OT: Book Suggestions
I know these posts come up from time to time, so I tried to add some content for anyone who might be interested.
I am looking for something good to read. Any suggestions? I hate reading about current politics. I think fiction is cool, but If I haven't seen a movie on it or if it is not something I am really into, I have a hard time staying interested. I know that probably sounds crazy to some of you fantasy readers. I guess my imagination is not great. I like non-fiction. I am really over sports right now, so not really looking for anything in that genre. Anything about dogs, history, crimes and mystery seem to perk my interest. Below is the last 5 books I have read in the last month or so.
Left to tell by Immacul'ee Ilibagiza. This is an unreal true survival story of the Rwandan Genocide. I love Survival stories, so if you do. I highly recommend.
Hot Sex: Over 200 Things You Can Try Tonight by Emily Morse (UM Grad). Title kinda gives away what this is about. She is a great person to learn about Sex from.
Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers by Brian Kilmeade. Great look at the battle in Texas before and after the Alamo. Just 1 chapter on that actual battle.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. This is honestly one of the best books I have ever read and gave me a fresh perspective on life. It is told from a dog's perspective and if you like dogs it is a must read.
Without a Trace: The Disappearance of Amy Billig- A Mother's Search for Justice by Greg Aunapa and Susan Billig. This book was crazy! It was scary as hell and super sad. If you like mysteries, this is for you. I will cover this story at some point in TULEW, but if you can't wait until then, check it out.
I look forward to your suggestions for me and others. Merry Christmas everyone and happy reading!
December 19th, 2019 at 10:15 PM ^
The Spy and the Traitor is excellent. I also thoroughly enjoyed Midnight in Chernobyl. It's a non-fiction page-turner!
December 19th, 2019 at 4:33 PM ^
Radicalized by Cory Doctorow.
"Told through one of the most on-pulse genre voices of our generation--New York Times bestselling author Cory Doctorow--Radicalized is a timely novel comprised of four science fiction novellas connected by social, technological, and economic visions of today and what America could be in the near, near future."
The main story is about how easy it would be to become radicalized on social media over something like health care, and the bombings begin...
December 19th, 2019 at 4:35 PM ^
Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, about Theranos
Where Men Win Glory, by Jon Krakauer, a great, but ultimately infuriating read about Pat Tillman
December 19th, 2019 at 4:48 PM ^
"Stupid and More Stupid" by Simon S. Simian. It's the go to guide for understanding marsupials and their inevitable extinction.
December 19th, 2019 at 4:49 PM ^
I read Gone Girl over the summer, and I am almost done with Dark Places. Gillian Flynn is an incredibly underappreciated author. Her books are extremely dark, but really good if you're a fan of crime stories.
On that note, if you're committed nonfiction, In Cold Blood and Helter Skelter are two excellent true crime books.
December 20th, 2019 at 6:24 AM ^
I couldn't put Gone Girl down but I hated it so much because every character needed to lose, but the worst of them won. Ugh.
Dark Places was much more enjoyable for me, but Sharp Objects was my favorite.
December 19th, 2019 at 4:50 PM ^
Since you like survival stories, let me recommend "In the Land of White Death", a Russian survival story about a crew stranded in the Arctic.
A few other excellent non-fiction books:
- Blood In the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising. As the title indicates, it is the history of the 1971 prison uprising.
- Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. This is a true story of a woman who worked at a crematory/funeral home.
- The Poisoner's Handbook. This deals with the birth of forensic science in criminology. It is set in 1920s New York.
December 19th, 2019 at 7:12 PM ^
I love the Poisoners Handbook and I just read her new book The Poison Squad about a group of guys they'd feed poison to in order to test which/how much chemical preservatives should be used (formaldehyde, borate, etc.)
December 19th, 2019 at 7:32 PM ^
Other great survivor books are Into Thin Air, by John Krakauer and Endurance by Alfred Lansing. Both are man-against-nature books. The first chronicles an ill-fated scaling of Mount Everest, and the latter describes Ernest Shackleton and his crew's doomed expedition to the South Pole. Great suspense, if you don't know the outcome of either venture.
December 19th, 2019 at 11:15 PM ^
Two of my all time favorites.
December 19th, 2019 at 4:54 PM ^
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is a life changing book that is very eye opening to the ways of the world. Incredibly accurate regarding our current state of affairs, although written decades ago.
