It is on my list now too. Looking forward to it.Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
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It is on my list now too. Looking forward to it.Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
I finished The Perfect Nanny, which is apparently an international bestseller. It just didn't do it for me, and I was relieved when I finished it. I would think a lot of folks wouldn't have the stomach to get past the first paragraph: "The baby is dead...broken body surrounded by toys...throat was filled with blood," etc.
Just finished The Death of an Heir. It is about the attempted kidnapping of Adolph Coors III in 1960, third in the line of CEOs of the Coors Brewery started in 1879. In the kidnapping attempt he is shot dead and the killer flees to Canada. The book called it one of the FBI's greatest manhunts since the Lindbergh kidnapping. It is popular because of the local characters and a generally respected family, but much of the book is about the crime solving before DNA and the internet. For example they get some likely fingerprints, but they have to be manually matched with the ones on file. And a country sheriff who wears a western shirt, stetson, bolo tie and cowboy boots. It's a fast read and a fascinating story.
It was certainly an interesting window into one man’s obsession.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultralight
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDAHL
After such a strong recommendation I had to check it out. It's now on my library hold list.Quote:
Originally Posted by LDAHL
He basically argues that the boomers selfishly despoiled the financial system, allowed the infrastructure to fall into disrepair, looted government resources for their own benefit and neglected (perhaps fatally) the environment; all while hypocritically pretending they were acting otherwise. Personally, I think generalizing based on a set of birth years makes no more sense than doing so based on race, class or any other characteristic. But it made for an interesting read. Sort of like a bare knuckled version of Tyler Cowen.Quote:
Originally Posted by jp1
Today I got The Death and Life of Great American Cities , having just finished and liked Jane Jacobs's biography, along with:
Coming to My Senses by Alice Waters
The Wives of Los Alamos, a novel
Junius and Albert's Adventures in the Confederacy
Caitlyn Jenner's autobiography
Ruth Sepetys Between Shades of Gray and Salt to the Sea, both young adults stories. WW11 in Germany-Russian Invasions- Between Shades of Gray is about a young girl in the Siberian Prison Camps-1945. Salt to the Sea is about refugees being evacuated by the Germans from the Russian Invasion. The sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff-Her writing keeps you interested in the lives of the people. Her research is massive.
I read this fascinating book on communication called "If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face" by Alan Alda. Alda' latest project has been to share insight on the science of communication. He offers really useful tips on improving your communication skills.
I read the when Breathe Becomes Air. Lovely book about a young man dying.
I'll have to look for this one. I am completely fascinated by the inability of we human beings to communicate effectively with one another.Quote:
Originally Posted by tennesseeborder
I am still working my way through Stephen King's It.
Hell of a book!
My mom is reading Under The Dome. We both happened to have the same favorite character -- Piper Libby!
I put the longer version of The Stand on my nook and just read it, again. Epic, pretty much any Stephen King will keep me happy
Rosie: Scenes from a Vanished Life by Rose Tremain, just purchased and seems interesting
Achtung Baby! Yet another book on child-rearing practices in other places and how they compare to America.
I borrowed it from my local library. It should be out there. Alda has put a lot of effort in promoting real communication. However I have given up. Technology has made it a lot worse.
I looked for Natural Causes recommended on another thread here but it was checked out so instead I got I Am I Am I Am about near death experiences and three novels: Ill Will by Chaon, The Locals by Dee and Absolute Darling by Tallent.
Moral Politics by George Lakoff
"...the challenge in contemporary America is to create a nurturant society, when a significant portion of that society has been raised by authoritarian or neglectful parents."
An Atheist in Heaven: The Ultimate Evidence for Life After Death? by Paul Davids and Gary Schwartz--a tale of what happens when your quirky atheist friend who doesn't believe in an afterlife tells you before his death that if his soul should live on "I'll drop you a line." Non-fiction.
A couple of Sarah Orne Jewett stories. Her house is open to the public and I am contemplating a visit there when the weather is nicer.
