What are you reading?

[Cormac]

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/08/b...ew-novels.html

Finally, after 16 years! Preorders are available. I already ordered the box set.

[75Crazie]

I've been trying to read Elizabeth George's latest in the Lynley series, Something To Hide. It is maybe the most uncomfortable book I've ever read, but not because of her writing, which is typically brilliant. The subject matter of the book is FGM, and she goes into usual Georgian detail in describing the surgical "procedures", the "tools" that the operators use, and of course the ongoing impacts of the operations on the victims. Maybe the most hideous aspect, at least as represented in the book, is that the whole process seems to be run by and maintained by women. If you're like me and want to continue following the Lynley saga, just be forewarned that this one takes quite some fortitude to get through.

[dudog84]

I was going to wait until I finished (90% through), but in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I want to tell you about The Lyrics (in two volumes) by Paul McCartney. The Liverpudlian has deep Irish roots.

He'll be 80 in three months, this is probably his autobiography. He makes the good point that reviewing where he was in his life when writing the songs is much the same as opening up a photo album and the pictures bringing back memories of that time. It's composed of conversations with Paul Muldoon over the course of 5 years, so there is some repetition. It's alphabetical, not chronological, which is an interesting twist but does not distract from the story. Also, not every McCartney song is covered but don't be disappointed by that.

860 pages (!, plus another 20 of intro), but lots of pictures and such. Very enjoyable, a must-read for any Beatles fan.

[jimmymax]

Just read Anna Wiener's memoir Uncanny Valley about a woman's journey through a decade in the venture capital startup world of Silicon Valley. She masks the names of the companies and individuals she's involved with, though some are obvious. And there are online guides to demystify any you might me unsure of. She writes well. Highly recommended.

[dudog84]

Just finished "Watching Darkness Fall: FDR, His Ambssadors, and the rise of Adolph Hitler" by David McKean. It about the U.S. ambassadors to England, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia in the 30's. A bit dry after reading the European and Pacific war trilogies by Atkinson and Toll in the past 2 years, but interesting if you feel you've read just about every angle on WWII in Europe. And you like the backchannel stuff.

[bundabergdevil]

Mentioned this in the UKraine thread but will do so here, too. Reading The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations by Daniel Yergin. If you're not familiar w/ Yergin, he's considered one of the foremost energy historians, among other things.

If you're looking to understand the current geopolitical mess in Ukraine through the very important energy lens, the first part of this book is a great resource to do so.

https://www.danielyergin.com/books/thenewmap

[tommy]

Mentioned this in the UKraine thread but will do so here, too. Reading The New Map: Energy, Climate and the Clash of Nations by Daniel Yergin. If you're not familiar w/ Yergin, he's considered one of the foremost energy historians, among other things.

If you're looking to understand the current geopolitical mess in Ukraine through the very important energy lens, the first part of this book is a great resource to do so.

https://www.danielyergin.com/books/thenewmap

I'm reading the same book based on that recommendation. I'm in the middle of it. I agree that the explanations of the geopolitical implications of oil and natural gas are very interesting and informative. As are the interplay between the energy situation and other events going on historically. The only thing I don't love about this book is the author's really giving (at least so far) very short shrift to the environmental issues at play. When discussing fracking in particular, it's a couple of sentences about the environmental damage it causes, which he quickly papers over or dismisses entirely. And it's largely the same thing as he writes fairly dismissively about the environmental movement and its legitimate concerns when it comes to the oil and gas industry, its history, and its current practices.

[fisheyes]

Some recent winners:

1. A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. Reading now and totally enthralled with the characters, the writing, and the message regarding our place in time.
2. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel. Fun read regarding time travel and time itself. Hmmm. A theme is emerging.
3. Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn. Beautiful story about a family in Hawaii and their relationship to the local gods.
4. The Overstory by Richard Powers. Best tree hugger book you'll ever read!

Enjoy!

[jimmymax]

Finally got a copy of Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (Soul of a New Machine) about Duke's Paul Farmer and his amazing work in Haiti. He died suddenly a few months ago. The book is really good.

