Books! How do you read and what do you read?

Continuing with non-fiction, I finished the following last night.

Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession by Studs Terkel.

About the author:

Studs Terkel (1912 -2008) was the author of eleven books of oral history, including Hope Dies Last, Working, and the Pulitzer Prize winning "The Good War." He is best remembered for his oral histories of common Americans and as a host of a long running show in Chicago.
 
Last night,I finished 'State of Terror' co written by Louise Penny/Hillary Clinton it was good, my one complaint it was too long at 459 pgs. Hillary is a better writer than her husband. I tried to read the book he co wrote with author James Patterson 'The President is Missing" lasted 150 pgs, it was boring
 

I read and enjoyed Bye Bye Baby (Ace Atkins - A Spencer novel/Robert B Parker), One Step Too Far (Lisa Gardner), Deck the Halls (Donna Ball), Pieces of Her (Karin Slaughter).

I also enjoyed this nonfiction book: Hype: A Doctor's Guide to Medical Myths, Exaggerated Claims, and Bad Advice, and How to Tell What's Real and What's Not (Nina Shapiro, MD).
 
I'm currently reading about the Middle East and the Roman Empire....how different factions conquered the area...then in turn were conquered by new invaders. It seems that history just keeps going round in circles.
I prefer to read actual books, but I also read on a 'Kindle' because there are books available on the internet which I can't get in the shops.
 
Recently finished Anthem by Noah Hawley. Didn't like it as much as his Before the Fall (which I absolutely loved) but still did like Anthem quite a bit (4 out of 5). Anthem is kind of hog wild but it's my kind of hog wild. A couple of quotes (among many) that I like from Anthem:

"ā€¦[F]eelings are not facts, and the desire to belong, to be something, doesnā€™t make that dream come true."

"What is history if not a mass grave filled with the bodies of followers of Special Men? Maybe averageness and blandness is what we need right now. Anonymity. Follow the words, not the person."
 
I have just finished reading 'Green Dolphin' by Elizabeth Goudge.
A historical drama based on fact about 2 sisters from Guernsey, in the Channel Islands who find themselves in love with the same man, he joins the English navy and sets sail across the seas, and lands in New Zealand where he makes his life and one of the sisters finds herself joining him in the hope of making her life with him.
What intrigued me to read it was I have their surnames in my ancestry, from Guernsey, and some of them did make their home in New Zealand, what a discovery that would be if they were tied up with these young people.
 
After my experience with cardiac arrest,I seemed to have lost my ability to concentrateā€¦so I decided to go with Audibleā€¦I sit back and listen..it makes it easier than storing books or going to the library..right now I am venturing into The Akashic Records..
 
I've read every book that Brit, Peter James wrote .. so, now I've ordered books by Canadian-Asian authors from the library.

Japanese-Cdn. Terry Watada and Grace Eiko Thomson
Vietnamese/Japanese-Cdn. Yasuko Thanh
Vietnamese-Cdn. Madeleine Thien
Chinese-Cdn. Ann Y.K. Choi, Jen Sook Fong Lee and Ann Hui
 
Bellbird said:
I have just finished reading 'Green Dolphin' by Elizabeth Goudge.
A historical drama based on fact about 2 sisters from Guernsey, in the Channel Islands who find themselves in love with the same man, he joins the English navy and sets sail across the seas, and lands in New Zealand where he makes his life and one of the sisters finds herself joining him in the hope of making her life with him.
What intrigued me to read it was I have their surnames in my ancestry, from Guernsey, and some of them did make their home in New Zealand, what a discovery that would be if they were tied up with these young people.
Click to expand...
I read and loved that book (along with a lot of her others) years ago! (I never saw the movie so don't know if it was as good.) I even wrote a fan letter to Ms. Goudge way back in the 70s I think and she wrote me the nicest letter back.
 
'Your Inner Fish: A Journey into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body' - Neil Shubin

Interesting look on how our bodies were shaped by years of evolution.
Guess there is a PBS special with the same name, will check it out.
 
Right now, I'm reading a book from a series called "The Destroyer". Would you believe that I was a freshman in high school when I read the first one?! I'm on book #131....and I still love this series!

They actually made a movie from the first book, staring Fred Ward.
 
My reading tastes are all over the board. On my Kindle right now I have several political/historical books, a few classics including The Brothers Karamazov (which I'm currently reading), about 6 or 8 dramas/mysteries, a few books about investing and 2 or 3 spiritual books. I read about 4 books per month.
 
Colleen said:
No, I haven't read Scorpion's Tail. I'm not a big fan of Nora Kelly. I listened to Old Bones on Youtube and it didn't seem to keep my interest. I tried reading it first, but DNF it.

I honestly haven't been able to find anything that holds my interest. I've read different genre's (except romance) and have even tried reading science fiction, which is not something I enjoy. My husband and I love the movie The Martian by Andy Weir so when his book, Project Hail Mary was recommended, I got about half way through it and couldn't go any further.

I normally like mystery (not true crime or bloody, gory stories) stories and tried reading Elly Griffiths but lost interest in them. I found, years ago, a series that I just loved. It was the Hamish Macbeth series by M.C. Beaton. I have the whole series and I've re-read them several times. I also read the Patrick Taylor series about a couple country doctors in Ireland. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield was very good and so was The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which took place during WWII. Currently, I'm re-reading The Cat Who....series by Lillian Jackson Braun.
Click to expand...
Love MC Beaton. She was an excellent writer and has left a large library of her works for us to enjoy.
 
Just finished ā€œDancing in a Distant Placeā€ by Isla Dewar. Kind of the Scottish equivalent of Britainā€™s ā€œMiss Readā€ but a little more modern. I enjoyed it.
 
I have stopped reading..instead,I get real comfy and listen to a good bookā€¦used to have a supper library and had to leave it all behind ,so now I purchase the Audio books..if I have to ever exit..easy to lugā€¦
 
Let the Drum Speak by Linda Lay Shuler was the third book in a series of native American stories.

I thought it would have the 2 main characters traveling on with their trading adventures.

It took a turn with the male leaving the woman & child behind at a village while he traveled & traded.

Although this is a fiction novel it is based on history.

The vision that Antelope sees does happen later when the Spanish invade the Indian territory.
 
I've started reading a fascinating book'Where Are They Buried,How Did They Die' by Tod Benoit
He has complied a list of well known people,gives a short bio of the person and directions where you can visit their final resting places. He has sports figures,TV/movie actors/authors/music icons
I'm enjoying it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top