Book Thread number ?

[joecct]

Funny. That was the one I downloaded to read next. I'm probably going to have to get a kindle. Anyone have a paper white?

You can download a Kindle reader for you iPhone or droid and most non Amazon devices.

[Probert]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Vacation reads

The Measure of the Magic (Legends of Shannara #2) by Terry Brooks This ends this two book Shannara series which covers the reuniting of the world as the protective barrier has come down and the old world is intruding on the people who have been safely locked away for generations. The new Knight of the Word must battle against a demon who is plotting against the humans and the elves. They must help keep the trolls out of the valley and the princess of the elves must defend herself against a charge of murder. Ok read

A Brewing Storm (Derrick Storm #1) by Richard Castle A short e-book that has Derrick Storm seeking to find the kidnapped son of a US Senator. Is the crime tied to the Senator’s alleged corruption or his chairing of the Intelligence Committee? Ok

Small Wars (Jack Reacher #19.5) by Lee Child A short Jack Reacher novella finds him investigating the murder of a female officer who was in charge to devising war plans for the Middle East and the victim has ties to his brother Joe. Ok read

My Fight / Your Fight by Ronda Rousey, Maria Burns Ortiz, The story of Ronda Rousey’s rise to become the first female UFC champion and medalist in judo. Not a heavy read with short chapters detailing the events in her life.

A Textbook Case (Lincoln Rhyme #9.5) by Jeffery Deaver A Short Lincoln Rhyme novella about a killer who is using Rhymes own crime scene techniques in order to mask the murders they are committing. Good read.

The Fateful Lightning (Civil War: 1861-1865, Western Theater #4) by Jeff Shaara The last book of Shaara’s Western Civil War series focuses on Sherman’s March to the Sea. Focusing on Sherman, a Confederate Cavalry Captain serving with Joe Wheeler and a former slave who opts to leave his plantation and follow Sherman’s Army. Interesting tales of the infighting and ineptitude of the Confederate high command along with the hardship inflicted on civilians by both Sherman’s Troops and their own Confederates.

The Second Man (Paul Madriani #12.5) by Steve Martini A short Paul Madriani novella where he is asked to take the case of a Navy Seal who is being discharged from the Navy. When the Seal and Madriani’s girlfriend disappear a manhunt ensues.

¡Adios, America!: The Left's Plan to Turn Our Country into a Third World Hellhole by Ann Coulter Typical Ann Coulter work dealing with immigration, why it should be restricted and who it should be restricted too. Why amnesty should not be granted and the media’s handling of the subject.

The Athens Solution (Scot Harvath #14.5) by Brad Thor A short Scott Harvath book where he is attempting to retrieve something that the Ambassador to Athens died while trying to get from a terrorist group. Ok but unresolved at the end

Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence by Joseph J. Ellis Ellis’s Books just don’t jump out and grab me. This one follows the summer of 1776 with Washington trying to defend NYC and the Continental Congress working on the Declaration of Independence. The ineptitude of the Howe brothers failing to corral Washington and the Continental army is highlighted.

Good and Valuable Consideration: Jack Reacher vs. Nick Heller by Lee Child This short e-book has Jack Reacher and Nick Heller teaming up to help a guy in a bar who is being shaken down by the Albanian mob.

Silent Hunt: Wyatt Hunt vs. Joe Trona by John Lescroart (Goodreads Author), T. Jefferson Parker This short e-book finds Wyatt Hunt and Joe Trona teaming up to help some Mexican fishermen face off against one of the Mexican Cartels.

The Rise of Rome: The Making of the World's Greatest Empire by Anthony Everitt An okay look at the rise of Rome. It tells of the mythological rise of Rome and the myths associated with it. It tells the story of how Rome probably evolved into a republic and it’s wars against it’s enemies in particular Carthage. Tells the stories of Cato, Marius, Sulla and Scipio.

Top 10 Vancouver & Victoria by Constance Brissenden An okay travel book telling the top sights to see, restaurants, bars and hotels in both Vancouver and Victoria.

