to see the movie 2012 or G.I. Joe. Hollywood tells you that they're a blockbuster hit, but you know deep down inside that it's nothing but frivolous CGI and a weak storyline. Although, I've never attempted The Shining, The Stand, or any of his other earlier works.
As for the book about a message board killer? Sounds like a million bucks waiting to be made.
I get the same thing with John Grisham books. People tell me how great they are and I read the things and think "what the fuck, this was like a third-grader scribbled something down." They're literary bubble-gum -- and not even the good gum, that nasty shit you get for a penny.
I swear I think I can write better than John Grisham.
Quick story about Salem's Lot. I was about 17 and was reading that book while also drinking copiously (is that a word?). At some point during the book, I fell asleep on the couch. The way I was laying, my arm went to sleep from the shoulder down.
I stirred on the couch, my dead arm flopped over and my hand landed on my throat. My dead, unfeeling hand. I reached up to brush it off and it fell heavily back.
I screamed like a girl and broke the coffee table leaping up off the couch and charging around the room trying to fight off whatever it was that was clearly attempting to kill me. When my arm started to tingle -- and everybody in my apartment was awake -- I felt really foolish.
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Again, as long as you know better, and don't take her version of "history" as fact, then fine, good airplane book. But there are other authors who do a better job on their historical fiction. Diana Gabaldon comes IMMEDIATELY to mind - the Outlander series is AWESOME. Have you read those, Sweets? If not, RUN to the bookstore and get them ASAP.
If you like the whole narrative feel but with accurate facts, then you should try anything written by Allison Weir. her stuff is non-fiction, but reads like fiction. The Six Wives of Henry the VIII is amazing, as is her bio of Elizabeth I.
LOVE Weir. I love Penman cause she's obsessed with the Plantagenets....and I find them fascinating.
I will be picking Gabaldon over the break. ;)Thanks!
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LOVE Weir. I love Penman cause she's obsessed with the Plantagenets....and I find them fascinating.
I will be picking Gabaldon over the break. ;)Thanks!
Guys, if you have wives that like to read, this is a GREAT Christmas present idea.
The first few books in the Outlander series take place during the last Jacobite rebellion and the aftermath of Culloden. Bonnie Prince Charlie and all that. Her research and writing are METICULOUSLY perfect with near total accuracy for names and dates and places, etc. One of the few fiction books I have read that make me feel better educated once I am finished.
Warning about Gabaldon - her shorter books are 500-600 pages... and they will suck you in and never let you go until you turn the last page. They MUST be read in order... and go ahead and spring for the oversized paperback (the regular sized paperbacks are jsut too think and the binding breaks and you lose pages before you get finished). The initial premise seems nuts, but she makes it so completely plausible, even to the point where I plan to look for some standing stones on my next trip to Aberdeen so I can find a wild Highlander man of my own like Jamie...
Jamie... **sigh**... Jack Reacher's only challenge for my heart...
There is a spin-off series of books that feature Lord John, a character that appears early in the series, and it is helpful to have read all of the Lord John books before reading the seventh Outlander book. I did not know this, and while I wasn't confused or anything, once I read the last Lord John book, a few things made MUCH more sense.
From Wiki:
There are presently seven novels in the main OUTLANDER series. The stories center around a time-travelling 20th-century English nurse (Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser) and her 18th-century Scottish husband (James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser), and are located in Scotland, France, the West Indies, England, and America. The Lord John Series is a spin-off from the Outlander books, as it centers on a secondary character from the original series, but is also part of the main series.
Outlander Series
Outlander (1991)
Dragonfly in Amber (1992)
Voyager (1994)
Drums of Autumn (1997)
The Fiery Cross (2001)
A Breath of Snow and Ashes (2005)
An Echo in the Bone (2009)
The Lord John Series
Lord John and the Private Matter
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade
Lord John and the Hand of Devils (three short novellas)
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I don't read nearly as educated books as you guys, but if you like to read more fictional fluff, some of my favorites are Randy Wayne White, John Sandford, Robert K. Tanenbaum, Micheal Connelly, and Jason Swain.
If you like SciFi/Fantasy type stuff, I'm a big Robert Jordan fan. The new Eye of the World book (#12) is out, and it's probably the best of the last 5 or so. It's a LONG series (all twelve books are extremely long) but very good. I also really like Tad Williams.
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I don't read nearly as educated books as you guys, but if you like to read more fictional fluff, some of my favorites are Randy Wayne White, John Sandford, Robert K. Tanenbaum, Micheal Connelly, and Jason Swain.
If you like SciFi/Fantasy type stuff, I'm a big Robert Jordan fan. The new Eye of the World book (#12) is out, and it's probably the best of the last 5 or so. It's a LONG series (all twelve books are extremely long) but very good. I also really like Tad Williams.
I LOVE me some John Sandford. Lucas and Virgil are awesome heros. They are manly men who take no shit off nobody. While they are no Jack Reacher, no one ever could be, so it's ok.
If you like Michael Connelly, then you would also like John Connolly - his books are about a private eye and have a slight supernatural twist to them, very slight. He confronts evil in human form, serial killers and other horrible people who are just freaking evil, you know, so evil that you just have to believe they are otherworldly because to believe that a human would just be that awful is too difficult.
I am almost embarassed to admit this, but I am reading Raymond Chandler and the Phillip Marlowe series for the first time... and LOVING IT. I am reading The Big Sleep right now, and it is so amazing. It was written in 1939, and it is so easy to see how many contemporary writers were influenced by Chandler - Robert Parker and Robert Crais come immediately to mind, especially Parker and his Spenser novels. Spenser is a thuggish Phillip Marlowe. Chandler's use of descriptive terms and metaphors is incredible - he is the master. I cannot believe I have waiting this long to read these.