What are you reading?

[alteran]

You'd better hurry through the GRRRR Martin books so you will be ready for Winds of Winter.

***Eye roll***

I enjoyed the books immensely. Plowed through them one after another in a month or so. Will probably have to give myself a refresher sometime in the next ten years to get ready for the next book.

10 years?!?!?!

So, you're an optimist? :-)

[budwom]

Terry McDonell's The Accidental Life is wonderfully written by a man who got to edit some of America's greatest (and most interesting) writers...I'm barely into it
at this point, but already fine tales of Edward Abbey, Hunter S. Thompson, George Plimpton, Jim Harrison and many more. Tremendously entertaining...

[SoCalDukeFan]

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.

I also highly recommend Red Notice by Bill Browder.

SoCal

[devildeac]

I'm still reading Hamilton, the book, not the lyrics for the musical.

Fascinating and educational but man, almost 700 pages. I think I have about 200 pages to go.

[Ggallagher]

It is a whopper of a book, but I felt like it was definitely worth reading. I just hadn't previously appreciated the impact Hamilton had on the country's creation - including events as recent as the Cuban missile crisis. (And for those who haven't read the book, the Coast Guard regulations that Hamilton wrote were the same guidelines used to deal with the ships bringing missiles into Cuba).

Way to cover all the bases Alex!

An interesting sequel to this book is "The Quartet" by Joseph Ellis. I'm about halfway through it now. It covers the impact that Hamilton, Washington, Jay and Madison had in moving the Unites States (plural, not singular) from their situation at the end of the Revolution to the Constitutional Convention.

[devildeac]

It is a whopper of a book, but I felt like it was definitely worth reading. I just hadn't previously appreciated the impact Hamilton had on the country's creation - including events as recent as the Cuban missile crisis. (And for those who haven't read the book, the Coast Guard regulations that Hamilton wrote were the same guidelines used to deal with the ships bringing missiles into Cuba).

Way to cover all the bases Alex!

An interesting sequel to this book is "The Quartet" by Joseph Ellis. I'm about halfway through it now. It covers the impact that Hamilton, Washington, Jay and Madison had in moving the Unites States (plural, not singular) from their situation at the end of the Revolution to the Constitutional Convention.

Totally agree with the "worth reading" part. I'll try to read several passages/sections daily but accomplished nothing of the sort the last 10-12 days while on vacation. Thomas Jefferson is portrayed as quite the SOB in this book.

[fuse]

I'm still reading Hamilton, the book, not the lyrics for the musical.

Fascinating and educational but man, almost 700 pages. I think I have about 200 pages to go.

I didn't know they printed book pages on beer labels

[devildeac]

I didn't know they printed book pages on beer labels

Lol. Have you ever read the back of any of the Arrogant Bastard series bottles? (Technically not a label but my word, those folks are loquacious.)

[Billy Dat]

I just finished "Powerhouse: The Untold Story of Hollywood's Creative Artists Agency" by James Andrew Miller. Miller specializes in oral histories and his previous two mammoth offerings were on Saturday Night Live and ESPN.

I am a fan of non-fiction about Hollywood, from the creative personalities to the business side, so this was in my interest wheelhouse. There is enough material to fill 700 pages but I am not sure that it was all needed. After a while, there is only so much you can read about deals that were made, almost made, or not made, but it does give you a lot of insight into how television shows and films get the green light in the modern age (1980 and beyond). But, because agents are protective of their clients, there isn't a lot of dirt to be shared which limits the salacious appeal of such a book.

[duke74]

Just finished Peter Bernstein's "Against the Gods." I assigned it to my intro Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) students, so I thought that it would be good to (re)read it myself. 😀

A classic in the field, by a well respected scholar. Deals with the time line" of the development of the theories and concepts that helped define today's ERM by looking at the individuals involved. Interesting progression of thought. From the ancients (fate determines the future, not one's decisions) to the development of probability and decision theory to portfolio theory.

Only issue is publication in 1996 (updated version 1998). Significant events since then of course affecting ability to forecast (black swan events, etc)

[Reilly]

Finished "Silence" by Shusako Endo, about the Japanese persecution of Christians in the 1600s. Martin Scorsese has directed a movie based on the novel; I believe the movie may be released later this year. I found the book very thought-provoking, a bit unsettling/disturbing in its intensity, a bit bleak, and worth reading.

