Read A Good Book Lately?

[Snake45]

Non-fiction: Jon Krakaur's "Into Thin Air."

Jon does a superb job of telling an a amazing story and sorting out the complexities in a clear and understandable way. Last year's movie "Everest" is based on the same story, but a movie simply can't help the viewer keep track of what's happening to each player in the story or relate the significance of their actions.

Fabulous book! I've read it at least three times and will probably read it again at some point. 

There was a TV movie made of it back at the time. But it wasn't nearly as good as the full-hour report on one of the network shows like 20/20 or Primetimelive (I think it was the former). THAT show did a really good job of telling that story. 

[Crazy Ed]

     Animal Farm by Geroge Orwell - for the .........time

     Unfair Advantage by Mark Donohue, also a tad dog eared

[Lunajammer]

Fabulous book! I've read it at least three times and will probably read it again at some point. 

There was a TV movie made of it back at the time. But it wasn't nearly as good as the full-hour report on one of the network shows like 20/20 or Primetimelive (I think it was the former). THAT show did a really good job of telling that story. 

I think I've seen them all, including the 20/20, TV Movie, PBS Frontline, IMAX "Everest," last year's drama "Everest" and the 60-Minutes report on Beck Weathers. The documentaries all feature the only film and video from climber/filmmaker David Breashears who was nearby and caught the rescue... But I digress.

[ChrisBcritter]

Any James Ellroy fans here? Being a fan of L.A. noir, I got into his books after reading My Dark Places, his autobiography/investigation into his mother's 1958 murder, after I discovered that the events happened near where I lived - in fact, I'd driven past the scene of the crime in El Monte many times. Then I found out my boss's mother had worked with Ellroy's mother at Packard Bell in the mid-'50s, so I really got into reading all his works (just wish I'd read the L.A. trilogy in the correct order).

After I ran out of Ellroy books (now I'm waiting for the sequel to Perfidia) I dug around for books I'd seen as movies to see what their full stories were like; thoroughly enjoyed The Caine Mutiny and Thomas Berger's Little Big Man and The Return of Little Big Man.

Now for a change of pace, I'm going through the collected short stories of Mark Twain.

[Snake45]

I think I've seen them all, including the 20/20, TV Movie, PBS Frontline, IMAX "Everest," last year's drama "Everest" and the 60-Minutes report on Beck Weathers. The documentaries all feature the only film and video from climber/filmmaker David Breashears who was nearby and caught the rescue... But I digress.

Funny thing is, I have ZERO interest in mountain climbing--doing it, watching it, reading about it, anything to do with it. But this is such a compelling story, told so well.

[Rob Hall]

Any James Ellroy fans here? Being a fan of L.A. noir, I got into his books after reading My Dark Places, his autobiography/investigation into his mother's 1958 murder, after I discovered that the events happened near where I lived - in fact, I'd driven past the scene of the crime in El Monte many times. Then I found out my boss's mother had worked with Ellroy's mother at Packard Bell in the mid-'50s, so I really got into reading all his works (just wish I'd read the L.A. trilogy in the correct order).

After I ran out of Ellroy books (now I'm waiting for the sequel to Perfidia) I dug around for books I'd seen as movies to see what their full stories were like; thoroughly enjoyed The Caine Mutiny and Thomas Berger's Little Big Man and The Return of Little Big Man.

Now for a change of pace, I'm going through the collected short stories of Mark Twain.

I like Ellroy.  I've read most of books.   Crime fiction is one of my favorite genres, I've read most books by Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, James Patterson, John Sanford, Daniel Baldacci and others.  Also been into Nordic crime fiction the last few years. 

Edited April 20, 2016 by Rob Hall

[Harry P.]

"Nordic crime fiction?"

Is that a thing?

[SfanGoch]

"Nordic crime fiction?"

Is that a thing?

Yup. Think Cornell Woolrich written in Swedish. 

[Rob Hall]

Yup. Think Cornell Woolrich written in Swedish. 

 

Steig Larsson, Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo to name a few I've read.  I started reading them with Larsson's Millenium Trilogy ('Girl with The Dragon Tattoo' books and movies) and Mankell's Wallander books (two great TV series based on them).  I also like Swedish and Danish crime TV series.  

[Snake45]

Any fellow Stephen Hunter fans here?

[Ace-Garageguy]

Just finished Ray Kurzweil's "How to Create a Mind" and Ayn Rand's "Romantic Manifesto". Before that "The Blind Man of Seville" by Robert Wilson, and "The Nuremberg Raid" by Martin Middlebrook. Wading through Kendra Cherry's "Essentials of Psychology". It's a drag because it's written apparently as an entry-level textbook, aimed at an audience with little to no basic scientific knowledge. I find myself thinking "well...duh" quite a lot.

[Harry P.]

Man, you guys are so literate.

I think the last time I read a novel was because I had to... back in high school.

Not that I am "anti" reading. Not at all. I just don't have the time.

[SfanGoch]

I think the last time I read a novel was because I had to... back in high school.

 

Aside from noir and old pulp crime novels, I'm not into fiction. I do like reading the works of Theodore Dressler and Stephen Crane, though. Two books you'd probably enjoy reading are "The Pale Blonde of Sands Street" by William Chapman White and "The Amboy Dukes" by Irving Shulman. "The Amboy Dukes" was considered required reading (not by H.S. English departments, though ) by every teenaged boy in NYC for years. Richard "Ramfins59" could attest to that. FYI, Ted Nugent named his band after the title of this book.

