# Everything Else > Arts & Entertainment >  What are you reading?

## trousers

After a recent discussion with a friend about Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" I've been on a post-apocalyptic bent.  Just read George R Stewarts "Earth Abides" and am about halfway through "Riddley Walker" by Russell Hoban.

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## flintysooner

3 Clint Murchison Jr biographies; 
Love Is An Orientation by Andrew Marin; 
The Power of Premonitions by Larry Dorsey; 
The Angel Experiment by James Patterson; 
In My Father's House by Nguyen Thi Mai Thuy.

On the "apocalyptic" front I've been reading some of the stuff about Planet X, Nibiru, and Dec 21, 2012.

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## PennyQuilts

The White Queen by Phillippa Gregory.
Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs.
Wilderness Warrior by Douglas Brinkley.

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## El Gato Pollo Loco!!!

This message board!


 :LolLolLolLol: 
 :Big Grin:

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## nik4411

My favorite author is Jack Higgins...another fav is W.E.B Griffin. Anyone ever read either one of these authors?

And how are you guys reading so many things at once??

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## metro

Holy Bible (66 books actually)
The Millionaire Next Door
My Total Money Makeover
Operation Timothy

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## PennyQuilts

> My favorite author is Jack Higgins...another fav is W.E.B Griffin. Anyone ever read either one of these authors?
> 
> And how are you guys reading so many things at once??


I like Griffin.

I tend to have a book by my bedside and one with me for reading while I'm out, which is why I generally have a couple going.  I just got the one on Roosevelt and have been picking it up and down for the past couple of days, which is why I have three going.

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## flintysooner

> My favorite author is Jack Higgins...another fav is W.E.B Griffin. Anyone ever read either one of these authors?
> 
> And how are you guys reading so many things at once??


I think I've read some stuff under one of Griffin's pseudonyms.  He's the MASH guy right?

I have a Kindle but most of what I'm reading right now are dead tree books unfortunately.

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## possumfritter

Wide Angle on PBS.org
Jeremiah in the O.T.
"The Movement and the Sixties: Protest in America from Greensboro to Wounded Knee," by Terry Anderson

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## OKCisOK4me

The Undead Karma Sutra, Mark Avacedo
The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
A Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri

The first being light reading, lol.

Glad there's other people on here that read more than one book at a time!

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## nik4411

I think it's great you all can read more than one at a time. Seems like I would lose track of all of it haha

Flintysooner, I don't know anything about Griffin having any other pseudonyms, or being involved with MASH. I just looked at his site but couldn't find anything...

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## flintysooner

> I think it's great you all can read more than one at a time. Seems like I would lose track of all of it haha
> 
> Flintysooner, I don't know anything about Griffin having any other pseudonyms, or being involved with MASH. I just looked at his site but couldn't find anything...


I think Butterworth was the pseudonym he used for the MASH books.

I've always read more than one book at a time.   The Kindle has made that worse since I carry my entire library with me all the time.  Reading several at a time it is not necessarily a good thing for sure.

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## PennyQuilts

I love my kindle.  It is wonderful.  Other than selected books I might want to add to my library or that my husband would like to read, I stick to it.  It sure has cut down on the stacks of paperbacks at the house.   We were drowing in them.

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## flintysooner

I love my Kindle, too!

I found W E B Griffin on Wikipedia.  He has a bunch of pseudonyms:

# Alex Baldwin
# Webb Beech
# Walker E. Blake
# James McM. Douglas
# Eden Hughes
# Edmund O. Scholefield
# Patrick J. Williams
# W. E. Butterworth
# John Kevin Dugan

The MASH books he coauthored with Richard Hooker.  His involvement began after the TV series.  Interesting.

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## nik4411

Wow very interesting, thanks

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## flintysooner

Just started The Biology of Belief by Bruce H. Lipton.  Very interesting.

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## trousers

> On the "apocalyptic" front I've been reading some of the stuff about Planet X, Nibiru, and Dec 21, 2012.


zecharia sitchin?

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## flintysooner

> zecharia sitchin?


No, just web stuff -- like december212012.com and a host of others.  Just trying to keep abreast of popular culture and failing rather miserably.

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## trousers

Just finished Sam Shepard's "Day of Days" about to start John Hodgmans "More Information than You Require."  
Anybody reading anything good?

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## Jethrol

I just got my Kindle about a month ago and now I'm finding that I LOVE IT!! I'm reading more than ever and reading books that I probably never would have looked at twice.

Just finished these:
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Deathworld 1 & 2

And I'm now reading:
Stumbling on Happiness which is quite good.

Post apocalyptic books sound good....perhaps I'll look into some of those suggestions.  Anyone want to provide "Non-Spoiler" reviews?

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## onthestrip

Bicycle Diaries by Davd Byrne.  It's especially a good read with all the things that are happening and will be happening in our downtown area.

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## flintysooner

Currently reading: 
The First Rule by Robert Crais

Just finished:
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh

Have several new titles I'm looking forward to reading including several C S Lewis books that were available for Kindle.

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## Jethrol

> Currently reading: 
> The First Rule by Robert Crais


I have that on my Kindle...what do you think so far?

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## buckt

> Currently reading: 
> The First Rule by Robert Crais
> 
> Just finished:
> The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
> No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
> Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh
> 
> Have several new titles I'm looking forward to reading including several C S Lewis books that were available for Kindle.


What is "Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh" about??  Sounds like something I might want to read....

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## flintysooner

> I have that on my Kindle...what do you think so far?


I like it a lot.  But I've always enjoyed the Joe Pike character.   He's just really cool.  I think I like him better than Elvis in fact.  I enjoy Crais' stories and how he builds to and relates the action.  

Are you a Crais fan?

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## citizenkane

I'm currently reading Paddy's Lament by Thomas Gallagher, a book about the Irish Potato Famine.

