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  1. #901
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Chesapeake, VA.
    My wife and I just started 'In Cold Blood.'

  2. #902
    Quote Originally Posted by rsvman View Post
    My wife and I just started 'In Cold Blood.'
    Wow. Brings back good memories. One of those books that made me realize there was more to reading than just sports bios.

  3. #903
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    St. Louis, MO
    Quote Originally Posted by rasputin View Post
    Just finished reading The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States, by Walter Johnson (not the submarining pitcher of a century ago, but a history prof at Harvard). His point is that the westward expansion of the United States was dually fueled by the desire for empire-building and by racism (especially against Indians, and then Blacks). I have lived in St. Louis for over 40 years and there is stuff in the book that I didn't know (especially about the early days). I'll caution you that Johnson doesn't even pretend to be giving a balanced account; for example, he consistently refers to the August 2014 "murder" of Mike Brown in Ferguson without even mentioning any of the evidence or testimony about Brown's own behavior that would cast doubt on his conclusion.

    The one-sidedness made even a left-leaner like me cringe, but overall the book, while pretty dense, was worth reading. Probably the most interesting part had to do with the 20th-century "redevelopment" efforts that did more harm than good.

    Also, I'll add that I discussed this post with the mods before submitting it, and they suggested that I mention that this post about reading material is not an invitation to discuss the substantive issues mentioned in the post, which would clearly be PPB.
    Interesting, thanks for sharing! As a fellow St. Louisan I think I’d like this one.

  4. #904
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    I finished Sooley. I am mad at John Grisham.

  5. #905
    Quote Originally Posted by Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15 View Post
    I read Blindness 20+ years ago and found it quite impactful.
    I also liked Blindness a lot. Death with Interruptions by Saramogo also is good.

  6. #906
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Bethesda, MD

    Carmelo's Memoir

    Am listening to Carmelo Anthony's new memoir, read by the author himself. It's not very long - 5 hours at regular speed - but it is interesting. Mostly about his early life in Red Hook, Brooklyn and then Baltimore, MD. He's a thoughtful guy and, as someone who lived in Baltimore when he did, it's interesting to hear his take on various Baltimore neighborhoods. Not a great book, but still recommended.

  7. #907
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
    I just started in on Dune. Just a few chapters in, but I like it so far. It grabs a reader like me pretty quickly, with my interests in history, religion, etc.

  8. #908
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Durham, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by WillJ View Post
    Am listening to Carmelo Anthony's new memoir, read by the author himself. It's not very long - 5 hours at regular speed - but it is interesting. Mostly about his early life in Red Hook, Brooklyn and then Baltimore, MD. He's a thoughtful guy and, as someone who lived in Baltimore when he did, it's interesting to hear his take on various Baltimore neighborhoods. Not a great book, but still recommended.
    I believe this is the third time in recent days that I have linked a Finding Your Roots episode:

    https://www.pbs.org/weta/finding-you...armelo-anthony

  9. #909
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Vermont
    Just finished T.C. Boyle's new book Talk to Me. Not uplifting but well written as always.

  10. #910
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    On the Road to Nowhere
    Just finished the Jimmy Carter biography by Jonathan Alter that came out last year. Supposedly the only comprehensive bio ever written about him. It just kept staring at me from the shelf as I sat in my regular reading chair at the library, so I picked it up. Though I immensely respect what Carter has done since leaving office (and he has done more than I knew), I was not a fan of his Presidency. But I was in high school, so what did I know? I was fixated on other things besides politics, so I followed the national mood.

    I feel it is a must-read if you are a liberal, and an important read if you are a moderate. Alter makes a strong case that the Panama Canal treaty (I was against) staved off a Latin American war and a breeding ground for terrorists much closer to our borders. He selected more women and blacks for the federal bench than all his predecessors combined...TIMES FIVE.

    Discussing much more would probably start a PPB diversion, but if you're interested I would recommend it. As a committed environmentalist, if nothing else I'll give him kudos for doubling the size of the National Park system, installing solar panels on the roof of the White House, and raising the first official warnings about global warming anywhere in the world.

  11. #911
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Walnut Creek, California

    State of Terror

    Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny's State of Terror. This has been on the market less than a month and I read the library copy my wife snagged.

