What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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Murder Must Advertise, by Dorothy L. Sayers.

Wimsey takes a job incognito as a copywriter at an advertising agency to investigate a suspicious death, and finds much more to investigate.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by heartwood »

I just finished Think of a Number by John Verdun from 2010. It's another first book in a series by an author I was unfamiliar with. I came upon it after seeing his latest book on the best seller lists with good reviews.

The protagonist is Dave Gurney, a retired NYPD detective able to make sense of incongruous details surrounding a murder. Verdun sets out various crime scene circumstances that seem to defy logic. He then proceeds to eventually come up with plausible answers.

I enjoyed it enough that I'm onto Book 2, Shut Your Eyes Tight, from 2011.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by gatorking »

The Premonition by Michael Lewis
The back of the book has a quote: "I would read an 800-page history of the stapler if he wrote it." I concur.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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Facing the Mountain, by Daniel James Brown.

This is an outstanding history of the internment of Japanese Americans and the bravery of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. With their parents in concentration camps the sons volunteered to fight for their country. Recommended.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by bertilak »

Rereading A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. It was published posthumously (in 1981 by a dozen years or so) and won a posthumous Pulitzer Prize.

A unique experience. The protagonist, Ignatius J. Reilly, is an unlikeable, obnoxious, well educated fat slob. He is also very interesting, in a fun-to-watch and listen to kind of way. All the minor characters are also vivid and unique. New Orleans comes alive.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by MP173 »

Heartwood:

John Verdon's Dave Gurney series is excellent. "Think of a Number" was very good...I have read 3 now and am pacing them. Could bing read them.

Here is a similar author - Brian Thiem has 3 books out - Matt Sinclair series. Thiem is a retired Oakland, Ca policeman. Sinclair is a brilliant detective, but with "issues". Similar to Bosch series of Michael Connelly.

Yet another good series is Steve Hamilton's Alex McKnight. McKnight is a former Detroit cop on disability living in the U.P. of Michigan. His books are set in winter, not only does McKnight face human issues, but also the elements.

I am also reading Paul Dorian's series - Mike Bowditch is a Game Warden in Maine...again, lots of nature's elements. Game Wardens (at least in the series) carry added responsibilities as law enforcement officers due to the vast land/minimal law enforcement in Northern Maine. His first book is "The Poacher's Son.".

I agree about Michael Lewis...800 page book on the history of staplers would be on my list. Cannot wait to read his latest.

Meanwhile recently:
Steve Hamilton's - "The Hunting Wind"...Alex McKnight series.
Brian Thiem - "Shallow Grave"
John Sandford - "Ocean Prey"- Davenport and Virgil Flowers investigate the killing of Coast Guard personnel in a drug deal. Sandford's best in quite some time (IMHO).
Sal DiStefano - "The Resistance Training Revolution" - an intro book to weight training - body weight, resistance bands, dumbbells, and barbells plus nutrition. Not a deep or heavy look at the science of resistance training, but helpful. I have been mixing resistance with cardio for 9 months with excellent results. Author takes a stance against mixing the two...it has worked for me.
Jonathan Kellerman - "Serpentine" Yet another excellent in his long running Milo and Alex series....about 100 pages in.

Ed
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by nisiprius »

Radio Girls, by Sarah Jane Stratford. Novel set in the early days of the BBC. Very good.

The Premonition: A Pandemic Story, by Michael Lewis. Just started.

Rereading All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr.

And, as my current Spanish-learning exercise, Diario de Greg #7: Buscando Plan, by Jeff Kinney, which is the English translation of Diary of a Wimpy Kid #7: The Third Wheel. The Spanish title means Greg's Diary #7: Searching for a Plan.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by mancich »

In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides. Outstanding book about the 1879 Artic expedition to the North Pole.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by chipperd »

"What the Dog Saw" by Malcom Gladwell. A collection of his essays that he wrote for the New Yorker. Nice, summery type read.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by SGM »

Donna Leon mysteries all of which occur in or near Venice. There are at least 30 of her novels translated into many languages but not Italian. She is quite critical of Italian government, police and society. She writes through the eyes of Com. Brunetti.

