Jump to content
IGNORED

What Are You Reading Part 3


Coconut Flan

Recommended Posts

More sci fi audiobooks:

Icehenge by Kim Stanley Robinson.  This involves a mysterious monument on Pluto, and turns into a respectable whodunnit.  (A favorite sci-fi book series of mine also starts with the discovery of an alien monument:  The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt.)

A Memory Called Empire by Arcady Martine.  This is the 2020 Hugo Award winner for best novel.  I need to check out the print version, because some of the terminology  used was difficult on audio.  The novel was the story of an ambassador sent on a mission to an outlier realm.  The society construct was interesting, plus there was a mystery and political intrigue.  There is always political intrigue…

  • Upvote 2
  • Love 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since my last report on April 1:

 

I've been spending a LOT of time outside in the garden and doing general yard cleanup and organization.  Nearly all that time is spent listening to audiobooks.  (Sadly, mowing and weedwhacking are too loud to hear over).  One thing about audiobooks is that even if the book is not too compelling to me, or over my head technically, as long as I'm interested enough to continue, the audiobook plays into my ears at the same speed regardless whether I'm captivated or barely paying attention.  This list includes a few in that category, where I wouldn't pass a pop quiz on the subject afterwards, but the book still added to my general understanding of the topic, which I decided is ok by me.  Only two of the books on this list were read in print format.

 

Non-Fiction: Psychology/Politics/Science/Self Help/Memoirs/Events Too Recent to Call History

Laziness Does Not Exist, by Devon Price

Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief, by Lawrence Wright

Stranger Beside Me, by Ann Rule

Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decisionmaking Skills, by Mike Kallet

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot

Where to Draw the Line: How to Set Healthy Boundaries Every Day, by Katherine Anne, M.A.

The White Darkness, by David Grann

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, by Chip Heath

Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World, by Michael Pollan

Becoming Eve: My Journey from Ultra-Orthodox Rabbi to Transgender Woman, by Abby Stein

Metabolical:  The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine, by Robert H. Lustig

Mass Murder in California's Empty Quarter: A Tale of Tribal Treachery at the Cedarville Rancheria, by Ray A. March

Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What's Holding You Back, by Brooks Palmer

Scarcity:  Why Having Too Little Means So Much, by Sendhil Mullainathan

Get Organized the Clear and Simple Way: Reclaim Your Home, Your Office, Your Life, by Marla Dee

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, by Matthew Walker

Year of No Clutter, by Eve O. Schaub

Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems, by Abhijit V. Banerjee

Fire in Paradise: An American Tragedy, by Alastair Gee

Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman

Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust That Society Needs to Thrive, by Bruce Schneier

 

Non-Fiction: History (mostly 1920s)

Bubble in the Sun: The Florida Boom of the 1920s and How It Brought On the Great Depression, by Christopher Knowlton

Careless People: Murder, Mayhem, and the Invention of the Great Gatsby, by Sarah Churchwell

Stalin and the Scientists: A History of Triumph and Tragedy, 1905-1953, by Simon Ings

Eight Men Out, by Eliot Asinof

Lindbergh, by Scott A. Berg

Duchess of Death: The Unauthorized Biography of Agatha Christie, by Richard Hack

A Crack in the Edge of the World, by Simon Winchester

Standing At Armageddon: A Grassroots History of the Progressive Era, by Nell Irvin Painter

Einstein: His Life and Universe, by Walter Isaacson

The Great Crash of 1929, by John Kenneth Galbraith

The Sugar Barons: Family, Corruption, Empire, and War in the West Indies, by Matthew Parker

When Money Dies: The Nightmare of the Weimar Hyper Inflation, by Adam Fergusson

 

Fiction:

The Word is Murder (Hawthorne and Horowitz #1), by Anthony Horowitz

The Sentence is Death (Hawthorne and Horowitz #2), by Anthony Horowitz

Grave Secrets (Temperance Brennan #5), by Kathy Reichs

Bare Bones (Temperance Brennan #6), by Kathy Reichs

Monday Mourning (Temperance Brennan #7), by Kathy Reichs

Cross Bones (Temperance Brennan #8), by Kathy Reichs

Break No Bones (Temperance Brennan #9), by Kathy Reichs

The Holdout, by Graham Moore

Local Woman Missing, by Mary Kubica

Still Waters, by Nigel McCrery

The Darling Dahlias and the Voodoo Lily, by Susan Wittig Albert (currently listening)

Edited by church_of_dog
  • Upvote 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Currently have How Jesus Became God by Bart Ehrmann going on audio. 

