What are you reading?

[77devil]

Highly recommend Red Notice by William Browder. Reads like a spy thriller only its true. I'm currently reading A Cruel and Shocking Act by Phillip Shenon about the JFK assassination and the Warren Commission. There's some interesting evidence thus far that Oswald had links to Cuba, and good documentation of how quickly evidence disappeared as the vested interests in the government e.g. FBI, CIA, and the Commission itself hid elements of the truth to protect their reputations.

[duke4ever19]

Reading 'In Search of Lost Time' by Marcel Proust. It's in seven volumes and I'm currently on the second. It's simply the greatest work I've ever read.

[Duke79UNLV77]

Reading 'In Search of Lost Time' by Marcel Proust. It's in seven volumes and I'm currently on the second. It's simply the greatest work I've ever read.

I love "Remembrance of Things Past." That's a big task to read all seven volumes. More power to you!

[rasputin]

I just finished 67 shots : Kent State and the end of American Innocence by Howard Means. Very interesting and informative, brought new insight to events that happened when I was not quite 13.

[MartyClark]

The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson. It's a fictional account of life in North Korea. Clever, tragic, and funny.

[Jim3k]

Trading off between Siddhartha Mukherjee's The Gene, and Deborah Lipstadt's History on Trial. The first is science for ordinary folks. It is well written and engaging. Mukherjee is an excellent writer and presents the history of both biological science and genetics extremely well. Might call it Genetics for Idiots, but better written than any Idiot book. The second is Professor Lipstadt's account of the libel trial brought against her in the British courts by David Irving, whom she had accused of being a Holocaust Denier. The trial proved he was much worse than that. This work will become a film in September called Denial, starring Rachel Weisz. Lipstadt is an engaging writer who, consistent with her training as a historian, puts this thing together in a blend of personal and historical history. It's very well done. I'm almost through. I put down The Gene to read Lipstadt, but I'm not sure I made the right choice, both are so good. The Lipstadt is a much faster read.

Oddly, there is a crossover found here that I did not anticipate. Mukherjee discusses at length the pseudo-scientific efforts of the early 20th century to use heredity to create a stronger human through breeding--i.e., eugenics. He completely destroys the concept. Lipstadt, of course, had to deal with the Nazi version of eugenics, but does so only tangentially since she is writing about a libel suit. The Holocaust, which included not only pretense and fake science, was barbaric on a monstrous scale and Mukherjee is well aware of it.

[Cormac]

I finished Power of the Dog, which I can't recommend enough. I'm starting A Storm of Swords and hooooo boy is this long, even by Martin's standards. I've read that this is the best of the series. Any board opinions on that? I've tried to avoid spoilers, which is getting increasingly difficult, but I believe this is the book with the infamous Red Wedding?

[luburch]

I finished Power of the Dog, which I can't recommend enough. I'm starting A Storm of Swords and hooooo boy is this long, even by Martin's standards. I've read that this is the best of the series. Any board opinions on that? I've tried to avoid spoilers, which is getting increasingly difficult, but I believe this is the book with the infamous Red Wedding?

I'm currently on A Dance with Dragons (Book 5) and a Storm of Swords is by far the best of the series. Book 1 (A Game of Thrones) is a step down from book 3 (SoS) and books 2 (Clash of Kings) and 4 (Feast for Crows) are a step down from book 1. I'm still early in book 5, but so far it has been solid.

[El_Diablo]

I finished Power of the Dog, which I can't recommend enough. I'm starting A Storm of Swords and hooooo boy is this long, even by Martin's standards. I've read that this is the best of the series. Any board opinions on that? I've tried to avoid spoilers, which is getting increasingly difficult, but I believe this is the book with the infamous Red Wedding?

A Storm of Swords is my favorite. Enjoy!

[Devilwin]

Bitter Blood, by Jerry Bledsoe. Murder and family intrigue right here in NC. True story, I recall it when it went down.

[Cormac]

I'm currently on A Dance with Dragons (Book 5) and a Storm of Swords is by far the best of the series. Book 1 (A Game of Thrones) is a step down from book 3 (SoS) and books 2 (Clash of Kings) and 4 (Feast for Crows) are a step down from book 1. I'm still early in book 5, but so far it has been solid.

A Storm of Swords is my favorite. Enjoy!

Thanks! I'm only about 100 pages deep, but its been good so far.

[killerleft]

Mr. Nicholson may be known to some of you. He has sold over 500,000 books, and should probably write How to Sell EBooks for Dummies. Kindle has apparently been very kind to him. I bought his first published work, The Red Church, maybe 20 years ago after meeting him at a bookstore in Boone, NC.

If you like Stephen King or Dean Koontz, Scott will ably fill in while you're waiting for their next bestsellers. His After series, seven short novels long, is a neat telling of what will happen after the solar storm apocalypse turns most of us into Zapheads. I've pasted a link to the 'about Scott' section of his webpage, where he describes himself as an organic gardener who has successfully eluded stalkers.

The Red Church is a fine introduction to his work, and everything he's done is affordable.

http://www.authorscottnicholson.com/about-scott/

[aimo]

Bitter Blood, by Jerry Bledsoe. Murder and family intrigue right here in NC. True story, I recall it when it went down.