I am re-reading Agatha Christie short stories about Hercule Poirot.

When my copy of Noise by Daniel Kahneman arrives I will be reading it.

I am planning on getting to a large second hand bookstore soon to try some other mystery writers.

i began reading mysteries when I was no longer able to go to art and sculpture classes or to the gym due to closure in our state.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ruralavalon »

mancich wrote: Sat May 22, 2021 4:19 am In the Kingdom of Ice: The Grand and Terrible Polar Voyage of the USS Jeannette by Hampton Sides. Outstanding book about the 1879 Artic expedition to the North Pole.
This is an outstanding book. I double down on the recommendation.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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SGM wrote: Sat May 22, 2021 10:31 am Donna Leon mysteries all of which occur in or near Venice. There are at least 30 of her novels translated into many languages but not Italian. She is quite critical of Italian government, police and society. She writes through the eyes of Com. Brunetti.

I am re-reading Agatha Christie short stories about Hercule Poirot.

When my copy of Noise by Daniel Kahneman arrives I will be reading it.

I am planning on getting to a large second hand bookstore soon to try some other mystery writers.

i began reading mysteries when I was no longer able to go to art and sculpture classes or to the gym due to closure in our state.
I've really enjoyed the Donna Leon Venice mysteries.
I read a bunch of them shortly before our visit to Venice about 5 years ago. (First time i'd been back after a visit in 1977, so I remembered very little.)

The hardcover copies (at least the recent ones?) have maps drawn just inside the front cover, with key locations (police station, homes, hospital, where events take place, etc., marked. That *really* helped me to form a mental map of Venice before going. I like maps anyway (a lot!), but by referring back to the map very frequently as I was reading, to remember/locate just where something happened, etc., it really helped with some imprinting in my brain.
And that really helped me when we wandered around, even when with a guide one day.
Otherwise, Venice, charming as it is, is a bit of a maze for newcomers. And of course that IS part of the charm :happy

When I read a few of her mysteries electronically, I felt it wasn't nearly as good without the appropriately marked map, at least not for me.
[But then, I really do not like e-books more generally. I want the literal page turners...]

I had not realized that her books are not translated into Italian!
Very interesting!

At least our Opera lessons were able to switch to Zoom, which has worked far better than we would have expected. Thank goodness for that!

RM
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by roamingzebra »

SGM wrote: Sat May 22, 2021 10:31 am Donna Leon mysteries all of which occur in or near Venice. There are at least 30 of her novels translated into many languages but not Italian. She is quite critical of Italian government, police and society. She writes through the eyes of Com. Brunetti.
I recently finished the last of the Donna Leon mysteries. I'm surprised, but not really, that they haven't been translated into Italian. I understand more of the political satire now then when I first started reading the series. The world has changed, which makes the books even more relatable.

Though the main charm of the books is just learning about life in such a unique micro-environment, like the phenomenon of Aqua Alta ("high water"), the surge of the Adriatic that periodically floods Venice and everyone walks around like it's nothing while the water is up to their knees.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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"The Motorcycle Diaries" by Che Guevara and "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand.

I'm not a radical but I think it's important to try to understand such philosophies as they've influenced many people around the world
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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Welcome! You are welcome to list the books you are reading, but please do not discuss content which is outside our Forum Policies. Specifically, politics and political actions (of any country) or social / economic status.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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jeding wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 8:39 am "The Motorcycle Diaries" by Che Guevara and "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand.

I'm not a radical but I think it's important to try to understand such philosophies as they've influenced many people around the world
Welcome to the forum :)
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Northster »

Just finished 'Project Hail Mary', by Andy Weir. If you liked 'The Martian' or like science-based science fiction I would recommend it. Even my wife, who is not a great SciFi fan, is enjoying it.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Fallible »

MP173 wrote: Fri May 21, 2021 4:43 pm ...
I agree about Michael Lewis...800 page book on the history of staplers would be on my list. Cannot wait to read his latest. ...
Also would read a book on staplers by Michael Lewis because it likely would be not just about a little gadget, but about the folks involved in its invention.

