Home › Forums › Open Discussion › What are you reading?
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
August 3, 2013 at 9:42 pm #608526
elikapekaParticipantShare what you’re reading – it’s a good way to find a new book you might not have thought to pick up.
Much as I would like to start with a lofty, intellectual tome, I have to admit that most of the time I read for fun. My current fun summer read is “The Supremes at Earl’s All You Can Eat.” It’s the story of three women in middle age who have been friends for years, and includes their friends and family, along with some entertaining visitors from beyond. Every week they meet at Earl’s to catch up and gossip. It’s funny and touching. More geared toward female readers, though it’s actually written by a man. Highly recommend it!
August 3, 2013 at 9:55 pm #795414
tom kelleyParticipantI’m re-reading, “A Peace To End All Peace” by David Fromkin, available at B&N Westwood Village. It tells the story of how the Ottoman Empire was dismembered in WWI resulting in the Middle East of today. The book serves as an excellent foundation for understanding why the Middle East is as it is.
August 3, 2013 at 10:10 pm #795415
sbreParticipantI just finished “Marine, the life of Chesty Puller, the only Marine in history to win 5 Navy Crosses”.
Tells of his coming of age and enlistment in the Marine Corps serving through 5 wars and becoming the greatest Marine to ever don the Eagle, Globe and Anchor.
A sad ending in my opinion.
I just started “Life”, Keith Richards (lead guitarist of the Rolling Stones) auto-biography.
A truly fascinating read with lots of name-dropping and tid-bits of who did what to whom and how many of the songs and sounds came about.
Both are highly recommended.
August 3, 2013 at 10:13 pm #795416
SmittyParticipantAugust 3, 2013 at 11:04 pm #795417
Parentof2ParticipantFinished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown to prep me for Inferno. I haven’t begun that one, but picked up Rabid at Costco which is a history of the rabies virus and how people would think creatures turned into zombies and werewolves.
August 4, 2013 at 3:46 am #795418
CaitParticipant“Let’s Explore Diabetes With Owls”, the new book of essays by David Sedaris. Always a good choice!
August 4, 2013 at 4:36 am #795419
JanSParticipantBetrayal of Trust by JJ Jance…#20 in the JP Beaumont series….
August 4, 2013 at 5:53 am #795420
SonomaParticipantelikapeka, I just finished “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat,” and I loved it, too! Wonderful characters, heartfelt (as in not sappy) sentiment, and some genuine laugh-out-loud moments.
A few of the books I’ve loved in the past year or so:
–Bright and Distant Shores, by Dominic Smith
–Several books by Rose Tremain, probably my favorite author
–Audio versions (from the library) of The Meaning of Night and its sequel, The Glass of Time
–Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn
–Several of the Tess Monaghan mysteries by Laura Lippmann (who is married to David Simon of The Wire fame)
Remember, audio is a great way to enjoy a book – you can listen while taking a walk, cleaning the house, gardening, etc.!
August 4, 2013 at 5:58 am #795421
SonomaParticipantOops – one more author I admire: Mary Doria Russell. Her books range from sci-fi (even for people who don’t normally like sci-fi) like The Sparrow to historical fiction like Doc (as in Doc Holliday) and Dreamers of the Day, about the founding of the modern, messed-up Middle East. In the latter, a darling dachshund figures rather prominently in the plot – as does Winston Churchill and other notables!
August 4, 2013 at 12:49 pm #795422
EdSaneParticipantCurrently reading Tao Lin’s Taipei http://www.vice.com/read/an-excerpt-from-tao-lins-taipei
Just finished Haruki Murakami’s ‘After Dark’
August 4, 2013 at 2:16 pm #795423
JoBParticipantAugust 4, 2013 at 2:40 pm #795424
miwsParticipantAugust 4, 2013 at 3:27 pm #795425
BonnieParticipantFall to your knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
August 4, 2013 at 6:20 pm #795426
savoirfaireParticipantOh, fun – thanks for starting this thread, elikapeka!
I just finished A Young Man’s Guide to Late Capitalism by Peter Mountford (currently a Seattle resident, I think). Such an interesting novel – an unexpectedly moving story about the intersection of politics, economics, and human frailty.
And I’m in the middle of The Undertaking: Life Stories from the Dismal Trade, a memoir (I guess? or maybe more like interconnected autobiographical essays) by poet and funeral director Thomas Lynch. Beautifully written.
I’ve often noticed that books I’m reading which have nothing to do with each other will share an unexpected link; this time, I discovered after starting Lynch’s book that Mountford’s next novel is going to be called The Dismal Trade.
August 4, 2013 at 6:56 pm #795427
acemotelParticipantgreat thread! I just finished two wonderful books:
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – about the 1936 UW rowing eight-man shell that went to the Olympics. Brilliantly written, and full of edge-of-seat moments, and of course, all taking place in Seattle and
a random book I picked up, which turned out to be delicious and sensitive: After Visiting Friends by Michael Hainey – a man’s search for his father’s cause of death. It’s a soft and gentle tale, told lovingly – I believe this is the only book I’ve ever read that made me shed a tear.
