Reading list

[Houston]

A few years ago, I used to read 2 books a week. Now, I barely have time to read 2 books in a 6-month period. To remedy that, I'm going to make a rare New Year's resolution to reclaim my time by reading more.

Do you have any book recommendations out there? I'm starting with 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell, which I got for Christmas, and will go from there.

I generally prefer history, philosophy, and sociology-themed books.

[Andyzipp]

Blink and Tipping Point, if you like Outliers.

IBM and the Holocaust

Freakonomics

The Culture of Fear


And right now, I'm reading Waiter Rant...which is entertaining if you find stories of waiting tables being entertaining.

[MusicMan]

The Post-American World - Fareed Zakaria
Flat, Hot, and Crowded - Thomas Friedman

[Duman]

3/4 of the way through outliers.  Outstanding book.

[Guinness]

Anyone read the ubiquitous 'Team of Rivals' yet?  Got it for Christmas and have just started it.  Good so far, but I'm kind of just starting a Civil War reading phase, so it's more on my radar than it might be if I was still in my WWII reading phase.

[Houston]

Anyone read the ubiquitous 'Team of Rivals' yet?  Got it for Christmas and have just started it.  Good so far, but I'm kind of just starting a Civil War reading phase, so it's more on my radar than it might be if I was still in my WWII reading phase.

I recently started "Lincoln: President-Elect," but haven't gotten too far because of the holidays.

To AndyZipp: I read both of Malcolm Gladwell's other books and enjoyed both very much, though I didn't necessarily agree with his conclusions. I'm sure I'll like "Outliers," too.

[Taras Bulba]

You might like, "Carnage and Culture" by Victor Davis Hanson.

[Houston]

You might like, "Carnage and Culture" by Victor Davis Hanson.

One of my favorite writers!

[JimR]

Anyone read the ubiquitous 'Team of Rivals' yet?  Got it for Christmas and have just started it.  Good so far, but I'm kind of just starting a Civil War reading phase, so it's more on my radar than it might be if I was still in my WWII reading phase.

i have not read it yet, but anything by Doris Kearns Goodwin will be outstanding, imo.

huge baseball fan, she.

[JackAstro]

I'll take fiction recommendations if anyone has them. I've fallen horribly out of habit with reading fiction in the last few years, mostly because I'm completely out of touch with what I might want to read. I only have time to read a handful every year, and I don't know where to start anymore.

When I read a lot of fiction I always gravitated to the classics, Vonnegut, Tom Robbins (though he's totally full of shit, I think he's entertaining), Elmore Leonard, and a whole bunch of miscellaneous. No one else in particular leaps to mind, though I've enjoyed a lot more than that. I'm not a big fan of airport paperbacks or military/spy novels, but I don't hate them either. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

[believin]

Nonfiction:

Strangers, Gods, and Monsters by Richard Kearney
A Man Without a Country (Vonnegut) - very funny reading
The Devil in the White City (Erik Larson) - the writing is good enough to be fiction, but it is not
(ETA) - The Anatomy of Baseball anthology by Yogi Berra (Foreword), Lee Gutkind (Editor), Andrew Blauner (Editor)


Fiction:

Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series is really funny stuff (The Eyre Affair is the first in the series)
The Art of Racing in the Rain (Garth Stein) is pretty good
The Book Thief (Markus Zusak)

[VirtualBob]

I'll take fiction recommendations if anyone has them. I've fallen horribly out of habit with reading fiction in the last few years, mostly because I'm completely out of touch with what I might want to read. I only have time to read a handful every year, and I don't know where to start anymore.

When I read a lot of fiction I always gravitated to the classics, Vonnegut, Tom Robbins (though he's totally full of shit, I think he's entertaining), Elmore Leonard, and a whole bunch of miscellaneous. No one else in particular leaps to mind, though I've enjoyed a lot more than that. I'm not a big fan of airport paperbacks or military/spy novels, but I don't hate them either. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Try John Le Carré's new book A Most Wanted Man.  And no, it is not 'just another spy story'.

[David in Jackson]

A few years ago, I used to read 2 books a week. Now, I barely have time to read 2 books in a 6-month period. To remedy that, I'm going to make a rare New Year's resolution to reclaim my time by reading more.

Do you have any book recommendations out there? I'm starting with 'Outliers' by Malcolm Gladwell, which I got for Christmas, and will go from there.

I generally prefer history, philosophy, and sociology-themed books.

