Rate the last book you read

[poke]

reading a book now titled " If you lived here I'd know your name" by
heather lende.

collection of stories from living in Haines, Alaska, what its like living in a small isolated town.

so far i have really enjoyed it.

 

[joseephuss]

Yo joseephuss have you ever read:

The Complete Works of Flavius Josephus

No, I have not.

 

[ethiostar]

'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' by Mark Haddon

A very different book, narrated by a 15 year old autistic savant. It received the 2003 Whitbread Book of the Year Award (i know nothing about this award). This book is not for everyone and it took me longer than i thought to get through it. However, it was really fascinating to see the world through the lens of someone like that. Not your everyday reading but refreshing all the same.

 

[ethiostar]

Tell No One by Harlan Coben

A very fast paced suspense thriller. Most of the supporting characters don't have much depth and some of the scenarios toward the end get to be a bit far-fetched but a lot of good plot twists throughout. Overall it wan an entertaining, enjoyable and quick read.

 

[Maikeru-sama]

Ship of Magic by Robin Hobb
7/10

It was a bit garrulous at times but very intriguing towards the end. The Liveship Traders series seems a little bit more darker then the Farseer Trilogy and I have always been a fan of stories about pirates.

 

[hairic]

I just finished my bathroom book and need recommendations for a new one.

Has to be a quick, light read, usually fiction, but doesn't need to be; just quick and light.

BTW, the bathroom book was Alex Cross's Trial. It was pretty average. Roosevelt (Teddy) sends a lawyer south to investigate lynchings in his hometown in the early 1900s. It was pretty predictable, cliched, and had inaccuracies, but was overall a good companion to pooping.

Current bathroom reading is the dictionary until I find another book.

 

[TheCount]

Reading The Road right now, almost done and about ready to kill myself. Damn this **** is bleak and depressing.

 

[ethiostar]

I just finished my bathroom book and need recommendations for a new one.

Has to be a quick, light read, usually fiction, but doesn't need to be; just quick and light.

BTW, the bathroom book was Alex Cross's Trial. It was pretty average. Roosevelt (Teddy) sends a lawyer south to investigate lynchings in his hometown in the early 1900s. It was pretty predictable, cliched, and had inaccuracies, but was overall a good companion to pooping.

Current bathroom reading is the dictionary until I find another book.

:laugh2:

Its actually a pretty interesting read.

 

[reddyuta]

Tell No One by Harlan Coben

A very fast paced suspense thriller. Most of the supporting characters don't have much depth and some of the scenarios toward the end get to be a bit far-fetched but a lot of good plot twists throughout. Overall it wan an entertaining, enjoyable and quick read.

I haven't read the book but i did see the french movie called Ne le dis à personne(based on the book) and it was excellent.

 

[ethiostar]

enjoyed the 2nd book.

i think it will take care of some of the concerns (ie, fleshing out the characters).

may wait on 3rd book, can only find hardback right now.

I received The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo from netflix today and watched tonight. Apparently, the movie came out in 2009. Maybe it wasn't released in the US until this year i don't know.

I posted this in the movie thread....

Having read the book and having been anticipating the movie, it was somewhat of a let down. I understand the need to streamline the storyline and the complexity of the plot as it appears in the book but i think the director made some poor choices in deciding what to keep and what to cut out. Keep in mind the movie was still 2 1/2 hours. To be fair, it was a decent movie and perhaps i would have enjoyed it better if i hadn't read the book first.

Apparently, they've already shot the next two movies based on The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest. The former is set to be released in the US sometime this year.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

I'm thinking about going back to the classics. Reading Shakespeare. Tolstoy's War and Peace, and Alexis De Tocquiville's Democracy in America.

Anyone who has read any of them have some comments on them? Were they enjoyable?

Any like minded classics to suggest?

edit: Also thinking about reading Plutarch's Lives.

 

[ethiostar]

-Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

I was very dissapointed with this book. I have heard so much about The Tipping Point, which i haven't read yet, that i figured i couldn't go wrong with something else written by the same author. I was wrong. At least i didn't pay for the book.

There is really nothing in this book. Or rather, its a collection of antecedents about the power of snap judgment or very quick decision making, including things like reading micro facial expressions. But the way its argued reads like,....you can make a really good judgment in a 'blink', even better than one that you took time for.......unless you are wrong, which you can be............unless of course your are an expert with a lot of experience and knowledge about the decision making context (i.e., an art expert identifying a fake sculpture within a few seconds)............ but even if you're not an expert you can get better at it if you practice............no *#@#@!!!

Moreover, the concluding chapter did nothing to bring the main points of the author together. Just one more anecdotal story. I hope The Tipping Point is better than this one.

EDIT: I should say that the idea for the book was very interesting and intriguing (but the execution was horrible).

-The Black Echo by Michael Connelly.

The first of the Harry Bosch series (I'm not reading this series in order). Its definitely one of the better ones but i must say that i wasn't very impressed with the ending. It seemed a bit contrived and anti-climactic.

 

[Joe Realist]

-Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

I was very dissapointed with this book. I have heard so much about The Tipping Point, which i haven't read yet, that i figured i couldn't go wrong with something else written by the same author. I was wrong. At least i didn't pay for the book.

There is really nothing in this book. Or rather, its a collection of antecedents about the power of snap judgment or very quick decision making, including things like reading micro facial expressions. But the way its argued reads like,....you can make a really good judgment in a 'blink', even better than one that you took time for.......unless you are wrong, which you can be............unless of course your are an expert with a lot of experience and knowledge about the decision making context (i.e., an art expert identifying a fake sculpture within a few seconds)............ but even if you're not an expert you can get better at it if you practice............no *#@#@!!!

Moreover, the concluding chapter did nothing to bring the main points of the author together. Just one more anecdotal story. I hope The Tipping Point is better than this one.

EDIT: I should say that the idea for the book was very interesting and intriguing (but the execution was horrible).

-The Black Echo by Michael Connelly.

The first of the Harry Bosch series (I'm not reading this series in order). Its definitely one of the better ones but i must say that i wasn't very impressed with the ending. It seemed a bit contrived and anti-climactic.

You may like Gladwell's book, Outliers.

 

[ethiostar]

I read two more from the Harry Bosch novels by Connelly.

Trunk Music & The Last Coyote

The Last Coyote is much better than Trunk Music and perhaps the best one out of the series. Trunk Music was entertaining but it was nowhere near as good as The Last Coyote and Echo Park.

Currently reading Hocus Pocus by Vonnegut.

 

[ethiostar]

You may like Gladwell's book, Outliers.

Thanks for the suggestion, i will look it up.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Mary Pipher's Writing to Change the World.

I'm not a writer, nor to I really want to be. The reason for reading the book was strictly inquisitive. I like to learn new things and sometimes view things from the other side of the lake so to speak.

Writing to Change the World doesn't teach you how to be a writer, but how to be more effective as a writer in connecting with your reader. It presents a lot of information on how to do this and even discusses how to do it in different types of writing. Fiction, non-fiction, magazine articles, blogs, and even song writing and poetry. (I must admit, I skipped the song writing and poetry chapter)

The book itself was pretty good though it had a few ups and downs. If you are interested in learning how to be more effective in connecting with your reader, this is a good book to read. That said, she doesn't always follow her own advise and it shows in this book. She recommends not to come off preachy or smug and many times that is exactly what she does.

Mary Pipher is also a moralist and at no point does she ever stray from that fact in the book. Morals are a good thing, but as with anything in my opinion. You must measure how much and how often you press the subject on others. Otherwise you sound fanatical and in her case, smug.

The book also discusses ways to analyze your work and even not to over-analyze. It also offers ideas on how to get others to help polish your work.

Overall I believe I learned quite a bit from this book. It is definitely a book I would keep around as a reference if I were to begin writing on a regular basis.