I did read Preomonition and also recommend it.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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ruralavalon wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 10:29 am
jeding wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 8:39 am "The Motorcycle Diaries" by Che Guevara and "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand.

I'm not a radical but I think it's important to try to understand such philosophies as they've influenced many people around the world
Welcome to the forum :)
Yes. Welcome to forum. You brought back good memories. Read Atlas Shrugged 50 years ago. Interesting fiction with even more interesting backstory of author. You should read a biography. Read The Motorcycle Diaries 30 years ago. Fascinating true story of young wealthy Argentinian medical student traveling by motorcycle through western South America and being shocked by great wealth inequality and political impoverishment of indigenous peoples. Not to be political but I understood Che’s politics after reading. Good luck.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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Northster wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 10:55 am Just finished 'Project Hail Mary', by Andy Weir. If you liked 'The Martian' or like science-based science fiction I would recommend it. Even my wife, who is not a great SciFi fan, is enjoying it.
I'm reading it now. The book is discussed here: Good Modern Science Fiction - look around Page 11.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jpelder »

I'm just about finished with Ken Follet's new Kingsbridge prequel, The Evening and the Morning. I'll say it's not as good as Pillars of the Earth or World Without End, but I'm liking it better than A Column of Fire. Then, I'll probably jump back into the Dune series (I left off after God Emperor).
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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Unsettled, by Stephen E. Koonin.

"What climate science tells us, what it doesn’t, and why it matters”, recommend.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by protagonist »

I'm re-reading Sirens of Titan by Vonnegut since first reading it around 1969 or so.
So far it is as good as I remember it.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by MP173 »

Just finished "Built to Lose" by Jake Fischer an inside look at the "tanking" experience in the NBA in order to secure higher odds in drafting an exceptional basketball player.

The book follows primarily the Philadelphia 76ers from 2013 thru 2017...the GM Sam Hinkie. Also the book examines, but in less detail the Boston Celtics (one year tanking), Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, and LA Lakers (last of the Kobe Bryant run).

I am not an NBA fan at this time, part of which is due to the "tanking" and the "empire building" by the stars. Plus the season is too long and very taxing on players. However, the behind the scenes movements of scouting, analysis of talent, drafting, and development is quite interesting to me.

Not a bad book to read if you enjoy basketball or more specifically the roster building.

Ed
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by heartwood »

I've read a lot of David Baldacci over the years. He's a good story teller with different protagonists in a number of different series.

I just finished his two (Aloysious) Archer books: One Good Deed and a Gambling Man. Both are set in post-WWII, late 40s America and feature an ETO veteran, just out of prison in the first, and becoming a private eye in the 2nd. He fleshes out the stories with much smoking, drinking and some non-PC language. He does a good job serving up what life might have been like after the war while delivering good plots.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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Two in progress. "Under the Harrow" by Flynn Berry and "Evil Geniuses" by Kurt Andersen.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Artful Dodger »

SGM wrote: Sat May 22, 2021 10:31 am Donna Leon mysteries all of which occur in or near Venice. There are at least 30 of her novels translated into many languages but not Italian. She is quite critical of Italian government, police and society. She writes through the eyes of Com. Brunetti.

I am re-reading Agatha Christie short stories about Hercule Poirot.

When my copy of Noise by Daniel Kahneman arrives I will be reading it.

I am planning on getting to a large second hand bookstore soon to try some other mystery writers.

i began reading mysteries when I was no longer able to go to art and sculpture classes or to the gym due to closure in our state.
Those Venice mysteries look intriguing. I’ll have to check one out from the library.

I’m half way through an Audible collection of Agatha Christie stories, Midwinter Murder. From the same sale at Audible I picked up The Mysterious Affair at Styles & The ABC Murders.