Now read Before He Wakes, took place in Durham. I remember both events and knew a couple of people mentioned in Before He Wakes.

BTW, I just now finished reading The Girl on the Train. Saw trailers during the Olympics and knew I needed to get it done. Totally messed up, a la Gone Girl. Definitely makes you think twice about drinking!

[Billy Dat]

Just finished Chuck Klosterman's latest, "But What if We're Wrong?" and I really enjoyed it. Disclaimer - I have read and enjoyed almost all of Klosterman's non-fiction books and essay collections. He's in his early-mid 40s and gained fame as a pop culture critic. In this book, he argues that most things that people believe during the time that they are alive are eventually proven to be false, so why not try to guess at which things we firmly believe now will be proven wrong in the next several hundred years. He tackles the big topics, the structure of the universe, the accuracy of recorded history, virtual reality, etc. but, remember, he's a pop culture critic and essayist so you are not getting the Neil Degrasse Tyson level of rigor, although NDT does make an appearance in the book.

[brevity]

Finished Harry Potter and the Cursed Child last night. Quick read. Extremely different than anything else in the series and it was cheesy to boot. But it was new HP and I'll gladly welcome anything that is HP.

I've read this and kind of want to discuss it, in its own (spoiler) thread. Usually I resist starting new threads, but if there's interest, I will.

[77devil]

Just finished Chuck Klosterman's latest, "But What if We're Wrong?" and I really enjoyed it. Disclaimer - I have read and enjoyed almost all of Klosterman's non-fiction books and essay collections. He's in his early-mid 40s and gained fame as a pop culture critic. In this book, he argues that most things that people believe during the time that they are alive are eventually proven to be false, so why not try to guess at which things we firmly believe now will be proven wrong in the next several hundred years. He tackles the big topics, the structure of the universe, the accuracy of recorded history, virtual reality, etc. but, remember, he's a pop culture critic and essayist so you are not getting the Neil Degrasse Tyson level of rigor, although NDT does make an appearance in the book.

I get nervous when a pop culture critic tackles the structure of the universe. Interestingly, a lot of the reviewers on Amazon love the author but not the book. Not sure I'll take the plunge.

[luburch]

I've read this and kind of want to discuss it, in its own (spoiler) thread. Usually I resist starting new threads, but if there's interest, I will.

Based on the other HP threads we've had, I feel it's safe to say there would be an audience for it. Couple in the release of Cursed Child with the announcement of the three new e-books and there's certainly enough substance.

[Jarhead]

My most recent reading has included my struggled reading of John Feinstein’s “The Legends Club” covering the careers of Coach K, Jimmy V and that Smith fellow from Chapel Hill. It sure packed in a lot of stuff, but it was slow reading, and that’s all I can say about. I read it because a friend had loaned it to me, and he got it back immediately. He didn’t seem to want it back, though.

After that I picked up an old paperback copy of Baldacci’s “The Collectors,” I believe the second of his Camel Club series. Fiction, of course, but a lot more fun. I read it in pretty short order. Just as I was completing it last Saturday, my persistent friend (he’s another Jarhead, of course) handed me a newer novel, “If I Forget You” by Thomas Christopher Greene, published this year. What a surprise.

My first reaction was that it was a romance novel. In many ways it was, but it didn’t really seem like a romance novel. It’s something I can’t explain. You’ll just have to read it to understand my problem. You’ll figure it out. The writing style of this novel’s author will bring you on board very soon after you start. Then you’ll understand. Mrs. Jarhead read in very short order, and agrees.

[Devilwin]

My most recent reading has included my struggled reading of John Feinstein’s “The Legends Club” covering the careers of Coach K, Jimmy V and that Smith fellow from Chapel Hill. It sure packed in a lot of stuff, but it was slow reading, and that’s all I can say about. I read it because a friend had loaned it to me, and he got it back immediately. He didn’t seem to want it back, though.

After that I picked up an old paperback copy of Baldacci’s “The Collectors,” I believe the second of his Camel Club series. Fiction, of course, but a lot more fun. I read it in pretty short order. Just as I was completing it last Saturday, my persistent friend (he’s another Jarhead, of course) handed me a newer novel, “If I Forget You” by Thomas Christopher Greene, published this year. What a surprise.

My first reaction was that it was a romance novel. In many ways it was, but it didn’t really seem like a romance novel. It’s something I can’t explain. You’ll just have to read it to understand my problem. You’ll figure it out. The writing style of this novel’s author will bring you on board very soon after you start. Then you’ll understand. Mrs. Jarhead read in very short order, and agrees.

Semper Fi, Brother!

[SoCalDukeFan]

Recently read "The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball's Lost Triumph." Found it well written and fascinating. I could not put it down. (Also, as a former history major, loved the 50+ pages of notes and the full index.)

Lots of insight into the history of Durham, Duke, Central, race relations, the time during WW II and the history of basketball. Cannot recommend it highly enough.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Just finished The Secret Game and recommend it highly

SoCal