 

[ethiostar]

A few more Harry Bosch novels by Connelly.

Concrete Blond and A Darkness More than Night----Both worth reading if you like the crime/detective fiction genre.

Brass Verdict-----------Focused on the lawyer Mickey Haller. This is the second book on him, first one is the Lincoln Lawyer. I particularly like the fact that i got to read on Bosch from a different point of view, from someone who is interacting with him and reading about their impressions of him. It does allow the reader to get an additional understanding on one of the most interesting characters in this genre.

In the last few weeks I also read

Sphere by Michael Crichton-----------Very good read until the end, it was a big let down. BTW, it also reminded me why i hate reading books that i have seen the movies before hand. One of the reasons i enjoy reading is that it allows me to visualize the settings/environments in which the scene takes place and also the characters involved. The entire time i was reading this book i couldn't visualize what i was reading without having to refer back to the movie, especially without seeing Dustin Hoffman and Samuel L. Jackson as the two main characters.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy-----------I've read this book close to a dozen times now and i never get sick of it. Definitely one of my all time favorite books of all time. Great book, absolutely hilarious.

Hocus Pocus by Vonnegut--------------I have read a few of his other works and this one, while still good, i didn't think it measured up to his other stuff. I've got 'Slapstick' sitting next to my bed and i plan on getting to it sometime very soon.

I also bought The girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson but my wife started it before i had a chance to finish the book i was reading and start Larsson's book. So I might have to wait until she is finished before i get to that one

 

[CowboyMcCoy'sWife]

I just read "1984" by George Orwell. It was an eye opener about Big Brother. It was pretty interesting and I'm glad I read it. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars only because I'm more about the love story and mystery books haha.

 

[poke]

A few more Harry Bosch novels by Connelly.

Concrete Blond and A Darkness More than Night----Both worth reading if you like the crime/detective fiction genre.

Brass Verdict-----------Focused on the lawyer Mickey Haller. This is the second book on him, first one is the Lincoln Lawyer. I particularly like the fact that i got to read on Bosch from a different point of view, from someone who is interacting with him and reading about their impressions of him. It does allow the reader to get an additional understanding on one of the most interesting characters in this genre.

In the last few weeks I also read

Sphere by Michael Crichton-----------Very good read until the end, it was a big let down. BTW, it also reminded me why i hate reading books that i have seen the movies before hand. One of the reasons i enjoy reading is that it allows me to visualize the settings/environments in which the scene takes place and also the characters involved. The entire time i was reading this book i couldn't visualize what i was reading without having to refer back to the movie, especially without seeing Dustin Hoffman and Samuel L. Jackson as the two main characters.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy-----------I've read this book close to a dozen times now and i never get sick of it. Definitely one of my all time favorite books of all time. Great book, absolutely hilarious.

Hocus Pocus by Vonnegut--------------I have read a few of his other works and this one, while still good, i didn't think it measured up to his other stuff. I've got 'Slapstick' sitting next to my bed and i plan on getting to it sometime very soon.

I also bought The girl who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson but my wife started it before i had a chance to finish the book i was reading and start Larsson's book. So I might have to wait until she is finished before i get to that one

reading Brass Verdict now, didn't realize there was an earlier one with the character Mickey Haller. i may stop until i can get the Lincoln lawyer one.
i hate reading them out of order.

i am still looking for a paperback of the 3rd Stieg Larsson. They have picked a cast for the US version of the movie for the first book.

Just finished "Hellhound On My Trail", which is about James Earl Ray ( killer of MLK) I enjoyed it.

 

[urface59]

I just read "1984" by George Orwell. It was an eye opener about Big Brother. It was pretty interesting and I'm glad I read it. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars only because I'm more about the love story and mystery books haha.

Just read that last week. I loved it, 5/5. Read Watchmen this week, ****ing incredible, 5/5. In two weeks I read two books that are now among my all time favorites.