What Are You Reading Now?

[BigPiney]

World War Z by Max Brooks

Bought it in the airport and read it on the flights to and from the game. Guy knows his zombies.

Amazon.com: World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War (9780307888686): Max Brooks: Books

Looks awesome. Is this a series?

[woot]

I'm really sick of zombies at this point, but if you're not, World War Z is about as good as it gets. The pretense is that it's a series of interviews with different survivors, each of which tells their story; these stories then add up to a grander narrative that is pretty cool. It's really smart stuff -- the author obviously thought through a lot of the implications of a zombie apocalypse and brings up some really intriguing stuff. On the zombie apocalypse scale of intellectual depth, it's quite high.

[LA Ute]

Washington: A Life, by Ron Chernow. I've learned more about Washington in the first 30 pages of this book than I have in the last 20 years. I'm really loving it. Chernow knows how to write about history. A New York Times review:

Today, books about Washington continue to appear at such an astonishing rate that the publication of Ron Chernow’s prompts the inevitable question: Why another one?

An obvious answer is that Chernow is no ordinary writer. Like his popular biographies of John D. Rockefeller and Alexander Hamilton, his “Washington” while long, is vivid and well paced. If Chernow’s sense of historical context is sometimes superficial, his understanding of psychology is acute and his portraits of individuals memorable. Most readers will finish this book feeling as if they have actually spent time with human beings. Given Chernow’s considerable literary talent and the continued hunger of some Americans for a steady diet of tales of Washington and his exploits, what publisher could resist the prospect of adding “Washington: A Life” to its list?

[happyone]

Washington: A Life, by Ron Chernow. I've learned more about Washington in the first 30 pages of this book than I have in the last 20 years. I'm really loving it. Chernow knows how to write about history. A New York Times review:

Excellent book - I think it is my favorite Washington Bio

[edward777]

If you like a strong female anti-hero who happens to be a serial killer you will love this novel. The interesting part is not that it is written by a Mormon, but that you will fall in love with the protagonist despite her being a murderer.

[Surfah]

If you like a strong female anti-hero who happens to be a serial killer you will love this novel. The interesting part is not that it is written by a Mormon, but that you will fall in love with the protagonist despite her being a murderer.

So, female Dexter?

[edward777]

So, female Dexter?

Not really. The character is more true to what a psychopath is. Dexter is more an Asperger. Psychopaths are usually seductive and excel in activities that put them in the spotlight while Aspergers are generally loners who specialize in one specific are of study.

In this book above maybe the character is like what a daughter would look like if her dad was Charles Bronson from Deathwish and her mother was Alice from Resident Evil.

[happyone]

Finished Without Hesitation - excellent book, but it need some proof reading. There were several inconsistencies - Several instances of the rank of Lt Col in one sentence being changed to Lt Commander in the next. Another instance, he is talking about Camp Lejeune and in the next paragraph it is called Ft. Lejeune. This is probably heresey to our Marines. Probably only someone who is familiar with the military would notice, but I found them a little annoying.

On to my thoughts of the book. Shelton obviously prides himself on being apolitical and giving an honest opinion. He really thinks a lot of both Pres Clinton and Pres Bush. He said he is a registered independent. He thinks Bill Cohen was a superb Sec Def and although he likes Don Rumsfeld personally thinks he was a disaster as Sec Def. He doesn't quite come out and say it, but basically accuses Rumsfeld of just wanting yes men around him.

Some factoids

Shelton served two tours in Viet Nam - the first (1967) as a Special Forces A Team commander then a year (1969) after he got home he volunteered to go back and servered as an Air Borne Infantry Company Commander.

He was obviously fast tracked by the Army as a young officer - he was selected below the zone (promoted before his contempories) for promotion for Major, LTC and Col. When he was selected for his eagle he was probably one of the youngest Cols in the Army.

He served in Gulf I as the Assistant Division Cmdr - Operations of the 101st

He commanded the forces that went into Haiti in '94.

He says that he didn't want the job of Chairman, but the obvious candidate was ruled out, he was selected.

He is the first CJCS to be able to wear a Special Forces Combat patch and was serving as the commander of the Special Forces Command at the time he was selected as Chairman.

