Post by Reader on Sept 12, 2024 14:47:44 GMT -5
I decided to make a list of the books I've read in the last twelve months. Maybe this would be of interest to other readers on the forum. Feel free to add your own favorite book(s). It doesn't have to be a list, or recently read, just give us anything you thought was a keeper that you'd recommend to others.
A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson
- The author admits that he slept on science all his life, so he taught himself and wrote what he learnt. Fascinating overview of stuff I missed myself, and stuff I wanted to know more about.
On Bullsh!t, Harry G. Frankfurt (exclamation point by me to avoid pro boards censor)
- Princeton professor of philosophy breaks down, in a small fifty-seven page book you could fit into your front pocket, what bullsh!t is. It's a scholarly breakdown of a concept that borders on too much information, but it was interesting.
My Own Words, Ruth Bader Ginsberg
- Mainly a compilation of public talks and articles on the court. I wanted more of a deep dive. Not a keeper.
The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything, Gordy Slack
- An insider's account of the landmark 2005 trial, Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, over an attempt by a Pennsylvania school district to require teaching of Intelligent Design (Creationism) in science classes. Fascinating book and case. Unfortunately this is still a problem in many local school districts.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
- It's hard to explain Murakami, so I'll just say that if you've ever been interested in the Japanese style of magical realism, or have read 100 Years of Solitude and wanted to branch out, I recommend this book. There's a gruesome description of a character's encounter with Russian and Mongolian soldiers that might be disturbing, but it's a small part of a wild ride that starts with a man named Toru Okada simply looking for his wife Kumiko's cat. Great book.
Founding Brothers, Joseph J. Ellis
- History was not my strong subject, so this was a really good way to pull myself back into U.S. history. This book, which won the Pulitzer Prize in history, weaves together stories involving Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and others, through pivotal moments that set a direction of the U.S. in the years following the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Readable and re-readable.
Travels With Charley, John Steinbeck
- I should have read this when it was assigned in high school, as I was a lot closer then than I am now to Steinbeck's 1960 trip around the U.S. with his dog, Charley. Still, it was interesting to read the observations of a favorite author of mine while he journeyed late in life. It's still a must-read, and I'm glad I finally did.
The Professor and the Madman, Simon Winchester
- You would think a book about the making of the first Oxford English Dictionary (late 1800s) would be boring as hell, but I was riveted to this story of two men who were key in getting it completed. One, an Oxford professor and linguist, the other a U.S. Army surgeon committed to a lunatic asylum in London worked by correspondence for years before meeting each other. Their stories are fascinating, and the next time I'm in London I plan to visit key places in the story. Don't bother with the movie, read the book.
I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy
- Memoir of a young celebrity who came out of childhood believing her mother was infallible, but was actually toxic. Very interesting story.
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers
- Fictional life and characters in a mill town in 1930s Georgia. This was the twenty-three year old author's debut novel, but it reads like she has lived decades longer. She paints a tapestry of characters, motives, situations, and landscapes that I found both beautiful and stifling. The American South has spawned a lot of great novelists, and she is one of them.
Collected Stories, Ellen Gilchrist
- In progress. Another southern author. I'm about a quarter of the way through this collection of short stories from her first half-dozen or so books. If you're interested in this author, I recommend her collection of short stories, Victory Over Japan, which won the National Book Award, and from which Gilchrist chose certain stories to include in this collection I'm reading now.
A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson
- The author admits that he slept on science all his life, so he taught himself and wrote what he learnt. Fascinating overview of stuff I missed myself, and stuff I wanted to know more about.
On Bullsh!t, Harry G. Frankfurt (exclamation point by me to avoid pro boards censor)
- Princeton professor of philosophy breaks down, in a small fifty-seven page book you could fit into your front pocket, what bullsh!t is. It's a scholarly breakdown of a concept that borders on too much information, but it was interesting.
My Own Words, Ruth Bader Ginsberg
- Mainly a compilation of public talks and articles on the court. I wanted more of a deep dive. Not a keeper.
The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything, Gordy Slack
- An insider's account of the landmark 2005 trial, Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, over an attempt by a Pennsylvania school district to require teaching of Intelligent Design (Creationism) in science classes. Fascinating book and case. Unfortunately this is still a problem in many local school districts.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
- It's hard to explain Murakami, so I'll just say that if you've ever been interested in the Japanese style of magical realism, or have read 100 Years of Solitude and wanted to branch out, I recommend this book. There's a gruesome description of a character's encounter with Russian and Mongolian soldiers that might be disturbing, but it's a small part of a wild ride that starts with a man named Toru Okada simply looking for his wife Kumiko's cat. Great book.
Founding Brothers, Joseph J. Ellis
- History was not my strong subject, so this was a really good way to pull myself back into U.S. history. This book, which won the Pulitzer Prize in history, weaves together stories involving Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and others, through pivotal moments that set a direction of the U.S. in the years following the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Readable and re-readable.
Travels With Charley, John Steinbeck
- I should have read this when it was assigned in high school, as I was a lot closer then than I am now to Steinbeck's 1960 trip around the U.S. with his dog, Charley. Still, it was interesting to read the observations of a favorite author of mine while he journeyed late in life. It's still a must-read, and I'm glad I finally did.
The Professor and the Madman, Simon Winchester
- You would think a book about the making of the first Oxford English Dictionary (late 1800s) would be boring as hell, but I was riveted to this story of two men who were key in getting it completed. One, an Oxford professor and linguist, the other a U.S. Army surgeon committed to a lunatic asylum in London worked by correspondence for years before meeting each other. Their stories are fascinating, and the next time I'm in London I plan to visit key places in the story. Don't bother with the movie, read the book.
I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy
- Memoir of a young celebrity who came out of childhood believing her mother was infallible, but was actually toxic. Very interesting story.
The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers
- Fictional life and characters in a mill town in 1930s Georgia. This was the twenty-three year old author's debut novel, but it reads like she has lived decades longer. She paints a tapestry of characters, motives, situations, and landscapes that I found both beautiful and stifling. The American South has spawned a lot of great novelists, and she is one of them.
Collected Stories, Ellen Gilchrist
- In progress. Another southern author. I'm about a quarter of the way through this collection of short stories from her first half-dozen or so books. If you're interested in this author, I recommend her collection of short stories, Victory Over Japan, which won the National Book Award, and from which Gilchrist chose certain stories to include in this collection I'm reading now.