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What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Fman99 Jan 01 2010 08:48 PM

Starting 2010 off with this one. This may have been a CPF recommendation, I am enjoying it so far.

Edgy DC Jan 02 2010 06:39 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Sat on my shelf for years. Don't know why, as it's excellent.

A Boy Named Seo Jan 04 2010 12:55 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm hip-deep in post-xmas reading. The brilliant (looking) The Miracle Has Landed is on my coffee table and looks to be the perfect read-whenever-you-can-fit-a-little-reading-in book. Haven't dived in yet. Reading Love is a Mix Tape, by Rob Sheffield. Rob suddenly lost is wife of 5 years at the age of 31 (32?) to a pulmonary embolism. He retells the story of their love through 15 mix tapes he'd made and revisted after her death. Quick, little read. Sad and pretty. Got Badass: A Relentless Onslaught of the Toughest Warlords, Vikings, Samurai, Pirates, Gunfighters, and Military Commanders to Ever Live from my bro. 40 apparently historically accuracte capsules of some of the most badass warriors in history, told in a style that makes you think Beavis, Butthead, Bill & Ted all wrote the thing. Haven't read enough to determine yet whether funny quickly turns to annoyance. Great American Novel by Phillip Roth. I think WP and others recommended this in 09 to me. Finally getting around to it. Love Roth.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 04 2010 01:14 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm currently reading The Reformation: A History by Diarmaid MacCulloch This is one of the more challenging books I've read in a while. (I knew that going in. I wanted to start 2010 with something meaty.) It's a comprehensive look at a subject I'm not particularly familiar with. There are so many names: kings and queens, popes, bishops, reformers, etc. that I'm finding it hard to follow. (If they were the names of people with whom I was more familiar I'd be having a much easier time. A book with as many names, but about baseball, or Hollywood, or American politics, would be much less confusing for me.) Plus, I don't generally do theology. Nevertheless, there's a lot of interesting information in here, and I'm learning a lot. But if I was more well-versed in the subject, I'd be getting a lot more out of it.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 04 2010 01:20 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm taking someone's advice from the 2009 thread and reading The Lost City of Z. I think Sharpie. Well the hell is Sharpie anyway.

A Boy Named Seo Jan 04 2010 01:23 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Speaking of Z, also gonna read World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War !!!

Fman99 Jan 14 2010 03:14 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I think a former CPF recommendation, I just plowed through "The Plot Against America" by Philip Roth while on business travel. Engrossing, seriously good alternate history/fiction.

themetfairy Jan 14 2010 03:21 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Fman99 wrote: I think a former CPF recommendation, I just plowed through "The Plot Against America" by Philip Roth while on business travel. Engrossing, seriously good alternate history/fiction. I did read that Fman. I thought it started out stronger than it ended, but it was indeed powerful. I still think back on it. This is going to be my airplane reading for my race weekend in Bermuda -

Fman99 Jan 14 2010 08:33 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

themetfairy wrote: Fman99 wrote: I think a former CPF recommendation, I just plowed through "The Plot Against America" by Philip Roth while on business travel. Engrossing, seriously good alternate history/fiction. I did read that Fman. I thought it started out stronger than it ended, but it was indeed powerful. I still think back on it. I wouldn't argue that point. It was the first book of his that I had read and it was good enough for me to go and seek out some of his other stuff, once I finish the 15 or so books from the book sale and holiday gifts/gift card purchases that I have backlogged here.

A Boy Named Seo Jan 14 2010 09:48 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

American Pastoral and Portnoy's Complaint by Roth were awesome. I think WP hated the latter (sorry if I'm wrong on that), but I'm confident you'll love it, Fman. Very confident.

TheOldMole Jan 15 2010 12:32 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'd add The Human Stain. Roth deserves the Nobel Prize for Literature.

MFS62 Jan 16 2010 11:39 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Baseball America Almanac -2010 Edition. Just got it today. But while I was walking past the magazine rack at Borders, something caught my eye. It was Baseball Digest - in a full sized format. It said this is the first change in format since the magazine was introduced 69 (or was it 59?) years ago. It went on to say that they feel this will make it more noticeable on newsstands. Sigh. At least they will still be focused on baseball. (That was a sarcastic slap at what has happened to TSN.) LAter

themetfairy Jan 27 2010 05:59 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm reading about Fred Lebow, the man who made the New York Marathon the race that it is today. I just started it, but I'm already engrossed by his story.

RealityChuck Jan 27 2010 09:11 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Just finished this one: If you don't recognize it, it's "The Completely Mad Don Martin," a book of every Don Martin cartoon ever published in Mad Magazine. Saved $120 off list price, too.

batmagadanleadoff Jan 27 2010 10:00 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Where have you gone, Fonebone? Splerrt.

Nymr83 Jan 27 2010 11:29 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Just went book shopping so heres the current list waiting to be read in a pile... America Alone (Mark Steyn) Comrade J (Pete Earley) Land of Lincoln (Andrew Ferguson) Maimonides (Adrew Joshua Heschel) Meltdown (Thomas E Woods jr) New Deal or Raw Deal? (Burton Folsom jr) Seizing the Enigma (David Kahn) The Bad Guys Won (Jeff Pearlman) I've given up on fiction lately

metirish Jan 30 2010 04:44 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm trying the non-ficton route for a while too. If By Sea: The Forging of the American Navy -From the Revolution to the War of 1812 Pretty sure some here have read this....Grim?

Benjamin Grimm Jan 30 2010 05:52 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

No, not me. But it does look like something that I would read.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jan 30 2010 05:57 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Finished The LOST CITY OF Z recently. Very interesting story of the explorers (today we'd call them hack anthropologists) exploring the amazon in the early 20th century especially Percy Fawcett, who inspired many while getting himself and his son killed there. Re-reading this one for a special project: Tried getting into John Feinstein's book on Mussina and Glavine (LIVING ON THE BLACK) but it was so friggin boring I kept forgetting to return it to the library. Whatever I owe in late fees, it's more than that book is worth. Guh. Big stack to attack still.

batmagadanleadoff Jan 30 2010 06:51 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Re-reading this one for a special project: I enjoyed rooting for Terry Leach when he was a Met. Talk about an organization choosing form over function to its detriment and Leach the Met is the player that first comes to my mind. This guy had precise control over his whiffle ball like pitch, and was highly effective. About a year and a half ago, I picked up a brand-new condition copy of the Leach book on ebay for one dollar. I wouldn’t have found a better conditioned copy if I cherry-picked the shelves of a major bookstore that happened to stock 40 copies of Things Happen for a Reason. I never finished reading the Leach book. I got about halfway through and as often happens, I got distracted before reaching the end. I read a respectable number of books in a year, but over the years, I've also accumulated a good-sized number of books that I began reading, but for one reason or another, did not finish. I’m presently on this kick where I’m intentionally pulling books off my bookshelf that I once started to read, but did not complete. The last two books I completed: Cormac Mccarthy’s No Country for Old Men and Philip Roth’s Our Gang fall into this category. If I stick with this method of selecting books, I could easily read new books all year long without spending a single penny on book purchases. Next year, too. My current read is Ralph Ellison’s The Invisible Man. I bought this classic about 15 years ago and prior to now, have made three unsuccessful attempts at finishing it. So far, I’m about a third of the way in. It’s the deepest I’ve ever gotten with Invisible Man.

Rockin' Doc Jan 31 2010 05:54 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Nymr83 wrote: Just went book shopping so heres the current list waiting to be read in a pile... America Alone (Mark Steyn) Comrade J (Pete Earley) Land of Lincoln (Andrew Ferguson) Maimonides (Adrew Joshua Heschel) Meltdown (Thomas E Woods jr) New Deal or Raw Deal? (Burton Folsom jr) Seizing the Enigma (David Kahn) The Bad Guys Won (Jeff Pearlman) I've given up on fiction lately I have gotten into biographies and historical recreations by writers such as David McCullough, Doris Kearns Goodwin, & Jon Krakauer. As a result, I haven't read any fiction books in 3-4 years. I'm sure I will eventually go back to fiction.

themetfairy Feb 19 2010 06:50 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

My first marathon is coming up in ten weeks. Reading this is helping me go from nervous to excited about it :)

Nymr83 Feb 19 2010 11:13 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

So I've been pretty slow with the pile of books listed above. The Bad Guys Won was pretty good. Seizing the Enigma was [u:ctc96cd0]amazing[/u:ctc96cd0]. This book isn't "U-571" if thats what you are into but its a story about the actual cryptography going on before and during WW2. I've started the book on Maimonides, its pretty dry so far. I'm burned out on Civil War era literature right now so Land of Lincoln will likely be last, I think Comrade J is next.

Fman99 Mar 04 2010 12:12 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Halfway through Frank McCourt's "'Tis," which is every bit the book that "Angela's Ashes" is.

Benjamin Grimm Mar 04 2010 12:15 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm reading Lauren Bacall's autobiography from 1978. It's a strange experience. As she's explaining how wonderful Bogart was, I'm reading it and thinking he was a jerk. "He was so sweet. He'd get stinking drunk and shout abusive insults at me!"

Edgy DC Mar 04 2010 12:16 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I can think of things I less rather read, but it's hard.

Ceetar Mar 04 2010 12:42 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I've been lagging with the reading lately. Still need to read the new "Robert Jordan" Wheel of Time book. In the middle of Snow Crash, but haven't sat down and actually just read it for a while.

metirish Mar 04 2010 12:56 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm trying the non-ficton route for a while too. If By Sea: The Forging of the American Navy -From the Revolution to the War of 1812 Pretty sure some here have read this....Grim? I liked this , a lot of seafaring jargon that takes getting used to but overall a good read. One thing you notice is how insecure America was in starting it's Naval fleet. For years they were taking on the might of the Royal Navy with converted fishing ships and beating them , yet they would not fully commit to building a Navy because of the ingrained assumption that the Royal Navy was just too good. It was two steps forward and three steps back in many cases, but they learned and produced some brilliant Naval Captains. There is a bunch of Revolutionary War figures that you will know, brilliant detail of Naval warfare and of the ships used, the arrogance of the British through it all. Great read that spans the Revolutionary War through the War of 1812.( as the name says)

Nymr83 Mar 04 2010 07:48 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

i actually saw "if by sea" through the window of a bookstore near work today and decided it was getting added to my list.

