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

I just bought The Room Where It Happened by John Bolton, got it at a yard sale and the woman charged me the most I have ever paid for a used book but I had to have it! I'm reading another book at the moment but soon I will get to the Bolton book.
 

Sliverfox said:
The Shop on Royal Street by Karen White.

Young woman sets about trying to restore a rundown house in New Orleans.
She feels it is haunted as strange things happen.

A good light mystery for Summer reading.
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Looks like it's only available in hard back and large print. Sounds interesting though. I'll look for the author in the thrift store. I'm kind of hooked on these cozy mysteries.
 
moviequeen1 said:
The book I started last night is ""Up All Night,Ted Turner,CNN&The Birth of 24-Hour News' by Lisa Napoli. The book is about how CNN was started{1980} changed the way we watched news from 3 networks to now 24/7,constant breaking news. The author started her career as a unpaid teenage intern during the 2nd yr of CNN's at the NYC bureau
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Sad to say I just could not get into this book,didn't think the author was a good writer, gave up after 100 pgs
 
The book I'm reading is'The Alibi Man' by Tami Hoag, a sequel to 'Dark Horse' In both books has the same character, ex cop Elena Estes She now makes a living training horses in ultra wealthy Palm Beach,Fla horse community In this book she tries to find the person responsible for killing her friend, Irina who worked at the same place Elena does. I've read most of Hoag's books, like these thrillers
 
THE ROCK HOLE by Reavis Z.Wortham

Set in Texas during the 60s.
Ten year old grandson come to live with his grandparents,in rural Center Springs TX.

Life there is still rough & tumble with with strife between the white folks & the *****s.
At a time when things are changing in the bigger cities,, this little community is stuck in the 'old ways.'

A good read that reminds you that have things really changed?
 
Currently have two non-fiction books going.

The Mismeasurement of Crime is a slender volume, the material very 'dry' but of some interest to me because i have been reminding people online for years that stats can be distorted and aren't even always accurate, particularly crime ones. Once i get out of the 'history' part of it, it might be less dry.

The other, Still Just a Geek, is over 400 pages and heavily annotated because that was the whole point of an editor's proposal to the author, Wil Wheaton. My daughter gifted me the book for my birthday this year. She know i admire the author for candor and his ability to learn and grow, be open about his mental health issues and incredibly supportive of others with mental health issues. He's an entertaining writer too.

Back in 2004 Wheaton wrote a memoir, Just a Geek. A publisher he sent a fiction work of his to, declined that work but suggested he revisit the memoir. He did. Now 50 years old (tho this volume published last year--so about 15-17 yrs since writing the original) he was appalled at the self he revealed. He's not the same man now. He's always been hard on himself, but now he's better able to see how he's grown as a human being.

i just reached a page where are 2 sentences from original and the rest of the page is annotations revealing how he feels about his statements now. i suspect any of us who have gone back and read old journals/diaries or even old social media posts can empathize.

But for me, with the interest in self-awareness i have, it resonates deeply. i am reminded of how a dear friend sent me a package of all my letters to her from a 10 year period, that happened to include the years i knew my first husband. She sent these some months after his death. It took days to read them all--but a clear pattern emerged: i would get healthier during our estrangements, retain some of it when first reconciled then begin a slide back into chronic depression. It was a big help to me on several levels.
 
Just finished another non-fiction book. This one was by Robert P. Jones called White Too Long. The author is the CEO of Public Religion Research Institute. He was brought up in the Christian church and has a Masters in Divinity. The book is meticulously researched and provides quantitative evidence on how white supremacy has become embedded in American Christianity. I found it compelling throughout. A learning experience seeing what many would prefer to ignore, be defensive about or attempt to keep hidden.
 