Moneyball by Michael Lewis (really - it's about more than baseball stats)
Legacy of Ashes (a history of the CIA)
The Whiskey Robber

[Houston]

The Devil in the White City (Erik Larson) - the writing is good enough to be fiction, but it is not

I also recommend "Isaac's Storm" by the same writer.

[Bench]

I'll take fiction recommendations if anyone has them. I've fallen horribly out of habit with reading fiction in the last few years, mostly because I'm completely out of touch with what I might want to read. I only have time to read a handful every year, and I don't know where to start anymore.

When I read a lot of fiction I always gravitated to the classics, Vonnegut, Tom Robbins (though he's totally full of shit, I think he's entertaining), Elmore Leonard, and a whole bunch of miscellaneous. No one else in particular leaps to mind, though I've enjoyed a lot more than that. I'm not a big fan of airport paperbacks or military/spy novels, but I don't hate them either. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

I enjoy Nick Hornby's books (High Fidelity, About a Boy).  Also, if you can get past the self-indulgence of his writing style, Ian McEwan can spin a yarn.  I prefer Saturday (a quick read) to Atonement or his other stuff merely because the first-person perspective suits his style better.   

[JimR]

The Blind Side by Lewis is a great (and true) story.

[Taras Bulba]

"The Black Dahlia" by James Ellroy.

[Ron Brand]

I'm wrapping up reading Averting the "Final Failure": John F. Kennedy and the Secret Cuban Missile Crisis Meetings, by Sheldon Stern. A very informative account of the secret Executive Committee meetings held during the Crisis, taken from JFK's tapes that shed a significant amount of new light on the roles played by the participants and JFK's reluctance to believe the Joint Chiefs' insistence that strikes would take care of the problem. Also revelatory as to the presence and orders relating to tactical nuclear devices in Cuba to be used in the event of American invasion.

[Taras Bulba]

I'm wrapping up reading Averting the "Final Failure": John F. Kennedy and the Secret Cuban Missile Crisis Meetings, by Sheldon Stern. A very informative account of the secret Executive Committee meetings held during the Crisis, taken from JFK's tapes that shed a significant amount of new light on the roles played by the participants and JFK's reluctance to believe the Joint Chiefs' insistence that strikes would take care of the problem. Also revelatory as to the presence and orders relating to tactical nuclear devices in Cuba to be used in the event of American invasion.

I used to know a retired bird colonel in SA that was in a staging area in Florida at that time.  He once told me that "if ever the military was ready to kick ass it was during the crisis."  Lot of bitterness among some of those fellows that they didn't get the "go" order to tour the island. 

[HudsonHawk]

I used to know a retired bird colonel in SA that was in a staging area in Florida at that time.  He once told me that "if ever the military was ready to kick ass it was during the crisis."  Lot of bitterness among some of those fellows that they didn't get the "go" order to tour the island. 

My father tells a great Bay of Pigs story.  He was in the 101st Airborne at the time, and they were armed, in the air, within minutes of jumping when Kennedy called it off. 

[HudsonHawk]

I enjoy Nick Hornby's books (High Fidelity, About a Boy).  Also, if you can get past the self-indulgence of his writing style, Ian McEwan can spin a yarn.  I prefer Saturday (a quick read) to Atonement or his other stuff merely because the first-person perspective suits his style better.   

I enjoy Hornby's stuff.  I especially liked "A Long Way Down", in which he managed to be insightful and poignent without getting overly sentimental.  I'm reading "Slam" now.  And speaking of spinning a yarn, I've read several of Jimmy Buffet's offerings, and if you can suspend reality for a few minutes, he does tell a vivid tale, even if it's a bit far fetched.

[Mr. Happy]

I heartily second the recommendation of Legacy of Ashes.

[David in Jackson]

I'll take fiction recommendations if anyone has them. I've fallen horribly out of habit with reading fiction in the last few years, mostly because I'm completely out of touch with what I might want to read. I only have time to read a handful every year, and I don't know where to start anymore.

When I read a lot of fiction I always gravitated to the classics, Vonnegut, Tom Robbins (though he's totally full of shit, I think he's entertaining), Elmore Leonard, and a whole bunch of miscellaneous. No one else in particular leaps to mind, though I've enjoyed a lot more than that. I'm not a big fan of airport paperbacks or military/spy novels, but I don't hate them either. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Love Elmore Leonard. Two mystery recommendations: Alan Furst (WWII) and Henning Mankell (Sweden)

Best novel I read this year: Any Human Heart by Wiliam Boyd

[David in Jackson]

"The Black Dahlia" by James Ellroy.

