What are you reading?

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bookhouse_boy
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Re: What are you reading?

Post by bookhouse_boy »

The Solace of Open Spaces by Greta Ehrlich. She's phenomenal.
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Brian Thomas
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Re: What are you reading?

Post by Brian Thomas »

Twofer Tuesday finished reading J.G. Ballard's High Rise (1975) and Kingdom Come (2006) in the last week. What better distraction from the sh*tshow of 2020 in America than reading some dystopian British novels, right? These are the first books of his I have finished reading, started reading Crash (1973) some years ago and saw the movie adaptation of autobiographical Empire Of The Sun (1984).

The Denver Public Library has contact-free pickup at most of its locations now, you show up, slip them your library card through the window, and they bring you a bag full of books.
"I try my best to be just like I am, but everybody wants you to be just like them" - Bob Dylan
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susanjoypaul
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Re: What are you reading?

Post by susanjoypaul »

I read a lot of nonfiction for work and for pleasure. Two standouts this year were The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard and Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration by David Roberts. Highly recommend both, enjoyed with a hot cup of cocoa because the setting - Antarctica - and the thrills will chill you to the bone. if you liked Alfred Lansing's Endurance, you'll love these books.

On the fiction side, also binged Daphne du Maurier this year. Don't let the book covers fool you: these aren't romance novels. Well, except maybe a couple...Rebecca and Frenchman's Creek come to mind. An amazing novelist clearly ahead of her time. She wrote The Birds and a lot of other great stuff: The House on the Strand, The Scapegoat, The King's General, Jamaica Inn, and a bunch more.

If you're into sci-fi (yep, old Trekkie and Asimov/Bradbury/Herbert fan here) I also recommend the Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor, starting with We Are Legion (We Are Bob). I just finished the fourth book, well, I audibled it because it isn't in print yet, and the whole series is fantastic.

None of these books is going to blow you away in say, a Kurt Vonnegut or Leo Tolstoy kind of way, but they're great stories, well told, that suck you in and give you a reprieve from the trials and tribulations of 2020.
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Re: What are you reading?

Post by Alpineair »

Mr. Putin by Fiona Hill and Clifford G. Gaddy. If you want a feel for where we may be headed this may be a clue.
I also enjoyed The Price of Inequality by Joseph E. Stiglitz. Hard to get started with this one, but a third of the way in it became easier.
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MtnHub
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Re: What are you reading?

Post by MtnHub »

Thanks for the suggestions, SJP! And good to hear from you!!

I was just looking for some new fiction to start. Those are all new to me, so I'll check them out.

When you mentioned, Endurance, I had just recently finished the book by the same title, but by astronaut Scott Kelly about his year in space. That is an excellent book too!
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Re: What are you reading?

Post by susanjoypaul »

MtnHub wrote: Wed Nov 11, 2020 2:20 pm When you mentioned, Endurance, I had just recently finished the book by the same title, but by astronaut Scott Kelly about his year in space. That is an excellent book too!
Ah, thanks for the recommendation. I love reading about space exploration and am a big fan of Scott and his brother, Mark, too. Will have to download a copy tonight. It's funny, I tend to audible books these days or read the digital versions on my tablet, but right after I finish them I turn around and buy paperback copies of the really good ones anyway. Reading a "real book" is just a different experience. Plus I think I just like seeing them on the bookshelf.
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Re: What are you reading? Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides

Post by Uncle beanhead »

I just started Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides. It’s about Kit Carson and “ The conquest of the American West”. Good non fiction with a lot of local history and names you will recognize from surrounding peaks and such.
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Re: What are you reading?

Post by Ignats »

Sapiens (Yuval Harari). Good read especially when you get over hating yourself. Prior: William Forstchen post-apocalyptic series, Graham Handcock, Stichen, Vince Flynn, Tony Hillerman and of course, Ayn Rand.
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Re: What are you reading?

Post by AnnaG22 »

About to finish Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawkens and Amory and Hunter Lovins.
Been working my way through Harry Potter und der Halbblutprinz, once I finish that I'll only have one left of the series auf Deutsch, at which point I'll have to figure out what else I can read to work on my German comprehension.
1776 and Just Mercy are next on the non-fiction list.
"The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need – if only we had the eyes to see." -Ed Abbey

"I get scared sometimes—lots of times—but it's not bad. You know? I feel close to myself. When I'm out there at night, I feel close to my own body, I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything, it's like I'm full of electricity and I'm glowing in the dark—I'm on fire almost—I'm burning away into nothing—but it doesn't matter because I know exactly who I am." from The Things They Carried
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Re: What are you reading?

Post by AnnaG22 »

highpilgrim wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2020 9:31 am
SurfNTurf wrote: Fri Mar 20, 2020 9:17 am especially his earlier collection of essays, Eiger Dreams.
That was a great read. Vintage stuff. The story of the Devil's Thumb was a favorite.

I've read a lot of Craig Child's work and find it compelling. The current one I'm rereading is The Secret Knowledge of Water, about the American southwestern desert. Good stuff.

His Animal Dialogues is great as well.
More ++++ on both Krakauer and Craig Childs. The Secret Knowledge of Water is one of my favorite things that I've read over the past couple years. Utterly captivating, the book absolutely transported me to each scene he was recollecting.
"The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need – if only we had the eyes to see." -Ed Abbey

"I get scared sometimes—lots of times—but it's not bad. You know? I feel close to myself. When I'm out there at night, I feel close to my own body, I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything, it's like I'm full of electricity and I'm glowing in the dark—I'm on fire almost—I'm burning away into nothing—but it doesn't matter because I know exactly who I am." from The Things They Carried
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two lunches
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Re: What are you reading?

Post by two lunches »

AnnaG22 wrote: Wed Nov 11, 2020 8:13 pm About to finish Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawkens and Amory and Hunter Lovins.
a quick search- that looks INCREDIBLE. how did you like it?
“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” – Mary Davis
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highpilgrim
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Re: What are you reading?

Post by highpilgrim »

AnnaG22 wrote: Wed Nov 11, 2020 8:19 pm The Secret Knowledge of Water is one of my favorite things that I've read over the past couple years. Utterly captivating, the book absolutely transported me to each scene he was recollecting.
He is great at generating atmospheric feelings for his subject matter. And fear when he wants. You should read the Animal Dialogues when he is describing encountering big predators in very dense jungle. :shock:

Think about trying this as well:

Finders Keepers: A Tale of Archaeological Plunder and Obsession
Book by Craig Childs
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