Good books
I'm going to be taking my own trip to South Africa in a few days. Lots of time sitting in airplanes required.
So....anybody read any good books lately they'd recommend to soak up all the air time? I just started the latest Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) book, Lethal White. It's good and it's long but I can tell I'm going to blitz through the last third or so of the book.
FYI. I'm a fan of fiction and non-fiction books.
Thanks, MGoBoard.
Hunger games
Thanks. Lots of good ideas in that thread.
Thank you!
If you are up for a little social justice. I just finished The Color of Law and The New Jim Crow. They were both really good.
for some easy sci-fi: the murderbot diaries
Senlin Ascends
The River by Peter Heller
the City of Lost Fortunes
The Mistborn series
The Name of the Wind
American Gods
Glad you are staying Woke.
Here's one you might like:
https://www.amazon.com/True-Bigfoot-Stories-Eyewitness-Conspiracies/dp/1535458186
Heartily second the recommendation of:
Senlin Ascends
Mistborn (anything by Sanderson)
Name of the Wind
But will Rothfuss ever finish the series (Name of the Wind)? It's been 8 years since the last book and other then a rather iffy short story nothing since. George RR Martin's likely to have his next book out before he does.
Neither of them will ever finish their series. These two along with Wheel of Time have me seriously considering a personal rule never starting an unfinished series again.
Well, Wheel of Time was finished, albeit by another author, but I hear what you're saying.
Authors taking forever to finish series used to really bother me, but I've mellowed out about it in recent years. That being said, if I ever write a trilogy or whatever, I'd make sure to have the whole thing finished before submitting it for publication.
Hah, I have that rule, because of GoT, WoT, Malazan book of the fallen (which was finished, and promptly, but it was 16 books), and others.
Sanderson is so much better than Jordan, not to dance on a guy's grave but I was happy Sanderson wrote the ending of WoT. All of Sanderson's books are great.
Just based on age, there's a greater chance PR finishes the trilogy. Now does that finish the story? That I don't believe. I think the trilogy will finish the inside the frame story and will only bring it to present time. Then we get mad that we never find out what happens next cuz he'll write a story about cows or cold winters in WI
I loved the Color of Law and have The New Jim Crow on my summer list.
That was the order I read them in also. Having he background from Color of Law definitely helped with understanding some of the underlying issues in the New Jim Crow. New Jim Crow definitely seems more academic in style, both are very eye-opening.
Red Rising is the best sci-fi series of the last two decades and better be on your list.
Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
'Factfulness' by Hans Rosling will likely change the way you perceive the globe's current state (in a positive way). Does a fantastic job of backing it all with data, often visually.
Virtually anything written by Michael Lewis is solid. 'Liar's Poker' and 'The Undoing Project' stand out to me.
I agree with Michael Lewis books. I've read several of his and they were all excellent.
He's oddly hilarious in his financial books. There were several times during 'The Big Short' when I had to set the book down because I was laughing out loud.
That happened to me a few times many years ago when I was reading Liar's Poker.
Sapiens - non fiction
Excellent book!
A good book but I found it a tad depressing how horrible us "Sapiens" have been. A not so depressing non-fiction book is "A Short History of Nearly Everything", by Bill Bryson. Science history, as well as the prople who brought it to you. Sprinkled with wit. If you like geology and the history of the Earth, "The Story of Earth", by Robert M. Hazen might be for you. It is science from a geologic standpoint, exceptionally nerdy.
While true about Sapiens (we are horrible beings!), the science it reveals is astounding if you haven't been exposed to it before.
I also read the Bryson book, and it also was wonderful.
I’m not one that usually reads memoirs/travelogues. But the rest of Bryson’s stuff is great also.
Some of my favorite all time fun reads are really the whole Patrick O'Brien Aubrey/Maturin series. Basically Horatio Hornblower meets Jane Austen (or her love child with Charles Darwin?). If you have any affinity for the sea at all, you'll probably love them. That is, as long as you can happily ignore the complex naval terminology (there is less of that later in the series, but it's heavy in the first several books). I believe that all or essentially all of the naval actions are pulled from the logs of the British fleet, btw, but moved around in time to suit the narrative. Also, I never saw it, but understand that the film Master and Commander was a mash up of several of the books.
Safe Travels!
Master and Commander series of books by Patrick O'Brien is one of the best works of historical fiction or literature of the last 50 years. Incredibly well written. Disturbing, hilarious, exhilirating. It puts you squarely in the bizarre world of life on the high seas in wooden ships in the age of sail when few sailors even knew how to swim.
Hard to imagine such an existence until you read these books. Far better works of literature than Horatio Hornblower for that matter. Lots of old nautical and ship jargon to learn, but even if you don't master that, you'll still have command of the excitement, desperation, danger and hilarity that is rife within these books.
Recommend to watch the movie after you've read at least several of the books. It's actually very true to the detail and spirit of the books despite being a mashup. With the exception of Dr. Maturin who is an ugly man as described in the series, but of course must be portrayed by a handsome actor.
Hail to the Victors, which go all the way back to 2012. Relive the rise and fall of Brady Hoke! Watch as people talk themselves into Denard vs. Alabama being a fair fight! Watch as people divine that THIS year is the one when Michigan beats Ohio State! See MSU go from being really good to "If she doesn't file charges, it didn't happen!" U! Tim Drevno is a competent OC talk, and Pep Hamilton modernizing the passing game! Good times! I'm not yelling, you're yelling!
I did receive my 2015 HTTV in Johannesburg, South Africa!
The name of the wind
Yes and no. Yes, because it’s a great read. No because I remain furious I started reading a trilogy with no end in sight. I’d wait for the third book if I were you.