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## flintysooner

> What is "Introverts in the Church by Adam McHugh" about??  Sounds like something I might want to read....


McHugh begins by relating his own struggle as an introvert feeling called to vocational ministry that he only understands as an extroverted endeavor particularly in evangelicalism.  His narrative about his initial dilemma for me was gripping and relevant.

I felt that one of the strongest aspects of the book is McHugh's ability to describe commonly experienced events in the context of introversion.  I also learned some things about introversion.  

He mixes the narrative of his own journey within the broader themes of helping introverts heal from wounds suffered and reconciliation of introversion and extroversion.  

I found the book fascinating and enjoyed finding a new way to think about my own experience with evangelicalism.

Definitely worth reading in my opinion.

Although I do question some of McHugh's proposals for achieving his goals.

And I think he sometimes confuses or blurs introversion and intuition in the Myers-Briggs types.

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## skyrick

"The Crossing" by Cormac McCarthy. 

Part 2, and the best one, of the Border Trilogy. Part 1 was "All the Pretty Horses", much darker than the movie version starring Matt Damon. Part 3 is "Cities of the Plain".

If you can read the last chapter of 'The Crossing" without some serious emotional turmoil (and possibly a few tears), you ain't human.

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## Jethrol

> Are you a Crais fan?


No actually this was my first book by him.  I'm not entirely sure why I bought it but I think it was because my Kindle was new and the synopsis sounded good....it might also have been on the bestseller list.  Not really sure what my decision was there.  I haven't read it yet because other books have come up that really hooked me.

Am I going to miss out on a lot by not reading the older books in the series first?

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## flintysooner

> "The Crossing" by Cormac McCarthy. 
> 
> Part 2, and the best one, of the Border Trilogy. Part 1 was "All the Pretty Horses", much darker than the movie version starring Matt Damon. Part 3 is "Cities of the Plain".
> 
> If you can read the last chapter of 'The Crossing" without some serious emotional turmoil (and possibly a few tears), you ain't human.


No Time for Old Men was my first McCarthy novel.  I developed a great deal of admiration for his skill and his storytelling and for his themes.  

I definitely intend to read more.  I really didn't think I'd much like No Time.

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## skyrick

> No Time for Old Men was my first McCarthy novel.  I developed a great deal of admiration for his skill and his storytelling and for his themes.  
> 
> I definitely intend to read more.  I really didn't think I'd much like No Time.


Blood Meridian is very grim, I wouldn't like to have lived in those times. Suttree is the closest McCarthy comes to humor, I liked it. The Road & No Country were just great, IMO,

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## flintysooner

> No actually this was my first book by him.  I'm not entirely sure why I bought it but I think it was because my Kindle was new and the synopsis sounded good....it might also have been on the bestseller list.  Not really sure what my decision was there.  I haven't read it yet because other books have come up that really hooked me.
> 
> Am I going to miss out on a lot by not reading the older books in the series first?


I notice the Kindle has enlarged my universe of writers and actually interested me in some surprising choices.  

I think my first Crais book was not his first.  But I had developed an interest in crime fiction and was exploring at the time.  When I found someone I liked I returned to earlier works and caught up.  I did that with Crais.   It seems to me it certainly helps to know the history of the characters but it shouldn't matter that much.

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## mheaton76

I'm trying to get through the House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielwski - it's terribly laborious, but creative and suspenseful so far. By no means is it a page turner. I would be curious if anyone else has attempted to get through it.

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## decepticobra

like to read amatuer works? check out Share Your Writing - free publishing, free stories, free poems, free novels

you can also publish your own work there too just like i do.

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## flintysooner

> Blood Meridian is very grim, I wouldn't like to have lived in those times. Suttree is the closest McCarthy comes to humor, I liked it. The Road & No Country were just great, IMO,


I read that McCarthy doesn't think much of authors who don't deal with life and death.  No Country had plenty of both but also seemed to me to contain elements of chance, psychology, and mysticism. 

I also read that he didn't use semicolons which I thought funny and preferred dialogue without quotes.  That seemed to me to actually make the action move faster although I did not notice it at the time.

Really interesting author.

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## Caboose

> I'm trying to get through the House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielwski - it's terribly laborious, but creative and suspenseful so far. By no means is it a page turner. I would be curious if anyone else has attempted to get through it.


I've read it. Takes some effort, to say the least.

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## Becka

Of Mice and Men. I'm on a classics kick right now.

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## Dustin

Worst Case - James Patterson!

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## trousers

> Blood Meridian is very grim, I wouldn't like to have lived in those times. Suttree is the closest McCarthy comes to humor, I liked it. The Road & No Country were just great, IMO,


Grim puts it mildly, great book though.  I actually thought No Country was the weakest of the ones you listed. 

I really enjoyed Suttree too, the guy with the melon fetish WTF?

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## flintysooner

Just now finishing Wired for Intimacy: How Pornography Hijacks the Male Brain by William M Struthers.  Surprisingly good book.

Working on Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How to Think Differently by Gregory Berns.  Not exactly my favorite right now.

Also finished The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell.  Really enjoyed this book.  May buy another book by this author.

I have a bunch of new titles waiting but I'm not sure what I'm going to read next.  Maybe The Last Christian on Earth by Oz Guinness. 

I've been reading news accounts of Memoirs of an Exorcist by Marco Tosatti that is a series of interviews with the Vatican's chief exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth.  Apparently it isn't for sale yet but I think I'll get it when it is available.

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## possumfritter

The "Old Testament"

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## PennyQuilts

Darkness, Take My Hand by Dennis Lehane.

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## rcjunkie

The History of Blues by Francis Davis.

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## skyrick

Dr. No by Ian Fleming. I'm working my way through all 13 original novels again.

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## El Gato Pollo Loco!!!

