What Are You Reading Now?

[EdmondDantes]

"UNBROKEN" By Laura Hillenbrand. Author of "Seabiscuit."

I love reading about anything regarding WWII I can get my hands and this story of preserverance and will is something I'm really enjoying.

[Katy Lied]

If you haven't read it, check out 'The Professor and the Madman.' It is about the creation of the Oxford Dictionary. It focuses on the person in charge of putting the dictionary together...as well as a person who wrote more entries than any other person. This person was also crazy and a murderer. It is a fascinating read into how the dictionary was created and how some brilliant people are truly messed up.

This is the kind of book that makes me salivate. Sounds fascinating.

Amazon.com: Scorecasting: The Hidden Influences Behind How Sports Are Played and Games Are Won eBook: L. Jon Wertheim, Tobias Moskowitz: Kindle Store

Like freakonomics, applied to sports. I'm only a couple of chapters into it, but so far, some really great stuff. Tells about a high school football coach in Arkansas who has won several state championships with a pretty limited athletic pool (small private academic school), because he never punts, taking to the extreme the notion that football coaches at all levels don't go for it on fourth down nearly enough, due to loss aversion. Talks about why refs swallow their whistles at the end of games. Why coaches shouldn't pull players who are a foul away from fouling out. How the strike zone changes depending on the count, and how being a star player affects that change. Thats just from the first few chapters.

Really fun read.

This one too.

I finished Khan : empire of Silver . Not bad. It is not about Genghis, but his 3rd son and successor Ogedai and the Mongol invasion of Europe. Other major characters include Tsubodai, the greatest of the Mongol generals, the various grandsons of Genghis and the wife of Genghis youngest son, who basically succeeded her husband as Kahn of the Mongol homelands and was the mother of Kublai. I think I've enjoyed this series more than his one on Julius Ceasar.

This one too. I notice you read a lot of military history, and once in a while, it's something that I'm very interested in as well.

[happyone]

...
This one too. I notice you read a lot of military history, and once in a while, it's something that I'm very interested in as well.

I admit I do read alot of history/historical fiction. For me if historical fiction is well researched, I think I know enough to tell in most cases, it brings history alive. If I can't tell or don't know the period I will read up on the period. I've always loved military history, for as long as I can remember.

I think Igguldon is one of the better historical fiction authors out there right now. He does a pretty good job on his reseach and always includes an end note/author's note on where he has departed from actual history for the sake of the story, and where he has "filled in" some of the history from his imagination.

I finished Out of the Dark. I don't think it is one of his better efforts, average at best.

Currently reading

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/George-Nicholas-Wilhelm-Three-Cousins/dp/1400043638/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298318921&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: George, Nicholas and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I (9781400043637): Miranda Carter: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LurQ8yDhL.@@AMEPARAM@@51LurQ8yDhL[/ame]

[happyone]

"UNBROKEN" By Laura Hillenbrand. Author of "Seabiscuit."

I love reading about anything regarding WWII I can get my hands and this story of preserverance and will is something I'm really enjoying.

I've got that on hold for me at the library - currently 27th out of 103, it seems to be a very popular book. It will probably be another couple of months before I can start reading it.

[UteStar]

I've read an article about that story. Fascinating stuff.

I just finished Chuck Klosterman's novel Downtown Owl and followed it up with Michael Lewis's The Big Short. We need more guys like Lewis who can take complicated issues like the current financial crisis and break it down into an comprehensible narrative. Great read.

I liked 'The Big Short.' Discussing the housing crisis/mortgages/Wall Stree twas pretty complicated but Lewis did a pretty good job at making it relatively understandable. I went from being educated-ly stupid about the whole thing. Good read though.

[happyone]

I finished George, Nicholas and Wilhelm. The were first cousins and were the monarchs of Britan, Russia and Germany respectively before and during WW I. The book looks at the relationship between the royal families of Europe and how that affected or more importantly did not affect the diplomacy leading up to WW I. One of the things that struck me was how uneducated these men were, and esp with Nicholas and Wilhelm how unprepared and ill suited tempermentally they were to assume there responsiblities as leaders of there respective gov'ts.

The book covers the period from the birth of Wilhelm in 1859 to his death in 1941, but really gets going with Wilhelms accession to the German throne in 1888.

I can't remember who, but some time ago someone was looking for books on the causes of WW I, this is a good addition to that list.

Currently reading

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/That-First-Season-Vince-Lombardi/dp/0547395698/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299264677&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: That First Season: How Vince Lombardi Took the Worst Team in the NFL and Set It on the Path to Glory (9780547395692): John Eisenberg: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zd8Grep4L.@@AMEPARAM@@51zd8Grep4L[/ame]

I saw in Barnes and Noble the other day and as any self respecting Packer fan, had to read it

[PaloAltoCougar]

"UNBROKEN" By Laura Hillenbrand. Author of "Seabiscuit."

I love reading about anything regarding WWII I can get my hands and this story of preserverance and will is something I'm really enjoying.

I finished reading this the other night and strongly recommend it. It's a fast read and chronicles the fascinating life of Louie Zamperini (being summoned by Hitler and Goebbels for a personal meeting following Louie's strong performance in the '36 Olympics is one of about a hundred implausible events in the guy's life, and they're all true).. The time he spends on the raft is horrific, and yet one is stunned to learn that his hardships are only just beginning. Despite them, he goes on to lead a great life, and at 94 years of age, he's still going strong apparently. Read it.

[Eddie]

I love all of the recommendations here.

I've recently read 1776 in preparation for a trip to DC at the end of this month. Love the historical perspective and more than ever looking forward to seeing stuff at the capitol, national archives, and museum of american history.

