What books have you been reading?

DFWJC

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bb721 said:
I'm re-reading James Michener's "Chesapeake". It's 1024 pages and I wish it was even longer. First read it many moons ago when I was 17 and on a Michener kick at the time including reading Hawaii, Space, Alaska etc. all great books.
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I read that one years ago too. Really good, but it's an undertaking.
 
haleyrules

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Trouty said:
The Master of the biography. Two Pulitzers. His biography of John Adams is sensational, as is his book of brief biographies, titled Brave Companions, which tells the stories of people and places that influenced the growth of early America. His two Pulitzers were for the aforementioned John Adams, and for Truman. John Adams was adapted into a fantastic 8-part mini series for HBO that starred the fantastic Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney as Mr. and Mrs. Adams. Still, the book was so much better, and that is such an understatement.

What makes him special is his way of making a real life person (non-fiction, obviously) develop into a character, almost as if you're reading a work of contemporary fiction. His pacing is perfect due to meticulous and tireless research. No gaps, no bouncing around or misdirection. He sticks to 100% factual evidence, never devaluing his work with fillers.

His words flow like a sonnet, just a master wordsmith and stylist. Not too high-brow, but not dumbed down in any sense.

He's magnificent. An American treasure, like Michener.
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Interesting
 
Trouty

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haleyrules said:
Interesting
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You'd love him, Haley! I have no doubt in my mind. John Adams, Truman, Brave Companions, 1776. Can't go wrong. I've only read two of those (John Adams; Brave Companions).

Brave Companions is a history of the Americas, and includes a short on an American Explorer (forget his name) that explored Central and South America, as well as a short on the Panama Canal (so very relevant for your neck of the woods). It's a series of awesome, true stories, written beautifully.

John Adams is the best biography I've ever read, tho.
 
Trouty

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I'm thinking about making a thread about 19th-early 20th century Russian lit, since it's relatively niche, and I could, perhaps, get more discussion going with its own thread. And it's the offseason :)

IMO, said literature is second only to some very fine contempary authors, and that list is very small.
 
haleyrules

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Trouty said:
You'd love him, Haley! I have no doubt in my mind. John Adams, Truman, Brave Companions, 1776. Can't go wrong. I've only read two of those (John Adams; Brave Companions).

Brave Companions is a history of the Americas, and includes a short on an American Explorer (forget his name) that explored Central and South America, as well as a short on the Panama Canal (so very relevant for your neck of the woods). It's a series of awesome, true stories, written beautifully.

John Adams is the best biography I've ever read, tho.
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Nice! Being a "former" merchant seaman...l have read thousands of books! Great passtime while at sea. This last year...l have got away from reading. Its time to pick up the pure joy of reading again. You have inspired me. Great hobby and your imagination can take you anywhere when reading a book.
 
Trouty

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jobberone said:
The breadth and depth of the reading here gives me hope for mankind just as I'm struggling with its overall ability to navigate and survive. Thanks all.
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Well said, Doc. Not enough readers, these days. My son is required to read for one hour on the weekend, in one sitting. He's now on his fourth Harry Potter book. This, in addition to what his school assigns him.

Again, well said, Jobber :)
 
dreghorn2

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haleyrules said:
Nice! Being a "former" merchant seaman...l have read thousands of books! Great passtime while at sea. This last year...l have got away from reading. Its time to pick up the pure joy of reading again. You have inspired me. Great hobby and your imagination can take you anywhere when reading a book.
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That's right i forgot there were a couple of guys on here who used to work at sea.

I spent a little over a decade working as a merchant seaman out of Canada back in my early years. Crazy days.

I'll raise a glass of rum today to you and all my former shipmates.
 
jobberone

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Anyone read The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers
by Margaret George. This seems up your alley @Trouty. I've also read another of her fictional 'Autobiographies'.

I recently read Ishmael which was fascinating.
 
Mountaineerfan

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The Joe Pike/Elvis cole series by Robert Crais is about the best I've read in a long time.
 
Trouty

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jobberone said:
Anyone read The Autobiography of Henry VIII: With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers
by Margaret George. This seems up your alley @Trouty. I've also read another of her fictional 'Autobiographies'.

I recently read Ishmael which was fascinating.
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I haven't, Jobber. But if you endorse it, I know that's high praise. I'll look it up and read about it, and if it interests me, I'll definitely buy it on Amazon. Amazon is such a fantastic place to purchase books. So inexpensive. I think I have around 50 books I haven't read yet, but I go on these spending sprees buying books I need to read, for super cheap :D

I must admit, I've never read an autobiography, but I'm certainly interested in delving into new genres.

I have read about ten biographies -- from Jack (JFK bio) to American Lion (classic; Andrew Jackson) to the aforementioned in this thread, as well as some others. I have Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself on my shelf, un-cracked (David Foster Wallace bio -- sorta).

Will definitely check it out, Doc. Thanks!!! :)

OT -- Doc, If you ever want a challenging read, check out Manfred by Lord Byron. It's beautiful, but you'll need a couple readings before it all sinks in. I've read it three times, and each time some new nuance emerges :)
 
jobberone

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Trouty said:
I haven't, Jobber. But if you endorse it, I know that's high praise. I'll look it up and read about it, and if it interests me, I'll definitely buy it on Amazon. Amazon is such a fantastic place to purchase books. So inexpensive. I think I have around 50 books I haven't read yet, but I go on these spending sprees buying books I need to read, for super cheap :D

I must admit, I've never read an autobiography, but I'm certainly interested in delving into new genres.

I have read about ten biographies -- from Jack (JFK bio) to American Lion (classic; Andrew Jackson) to the aforementioned in this thread, as well as some others. I have Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself on my shelf, un-cracked (David Foster Wallace bio -- sorta).

Will definitely check it out, Doc. Thanks!!! :)

OT -- Doc, If you ever want a challenging read, check out Manfred by Lord Byron. It's beautiful, but you'll need a couple readings before it all sinks in. I've read it three times, and each time some new nuance emerges :)
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I know the story. I'll give it a rip!
 
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