_Surprised By Joy_ by C. S. Lewis. Did it for a book report, but just reading it again.

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## flintysooner

I just noticed that all of John Grisham's books are now available on Kindle.  I may have to catch up.  I was surprised to read this as I thought he was adamantly against ebooks.

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## possumfritter

> I just noticed that all of John Grisham's books are now available on Kindle.  I may have to catch up.  I was surprised to read this as I thought he was adamantly against ebooks.


Just curious...do you have to pay for each e-book/novel?

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## flintysooner

> Just curious...do you have to pay for each e-book/novel?


Usually.  I just purchased The Associate by Grisham that was published in 2009 for $9.99.  Other titles by Grisham are mostly $7.99 but I noticed a $5.99 and a $6.99 and another that was nearly $20.

But there are many free Kindle titles and collections.

I bought the complete works of Charles Dickens for $4.79 that has more than 200 titles as an example.

You can also read Kindle books on iPhone and PC with respective programs.

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## fuzzytoad

Beltane: Springtime Rituals, Lore and Celebration

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## HewenttoJared

Just started reading the Road. Just finished Storms of My Grandchildren and Cheap

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## flintysooner

The Associate: A Novel by John Grisham

Deception: An Alex Delaware Novel by Jonathan Kellerman

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## PennyQuilts

Tumbling Blocks by Earline Fowler - it's a niche market...

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## skyrick

Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko.

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## flintysooner

*The Rise and Fall of Bear Stearns* by Alan C. Greenberg

I am enjoying this book and pretty much agree with the Amazon editorial reviews. Honestly I'm not sure why the Amazon readers' reviews have been so negative.

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## PennyQuilts

Okay, I admit to being a complete nerd.  I decided to read the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan and am half way through the first book.

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## flintysooner

Finished Storm Prey by John Sandford - liked it a lot.

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## flintysooner

Others I am reading or have read recently:
Christians Are Hate-Filled Hypocrites...and Other Lies You've Been Told: A Sociologist Shatters Myths From the Secular and Christian Media by Wright, Bradley R.E.Mere Churchianity: Finding Your Way Back to Jesus-Shaped Spirituality by Spencer, MichaelFive Points of Calvinism, The	by Palmer, Edwin H.Cereal Tycoon: The Biography of Henry Parsons Crowell by Musser, JoePlanet Narnia : The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis by Ward, MichaelBlink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Gladwell, MalcolmAmbiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief by Boss, PaulineCaught by Coben, HarlanDisturbing Divine Behavior: Troubling Old Testament Images of God by Eric A. SeibertFirst Family by Baldacci, David

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## exvagabond

'American Nomads: Travels with Lost Conquistadors, Mountain Men, Cowboys, Indians, Hoboes, Truckers, and Bullriders' by Richard Grant. So far it's very interesting. 


Just finished 'The Officer Factory' by Hans-Hellmut Kirst.

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## bombermwc

I went back in time...Arthur C. Clarke's Rama Series.

Oh and if anyone knows where to find a copy of Galileo's Theory on 2 Systems....is it electronic or actually printed anywhere in the last 100 years, I'd love to know. It's a very cool insight into the battle that raged during his time and I'd love to read the whole thing and not just little snippets.

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## Uncle Slayton

Just finished "Exodus From the Alamo, The Anatomy of the Last Stand Myth", and started "Eagles and Empire, the United States, Mexico, and the Struggle for a Continent."

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## citizenkane

I'm currently reading _The Falls_ by Joyce Carol Oates.

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## dismayed

> Oh and if anyone knows where to find a copy of Galileo's Theory on 2 Systems....is it electronic or actually printed anywhere in the last 100 years, I'd love to know. It's a very cool insight into the battle that raged during his time and I'd love to read the whole thing and not just little snippets.


Available at this OU website (click on the page you can see and it will cause the page to turn... some pages are hard to read but you can download them in full size format... also I believe they may have an original in their library in Norman... but good luck getting a look at that):

http://hsci.ou.edu/book/Galileo-1661/

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## trousers

> Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko.


How was it?  I've seen the movie, can I assume the book is better?

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## trousers

I'm reading Valis by Philip K Dick.

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## flintysooner

> I'm reading Valis by Philip K Dick.


I haven't read any of his works although I did like the movies "Total Recall" and "Minority Report."  I was interested in the reviews on Amazon.  I'm adding it as a candidate.

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## TeriOKC

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larson

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## flintysooner

> "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larson


Do you like Larson?  I was thinking about starting that series after seeing the reviews about Hornet's Nest but the negative reviews on the one you're reading kind of turned me off.

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## trousers

> I haven't read any of his works although I did like the movies "Total Recall" and "Minority Report."  I was interested in the reviews on Amazon.  I'm adding it as a candidate.


Its pretty interesting.  Its part of a trilogy, it can be read as a stand alone novel though.  I've only read a few of his books and it really isn't representative of the rest.  Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? which Blade Runner was based on is good, so is A Scanner Darkly.  
I finished Valis & currently reading Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson.

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## trousers

> Okay, I admit to being a complete nerd.  I decided to read the Wheel of Time fantasy series by Robert Jordan and am half way through the first book.


I've heard the first 3 or 4 were good, the next 4 were OK, & the last 3 or so are pretty terrible.  Mainly a cash grab towards the end. 
As far as the nerd part, I feel your pain.

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## skyrick

_Shifting Sands Dusts Its Cheeks In Powdered Beauty_ by George Herriman

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## flintysooner

In The Neighborhood: The Search for Community on an American Street, One Sleepover at a Time by Peter Lovenheim

This is a fascinating book.  I am surprised at how much I am enjoying it.  A murder-suicide in his own neighborhood causes Lovenheim to realize how little relationship he has with any of his neighbors.  He decides to spend a day and night with each one that allows him the privilege.  Anyone interested in community should find this book interesting.

