BOOKS THREAD

Dan, I had pretty much the exact same thoughts when I finished it a few weeks ago...then again, if the evidence just isn't there, then he can't do much about the "why." That being said, it definitely seemed to end abruptly.

 

Definitely a good point, Pope...all of the kids she gained the most access to seemed like decent people, which at least to me, seems incongruous with some of their religious views, but yeah, she was able to sort of keep that separate--and allow the reader to make his or her own judgment.

 

http://books.guardian.co.uk/reviews/classics/0,6121,1085321,00.html

 

Just got done with, Then We Came to the End.
Pretty solid, set in an advertising agency at the turn of this century.
All the petty dramas and goings on of the people who work there.
Highly entertaining.
The writing style was a little distracting, this crazy "we" thing and then a switch to the first-person.
Check it out, author's name is Joshua Ferris.

 

Has anyone read "The Shack," by William P. Young? The #1 trade paperback on the NYT bestsellers list.
The writing isn't my cup of tea but the story is provocative. Also an interesting backstory, that Young and business partners published book on their own, and it boomed from word of mouth.

 

I'm putting together a summer reading list.
Any suggestions?
Since book club started, I realize that it is good to venture away from things I would normally read and look at different genres.
So anything is welcome.

 

The Painted Bird - Jerzy Kosiński

 

Jay --

Anything by Tom Wolfe.

 

One more and I'll scram.



Received an advance copy of this. It's Gavin Menzies' sequel to his first book "1421," the best-seller that zeroes in on the Chinese as the little-known precursors to Columbus (said to have used their maps -- then taking all subsequent credit for "discovering" a few dinky islands). The new book covers how the Chinese gave birth to all that followed during the Renaissance. Leonardo's drawings of aircraft, helicopters, armored vehicles, etc., all that was cribbed from drawings that came down from Chinese intellectuals. Magellan's circumnavigation of the globe, been there and done that by the Chinese. And so on, from military technology through the fine arts.

Given the accepted view of the Renaissance as a fusion of classical Greek and Roman civilization with a Euro touch, and moving from west to east, this book is going to chap some people's asses. All the better.

 

The summer reading list
Finished
Ilium and its followup Olympus — My big fat Greek gods on Mars books. Part of my book club.
The Children's Hospital — Waterworld but with angels and sick kids
Then we came to the end — Adventures in Ad land. Part of my book club
Jennifer Government — The matrix meets marketing. A hoozah and kudo for Bob for suggesting this one. Damn fine.
The Pleasure of my Company — This book, really a novella, is most excellent. It was the kind of read that made me mad it wasn't longer. I can't remember the last time that happened. I'm also now suddenly fascinated by magic squares.

Currently reading
The Painted Bird — Suggested by Sheri. I just started on this, so I don't have anything to add.


To be read
The God of Animals
The Lovely Bones
Lucky
Dress your family in corduroy and denim
Just Checking in
Kafka's Soup
Don't get too comfortable
I hate this place — All of the above suggested by Sara
Empire Falls — Suggested by Alex
Salt: A history of the world — Another Bob suggestion
I hope there's beer in hell — Suggested by Melissa
East of Eden — Suggested by Shea
All the Cormac McCarthy books — Suggested by Mike
From the SportsJournalists.com peanut gallery
Anything by Tom Wolfe — Suggested by LJB
1434 — Suggested by LJB
Recently added
Billionaire's Vinegar — Suggested by Jones

The goal was 25 books over the summer. Since I'm sure on Tom Wolfe. I counted him as one. So I have 23. More suggestions please. I was going to add Jones's new book, Out of Orbit, but then I found it was just the paperback title for Too Far From Home, and I have already read it.

 

I'd run in front of a train for Tom Wolfe

That's a good list.

 

Just finished reading Lush Life by Richard Price and I was amazed. Actually closed the book and went and bought Clockers, which 47 pages in is absolutely amazing