Centerfield Mar 08 2010 07:51 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Just finished reading this: Lots of people raved about it and recommended it to me so I gave it a shot. With all the accolades it's received I'm sure there's something to it, but whatever it is, it's over my head. So I decided to leave the philosophical stuff to smarter people. My next book is about the guy who got trapped under a rock.

themetfairy Mar 08 2010 08:45 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Still working on that marathon state of mind. A Race Like No Other is specifically about the New York City Marathon. Mile by mile of the 2007 race, as told by the stories of runners from the elite to the elderly. It's giving me a nice flavor for what it will be like.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Mar 11 2010 10:22 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I "ate up" this book as recommended (and provided) by Edgy. I hafta say despite all the weird similarities between myself and the author (LI native, biz writer, trombone player, ultimate frisbee player) I didn't really feel sorry for him since unlike me he was also a wealthy self-obsessed globetrotter whose "problem" was getting laid by big-breasted Japanese women too much. But he's funny and I admired his creative effort to solve the Fundamental Misunderstanding of Humanity. Now I'm about halfway thru this sprawling scifi novel recommended by Ms. Bucket. Anyone read this? It was very well reviewed.

Centerfield Mar 16 2010 10:26 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Just finished reading this: Lots of people raved about it and recommended it to me so I gave it a shot. With all the accolades it's received I'm sure there's something to it, but whatever it is, it's over my head. So I decided to leave the philosophical stuff to smarter people. My next book is about the guy who got trapped under a rock. About halfway through the Ralston book now. Just so I'm clear, the above is not a recommendation. I'm about halfway through it now and find myself actively rooting for the rock.

Edgy DC Mar 16 2010 10:31 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm enjoying High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time by Tim Wendel. Reading it as I slip off to sleep and I'm going to see him read from it this evening.

Fman99 Apr 10 2010 06:42 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Just finished "The Fourth Voyage of Columbus" by Martin Dugard. Totally engrossing history reading, my favorite kind of book.

cooby Apr 10 2010 10:52 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Finished this just last night. If you love John Lennon (as I do), the Beatles, or the 60's in general, you will like this. Abrupt end.

Willets Point Apr 11 2010 07:31 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I have a stack of books about Amsterdam and/or by Dutch authors to prepare for next month's travels. Probably won't read them all. Anne Frank - The Diary of a Young Girl Marcel Moring - The Dream Room Sean Condon - My 'Dam Life William Frederick Hermans - The Darkroom of Damocles Guus Kuijer - The Book of Everything Harry Mulisch - The Assault Simon Schama - The Embarassment of Riches Geert Mak - Amsterdam

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 12 2010 06:14 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Not to add to that pile or anything but have you read BRILLIANT ORANGE? All about those whacky Dutch and their influential soccer team in the 1970s.

Willets Point Apr 12 2010 06:59 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I did read Brilliant Orange just last year actually. I think someone here recommended it. Could've been you. Sadly, our trip is after the end of the Ajax FC season. Not that I would've been able to get a ticket anyway.

cooby Apr 12 2010 07:16 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

there.

Ashie62 Apr 12 2010 07:49 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

cooby wrote: there. Just finished this..top notch On to everything David Sedaris

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 12 2010 08:11 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Willets Point wrote: I did read Brilliant Orange just last year actually. I think someone here recommended it. Could've been you. Sadly, our trip is after the end of the Ajax FC season. Not that I would've been able to get a ticket anyway. I'm sure it was me. Good book!

Edgy DC Apr 12 2010 08:59 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

David Sedaris may not work in big chunks.

Fman99 Apr 13 2010 04:32 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

At the suggestion of someone from last year's "What Are You Reading" thread I am now reading Michael Chabon's "Yiddish Policeman's Union." Good stuff.

Edgy DC Apr 13 2010 05:27 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

That was probably me. It was on my bedside for a year and I kept bumping it. I don't know why, as I've lubbed everything the guy writes. Sure enough, it was excellent.

cooby Apr 13 2010 04:33 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

there. Just finished this..top notch On to everything David Sedaris David Sedaris is also top notch :)

seawolf17 Apr 13 2010 06:47 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Just finished reading Dave Cullen's Columbine book. Can't decide if I'm completely terrified or not. It's not the greatest literary work ever -- he jumps all over the place chronologically, which is confusing as hell -- but it covers all the bases. Working on the Willie Mays book now.

Centerfield Apr 22 2010 11:50 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Just finished: It was far more interesting than one would think considering the story is about a guy who loses his boat and drifts 76 days over the Atlantic. Just started this: Not my usual cup of tea, but my wife heard good things about it and said I should give it a try. The last time this happened I ended up liking (but not loving) the book, so I'm obligated to give it a whirl. Just into the first few pages now. I wonder if this makes me officially gay.

Fman99 Apr 22 2010 01:29 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Centerfield wrote: I wonder if this makes me officially gay. Here's how you can tell. If someone asks you what you think of the book, and you answer with "Mmmuhgrbbgherbllmuhlmbrlhglmhrr," then you are officially gay.

Frayed Knot Apr 22 2010 02:45 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I wonder if this makes me officially gay. If the background color on the cover were a slightly more manly shade of purple we could of let you slide. But that's too close to lilac, so yes.

soupcan Apr 27 2010 01:39 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

This was recommended by a friend. Just finished it. Excellent read. Halberstam presents a short but sweet account of the lives and friendship of four ballplayers from the legendary Boston Red Sox teams of the 1940s: Ted Williams, Dominic DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky and Bobby Doerr. Told in a series of flashbacks as DiMaggio and Pesky drive from Massachusetts to Florida to see an ailing Williams for what was probably their last time, Halberstam's story is less a biography and more a reverie for "men of a certain generation, born right at the end of World War I" who "had seized on baseball as their one chance to get ahead in America." The book tells the various ways each player "shared an era," from their childhoods to their first meetings through their long tenures with the Red Sox. As in his other sports books, Halberstam has a great eye for the telling detail behind an athlete's facade, whether it is Williams's sense of himself as "a scared, unwanted, unloved kid from a miserable home" or Pesky's stoic acceptance of being blamed for the Red Sox's loss in the seventh game of the 1946 World Series, when in fact-as Halberstam clearly shows-it was not Pesky's fault at all. Fans of Halberstam's work will be satisfied by his chapter-long description of that crucial World Series game. But that is merely the more obviously exciting part of a book in which the main pleasures are more quiet glimpses of the four friends, including Doerr's calming influence over the more explosive Williams, DiMaggio's heroic fight against Paget's disease and the friends' final, touching meeting with Williams in Florida.

Rockin' Doc Apr 27 2010 03:35 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The Teammates is a great book by a very talented writer. I read it a few years ago. I enjoyed it so much that I bought for my son (then in high school) as a Christmas present the following year.

soupcan Apr 28 2010 07:47 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Agreed Doc - I really, really enjoyed it.

Edgy DC Apr 28 2010 08:07 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

An organizaitonal guy of a pitcher is barely clinging to the remnants of minor league career, living in poverty, and long since gven up on the notion that his golden arm would be his ticket out, but looking at his terribly dysfunctional family has him too depressed to think post-baseball will be any improvement, so he grinds on, trying to find whatever meaning he can in the here and now of baseball life. Did I mention that his name is Dirk Hayhurst?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 28 2010 08:31 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

looking at that. Do you like it?

soupcan Apr 28 2010 08:41 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I've heard good things about that.

Edgy DC Apr 28 2010 08:54 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm on chapter three. So far, so good. But the parts about his disaster of a family --- and his inability to do a single thing about it --- kill me.

Willets Point Apr 28 2010 09:12 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 28 2010 09:24 AM

I think I'm the only person who doesn't like The Teammates. It came across as too cutesy and worshipful for my tastes. Also there was more on the players' personal lives than I found interesting and less of a baseball angle than I'd like. I did like learning more about Dom Dimagio who is a fascinating individual.

seawolf17 Apr 28 2010 09:20 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I just grabbed Hayhurst's book from the library. The dude's completely foo-foo-nutty; I follow him on Twitter @TheGarfoose. I'd try to explain what a garfoose is, but I don't know that I get his whole gig myself.

Centerfield Apr 30 2010 12:34 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Who was it that recommended Lamb by Christopher Moore? I just got another book of his and can't wait to get into it.

Edgy DC Apr 30 2010 12:38 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

What makes Hayhurst's voice interesting is he pulls Jim Bouton's trick of living in jockcock culture, enjoying its' benefits, while being self-consciously aware enough to step back and acknowledge it's bullshit.

A Boy Named Seo May 07 2010 09:00 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm about 50 pages into "So You Wanna Be A Rock Star" by Jake Slichter, drummer from the 90's alt-rock band Semisonic. A friend who cares about Semisonic about as much as I do (what was that song again? Oh, right "Closing Time"...) lent it to me, and so far it's a pretty cool look at the music industry in the post-Nirvana cash grab for the "next big thing". Slichter was a guy who mostly made songs on his own at home before getting the drumming gig for a sort-of all-star Minneapolis band slated for stardom. The book goes on to tell the story of their negotiations with the majors, and their huge rise and inevitable fall behind that massive single. Enjoying it well enough so far.

HahnSolo May 07 2010 09:49 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Man, I really disliked that song.

Edgy DC May 07 2010 09:54 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

If you mean "Closing Time," very yes. I always thought the song was a very polished piece of crap popp-grunge performed by a capable but uninspired and uninspiring band, written to appeal to college-age jerks and full of cliches and borrowed lines that they might find clever. But according to Wikipedia, there's more to the picture. The place that closes seems to be a pickup bar... However, the book So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star by Semisonic's drummer Jacob Slichter indicates that it is, instead, about being born: the place that is closing is the womb, and the mention of alcohol is a reference to pregnant women not drinking. This can be seen in the lines: Time for you to go out to the places you will be from ... This room won't be open 'til your brothers or your sisters come Eh, I'm having trouble buying and stil finding it annoying.

A Boy Named Seo May 07 2010 11:08 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Part of what I like about the book is that arguing whether, or how much they suck isn't really necessary to the story of the band and the industry's intentional blurring of the lines of "alternative" and "mainstream" music at the time. The writer, too, is a pretty humble dude with anxiety issues, so hearing him tell the story of the band getting swept up into the world of limousines and photo shoots is kinda neat to me.

Edgy DC May 07 2010 11:17 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Yeah, I certainly agree that nothing in the song suggests to me that the men are douchebags. Sellouts, maybe; douchebags, no. I like the bassist handling the piano lines and stuff. I just want to be ther lyricist.

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 07 2010 11:57 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Part of what I like about the book is that arguing whether, or how much they suck isn't really necessary to the story of the band and the industry's intentional blurring of the lines of "alternative" and "mainstream" music at the time. The writer, too, is a pretty humble dude with anxiety issues, so hearing him tell the story of the band getting swept up into the world of limousines and photo shoots is kinda neat to me. Yeah, I'd read that shit for sure. Sounds on the surface at least that it could share something with the book by a struggling ballplayer discussed above). I always thought the song was a little artificial and they were trying too hard but you know, okay. It's better than the song I conflate with it, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by a different group, or maybe the same one, it's hard to tell.