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## skyrick

> How was it?  I've seen the movie, can I assume the book is better?


Actually parts of both movies, Night Watch and Day Watch, are taken from this first book in the series. Yes, I am enjoying it.

ZAVULON!!!

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## BigBadBen

Just picked up "The Obama Diaries" by Laura Ingraham.
Going to start it this weekend.

I have a stack of Ted Dekker novels I need to read. I've read about half his collection. Great stuff.

Grisham & Clancy are two of my favorites as well.

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## Caboose

Just finished BoneShaker - After reading about half of it I finally came to the conclusion I was never going to get into it. It was just boring and the characters were uninteresting. So, for the first time ever, I skipped ahead and found out the answer to the only real mystery and then to the end. Can't recommend this one.

Now I am reading Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Stellar so far. Can get lost in the descriptions.

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## skyrick

> Just finished BoneShaker - After reading about half of it I finally came to the conclusion I was never going to get into it. It was just boring and the characters were uninteresting. So, for the first time ever, I skipped ahead and found out the answer to the only real mystery and then to the end. Can't recommend this one.
> 
> Now I am reading Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. Stellar so far. Can get lost in the descriptions.


_ Blood Meridian_ is a very grim book. I haven't read anything by McCarthy that I didn't like yet. The Border Trilogy is a masterpiece, especially _The Crossing_.

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## citizenkane

I'm now reading _Truman Capote_ by George Plimpton.  It's very well-written.

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## Double Edge

_Three Cups of Tea
One Mans Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time_
Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

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## lrostochil

I've been doing some great vacation reading -- The Girl Who Played with Fire series (I'm on the third one now).  Also, I just reread one of my all-time favorites, Jack Finney's time travel masterpiece, Time and Again.

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## MadMonk

I'm about 1/4 of the way through _We Were Soldiers Once...And Young_ by Lt. Gen. Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway.  Amazing read so far.

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## betts

Rereading Niccolo Rising by Dorothy Dunnett, my favorite author.  I'm going to read the entire series again for the umpteenth time, as every time I read it I find something new.

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## flintysooner

Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas - this is an excellent book for anyone interested in Bonhoeffer, Nazi religious belief, or German Christianity during WWII.

The Investment Answer by Daniel Goldie and Gordon Murray
Fall of Giants - Ken Follett
Crossfire - Dick Francis and Felix Francis

Never Wave Goodbye by Doug Magee

Decision Points by George W Bush

Live to Tell - Lisa Gardner
The Confession - John Grisham

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## skyrick

At Home - Bill Bryson
Earth (the Book) - John Stewart and the Daily Show writers.

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## bucktalk

Radical - David Platt

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## PennyQuilts

I'm also reading At Home by Bill Bryson (I love the way he writes) and Bush's new book, Decision Points.  

In addition, I'm re-reading an old Zane Grey novel on my Kindle - Desert of Wheat (about a second generation German off to war in WWI).  Many of his books, like this one, are free.

Just started The Last Stand of Fox Company by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin (about the frozen Chosen in the Korean War).  Very good, so far.  I don't know much about the Korean War and have several books stacked up on the subject. 

And I am trudging through another book on my Kindle in the Wheel of Time Fantasy series.  That one is taking FOREVER.

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## flintysooner

> And I am trudging through another book on my Kindle in the Wheel of Time Fantasy series.  That one is taking FOREVER.


Back when you posted you were starting that series I was reading "Planet Narnia : The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis" and it was taking me forever.  I had a couple of long car trips so I let the Kindle read the thing to me.  3 hours was about 10% or something.  Finally got through it.  Basically I was too uneducated about C. S. Lewis and Medieval English Literature to understand and appreciate the book.

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## PennyQuilts

> Back when you posted you were starting that series I was reading "Planet Narnia : The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis" and it was taking me forever.  I had a couple of long car trips so I let the Kindle read the thing to me.  3 hours was about 10% or something.  Finally got through it.  Basically I was too uneducated about C. S. Lewis and Medieval English Literature to understand and appreciate the book.


 I'm up to book 11.  Nothing happens.  Or rather, two things happen per 800 page book.

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## Double Edge

Currently listening to the audible version of _The Poisonwood Bible_.

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## PennyQuilts

> And I am trudging through another book on my Kindle in the Wheel of Time Fantasy series. That one is taking FOREVER.


I couldn't even finish that one and completely skipped the next one.  However, I started back up on The Gathering Storm (which was written by Brandon Sanderson following the death of Robert Jordan) and couldn't put it down.  Sanderson lacks Jordan's talent for finding just the perfect word but he makes up for it by advancing the plot and making the characters more interesting and appealing.  I wish there was a way to combine the two writers but Sanderson and his editor did a great job of keeping it as seamless as possible. 

After the Gathering Storm, I read The Towers of Midnight.  It was the last thing I needed to be doing when I should have been Christmas shopping, baking and decorating.  Really liked it.  The biggest drawback was that for some reason I can't fathom, the editor (also Jordan's widow) opted to delay releasing it on Kindle until next year.  Most kindle readers that I know would gladly pay several more dollars to have it on Kindle so they don't have to try to read a book that is over 800 pages.  That was a real pain.  Don't know when the last book in the series is supposed to be published but I am really looking forward to it.  

BTW, I never even missed the book and a half I skipped (and they are both about 700 - 800 pages long).  Books 5 - 10 could have been trimmed down to one book, IMO.  Never read such well written but boring books, if that makes sense.

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## MikeOKC

Several....

*Daniel Patrick Moynihan: A Portrait in Letters of an American Visionary*
_Edited by Steven R. Weisman_
This is a fascinating book. It's a _huge_ collection of letters, journal entries, etc. from one of the brightest men to ever serve in the U.S. Senate. He died in 2003.

flintysooner, I'm also reading Gardner's *Live To Tell*. I've always been a fan, but I'm finding this one slower than most of her books.