[75Crazie]

I just finished inhaling the Wayfarers series of books (four in all) by Becky Chambers. If you like character-driven science fiction stories with almost no shoot-em-up mayhem, these might be for you, but I'll add a caveat: there is a bit (not at all intrusive, in my opinion) of non-binary genderness in some of the aliens in her books. In particular, the second book of the series (A Closed and Common Orbit) is sublime, and the third and fourth are not far behind. Highly recommended.

[budwom]

Lessons in Chemistry is a run read with a scientific female protagonist...

[91devil]

I recommend “Two Nights in Lisbon” by Chris Pavone. International thriller. All of Pavone’s books are quite good.

I also just finished “Operation Mincemeat” by Ben MacIntyre (which is also a just released Netflix film starring Colin Firth). World War II enthusiasts will certainly enjoy it. Tactical subterfuge by The Allies to deceive Germany prior to the Invasion of Sicily.

[budwom]

I recommend “Two Nights in Lisbon” by Chris Pavone. International thriller. All of Pavone’s books are quite good.

I also just finished “Operation Mincemeat” by Ben MacIntyre (which is also a just released Netflix film starring Colin Firth). World War II enthusiasts will certainly enjoy it. Tactical subterfuge by The Allies to deceive Germany prior to the Invasion of Sicily.

The Mincemeat book was great, the movie something of a disappointment I thought. Excellent tale...

[Phredd3]

I also just finished “Operation Mincemeat” by Ben MacIntyre (which is also a just released Netflix film starring Colin Firth). World War II enthusiasts will certainly enjoy it.

Colin Firth? World War II? "The Railway Man" is a pretty good flick, though not new, having been released in 2013. A true story, it is about horrific things and still manages to be surprisingly uplifting. Based on the autobiographical account of Eric Lomax in the book of the same name.

[Bob Green]

I read an excellent short story this week while waiting to see my doctor. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce. The story is set in Alabama during the Civil War and was written in 1890.

The story is included in Great American Short Stories from Hawthorne to Hemingway, which I received from my daughter as a Christmas present.

[brevity]

I read an excellent short story this week while waiting to see my doctor. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce. The story is set in Alabama during the Civil War and was written in 1890.

The story is included in Great American Short Stories from Hawthorne to Hemingway, which I received from my daughter as a Christmas present.

It was adapted into a French film short made in 1961 that won an Oscar and an award at Cannes, and it was distributed in the United States as an episode of The Twilight Zone.

[Section 15]

I read an excellent short story this week while waiting to see my doctor. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce. The story is set in Alabama during the Civil War and was written in 1890.

The story is included in Great American Short Stories from Hawthorne to Hemingway, which I received from my daughter as a Christmas present.

Highly recommend Ambrose Bierce's Civil War, a collection of all his writings on the civil war. It is available in a variety of editions, included one that is annotated for those who aren't familiar with this fascinating writer. His life (and mysterious disappearance) may be more interesting than his stories.

[Bob Green]

Highly recommend Ambrose Bierce's Civil War, a collection of all his writings on the civil war.

Thanks for the recommendation.

[MartyClark]

Highly recommend Ambrose Bierce's Civil War, a collection of all his writings on the civil war. It is available in a variety of editions, included one that is annotated for those who aren't familiar with this fascinating writer. His life (and mysterious disappearance) may be more interesting than his stories.

I'll look forward to reading that. I have often referred to Bierce's "Devil's Dictionary". His definition of litigation is " a machine that you go into as a pig and come out of as a sausage." I use that a lot with clients who seem to eager to litigate - some don't appreciate it.

Of course his definition of lawyer is "one skilled in the circumvention of the law."

Wickedly good stuff in the Devil's Dictionary.

[75Crazie]

My favorite Bierce definition, which probably says something about me, is his definition of scriptures as "the sacred books of our holy religion, as distinguished from the false and profane writings on which all other faiths are based".