I’m working my way through Kahnemann’s Thinking Fast and Slow
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by nisiprius »

I just finished The Sentinel: A Jack Reacher Novel, supposedly by "Lee Child and Andrew Child." It is awful beyond belief. If you told me it was fanfiction I would say "ok, hmmm... not bad, it has its moments." It reads a little bit as self-parody, in that clearly Andrew Child was working from a list of rules--like the ones Chuck Jones wrote for the Roadrunner, "The Roadrunner must stay on the road," "All materials, tools, etc. must be obtained from the Acme corporation."

One moment, a companion buys Reacher a cell phone and establishes clearly that Reacher is unfamiliar with them:
"I got you the oldest-fashioned kind they had. It was the last one left. It doesn’t even go online. It can make calls, and it can text. That’s all. I’ll set it up for you. I’ll keep it charged. And when this is all over, if you don’t want it anymore, give it back. I’m sure there’s a museum somewhere that would take it."
And then a few chapters later, Reacher takes a phone from the pocket of a guy he has just knocked out, holds the fingerprint sensor against the unconscious guy's thumb, and goes scrolling around through the messages and the address book.

In the previous novels, Jack Reacher is laconic. "Reacher said nothing" is almost a catchphrase. In this book he's a chatterbox:
“Take a moment to think,” Reacher said. “Have you ever seen an X-ray of a knee? It’s not the bones you need to worry about. They heal up easily. It’s all the other parts you need to keep in mind. Ligaments. Tendons. Cartilage. But mainly ligaments. If they get damaged, not too severely, and you’re a famous sports player with limitless money and immediate access to a hospital, there’s a chance of a decent repair. Only you’re not a top sports guy. I’m guessing you don’t have limitless money. And I can assure you that if my foot crashes down on your knee with all my weight behind it, the damage is going to be way beyond severe. That’s for damn sure.”
He has caught the trick of breaking up long sentences into very short ones, but not Reacher's "voice."

I wonder if I'm eventually going to get desperate enough to read the next one. I'm mildly surprised there is a next one.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jginseattle »

nisiprius wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 6:23 am I just finished The Sentinel: A Jack Reacher Novel, supposedly by "Lee Child and Andrew Child." It is awful beyond belief. If you told me it was fanfiction I would say "ok, hmmm... not bad, it has its moments." It reads a little bit as self-parody, in that clearly Andrew Child was working from a list of rules--like the ones Chuck Jones wrote for the Roadrunner, "The Roadrunner must stay on the road," "All materials, tools, etc. must be obtained from the Acme corporation."

One moment, a companion buys Reacher a cell phone and establishes clearly that Reacher is unfamiliar with them:
"I got you the oldest-fashioned kind they had. It was the last one left. It doesn’t even go online. It can make calls, and it can text. That’s all. I’ll set it up for you. I’ll keep it charged. And when this is all over, if you don’t want it anymore, give it back. I’m sure there’s a museum somewhere that would take it."
And then a few chapters later, Reacher takes a phone from the pocket of a guy he has just knocked out, holds the fingerprint sensor against the unconscious guy's thumb, and goes scrolling around through the messages and the address book.

In the previous novels, Jack Reacher is laconic. "Reacher said nothing" is almost a catchphrase. In this book he's a chatterbox:
“Take a moment to think,” Reacher said. “Have you ever seen an X-ray of a knee? It’s not the bones you need to worry about. They heal up easily. It’s all the other parts you need to keep in mind. Ligaments. Tendons. Cartilage. But mainly ligaments. If they get damaged, not too severely, and you’re a famous sports player with limitless money and immediate access to a hospital, there’s a chance of a decent repair. Only you’re not a top sports guy. I’m guessing you don’t have limitless money. And I can assure you that if my foot crashes down on your knee with all my weight behind it, the damage is going to be way beyond severe. That’s for damn sure.”
He has caught the trick of breaking up long sentences into very short ones, but not Reacher's "voice."

I wonder if I'm eventually going to get desperate enough to read the next one. I'm mildly surprised there is a next one.
I was wondering about the co-authored new one as I'm of fan of the series. I think I'll skip it.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jginseattle »

The Book of the Dead, by Partricia Cornwell. I've never read anything by her before. Not bad.

