Re: What are you reading? Books Suggestions

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2019-10-23, 21:16

Starting the Martian tonight. Haven’t seen the movie yet.

by **Watch Out Pylon!** 2019-10-23, 23:23

Have I mentioned Voices Of Chernobyl before? Too lazy to go back and look.

The Soviet Union was a depressing place to live. Really opens your eyes to what the phrase "the will to live" actually means.

by **tGreenWay** 2019-10-24, 00:19

Nelson DeMille just came out with a new book called The Deserter. He wrote it with his son, Alex. I’m curious to read it. His last one, The Cuban Affair, was, IMO, the least interesting novel he’s ever written. It could be that he’s just too old to bring it strong anymore, and that’s why he’s getting his son started on his own journey. It’s also possible that his wife’s illness and eventual death was understandably too great an emotional distraction. Regardless, he gets a pass from me because he’s written some fun reads.

by **InTenSity** 2019-10-24, 12:54

tGreenWay wrote:Nelson DeMille just came out with a new book called The Deserter. He wrote it with his son, Alex. I’m curious to read it. His last one, The Cuban Affair, was, IMO, the least interesting novel he’s ever written. It could be that he’s just too old to bring it strong anymore, and that’s why he’s getting his son started on his own journey. It’s also possible that his wife’s illness and eventual death was understandably too great an emotional distraction. Regardless, he gets a pass from me because he’s written some fun reads.

I used to read DeMille. I really enjoyed The Charm School and a few others. I still see his books out there, but haven't read any in a long time.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2019-10-31, 02:44

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Starting the Martian tonight. Haven’t seen the movie yet.

Finished it tonight. Can’t remember the last book i went through that quickly. It was excellent.

by **tGreenWay** 2019-11-20, 20:31

Very much enjoying The Deserter, recently released from Nelson DeMille and co-written with his son. Seems like the legend may be handing over the crown.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2020-04-17, 01:34

What are you reading? Books Suggestions - Page 7 GUEST_ddf5e2df-5479-4ff9-b3f4-a12158be4edc?wid=488&hei=488&fmt=pjpeg

Starting this in my book club

by **MiamiSpartan** 2020-04-17, 09:11

"The End is Always Near" by Dan Carlin (host of the Hardcore History podcast). It is basically about the various ways in which civilizations have been destroyed (or nearly/potentially destroyed) throughout history. And yes, there is a whole chapter on disease.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2020-04-28, 19:06

Should I read Brave New World?

by **Rocinante** 2020-04-28, 19:24

I feel like I read it like 10 years ago but it obviously didn’t make enough of an impression on me for me to remember much about it. How’s that for a ringing endorsement.

by **Cameron** 2020-04-28, 19:27

Rocinante wrote:I feel like I read it like 10 years ago but it obviously didn’t make enough of an impression on me for me to remember much about it. How’s that for a ringing endorsement.

I read it in high school. I remember thinking it was pretty good, but I couldn't tell you much about it, details-wise.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2020-04-28, 19:36

I suggested it for the book club. The description sounds pretty far out.

“Aldous Huxley's profoundly important classic of world literature, Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order–all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. ”

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2020-05-11, 23:06

Bump for Motown. Books are the foundation of life.

by **Motown Spartan** 2020-05-12, 07:46

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:Bump for Motown. Books are the foundation of life.

Thanks! This thread should keep me busy for a while.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2020-07-02, 01:43

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2020-07-17, 19:00

Starting Dune for my book club shortly.. pumped

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2020-10-19, 15:07

What are you reading? Books Suggestions - Page 7 41gEdu87rAL._SX390_BO1,204,203,200_

Comes out tomorrow:

I’ve been in this life for fifty years, been trying to work out its riddle for forty-two, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last thirty-five. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.

Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs, and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: If you know how, and when, to deal with life’s challenges—how to get relative with the inevitable—you can enjoy a state of success I call “catching greenlights.”

So I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is fifty years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths, and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts, and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops.

Hopefully, it’s medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot’s license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears.

It’s a love letter. To life.

It’s also a guide to catching more greenlights—and to realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green too.

Good luck.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2020-10-19, 15:08

In the meantime, I have a 7 hour drive in front of me. Anyone with a solid audiobook recommendation?

by **Turtleneck** 2020-10-19, 16:10

More than willing to recommend a book, but I'm not giving you one.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2021-02-22, 01:07

just listened to about 4 hours of the obama promised land audiobook. fucking great.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2021-11-10, 21:59

been reading a lot lately. BUMP!

by **GRR Spartan** 2021-11-11, 06:01

Reading The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston.

True crime about a murderer in Italy who killed couples over several decades with a lot of Italian history included.

by AvgMSUJoe 2021-11-11, 07:33

Just finished "The only good Indians" Steven Graham Jones... that was something. It has Indian lore, fantasy, gore and basketball...
Thumbs up.

by Pervis Muldoon 2021-11-11, 08:49

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is very good. It's a science fiction novel by the author of The Martian.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2022-02-15, 13:02

just finished the kite runner. pretty solid. kinda depressing.

looking for a more positive/fun story if anyone has any suggestions.

just found a stranger in the woods lying around. may start that.

by Pervis Muldoon 2022-02-15, 13:12

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:
just found a stranger in the woods lying around. may start that.