Sounds interesting, Jane. What's your take on it?Quote:
Originally Posted by JaneV2.0
I'm only a quarter of the way through. It's interesting in the way that a string of odd and inexplicable events can suggest something without actually proving it--even with spectometric tests going on. The subject of the book was a colorful character indeed.Quote:
Originally Posted by rosarugosa
I have a working belief in life after death, combined with a certain skepticism. I have little to lose if there's just a void after this life, but I would like to be reunited with loved ones. And I'll miss the hell out of this material world.
Well-researched books on reincarnation are the most convincing proof to me of life after death. Soul Survivor and Looking for Carroll Beckwith are both thought-provoking.
We went to a ghost hunting event last night in Hermann, starting out in the old cemetery. It was led by a local ghost hunters ter and his team dueing the eveing their “K2” devices went off and their rods moved and etc. but it all looked hokey to me, although great fun.
I was pleased today to find Natural Causes and also got Fierce Kingdom: A Novel and The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist:: A True Story of Injustice in the American South.
I am currently reading The Immortalists. This is truly fiction at its finest.
I just finished Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean. It was excellent.
I just finished re reading West with the Night by Beryl Markham. Lyrical. She was the first person to fly nonstop from Europe to North America. The main story is her life in Africa, Kenya mainly. She was an interesting person.
Flight of the Sparrow: A Novel of Early America, Novel by Amy Belding Brown
Excellent read. It's placed in the early days on the east coast when Native Americans were fighting with settlers.
I decided to try a Dean Koontz book. This one is called "Your Heart Belongs to Me" Good story so far.
Solo by Kwame Alexander with mary Rand Hess. It's lyrical, free verse story of a young man coping with a change in his world. After reading it -quickly and late into the night as I could not put it down- I sat holding it on my lap, sorry to see the end of it. I cannot think of a book that has affected me this way. I'm going to check out his other books. It is Young Adult, but magnificent.
Complete National Parks of the United States
Frugal Vegan, a recipe book
Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie
Sometimes I Lie, by Alice Feeney. As with Gone Girl, I don't like the main characters, but the book is readable--that is, I don't find myself editing or rolling my eyes at the plot machinations--so I expect to finish it. A friend said she wanted to throw it across the room at the end of it.
I'm still thinking of a book to read next and this caught my eyes: " Sometimes I Lie, by Alice Feeney".
Do yourself a favor, and pass it up. It was basically a long revenge fantasy, and immediately forgettable--reminding me why I prefer non-fiction.Quote:
Originally Posted by messengerhot
An Investigation into the Horrific Case of the Smiley Face Killers, by Stephen Young. I'm fascinated by this phenomenon, wherein dozens (hundreds?) of college-age men have left bars and ended up dead in bodies of water. During college, I lived in a city with a river running right through the center of it, and students of my acquaintance also drank and ended up dead--from traffic accidents, mainly. Never once did they find their way to the Willamette and stumble into it, to my recollection. I've read many accounts of these deaths, and none of them have explained them to my satisfaction--which makes the subject irresistible to me.
That sounds interesting Jane. I was reading up on some of this stuff since Boston is a hot spot. I got mildly obsessed for a bit after Zachary Marr disappeared. I found this blog to have some fascinating posts on the subject:
https://cryptidantiquarian.wordpress...vanishing-men/
Thanks--I wasn't familiar with that one!
The blog Footprints at the River's Edge has accounts of many of these cases, too.
There have been a few survivors/escapees, but they rarely remember anything, due probably to liberal use of GHB and the aftereffects of trauma.
I seem to be on a run of reading nonfiction accounts of dysfunctional Mormon families - Sound of Gravel ( about a polygamous family) and An Education. The latter is especially well-written and pulls one in through the young author's astounding account of growing up in an isolated, prepper family and then stumbling into the real world during her adolescence.
Smoketown.
I am currently reading The Brothers K by David James Duncan. I am about 15% into it. So far it is a great book about baseball, America, family, religions, and the spirit of the 1960s.