But frankly, many of these crime thrillers read like screenplays.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by gatorking »

Finished first five chapters of "Noise: A Flaw in Huma Judgement" by Kahneman, Sibony and Sunstein.
I found it to be quite repetitive.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by nisiprius »

I just finished The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis, and it's great. Everyone should read it. But... I realize now that there is something that bothers me about Lewis, which is that he is a (great) storyteller, and all of the books of his that I've read has too-clearly-delineated heroes who are, basically, always right. He just overdoes it a bit.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by OpenMinded1 »

Just finished The Spymaster of Bagdad by Margaret Coker, the former Bagdad Bureau Chief for the New York Times. It's described on the cover as "A true story of bravery, Family, and Patriotism in the battle against Isis." Even though it's a true story, it reads like an adventure novel. It really held my attention.

It's primarily about a small Iraqi intelligence unit that evolved into a crucial player in efforts to stop terrorism in Iraq. One member voluntarily went undercover in an ISIS terrorist cell to help thwart terrorist bombings in Bagdad. It also delves into aspects of Iraqi culture; for example arranged marriages, the importance of a family's reputation, family hierarchy, and religion. It's well worth reading.
Last edited by OpenMinded1 on Fri May 28, 2021 9:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by gamboolman »

Re-reading Chickenhawk by Robert Mason

Chickenhawk is Robert Mason's narrative of his experiences as a "Huey" UH-1 Iroquois helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. The book chronicles his enlistment, flight training, deployment to and experiences in Vietnam, and his experiences after returning from the war.

Do recommend
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by OpenMinded1 »

protagonist wrote: Wed May 26, 2021 8:17 pm I'm re-reading Sirens of Titan by Vonnegut since first reading it around 1969 or so.
So far it is as good as I remember it.
Yep that's a great one by one of my favorite authors.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by roamingzebra »

nisiprius wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 6:23 am In the previous novels, Jack Reacher is laconic. "Reacher said nothing" is almost a catchphrase. In this book he's a chatterbox.
Having recently watched Netflix's "The Crown", I can't help but compare Reacher's habit of saying nothing to The Queen's preference for doing nothing, when action can make things worse. Normal folks have a tremendous urge to speak/act in the face of pressure. The absence of action or words is a kind of psychological tension that adds to a plot.

That said, I read "The Sentinel" with low expectations so it wasn't too bad.

I just finished Kate Quinn's "The Rose Code" about the community who comprised the Enigma project during WWII. It focuses on three female workers, one of who was an actual code-breaker. Another was a debutante-type who dated Prince Philip before he became engaged to Princess Elizabeth. Funny how a lot of Royal Family things are coming together at the same time -- in the news, in TV series and in books.

The book was a little long and a bit too "female-oriented" for my taste, but it does give a real sense of life in the Enigma code-breaking community and the pressures they were working under. As well as the exhilaration of breaking a code after endless failures.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by THANKS »

nisiprius wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 7:01 pm I just finished The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis, and it's great. Everyone should read it. But... I realize now that there is something that bothers me about Lewis, which is that he is a (great) storyteller, and all of the books of his that I've read has too-clearly-delineated heroes who are, basically, always right. He just overdoes it a bit.
My critique as well. It was about halfway through the book I realized I needed to be careful interpreting everything as 100% factual without editorialization.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Fallible »

THANKS wrote: Sat May 29, 2021 5:32 pmmigh
THANKS wrote: Sat May 29, 2021 5:32 pm
nisiprius wrote: Fri May 28, 2021 7:01 pm I just finished The Premonition: A Pandemic Story by Michael Lewis, and it's great. Everyone should read it. But... I realize now that there is something that bothers me about Lewis, which is that he is a (great) storyteller, and all of the books of his that I've read has too-clearly-delineated heroes who are, basically, always right. He just overdoes it a bit.
My critique as well. It was about halfway through the book I realized I needed to be careful interpreting everything as 100% factual without editorialization.
I posted earlier here that I thought “Premonition” was important for the issues it raises about how we prepare for pandemics, how we prepared (and didn’t) for this one, and how and whether we can prepare with any certainty for the next. To add here, I thought Lewis’s usual protagonist approach from the outside worked well in this book, but didn’t carry over enough to the inside, to the CDC and its current and former employees who would’ve seen firsthand what was happening even decades ago and might have been willing to talk to Lewis about it. In the end, it felt as if too much of the CDC story didn't get told here.
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FreeAtLast
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by FreeAtLast »