Edgy DC May 07 2010 12:07 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Deep Blue Something "Breakfast at Tiffany's" 1995 Huntsville, TX "Closing Time" Semisonic 1998 Minneapolis, MN

A Boy Named Seo May 07 2010 12:10 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Who the hell is the Verve Pipe then??

seawolf17 May 07 2010 12:48 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

They were merely freshmen. And "Breakfast At Tiffany's" is a WAY better song than "Closing Time." (Or "Freshmen.")

Willets Point May 07 2010 01:41 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

It always bugged me that The Verve and The Verve Pipe were simultaneously popular. And they both sucked. Most annoying song of the 90's goes Marcy Playground for "Sex and Candy" though.

A Boy Named Seo May 19 2010 11:48 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Willets Point wrote: It always bugged me that The Verve and The Verve Pipe were simultaneously popular. And they both sucked. Most annoying song of the 90's goes Marcy Playground for "Sex and Candy" though. "Sex & Candy" was #13 the week "Closing Time" hit #1. Dig this Top 20 from May 30, 1998: 1) "Closing Time" - Semisonic 2) "The Way" - Fastball 3) "Iris" - Goo Goo Dolls 4) "Don't Drink the Water" - Dave Matthews Band 5) "Push it" - Garbage 6) "Ava Adore" - Smashing Pumpkins 7) "Shimmer" - Fuel 8) "Wishlist" - Pearl Jam 9) "I Will Buy You a New Life" - Everclear 10) "Heroes" - The Wallflowers 11) "Flagpole Sitta" - Harvey Danger 12) "Jump Right In" - The Urge 13) "Sex and Candy" - Marcy Playground 14) "Real World" - Matchbox 20 15) "Spark" - Tori Amos 16) "Zoot Suit Riot" - Cherry Poppin' Daddies 17) "Redundant" - Green Day 18) "My Own Prison" - Creed 19) "My Hero" - Foo Fighters 20) "Inside Out" - Eve 6

Fman99 May 20 2010 06:42 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Plowing through Halberstam's "The Fifties." Terrific history reading. I took the advice of the Roth lovers here and read both "American Pastoral" and "The Human Stain." I liked them both, though I thought the ending of American Pastoral was anti-climactic. I liked the ending of "The Human Stain" much better. Both were worth reading, though.

Edgy DC May 20 2010 07:11 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

That's an educational top 20. I'm reading About a Boy and Soldier of the Great War. The latter should last me until August.

A Boy Named Seo May 20 2010 10:24 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Fman99 wrote: Plowing through Halberstam's "The Fifties." Terrific history reading. I took the advice of the Roth lovers here and read both "American Pastoral" and "The Human Stain." I liked them both, though I thought the ending of American Pastoral was anti-climactic. I liked the ending of "The Human Stain" much better. Both were worth reading, though. Read "Portnoy's Complaint". I think WP hated it, but it appealed to my low-brow sense of humor. I think you'll dig it, too.

Nymr83 May 20 2010 11:02 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Nymr83 wrote: Just went book shopping so heres the current list waiting to be read in a pile... [crossout]America Alone (Mark Steyn)[/crossout] Comrade J (Pete Earley) Land of Lincoln (Andrew Ferguson) [crossout]Maimonides (Adrew Joshua Heschel)[/crossout] Meltdown (Thomas E Woods jr) New Deal or Raw Deal? (Burton Folsom jr) [crossout]Seizing the Enigma (David Kahn)[/crossout] [crossout]The Bad Guys Won (Jeff Pearlman)[/crossout] I've given up on fiction lately Nymr83 wrote: So I've been pretty slow with the pile of books listed above. The Bad Guys Won was pretty good. Seizing the Enigma was amazing. This book isn't "U-571" if thats what you are into but its a story about the actual cryptography going on before and during WW2. I've started the book on Maimonides, its pretty dry so far. I'm burned out on Civil War era literature right now so Land of Lincoln will likely be last, I think Comrade J is next. Wow, I've gotten lazy with my reading. I finished the Maimonides book awhile ago (it wasn't that good), so i still have four books from that original pile, and I've added "If By Sea" and Donald Miller's "D-Days in the Pacific" to my stack, along with a book on Mickey Mentle I found in a dollar store. must...motivate...self... the funny thing is once I open a book its done in several days, the trick is getting started.

Frayed Knot May 20 2010 11:18 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Fman99 wrote: Plowing through Halberstam's "The Fifties." Terrific history reading. I did 'The Fifties' last year - it's probably mentioned in the 2009 thread. DH does a good job of selling the idea that that decade wasn't merely a nothing-happening place-keeper between the war-torn decade that preceded it and the explosive one that was to follow.

A Boy Named Seo May 20 2010 07:21 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Couple more pages left of "So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star". Maybe some light spoilers here, if you plan to read it. Lots of attention paid to how important music videos were before MTV went from "a lot of shit" to "complete shit" and how much $$ labels sunk into videos. Completely different universe now in 15 years, huh? The other thing that got me was how it's "against the rules" for labels to pay radio stations to alter their rotations and stick a band in there or move a band up if they're already in, but the payola went on just the same with third-party promoters who would take label money and then go to the radio stations instead of the label and pay for the exact same thing. It was widespread and shameless and that's how a shit song would sometimes get a good spot and stay there for seemingly forever. Funny to queue up a Semisonic track on Lala as it got mentioned in the book. Aside from "Closing Time" there was one other I recognized and that was it. As the third album tanked and he largely blamed MCA's mismanagement, I kept thinking to myself as I listened to the tracks while I read, "But this song just isn't good." I found myself liking the guy a little less as the book went on and he conquered some of his anxiety and really really really seemed to crave the big shit that comes with being a rock star. But shit, maybe I'd do the same, who knows.

Edgy DC May 20 2010 10:40 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

So who paid off Ryan Zimmerman to select "Use Somebody" as walk-up music?

Fman99 May 21 2010 06:32 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Fman99 wrote: Plowing through Halberstam's "The Fifties." Terrific history reading. I took the advice of the Roth lovers here and read both "American Pastoral" and "The Human Stain." I liked them both, though I thought the ending of American Pastoral was anti-climactic. I liked the ending of "The Human Stain" much better. Both were worth reading, though. Read "Portnoy's Complaint". I think WP hated it, but it appealed to my low-brow sense of humor. I think you'll dig it, too. I just got a new Roth book last week, my wife got me books for an anniversary present. It's not that one though, I think it's Indignation.

metirish May 24 2010 07:21 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

If you are in to fiction like me then you have probably heard all the hullabaloo surrounding Stieg Larsson and his Millennium Trilogy—The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, and the final volume, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, all of which were published posthumously. The books main characters are Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, she's a long abused , rather eccentric geek who reigns terror on various people who have abused her(people who work in various government run institutions ) ,she's a social misfit , he's a crusading journalist ....enough said about that.....anyway, I am sure the books suffer from translation(Swedish) but they are horrible to read. The writing is just dire.... I got through the first book ....gave up on the second ....

Centerfield May 24 2010 08:56 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck.

A Boy Named Seo May 29 2010 09:02 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Centerfield wrote: The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck. Never heard of it. I'm reading "Ripped" by Greg Kot. The jacket cover will tell ya everything you need to know. Good stuff so far. Coincidentally nice to read after that Semisonic book about rock music in the 90s.

Fman99 Jun 01 2010 09:14 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Back to the nonfiction, after finishing "The Fifties" I am halfway through this book. It's a good read so far.

soupcan Jun 01 2010 01:01 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Read this on Edgy's pseudo recommendation. Very good. Liked it quite a bit. An organizaitonal guy of a pitcher is barely clinging to the remnants of minor league career, living in poverty, and long since gven up on the notion that his golden arm would be his ticket out, but looking at his terribly dysfunctional family has him too depressed to think post-baseball will be any improvement, so he grinds on, trying to find whatever meaning he can in the here and now of baseball life. Did I mention that his name is Dirk Hayhurst? Now reading this: Which Joe Queenan refused to but I find very entertaining.

Fman99 Jun 15 2010 06:15 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Just finished Philip Roth's Indignation last night. Really enjoyed it -- it's shorter than the other books of his that I've read but no less enjoyable.

Frayed Knot Jun 15 2010 07:18 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

In the process of re-reading this one - originally read not long after it was first published in the late '90s Mr. Mike: The Life and Work of Michael O'Donoghue -- The Man Who Made Comedy Dangerous A look into the twisted humor of one of the main forces behind the early days of both National Lampoon and Saturday Night Live

Willets Point Jun 15 2010 07:31 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Everything I've read about O'Donoghue says he was a belligerent ass who was impossible to work with. Does this bio offer another side of O'Donoghue?

Edgy DC Jun 15 2010 07:41 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Finished Carboard Gods, and it's a good companion piece to Bullpen Gospels, as they're both young men feeling too old before their time, struggling to find meaning and connection in an age of shallowness and alienation, and use baseball as the lens through which they search. The main difference is that Josh Wilker is five times the writer that Dirk Hayhurst is, and I mean that with no disrespect. (I'm sure Hayhurst is five times the pitcher.) I was torn, wanting to read more slowly to make it last longer, and wanting to read faster to arrive at whatever rock this drowning man eventually would eventually come to cling to. I want Josh Wilker to be my roommate, and for three weeks he was. Lunchbucket picked up an autographed copy for me at the last Amazin' Tuesdays, and I owe him a whole shelfload of good books in return. Interesting, Wilker's most recent blog post tackles Don Mossi and, as much as he is the greatest writer on baseball card ephemera ever, he knows enough ink has been spilled in describing images of Mossi, and mostly cedes the floor to those who've come before him, before turning the card over and stretching for redemption. Wilker is, among other things, charitable, and that's a hell of a thing to find in a successful blogger.

Frayed Knot Jun 15 2010 07:58 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Willets Point wrote: Everything I've read about O'Donoghue says he was a belligerent ass who was impossible to work with. Does this bio offer another side of O'Donoghue? The author doesn't sugar coat it no, despite it being obvious that he's a fan. It certainly offers up the view that he at least at times could be belligerent and dismissive of those whose work he though was inferior, although he did have times where he collaborated with others even if the shelf life on those stints weren't always long. I suspect that today he'd have been diagnosed with something - manic depression maybe - that caused wild mood swings (exacerbated by intense migraine headaches) and made him tend to quickly divide his world into 'with' or 'against' camps.

Rockin' Doc Jun 15 2010 10:40 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm about a third of the way through this year in the life look at low level minor league baseball. Matt McCarthy was a left handed pitcher from Yale that was selected by the Anaheim Angels in the 21st round of the 2002 draft. McCarthy provides an inside look at his time as a minor league player living on the edge of poverty in Mormon (Provo, UT) country. An interesting look at the flame outs and fututre MLB stars that played with and against him in his one year of minor league baseball.

Edgy DC Jun 15 2010 10:44 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I started that, but put it aside when Bucket told me that McCarthy had James-Freyed it and had been caught in a handful of fabrications.