Also just finished *The 7 Secrets of Synchronicity*....a subject that has always fascinated me.

Up next: *How To Live: A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer* by Sarah Blackwell.

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## Double Edge

My son knows the author and gave me an autographed copy of "Young Mr. Obama" for Christmas so I guess it's next up.

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## flintysooner

Life on the Line - the Dodson's Cafeteria Story by the Dodson family

This little volume was just a lovely journey into the past for me.  Of course I am one of those for whom Dodson's Cafeterias (all of them) were extremely important so the photos and recipes were wonderfully exciting.  But I was also surprised at how much of the history of Capitol Hill and south Oklahoma City that it made me recall as well.  It isn't a very large book but it is one I'd recommend to anyone interested in this aspect of Oklahoma City's history.

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## gen70

> Life on the Line - the Dodson's Cafeteria Story by the Dodson family
> 
> This little volume was just a lovely journey into the past for me. Of course I am one of those for whom Dodson's Cafeterias (all of them) were extremely important so the photos and recipes were wonderfully exciting. But I was also surprised at how much of the history of Capitol Hill and south Oklahoma City that it made me recall as well. It isn't a very large book but it is one I'd recommend to anyone interested in this aspect of Oklahoma City's history.


 Sounds interesting. Where could I get a copy?

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## flintysooner

> Sounds interesting. Where could I get a copy?


My copy came from Full Circle and is signed by Charlotte.  There was a signing there a couple of weeks ago. 

There are a few photos. One shows the block with Katz, Langstons, and Browns. 

Between Browns and Langstons was the entry to the basement where the first Dodson's opened before the one at Reding. 

On Thursday I had lunch at Grill on the Hill and we were all talking about the history of the area.

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## gen70

> My copy came from Full Circle and is signed by Charlotte. There was a signing there a couple of weeks ago. 
> 
> There are a few photos. One shows the block with Katz, Langstons, and Browns. 
> 
> Between Browns and Langstons was the entry to the basement where the first Dodson's opened before the one at Reding. 
> 
> On Thursday I had lunch at Grill on the Hill and we were all talking about the history of the area.


  Thanks fs, I had no idea that Dodsons started in Capitol Hill.

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## flintysooner

They were there about 2 years before moving to Reding. 

Interesting discussion about south vs north OKC, construction of Reding and Hillcrest, and the cafeteria business in OKC. Probably more interesting to those of us of a certain age and more south than north but I think something of interest for many others as well.

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## gen70

> They were there about 2 years before moving to Reding. 
> 
> Interesting discussion about south vs north OKC, construction of Reding and Hillcrest, and the cafeteria business in OKC. Probably more interesting to those of us of a certain age and more south than north but I think something of interest for many others as well.


  Works for me, I was a southsider and I am of a certain age. (old)

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## jstaylor62

Tom Clancy's - Dead or Alive

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## MadMonk

^^^ I was planning on purchasing that one after the holidays.

I just received Stephen King's Full Dark, No Stars for Christmas.  It's not my usual type of read, but it's been interesting so far.

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## AAC2005

*Street Player: My Chicago Story - by Danny Seraphine* (co-founder and original drummer for the legen....dary rock band)

I'm about halfway through and so far, just a few interesting tidbits about how the band came to be - some of it is common knowledge if you're a fan - but what's more amazing is how Danny managed to stay alive to get to his ultimate dream.  :Ohno:

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## flippity

_A**holeology:  the Science Behind Getting Your Way - And Getting Away With It_ by Steven B. Green.

_Phil Gordon's Little Green Book_

The _Dexter_ series

thanks for all the suggestions in this thread...I'm always looking for something new and good to read.

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## trousers

If you like the epic style check out George RR Martins Song of Fire & Ice series, very dark stuff though.  Currently reading Felix Gilman's "The Half-Made World.'



> I couldn't even finish that one and completely skipped the next one.  However, I started back up on The Gathering Storm (which was written by Brandon Sanderson following the death of Robert Jordan) and couldn't put it down.  Sanderson lacks Jordan's talent for finding just the perfect word but he makes up for it by advancing the plot and making the characters more interesting and appealing.  I wish there was a way to combine the two writers but Sanderson and his editor did a great job of keeping it as seamless as possible. 
> 
> After the Gathering Storm, I read The Towers of Midnight.  It was the last thing I needed to be doing when I should have been Christmas shopping, baking and decorating.  Really liked it.  The biggest drawback was that for some reason I can't fathom, the editor (also Jordan's widow) opted to delay releasing it on Kindle until next year.  Most kindle readers that I know would gladly pay several more dollars to have it on Kindle so they don't have to try to read a book that is over 800 pages.  That was a real pain.  Don't know when the last book in the series is supposed to be published but I am really looking forward to it.  
> 
> BTW, I never even missed the book and a half I skipped (and they are both about 700 - 800 pages long).  Books 5 - 10 could have been trimmed down to one book, IMO.  Never read such well written but boring books, if that makes sense.

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## PennyQuilts

> If you like the epic style check out George RR Martins Song of Fire & Ice series, very dark stuff though.  Currently reading Felix Gilman's "The Half-Made World.'


Oh, I love that series and have been waiting for the next one for years.  WHO KNEW a dwarf could be such an interesting character?

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## trousers

I think he is spending most of his time working on the HBO series & not the new book.

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## PennyQuilts

> I think he is spending most of his time working on the HBO series & not the new book.


Seems like he has lost interest in it, sadly.

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## Hunt4Mayor

> _Three Cups of Tea
> One Mans Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time_
> Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin


The Mortenson scandal makes me think of the Three Cups of Kool-Aid OKC taxpayers drank a few years back (penny sales tax, State quality jobs tax, use tax) that led to $250,000,000 going to a basketball team that would have come regardless, had we given them money or not. Some good short term effects, but the big picture of it all is just plain brutal.