"A Fire In The Wilderness", by John Reeves (Pegasus Books Ltd. 2021)

"The Wilderness" was the first battle in US Grant's Overland Campaign and his first battle against RE Lee and the Army Of Northern Virginia. It kicked off about six weeks of horrendous combat with maneuvering through Spotsylvania Court House, the North Anna River, and Cold Harbor until its culmination in the seemingly endless and enervating (for both sides) Siege of Petersburg. While in most of the battles of the Eastern Theater each side could mostly view its opponents - even at Chancellorsville - the topography of The Wilderness presented a different proposition. To quote from the book: "an exceedingly broken table land...densely covered with dense timber and undergrowth....with few roads and paths that penetrate it." The result of this battle location was a series of wild ambushes occurring in almost impenetrable, scraggly brush where soldiers were often shot down without ever seeing their assailants. If you survived your wounding, but were left behind unable to move in no mans' land, you had a fair chance of burning to death in the multiple conflagrations started by the combination of hot gun wadding and dry leaves and twigs.

Reeves does a solid job, quoting from many primary sources who were mostly active participants in the battle. He covers all of the key struggles within the battle and profiles the most important combat leaders on both sides. I liked how he extensively compared the wounding and eventual deaths of an unknown Union private (William Reeves) and a famous millionaire Union general (James Wadsworth). He also covers in detail the excruciatingly painful journeys of wounded Union soldiers from the Wilderness to sanitary hospitals in Washington DC. For both neophyte or experienced Civil War readers, this history is a worthwhile read.

Personal Note: I visited the Wilderness battlefield a few years ago. To the west of Saunders Field, they have preserved a large loop trail where one can view the surviving trenches created by the Rebel and Union soldiers. The trees in this area look much healthier than those of 1864. However, the battle danger remains the same. In many places, your useful range of vision is no more than 25 yards. They could hide an entire company of ambushers lying close to the ground and a reconnaissance force would not detect them until they were fired upon. When I realized that, I felt hard shivers travel up my spine and felt the ghosts of the departed surrounding me.
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ruralavalon
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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All the Devils Are Here, by Louise Penny.

Gamache visits Paris with his family, and quickly becomes entangled in murder mysteries and corporate skullduggery.
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Nicolas
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by Nicolas »

The Nazi Dictatorship: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation (Fourth edition) by Ian Kershaw.

How do you explain the rise of Hitler and The Third Reich in a modern 1st world nation — a nation of high culture? And how were that government’s domestic and foreign policies formulated and carried out? What was Hitler’s role in the Holocaust? I’m only partway through but the author here attempts to answer these and other questions in a very scholarly and well-researched book. This fourth edition has several major rewrites due to the latest historical research.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

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American Colossus, by H. W. Brand.

Subtitled: "The triumph of capitslism, 1865-1900." This is an interesting history of the U.S. focused on the tension between economic freedom and political freedom, capital vs labor, in the second half of the 19th century.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by nisiprius »

I wanted to read something by Mario Vargas Llosa--in English translation. About a couple of years I made the mistake of reading his book, The Feast of the Goat, which is a novel telling a how-truthful-how-fictional-I-don't-know account of the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, of the Dominican Republic. It was so bleak, so dark, such a downer that I felt depressed for days afterwards.

I actually repressed it. Recently I said "I've never read anything by Vargas Llosa, I really ought to," bought Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, and as I was loading it onto my Kindle discovered that I already had The Feast of the Goat.

Anyway, I'm reading Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriters and it looks much more cheerful. I think it's a comedy.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by jdb »

Now re-reading one of my three all time favorite novels, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Already re-read the other two, War and Peace and The Odyssey. The novel is over 1200 pages in my book. Best way to read it is very slowly, enjoying the wit and writing of Victor Hugo. Probably will take me to end of summer. But will enjoy. Good luck.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by heartwood »

The President's Daughter by Bill Clinton and James Paterson.