December 19th, 2019 at 5:03 PM ^
Only a young, unseasoned reader could plow through that book. I'd suggest reading this first:
https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/366635-there-are-two-novels-that-can-change-a-bookish-fourteen-year
December 19th, 2019 at 5:39 PM ^
The critics of Rand always make dumb comments like this. No substance, just insults. So predictably boring. And by the way, I think Rand is wrong about several things.
December 19th, 2019 at 6:19 PM ^
I plowed through it myself when young. Interesting experience. I didn't entirely dislike it. (If you've ever worked in a technical capacity and had inept, non-technical management, you'll appreciate the train tunnel scene.)
But, the book is really simple-minded and the writing quality is very low.
December 19th, 2019 at 7:43 PM ^
And that last bit is the best reason ever to not read something. There is more quality writing in the world than you'll ever make a dent in, so why waste time on someone who even her supporters generally admit is a poor writer?
If you want to learn her "philosophy," just read a synopsis somewhere else. There's no read to read a long novel that screams for a competent editor.
December 21st, 2019 at 10:04 AM ^
If it’s terrible writing, why did NYT have it as the second most influential book of all time second to The Bible? She got people to read 1,100 pages of philosophy and that’s a significant accomplishment. I’m skeptical you even read it. Im skeptical of those who claim to read it and have retarded criticisms like this. I’m sure you’d butcher your synopsis of the philosophy too.
December 19th, 2019 at 5:22 PM ^
Anything by Ann Rule. Greatest true crime writer ever.
December 19th, 2019 at 5:26 PM ^
Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. The biography of Meriwether Lewis and the opening of the West.
December 19th, 2019 at 5:31 PM ^
Overtime - John U Bacon
December 19th, 2019 at 5:32 PM ^
Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand.
December 19th, 2019 at 6:21 PM ^
Great Book!
December 19th, 2019 at 11:12 PM ^
Agree. Also infinitely better than the movie.
December 19th, 2019 at 5:40 PM ^
-Twilight
-Mein Kampf
-Goodnight Moon
December 19th, 2019 at 7:01 PM ^
Don't forget 'Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret'
December 19th, 2019 at 5:41 PM ^
Scott Adams has a couple good books out there that I’ve read and am in the process of reading.
God’s Debris
Loserthink
December 19th, 2019 at 5:50 PM ^
Nonfiction:
The God that Failed, a collection of essays from six intellectuals who detail their time involved in Stalinist Marxism and their subsequent disillusionment with the movement. Highly recommended.
Anything by Dr. Thomas Sowell on economics and politics.
If you like good theology and are curious about things from a Lutheran perspective (which I always endorse,) check out https://www.jspublishing.org
Fiction
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. A bit on the supernatural side, but it does have a good "private eye" fiction feel to it. Koontz is Stephen King without excessive wordiness, and he WILL keep you turning pages (I've had to deliberately set limits on my time when reading his books).
I The Jury by Mickey Spillaine. First in the Mike Hammer p.i. series. It's a throwback book, but worth the time.
December 19th, 2019 at 6:20 PM ^
Sowell is just amazing. I took a class in college "American Minorities" and two of his books were used as the text. Just fantastic.
December 19th, 2019 at 6:12 PM ^
12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson
Talking to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell
Both on my reading list for 2020
December 20th, 2019 at 10:01 AM ^
12 Rules is great, have Talking to Stranger and Outliers on my list s well.
December 19th, 2019 at 6:16 PM ^
Non fiction I recently read Catch and Kill by Ronan Farrow (about Harvey Weinstein) and Filthy Rich by James Patterson (about Jeffrey Epstein). Both of those guys were so much worse than you ever imagined. Also The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. Book by Evan Ratliff about cyber crime lord Paul Le Roux. Thrilling story about utmost greed.
Fiction I recently read Song of Achilles and Circe both by Madeline Miller. Really well written and must reads for any fans of Greek mythology.
Thank you to everyone else for the suggestions. I am always looking for something good to read. Currently reading Trust Exercise by Susan Choi. She is a great writer (Fiction).
December 19th, 2019 at 6:20 PM ^
Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson is an amazing read. Not an easy one but it was great. About the origins of nationalism. Learned a lot.
I don't read a lot of fiction either but High Fidelity was really good. I haven't even seen the movie actually.