    Keep in mind that Hillary has written several books (non fiction) and Penny is a veteran murder mystery author from Canada. Both are excellent writers on their own. Together they have fashioned a better than decent political thriller. I've been reading these since 1962's Seven Days in May by Charles W. Bailey II and Fletcher Knebel. State of Terror has an underlying theme similar to Seven Days in May, but is quite different as well as being updated to now. It certainly has more twists and turns and will keep you on edge. It's a 'can't put down' book and well worth the ride.

    It may not be a literary work fit for your home library (haw! Whose home library is limited to high-minded literature? ), but if you can get it from the public library and the wait isn't too long, you will enjoy it.

  12. #912
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    On the Road to Nowhere
    Just finished Peril by Woodward and Costa. Seems like a passing of the torch since Woodward is 78, and I don't think he has co-authored with anyone in 40 years.

    Whether pro-Trump or no-Trump it's worth reading. Straight reporting, no editorializing. A lot of stuff in quotes and I haven't heard anyone saying they were misrepresented by the book. You may have thought you heard everything as they made the promotional rounds to a lot of shows, but it's 400 pages so there's a lot more in there.

    Highly recommended.

  13. #913
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Westport, CT
    Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (All the Light We Cannot See fame)

    LOVED this book.

    3 intertwined stories set in the 1400s, 2020, and in the near future, linked by an ancient Greek book.

    Great story line, interesting characters, and beautifully written.

    Well worth the time.

  14. #914
    ^^^ Agreed. Good solid read.
    Nothing incites bodily violence quicker than a Duke fan turning in your direction and saying 'scoreboard.'

  15. #915
    Quote Originally Posted by budwom View Post
    How true...just downloaded Erik Larson's new The Splendid and the Vile, about Winston Churchill and the blitz...Kindle may get an MVP award before all is said and done...
    Just started it - passed down to me in hardcover by my dad. I'm really enjoying it. The many-short-chapters approach entices me to keep reading "just a couple more pages", then just a few more, and so on, that it's hard to put down, because each new chapter isn't that big of a commitment. And of course I can't wait to see how it all ends.

  16. #916
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim3k View Post
    Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny's State of Terror. This has been on the market less than a month and I read the library copy my wife snagged.

    Keep in mind that Hillary has written several books (non fiction) and Penny is a veteran murder mystery author from Canada. Both are excellent writers on their own. Together they have fashioned a better than decent political thriller. I've been reading these since 1962's Seven Days in May by Charles W. Bailey II and Fletcher Knebel. State of Terror has an underlying theme similar to Seven Days in May, but is quite different as well as being updated to now. It certainly has more twists and turns and will keep you on edge. It's a 'can't put down' book and well worth the ride.

    It may not be a literary work fit for your home library (haw! Whose home library is limited to high-minded literature? ), but if you can get it from the public library and the wait isn't too long, you will enjoy it.
    I want to put a plug in for Louise Penny. Her books are just fantastic and every time I read one, I feel like I am catching up with old friends. I am actually reading The Secret Game. Really well written.

  17. #917
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Norfolk, VA
    I’m going to call this my first book of 2022 but, seeing as it December 24th, I am getting a head start on Clouds of Glory: The Life and Legend of Robert E. Lee by Michael Korda. Seven hundred pages of 19th Century American History will be an enjoyable start to my 2022 reading adventure.
    Bob Green

  18. #918
    Quote Originally Posted by golfinesquire View Post
    I want to put a plug in for Louise Penny. Her books are just fantastic and every time I read one, I feel like I am catching up with old friends. I am actually reading The Secret Game. Really well written.
    I, too, am a fan of Penny's Gamache series. Well crafted mysteries, but even better moral dramas.

  19. #919
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Mary's Place
    Read "Premonition" by Michael Lewis. I've always enjoyed his stuff, especially talking to people who have some key insight into the story he's telling. This one is about COVID and what we learned, and how we learned it. He especially seems to relish throwing CDC under the bus, as a black hole, where data goes in, but nothing comes out.
    "Quality is not an option!"

  20. #920

    What I am Reading

    Just finished "Showtime" by Jeff Pearlman, preparation for the tv series coming out.
    Also read "The Lost Prince" about Pat Conroy.
    Now reading "The Warmth of Other Sons" by Isabel Wilkerson; it's going slow, but good.
    Got "The Last of the Mohicans" from the Library, but hopefully the bball hiatus won't be too long.

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