I enjoyed the previous novel The President is Missing. In fact I thought it was one of the better thrillers of that year (2018).

Now they're back. It's a different president and a different type of story. The first, as I remember was more a political Washington novel. This one is different than that, its more Seal team, terrorist plot, at least in the first quarter of the book, as far as I've gotten.

I don't read much/any James Paterson in recent years. Bill must be writing much of these novels. Well done so far. It keeps switching 1st person narratives chapter to chapter; annoying. Still a good read so far.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by ruralavalon »

1620, by Peter W.Wood.

The subtitle is: "A Critical Response to The 1619 Project ". The book outlines some of the factual innaccuracies, misrepresentations, misinterpretations and hyperbole of the 1619 Project.

I had hoped it would be more focused on discussion of historical fact and evidence rather than on political analysis of the motives of the 1619 Project authors and promoters. Not recommended.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by MDfan »

For golf fans, I highly recommend reading Tom Coyne's books. His first one, Paper Tiger, chronicles his year-long quest to improve his golf game enough to get to, and through, the PGA's Qualifying School. Basically, he devoted one full year of his life to improving his golf game and his fitness to a professional level (he was already a very good golfer). I know as a golfer, I have always wondered how good I could get if I had access to great instruction and could dedicate my life fully to golf for a year. This is exactly what Coyne did, but at a higher level (I think he started as about a 4 or 5 handicap).

His next book is A Course Called Ireland where he traveled around Ireland (on foot) and played all of the great Irish courses. The book chronicles his golf adventures and his interactions with the locals. For his 3rd book. A Course Called Scotland, he did the same thing (not on foot) in Scotland.

His latest book, which I am about to read now, is A Course Called America (in which I assume he describes his adventures playing America's great golf courses).

For any fans of golf, these books are fantastic reads. I believe Coyne is an English professor so he is a very good writer.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by sandburg »

Tomorrow I'll start "The Day of Battle" by Rick Atkinson. It's volume 2 of the Liberation Trilogy.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by pezblanco »

nisiprius wrote: Mon Jun 07, 2021 7:00 pm I wanted to read something by Mario Vargas Llosa--in English translation. About a couple of years I made the mistake of reading his book, The Feast of the Goat, which is a novel telling a how-truthful-how-fictional-I-don't-know account of the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, of the Dominican Republic. It was so bleak, so dark, such a downer that I felt depressed for days afterwards.

I actually repressed it. Recently I said "I've never read anything by Vargas Llosa, I really ought to," bought Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter, and as I was loading it onto my Kindle discovered that I already had The Feast of the Goat.

Anyway, I'm reading Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriters and it looks much more cheerful. I think it's a comedy.
I read La Fiesta del Chivo in Spanish. I thought it was a masterpiece. The events related about the Trujillo dictatorship are all quite accurate. It's an astonishing story. It's a shame you didn't care for it. La Ciudad y Los Perros is considered to be his greatest early masterpiece along with Conversación en La Catedral (which I haven't read). I read Tiempos Recios when it came out (basically it describes the disastrous history of Guatamela) and thought it very good. Lituma en Los Andes describes what was going on in the mountains of Peru during the war against the Sendero Luminoso. It's another astonishing book given the author's ability to paint such a feeling of dread of impending doom over the characters.

Vargas Llosa is not one to read for light comedy and feeling good, I suppose.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Post by pezblanco »

ruralavalon wrote: Thu Jun 10, 2021 9:17 am 1620, by Peter W.Wood.

The subtitle is: "A Critical Response to The 1619 Project ". The book outlines some of the factual innaccuracies, misrepresentations, misinterpretations and hyperbole of the 1619 Project.

I had hoped it would be more focused on discussion of historical fact and evidence rather than on political analysis of the motives of the 1619 Project authors and promoters. Not recommended.
I agree with your assessment. It's too bad since the 1619 Project is something that needs a clearly written, stick to the history, refutation.
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