What are the last 5 Books you've read?

Share this page

PatsFan09 said:
Kind of a cool story.

I recently recommended "South of Broad" by Pat Conroy to a fellow faculty member at school. He's an older gentleman, in his late 60's, and is extremely gregarious and laid-back.

Last week, I found my loaned book on my desk, along with a note that said, "Thanks! I've been so moved by this book that I've bought two more of this books."

Yesterday, I ran into my colleague as I was checking my mail. I asked him what he was up to during his two-week vacation, and he said, "I'm leaving for Charleston, SC, tomorrow for a week."

Why?

Because of the dramatic impact that Pat Conroy's novels made on him.

If none of you have ever read a Pat Conroy novel, I'm telling you, you are missing out on the greatest American writer that I've ever come across. He writes in a way that will make you laugh out loud, weep in emotional agony, and absolutely fall in love with reading all over again.

In my opinion, his three best books (although all are phenomenal) are:

South of Broad (new, uplifting, absolutely outstanding)
Beach Music (probably my favorite novel of all time)
Lords of Discipline (for anyone who has any interest in life in a military college, or hell, life in general)

I cannot praise this man highly enough. I've literally seen hundreds of high school students become Pat Conroy fans just by reading the first chapter of Beach Music or Lords of Discipline.
Click to expand...

Just a bump and a plug for South of Broad, which came so highly recommended that I wondered if it could really live up to it.

It did.

One hundred thanks go out to PatsFan09 for convincing me to spend some dough on a novel that made me feel a hundred different things and drained me in the process.

It was magnificent. Thank God we have a man of letters around this joint.

I might take a day or two to recover emotionally from reading it and chances are good that I'm going to need some more Pat Conroy, so I'll be glad to see if Beach Music makes the grade.

I'd say that is probably a safe bet.

Thanks again, Professor. I'm already spreading the word.

:thumb:
 
Hawg73 said:
4. A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson. Bryson is one of the funniest and best writers alive. This is the story of his attempt to hike the appalachian trail and is simply outstanding. Laugh out loud funny.
Click to expand...
A side note on Bryson for all you commuters. First, Hawg is right. Bill is excellent. Bill is laugh out loud hilarious. Bill is a world-class wise ass. And he is even better when he is reading his own words. He is the reader on most of his e-books and they are absolutely fabulous in thre car on a long ride. Most towns libraries around here are affiliated with a larger library consortium and you should be able to bvorrow most of his audio books free.


Cheers, BostonTim
 
penn-jillette-god-no.jpg


Penn Jillette is the tall half of Penn & Teller.

His take on atheism is consistently profane, sometimes thought-provoking, and occasionally poignant (the story about his parents getting old and what he did to help them stay in their home resonated with me).

It's a fast read, and only 10% or so is about atheism. The rest is biographical.

I liked it, but don't recommend it unless you consider yourself an open-minded sort of person.

(And nowhere in the book does he claim "The Razor" as his nickname. :D)
 
I just finished the first three books of the Iron Druid Chronicles.

It's an interesting twist on the old fantasy idea.

The main character is a 2,100 year old Druid living in Tempe Arizona. All of the deities, from all religions are "real", along with vampires, werewolves, and the usual things that go bump in the night.

It's actually pretty funny, almost Whedonesque at times (yes that's high praise).
 
Just finished
Wench by D P Valez
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by Berendt... was not a fan

The Lustre by K Policani
 
Just finished the Earthsea cycle by Ursula Leguin. It wasn't bad, but I never really developed any relationship with any of the characters.
 
I recently read 3 books written by an acquaintance of mine, Jane Leavy:

'Squeeze Play', 'The Last Boy; Mickey Mantle and the Death of America's Childhood', and 'Sandy Koufax; A Lefty's Legacy'.

The book on Mantle was incredibly researched, full of anecdotes, personal stories, and statistics; but what touched me most about the book was how it reminded me that all icons are, intrinsically, no different from the rest of us. It's quite a book.
 
I'm about 2/3rds of the way through 20,000 leagues under the sea. I'd forgotten what a great book that is. It's even better when the mental image for Captain Nemo is "the most interesting man in the world."
 
I've been reading Steven Erikson's "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" series.

It's... interesting. I like it, but he definitely writes differently than many others.

He writes without informing the reader of background information; he introduces characters, races, nations, geography, etc., and writes in such a way that you pick up the details on your own.

It's a bit annoying at first, but I've read the first four books in a month, and they're each over 900 pages or so.
 
PatsFan09 said:
I've been reading Steven Erikson's "The Malazan Book of the Fallen" series.

It's... interesting. I like it, but he definitely writes differently than many others.

He writes without informing the reader of background information; he introduces characters, races, nations, geography, etc., and writes in such a way that you pick up the details on your own.

It's a bit annoying at first, but I've read the first four books in a month, and they're each over 900 pages or so.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a real Hoot.
 
I've been reading James Rollins. It's best seller mystery stuff. You can pretty much kill one in a day. Not rocket science but it's good escapism. I've read two and have 3 or 4 more.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
midgar8784 said:
Sounds like a real Hoot.
Click to expand...

They are pretty fascinating; it's just a very different writing style.

Virtually every historical/fantasy fiction series out there provides a heavy dose of background info when a new character is introduced, etc.

This guy does the exact opposite. You just have to adapt.

LIke I said, I've read 4 already, so for me he's doing something right.
 
PatsFan09 said:
They are pretty fascinating; it's just a very different writing style.

Virtually every historical/fantasy fiction series out there provides a heavy dose of background info when a new character is introduced, etc.

This guy does the exact opposite. You just have to adapt.

LIke I said, I've read 4 already, so for me he's doing something right.
Click to expand...

I was just doing the good will hunting line...meaning that it sounds like a very high level book that is being read for fun. As soon as I talk to my wife I wanted to see if you read these books she is reading, she cannot stop talking about them...
 
Currently reading Abraham Lincoln- Vampire Hunter. So far it's better than I expected.
 
Pats09 the author is Cormac McCarthy, have you read anything by him?
 
I'm just waiting for one of you to get honest and say you read the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy.

Tommysgirl?

Anyone?

ROFL

I'm guessing the females have, and there's probably a male or two.

Hawg? Come on, I know you have!!!

Hahaha
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top