“The Girl, The Gold Watch, & Everything” by John D. McDonald is a fun science-fiction romp; never saw the movie version.
“More Than Human” by Theodore Sturgeon I also found to be great fun.
1 Like
Don’t feel bad @SuperSalad, I didn’t get through 100 years of solitude. My wife still makes references that I don’t get - I guess I never will.
@crshears I never heard of that one before, but I looked it up on Goodreads and it is interesting.
1 Like
I’ll put a plug in for Malcolm Gladwell’s The Bomber Mafia. If you have encountered Gladwell before, you’ll probably know he has a well-polished style of writing, and public speaking/podcasting, etc. This book is true to that form, this time about the aerial bombing campaigns of WW2. As usual, he sees so MANY sides to it, investigates many people involved and lays down his moral posture. He’s never an unbiased witness when he writes. If you enjoy that style, then you’ll enjoy this one.
I’m not done yet, so if you’ve already read it, please don’t spoil the ending! ;)
1 Like
The Bomber Mafia.
Based on a recommendation here I have read it.
I enjoyed it.
I have just finished reading Sacajewea.
Sacajawea was a teenage, pregnant Indian woman who accompanied Lewis and Clark to the Pacific and back.
A great story.
2 Likes
Sacagawea – I refreshed my memory:
Do you remember which biography you read?
I just had a great idea for a book
“The Guides”
The lives and adventures of the guides who made their mark on the modern world.
Sacagawea (America)
Tenzing Norgay (Everest)
Pi Pilau (the Kon Tiki)
Bungaree (Australia)
David Thompson (Canada)
…so many more
I wonder if anyone has written a book like that?
Sacajawea by Anna Lee Waldo.
In this account Sacajawea lives until almost 100 years old…
Both her year of death and name spelling are controversial.
I’ve finished a few books, via Audible audiobook format.
We, by Zamyatin. A classic dystopia story, and it inspired 1984. We is a very strange book. I am glad I took it as an audiobook; I don’t think I could have finished it in print. The dialogue is always warped, and the narrator always speaks like he’s been brainwashed, but that’s an effect of the distorted society these people live in. The characters are very detached from their reality. If you haven’t read either We or 1984, I would recommend 1984 because it’s better written and closer to the kind of book we read today in terms of style and narrative. That may be an result of We being a translation while 1984 was written by an English scholar.
The Data Detective, by Tim Hartford. This is mostly about economics, but specifically about how we take in statistics and think about them - and avoid thinking about them. Helpful ways to dig deeper and keep your brain working properly when you see headlines like “more scientists express critical view of /insert subject here/” or “/political leader/ throws support behind /socially divisive issue/”. Highly recommended if you want to make up your own mind about the news. If you enjoy Malcolm Gladwell or Daniel Kahneman, you’ll probably enjoy this.
The Bomber Mafia, by Malcolm Gladwell. A very fun account of the people behind the then-new war strategy, aerial bombing, at the beginning of the Second World War. At the time, it was not clear at all just how effective bombing anything could be. The proponents (the “Mafia”) were true believers in the power of aircraft to drop bombs precisely on targets, sparing incidental casualties and civilian deaths if only tactical infrastructure were targeted. Opposing them were the military leaders who did not know a thing about what airplanes could be used for, how to command their deployment, or how effective bombing could be. Also in opposition is the ever-present Nature that doesn’t care in the slightest about the pilot’s best laid plans. Recommended to just about anyone who will read non-fiction.
Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. I said before that I tried to start but it made me angry. I was in a better frame of mind, perhaps feeling a bit more ambitious than usual. I made it half way and then I had to stop again. The triumph at the middle of the story really should have been the end - I can’t bear to read about everything they built coming to naught and fall apart. I could relate to the characters despite their coolness and awkward writing, because, of course, Rand was writing about engineers, after all. The twists and turns of the plot repeatedly offer success to the hero characters, only to snatch it away. They are beset by the craven, the lazy, the self-serving, the corrupt. That’s too much like my life and career so I have put it aside (again) to maybe finish another day. My cautious recommendation: If you believe that capitalism can be a constructive social system, you might be able to enjoy this book, but be warned that it’s extreme and over-the-top in places, and this is done to push your buttons. Some people claim to have been made “true believers” by this book, which is kinda scary. The economy of the United States has never been as broken as it is in Atlas Shrugged. Economic decay is portrayed in such a powerful and plausible way, however, that I count this book as dystopia, too.
