What are you reading?

posted by justincredible

The Gunslinger is a good book, but it's the weakest of the series, IMO. Luckily it is also the shortest, by far. The second book, The Drawing of the Three, is much better.

It's basically a collection of five not-so-short stories that he might have written before he ever got the idea to make it into a series of novels. Or at least the name recognition to make that concept a reality. Which leads to it not having the same cohesiveness of the following books.

posted by iclfan2

If you like history, this seems like a good deal (wonder if it is a pricing mistake?).  1776, Truman, and John Adams kindle books by David MCCullough for 99 cents.

https://slickdeals.net/f/11910475-american-history-e-book-box-set-kindle-edition-google-ebook-1

1776 is a great book. I've got Truman and John Adams on my bookshelf already or I'd probably bite.

posted by justincredible

This is taking me a while to get through, but I've got about 150 pages left (1100 pages total) and shit is really starting to fall together. I wouldn't be terribly upset if the weather stays bad all day, it would give me an excuse to just sit around and finish the book when I get home.

Also started listening to Brain Rules - 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School. Pretty fascinating so far.

Finished both of these recently. I have started a book called Edgedancer, which is a novella from the large fantasy series I'm reading. Once I finish it I'll start in on book three, Oathbringer.

Almost finished with Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert A Heinlein. I believe the book is targeted towards a younger audience, but it's been entertaining enough and I'm a big fan of his philosophy in general.

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. Saw the play last week. Wish I had read the book before seeing it.

Started Swan Song by Robert McCammon. I'm not too far into it, but it's very interesting so far.

posted by justincredible

Started Swan Song by Robert McCammon. I'm not too far into it, but it's very interesting so far.

I really liked that book. Sure, it's a bit derivative of The Stand (with nuclear war replacing military-grade superflu), but it was a fun romp.

Finally finished Ron Chernow's Grant over the weekend. Fantastic read. He really sheds a great light into Grant's underrated Presidency. Grant had scandals due to his poor choices of cabinet posts, but it was offset by the great work he did during Reconstruction. 

In the 19th century, Grant's two terms were rare in that outside of Jackson and Lincoln, it didn't happen. He also had a high approval rating by the end of his second term, and tried to go after a third term as well. (But, failed to get the nomination)  Chernow writes that history has forgotten how popular he was and all the great work he did during his Presidency. He blames a lot of that on the failure of Reconstruction after Grant, the constant rumors of Grant being a drunk (He wasn't and rarely if ever had a drink while President),  the rise of Jim Crow laws, and just how America seems to have forgotten the time after the Civil War. 

Next, I have on the bookshelf, Malcolm Gladwell's Blink.

posted by Heretic

I really liked that book. Sure, it's a bit derivative of The Stand (with nuclear war replacing military-grade superflu), but it was a fun romp.

I'm about 25% or so into it. I'm really enjoying the book. Roland is savage.

Finished Gladwell's Blink, a nice change of pace and quick read about how we think without thinking. 

Now started David Finkel's two books, The Good Soldiers and Thanks You for Your Service. Both are about troops experience during and after the Iraq war surge. I saw the movie last year and both books have been on my list for a while. 

Finished Swan Song. Great book. Also read Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A Heinlein. Good book.

I've started Guns of the South (on your recommendation, ptown) and I am enjoying it so far. I'm about a third of the way in.

posted by justincredible

Finished Swan Song. Great book. Also read Job: A Comedy of Justice by Robert A Heinlein. Good book.

I've started Guns of the South (on your recommendation, ptown) and I am enjoying it so far. I'm about a third of the way in.

Nice. Glad you like it so far. 

I finished Good Soldiers over the weekend and now am 1/3 of the way through Thank You for Your Service. It follows the movie closely so far. Deep and tough to read in spots. 

Just started Origin by Dan Brown, we will see if it is as good as Angels and Demons (doubtful, great book) or Da Vinci Code (good book, but AnD was better). 

Yes, he has other books but this is another Robert Langdon story (I didn't like Inferno or the other one about Freemasons that well).

Finished Thank you for Your Service. It is a sobering read about soldiers returning home from Iraq. 

I needed a change of pace from that. Since the Deuce is back, I started George Pelecanos' book the Sweet Forever. He was writer/ producer of the Wire, Treme, and Deuce.

Story is set in 1980s DC and is set around the death of Len Bias, police corruption, and urban drugs and gangs. I'm 20 or so pages in and I feel like I am reading the Wire...for DC. 

Finished A Place Called Freedom this morning. Great book.

Started How Do I Tax Thee? this afternoon. So far, so good.

Lies We Believe About God by William Paul Young

Good piece of writing.  All chapters make you think, which is pretty much what I was going for.

I finished George Pelecanos' book the Sweet Forever. It was great, just like the Wire, just set in DC in 1986. 

I just started Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself--While the Rest of Us Die Hardcover.

It goes into the secret history of all the U.S. government plans to survive a nuclear strike and continue Governmental Operations during the Cold War and even now. 

I'm still working through Guns of the South. It's a great book, but the kindle version has piss-poor editing. Chunks of sentences missing, random periods and capitalizations. Really distracting.

Also started Game of Thrones on my way in to work this morning.

posted by justincredible

I'm still working through Guns of the South. It's a great book, but the kindle version has piss-poor editing. Chunks of sentences missing, random periods and capitalizations. Really distracting.

Also started Game of Thrones on my way in to work this morning.

Guns of the South was very good, if you like it you need to continue the series. I read all the way through WW2. 

The second book, about the second civil war is actually better in my opinion. 

Harry Turtledove taking real historical characters and trying to predict how they would react in a vastly different "timeline" is a great read. I think he did very well.

It has been a few years but after how well received Guns of the South was, he decided to make it a whole storyline/timeline at least through WW2 (if he has done more since I read the most current one years ago I missed it). The only difference is at the very beginning of the next book (How Few Remain) about the second civil war, he has an introduction that explains how the South could have/would have won the war without the time traveling AK-47s.

The whole series is really just amazing. Seeing how the North and South would react as separate nations in the 2 world wars was really interesting.

I'm reading over my lunch break. Lee's inauguration. Holy shit.