One of the first things he did when becoming Chief is have the other Joint Chiefs read Conduct Unbecoming about the Joint Chiefs in the runup to Viet Nam

He thinks Iraq was a mistake - the Bush people, but not Pres Bush specifically, were looking for an excuse to go into Iraq from the day they took office. His thoughts about Iraq are basically sum up to "If you break it you've bought it."

Since my last update I've also read Harry Sidebottom's third book in his Ballista series

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Lion-Sun-Book-Three-Warrior/dp/1590203518/ref=pd_sim_b_3"]Amazon.com: Lion of the Sun: Book Three of Warrior of Rome (9781590203514): Harry Sidebottom: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518iP%2BARvsL.@@AMEPARAM@@518iP%2BARvsL[/ame]

This episode is set in the aftermath of the Roman defeat by Shapor I at Edessa and takes place in 260-261 AD Well researched and I found it very entertaining.

Currently reading Tana French's third installement of her Dublin Police series

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Faithful-Place-Novel-Tana-French/dp/0143119494/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320957113&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Faithful Place: A Novel (9780143119494): Tana French: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51stR1gaxXL.@@AMEPARAM@@51stR1gaxXL[/ame]

[BigPiney]

Just finished Friday Night Lights. Texas is crazy and racist, and it was even more so 20 years ago. The corruption for football is astounding.

[Flattop]

The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley

An interesting look at TR the naturalist from the boy ornithologist to big game hunter, Badlands cattle rancher, Rough Rider and finally the conservationist president.

By setting aside more than 230 million acres of wild America for posterity between 1901 and 1909, Theodore Roosevelt made conservation a universal endeavor. This crusade for the American wilderness was perhaps the greatest U.S. presidential initiative between the Civil War and World War I. Roosevelt's most important legacies led to the creation of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and passage of the Antiquities Act in 1906. His executive orders saved such treasures as Devils Tower, the Grand Canyon, and the Petrified Forest.

TR might just be the most fascinating character in American history, and at least one reason for this is this naturalist aspect. This is a very good book.

[dabrockster]

So I ended up getting a Wild Bill Donovan by Douglas Waller. Started reading on the bus today..

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Wild-Bill-Donovan-Spymaster-Espionage/dp/1416567445"]Amazon.com: Wild Bill Donovan: The Spymaster Who Created the OSS and Modern American Espionage (9781416567448): Douglas Waller: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514bbI5kE6L.@@AMEPARAM@@514bbI5kE6L[/ame]

[happyone]

So I ended up getting a Wild Bill Donovan by Douglas Waller. Started reading on the bus today..

Amazon.com: Wild Bill Donovan: The Spymaster Who Created the OSS and Modern American Espionage (9781416567448): Douglas Waller: Books

Saw the author on Book TV - it looks very interesting and is one of many on my list at the library

[dabrockster]

Saw the author on Book TV - it looks very interesting and is one of many on my list at the library

I am enjoying it. Was not hard to peak my interest. I was told the other book I was looking at reads more like a History book (Not my taste)...

[happyone]

Finished Faithful Place - very good. I think it is the best one of the series. She continues the plot device of taking a minor character from a previous book and centering the story around that character. In this case the character is the previous boss of the major character of the second book. I found the scenerio in this book much more believable than the one in the second.

Currently reading
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/President-Sick-Man-Supposedly-Newspaperman/dp/156976350X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321716403&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: The President Is a Sick Man: Wherein the Supposedly Virtuous Grover Cleveland Survives a Secret Surgery at Sea and Vilifies the Courageous Newspaperman Who Dared Expose the Truth (9781569763506): Matthew Algeo: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512KgGbDL0L.@@AMEPARAM@@512KgGbDL0L[/ame]

This is about Grover Cleveland's 1893 cancer operation and its coverup. It was performed in secret and nobody admitted that the Pres was ill.

[Brian]

Just finished :

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Everyman-Philip-Roth/dp/B004JZWKDW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321881382&sr=8-2"]Amazon.com: Everyman: Philip Roth: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/413RawMMc8L.@@AMEPARAM@@413RawMMc8L[/ame]

very good.

On SU's repeated recommendation, and my enjoyment of The Road, and No Country, I just bought:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Meridian-Evening-Redness-West/dp/0679728759/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321881470&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West (9780679728757): Cormac McCarthy: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-fUEeoCvL.@@AMEPARAM@@51-fUEeoCvL[/ame]

SU: What should I look for as I begin this?