What Are You Reading Now?

[Jeff Lebowski]

I strongly recommend this year's surprise Pulitzer Winner, the Orphan Master's Son. It's a very captivating read.

Just ordered it on your recommendation.

Dang, I am getting a Kindle backlog.

[pellegrino]

I'll take a look. The most recent book I read would be good. The Orphan Masters Son.

I actually just got that (based on what you and SU said) and will be putting it into my list this evening.

[happyone]

Finished Ferguson's Civilization as well as a couple of others

Civilization had an interesting premiss, Six "Killer Apps" that made Western Europe dominate the "rest" for the last 500 yrs, but that may be coming to an end as the Rest start adopting those apps.

I also read Jutiet Barker's history of the last 35 yrs or so of the 100 yrs war - Henry V's conquest of Norther France thru the French reconquest of Normandy

http://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Engli...words=conquest

My thought from Good Reads

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/535918761

A world war II history of the 352nd Fighter group

http://www.amazon.com/Fighter-Group-...ords=jay+stout

This just about the best book I've read on a Fighter Group in Combat

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/628217076

Currently reading Jeff Shaara's newest on the siege of Vicksburg
http://www.amazon.com/Chain-Thunder-...ain+of+thunder

[Jeff Lebowski]

Just finished Ben Hur. Picked it up after reading that article about the author. It was interesting to see the differences between the movie and the book (movie version of story was a little better I think). Supposedly, they are doing a movie remake soon. The book was OK, but boring in parts. Took me a while to finish.

[Walter Sobchak]

Picked this up recently to read with my son:

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I still remember reading a handful of Sherlock short stories when I was a pre-teen lad. Thought it would be fun to read as many as we can together over the summer. We started "A Study in Scarlet" tonight and read until my boy couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. So much fun. Probably get to the part about the Mormons this weekend.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I strongly recommend this year's surprise Pulitzer Winner, the Orphan Master's Son. It's a very captivating read.

Just finished it. Fantastic. Best novel I have read in years.

[ERCougar]

Just finished it. Fantastic. Best novel I have read in years.

Good--I need a new book to read and I'm tired of just following my wife's bookclub books.

Just finished Ender's Game. I liked it better than I thought I would. It's very dialogue-driven (how did it take them so long to make a movie??) and the role of the blogosphere is eerily prophetic (as are his use of the "nets" and "desks"). I also enjoyed the end, which made a fun story a little more thought-provoking. I'm excited for the movie.

Spoiler for My one complaint:

The single (!) page where Ender finds out that it has been real all along feels really rushed and just isn't very well-done. I can't quite put my finger on how he screwed this up, but it had the potential for a great moment, but I just sat there thinking "Really? Heh".

[LA Ute]

I strongly recommend this year's surprise Pulitzer Winner, the Orphan Master's Son. It's a very captivating read.

Totally agree. I blew through it in a weekend. Loved it (and remain somewhat haunted by it).

[Katy Lied]

Based on some reviews of the movie World War Z, I started reading the book World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. I was really enjoying it, but then I am a sucker for geo-politics and a sucker for zombies. Got about half way through, and decided to read some samples from real book that Max Brooks based his zombie book on, Studs Terkels' The Good War: An Oral History of World War II. Wow, the original book blows the zombie version away. I've read Studs Terkel before, but never liked his other books as much as The Good War.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Just finished Elders by Ryan McIlvain:

http://www.amazon.com/Elders-A-Novel...2260403&sr=8-1

It is a book about two missionaries in Brazil that has been getting quite a bit of buzz from critics. The entire story takes place over a few shorts weeks. One character is a slacker gringo that only has 2-3 months left to go, yet is still a junior companion. His comp is a native. They clash in just about every way possible (brought back some interesting memories from my mission - ha). That clash and the dwindling testimony of the American missionary form the basis of the plot.

I thought the book was OK. Good but not great. It was an easy read so I finished it in two days. You can tell that the author is an ex-mo as some of his characters (the mission pres in particular) seem a little over the top and the narrative seems overly cynical and heavy-handed at times. But on balance, it is OK.

[happyone]

A couple that I've read since updating

Ben Kane's second and final volume of his Spartacus series

http://www.amazon.com/Spartacus-Rebe...acus+rebellion

my thoughts on it on goodreads

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/645343303

The final volume of Rick Atkinson's trilogy on the US Army in Europe during WW II

http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Last-Ligh...+at+last+light

I think it is the best WW II book I've read in a couple of years. He doesn't sugar coat stuff

my thoughts

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/648661386

currently reading this one

http://www.amazon.com/FDR-Chief-Just...justice+hughes

The author was on BookTV last year and it sounded interesting

[happyone]

Finished FDR and Chief Justice Hughes - excellent, even this non lawyer learned something. Justice Hughes comes off much better than FDR IMO
Hughes had quite a career - On the Supreme Court Twice, he resigned to run for president and was reappointed 15yrs later as Chief Justice, Law professor, Corperate lawer, Sec of State ( chief archatect of the Naval disarmament treaty of 1921), gov of New York amoung other things.

my thoughts

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/664442490

currently reading

If By Sea
http://www.amazon.com/If-Sea-Forging...ords=if+by+sea

[happyone]

finished If by Sea - decent look at the birth of the Navy and the politics behind it.

my thoughts on goodreads

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/668997152

I also finished Ralph Peters sequel to Cain at Gettysburg - Hell or Richmond - http://www.amazon.com/Hell-Richmond-...ll+or+richmond

my thoughts

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/679150937

[Jeff Lebowski]

I recently read The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall. I know a few of you have also read it. Same guy who wrote The Miracle Life of Edgar Mind. TLP is another excellent novel. I really enjoy his writing style. Nice mix of humor and pathos. Highly recommended.

After reading this book, I was interested in learning a little more about the polygamist communities in southern Utah so I bought a copy of Escape by Carolyn Jessop. Wow. Totally blew me away. No matter how crazy you think things are in the FLDS community, this book will shock you even more. Carolyn was married off to a top FLDS leader (Merrill Jessop - currently serving 12 years in a Texas prison for marrying off his 12-yr-old daughter to Warren Jeffs) by her father when she was 18 years old. He was in his 50's at the time. She was a smart woman and was able to finish college and teach school, but eventually Warren Jeffs came to power and shut down all of the schools and she was forced to trash (others took them away) her entire library of children's books. Things got so unbearable that she escaped with her kids in 2005. This was quite a feat, as some of her kids didn't want to leave (one eventually returned). This is really an outstanding book. Escaping the way she did was high drama and came at a great risk and a great cost. You can't help but cheer her on. At the same time, it is a deeply disturbing book. In some ways the FLDS seem quite foreign and in other ways they are frighteningly familiar. Highly recommended.

[MarkGrace]

Just read Paris, My Sweet.

Now reading Outliers (probably the last person in the country).

Also on my 2nd attempt of Blood Meridian. Sure can't get into this one.