Anybody read a good book lately?

Started by MURP, March 16, 2002, 12:34:25 AM

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MURP


Zanshin

Great thread.  Yep; I've had the opportunity to read and write quite a bit lately.  My tastes tend to vary, though.  Here are a few.....

Green Hills of Africa, Ernest Hemmingway-- this was his attempt at creative non-fiction, and it was pretty good; though, it was steeped in a bit of hyperbolic self-inflation for non-fiction.

The Dirt, Motley Crue--  Good one.  I'm not a big Crue fan, but the presentation was intuiging.  Really, it's quick reading in the form of numerous self-contained anecdotes from each band member.  They were nuts.

The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemmingway-- probably my favorite Hemmingway novel-- and my favorite last line of any book. Re-read this one to get the taste of his non-fiction out of my mouth.  I think it's a great novel, but my wife thinks it's boring.  I guess that's why they make vanilla and chocolate.

The Fourth Hand, John Irving-- a little slow and you have to like John Irving's stuff in general to enjoy.  He's the guy who wrote "The World According to Garp," and this is in the same sort of style.

Prayers for Rain, Dennis Lehane--  this one was up my alley, as I'm a big fan of the detective genre in general (I even worked it into my Master's thesis, which isn't really the rage in academia).  The book itself was pretty solid, though the ending went a little too far and sullied an otherwise good work.  Still worth a read.

Advice to Writers, Jon Winokur-- Great, great book if you like to write.  Really easy reading as it's really just a compendium of quote on the various aspects of writing from famous authors.  

Cuba Libre, Elmore Leonard-- I hadn't read any of Leonard's westerns, so I though I'd give this one a shot.  Think "Get Shorty" set in Cuba in the late 19th century.  Pretty good, though.

Gunman's Rhapsody, Robert B. Parker-- I used to really enjoy Parker's Spenser series (before they became a bit too rote), so I thought I'd check out his version of Wyatt Earp's tale.  It was Spenser meets the old west.  Not a bad read, but shouldn't be on the top of your list.

Sunset Limited, James Lee Burke-- If you do like detective fiction, you must read Burke.  He injects a nice literary flair into the genre with his two series characters.  The atmosphere he creates with his New Orleans backdrop is great.  Sometimes he can be a bit over-the-top, but his overall writing skill mitigates this feeling.  Good stuff.

The way of Aikido, George Leonard--  I studied Aikido for about five years, so this book had some additional meaning for me; but you could be a novice and get something from it.  The book is pretty slim and worth a look.  Non-fiction, of course.

Voodoo River, Rober Crais--  I wanted to see how another writer would handle a detective story set in New Orleans.  Crais was first a TV writer, and I think it shows.  Not bad, but doesn't compare favorably to Burke.


See, now you have me started...there are a bunch more I have in my head that folks should know about, but I'll stop here before it gets unbearably boring.  Anyone wants more, say the word.... ;D

General_Failure

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

Anything from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. I've only read Lords and Ladies and Men At Arms, but I would suggest any as the series doesn't have to be read in order to be enjoyed.

I've read the first book in the Elminster series, I would love to read the rest. I can't get any weirder than the first one, right? :paranoid


The man. The myth. The legend.

PhillyGirl

I am a big Dean Koontz fan and I just read two great books by him. "False Memory" and "From the Corner of His Eye." False Memory was one of the most farged up books I've ever read.
"Oh, yeah. They'll still boo. They have to. They're born to boo. Just now, they'll only boo with two Os instead of like four." - Larry Andersen

GoinLong

I'm in the middle of Rizzo by Sal Paolantonio. Very good look at not only former Mayor Frank Rizzo's life, but also the modern history of Philadelphia.
The house was built by players like  ,  [Joyner], [Brown], [Simmons]," he says. "They set that legacy of Eagles defense, then passed it on to us and we built from it. Now, it's their turn to uphold the reputation."- TV

Fan_Since_64

I'm currently reading The Glory and the Dream, A Narrative History of America 1932-1972, by William Manchester. I'm up to 1960. Manchester is always readable, obviously covers a lot of ground in this far-ranging review of life in the US during that time period.

Other titles that I've read recently -

Dylan, by Bob Spitz, an informative bio of the singer/songwriter that would have been better if the author wasn't trying so hard to be clever.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, by John Berendt. Interesting true murder mystery set in Savannah, Georgia, with lots of fascinating characters throughout. A movie was made from it.

No Ordinary Time, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Acclaimed historical work about the Roosevelt White House during WWII. Excellent.

Butchers Bill

Liars Poker by Michael Lewis...pretty funny book about stock trading.
I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage
I found that just surviving was a noble fight.
I once believed in causes too,
I had my pointless point of view,
And life went on no matter who was wrong or right.

Gene

I'm sort of hooked on the Spy/Action  genre type of books.......

Anything written by Frederick Forsythe is a page turner......."The Odessa File", "Day of the Jackal", "Icon", "The Fist of God", etc.......

Jack Higgins is another favorite of mine, but in all honesty reading his work sometimes is akin to reading a comic book.......

Have to be in the mood for John LeCarre.......

Tom Clancy is another favorite of mine, but as of late his books have become to long winded and seem to me the story could be told in several hundred pages less than he takes to do it.......mostly enjoyed his earlier works.......

satoshi

#8

GoinLong

Quote from: Fan_Since_64 on March 16, 2002, 03:01:50 PMDNo Ordinary Time, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Acclaimed historical work about the Roosevelt White House during WWII. Excellent.

Is it that book from which the charges of plagiarism arose?

Did Manchester write American Caesar?
The house was built by players like  ,  [Joyner], [Brown], [Simmons]," he says. "They set that legacy of Eagles defense, then passed it on to us and we built from it. Now, it's their turn to uphold the reputation."- TV

Fan_Since_64

Quote from: GoinLong on March 17, 2002, 10:26:26 AMIs it that book from which the charges of plagiarism arose?

Did Manchester write American Caesar?

I think that the plagiarism charges arose from a more recent book by her, but I'm not absolutely certain.

Manchester did indeed write American Caesar. He also wrote The Last Lion, about Winston Churchill, and The Death of a President, about the JFK assassination.

Reidme

I'd like to reccomend a good book, but sadly I feel compelled to share this ... I cannot read. I believe anyone who has seen some of my posts can attest to ... ::)
The NFL old standard.

GoinLong

The house was built by players like  ,  [Joyner], [Brown], [Simmons]," he says. "They set that legacy of Eagles defense, then passed it on to us and we built from it. Now, it's their turn to uphold the reputation."- TV

Gene

QuoteIs your name Johnny?

Dexter Manley perhaps?

Bristow

#14
There was a good article in this months issue of Penthouse. I don't do muich reading besides my supscriptions to that and "Asain Porn Monthly Magazine"