Book talk

[transplantbillsfan]

8 hours ago, Captain Hindsight said:

My favorite book of all time is The Alchemist. I've read it a few times in my life and always have a new perspective after reading it.

 

I just finished the Martian. They made it into a movie with Matt Damon, but the book was better

 

I teach The Alchemist to my Seniors 4th quarter.  They love it for exactly the reason you bring up.

2 hours ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

 

I don't like Stephen King, but I did read his book on writing--aptly titled "On Writing"-- and it was great. Great insight into his process as a writer. As an English teacher, I am sure you would enjoy it.

 

 

That's on my "to-read" list and has actually just been sitting in my Amazon cart.  I just haven't pulled the trigger yet.

[transplantbillsfan]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

 

It’s a cousin of the newspaper. The family reunions are a hoot! 

 

I think the three books I’ve intentionally read twice were Catch-22, The Winter of Our Discontent and Travels With Charlie. Two out of three are Steinbeck, so I guess I like him. 

 

Oh man I LOVED Catch-22!  One of the few books I've ever read where I was cracking up out loud as I read.  Just a great book overall.

 

[RaoulDuke79]

10 hours ago, Captain Hindsight said:

My favorite book of all time is The Alchemist. I've read it a few times in my life and always have a new perspective after reading it.

 

I just finished the Martian. They made it into a movie with Matt Damon, but the book was better

Reading it right now, about 2/3 finished. Still hoping for an Ah ha moment. I hear about these books that get such rave reviews and maybe my expectations are too high. Came away disappointed with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and A Brave New World too.

[RaoulDuke79]

Obviously a big....Hunter S Thompson fan, so anything by him is worth a read. I'm a fan of true crime. Helter Skelter is probably one of the best books I've ever read. On the flipside of that genre A Confederacy of Dunces is a pretty good read. Finished Ministry: The Lost Gospels earlier this year. Al Jorgensen is a very interesting character. Used to love the Dragonlance series many years ago. 

[BarleyNY]

1 hour ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

Sounds like we have similar tastes.

 

I haven't read Lila.  You say it's a follow up?  Same storyline?  Same philosophical meanderings?  As a surfer I've really liked surf books that have explored similar philosophical ideas.... that's why I mentioned Surfing with Sartre, but there's a book called Saltwater Buddha by Jaimal Yogis that really reminded me of Pirsig's book, though not nearly as academic in writing.  Yogis actually writes a non-fiction book called The Fear Project that's actually super interesting and not just about surfing but is more an exploration of our fear and how we deal with it.

 

I've been making my way through Gladwell's books, too.  Outliers was the best among them. I'm actually stalled right now in the middle of his book Blink because I've been devouring King's Dark Tower books, though.

Thanks for the recommendations.  We really do seem to have the same taste.  I think I’ll start with The Fear Project.  Don’t miss David and Goliath by Gladwell.  I liked that as well as I did Outliers.

 

Yes, Lila follows the same story line but starts later in his life after a lot has happened.  It’s a different experience though.  Zen was like an arduous journey of taking his first philosophical step while Lila flows a lot more freely in that regard.  Let me know what you think of it. 

[Saxum]

2 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

I really need a print version of a book to read.  I have a tablet but would never be able to tolerate reading on one.  I think the only thing I would ever consider is the Kindle Paper-White because it seems easy on the eyes.  But there's something about having a print version of a book and just seeing your progress as you read.

 

I would like a reverse video device,  The more the light I see the more difficult it is to read. 

I used to use TSW dark theme but often it did not work due to other things posters used including quotes of twitter.

[qwksilver]

Since this is a football board, I've read a few of Tim Green's (1st round Draft pick from Syracuse, Author, Lawyer and NFL Commentator) books. His 1st, Ruffians is a good football book as are a few others of his.

 

Back in early 90's I asked my boss at work how did that brokerage account get so large, his answer was to toss me a book. It was John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany". I think I finished it that weekend. It's one of my favorites.