 

Edited April 21, 2016 by SfanGoch

[Ace-Garageguy]

 

Not that I am "anti" reading. Not at all. I just don't have the time.

I read in bed at night to help relax, mostly fiction or history, and I usually read during the times I take on weekends to sit outside in the sun to keep from looking like something that crawled out from under a rock, mostly non-fiction or technical.  

[Snake45]

     Animal Farm by Geroge Orwell - for the .........time

     

Somehow I managed to dodge that bullet in school, and only got around to reading it three or four years ago. I'll bet they don't even ALLOW that one in school anymore, much less assign it.

There are certain politicians--I ain't namin' names--that I can't see or hear without thinking, "Everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others." Yikes.

[Tom Geiger]

Man, you guys are so literate.

I think the last time I read a novel was because I had to... back in high school.

Not that I am "anti" reading. Not at all. I just don't have the time.

I would always find a good book to take with me on vacation with the goal of reading it cover to cover that week.

Now I don't have time for vacations!   Haven't taken one since 2009

[Lunajammer]

Wading through Kendra Cherry's "Essentials of Psychology". It's a drag because it's written apparently as an entry-level textbook, aimed at an audience with little to no basic scientific knowledge. I find myself thinking "well...duh" quite a lot.

...And how do you feel about that?  

[1972coronet]

Up-Tight : The Velvet Underground Story  Victor Bokris / Gerard Melanga , 1983

The White Album Joan Didion , c.1975

The Family Ed Sanders , 1971

Helter Skelter Vincent Bugliosi / Curt Gentry , 1974

[Crazy Ed]

Somehow I managed to dodge that bullet in school, and only got around to reading it three or four years ago. I'll bet they don't even ALLOW that one in school anymore, much less assign it.

There are certain politicians--I ain't namin' names--that I can't see or hear without thinking, "Everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others." Yikes.

  I'll tip toe past the Verbotten Political Comment and just leave it with There are 7 Laws and they are "Unalterable"..................

[Danny Lectro]

I'm currently reading "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman: Adventures of a Curious Character," by Richard P. Feynman.  Richard Feynman was a physicist and physics professor, who was involved in the development of the Unites States' atomic bomb during World War II.  I had seen some of Feynman's lectures and interviews on YouTube, and in addition to being a brilliant physicist, he seemed to be quite an interesting character.  The book is a memoir of the opportunities he took to broaden his experiences both within the scientific community and in life in general.  The book is presented as a series of anecdotes in a rather stream-of-consciousness style, but has been an interesting and fun read so far.

Prior to that, I tore through the currently available volumes of "The Expanse," by James S.S. Corey.  This is a science-fiction series in the space opera style, with a cast of interesting characters, involving high-level conspiracies and remnants of ancient alien technology.  The television series based on the novels has been good so far, but there are some pretty fundamental differences from the novels, particularly with some of the characters being cast much younger than their novel counterparts.

I really enjoyed "The Martian," by Andy Weir.  This is a near-future hard-science-fiction novel about a member of the first manned expedition to Mars getting left behind when his team-mates believe he was killed in an accident, and his efforts to survive long enough to be rescued.

[Mike 1017]

I just finished The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

My favorite authors:

Lee Child             Jack Reacher Novels

Vince Flynn           Mitch Rapp Novels

Philippa Gregory   Fictionalized History/ Tudor reign

Daniel Silva           Spy Novels

John Grisham       Lawyer stories

 

[charlie8575]

Somehow I managed to dodge that bullet in school, and only got around to reading it three or four years ago. I'll bet they don't even ALLOW that one in school anymore, much less assign it.

There are certain politicians--I ain't namin' names--that I can't see or hear without thinking, "Everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others." Yikes.

Some schools in Massachusetts still assign it.

If I ever open the high school I designed as part of my M.Ed., it will be required reading.

Charlie Larkin

[charlie8575]

Any James Ellroy fans here? Being a fan of L.A. noir, I got into his books after reading My Dark Places, his autobiography/investigation into his mother's 1958 murder, after I discovered that the events happened near where I lived - in fact, I'd driven past the scene of the crime in El Monte many times. Then I found out my boss's mother had worked with Ellroy's mother at Packard Bell in the mid-'50s, so I really got into reading all his works (just wish I'd read the L.A. trilogy in the correct order).

After I ran out of Ellroy books (now I'm waiting for the sequel to Perfidia) I dug around for books I'd seen as movies to see what their full stories were like; thoroughly enjoyed The Caine Mutiny and Thomas Berger's Little Big Man and The Return of Little Big Man.

Now for a change of pace, I'm going through the collected short stories of Mark Twain.

I think I've heard this guy mumbled about a few times.

L.A. Noir? Sounds very interesting. I always liked Chandler, so I'll probably enjoy this.

Charlie Larkin

[landman]

Lee Child -Jack Reacher Series

J.A. Nance - Joanna Brady series

Patricia Cornwell - Scarpetta series

Kathy Reichs - Temperance Brennan series

Currently reading the Outlander series.

[1972coronet]

 

 

L.A. Noir? Sounds very interesting. I always liked Chandler, so I'll probably enjoy this.

 

I just watched Murder , My Sweet (1944) this past weekend . I love me some Noir , especially the classic L.A. Noir ( Bunker Hill ! ).