What are you reading?

Kyle76 · Post by **Kyle76** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 6:07 pm

jww wrote:
Kyle76 wrote:I'm now reading Alone, the second installment in William Manchester's planned triptych on the life of Winston Churchill, titled The Last Lion. I've read many Churchill books, and this series is the best, IMO. Unfortunately, Manchester died before writing the third book. This one only takes the reader up to 1940.
+1. That was the last book I read before picking up Winter Solstice (my annual Christmas read) and then moving onto Tony Blair's "A Journey ...." which I am still enjoying immensely. It reads in such an open and folksy way, I am convinced that he didn't use much of a ghost writer. It is just like listening to him talk.

Wendell, for long books about at-times kind of boring subject matter (local British politics, for instance), the volumes are pleasantly easy to read. The detail Manchester pays to historical background and context really sets these books apart. Manchester chose a writer to complete the final volume from his voluminous notes. It was originally expected several years ago, so it's kind of reached the point where I'll believe it when I see it. If the new writer can capture Manchester's grasp and style for the war years, then perhaps the best is yet to come.

jww · Post by **jww** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 6:36 pm

Rufus wrote:
jww wrote:
Kyle76 wrote:I'm now reading Alone, the second installment in William Manchester's planned triptych on the life of Winston Churchill, titled The Last Lion. I've read many Churchill books, and this series is the best, IMO. Unfortunately, Manchester died before writing the third book. This one only takes the reader up to 1940.
+1. That was the last book I read before picking up Winter Solstice (my annual Christmas read) and then moving onto Tony Blair's "A Journey ...." which I am still enjoying immensely. It reads in such an open and folksy way, I am convinced that he didn't use much of a ghost writer. It is just like listening to him talk.
Interesting how people's taste vary, Wendell. I'm labouring through "A Journey" after having put it aside for a few weeks. I keep getting bogged down by the minutiae. As we like to say on SMF, YMWV.

How true -- I kind of like the minutiae. Plus, I like the way he diverts a bit here and a bit there while speaking on one subject to tie things together. But then, I am also quite fascinated with Blair, his politics and how he was so disliked by the Brits yet had respect from much of the western world -- even pre-911.

Hoos · Post by **Hoos** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 7:37 pm

I just started Ben Macintyre's Operation Mincemeat about British Intelligence's deception (code named Operation Mincemeat) involving a dead body in WWII. Mr. Macintyre does a nice job of writing. It's entertaining and he does a great job of painting portraits of the individuals involved (including Ian Fleming). In the past, I've found most books about intelligence or WWII to be dry, stuffy things. This is really well done, though.

Wikipedia article on Operation Mincemeat.

Kyle76 · Post by **Kyle76** » Fri Feb 04, 2011 8:55 pm

jww wrote: ... and how he was so disliked by the Brits yet had respect from much of the western world -- even pre-911.

Who's the last PM the Brits actually liked? Seems as if they all eventually lose their popularity.

mikey · Post by **mikey** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:33 pm

Last three books were:

Alex Cross's Trial (Patterson)
The Templar Legacy (Berry)
Swimsuit (Patterson)

Thanks,
MIke

Dexterous · Post by **Dexterous** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 9:41 pm

Chandler's The High Window, one of the few Marlowe novels I haven't read.

rsp1202 · Post by **rsp1202** » Mon Feb 07, 2011 10:55 pm

mikey wrote:. . . The Templar Legacy (Berry) . . .

I've gone through all his books in the last month. Fast reads, interesting historical backgrounds of the most popular mysteries and legends, 2D characters. I miss not having any more books to read in the series, but I've also had my fill of reading Dan Brown clones.

DavidB · Post by **DavidB** » Tue Feb 08, 2011 2:45 pm

Recently finished "Clapton," Eric Clapton's autobiography (an easy and enjoyable read) and "It's About Time," a biography of Dave Brubeck (fascinating read).

Just started "Heart of Darkness" (I re-watched Apocalypse Now Redux, so was motivated to read the source book) and "The Elephant to Hollywood," Michael Caines' new autobiography.

Dave

paddy · Post by **paddy** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 1:26 am

i have just started: confessions of an irish rebel, by brendan behan.

fallingwickets · Post by **fallingwickets** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 4:36 am

was on the treadmill and got to the end of The empty family; a few clicks later i was reading The Greatest Hits of P.G. Wodehouse

clive

LUV my ipad haha

Dexterous · Post by **Dexterous** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 8:33 pm

rustyblade wrote:Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood

One of the strangest and most memorable books I've read. That said, I couldn't tell you that I liked it or felt that it was her best work. I understand she is writing a sequel.

reggiano · Post by **reggiano** » Wed Feb 09, 2011 8:44 pm

The Finkler Question, Howard Jacobson

Just finished Brooklyn, Colm Toibin, and A Visit From The Goon Squad , Jenifer Egan, all highly recommended.

fallingwickets · Post by **fallingwickets** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 5:09 am

The Finkler Question

thats next on my list.....got irked when i paid full freight for it and then a day or two later it was $5 bucks on google books

Is brooklyn 'gay' based. I finished reading the empty family......all good stories for sure but the mano on mano sex details....well they are what they are

clive

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 6:01 am

I'm getting a stack of books waiting for me to finish Proust's volumes. After the two Balzacs I am going onto Charles Palliser's The Unburied since I enjoyed The Quincunx, and then a book about the methods used by the main players in WW2 to feed their populations (or not, in the case of the USSR) - The Taste of War by Lizzie Collingham.

Chris

fallingwickets · Post by **fallingwickets** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 7:14 am

The Taste of War by Lizzie Collingham.

thanks for mentioning this book.....looks incredibly interesting and is on the way to my bookshelf. Somewhat sad that a book like this hot off the press isnt available in a digital format.

clive

infotech · Post by **infotech** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 7:40 am

Band of Brothers - My Grandfather was an airborne ranger, more specifically a glider pilot. I didn't realize how special that was until I watched the series.

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 7:52 am

fallingwickets wrote:
The Taste of War by Lizzie Collingham.
thanks for mentioning this book.....looks incredibly interesting and is on the way to my bookshelf. Somewhat sad that a book like this hot off the press isnt available in a digital format.

clive

You're welcome. I find population dietetics interesting - one of the reasons why I liked Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel so much. I came across this new book in a review in The Economist, which I think you can see without a subscription.

Chris

m2setfree · Post by **m2setfree** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 8:46 am

Last few chapters of Emma by Jane Austen left to read and then next up is Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock.

StereoStapp · Post by **StereoStapp** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 3:26 pm

I just finished the new Robert Crais book The Sentry which was excellent as all Crais books are.
Before that I finished Noah Boyd's The Bricklayer. This book is great.

reggiano · Post by **reggiano** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 8:55 pm

fallingwickets wrote:

Is brooklyn 'gay' based. I finished reading the empty family......all good stories for sure but the mano on mano sex details....well they are what they are

clive

Toibin is a gay man, and some of his writing is "gay", but the sex in Brooklyn is straight, for the most part (don't want to spoil it). He's a friend of a close friend who is also a writer, who lives in Brooklyn. The house the protagonist lives in is based on our friends house in Carroll Gardens- Toibin would call him up on a weekly basis to ask him what the street or sky looked like at a particular moment. Also highly recommend The Heather Blazing.