 

I also enjoy most of Grisham's work as well. My favorite is "Runaway Jury" as it has a trading angle to it.

[T&C]

14 minutes ago, qwksilver said:

Since this is a football board, I've read a few of Tim Green's (1st round Draft pick from Syracuse, Author, Lawyer and NFL Commentator) books. His 1st, Ruffians is a good football book as are a few others of his.

 

Back in early 90's I asked my boss at work how did that brokerage account get so large, his answer was to toss me a book. It was John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany". I think I finished it that weekend. It's one of my favorites.

 

I also enjoy most of Grisham's work as well. My favorite is "Runaway Jury" as it has a trading angle to it.

Tim Russert's books are a very good read... I would recommend them to anyone, Bills fan or not. 

[transplantbillsfan]

2 hours ago, ScottLaw said:

The Stand is terrific. I recommend 11/22/63 by King. Another good read. Somewhat recent....think it was published in 2015?

 

The Stand was my favorite experience reading a book so far, honestly. I started reading it on a 10 hour plane ride from Hawaii to NY and couldn't put it down. And as I read I kept laughing in my head because this was the book I chose to read couped up on a plane with a few hundred people. I will say that my 2 or 3 favorite characters were the slightly unconventional protagonists and I wasn't happy with what happened to them, but oh well.

 

I haven't watched either the 90s or most recent series, though I admit I'm curious about them.

[transplantbillsfan]

6 hours ago, T&C said:

I've read a lot of books in my life so its hard to name a favorite. Always liked Bradbury's short stories compiled into book form... Golden Apples of the Sun, etc.

 

The Electric Kool-aid Acid Test is a pretty good read, as well as On The Road.

 

Anything by Hunter Thompson or Tolkien.

 

3 hours ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

Obviously a big....Hunter S Thompson fan, so anything by him is worth a read. I'm a fan of true crime. Helter Skelter is probably one of the best books I've ever read. On the flipside of that genre A Confederacy of Dunces is a pretty good read. Finished Ministry: The Lost Gospels earlier this year. Al Jorgensen is a very interesting character. Used to love the Dragonlance series many years ago. 

 

Okay I will go out on a limb to make 2 book suggestions for you:

 

Cosmic Bandidos & In Search of Captain Zero by Alan Weisbecker.

 

Cosmic Bandidos especially is a trip and a half.

6 hours ago, GoBills808 said:

For nonfiction I'll read anything David Quammen puts out. Don't do much fiction anymore but McCarthy's Suttree is my favorite novel all time, best American writer for my money.

 

Just started looking at Quammen's books... looks super interesting! Do you have a suggestion on which book to start with?

[US Egg]

16 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

  Brave New World

Fantastic read, which, again, led me to Nathanael West, particularly 'Day of The Locust', then his other works. Quick reads but engrossing.

13 hours ago, RaoulDuke79 said:

Obviously a big....Hunter S Thompson fan, so anything by him is worth a read. I'm a fan of true crime.

'Hells Angels' is my favorite H.S.T. book. He was right there in with them.

 

Read some great true Hollywood crime books. 'City of Nets', 'L.A. Noir' and 'Tinsletown'. Mickey Cohen involved in one,  they were particularly good.

Edited February 19, 2021 by I am the egg man

[GoBills808]

39 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

 

Okay I will go out on a limb to make 2 book suggestions for you:

 

Cosmic Bandidos & In Search of Captain Zero by Alan Weisbecker.

 

Cosmic Bandidos especially is a trip and a half.

 

Just started looking at Quammen's books... looks super interesting! Do you have a suggestion on which book to start with?

Yeah, go for Natural Acts. It’s a collection of shorter essays, probably my favorite...that and Song of the Dodo are so good

[Augie]

About a year ago I picked up Where the Crawdads Sing which was a little different for me. It was a pleasant surprise and tempted me to break my habit of my typical genres. I enjoyed it enough to recommend and offer it to others. 