Rockin' Doc Jun 15 2010 11:08 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Edgy DC wrote: I started that, but put it aside when Bucket told me that McCarthy had James-Freyed it and had been caught in a handful of fabrications. Damn, that sucks. I hate to hear that he took some liberties with his story. I'll finish the book since I hate to not finish a book that I start. Upon further research, it will be hard to read this book as anything other than fiction with so many of the principals able to prove his accounts aren't fully accurate. [url]http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/sports/baseball/03book.html?pagewanted=all

Ceetar Jun 15 2010 11:26 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

About to start Dead in the Family, the new Charlaine Harris (True Blood) book.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 12 2010 02:52 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

soupcan wrote: Read this on Edgy's pseudo recommendation. Very good. Liked it quite a bit. Edgy DC wrote: An organizaitonal guy of a pitcher is barely clinging to the remnants of minor league career, living in poverty, and long since gven up on the notion that his golden arm would be his ticket out, but looking at his terribly dysfunctional family has him too depressed to think post-baseball will be any improvement, so he grinds on, trying to find whatever meaning he can in the here and now of baseball life. Did I mention that his name is Dirk Hayhurst? I'm with you guys. I liked how his message, really the whole thing, was never hammered down, but dished out pretty gently.

Chad Ochoseis Jul 12 2010 03:20 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I finished Moby Dick yesterday. All 624 pages of occasionally dense 19th century prose. I'd been at it on and off for about two years. But somebody's got to read more than just the Cliff's Notes. But, yes, it's all that, as long as you skim through the long descriptions of what a whale's skeleton looks like and how a sperm whale differs from a right whale, etc., etc., etc., etc. A great story even if you just read it as the story of some New Englander befriending a Fiji Islander and going off on an adventure to see the world and get revenge on a whale. And much better if you think about it as an inquiry into the monomaniacal pursuit of anything. And probably better still if you have other interpretations of it. In the Metly Moby Dick movie, I picture Chris Carter as making a fine Captain Ahab.

Zvon Jul 12 2010 03:47 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm reading Koontz's "Life Expectancy". My brother had it layin around his house and I was looking for something to read. Its a lil weird, the parallels I see in it to my own life at this time, and my moms death. But I suppose I am going to feel the loss of my mom in everything for awhile. Very good book. I love it when clowns go evil.

Fman99 Jul 12 2010 03:52 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The Philip Roth 2010 tour continues as I recently finished I Married A Communist, which I liked better than American Pastoral. Now, due to a lack of time to go buy new books or hit the library (and my own inability to buy a fuckin Nook or Kindle and just getting it over with), I am rereading my all time fave piece of fiction, Gabriel Garcia Marquez' One Hundred Years of Solitude. For probably the fourth or fifth time in my life.

TheOldMole Jul 12 2010 07:16 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

This was incredible. And a really obscure one that I loved -- "The Day the Music Died" by Joseph Smith. Smith -- under the name Sonny Knight -- was a Fifties doowopper, who made a number of records, including one hit, a really nice song -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTFkXGtBjys His novel, published in 1981, is set in the business end of the music industry from the 50s through the coming of the Beatles. It's smart and savvy and not badly written. I loved it. Oh, I said that. Well, I guess my love for the book is no longer confidential to me.

Edgy DC Jul 13 2010 07:28 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Chad Ochoseis wrote: I finished Moby Dick yesterday. All 624 pages of occasionally dense 19th century prose. I'd been at it on and off for about two years. But somebody's got to read more than just the Cliff's Notes. But, yes, it's all that, as long as you skim through the long descriptions of what a whale's skeleton looks like and how a sperm whale differs from a right whale, etc., etc., etc., etc. A great story even if you just read it as the story of some New Englander befriending a Fiji Islander and going off on an adventure to see the world and get revenge on a whale. And much better if you think about it as an inquiry into the monomaniacal pursuit of anything. And probably better still if you have other interpretations of it. In the Metly Moby Dick movie, I picture Chris Carter as making a fine Captain Ahab. Good on you. I've failed twice in reading this. Not for lack of appreciation, but because one chapter is so rich that I feel I can't continue reading without somehow giving the book more of me than I'm willing and able to give. It's like you need to quit your job, alienate your friends and family, and tune out on the Mets in order to absorb all that's in there. I don't mean to blaspheme, but it's like Melville has it rigged so following him is like following Jesus.

Centerfield Jul 13 2010 07:35 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Within the past week I've finished the latest Philbrick and Ian McEwan's Amsterdam. The Philbrick was pretty good. Not as tight as his maritime books, but it offers some great insight into a fascinating topic. The technical parts are a little tough to comprehend (at least for me) and the order in which he presents his tale is a bit confusing, but like his other works, he does a great job bringing the events to life. The McEwan was good until the end, when it became a little silly. Well-written and haunting, but then he pulls out an ending that seems out of Dan Brown's playbook. I've just started The Blind Side by Michael Lewis and am enjoying it immensely so far.

TheOldMole Jul 13 2010 10:05 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Fman99 wrote: Plowing through Halberstam's "The Fifties." Terrific history reading. I did 'The Fifties' last year - it's probably mentioned in the 2009 thread. DH does a good job of selling the idea that that decade wasn't merely a nothing-happening place-keeper between the war-torn decade that preceded it and the explosive one that was to follow. And don't forget that soon-to-be-available epic of the 50s, Nick & Jake!

Rockin' Doc Jul 13 2010 07:08 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I have had Philbrick's "The Last Stand" on my list of future reads for some time now. I'll have to move it up following CF's endorsement.

soupcan Jul 14 2010 01:19 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Can anyone recommend some historical fiction about the Old West (think cowboys) for a 13 year-old who has a sudden interest in reading about that? Or where I might find a good list of some books in that genre? Thanks, Pard.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 14 2010 01:23 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Check out Larry McMurtry. Lonesome Dove is a great read.

themetfairy Jul 14 2010 01:29 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

soupcan wrote: Can anyone recommend some historical fiction about the Old West (think cowboys) for a 13 year-old who has a sudden interest in reading about that? Or where I might find a good list of some books in that genre? Thanks, Pard. I'm not sure whether this fits the bill, but The Gold Rush Kid is an age appropriate read. The thing to do, seriously, is go to your local library and ask the reference librarian to do a Reader's Advisory search based on books that your kid already likes (trust me - librarians LOVE Reader's Advisory searches). Or with your library card you can probably access the NovelList database from home and do that kind of search yourself. Good luck!

Edgy DC Jul 14 2010 01:29 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

How about Zane Grey?

soupcan Jul 14 2010 01:40 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Lonesome Dove, Zane Grey - yes, great, thank you! Reader's Advisory Search - great idea - will do. Thank you all.

sharpie Jul 14 2010 03:09 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Louis L'Amour is a better read than Zane Gray.

soupcan Jul 14 2010 03:40 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

sharpie wrote: Louis L'Amour is a better read than Zane Gray. Good for kids though?

sharpie Jul 14 2010 03:50 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Absolutely. JUBAL SACKETT is considered by many to be his best. The description: Jubal Sackett feared no man. With the aid and company of Itchakomi, a Natchez Princess, he blazed a trail through the American wilderness from the Appalachians to the Rockies. Other than fightin' injuns there isn't much in his books that anyone could object to.

soupcan Jul 21 2010 10:19 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Thanks for the advice - he's got a few to choose from now. BG got me curious about 'Lonesome Dove' and I actually never read any of those books or saw any of the TV series. Decided to pick them up. Research told me that there are actually 5 books in the Series. 'Lonesome Dove' being the first one written but actually the third in terms of chronological order. So I picked up this one: Which the internet tubes told me is the first (again chronologically). Online reviewers tell me its far from the best of the series but I'm enjoying it quite a bit and if the other books just get better, then I'm in for a summer-long treat.

Centerfield Jul 21 2010 12:39 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The Blind Side was really good. I've just started A Farewell to Arms, over the objection of just about everyone I know.

Edgy DC Jul 21 2010 12:44 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I've got to admire your attempt to tackle these canonical icons.

Benjamin Grimm Jul 21 2010 12:49 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Centerfield wrote: I've just started A Farewell to Arms, over the objection of just about everyone I know. Coming up for me, in a few weeks, is my second reading of For Whom the Bell Tolls. I brought it to Spain with me in 1999 and I'm going to do the same in 2010.

sharpie Jul 21 2010 02:01 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I like to read books set where I'm travelling. I read Orwell's Homage to Catalonia while in Barcelona about 15 years ago. Talking about hand-to-hand combat in the upstairs of the cafes that I was frequenting was pretty cool.

TheOldMole Jul 23 2010 08:42 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Will James for the Western-loving youngster.

Fman99 Jul 25 2010 05:17 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Neat bio of Kristian Birkeland, a Norwegian scientist who spent his life trying to get to the root cause of the aurora borealis.

Nymr83 Jul 25 2010 10:14 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I've just started A Farewell to Arms, over the objection of just about everyone I know I was forced to read it in high school and HATED it

MFS62 Jul 27 2010 08:47 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Mike and Mike's Rules for Sports and Life by Mike Greenberg, Mike Golic, and Andrew Chaikivsky It includes excerpts from their radio show. I found one quote from Mike Greenberg quite interesting. He said (I paraphrase) "It is harder to write a six word essay than it is to write a six hundred word essay." How do you folks who are in the writing business feel about that? Maybe this should be broken out into its own thread for discussion. Later

Edgy DC Jul 27 2010 08:54 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

If that was remotely true, then they wouldn't have needed Andrew Chaikivsky to get their book out.

MFS62 Jul 27 2010 09:22 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Edgy DC wrote: If that was remotely true, then they wouldn't have needed Andrew Chaikivsky to get their book out. Since the material seems to be direct quotes from the show, my guess is that he arranged the book into topics and chapters and gave the book its slick "look and feel". The words are all theirs. BTW - the book is like a George Carlin book. If you've seen his performances, you've heard most of his material before. But its still nice to know you have it all in one place. Later

Edgy DC Jul 27 2010 09:29 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

If he was merely the editor, he'd be credited as editor, and not co-author.

Fman99 Jul 27 2010 02:39 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The best magazine articles ever written.

soupcan Jul 28 2010 08:01 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Done with Dead Man's Walk- on to (chronological) book number two: Dead Man's Walk was 'okay'. It started out great, lost a lot of steam in the middle and then just kind of dragged itself to the end. I liked the characters, I liked the descriptions of the west and the storytelling in general. I'm looking forward to reading Comanche Moon if only to get to Lonesome Dove.