Also just finished Mrs. Kennedy and Me, a memoir by Clint Hill, one of her secret service agents. He’s the one who climbed up on the back of the convertible in Dallas. It was entertaining and interesting and written with much respect and affection.
August 4, 2013 at 7:38 pm #795428
valvashonParticipantJust finished “Democracy Matters” by Cornel West. Chapter 5 is skippable but the rest is a very good, informative read.
Just started “The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power” by Tariq Ali. Only one chapter in but it is an amazingly informative book, one that details the problem that Pakistan was to begin with, and why it probably won’t ever be fixed. So naturally, there are disastrous results for any other country that becomes intertwined with Pakistan.
I find life to be somewhat short for fiction. Perhaps I’ll change my mind when I get older.
August 5, 2013 at 7:01 pm #795429
LeroniusmonkfishMemberI’m currently reading the West Seattle Blog.
August 5, 2013 at 7:13 pm #795430
GrazieParticipant“To Say Nothing Of The Dog,” by Connie Willis. Kind of a cheat, since I’ve read it so many times, and this time I was listening to it via audiobook (had a ton of work to get done). One of the funniest, most engaging stories I’ve ever recommended; every one who reads it comes and raves back about it.
August 7, 2013 at 11:06 pm #795431
JimmyGMemberJust finished “The Light Between the Ocean” by ML Stedman. Set in Australia just after WWI, the story of a lighthouse man and his wife living on a remote island tending the light. It’s an easy and engaging read, recommended.
Now reading “Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar..” Subtitled “Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes”. Another pretty easy read that makes me guffaw a bit at the jokes they use to illustrate the different schools of philosophy.
August 8, 2013 at 8:10 am #795432
FreeRangeAuthorParticipantI just read Philip K. Dick’s “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” that is the source for the Total Recall movies – neither movie has the great twist ending of the story. Movie productions tend to butcher Dick’s great material. If you’ve seen both Recall movies, do read the story, it’s very different – it would have made a great Outer Limits episode. 1 hour would have been about right, if they followed the story closely. 30 min would have been too short.
Find the story in one of these sources … http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?18834
August 8, 2013 at 2:36 pm #795433
seaopgalParticipant“‘Do you ever wonder about the nature of the world, Mister Fitz?’ asked the foremost of the two riders, raising the three-barred visor of his helmet so that his words might more clearly cross the several feet of space that separated him from his companion, who rode not quite at his side.
“‘I take it much as it presents itself, for good or ill, Sir Hereward,’ replied Mister Fitz. He had no need to raise a visor, for he wore a tall lacquered hat rather than a helmet. It had once been taller and had come to a peak, before encountering something sharp in the last battle but two the pair had found themselves engaged in.
“This did not particularly bother Mister Fitz, for he was not human. He was a wooden puppet given the semblance of life by an ancient sorcery. By dint of propinquity, over many centuries a considerable essence of humanity had been absorbed into his fine-grained body, but attention to his own appearance or indeed vanity of any sort was still not part of his persona.
“Sir Hereward, for the other part, had a good measure of vanity and in fact the raising of the three-barred visor of his helmet almost certainly had more to do with an approaching apple seller of comely appearance than it did with a desire for clear communication to Mister Fitz….” — Sir Hereward and Mr. Fitz: Three Adventures, by Garth Nix
Splendid, engaging, much too short.
August 8, 2013 at 10:44 pm #795434
TanDLParticipantZealot
August 15, 2013 at 5:45 pm #795435
FionaEnzoParticipantJust finished “Walden on Wheels.”. Made my daily Metro rides bearable – miss it. Funny, smart and provocative in terms of asking how many of us get lulled into goals of safety, comfort and consumerism — and lose our way (souls?). He lives – in a van eventually – to pay off his student debt and to avoid future debt which he equates with loss of personal freedom. I also learned that Thoreau, touting the virtues of self-sufficiency and cloister, lived in his cabin only one mile from town and his mom continued to wash his laundry during his Walden years.
August 15, 2013 at 8:03 pm #795436
anonymeParticipantJust finished “The Cuckoo’s Calling” by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling). Quite an enjoyable read, unlike “The Casual Vacancy”. I hope Rowling continues this detective series. I was a huge Harry Potter fan, and her detective novel is a bit like HP for adults.
As I’ve gotten older, young adult fiction has become more appealing. My fave YA author is Maggie Stiefvater. Part two of her latest trilogy is due out next month. “The Raven Boys” was part one, “The Dream Thieves” will be next. Stiefvater has the amazing ability to take a fantasy-based story line and make it completely real. “The Raven Boys” audiobooks are narrated by Will Patton – not my favorite actor, but his reading is incredible.
August 15, 2013 at 9:00 pm #795437
annaeileenParticipantGreat thread!
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain was wonderful! It captures a remarkable period of time and a love affair between Ernest Hemingway and his wife Hadley.
I also finished book 9 and 10 in the Sookie Stackhouse True Blood series – quick and fun reads.
Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child was great.
I have no idea where I got this book but currently reading Papillon by Henri Charrière. It’s a memoir describing his escape from a penal colony in French Guiana. Half way in it’s an interesting read.
I need to get the new David Sedaris.
Love all of the suggested reading!
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.