I thought Name of the Wind was absolute garbage written for teenagers. Maybe OP is a teen, if so read on. But I only have so much patience for half a book of the main character continually throwing himself at some girl. Get on with the story.
Skip to the real thing and read Game of Thrones instead. Sanderson isn't bad either, though not on the same level as GRRM. But then again, who is?
At least they'll be prepared for starting a series with no end in sight (because GRRM doesn't want to finish it) :(
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
Childhoods End by Arthur C. Clarke
Don Quixote by Cervantes (a LONG read, but considered the western civilizations first novel)
recently read The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow, on my trip to Mexico City.
I read Childhoods End when I was a senior in high school which was a long time ago. I loved that book. Guess I'll take a look at the other Arthur C Clarke book you mentioned.
I'll tell ya, I didn't read Childhoods End until I was 35.. and it really put the hook in me with Clarke...I made my son read it when he was 20. For a year, subsconsciously I was a little unnerved, thinking about that novel.. the concept of genetic memory and Karellen and the devil.... great, great book... I view its an injustice that libraries put that book in the Teen section, it is one of his best.. .I've since read almost every book of his.. just finished The City and the Stars (great), and, The Nine Billion Names of God (short story compilation).... now I just checked out Songs of Distant Earth.
I venture to say you'll like the Rama book... enough that you'll read Rama 2... the next two in the series were supposedly written by Gentry Lee, because Clarke was getting old, and weren't as good.. but the first Rama was so good that I've been awaiting the film, that is how great it was... in fact, Morgan Freeman was gonna star in the film, but apparently it lost the funding, and I imagine it'd be a hard film to make. Aside, I have a very strong feeling that Clarke knew that the Oumuamua was coming and I think the Rama novel was completely influenced by his advance knowledge, decades in advance... brilliant dude he was.
+1 for Don Quixote. It's both profound and highly amusing.
Thank you..... I read the Grossman translation, and will admit, I skipped over most all of the sonnets... but my goodness, it is THE only time I have ever laughed out loud while reading, but with a half hour delay... Cervantes was so witty, usually reserved for the brits... I didn't catch something at first, such as when the Duchess wrote to the Pancho's wife, asking her to visit, and she ends it signing with "and may God keep you, from this place..xxxxx" I read it as she was signing off from her locale in the isola kingdom, instead, it was dissing the wife.... The word play was so fantastic that I missed it at first, and then two chapters later it hit me, and then I went back scrambling to find the letter... Great stuff... even better was learning Cervantes life and how it shaped the novel. But I will say I was disappointed with the ending, but understand why Cervantes ended it that way.
I made the decision to start reading Wheel of Time series. I’m in book 8 now. 2.5 mm words into the series. Started out as a joy. Now it’s getting through the slog of finishing the damn thing. Only another 1.7mm words to go. Sigh...
Things get slow in the middle of that series, but the ending is fantastic (and by ending I mean like the last 1 million words, lol). Brandon Sanderson finished out the series after Robert Jordan died and he did a phenomenal job.
Further, I'd agree with those who have posted previously that anything written by Sanderson is worth the read, but particularly all of the many Cosmere books (start with Mistborn).
Feel free to skim pages from book 8-10. It gets slow for awhile. Does pick up when Sanderson starts writing. I'm glad I finally finished it.
Agree with the other posters. The middle of the series is such a thankless grind but once you get to the Sanderson books it's well worth it. And I second the Mistborn series by Sanderson although I found the first trilogy to be much better than the 2nd trilogy(+1 pending).
Winters Heart killed that series for me. Still have yet to finish it, and no plans to do so, either.
My two favorite books are *Blood Meridian* by Cormac McCarthy and *Mrs. Dalloway* by Virginia Woolf. If you want something which is digestible in small chunks, I would say the *Collected Fictions* by Jorge Luis Borges should be up your alley.
Blood Meridian for me too. Truly nobody writes like Cormac McCarthy. I couldn't stop thinking about that book for months after I read it.
Blood meridian is amazing. Though, Anything by cormac mccarthy is a worthwhile read.
Infinite jest by david foster wallace is probably the greatest novel ever written, and reading it explains about half of the jokes on mgoblog. It is far too long and involved to read on a holiday though.
Bret easton ellis is always entertaining provided you have a strong stomach and a healthy amount of cynicism about life.
"Target Tokyo: Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid That Avenged Pearl Harbor" by James M. Scott
A very thorough account. I found it hard to put down. Here is a brief description by the New York Journal of Books I found online.
"As expected, this publication covers the story of the bombing raid from its genesis and planning following the attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s need to strike back as soon as possible, the training for it and the raid itself to the raiders’ escape from the Japanese, the horrific retaliation against those Chinese who assisted them or were suspected of doing so, and the immediate postwar story of the surviving raiders.
Among other threads included are the results of the war crimes trials of those Japanese military officers who participated in the “proceedings” leading to the execution of three of the participants and solitary confinement of others whose death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment, the story of the men who escaped internment from the Soviet Union, the brotherhood of the survivors and their postwar reunion toasts to their fallen comrades."
That sounds right up my alley. My dad served in WWII in Europe which has made me explore a lot of the history of that war.
BlueMan80... I think you'd find fascinating, the story on Juan Pujol Garcia...agent Garbo.. the only double agent who received the highest military award by both the Allies AND the Germans... boy did he dupe them... hilarious... I read Agent Garbo... check it out.
Some other great WW2 novels... two by Larry Collins... Fall from Grace is a good one.. another was I think called D-Day.. I read the italian version so it might have a different title.