What are you reading?

Make your bed  by a retired Admiral.   It stemmed from his commencement speech in 2014.

Quick easy inspirational read.

Next TB12

Started reading Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein the other day. Good so far.

Still reading Stranger in a Strange Land. Also started Into the Wild by John Krakauer. I've seen the movie twice, I'm finally getting around to reading the book.

Finished Into the Wild last week. Started Dark Tower IV yesterday and I'm about 20% through it. 

posted by justincredible

Finished Into the Wild last week. Started Dark Tower IV yesterday and I'm about 20% through it. 

How'd you like Into the Wild?  I really enjoyed that book.  If you liked it, you should also read Into Thin Air and Where Men Win Glory - both also by Jon Krakauer.  He's a really good writer.  The second book about Pat Tillman gave me a whole new perspective and respect for that guy.  

I liked the book a lot. I will check the others out, thanks.

The movie is also good. Worth a watch.

Re-reading "I Never Had It Made", by Jackie Robinson.  I first read it over 25 years ago, after seeing a 1990 made-for-TV movie called "The Court Martial of Jackie Robinson".  Zunardo says, "highly-recommended".

Finished Stranger in a Strange Land last night. That book was one big orgy, basically. I didn't like it as much as The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, but I did enjoy it. I'm not sure what Heinlein book I'll read next.

I'm also almost finished with The Dark Tower IV, it's getting very interesting towards the end. It was a little dull for a while, but it has picked up nicely.

"A Castle in the Forest" by Norman Mailer.  It's a novel told from the perspective of the demon who was in charge of grooming Adolf Hitler as a youth.  It's a interesting premise and Mailer has a lot of research on Hitler's childhood and the events that shaped him.  I am enjoying it, but if you're not a person with a lot on interest in reading about Hitler, you should pass.

posted by justincredible

Finished Stranger in a Strange Land last night. That book was one big orgy, basically. I didn't like it as much as The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, but I did enjoy it. I'm not sure what Heinlein book I'll read next.

I'm also almost finished with The Dark Tower IV, it's getting very interesting towards the end. It was a little dull for a while, but it has picked up nicely.

I think I have a couple Heinlein books in the back room that a former co-worker let me snag when he moved a long time ago and Stranger might be one of them. Never have gotten to them. Still trying to finish a "best of" sci-fi collection of stories from the 50s or 60s before that.

Finished Dark Tower V (I was on V, not IV in my recent posts) a while back. Also read through The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov over my recent trip, it was a great book. I started One Second After by William Forstchen yesterday, it's been good so far.

Finished One Second After last week, it was a great, but emotionally draining read. I'm about a quarter through Altered Carbon now, good book, the show didn't stray too far as of yet.

Also curious, after watching The Death of Stalin last weekend, anyone read any good books on Stalin? There are two biographies from Simon Sebag Montefiore (Young Stalin and one other) that look good. Anyone read either of those? Boogie?

I finished Lords of the Realm, the story of baseball up to the 1994 Strike.

I thought I knew how screwed up labor relations were growing up, but holy cow, was it bad. I didn't realize how often strikes or lockouts occurred in baseball. Also, how baseball just could not get out of its own way in terms of tv and money rights. Also, crazy how broke some teams were in the 80s and 90s that led to the 1994 strike. 

Funny too how the same things you hear about baseball now, it is older, too long, and too expensive to head to the ballpark, were complaints 30-40 years ago. 

It is a great book for those that are interested in the history of labor relations in baseball. 

Next up is "Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink" by David Margolick. I'm looking forward to it as I know just a little bit about the story. 

posted by justincredible

Also curious, after watching The Death of Stalin last weekend, anyone read any good books on Stalin? There are two biographies from Simon Sebag Montefiore (Young Stalin and one other) that look good. Anyone read either of those? Boogie?

I haven't read any of them, but I know Stephen Kotkin has a trilogy of books coming out on Stalin.Two are out already. 

Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928

Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929-1941 

Another one is from Oleg V. Khlevniuk, titled: Stalin: New Biography of a Dictator 

Thanks, I'll check these out.

I just  started Tiger Woods Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian.  Tiger's life story is very interesting to me.  It's both fantastic and sad at the same time.  I believe at his best (2000-2005 or so), he was better than anyone who's ever played the game and one of the greatest American athletes of modern times.  

Since my last check-in:

Finished Altered Carbon. Lots of differences from the tv series, but I enjoyed it. I will continue reading the trilogy.

Started Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell. GREAT free market economics primer written in plain English. It's a long book, but it's been great so far (about 20% in).

Started Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah. Great book so far, with a pretty interesting plot twist. Looking forward to finishing up the series after the next book.

I recently finished the Dark Tower series, and it was a great ride.

I started Fall of Giants by Ken Follett this morning. From goodreads:

This is an epic of love, hatred, war and revolution. This is a huge novel that follows five families through the world-shaking dramas of the First World War, the Russian Revolution, and the struggle for votes for women.