One of the all-time greats!

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

I love James Ellroy. I don't often recommend him though. Some people can't get into his style or they think he's too graphic. I love him. And I wait with great anticipation for Blood's a Rover. I think American Tabloid is his best.

[Ron Brand]

Lot of bitterness among some of those fellows that they didn't get the "go" order to tour the island. 

Scary, scary time.  The Soviets had tac nukes at the ready and had the order to use them if we went in.  Recon planes were fired on, reducing the option of air strikes as the primary response.  Nobody knew how close the missiles were to being operational.  Yikes.

[Bench]

I enjoy Hornby's stuff.  I especially liked "A Long Way Down", in which he managed to be insightful and poignent without getting overly sentimental.  I'm reading "Slam" now.  And speaking of spinning a yarn, I've read several of Jimmy Buffet's offerings, and if you can suspend reality for a few minutes, he does tell a vivid tale, even if it's a bit far fetched.

"A Long Way Down" was really good.  It was Hornby's first time to really create different voices for different characters, and he did a great job.  I've packed "How to Be Good" in bag for my flight tomorrow.

For good old fun paperback reading, I recommend any of Tim Dorsey's (no relation to Ken) Florida novels.  He puts Carl Hiassen to shame when it comes to that genre, and doesn't get near enough recognition.  Serge A. Storms is one of literature's great characters up there with Ignatius J. Reilly and Sir Harry Flashman. 

[Bill McLuggage]

I don't get to much fiction these days - but here are some good reads I've stumbled upon lately:

Fast Food Nation by Schlosser (disregard the movie)
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind by Ries/Trout (fascinating)
Friday Night Lights by Bissinger (for your sports kick)

I'm halfway through Watchmen right now and it is excellent (if you're into the graphic novel thing).

[Bench]

I'm halfway through Watchmen right now and it is excellent (if you're into the graphic novel thing).

I've never been able to read graphic novels.  I tried to read Sandman many years ago, but got stupidly confused each page about whether I should read left to right or up and down.  However, my sister-in-law loves them, and I got her Bottomless Belly Button for Christmas which is supposed to be the best graphic novel of the year.  I'm interested in what she thinks about it.

[Tralfaz]

"What er you reading fer?"  -Bill Hicks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ruO4dwLC94&feature=related

[Guinness]

I've never been able to read graphic novels.  I tried to read Sandman many years ago, but got stupidly confused each page about whether I should read left to right or up and down.  However, my sister-in-law loves them, and I got her Bottomless Belly Button for Christmas which is supposed to be the best graphic novel of the year.  I'm interested in what she thinks about it.

I don't 'get' graphic novels either...why not read a book?  But that said, Sandman was by Neil Gaiman, who's a great writer in his own...er...right.  Check out American Gods, Anansi's Boys or Good Omens (written with Terry Pratchett).  Excellent books, the best fiction I think I've read this year.

[Mr. Happy]

I get a lot of my new non-fiction book selections from BookTV on CSPAN2. They cover some really fine reads.

[dirty steve]

picked up "The Perfect Storm" by Junger a couple of months and started it the other night.  the author seems pretty set on you understanding the backstory of all the members of the ill-fated fishing trip.

[Ron Brand]

I gave the first volume of Shelby Foote's Civil War narrative as a gift this Christmas. If you haven't read it, you definitely should. Some of the passages will make you stop and reflect for a good long while.

[The Third Man]

I gave the first volume of Shelby Foote's Civil War narrative as a gift this Christmas. If you haven't read it, you definitely should. Some of the passages will make you stop and reflect for a good long while.

Great recommendation. I saw him speak at the University of St. Thomas in the 90's and made the case that a great historian needs to also know how to craft a great narrative. He certainly did that.

I am currently finishing up "Homicide" by David Simon. He was a reporter for the Baltimore Sun before he wrote and produced "The Wire." He had access to the Baltimore homicide division for a year in the 80's. The attention to detail and gallows humor are what I like best about his work.

Next on the list is "Restoration" by Rose Tremain, which is all about Charles II and English Civil War.

Novel for the summer: "Possession," by A.S. Byatt.

[legs_of_eggs]

I recommend Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton