Book Lovers Club
Comments
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Vince Flynn is a favorite author in our household - so sad to hear of his passing at such a young age.
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Vince Flynn has also been a topic in our home. My Mom had one of his autographed hard copies out on consignment and decided to go to the book store and bring the book home. She is going to hang on to it. Very sad that he died so young.
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The Decline and Fall of the English Major....NY Times.....
"...Writing well used to be a fundamental principle of the humanities, as essential as the knowledge of mathematics and statistics in the sciences. But writing well isn’t merely a utilitarian skill. It is about developing a rational grace and energy in your conversation with the world around you...."
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Voracious: Good article. Thanks for sharing.
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Almost finished with Unbroken, portions of this book are not quite believable. After the first 2 chapters the story picks up, the historical war aspect to it is very interesting.
I discovered a fantastic English-language book store in downtown Budapest last week. I'm giddy with excitement to take my kids there this afternoon, browse the books and bring a few home.
Thanks for posting the op-ed piece, VR.
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Had not heard of Vince Flynn's death. Very sad. I always look forward to his next book...
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Finished Unbroken, and I did enjoy it. Louis Zamperini is one spunky guy, still alive at age 96 after all that he went through during WWII. A movie is underway to tell his story, directed by Angelina Jolie and re-written by the Coen brothers. This will be interesting.
Taking along Ken Follett's Code to Zero on vacation. It's a treat for me to read a paperback!
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Haven't posted for awhile, but do check in.
Ruth, have you read "Abigail Adams, Witness to a Revolution" ? I think you would really enjoy it. What an amazing woman.
Currently reading "The Astronauts Wives Club" . It's the story of the wives of the Mercury space program. It's good, not great. I think if you come from a military family, you would enjoy it.
Anyone else lilke "The Hunger Games" I just finished the second one. Will probably wait to see the second movie - due in Nov - before I read the 3rd book.
Any good sci-fi suggestions would be appreciated
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Natalie3, I enjoyed the Hunger Games series but not sure I want to see the movies.
I also like Sci Fi and highly recommend Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard. GREAT book made into a terrible movie. My DH has the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov - 7 books - worth it?
I'm probably more into fantasy than hard-core sci-fi, though, because I like books like Eragon (boy meets dragon), The Mists of Avalon (the Arthurian legend from a feminist perspective), and the Trillium series (five fantasy novels by Marion Zimmer Bradley, Julian May, and Andre Norton set in the World of the Three Moons).
Currently reading Vince Flynn's #4 from 2001 and also have #5. Third on the reserve list for Gulp. Am going to have to relinquish or renew Winter of the World because I've been more attracted to a 400-page paperback than a 900-page hardcover. Must be summer!
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I too don't seem to post as often but wanted to share a book I just read. I got it for free on e reader for the kindle and did not know what I would think of the book- it looked ok. I loved it. The depth of the characters relationship and the way they found a common thread and supported each other was amazing. We should all be so lucky to learn that much from relationships with other people It is called The Illegal Gardener by Sara Alexi. I just started her second book a night ago and am enjoying it as well, Black Butterflies.
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Thank you Badger
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Badger - thanks for the reminder about Mists of Avalon. I haven't read it since it first came out but it's on my shelves & I will put it on my re-read list. I'm always a sucker for Arthurian legends.
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Natalie, try Kay Hooper, with the SCU stories. or if you like a space heroine. Try the Honor Harringtom series by David Weber. If you have an ereader, you can get some for free at BAEN BOOKS. Actually, they have a whole bunch of free Sci Fi books for free in ALL the different formats.
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I will have to read Abigail Adams, thanks Natalie. I have four books lined up before her though (poor Mark Twain is never going to get read), and just re-read Paris Wife (Hemingway's first wife) because I wanted to compare notes withwhat I read about in Z (Zelda Fitzgerald). Both make me glad that I never married an 'artist'!!!
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Just finished Native Girl by Carl Hiaasen. I think I have read all his books - but I dont usually jump on them when they first come out. I kayak, so a woman in a kayak on the cover raised my expectations. It was fine, but I remember enjoying Sick Puppy and some others more. Will be getting around to his latest, Bad Monkey eventually. I hope no one's been posting because all their heads are stuck in books!!!
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Jelson... I am a big fan of Hiaasen too! So is the DH!
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http://www.flixxy.com/the-paperless-future-emma.htm
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!0 -
Voracious: Wonderful. I haven't laughed this hard in days.
I've been hiding from the heat & reading. Must say again how much I liked The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe. Really not depressing & such beautiful story about Will and his Mother & a wonderful reminder of books I haven't read yet. Finished A Work of Her Own by Susan Wittig Albert. A most interesting treatise how to get off the career track & find/develop satisfying & fulfiling work that suits you as an individual & an woman. I'd never read Raymond Carver and found his book of short stories, Cathedral, a really good read. I'll look for more of his books. Just for fun I found an old PD James British mystery for $1.00 - A Certain Justice. Her characters are always complicated and engrossing. For those of you who don't know her protagonist Adam Dagliesh, you have a treat in store. I'd been saving Deborah Crombie's latest in paperback, No Mark On Her. She's one of my favorites. Another bargin find was a compilation of stories by the American Crime Writers League: Murder Past, Murder Present. Most were mysteries which I prefer, and not true crime. And one more recommend - Joyce Carol Oates' novel I'll Take You There. Very compelling story about young girl w/o a mother who leaves the farm in upstate NY for college, what she dreams & how she copes. I wonder if it has some autobiographical touches?
Only a few books left in my bag. Guess I'll have to hit the used bookstore before 5th chemo next week.