----------


## rcjunkie

> The Mortenson scandal makes me think of the Three Cups of Kool-Aid OKC taxpayers drank a few years back (penny sales tax, State quality jobs tax, use tax) that led to $250,000,000 going to a basketball team that would have come regardless, had we given them money or not. Some good short term effects, but the big picture of it all is just plain brutal.


Calling BS on this one (I'm not suprised considering source), OKC did not give $250,000,000 to anyone.

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## ljbab728

> Calling BS on this one (I'm not suprised considering source), OKC did not give $250,000,000 to anyone.


Totally agree junkie.

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## Double Edge

> The Mortenson scandal makes me think of the Three Cups of Kool-Aid OKC taxpayers drank a few years back (penny sales tax, State quality jobs tax, use tax) that led to $250,000,000 going to a basketball team that would have come regardless, had we given them money or not. Some good short term effects, but the big picture of it all is just plain brutal.


Have you read the book?

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## HewenttoJared

Reading The Complete Fuzzy and various other H. Beam Piper pieces. I've been on an old sci-fi kick recently.

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## skyrick

"Life" by Keith Richards.

----------


## Double Edge

"American Pastoral" - Philip Roth

----------


## betts

The Game of Thrones is on HBO, which I don't have. Martin's newest book in the series is coming out in July, I believe.

Thinking about rereading the best historical fiction series every written:  The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett.  I pull it out every couple of years and find something new and wonderful about it every time.

Elizabeth I by one of the better historical fiction writers...can't remember which one.

I'm also reading "Life" by Keith Richards, which is surprisingly interesting.

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## skyrick

> I'm also reading "Life" by Keith Richards, which is surprisingly interesting.


An entirely new perspective on "Keef", eh?

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## cameron_405

> "...Americans have experienced a love-hate relationship with Wall Street for two hundred years. Long an object of suspicion, fear, and even revulsion, the Street eventually came to be seen as an alluring pathway to wealth and freedom. Steve Fraser tells the story of this remarkable transformation in a brilliant, masterfully written narrative filled with colorful tales of confidence men and aristocrats, Napoleonic financiers and reckless adventurers, master builders and roguish destroyers. Penetrating and engrossing, this is an extraordinary work of history that illuminates the values and the character of our nation..."

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## PennyQuilts

I'm also going back and re-reading the Song of Fire and Ice series (Game of Thrones) in anticipation of the next book coming out in July.  it has been a lifetime since the last book and I needed to catch back up.

----------


## OKCisOK4me

Recently...Between a Rock and a Hard Place.  After watching 127 Hours, I figured the book to be good and it is excellent so far.

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## PennyQuilts

Just started In the Garden of Beasts:Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin.  It's by Erik Larson, the same guy who wrote Isaac's Storm (one of my favorites) and Devil in the White City.  So far, it has been a good read.  It's nonfiction and based, in part, on journals written at the time.  Interesting to read their perceptions of Berlin in the years before WWII before they had all the information we have now.  It also discusses the different attitudes and political strategies people and countries had regarding jews, jewish immigration and international relations, overall, in light of the the domestic problems we were having in the Great Depression.  It is certainly not a perfect comparison but there are some similarities between that time and now in that the domestic economy was so fragile that we had less wiggle room to deal with other countries.  That, of course, leads to all kinds of compromises which, in hindsight, are heartbreaking.

----------


## Uncle Slayton

The Freedoms We Lost: Consent and Resistance in Revolutionary America by Barbara Clark Smith.  

+ anything with zombies.  

However, I bought the entire series "The Tudors" on DVD and that has derailed all reading for the present.

----------


## progressiveboy

I am currently reading "In the Sanctuary of Outcasts" by Neil White. A true story based on the author spending time in jail which is also a lepers colony in rural Carville, Louisiana. It is a book that is quite moving and very redemptive. The author spent time in jail for white collar crimes and befriends a outcast of clandestine lepers.

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## David

Just finished Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi last night.  It was an entertaining read.

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## HewenttoJared

> Just finished Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi last night.  It was an entertaining read.


I thought Piper wrote that.

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## HewenttoJared

Currently going through Our Choice for iPad. It's a much more immersive experience than the book.

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## PennyQuilts

> The Freedoms We Lost: Consent and Resistance in Revolutionary America by Barbara Clark Smith.  
> 
> + anything with zombies.  
> 
> However, I bought the entire series "The Tudors" on DVD and that has derailed all reading for the present.


Been watching the Tudors on the British Costume channel on Wednesday nights.  It's been a trip.

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## David

> I thought Piper wrote that.


Nope, this is an authorized "reboot" of the original story.  As to why, to quote Scalzi:




> While Fuzzy Nation is a reboot of Little Fuzzy, the idea behind it is not to replace the original, but to celebrate it and hopefully draw new readers to it and to other work by Piper.

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## HewenttoJared

Oh, I forgot the new one was out. I've been holding out for a decent budget Little Fuzzy movie since I was 13.

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## wileywatermelon

Sense and Sensibility, The of Brutality of Fact.

----------


## MadMonk

90% through with Under the Dome by Stephen King.  It's entertaining, but I'm getting annoyed with how many times he ends a chapter or even a "scene" with an obvious foreshadowing sentence.

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## PennyQuilts

Because I am a nerd, I've been reading a five (short) book fantasy series by B. V. Larson (The Haven Series).  It was pretty inexpensive on my Kindle and got decent reviews but I'm not thrilled with it.  Few of the characters are particularly likeable and while I really like the fantasy genre, too often clumsy writers just make up ways for magic to get them out of a situation instead of plotting intelligently.  This series started out pretty promising but at this point, I sort of hope the main character gets killed and the love interest runs off with an elf.  Any elf would be better than the main character.  In fact, she'd be better off with one of the wee folk or a troll.

----------


## Jim Kyle

Just went through a couple of Harry Turtledove books from the Baen Free Library: Wisdom of the Fox and Sentry Peak. Turtledove is the grand master of the alternate-universe genre; the Fox book, actually two novellas in one book, was great. Sentry Peak was a fascinating tale, obviously based in large part on the War Between The States but with a number of interesting reversals, however almost none of the characters really inspired me to care greatly about their outcomes. Almost all of the generals were incompetent fools, except for one obviously based on Nathan Bedford Forrest.

Followed that up with an early Tony Hillerman, Skinwalker. Made me wish I had known Tony -- I was a couple of years behind him in the professional writing courses at OU but did know his brother Barney well. Sadly they're both gone now...

For the SF and Fantasy lovers, I highly recommend the Baen Free Library which is on the web (http://www.baen.com/library/). Great stories, classic authors, and most books are in all the popular formats!

----------


## PennyQuilts

I'll check that out - thanks, Jim.

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## David

I have to second the recommendation for the Baen Library, and add http://baencd.thefifthimperium.com/ as well.

----------


## Jim Kyle

Many thanks! I've bookmarked it...

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## jmarkross

*A Tale of Two Cities* by _Charles Dickens_. For perhaps, the 8th time. 

_It is simply one of the very best books on the mechanisms of people and their politics._

----------


## PennyQuilts

> *A Tale of Two Cities* by _Charles Dickens_. For perhaps, the 8th time. 
> 
> _It is simply one of the very best books on the mechanisms of people and their politics._


My husband went through a period of reading all of Dickens books and is a big fan.  A Tale of Two Cities wasn't his favorite, though.  He liked David Copperfield the best.

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## skyrick

"American Colossus: The Triumph of Capitalism, 1865-1900" by University of Texas historian H.W. Brands. His most famous book is "A Traitor to His Class" a history of FDR. I'll read that one next.

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## jmarkross

> My husband went through a period of reading all of Dickens books and is a big fan.  A Tale of Two Cities wasn't his favorite, though.  He liked David Copperfield the best.


_Dickens has one of the best methods of exposition--you see what he is talking about because he describes things so very well--with wit and seriousness combined. He was one of the very best. I have all his works.
_

----------


## trousers

Just finished "Anathem" by Neal Stephenson. Digging through the stack trying to make up my mind on what to start next. The top contender is Leningrad: State of Siege by Michael Jones.

----------


## flintysooner

Don't know either Anathem or Lenningrad but both sound interesting.

Really enjoyed Mark Hatch's Maker Manifesto - exciting concept.  Also enjoyed the Jack Reacher novels - kind of sad I finished them.

Non-fiction:
Blue Ocean Strategy by Kim - current
The Maker Manifesto by Mark Hatch - just finished 
The Bite in the Apple by Chrisann Brennan
Grain Brain by Perlmutter
Wheat Belly by Davis
Kentucky Traveler by Skaggs
Fiction:
The Day of the Jackal by Forsyth - current - oldie but goodie
Storm Front by John Sandford - just finished 
All 18 of the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child
The Beast by Kellerman

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## Mel

The above post's.

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## trousers

All 18 of the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child
No clue that there that many of those out. 

I tend to have an ever growing stack of books that I try to work my way through. The Friends of the Library book sale and the (formerly) dollar paperback rack at half price books usually keeps the end of the stack out of reach. 

In the current pile with Leningrad is "the thousand autumns of Jacob de Zoet" by Mitchell and "The Stranger" by Camus.

----------


## Dustin

I'm about halfway through Richard Dawkins: An Appetite for Wonder.  It's a wonderful memoir about his early childhood and how he became an evolutionary biologist.  Even if you don't agree with his personal views, it is a very good read.

I have also purchased Stephen King: Doctor Sleep; his newest novel.  That should be interesting!

----------


## flintysooner

> All 18 of the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child
> No clue that there that many of those out.


The character should be popular among the New Urbanists as he owns no car and walks and hitches everywhere!  I sometimes become obsessive about a writer and just set out to read everything.




> I tend to have an ever growing stack of books that I try to work my way through. The Friends of the Library book sale and the (formerly) dollar paperback rack at half price books usually keeps the end of the stack out of reach.


The Kindle and the ease of ordering and carrying a library around with me has dramatically increased my reading.



> In the current pile with Leningrad is "the thousand autumns of Jacob de Zoet" by Mitchell and "The Stranger" by Camus.


Just checked the titles on Amazon - 347 reviews for de Zoet and 707 for Camus's book.  Marked them in one of my lists.

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## MadMonk

Just finished A Dance With Dragons.  Much more interesting read than A Feast For Crows.

Now starting to re-read Ender's Game.  It's been a few years since I've read this and I want to re-familiarize myself with the book before seeing the movie interpretation.

----------


## Prunepicker

Principles of Quantum Mechanics by David Griffith.  Pretty cool.  It's 
written very clearly instead of with the usual esoteric gobbledygook.

----------


## Prunepicker

Has anyone read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close?  I liked most of it.  
The part of Oskar was written very well.  At least until the end, which was 
written as if a deadline had to be met and quality was thrown out the 
window. The ending was very, very disappointing.

----------


## soonerguru

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

----------


## RadicalModerate

> Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.


I think that was the second best book I read last year.  Lots of insight into the restaurant industry.  Before I read it, I just didn't get Anthony Bourdain at all.

----------


## Prunepicker

> Good book. Is this a topic you like? I might be able to suggest a few more 
> you'll enjoy.


Yes.  Bring'em on!

----------


## KenRagsdale

Amazon.com: Fate of the States: The New Geography of American Prosperity eBook: Meredith Whitney: Kindle Store

----------


## Garin

Miracles and massacres

----------


## Prunepicker

> Miracles and massacres


I've not heard of it.  Who's the author?