1 Like
I did see the movie on TV, and I liked it, but I wish it had more to it, as it ended too early.
Don’t Tell the Newfoundlanders. by Greg Malone.
A story of how Canada and Great Britain conspired to steal the country of Newfoundland from the rightful owners.
It took 13 years.
Until GB replaced the elected government of Newfoundland with an appointed (By GB) governor, Newfoundland was the oldest Dominion in the British Empire.
I just finished “One Summer” by Bill Bryson.
Good as always when dealing with Bryson. It delves, in a very loosely chronological order, into the summer of 1927 and all of the events that took place in those few months: Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight, Babe Ruth’s record year, the first television broadcast, bombings, murders, the introduction of the electric chair, political risings and fallings, and much more.
It was eye opening, but also a little monotonous at times. I found myself literally dozing off during a few reading sessions a lot somewhere in the middle portion of the book. (I may have just been overtired though with the start of regular soccer practices 3 times a week 
)
But as I said in the beginning, a great read as you can always expect from Bryson no matter the topic.
My wife picked up a copy of “Black Prism” by Brent Weeks, which will be my next foray. I told her I wanted to get into some new fantasy and she’d heard good things about it. And away I go!
So “Black Prism” was interesting. I’d say good overall. My interest is piqued enough to continue on with the series, but I would say it is…confusing at times. I still don’t fully understand the magic in the world Weeks created and how it works. I don’t think he explained the fundamentals of the magic system well enough, but as I said, there is enough story to keep me interested anyway.
On to a more exciting thing, personally. My wife’s first publicly released novel “Rock This Summer”!
It is a YA romancey book, so it might not be everyone’s style, but if anyone has teenagers, or know people who like the young adult genre in general, check it out. It is only available on Apple Books at the moment; I’m so proud of her!
1 Like
I read the first entry into the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett, “The Colour of Magic”.
The way the story…flowed? (For lack of a better word) or didn’t flow reminded me very much of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Very random and jumping all over the place. Obviously that’s what Pratchett is going for, but it didn’t satisfy the same way Hitchhikers does for me.
I know there are a ton of books in the series, so I may just sprinkle them into my reading over the years instead of my usual dive right in and read the entire anthology I tend to do with series.
My next endeavor is “Dracula” by Bram Stoker. I read this book many years ago in high school; except for one thing. For whatever reason, I can’t recall why, I stopped reading at the final chapter and I never finished it. I don’t remember particularly liking it as a 16-17 year old. We’ll see how it goes as an adult.
Don’t give up on Pratchett. His books get much better as time goes on. Try “Going Postal”, then follow that with “Making Money” and “Raising Steam”. Or follow the character Sam Grimes (of the City Watch).
1 Like
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Far better as an adult then I remember it as a teen. Exciting, suspenseful, innovative (for its time). A classic for the ages.
I’m excited because I got a shipping confirmation for my copy of Bill Watterson’s and John Kascht’s: “The Mysteries” which I’ve been anticipating since presales were announced this past Spring. I’m hoping it comes soon, but in the meantime, Brandon Sanderson’s latest secret project is out, so I’ll probably read that before “The Mysteries” arrives.
“The Ugly American”.
Background information at: The Ugly American - Wikipedia
Reminiscent of today’s climate.
1 Like
“The Mysteries” was enjoyable. Its abstractness allows for a lot of interpretation and I liked it. My wife did not care too much for it though. She found the illustrations to be distracting to a fault.