Driving Mr. Yogi: Yogi Berra, Ron Guidry, and Baseball's Greatest Gift by Harvey Araton This tells the story of the relationship between Yankee greats Ron Guidry and Yogi Berra as Guidry picks him up and drives him around Spring Training in Yogi’s later years. Tells of Yogi’s détente with George Steinbrenner and the deteriorating health of both of them. Good Read

Greatest Enforcers in Hockey: Top 100 by Alex Trost, Vadim Kravetsky I figured this would be a list of the best enforcers in hockey with a photo a short bio and their stats, it wasn’t. Basically a list with some not so witty remarks, like a sentence or two. When Bob Probert is listed below Maurice Richard, Tie Domi at 83 and Scott Thorton #1 it’s a poor list on top of it.

Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics by Jeremy Schaap Tells the story of Jesse Owens and the 1936 Olympics. Mainly the year or so up to the Olympics and the games themselves though they do tell a little of Owens story before and after the Olympics. The story of how an Olympic boycott was discussed and then voted on is interesting along with Owens relationships with some of his rivals particularly the German Luz Long.

Alaska By Cruise Ship, 8th Edition: The Complete Guide to Cruising Alaska by Anne M. Vipond A good tour book if you are doing an Alaskan cruise as it covers all ports of call in addition to covering the cities you will leave and arrive in at the end of your cruise. For most of them they have a nice map of the area which has all the points of interest with a short description on it and tells where you will arrive. The big negative was that they don’t give hours of operation or prices, particularly in the cities of Seattle and Vancouver, for instance I showed up at Stanley Park and wanted to ride the shuttle around the park mentioned in the book only to find out it only operates from June-Sept.

The Woods by Harlan Coben Paul Copeland’s sister was probably murdered in the woods 20 years ago but her body was never found. Now a prosecutor prosecuting 2 college students for rape both he and his girlfriend from that summer start receiving clues that the case may still have more to look at. When he re-opens the case will he be able to find out what happened to his sister.

The Recruit (Pike Logan #7.5) by Brad Taylor This short Taskforce novel tells of the shakeout mission for Decoy when he joined the team. He and Knuckles find themselves in Peru investigating the Shining Path.

Riis, Stages of Light and Dark by Bjarne Riis The biography of current cycling team owner and 1996 Tour De France winner Bjarne Riis. Interesting read, he is very unapologetic about the doping that he did, basically because everyone did it. Interesting tales of his moves from team to team until he finally found a home at Telekom where he won his title and helped mentor Jan Ullrich. Particularly enjoyed his tales of Laurent Fignon and how Fignon took him under his win when he was a young rider and his version of the Schleck defection when they took most of the riders, the director sportif and a lot of his staff from Saxo Bank to form Leopard-Trek.

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve by Kim Heacox A Book on Glacier Bay National Park with the short version on the visits by John Muir and the other men who visited it, how it became a National Park and the indigenous people of Alaska who live in and around it. Lots of great pictures of the Glaciers, Mountains and the wildlife and plants that live in the park.

[Kepler]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Just starting Nabokov's Luzhin Defense. The beginning is Portrait of the Artist meets a Chekhov play. As typical with Nabokov the interior dialog is pained and it is easy to be drawn in and self-identify with the main character. It's an obscure book but I recommend it to all his fans, as well as bookish people and chess players.

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Finished Fast Food Nation - one of the most depressing books I've read. And I've read a lot of books about genocide lately.

Also finally read Go Set a Watchman - liked it, but slightly disappointed. I also prefer "Atticus as God". If I hadn't read Mockingbird first, I probably wouldn't feel that way. Although in that case, I feel exactly like Scout did, so maybe the book did its job.

After looking at it that way, I think Watchman, on its own, is a good - not great - book. But Mockingbird makes Watchman an even BETTER book. I wouldn't have necessarily understood Scout's complete anguish if I hadn't known her history and developed strong feelings about Atticus (via Mockingbird) first.

[St. Clown]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Finished Fast Food Nation - one of the most depressing books I've read. And I've read a lot of books about genocide lately.

Also finally read Go Set a Watchman - liked it, but slightly disappointed. I also prefer "Atticus as God". Maybe I need to think about it some more.

When I finished reading Go Set a Watchman, the difference in Atticus made a lot of sense to me. TKAM has Scout looking back on Atticus with a child's memory, and that haloed effect can come into play when we truly love our parents. In GSAW, she's seeing him through the eyes of a fully formed adult, and has to come to terms with him as a flawed man. It all made a lot of sense to me in the comparison between the two books, even if they were written in the opposite order of their release.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Finished Fast Food Nation - one of the most depressing books I've read. And I've read a lot of books about genocide lately.