Edgy DC Jul 28 2010 08:08 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The best magazine articles ever written. I was surprised to find out how many of those I had read, including some of my favorite latter-day magazine journalists: David Foster Wallace and William Langewiesche, although I'd have liked to see fewer from the former and more from the latter.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 28 2010 09:47 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The last one about the "Evan vanished" was only published a few months ago and no way belongs on a list with Gary Smith, etc. I think WIRED is awesome much of the time but that piece was stupid.

cooby Jul 30 2010 09:20 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Wuthering Heights -- I had never read it before and spotted it in our church library last week

Fman99 Jul 30 2010 09:23 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

cooby wrote: Wuthering Heights -- I had never read it before and spotted it in our church library last week I read it in 10th grade and remember thinking, "Wow, at least I'll never have to read this again." It's one of my mom's favorite books and movies.

Fman99 Aug 02 2010 10:28 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Reading a book from either the 2008 or 2009 thread, "Manhunt" by James L. Swanson. It's quite engaging, actually. Whomever from the CPF had read it had given it a lackluster review but I find it engrossing in its detail.

metirish Aug 02 2010 10:47 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Reading some excellent Irish noir crime fiction set in Dublin, Ed Loy has returned home from Los Angeles after twenty years working as a Private Eye there, he now works the streets of Dublin , Loy is a great character. Declan Hughes is all so a director , playwright and screenwriter, and a co founder of Rough Magic and independent theater company. http://declanhughesbooks.com/

Centerfield Aug 02 2010 10:59 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Finished the Hemingway. Maybe I just don't get it, but I don't see why it's such a big deal. It's a compelling story that takes place in an incredibly compelling setting, but the staccato-like dialogue robbed it of any sort of depth. If there's more to it, it went over my head. I'm going to start the latest Dan Brown. Pretty sure nothing will get over my head in that one.

Rockin' Doc Aug 02 2010 10:24 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Fman99 wrote: Reading a book from either the 2008 or 2009 thread, "Manhunt" by James L. Swanson. It's quite engaging, actually. Whomever from the CPF had read it had given it a lackluster review but I find it engrossing in its detail. I read "Manhunt" right after finishing the wonderful "Team of Rivals". I enjoyed it quite a bit and found it to be a good followup to Raivals as "Manhunt" pretty much picked up the story and carried on with it. I found it quite interesting and enjoyable.

The Second Spitter Aug 03 2010 04:59 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Awesome, awesome shit .... I'm taking a 5 day 40 hour course on it next week. ....

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 03 2010 05:03 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Yariv Brauner really makes tax code sing, but good luck getting through the Avi-Yonah chapters.

Fman99 Aug 03 2010 05:23 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The Second Spitter wrote: Awesome, awesome shit .... I'm taking a 5 day 40 hour course on it next week. .... Are there any dirty pictures in this book?

The Second Spitter Aug 03 2010 06:19 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Fman99 wrote: Are there any dirty pictures in this book? There's a centerfold of Ruth Ginsburg.

MFS62 Aug 03 2010 09:20 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The Second Spitter wrote: Fman99 wrote: Are there any dirty pictures in this book? There's a centerfold of Ruth Ginsburg. I'm not sure how dirty the centerfold is, but that comment was downright filthy. And worthy of a BOC, if those things were still being counted. Later

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 03 2010 09:27 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm trying to learn more about the perspective of my neighbors (I live in a heavily Polish hood). This is an offbeat travel journal written by an Australian musician with a thing for Chopin, describing working and traveling in Poland shortly after the fall of Communism. You learn that Poland's been the home of some of the most horrifying events in human history and some of its zexyiest chicks too.

Ceetar Aug 03 2010 09:27 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The Gathering Storm, by Robert Jordan/Brendon Sanderson. I'm enjoying it. I've never been real good at analyzing writing style to say "Yeah, this doesn't feel like Jordan" so I'm not noticing too much difference in the way he's piecing together Jordan's plot. Supposedly this is part 1/3 of the finale.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 03 2010 09:28 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Those kinds of books can be fun and interesting. Is it making you want to go to Poland?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 03 2010 09:32 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Yes. Wifey's already been there though, so it'd prolly score low on the Europe Agenda for us.

Farmer Ted Aug 03 2010 09:48 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The Color of Water http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Color_of_Water and The Boy Who Harnassed the Wind http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Kamkwamba

Willets Point Aug 03 2010 10:17 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

MFS62 wrote: And worthy of a BOC, if those things were still being counted. Wait, when did this happen? I've been nominating BOC's left and right.

Frayed Knot Aug 03 2010 10:47 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm trying to learn more about the perspective of my neighbors (I live in a heavily Polish hood). This is an offbeat travel journal written by an Australian musician with a thing for Chopin, describing working and traveling in Poland shortly after the fall of Communism. Coincidentally, I saw this in a bookstore recently. Haven't picked it up but it might be interesting along those same Polish history lines. No Greater Ally: The Untold Story of Poland's Forces in World War II Wait, when did this happen? I've been nominating BOC's left and right. And you last saw one of those acknowledged ... ?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 03 2010 10:55 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I don't know how much more I want to know about the shit that went down in Poland back then.

Edgy DC Aug 03 2010 11:21 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Frayed Knot wrote: Wait, when did this happen? I've been nominating BOC's left and right. And you last saw one of those acknowledged ... ? Keep nominating away. Don't listen to Downy McSarcasm.

Rockin' Doc Aug 03 2010 04:00 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

A very personal look at the six young men that were captured on film in the famous flag raising at Iwo Jima. The book examines the lives of the six men from their time before, during, and after the 36 days of hell that was Iwo Jima.

The Second Spitter Aug 03 2010 05:39 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I'm trying to learn more about the perspective of my neighbors (I live in a heavily Polish hood). How would you rate the quality of pierógi in your hood?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 03 2010 07:48 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The Second Spitter wrote: John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I'm trying to learn more about the perspective of my neighbors (I live in a heavily Polish hood). How would you rate the quality of pierógi in your hood? Just as yummy as the leggy Polish lasses who serve 'em. Seriously, I wouldn't know who's are best, but they are authentic here, made by real Poles, using imported Polish ingredients, ect. They have a whole economy here.

The Second Spitter Aug 03 2010 07:57 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Just as yummy as the leggy Polish lasses who serve 'em. "Pierógi" is a euphemism for leggy Polish lasses.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 03 2010 08:08 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

D'oh. Really, they're outstanding. And there's a trashy subset of them who dress like sluts all the time, lots of leopard prints, heels and tight dresses, if you're into that sort of thing.

soupcan Aug 04 2010 10:14 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: And there's a trashy subset of them who dress like sluts all the time, lots of leopard prints, heels and tight dresses, if you're into that sort of thing. There are people that aren't into that thing?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 04 2010 10:16 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I dunno, man. I prefer my leggy Polish lasses to be working behind the counter of a bakery with a smudge of flour on her cheek.

soupcan Aug 10 2010 10:47 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Moving on... Comanche Moon was good, better than Dead Man's Walk but still dragged here and there. I'm expecting big things from L.D. now though. I've done the work and read the prequels - time for McMurtry to hit me with that Pulitzer stick.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 10 2010 11:16 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Aug 10 2010 11:18 AM

The author is doing a gig at the local bookstore this week, so started this the other day. A book about a Mexican tribe that runs for days at a time, written by a guy who can't run without foot pain. A well-reviewed book on sociology and running.

Willets Point Aug 10 2010 11:17 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I dunno, man. I prefer my leggy Polish lasses to be working behind the counter of a bakery with a smudge of flour on her cheek. A unique and intriguing fetish you've found there. Start a blog. NOW!!!

Centerfield Aug 10 2010 12:36 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm picturing Maggie Gylenhaal in Stranger Than Fiction.

The Second Spitter Aug 11 2010 05:59 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I dunno, man. I prefer my leggy Polish lasses to be working behind the counter of a bakery with a smudge of flour on her cheek. Next time you see one of those leggy Polish lasses at the bakery say "ale nogi" to them and I'm sure they'll give something extra on the side.

Fman99 Aug 11 2010 08:48 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Reading "Til Death Do Us Part," a terrific piece of nonfiction by Vincent Bugliosi (famous as the prosecutor in the Charles Manson case and the author of "Helter Skelter"), about another 1960's California murder case. Really goes in depth into the prosecution of a capital murder case and how it works from the point of view of the DA's office. Bought it used at the last downtown festival we attended for $3.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 12 2010 08:04 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: The author is doing a gig at the local bookstore this week, so started this the other day. A book about a Mexican tribe that runs for days at a time, written by a guy who can't run without foot pain. A well-reviewed book on sociology and running. So I was at this event last night, and probably the only guy in the room who a) hadn't finished the book twice and b) didn't absolutely worship this guy. Turns out this book (hey, I'm only 40some pages in!) became something of a tipping point for the Barefoot Running/Ultrarunning movement that's been going on. I looked around and noticed about half the people at this event were wearing those "foot shoe" thingies that look like slippers or watershoes with toe pockets. Anyway, so I'd inadvertently found myself in the middle of this group -- many of whom had just completed an 8-mile barefoot run from Harlem to my hood and who believed strongly that the Sporting Goods/Conventional Medicine/Runner's World Magazine consortium was behind an epidemic of athletic injuries. Talking with the writer afterward, I confessed I had no idea what this was about all that but like him, I'm a guy who likes to run but has frequently been slowed by foot issues. Not surprisingly, he recommended I look into the Barefoot thing. I'll let you know how that goes when I finish this book.

Edgy DC Aug 12 2010 08:08 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

You know, um, Mr. Crazy Running-Guru Dude, the terrain of Chihuahua and the terrain of Greenpoint have some differences. Broken glass and jagged metal for instance.

Benjamin Grimm Aug 12 2010 08:10 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Are you really barefoot if you're wearing shoes with toes?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 12 2010 08:16 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Yeah, this is the kinda stuff I need to get to in the book. My understanding is the style of running encouraged by the Running Shoe Industry encourages "unnatural" heel striking and related injuries and that this gear allows the athlete to "listen to their feet" etc etc. Other people are running in these thin sandal-like shoes resembling something that the ancient Greeks wore.

A Boy Named Seo Aug 12 2010 10:50 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Head lots about that book, too, and saw some of those shoes at REI recently and the sales lady was talking em up all kinds. I've started to see plenty of peeps wearing those 'shoes' running and have seen lots of people running on the concrete bike path at the beach with no shoes at all. The REI lady said it's very awkward at first and you gotta stick to very short distances at first, but she says people swear by that style. Been meaning to read that book, but too much going on. Look forward to your take on it.

Centerfield Aug 12 2010 12:49 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

That is brilliant. Shoes that allow you to be barefoot.