Excuse me?

by Rick Saunders 2022-02-15, 13:22

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:just finished the kite runner. pretty solid. kinda depressing.

looking for a more positive/fun story if anyone has any suggestions.

just found a stranger in the woods lying around. may start that.

Recently finished "Bridge of Sighs" by Richard Russo. On to "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by Irving which I have had sitting around for years.

Russo's "Bridge of Sighs" was terrific, I thought and net positive but slow moving (which don't bother me none in a character study). But snappier and funnier is "Straight Man" which I recommend highly.

by **Turtleneck** 2022-02-15, 13:26

Pervis Muldoon wrote:
Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:
just found a stranger in the woods lying around. may start that.

Excuse me?

Oh, we’re you not told this board is for MSU fans who are cannibals? It’s a niche crowd but we exist.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2022-02-15, 13:36

Pervis Muldoon wrote:
Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:
just found a stranger in the woods lying around. may start that.

Excuse me?

What are you reading? Books Suggestions - Page 7 1966794946

by Pervis Muldoon 2022-02-15, 13:47

Rick Saunders wrote:
Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:just finished the kite runner. pretty solid. kinda depressing.

looking for a more positive/fun story if anyone has any suggestions.

just found a stranger in the woods lying around. may start that.

Recently finished "Bridge of Sighs" by Richard Russo. On to "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by Irving which I have had sitting around for years.

Russo's "Bridge of Sighs" was terrific, I thought and net positive but slow moving (which don't bother me none in a character study). But snappier and funnier is "Straight Man" which I recommend highly.

I didn't particularly care for Bridge of Sighs, but I agree about Straight Man. What a fun book - and the prologue about the dog was brilliant.

I haven't read A Prayer for Owen Meany in a long time, but it still sticks with me. I remember reading the opening paragraph ("I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice...") and immediately buying the book. If you're not annoyed by the quirkiness, you should really enjoy it.

by AvgMSUJoe 2022-02-15, 15:22

Just read the two Thursday Murder Club books. old people fun.

I thought Billy Summers was good. Got a little weird and un-needed at the end... but a good book regardless.

by Rick Saunders 2022-02-15, 15:55

Pervis Muldoon wrote:
I haven't read A Prayer for Owen Meany in a long time, but it still sticks with me. ..... If you're not annoyed by the quirkiness, you should really enjoy it.

Annoyed? It's my whole motivation. I'm about 1/3 of the way through (it'll be months before I finish) and it's all I hoped for from Irving.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** 2022-06-09, 11:16

been reading a ton lately, anyone else? any recs?

by **Trapper Gus** 2022-06-09, 11:53

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:been reading a ton lately, anyone else? any recs?

Dorthey Sayers

by Rick Saunders 2022-06-09, 12:16

Other Teams Pursuing That wrote:been reading a ton lately, anyone else? any recs?

I'm reading "The Underground Railroad" by Colson Whitehead. It's pretty interesting and for me seems like a quick read.

by Pervis Muldoon 2022-06-09, 12:20

Rick Saunders wrote:
Pervis Muldoon wrote:
I haven't read A Prayer for Owen Meany in a long time, but it still sticks with me. ..... If you're not annoyed by the quirkiness, you should really enjoy it.

Annoyed? It's my whole motivation. I'm about 1/3 of the way through (it'll be months before I finish) and it's all I hoped for from Irving.

I remember when the book came out, some critics didn't like the quirkiness - especially Owen speaking in all caps. I thought it worked perfectly. Did you finish the book?

by **Turtleneck** 2022-06-09, 12:25

In Defense of Looting: A Riotous History of Uncivil Action (Vicky Osterweil)

Became sort of controversial after the author made an appearance on NPR. It's enjoyable and you get to say cis white male heteronormative capitalist imperialism to yourself a lot. The title is a bit misleading. It's more about the very intentional lost history of particular rebellions.

Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine (Anne Applebaum)

It's from 2017, but has renewed interest for obvious reasons. It's a good read about Soviet brutality of Ukraine and connects some dots about today's war.

Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World (Mark Pendergrast)

A good rundown of our favorite drink. It does touch on how coffee production in parts of Central America propped up authoritarian regimes, but not nearly enough. Still something we should read since we drink so much of the stuff.

by Pervis Muldoon 2022-06-09, 12:29

Don Winslow's latest is a quick but engrossing and entertaining read. It's called "City On Fire" and it's the first in a trilogy.

by Rick Saunders 2022-06-09, 12:34

Pervis Muldoon wrote:
Rick Saunders wrote:

Annoyed? It's my whole motivation. I'm about 1/3 of the way through (it'll be months before I finish) and it's all I hoped for from Irving.

I remember when the book came out, some critics didn't like the quirkiness - especially Owen speaking in all caps. I thought it worked perfectly. Did you finish the book?

I did finish the book and I loved it. Construction of the book was brilliant. All caps was absolutely great, I agree. I kept kind of cheating and looking but not reading late pages when I would pick it up to see if there were any all caps (thus indicating that Owen was still living). I keep picking up "In One Person" and reading about 10 pages but not going back to it. One day I'll commit myself to it. Have you read that?

by AvgMSUJoe 2022-06-09, 14:40

Pervis Muldoon wrote:Don Winslow's latest is a quick but engrossing and entertaining read. It's called "City On Fire" and it's the first in a trilogy.

You dirty sun of a bitch... Was just going to post this. Only half way through, but I like Winslow's style.

Looking forward to Razzmatazz - Christopher Moore... cause he's pretty awesome.

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