Been several years since I read that one. The only semi-positive thing I can recall is that I felt he made JR Simplot and his company fairly neutral figures. It's kinda hard to demonize frozen, fried potatoes, even when they are mass-produced. I think Schlosser even ended the chapter with a visit to one of the Simplot factories, where he was handed a plate of fries and ketchup, and admitted they were delicious.

[jen]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Been several years since I read that one. The only semi-positive thing I can recall is that I felt he made JR Simplot and his company fairly neutral figures. It's kinda hard to demonize frozen, fried potatoes, even when they are mass-produced. I think Schlosser even ended the chapter with a visit to one of the Simplot factories, where he was handed a plate of fries and ketchup, and admitted they were delicious.

They did say In and Out was not a bad fast food chain. The book was written awhile ago, and I wonder how much has changed. Wealthier people's tastes are moving more toward "healthier" options and being concerned about where their food comes from. I thought the book would focus more on the food itself rather than the business practices, but both are depressing. Having said that, I'll still eat at Chick-Fil-A.

[St. Clown]

Re: Book Thread number ?

They did say In and Out was not a bad fast food chain. The book was written awhile ago, and I wonder how much has changed. Wealthier people's tastes are moving more toward "healthier" options and being concerned about where their food comes from. I thought the book would focus more on the food itself rather than the business practices, but both are depressing. Having said that, I'll still eat at Chick-Fil-A.

Chick-Fil-A put a store into my hometown and for the first three or four months, the wait to get served was something like 35 minutes. I'm sorry, but just ain't right. Their chicken must be laced with crack if people are waiting that long to get into a fast food joint.

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Book Thread number ?

They did say In and Out was not a bad fast food chain. The book was written awhile ago, and I wonder how much has changed. Wealthier people's tastes are moving more toward "healthier" options and being concerned about where their food comes from. I thought the book would focus more on the food itself rather than the business practices, but both are depressing. Having said that, I'll still eat at Chick-Fil-A.

The low point, for me, was when he talked about the cattle slaughterhouse employees. Many of them are illegal immigrants, employed off the books, so they have no recourse for any kind of injury or abuse. And some even end up dying on the job when they fall, and/or are overcome by poisonous fumes during the graveyard/sanitation shift, and/or get sucked into machinery. It's the early 20th century all over again.

But thank goodness the poultry factories are fully automated thanks to the homogenization of chickens and turkeys! So you and I can enjoy our Chick-Fil-A relatively guilt-free, since no one can taste bigotry.

[bigblue_dl]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Chick-Fil-A put a store into my hometown and for the first three or four months, the wait to get served was something like 35 minutes. I'm sorry, but just ain't right. Their chicken must be laced with crack if people are waiting that long to get into a fast food joint.

They're ****ing incredible. They might be laced with coke for all I know, and I don't care one bit.

[The Rube]

Re: Book Thread number ?

The low point, for me, was when he talked about the cattle slaughterhouse employees. Many of them are illegal immigrants, employed off the books, so they have no recourse for any kind of injury or abuse. And some even end up dying on the job when they fall, and/or are overcome by poisonous fumes during the graveyard/sanitation shift, and/or get sucked into machinery. It's the early 20th century all over again.

But thank goodness the poultry factories are fully automated thanks to the homogenization of chickens and turkeys! So you and I can enjoy our Chick-Fil-A relatively guilt-free, since no one can taste bigotry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFg-DV3-kFU

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

Re: Book Thread number ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFg-DV3-kFU

That is the exact scene I was thinking of.

[The Rube]

Re: Book Thread number ?

I figured, but had to make sure.

[Handyman]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Chick-Fil-A put a store into my hometown and for the first three or four months, the wait to get served was something like 35 minutes. I'm sorry, but just ain't right. Their chicken must be laced with crack if people are waiting that long to get into a fast food joint.

Remember when Krispy Kreme opened up here and people waited for hours for overrated glazed doughnuts. People will do anything for crappy food...especially people who bleed gravy when they cut themselves

[The Rube]

Re: Book Thread number ?

Remember when Krispy Kreme opened up here and people waited for hours for overrated glazed doughnuts. People will do anything for crappy food...especially people who bleed gravy when they cut themselves

And KK was only good if fresh and warm. Otherwise, Holiday Gas Stations had better doughnuts. Not kidding.