Nosy Bee-54 said:
Just finished another non-fiction book. This one was by Robert P. Jones called White Too Long. The author is the CEO of Public Religion Research Institute. He was brought up in the Christian church and has a Masters in Divinity. The book is meticulously researched and provides quantitative evidence on how white supremacy has become embedded in American Christianity. I found it compelling throughout. A learning experience seeing what many would prefer to ignore, be defensive about or attempt to keep hidden.
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I read that one too; very good.
 
When I was working, I read Time and The Economist magazines on planes. That kept me up to date with what was happening in the world. When I retired a little over 2 years ago, I read self-improvement books to ensure I would make the most of the rest of my life. Now, I just read trashy thrillers from artists like Jennifer Hillier and Lisa Jackson. I go to Starbucks after the gym and read them. I'm sure I'm the only one there reading an actual book.

I get enough of what's happening in the world and politics these days by just turning on the TV. I watch various shows like those hosted by John Oliver, Bill Maher and Trevor Noah. They have substance, but I often find some of the content depressing. I want to remain aware and don't want to hide my head in the sand, but often I just need to escape into fiction.
 
Currently reading American Dialogue: the Founders and Us, by Joseph Ellis.

It's about how our Founders' intentions have gotten misinterpreted and twisted to fit contemporary ideologies.

Joseph John-Michael Ellis III is an American historian whose work focuses on the lives and times of the founders of the United States of America.
 
SeniorBen said:
Currently reading American Dialogue: the Founders and Us, by Joseph Ellis.

It's about how our Founders' intentions have gotten misinterpreted and twisted to fit contemporary ideologies.

Joseph John-Michael Ellis III is an American historian whose work focuses on the lives and times of the founders of the United States of America.
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I have checked out “The Skeptics Guide to American History” might be a thread to the book you are reading.
 
I like to read all kinds of books. When I was studying for my PhD, had to read a lot of nonfiction on leadership, the change process, literature, etc and filled a bookshelf with these books. Now that I'm done with that program, starting to read health books (always a favorite topic). Now am reading The Longevity Code, by Dr. Kris Verburgh. I've had it on my little stand next to my bed for a few months now, and been reading it on and off. Finally spent more time on it. It has a lot of useful information that ties into the research being done on longevity. Very useful to know.
 
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JaniceM said:
I have very little time to read, so I'm still going through one little by little: What Comes Naturally: Miscegenation Law and the Making of Race in America. I'm totally stunned that people could be so outrageously ignorant- and I can't say 'in the past,' either, because there are those that have the same viewpoint these days.
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I looked this book up on Amazon and it seems like something I'd be interested in. But it's out of print. I'll look for a thrift copy but the re-sellers are out looking for out of print books also.
 
Remy said:
I looked this book up on Amazon and it seems like something I'd be interested in. But it's out of print. I'll look for a thrift copy but the re-sellers are out looking for out of print books also.
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It's currently on Thriftbooks.com for $10.09.
Thriftbooks did increase prices in recent years. But I think it's still free shipping if you spend $10, I'm not sure.
 
The Tami Hoag book I mentioned in my last post' The Alibi Man' was terrific,didn't figure it out until almost the end
The book I'm reading now is'What To Do When Someone Dies' by Nicci French
The story centers on Ellie Falkner who's life has been changed forever. Her husband, Greg killed in a car crash, police find a woman in the passenger side, Ellie has no idea who she is.She doesn't want to believe he was having an affair, so she begins to find out what really happened
I never heard of the author, a wife/ husband suspense writers Nicci Germand her husband Sean French
 
CinnamonSugar said:
I made the mistake of reading Amor Towles’ 2nd novel “ A Gentleman in Moscow” first and did not finish. But now that I’ve read and enjoyed his debut novel…

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I will probably go back and re-read it, understanding his style of storytelling more fully. 🤓
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I thought "Rules of Civility" was one of the best books I ever read, so "A Gentleman In Moscow" had a hard act to follow and I was a bit disappointed, although I did like it and finish it. Now I'm waiting for the "The Lincoln Highway," to come to the library in large print.
 
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