The latest ‘secret project’ “The Sunlit Man” by Brandon Sanderson was very good. A nice addition and change of pace from the typical cosmere universe.
Picked up “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery. One of those books I’ve always had sitting there, but just haven’t picked up. My wife loves the whole series, so she’s been suggesting it to me for some time. I am about 95% finished and I’ll pre-empt my review for it now. It is good, enjoyable, and well paced. I don’t know that I’ll continue the series, but I’m glad I’ve read it.
@pmover , I looked into “The Ugly American” and my local library doesn’t have it on the shelf, but I’ve requested it through inter-library loan. So hopefully I’ll have it in the near future. Thanks.
Have been reading various stuff on my Kindle that I download from the public library. Some books I can’t get through, but some catch my interest.
Lately have been reading some of the Thomas Kydd sailing adventures by author Julian Stockman. These are pretty good ripping sea yarns, and compare well (though not quite as good) as Patrick O’Brian’s Jack Aubrey sailing books - the books from which the movie “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” was derived. Though that series itself was similarly derived from the Horatio Hornblower books by C. S. Forrester, which I keep meaning to find copies of.
1 Like
I have recently listened to some personal improvement books as audiobooks.
Thanks for the Feedback, Sheila Heen & Douglas Stone, read by the authors. Covers every dimension I can think of in situations where one person has to provide their opinion to others, and seen from both sides. Highly recommended for everyone. The authors develop many examples to illustrate every point they make, even sharing some of their own experiences and applying their lessons to themselves.
Never Split the Difference, Chris Voss. Many lessons based on the author’s experience. I enjoyed both the anecdotes and the advice, which is well developed beyond the author’s experience into situations people are likely to encounter in business and personal life. Specific to certain kinds of situations such as negotiations and conflict resolution, though.
Leadership Strategy and Tactics, Jocko Wilink. Lessons based on the author’s experience in the military, applied to workplace situations. Personal stories are well told, though the narrative style is aggressive (and meant to be) because it’s read by the author himself, and he was a US Navy Seal. Also limited by the emphasis on specific military situations, making the examples to mundane business and workplace conflict and teamwork too few.
1 Like
I’m back. I’ve been reading a bunch of books I haven’t been posting over the past few months. Some more Brandon Sanderson, Martha Wells, and rereading some Becky Chambers
I just finished “Fair Play” by Katie Barnes. I was perusing the sports section of my local library looking for books on coaching youth sports (see my thread: Coaching Youth Sports to understand why) when I saw two books that caught my eye.
“Raising Empowered Athletes: A Youth Sports Parenting Guide for Raising Happy, Brave, and Resilient Kids” by Kirsten Jones, and;
the previously mentioned “Fair Play” by Katie Barnes
“Raising Empowered Athletes” was what I read first. I’ve been having difficulties figuring out how to handle my own children in the midst of their teams and on the field. I feel I am too hard on them as their coach due to the parental connection. I know what they are capable of, and I have a tendency to get overly disappointed in them when they do no live up to it. This book did help me put some of that into perspective though. It especially helped me realize that I am nowhere near the level of monstrous behavior that coaches/parents exhibit in the world of elite youth sports. It certainly gave me a peek into a world I barely knew even existed with regard to elite youth sports.
“Fair Play” was something that caught my eye for other reasons. As news stories have been hitting the topic of transgender participation in sports, I (like many others) have paid some attention to it even though I have no personal connection to the topic up to this point. I’ve formed some opinions over the years and with any controversial topic, I’ve been told I am wrong and I should think differently. This book did enlighten me to a lot of information and different stories I’ve never heard. It definitely has me thinking differently on the topic than I previously did. Some of my previous opinions I feel were validated, some were questioned and I’m not so sure about, and others I’ve completely flipped on. Overall, it was very interesting and I appreciated the writing very much. At the very least, I hope that if I do come across a situation in my coaching tenure where this information becomes relevant, I think I’ll have a better foundation to stand on when navigating it.