DocTee Aug 12 2010 06:35 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

JCL: I'm about 70 pages into this. Recommended to me by a high-priest of the barefoot cult. Inspired, I went out on my run hoping to set all sorts of personal bests. No luck. Maybe I need to first drink heavily, like those Mexican maniacs who make up the central cast?

soupcan Aug 23 2010 09:24 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Finished Lonesome Dove. Very, very good book. By far the absolute best of the the three I've read so far. Highly recommend it if you are interested in this genre. Very entertaining, lots of great characters. While reading it I was constantly questioning whether or not I should have read the prequels (that were written after L.D.) first. I had images and perceptions of the characters that were inconsistent with how they were protrayed in L.D. There were also other small inconsistencies - again - as they related to the first two books. Some characters that had known each other in the first books for example - all of a sudden had never met in the third. That was mildly irritating. If you are planning to read any of these books - and judging by the lack of responses to my posts about the books, I'm guessing you're not - you can start with Lonesome Dove and not miss anything. If you find that you enjoy the characters then pick up the other novels. They are both enjoyable but not necessary. Moving on to book IV - Streets of Laredo to further follow the adventures of Captain Woodrow Call and (what remains of) the Hat Creek crew.

Edgy DC Aug 24 2010 10:03 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

An enjoyable and (so far) accurate celebration of seventies baseball, if not touching the subject as deeply as Cardboard Gods and so only relatively scratching the impact of seventies baseball icons on psyche of the decade's children. It's certainly more comprehensive, and so more useful to historians and possibly cultural observers, if not psychologists and theologians. It's just, sometimes he takes the celebration too seriously. Thrill to the arc of Denny McLain's self-destruction, but real human beings were hurt. Salute the ballplayers for liberating themselves and fully expressign themselves, but some like Pete Rose and Reggie Jackson became self-centered monsters, and so normalized the self-centered monster in American culture. As if there isn't a dark side to replacing green grass with a synthetic lawn. I guess it's about as good a book as you can ask for from this guy:

metirish Aug 25 2010 08:59 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I ordered this from the library after reading your review and it's there waiting for me, looking forward to it.

Chad Ochoseis Aug 25 2010 09:32 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

If you are planning to read any of these books - and judging by the lack of responses to my posts about the books, I'm guessing you're not - you can start with Lonesome Dove and not miss anything. If you find that you enjoy the characters then pick up the other novels. They are both enjoyable but not necessary. I've never read any of Larry McMurtry's work. But his son James is one damned good lyricist. So one of these days I'm going to make the time to read some of Larry. [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ISt-IuoTgY&feature=related [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmrXvkWO7q0&feature=related [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMd04FVyVRg&feature=related [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWEJPqJtZsk (think twice about listening to this one - particularly the 6:04-6:30 sction - if your kids are around)

Centerfield Sep 21 2010 09:24 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

About 150 pages into this one. Intriguing story about a boy who discovers a book, then tries to unravel the mystery behind the book's author and his disappearance. Recommended by a friend a few years back, but it's been sitting on my shelf as I couldn't bring myself to read something with such a corny title.

Frayed Knot Sep 22 2010 09:34 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The title (a Robert Johnson lyric) and subtitle pretty much say it all. Picks up JE Ray starting with his escape from a Missouri prison in 1967 through his seemingly on the fly decision to assassinate MLK and also the movements of King during those last few days which brought him to Memphis. Book then tracks the goings-on during the eventual 65 day manhunt that took Ray to 4 different countries and possibly very close to getting away for good. Hampton Sides, a Memphis native and now Santa Fe resident, also wrote 'Blood and Thunder' which I had previously read, a history on "injun fighter" Kit Carson and the settling of the old west.

Edgy DC Sep 23 2010 05:38 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Does the book give any ground at all to those (including some King famly members) who suggest Ray was a stooge? Sounds like it wants to explode that theory.

Frayed Knot Sep 23 2010 07:18 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The (1998?) book by investigative journalist Gerald Posner (most famous for his 'Case Closed' about Oswald and the JFK assassination) 'Killing the Dream' is more along those lines than this one is. Sides mainly deals with what is known rather than speculating on what isn't although acknowledges that even with a captured alive and occasionally chatty assassin (although often intentionally cryptic and none too bright*) not all of his movements or the cash he spent while on the run (especially pre-April 4) can be entirely accounted for. On the other hand he leaves no doubt as to who pulled the trigger and suggests that if any 'conspiracy' exists it probably extends no further than minor help or knowledge from his equally lowlife brothers. * Upon being captured in England and assigned legal representation in advance of an extradition hearing, Ray continued to stick to the idea that he was really his assumed name of Ramon Sneyd and that he had no idea why he was being mixed up with this James Ray guy. When the lawyer then asked if there was anyone he wanted to call in the U.S. he immediately answered; 'yeah, my brother Jerry Ray in Chicago'.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Sep 23 2010 08:42 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Very funny retelling of Kruschev's 2-week tour of the US in 1959, along with the "kitchen debate" with Nixon that preceded it and the shoe-banging UN trip that followed. K was a funny guy for a dictator: He was impulsive, prideful, a bully, a glutton, and presided over an opprssed nation, but he was also spirited, jolly, curious and wanted peace as much if not more than his hosts. It's also a funny look of a nation gripped by Cold War Paranoia ... or Ground Zero Mosque Fever ... or whatever ... 2 thumbs up!

Frayed Knot Sep 30 2010 11:15 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

The search for the guys who searched for hidden cities in the middle of the unforgiving Amazon jungle.

Benjamin Grimm Sep 30 2010 11:25 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

That's one of three candidates, at the moment, anyway, to be the next book that I read. (The other two are The Big Burn and Baseball When the Grass Was Real.)

HahnSolo Oct 05 2010 11:41 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Just finished this near-future "The Stand"-like monster. Government experiments wipe out most of the population. Those that survive are faced with a world of vampire like mutants, dwindling food, and dwindling power. Then they discover a mysterious girl who doesn't speak... Despite how it sounds, the guy is not a hack, and it is engrossing and well-written.

sharpie Oct 07 2010 10:28 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Mario Vargas Llosa wins the Nobel for Literature. I read "Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter" years ago and thought it was really really funny. Also read "Feast of the Goat" which wasn't funny at all.

Fman99 Oct 09 2010 08:44 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Last month, stuck with nothing new to read and no time for a trip to the library/bookstore, I decided to reread the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. I haven't read them since the films came out. I'm now halfway through "The Return of the King." Since then I've bought about 15 books at the library's annual used book sale, and the local used book store by my house. So I have all of these books that I haven't read before, sitting and waiting, because I have to finish this trilogy before I get into that other pile. Even though I've read them all twice before I still need to finish the set before I dig into new stuff.

Ashie62 Oct 10 2010 09:37 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Fman99 wrote: Last month, stuck with nothing new to read and no time for a trip to the library/bookstore, I decided to reread the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. I haven't read them since the films came out. I'm now halfway through "The Return of the King." Since then I've bought about 15 books at the library's annual used book sale, and the local used book store by my house. So I have all of these books that I haven't read before, sitting and waiting, because I have to finish this trilogy before I get into that other pile. Even though I've read them all twice before I still need to finish the set before I dig into new stuff. Catch ya next year.

Edgy DC Nov 18 2010 09:30 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Having read and enjoyed Motherless Brooklyn and (to a lesser extent) Fortress of Solitude, I picked this up from a bargain bin sometime a while back and filed it under "someday." Well, someday came this past week when I needed a commuting book, and gracious me, is this book a stream of monkey shit. Set among depressed demoralized 29-year-olds struggling to maintain the dim connection their band and their mutual attraction gives them in their purposeless alienated lives, this book is the book half the staff of the bookstore I used to work at in my late 20s was trying to write and thought better of. This book is like being stuck in the dwindling hours of a lousy party, listening to a half-bagged Ethan Hawke talk about his philosphy, and your ride just. won't. show. My iPod ran out of juice this morning also. The train stopped in the tunnel, and all I had was this book. Even everybody on GoodReads hated it, and if there's any demographic for this crap, that's it. My 2 star rating comes with an asterisk - I only read 75% of this book. After reading a couple of truly terrible books all the way through, I decided to make a new rule in my reading: if I am not at least moderately interested and entertained by the half-way point, I am not going to finish the book. My reading time is far too short to be spent on crap. And this book, my friends, is a big crap-fest. I wanted to punch all of the characters in the face repeatedly. The dialogue reads like it was penned by a 17-year old fantasizing about being in a cool band just starting out. I simply could not take anything these characters said or did seriously. That's just one part of it - the other part, where the main chick is hired to answer a fake complaint line... dear God. This might, MIGHT, have been a clever idea for a short, SHORT story, but making this a major plot point? Come on. I like to think that this was actually the very first novel Lethem ever wrote. He was in a bind, coming up on a deadline, found this in a drawer, dusted it off, and turned it in. I have to believe that. Otherwise, one of my favorite 'new' authors has taken a gigantic leap backward in his literary career. I'm bailing.

sharpie Nov 18 2010 09:55 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Yeah, the book pretty much sucked. He's a hit-and-miss writer and always has been but this one was a big miss. I remember there being one scene I liked, the band's gig at a party which did capture the feeling of being onstage when things are clicking, but one scene does not make a book, even one as short as You Don't Love Me Yet. His pre-Motherless Brooklyn books are likewise underwhelming.

Ceetar Nov 18 2010 10:04 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm reading Waking the Witch by Kelley Armstrong (otherworld series. I enjoy it) and Moneyball.

TheOldMole Nov 18 2010 10:59 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

A Boy Named Seo Nov 18 2010 05:53 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

A girl I am friendly with recommended this book called "Shantaram", and when it arrived it was 950 or so pages and I'm like, "what?!" and she said, "But it will fly by like it's only 400!" and I kinda sloughed through it and just finished the damn thing yesterday. It's the story of an Aussie guy whose marriage fell apart and he lost his daughter, and when that stuff happened, he found himself hooked on smack and thrown in the big house for armed robbery charges. He breaks out of prison in Oz, and on a fake New Zealand passport, ends up in India and starts a new life there in the slums of Bombay, trying to find some kind of redemption for all the bad shit he's done along the way. He falls in love with India and it's people and (and one bad news chick, in particular) and he tells, a long, flowery, wordy, long, long (mostly autobiographical) long story (long) about his experiences there, from running a free medical clinic in a Bombay slum to some less savory means of making some rupees when he had to. Good story. A little long, if I didn't say so already. Apparently gonna be a movie (starring John E. Depp). I give it a C+/B-. It's long.