December 19th, 2019 at 6:27 PM ^
Atlas Shrugged
December 19th, 2019 at 6:59 PM ^
The 70 page John Galt speech was enough to make me regret all the prior work that went into reading that book. In the end I thought it was too pedantic for my liking but I'm glad I can at least say I read it.
December 19th, 2019 at 7:24 PM ^
This is always the correct answer!
December 20th, 2019 at 4:35 PM ^
I actually prefer Rand's book We The Living. It's a very good look at life in Russia when the Soviets took over, and Rand herself said it's as close to an autobiography as she would get.
People think that Rand was over the top in her philosophy, and while I can't say I agree with all of it, it needs to be remembered that she watched Russia's collapse into Soviet Marxism first hand and witnessed the application of Communism as it ripped her country apart. So while it's fair to say that she might have gone off the deep end in the other direction in ways, her reaction was not unfounded or without reason.
December 21st, 2019 at 10:11 AM ^
I really liked Anthem as well. Very short read, but good.
Some of her non-fiction works are quite good as well.
December 19th, 2019 at 6:40 PM ^
Two suggestions, both by Jeff Guinn
Go Down Together---The Real Story of Bonnie and Clyde, and; The Last Gunfight, The true Story of the shootout at the O.K Corral And How it Changed the American West.
Might as well add 'Indianapolis,' by Vincent and Vladic, about the sinking of the USS Indianapolis in WW2
All 3 are excellent reads you won't want to put down.
December 19th, 2019 at 6:46 PM ^
Anything Erik Larson has written.
Currently enjoying The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski.
December 19th, 2019 at 6:51 PM ^
The Count of Monte Cristo is my #1 favorite book.
Dracula is a fantastic read and so is East of Eden.
December 19th, 2019 at 7:13 PM ^
Always enjoy these threads. Just finished the Beastie Boys Book - worth a read if you ever enjoyed their music
December 19th, 2019 at 7:19 PM ^
I'm on my 45th book since the start of summer. My favorites were Superheavy about transuranic elements, How to be an Antiracist, Factfulness and I wrote a short fiction book about a group of teachers all trying to get fired which is free on kindle unlimited.
December 19th, 2019 at 7:23 PM ^
Devil in the White City
Then everything else by Erik Larson. Great historical narrative writer.
December 19th, 2019 at 7:47 PM ^
If you're interested in late 19th C Chicago history, I'd recommend Nature's Metropolis. Easily my favorite work of economic history, it gives a detailed account of how Chicago became the Second City, with a ton of genuinely fascinating historical-economic detail (e.g. the origin of farm commodities and their implications for finance). Also lots of Michigan content, especially with respect to lumber industry.
December 19th, 2019 at 10:17 PM ^
Seconded on Nature's Metropolis. Awesome book.
December 19th, 2019 at 7:25 PM ^
Factfulness.
Thinking fast and slow.
December 19th, 2019 at 8:08 PM ^
I recently read "The Guns of August " by Barbara Tuchman.
Its about the opening salvos of WW1 and it was fantastic.
European leadership was fucked
December 19th, 2019 at 11:10 PM ^
She might be the best old-school historian I've ever read. "The March of Folly" was even better than Guns, but both are immensely rewarding reads.
December 19th, 2019 at 8:24 PM ^
Fearless by Eric Blehm
story about Adam Brown a Navy SEAL
December 20th, 2019 at 10:06 AM ^
He's from down the road in Hot Springs...great book.
December 19th, 2019 at 8:51 PM ^
I've been gravitating toward non-fiction over the last few years, and here are a few of my latest reads in that genre:
- Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey (read this during my recent trip through southwestern Utah)
- The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border by Francisco Cantu (somewhat political as it's written by a border patrol agent but it is riveting)
- The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King. This book was really good for giving the chronology of Mr. Rogers' life and how his upbringing shaped his life and career, but the editing was horrible. There are whole paragraphs that are repeated, and not once but many times. It's like they never revised it past a second draft before going to press.
- Flyboys: A True Story of Courage by James Bradley. I read this after the passing of George H.W. Bush since I was only a teenager when he was president and didn't know about this phase of his life.
- The White Darkness by David Grann. Picked this up since I *loved* Killers of the Flower Moon and it was awesome. Short, easy to read, with high-quality photographs. Tells the story of a recent attempt to cross Antarctica.
- How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence by Michael Pollan. I knew there was a reason I've always loved LSD and psilocybin. Because science.
Enjoy!