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LOL VR!! For your reading pleasure, here's a NY Times article re: summer book list.
Joyland - Stephen King / Crazy Rich Asians - Kevin Kwan / The Engagements - J. Courtney Sullivan / Bobcat and Other Stories - Rebecca Lee / Lookaway, Lookaway - Wilton Barnhardt / Bad Monkey - Carl Hiaasen / NOS4A2 - Joe Hill / Who Owns the Future? - Jaron Lanier / Dad Is Fat - Jim Gaffigan / The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics - Daniel James Brown / The Boyfriend - Thomas Perry / I Wear the Black Hat: Grappling with Villains (Real and Imagined) - Chuck Klosterman
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MINUS, I LOVE PD James.
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Voracious Reader - thanks for the laugh, MinusTwo - thanks for the list which included Thomas Perry - an old favorite, so I checked www.FantasticFiction.co.uk and read a description of the new book and in the process, discovered that he added two more to his Jane Whitefield series!!! I had consoled myself that there would be no more, because after all what was left for Jane to accomplish, having extorted millions from the Mafia in Blood Money?? but yippee! more Jane Whitefield and some others that looked interesting!
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Laurie08 - did you see that Chris Bohjalian has a new book coming out next week, The Light in the Ruins. I might have to pre-order it on my kindle.
I like Carl Hiaasen, too and have a newer one of his in my TTBR pile.
Here are the titles of my recent reads, in no particular order:
Little Bee, The Pull of the Moon, Guernsey Literary..., The Last Time I Saw Paris, Local Girls and my non-fiction title The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton. It chronicles his pro cycling career, his stint with Lance Armstrong & US Postal and the doping(including his) in the sport. It was fascinating and now that I'm watching the Tour de France, I wonder who is doping. The book doesn't portray Lance in a very favorable light, he comes across as a bully and self serving.
Not sure what I'm going to start next...
Gina
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Really enjoyed A DOGS PURPOSE by W Bruce Cameron. Even DH (mr picky) sniffled a bit. For those who read Garth Steins THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN this was an interesting perspective.
Also enjoyed a cheap kindle book called SHE WORE ONLY WHITE by Dorthe Binkert.
And yes I finally plunged into the world of kindle. Never thought I'd say this, but I love it. I was so concerned about the cost of kindle books but have actually found a lot of either free or very inexpensive books that were enjoyable. Not to mention the ease of using the library.
Oh, and am I the only one out there that just couldn't embrace Tom Cruse playing Jack Reacher? I mean really, wouldn't Matt Damon have been more believable??
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If you like mysteries, I highly recommend all three books by John Verdon, author of "Think of a Number." I just read the second one, "Shut Your Eyes Tight" and never was happier to have insomnia!!!!
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I have just read a wonderful series of North Dakota history books. During the great depression, one of the WPA projects was to interview and collect the oral histories of the still living settlers from the 1870s through the 1890s. They did over 5,000 interviews. Two modern day historians have taken the most interesting of these interviews and turned them into a series of 6 books. The name of the series is 'The Way It Was, The North Dakota Frontier Experience' and the books are 'The Sod-busters', 'The Norweign Homesteaders', 'The Cowboys and Ranchers', "Germans from Russia Settlers', 'The Native People' and 'The Townspeople'.
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Grdn... DH didn't want to see the Jack Reacher film because height challenged, Tom Cruise was playing the character. However, older son, who never read any of Lee Child's books, loved the film and convinced DH to watch the film. He enjoyed the film... But LOVES the books. Child's next Jack Reacher book arrives in September... plan on meeting him at our local Barnes and Noble. Been trying to meet him on several occasions at the Barnes and Noble when he releases a book, but had schedule conflicts. Hopefully, this time is the charm. BTW... he got the idea for the character's name from his wife. Child is very tall. When he told his wife he wanted to write a novel, she told him to go for it and if it didn't work out, he could always be a "reacher." They're British and in England, a "reacher" is a stock boy who reaches the shelves!
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Read the Paul Offit book "Do you believe in magic" and I think he picked his data to support his arguments, but his case against Dr. Oz and Andrew Weill are compelling.
Made me re-think my vitamin/supplement regimine.
Read "The Snow Child"--pretty good http://www.amazon.com/The-Snow-Child-A-Novel/dp/0316175668, and a Margaret Maron mystery for light reading.
Still waiting for the new Kate Atkinson.
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Oh VR - a present for you! http://www.salon.com/2013/07/10/geoff_dyer_likes_to_si/
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Oh Jelson! I love presents! Is he da best or what???!!!! And thanks for remembering how much I adore Dyer's writing!!! That's the best gift! It's so personal and meaningful! And brings a smile to my face...okay... and a few giggles too!
Kira... Glad you enjoyed Dr. Offitt's book! I wholeheartedly agree with you. When it devolves into getting, what one thinks is important medical info, from Dr. Oz or Oprah, it is a sorry state of affairs. Patients need to do due dilligence when seeking out medical information and Dr. Offitt drives home the point in his eloquent book. Without a doubt he picks and chooses, but the overall message is quite clear! I pity those people who accept at face value what Oprah and Dr. Oz have to say....0 -
Finally my turn for Mary Roach's Gulp, and also got Vince Flynn's #6, Memorial Day.
In the interim, I read Stuart Woods' new Stone Barrington book, Unintended Consequences. Meh. I hadn't read any of this series in a while and now I remember why: I don't like the main character.
I wish he'd write more Holly Barker books and weave Stone through them, instead of the other way around. But I think Woods is living out his fantasy life through Stone and isn't about to stop.
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