Ashie62 Nov 18 2010 07:52 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

And Patti Smith wins a national book awaed. [url]http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/17/rocker-patti-smith-and-novelist-jaimy-gordon-win-book-awards/

Frayed Knot Dec 06 2010 09:33 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Dec 07 2010 08:34 AM

Most of the baseball stars of the twentieth century -- Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, Mays, Aaron, Williams, Koufax, Clemente -- have seem to all had serious bios done by some significant authors over the last decade - a nice step removed from the shallow, cooperative, and laudatory types that were/are a staple of sports stars for so long. So now I guess it's Mickey's turn, this time by the same writer who authored the Sandy Koufax bio a few years back. Don't get turned off strictly by the Yankee-ness of the subject as this is no love letter. The author is an admitted childhood MM fan but, thankfully, she long ago outgrew that stage (take a hint Ian O'Connor) and, as a lot of writers and others will tell you, it's not always a good idea to actually meet your heros. She even structures the book around her mid-'80s meeting with the casino-era Mickey on an Atlantic City golf course. Also, rather than chronologically tracking his career from boyhood through each game-winning hit until teary retirement speech, she plucks about 20 days out of his career and uses the highs, lows, and pivotal points of those days to tell his story, focusing less on the games themselves and spending probably as much time on his post-career days as on his time in uniform. And it was quite a life; from the hardscrabble upbringing in a mining town eventually listed as the most toxic town in America, to the fatalism about the short lives of the Mantle men, to a wasted man in his sixties feeling guilty about his unfilled potential, his failed marriage and absentee fatherhood, and the addictions that both shortened his life and affected virtually his entire family.

Fman99 Dec 07 2010 07:57 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Found this one at the library used book sale. It's historical fiction about a family that takes place in the Civil War era in Virginia. It's quite good, if a bit depressing.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Dec 07 2010 08:24 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I recently read THE TEN CENT PLAGUE, which I'm sure has been discussed here, but chronicles the hysteria over the Comics Code in the 40s and 50s and is an outstanding work of journamalism. Really top notch stuff. Also, ROCK ON, a memoir of a guy (Dan Kennedy) who works in marketing at a big record company in the early oughts and discovers how un-rock-n-roll the whole thing is. Kinda funny. The best parts were when he ripped Jewel for being a sellout, but there was not enough of that, in fact it was too polite overall. Came out in 2003 and feels like it.

seawolf17 Dec 07 2010 08:46 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I love opening this thread and then bouncing over to the library site and placing holds on things.

Frayed Knot Dec 24 2010 08:28 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Long-time magazine writer/editor and all-around baseball & crossword puzzle nerd Daniel Okrent traces the rise and eventual fall of the prohibition era in this country.

Benjamin Grimm Dec 24 2010 09:43 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I've been somewhat intrigued by that book. How is it so far?

Frayed Knot Dec 24 2010 09:53 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm about halfway through -- a bit slow reading early on but it picks up. Mainly I was interested because it's a subject/era I know very little about. Turns out that the causes and the effects were wide-ranging, affecting or being affected by everything from immigration, taxes, women's suffrage, religion, and a new era of 'progressive' government. The enforcement, on the other hand, was totally impossible.

TheOldMole Dec 24 2010 03:30 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

and

G-Fafif Dec 24 2010 03:42 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Crane Pool Forum -- one of the non-baseball threads.

Benjamin Grimm Dec 30 2010 07:17 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

It's time for those of us who do these things to start posting our end-of-year reading lists. We'll open the new 2011 thread on Saturday, but this one will stay open for a while into the new year so that anyone who has lists to post will have a chance to do so. Here's what I read in 2010: 1 Reformation, The: A History Diarmaid MacCulloch ** 2 Write it When I'm Gone Thomas M. DeFrank ** 3 How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York Jacob A. Riis *** 4 Partly Cloudy Patriot, The Sarah Vowell **** 5 John James Audobon: The Making of an American Richard Rhodes **** 6 Late Shift, The Bill Carter **** 7 Train Time: Railroads and the Imminent Reshaping of the United States Landscape John R. Stilgoe *** 8 Lauren Bacall: By Myself Lauren Bacall *** 9 Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu Laurence Bergreen *** 10 Dearly Devoted Dexter Jeff Lindsay *** 11 Darkness in El Dorado: How Scientists and Journalists Devastated the Amazon Patrick Tierney *** 12 Greatest Day in History, The: How, on the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month, the First World War Finally Came to an End Neil Best ***** 13 Blink Malcolm Gladwell **** 14 Cod Mark Kurlansky *** 15 Hemingses of Monticello, The Annette Gordon-Reed **** 16 Last Days of the Incas, The Kim MacQuarrie ***** 17 Return of the Caravels, The Antonio Lobo Antunes * 18 Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia Chris Stewart *** 19 Journey to Portugal: In Pursuit of Portugal's History and Culture José Saramago ** 20 Cypresses Believe in God, The: Spain on the Eve of Civil War José Gironella *** 21 Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through Spain and Its Secret Past Giles Tremlett *** 22 Monsignor Quixote Graham Greene *** 23 Iberia James A. Michener ***** 24 For Whom the Bell Tolls Ernest Hemingway **** 25 American on Purpose Craig Ferguson **** 26 Great Deluge, The: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast Douglas Brinkley **** 27 Hubert's Freaks: The Rare-Book Dealer, the Times Square Talker, and the Lost Photos of Diane Arbus Gregory Gibson *** 28 Baseball When the Grass Was Real: Baseball from the Twenties to the Forties Told by the Men Who Played It Donald Honig *** 29 Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood Mark Harris ***** 30 Nothing Like it in the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-69 Stephen E. Ambrose * 31 Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba. and Then Lost It to the Revolution T.J. English **** 32 Saddam: His Rise and Fall Con Coughlin **** 33 Oscar Wilde's Last Stand: Decadence, Conspiracy, and the Most Outrageous Trial of the Century Philip Hoare ** 34 Plot Against America, The Philip Roth *** 35 Caliban's Shore: The Wreck of the Grosvenor and the Strange Fate of Her Survivors Stephen Taylor **** 35 books is about a typical number for me in recent years. A little over 80 per cent were non-fiction, which is also typical for me. Only one baseball book, which is, again, typical. Numbers 16 through 24 were pre-vacation reading, with an emphasis on Spain, mostly, and with some Portugal. The most pleasant surprise of the year was the biography of Audobon which had been sitting on my shelf for years. I bought it in a discount book store, unsure if I'd ever be motivated enough to read a book about a guy who painted birds, but it was much better than I expected. A terrific look at American life in the early part of the 19th Century, and Audobon had a more interesting life than I thought. The Last Days of the Incas was a terrific read, and Iberia was just what I wanted it to be; Michener covered so many aspects of Spain: art, history, religion, food, music, politics, bullfighting, and more. I had long ago tired of his big fat novels, but his big fat non-fiction look at Spain was thoroughly enjoyable. I finished it the day before I got on the plane. The Greatest Day in History was another sleeper hit. A nice breezy little book that offered a snapshot of what the world was like during the last week of the first World War. It also has an awfully long title. And Pictures at a Revolution was a book that I prepared for months to read. It looks at the making of the five movies that were nominated for Best Picture in 1967. I waited until I had collected each of the five on my TiVo, and then when I finished reading the book, my son and I had a mini 1967 film festival. In three days we watched, in order, Doctor Doolittle, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night, The Graduate, and Bonnie and Clyde. Nothing Like it in the World was an absolute dud. I had read Ambrose before, and I expected better of him. If I read him again, I'll stick to the stuff he wrote earlier in his life, and about the World War II era, which he seems to be more interested in. Marco Polo was a little disappointing, but still pretty good. I had previously read the Magellan book by the same author, and this one wasn't quite as good. Two of the books were re-reads: For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Late Shift. The first was inspired by my return to Spain (I brought the same copy with me to Spain that I did in 1999) and the other by Late Night War II.

Fman99 Dec 30 2010 01:44 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

A Boy Named Seo wrote: Fman99 wrote: Plowing through Halberstam's "The Fifties." Terrific history reading. I took the advice of the Roth lovers here and read both "American Pastoral" and "The Human Stain." I liked them both, though I thought the ending of American Pastoral was anti-climactic. I liked the ending of "The Human Stain" much better. Both were worth reading, though. Read "Portnoy's Complaint". I think WP hated it, but it appealed to my low-brow sense of humor. I think you'll dig it, too. Received it and several other books as Xmas presents from my wife's stepfather, who drew my name this year at the extended family Christmas. Also received a Nook from Fwife and a gift card, now reading the aforementioned "Hellhound on my Trail" as my first purchased eBook. So far, so good. I also went to Project Gutenberg and grabbed ten or so titles I have meant to read or reread.

sharpie Dec 30 2010 02:19 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'll post mine after the new year since it's stored on my work computer. Of Ben's books, the only ones I've read are For Whom the Bell Tolls and The Plot Against America. Neither of them in 2010 however so there will be no overlaps. I just finished what will be my last book of the year, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, highly recommended. I think that makes 54 or 55. A good year, volumewise.

HahnSolo Dec 30 2010 02:49 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

My reading list for 2010. I read a lot of mindless fiction, it seems: Super Freakanomics, by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown Impact, by Douglas Preston Best of the Best: Twenty Years of The Year’s Best Science Fiction, ed. Gardner Dozois 31 Bond Street, by Ellen Horan To the Limit: The Untold Story of the Eagles, by Mark Eliot The 5 Greatest Warriors, by Matthew Reilly Under the Dome, by Stephen King Warlord, by Ted Bell Moonlight Mile, by Dennis Lehane Money to Burn, by James Grippando Double Tap, by Steve Martini Havana Bay, by Martin Cruz Smith The Passage, by Justin Cronin The Rule of 9, by Steve Martini The Reversal, by Michael Connelly The Emperor’s Tomb, by Steve Berry Cold Pursuit, by T. Jefferson Parker The Last Good Season: Brooklyn, The Dodgers, and Their Last Pennant Race Together, by Michael Shapiro Full Dark, No Stars, by Stephen King Of the books released in 2010 I enjoyed both Stephen King titles. I also recommend The Passage, by Cronin. The Dennis Lehane novel was OK, revisiting the characters from his Gone, Baby, Gone. But it's not on the level of Mystic River or The Given Day. Cold Pursuit is about 8 years old, but I like just about anything by T. Jefferson Parker, and this didn't disappoint. Michael Connelly's The Reversal was quite good as well.

Fman99 Dec 30 2010 05:00 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I didn't track my books in 2010 but I think I will for 2011.

G-Fafif Dec 30 2010 08:16 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

6 Late Shift, The Bill Carter **** Reading the sequel right now, "The War for Late Night," also gripping, also indicative that network executives would be right at home programming the Mets. Bill Carter also co-wrote the definitive story of Monday Night Football, "Monday Night Mayhem," which I recommend highly for sports-media obsessives.