[US Egg]

18 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

Since I teach English, my "free reading" stuff at this point is generally just "fluff."  That said, I became an English teacher because I love literature. 

Ever consider 'All Quiet On The Western Front'?

 

Non American perspective on WWl, and a easy read that falls into a historical portrait.?

 

[thenorthremembers]

Was a big beat guy as a teenager.   Burroughs, Ginsberg, Kerouac etc.   Burroughs was by far my favorite though.  After that it was Chuck Palahniuk. 

 

Got into Herman Hesse big time in my mid twenties, love Demian.   Mid-blowing stuff.  But to this day nothing touches Fitzgerald.

I was an English Lit major in college, and worked at Borders while in so books were pretty much my life until recently.   Will Christopher Baer has a series called the Phineas Poe Trilogy for people who are into dark mysteries,  Kiss Me Judas, Hells Half Acre, and A Penny Dreadful. 

 

Also suggest Jonathan Tropper:  This is Where I Leave You, One Last Thing Before I Go

 

Havent read as much recently but here are a few I've really enjoyed over the last couple years.

 

Tell the Wolves I'm Home- Brunt, Carol Rifka

The Absolutist- Boyne, John

When Breath Becomes Air- Kalanithi, Paul

 

Just finished Mike Birbiglia's new book on being a first time father New One.  Not a bad fast read if you enjoy books by overly neurotic comics.

 

 

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

52 minutes ago, thenorthremembers said:

 

 

Also suggest Jonathan Tropper:  This is Where I Leave You, One Last Thing Before I Go

 

 

 

 

I am/was a big Tropper fan, but don’t think he has written anything in a long time.  Same with Nick Hornby, who I would compare Tropper too. 

[transplantbillsfan]

2 hours ago, I am the egg man said:

Ever consider 'All Quiet On The Western Front'?

 

Non American perspective on WWl, and a easy read that falls into a historical portrait.?

 

 

I'll have to read it.  I loved The Longest Day.  Have you read that?  Any similarities in style?

[NoHuddleKelly12]

Great thread/topic OP!!

 

For "fluff" fiction reading I can't recommend anything from Clive Cussler enough. Also always enjoyed old English mysteries from Agatha Christie and of course the classic Holmes from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Wait long enough between re-reads and be surprised by the plot twists all over again!  Last but not least, the classics hold up because they are classics--for example, Jules Verne was a visionary before our time, whose 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth, among others, featured revolutionary tech/sci-fi unheard of during the Victorian era. Great stories!  

 

For non-fiction, I've always been a fan of 1st person WW2 memoirs from the soldiers who fought, as well as little known story gems highlighting the human condition, both good and bad from that same era. Adam Makos is great for the latter, and his books "A Higher Call" & most recently, "Spearhead," are page-turners in this regard. 

 

   

[thenorthremembers]

1 hour ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

I am/was a big Tropper fan, but don’t think he has written anything in a long time.  Same with Nick Hornby, who I would compare Tropper too. 

Last I saw he was writing for TV and Movies only.   Had a deal with Cinemax.  Agree on the Hornby comparison, although I think Hornby's character development was a bit better, even if I didnt like the overall work more.   As much as I love Tropper, I think he was a bit of a one trick pony and the books got less exciting because you could kind of see where they were going having read his other titles.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

6 minutes ago, thenorthremembers said:

Last I saw he was writing for TV and Movies only.   Had a deal with Cinemax.  Agree on the Hornby comparison, although I think Hornby's character development was a bit better, even if I didnt like the overall work more.   As much as I love Tropper, I think he was a bit of a one trick pony and the books got less exciting because you could kind of see where they were going having read his other titles.

Regarding Tropper being a 1-trick pony, totally agree. All his books blend together in my mind. A few times I would read one of his books and about 50 Pages in, I wasn’t sure if I had read that one before. They all

mostly concern some middle-aged dude going through a crisis and sitting Shiva after someone died.

 

this reminds me of a similar author— Richard Russo. I really liked his books, but they all concern similar characters in similar locations doing mostly similar things.