[MartyClark]

" Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, The Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World" by Roger Crowley. Sea battles in the 1520's that stopped the Ottoman advance into Europe. Well written and timely.

I previously read "1453" by the same author, an account of the conquest of Constantinople.

I highly recommend both books.

[Olympic Fan]

" Empires of the Sea: The Siege of Malta, The Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World" by Roger Crowley. Sea battles in the 1520's that stopped the Ottoman advance into Europe. Well written and timely.

I previously read "1453" by the same author, an account of the conquest of Constantinople.

I highly recommend both books.

Empires of the Sea is an amazing book ... I strongly concur in your recommendation.

I was recently given a copy of Rising Sun, Falling Skies by Jeffrey Cox -- a detailed, balanced (and well-documented account) is the campaign in the Southwest Pacific in the first months of the war. It's a heartbreaking read in many ways, to see the sacrifice of the out-numbered and unsupported soldiers, sailors and fliers in the Philippines, Singapore, Java and the surrounding area. Worse was the inept leadership they endured -- anyone still admiring MacArthur needs to read this ... a very fair account of how he botched the defense of the Philippines (and then tried to blame everybody else). Where Cox really excels is in capturing the heroism of the men who held the line in the first months of war and against all odds, delayed the Japanese onslaught long enough for the Allies to recover in the late spring of 1942.

The best WWI book I've read since Shattered Sword.

[Cormac]

I finished A Storm of Swords. I really enjoyed it and agree with most that it's been the best in the series so far. I'm taking a break from Westeros, and going back to Mexico with Don Winslow's The Cartel. When I finish this one, I plan on reading A Feast of Crows next. I'm hearing not so good things about it though, like some of the most popular characters aren't even in the book. A Dance with Dragons is sitting on my shelf too. I'd say I need to hurry up and finish it so I'll be ready for the next one, but we all know that's not coming any time soon.

[DUKIECB]

I'm 3/4 of the way through Team of Rivals, the book that Spielberg's Lincoln was based on. It is long but I have found it fascinating to learn about why Lincoln chose his own political rivals to be in his cabinet and how that shaped his presidency. Lincoln was such an interesting character and an amazing leader. His story is almost unbelievable that he came from such humble beginnings to reach the pinnacle of American politics and become one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen.

But the book goes so much further than Lincoln. The men he chose, mainly his political rivals, to be in his cabinet are chronicled in great detail and you really feel like you were there in the White House during those tense moments when the future of the union hung by a thread.

I am almost sad for it to come to an end, even with it's almost 1,000 page length.

[rasputin]

I'm 3/4 of the way through Team of Rivals, the book that Spielberg's Lincoln was based on. It is long but I have found it fascinating to learn about why Lincoln chose his own political rivals to be in his cabinet and how that shaped his presidency. Lincoln was such an interesting character and an amazing leader. His story is almost unbelievable that he came from such humble beginnings to reach the pinnacle of American politics and become one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen.

But the book goes so much further than Lincoln. The men he chose, mainly his political rivals, to be in his cabinet are chronicled in great detail and you really feel like you were there in the White House during those tense moments when the future of the union hung by a thread.

I am almost sad for it to come to an end, even with it's almost 1,000 page length.

Since you are enjoying Team of Rivals so much, you might like The Bully Pulpit as well. It's about Teddy Roosevelt, and Taft, and the press.

[DUKIECB]

Since you are enjoying Team of Rivals so much, you might like The Bully Pulpit as well. It's about Teddy Roosevelt, and Taft, and the press.

Yep, I saw that Kearns Goodwin wrote that one as well. Might have to put it on my list.

[devildeac]

Finally finished Hamilton, the book, not the CD or Broadway show . Almost finished Being Mortal by Atul Gawande.

[MNBlueDevil4]

Anybody read any books by Vince Flynn?

Action packed books that follow counter terrorism agent 'Mitch Rapp.'

They are currently filming a movie about one of the books. Actors include Michael Keaton, Dylan O'brien (Maze Runner), and Taylor Kitsch (Friday Night Lights).

[Billy Dat]

In the run-up to the election, I read JD Vance's "Hillbilly Elegy". Since the election, it has been criticized as a poor primer for the "liberal elites" to better understand the rest of the country, but I found it enlightening and interesting. Vance has been writing a bunch of the NY Times along the same lines.