Willets Point Dec 31 2010 11:43 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Here's my 2010 list. (A) is for audiobook. All the rest I read in print. * Faceless Killers by Henning Mankell * The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie * The History of Love by Nicole Krauss * Massachusetts Troublemakers: Rebels, Reformers, and Radicals from the Bay State by Paul Della Valle * Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel Cervantes (A) * How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer (A) * The Historian : A Novel by Elizabeth Kostova * Blindspot: A Novel by Jane Kamensky & Jill Lepore (A) * Culture Shock! Netherlands by Hunt Janin & Ria Van Eil * Angels and Ages: A Short Book About Darwin, Lincoln, and Modern Life by Adam Gopnik * Building of the Mother Church : the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, Massachusetts by Joseph Armstrong and Margaret Williamson * Lincoln and the Decision for War: The Northern Response to Secession by Russell A. McClintock (A) * Netherland by Joseph O’Brien * Where? On Huntington Avenue : a narrative of Northeastern by Rudolph M. Morris * Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornsby * The Case for God by Karen Armstrong (A) * Young Children and Spirituality by Barbara K. Myers * The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World’s Largest Unsolved Art Theft by Ulrich Boser * The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (A) * Catholic Does Not Equal the Vatican: A Vision for Progressive Catholicism by Rosemary Radford Ruether * From the Pews in Back: Young Women and Catholicism by Kate Dugan and Jennifer Owens * The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong (A) * Patience with God: Faith for People Who Don’t Like Religion (or Atheism) by Frank Schaeffer * Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (A) * Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality by Donald Miller * The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008 by Paul Krugman (A) * Interpreter of Maladies By Jhumpa Lahiri * The Union of Their Dreams: Power, Hope, and Struggle in Cesar Chavez’s Farm Worker Movement by Miriam Pawel * Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr by Nancy Isenberg (A) * Amsterdam by Geert Mak * The Book of Everything by Guus Kuijer * The Dream Room by Marcel Möring * The Gathering by Anne Enright (A) * My ‘Dam Life by Sean Condon * The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank * The Assault by Harry Mulisch * Treason’s Harbour by Patrick O’Brian (A) * Pedal Power by J. Harry Wray * Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann * I’jaam by Sinan Antoon * The Dead Republic by Roddy Doyle * The Way of Boys: Raising Healthy Boys in a Challenging and Complex World by Anthony Rao & Michelle Seaton * Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson (A) * The Game From Where I Stand by Doug Glanville * Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance by Atul Gawande (A) * 13 Things that Don’t Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time by Michael Brooks * Out of our heads : why you are not your brain, and other lessons from the biology of consciousness by Alva Noë * Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem (A) * That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo (A) * Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes * Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (A) * Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffeneger * Chasing Oliver Hazard Perry: Travels in the Footsteps of the Commodore Who Saved America by Craig Heimbuch * Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy by Barbara Ehrenreich (A) * The Purpose of the Past by Gordon S. Wood (A) * The Boston Irish by Thomas H. O’Connor * A Slight Trick of the Mind by Mitch Cullin * On Deep History and the Brain by Daniel Lord Snail (A) * Coop : a year of poultry, pigs, and parenting by Michael Perry * The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific by J. Maarten Troost * Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel (A) * The Law of Love by Laura Esquivel * Anne of Avonlea by L.M Montgomery (A) * Beneath the Lion’s Gaze by Maaza Mengiste * The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper (A) * The Story of the Madman : A Novel by Mongo Beti * The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende * Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Journey to Change the World… One Child at a Time by Greg Mortenson (A) * Silver Stallion by Ahn Junghyo * Origins of the specious : myths and misconceptions of the English language by Patricia T. O’Conner * The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives by Leonard Mlodinow (A) * A City So Grand by Steven Puleo * Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit * Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson * Do It Anyway by Courtney E. Martin * The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (A) * Huck’s Raft: A History of American Childhood by Steven Mintz * The Given Day: A Novel by Dennis Lehane (A) * In Transit: An Heroi-Cyclic Novel by Brigid Brophy * The Places In Between by Rory Stewart (A) * Packing for Mars by Mary Roach * Revolutionaries by Jack Rakove (started reading but haven't yet finished)

Edgy DC Jan 01 2011 08:32 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Which of those must I read NOW?

batmagadanleadoff Jan 01 2011 08:49 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Willets went through a Dutch phase last year.

Edgy DC Jan 01 2011 09:34 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

No small cycles of Irish, Irish-American, and Jewish lit as well.

sharpie Jan 01 2011 10:45 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

My common books with Willets' list: The Corrections; Interpreter of Maladies; Netherland. Interpreter of Maladies only one of the three that were read in 2010. My list on Monday.

Willets Point Jan 01 2011 12:19 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Willets went through a Dutch phase last year. That was prep for the trip to Amsterdam.

HahnSolo Jan 01 2011 02:12 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Was CultureShock!: Netherlands helpful? I ask b/c it's published by my company.

Rockin' Doc Jan 02 2011 10:10 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Here is my list for 2010. I've been reading non-fiction for the past few years, but I did read one fictional book in 2010 since it was a Christmas present. I'm a rather slow reader, so the list isn't nearly as lengthy as most other posted here. As in previous years, Willet's list is mind boggling to me. 1. Johnstown Flood by David McCullough 2. Superfreakonomics by Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner 3. Faith and Fear in Flushing by Greg W. Prince 4. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls 5. Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper 6. Under The Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer 7. Human, the Orchid, and the Octopus by Jacques Cousteau & Susan Schiefelbein 8. The State of Jones by John Stauffer & Sally Jenkins 9. Odd Man Out by Matt McCarthy 10. His Excellency by Joseph P. Ellis 11. What Difference Do It Make? By Ron Hall & Denver Moore 12. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore 13. Band of Brothers by Stephen E. Ambrose 14. The Shack by Wm. Paul Young 15. Flags of Our Fathers by James Bradley 16. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 17. Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern 18. Where Men Find Glory by Jon Krakauer 19. In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick 20. The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough 21. Twelve Ordinary Men by James MacArthur 22. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell 23. Shattered Silence by Melissa G. Moore and M. Bridget Cook

Willets Point Jan 02 2011 10:20 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Was CultureShock!: Netherlands helpful? I ask b/c it's published by my company. It was more targeted for the business traveler and long-term overseas transplant, so I found it only moderately useful, but I expect it's a good book to have for its intended purposes.

Willets Point Jan 02 2011 10:21 PM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Rockin' Doc wrote: 12. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore I have no idea what this book is about, but I like to imagine that it's by a guy who shares a name with a famous celebrity finally deciding to write a book about that celebrity.

metirish Jan 03 2011 07:29 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Fman99 wrote: I didn't track my books in 2010 but I think I will for 2011. I love the way Grim and the others do that, I tried it in 2009 and forgot half way through the year....I suck this app might help those with an iPhone http://readmoreapp.com/ Android people(the ones that didn't sleep in cos of a stupid apple glitch) http://apps.androidtapp.com/#mybookdroi ... .bookdiary PC folks http://www.goodreads.com/

Ceetar Jan 03 2011 07:37 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

metirish wrote: I didn't track my books in 2010 but I think I will for 2011. I love the way Grim and the others do that, I tried it in 2009 and forgot half way through the year....I suck this app might help those with an iPhone http://readmoreapp.com/ Android people(the ones that didn't sleep in cos of a stupid apple glitch) http://apps.androidtapp.com/#mybookdroi ... .bookdiary PC folks http://www.goodreads.com/ facebook has a good app that I used in the past. helps with the sharing and recs too, but i got la zy in general after about 18 months worth.

Benjamin Grimm Jan 03 2011 08:01 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I'm still keeping my list on paper, in a notebook that dates back to 1982. But I also have an electronic backup in an online database, and for the last couple of years I've been tracking my books in Goodreads (which irish mentioned above). I like how Goodreads lets you put each book on multiple "shelves". I can quickly see what books I've read about World War II, or New York City, or baseball, or any number of other categories.

metirish Jan 03 2011 08:18 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I'm still keeping my list on paper, in a notebook that dates back to 1982. But I also have an electronic backup in an online database, and for the last couple of years I've been tracking my books in Goodreads (which irish mentioned above). I like how Goodreads lets you put each book on multiple "shelves". I can quickly see what books I've read about World War II, or New York City, or baseball, or any number of other categories. 1982?....that's just freaking awesome....one day as an old man with your grandkids perhaps you'll be pouring over those lists....

Benjamin Grimm Jan 03 2011 08:25 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

I can picture it now... "Grandpa, what's a book?"

sharpie Jan 03 2011 08:31 AM Re: What are you reading now? The 2010 Edition

Here's my list for 2010. 57 titles. 42 fiction, 15 nonfiction. 47 written by men, 10 by women 51 by living writers, 6 by dead ones 31 by Americans, 26 by furriners BICYCLE DIARIES David Byrne THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Stieg Larsson NOCTURNES Kazuo Ishiguro HOMER AND LANGLEY E.L. Doctorow IN OUR TIME Tom Wolfe WANDERING STAR J.M.G. LeClezio BARCHESTER TOWERS Anthony Trollope DENIRO'S GAME Rawi Hage THE ART OF POLITICAL MURDER Francisco Goldman OTHER COLORS Orhan Pamuk YOU GOTTA HAVE WA Robert Whiting 1491 Charles C. Mann THE EAVES OF HEAVEN Andrew X. Pham SERENA Ron Rash THE DARK SIDE Jane Mayer SOLAR Ian McEwan THE DEATH OF ACHILLES Boris Akunin SHADOW DIVERS Robert Kurson THE ELEPHANT VANISHES Haruki Murakami THE POLISH OFFICER Alan Furst OF THE FARM John Updike A CASE OF EXPLODING MANGOES Mohammed Hanif SUPER SAD TRUE LOVE STORY Gary Shteyngart THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE David Wroblewski THE NINETEENTH WIFE David Ebershoff DEATH OF A MURDERER Rupert Thomson THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS Rebecca Skloot GONE FOR GOOD Harlan Coben THE MAN FROM BEIJING Henning Mankell CLAPTON Eric Clapton SHROUD John Banville THE PLAGUE OF DOVES Louise Erdrich THE IMPERFECTIONISTS Tom Rachman THE COLLECTED STORIES Amy Hempel MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND Helen Simonson MEN OF SALT Michael Benanav SUITE FRANCAISE Irene Nemirovsky TRAUMA Patrick McGrath THE YEAR OF THE FLOOD Margaret Atwood THE DEATH OF THE ADVERSARY Hans Keilson INTERPRETER OF MALADIES Jhumpa Lahiri CARELESS IN RED Elizabeth George CALLING ALL HEROES Paco Ignacio Taibo II LUSH LIFE Richard Price MISSION FLATS William Landay THE SHORT SWEET DREAM OF EDUARDO GUTIERREZ Jimmy Breslin FREEDOM Jonathan Franzen THE BOOK THIEF Markus Zusak RED APRIL Santiago Roncagliolo ITALIAN SHOES Henning Mankell A BURNT-OUT CASE Graham Greene THE WORDY SHIPMATES Sarah Vowell THEATRE W. Somerset Maugham THE PROTEST SINGER Alec Wilkinson THE BOTTOMS Joe R. Lansdale STRONG MOTION Jonathan Franzen CLOUD ATLAS David Mitchell