Just finished Tears in the Darkness. I finished it up after BYU's loss to UNM last Wednesday - I needed something to read to cheer me up.

What a story. Difficult to justify the position of the Japanese general (Homma) saying he didn't see any death or dead bodies in spite of driving along that road, while the US POW's are saying that they counted into the 100's and were difficult to miss.

I knew about the mistreatment. I had never heard of the outright execusion of large groups not long after surrendering.

Now reading A Dawn Like Thunder. Great read so far. Interesting approach of the author to introduce all of the characters and then kill most of them off in the first battle.

I've always been a WWII history buff - read everything on WWII that the Jr. High and High School library had. But what has been unique in my recent reading is there seems to have been more criticizm than I recall of some of the US leaders.

McArthor comes across as a pompous twit who didn't know what he was doing - making decisions that led to the big surrender happening when it did in Bataan.

The flight leader from the Hornet comes across as a bumbling fool during the battle of Midway. Simply unbelievable.

[Maximus]

This is the second in an excellent fantasy series. I loved the first book, read it in 2 days, and this one I am reading right now. It is sort of like Harry Potter (kid whose parents were killed by bad guys enrolls in a magic school) but much more complex. You could say an adults harry potter. Easy to read.

[happyone]

finished That First Season. Quick read and I enjoyed it. No earth shattering revelations. Much of what was there is covered in Maranis' biography of Lombardi.

I also read this one since my last update

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Caveat-Emptor-Novel-Roman-Empire/dp/1596916087/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1299681761&sr=1-3"]Amazon.com: Caveat Emptor: A Novel of the Roman Empire (9781596916081): Ruth Downie: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51fkgN7Sq1L.@@AMEPARAM@@51fkgN7Sq1L[/ame]

This is the forth book in a series of mysteries set in Roman Britian at the time of the Emperor Hadrian. Not great, but a decent murder mystery.

Unbroken by Hillenbrand came in at the library a whole lot faster than I expected, so that is my current read.

[happyone]

I love all of the recommendations here.

I've recently read 1776 in preparation for a trip to DC at the end of this month. Love the historical perspective and more than ever looking forward to seeing stuff at the capitol, national archives, and museum of american history.

Just finished Tears in the Darkness. I finished it up after BYU's loss to UNM last Wednesday - I needed something to read to cheer me up.

What a story. Difficult to justify the position of the Japanese general (Homma) saying he didn't see any death or dead bodies in spite of driving along that road, while the US POW's are saying that they counted into the 100's and were difficult to miss.

I knew about the mistreatment. I had never heard of the outright execusion of large groups not long after surrendering.

Now reading A Dawn Like Thunder. Great read so far. Interesting approach of the author to introduce all of the characters and then kill most of them off in the first battle.

I've always been a WWII history buff - read everything on WWII that the Jr. High and High School library had. But what has been unique in my recent reading is there seems to have been more criticizm than I recall of some of the US leaders.

McArthor comes across as a pompous twit who didn't know what he was doing - making decisions that led to the big surrender happening when it did in Bataan.

The flight leader from the Hornet comes across as a bumbling fool during the battle of Midway. Simply unbelievable.

The Phillipines definately was not MacArthurs finest hour. From everything I've read about him he was one of the biggest a prima donnas that the American military has produced - if you haven't read it already I would recommend Manchester's biography of him, American Ceaser.

I agree that A Dawn Like Thunder is a good book. I thought is was a good explorations of contrasting leadership styles and how they both can work.

[Eddie]

I agree that A Dawn Like Thunder is a good book. I thought is was a good explorations of contrasting leadership styles and how they both can work.

The contrasting leadership style of the two leaders of Torpedo Squadron 8 have been interesting to follow. Though if "Swede" could lose some of his bigotry his style would be much more acceptable.

When I mentioned the "bumbling fool" I was referring to the guy in charge of the entire flight of attack planes from the Hornet - who refused to make a course correction causing Waldron to leave the flight, head off on his own, and attack the Japanese fleet with just his squadron. Then later complained his bomb release wasn't working when he was fingering a radio button and had to ask another pilot to show him how to release his bombs.

Reading about him the thought occured to me "does this guy have any kids or grandkids? Must be hard to read these kinds of things about a guy you've always considered a hero for fighting in the war..."

[happyone]

I finished The Unbroken. What a story! I echo everything good that has been said about it. Hillenbrand has a very easy reading style, for me anyway, and it is a very uplifting story.

I am currently read Ralph Peter's new novel

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Officers-Club-Ralph-Peters/dp/0765326809/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300227018&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: The Officers' Club (9780765326805): Ralph Peters: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51oHq3eejiL.@@AMEPARAM@@51oHq3eejiL[/ame]

The author is a retired MI LTC and is currently a Military analyst for Fox and has worked for a number of other networks. He also writes a column for one the the NY papers, I think.

It is a murder mystery set at Ft. Huachuca, Az in the early '80s. That is the time frame of my own service. On a side note, one of my brothers spent quite a bit of time there and has actually met LTC Peters. (he didn't think much of him as an MI officer)

[Jeff Lebowski]

Saw this mentioned on Breaking Bad:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Killing-Pablo-Worlds-Greatest-Outlaw/dp/0142000957/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1300229613&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw (9780142000953): Mark Bowden: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QK9Zao41L.@@AMEPARAM@@51QK9Zao41L[/ame]

Looks pretty good. Anyone read it?

[falafel]

Saw this mentioned on Breaking Bad:

Amazon.com: Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the World's Greatest Outlaw (9780142000953): Mark Bowden: Books

Looks pretty good. Anyone read it?

Is that the book Hank gives to Walter Jr.?