----------


## Prunepicker

:Ot: 

I've seen many reviews describing "Naked Lunch" as hilarious.  I can't 
say that I agree.  In fact, it's quite disgusting and at times extremely 
repulsive.  I can't stand Benway, not that you're supposed to like him.
A pervert in the style of nazis "ym"sh".

Also, growing up in the 60's, I don't see it congruent with the counter 
culture even though it was read by many "hippies" of the era.  It 
just didn't jive with the times.  I believe it was about Burrough's 
demented side due to drug addiction.

----------


## trousers

Yeah, I don't really think that Naked Lunch is much of a comedy. Haven't read it in awhile so I may have missed something. I do have a Burroughs book in the to-read pile, Cities of the red night.

----------


## Prunepicker

> Yeah, I don't really think that Naked Lunch is much of a comedy.


There's a movie?  OY!

----------


## Chadanth

> I've not heard of it.  Who's the author?


Glenn Beck and his daughter. Actually had some pretty positive reviews.

----------


## RadicalModerate

Was that published by Tate Publishing or Grove Press?

----------


## Just the facts



----------


## RadicalModerate

*Ballistics* (A book of poetry by Billy Collins.)

Here's a sample (it's sort of the introduction to the book):

_August in Paris_

I have stopped here on the rue des Ecoles
just off the boulevard St-Germain
to look over the shoulder of a man
in a flannel shirt and a straw hat
who has set up an easel and a canvas chair
on the sidewalk in order to paint from a droll angle
a side-view of the Church of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

But where are you, reader,
who have not paused in your walk
to look over my shoulder
to see what I am jotting in this notebook?

Alone in this city,
I sometimes wonder what you look like,
if you are wearing a flannel shirt,
or a wraparound blue skirt held together by a pin.

But every time I turn around
you have fled through a crease in the air
to a quiet room where the shutters are closed
against the heat of the afternoon,
where there is only the sound of your breathing
and every so often, the turning of a page.

----------


## Prunepicker

I've returned to one of my faves, 1984.

1984 and Animal Farm are my two most favorite fiction novels.

----------


## elitespy

I'm currently reading "The Real Lincoln" by Thomas DiLorenzo

----------


## trousers

Anyone use the GoodReads app or website?

----------


## RadicalModerate

I've been to the Goodreads site many times . . . For some reason I thought it was all about book reviews and recommendations.

----------


## MadMonk

I finished off Enders Game and was bored and started leafing through old copies of my collection of Asimov's Foundation series books.  So, I'm reading through those again.  I also picked up World War Z on Kindle and started in on that.  I'm also about halfway through Ketcham's "The Life of Abraham Lincoln".  Its a little dry and its taking me a while to get through that one.

----------


## RadicalModerate

> Yes. 
> 
> Wondered a while back if it would be neat to have an OKCTalk Book Group.


I sort of remember that question too.  Again: The Mark Inside (Amy Reading).
Probably available in a paperback version by now. Maybe at Barnes and Noble. =)

----------


## MadMonk

> I sort of remember that question too.  Again: *The Mark Inside* (Amy Reading).
> Probably available in a paperback version by now. Maybe at Barnes and Noble. =)


I have that one on my wishlist.

----------


## trousers

> I've been to the Goodreads site many times . . . For some reason I thought it was all about book reviews and recommendations.


The app has some pretty cool features like letting you scan in the books to your reading list, that kind of thing.  Just now starting to play around with it.

----------


## OKCisOK4me

I heard that the movie 'Shooter' is based on a trilogy of books (which is what the employee at the liquor store said last night):

Point of Impact - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It's shown that there are actually 6 books in the series.  I think these would be a great read.

----------


## flintysooner

The Experience Economy, Updated Edition by Pine II, B. Joseph, Gilmore, James H.
Kind of goes along with Blue Ocean strategy.  Think I'd prefer a good summary or review actually.  Same for Blue Ocean.
Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design by Montgomery, Charles
The first chapter about the mayor of Bogot was a good example of Blue Ocean strategy.  Have enjoyed the book and find the ideas well presented.
Innocence: A Novel by Koontz, Dean
Thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Kept me interested.  Reminds me a lot of the Odd Thomas books.
The Atlantis Gene: A Thriller (The Origin Mystery, Book 1 and Book 2) by Riddle, A.G
Not the greatest fiction I've ever read but managed to keep me interested through both volumes.  Lots of genetic science that was a little new to me mixed in with the story that made it more interesting.
The Book Thief by Zusak, Markus
Looks pretty good but just got started.

----------


## RadicalModerate

> I have that one on my wishlist.


The Oklahoma Metro Public Library System is, like, having a Genie in a bottle with no backhanded tricks.
(your wish is their command)

----------


## BrettM2

Fiction:

_The Passage_ and _The Twelve_ by Justin Cronin were fantastic.  The third and final book comes out in 2014.

The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist.  Some of the best fantasy you can read, about two dozen books in all.  The series ended earlier this year and it felt like I lost a friend; I started reading them around 1999 or so).

Read the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series (my oldest is into Percy Jackson and I had to scout them out).  Really cool story line if you don't mind it being geared toward juvenile fiction.

Non-fiction:

Just started _The Inheritance of Rome_ about the transition from Rome to "barbarian" rule in the west.

----------


## Prunepicker

"How the Hippies Saved Physics" by David Kaiser.  Not as funny as I was 
hoping it to be.  So far it involves Einstein's disputes of mechanical 
physics and the epistemology of those who agree with Bohr, not that 
he's mentioned.  It's a little like a rehash of the debates between the two.

The title is a bit misleading.  I was hoping for some fun since I was once 
a hippie.  Feel free to take photos at the next OKC event.  I'll part my 
hair down the middle.

----------