  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 5 weeks later...

I'm going to try reporting my reading each month rather than once every 3 months -- just to make it easier on me.  And maybe it will be more inviting of discussion about the books rather than just a list.

I'm really glad I'm using Goodreads to document my reading too -- since my books usually come from Overdrive, but sometimes from Audible, and occasionally a physical audio cd, and even more occasionally a print copy actual book, Goodreads lets me look in just one place to see everything.

So, for July:

Fiction:

While Justice Sleeps, by Stacey Abrams

Bones to Ashes, by Kathy Reichs (Temperance Brennan #10)

 

Nonfiction -- Science/Psychology/Economics/Politics/Self-Help:

Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events, by Robert J. Shiller

Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets, by Nicholas Nassim Taleb

The Black Swan, by Nicholas Nassim Taleb

A Very Stable Genius: Donald J. Trump's Testing of America, by Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig

I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J. Trump's Catastrophic Final Year, by Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker (midway through)

 

Nonfiction -- History:

Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s, by Frederick Lewis Allen

Al Capone and the 1933 World's Fair: The End of the Gangster Era in Chicago, by William Elliott Hazelgrove

The Kelloggs: Battling Brothers of Battle Creek, by Howard Markel

Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend, by Karen Blumenthal

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finished the audio version of A Radical Awakening.  I heard this author on a WW Oprah Live event and was very interested in getting/reading this book.  I have it in ebook but in this case listened to it on audio from the library.  This is one that I'm going to have to take some time in the future and go back through and read the book really slowly to absorb everything. 

I did want to be sure to bring this particular book up here because the author does speak about the effect of Patriarchy on women.  Also discusses certain personality types/patterns we fall into. 

 

A Radical Awakening: Turn Pain into Power, Embrace Your Truth, Live Free by Shefali Tsabary

 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58215248-a-radical-awakening

  • Thank You 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have new glasses, so I’m reading books again!  ?  Someone on another thread recommended Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.  It’s a sci fi “relive your life over and over” sort of book, so a familiar plot line, but very well written.  I plan to look into other books by this author. 

  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 7/31/2021 at 9:26 PM, church_of_dog said:

The Kelloggs: Battling Brothers of Battle Creek, by Howard Markel

Thanks for the recommendation; I just checked this out on Overdrive.  I see the author has written a book or two on pandemics, so I may track those down if I like this book.

I also listened to Transcription by Kate Atkinson and can recommend it.  It’s set around WWII and involves spy-versus-spy scenarios.  The ending surprised me (but no spoilers), and I enjoyed the author’s afterword.  Kept me entertained while toiling away at fence building. 
 

20 minutes ago, KWLand said:

I just finished the Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

Sounds interesting- I added it to my hold list.  Thank you! 

  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I’m listening to Prophet’s Prey by Sam Brower.  Brower was an investigator and bounty hunter involved in the FLDS/Warren Jeffs case.  *shudder*.   I’ve read several books about the FLDS, and it still upsets me every time.  Worth a listen/read from a more evidentiary viewpoint. 

The book has been discussed in various places on FJ, including this archived thread.

Prophets Prey earlier discussion

  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, CTRLZero said:

I’m listening to Prophet’s Prey by Sam Brower.  Brower was an investigator and bounty hunter involved in the FLDS/Warren Jeffs case.  *shudder*.   I’ve read several books about the FLDS, and it still upsets me every time.  Worth a listen/read from a more evidentiary viewpoint. 

The book has been discussed in various places on FJ, including this archived thread.

Prophets Prey earlier discussion

Thank you, I just found it on Overdrive and borrowed it!

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Finished What’s Done in Darkness by Laura McHugh.  Excellent read.  Involves a character who left fundie family .

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’m listening to Bart Ehrman’s “Heaven and Hell: A History of Afterlife.”  After watching three seasons of Lucifer and reading Bro Gary’s screaming sermons, I figured it’s time to learn more.  Enlightening book so far.  

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Completed a couple of good sci fi books:

Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear.  I’ve read this a couple of times since its publication date 20+ years ago.  This time I listened to the audiobook and got a lot more out of it, for some reason.  Of course, it could also be because I’m living through an actual pandemic, and am witness to political and social craziness on a daily basis.  This book has all that and more, plus an intriguing plot about accelerated genetic changes that are transmitted between individuals.

The Light Chaser by Peter F. Hamilton and Gareth L. Powell.  Very well written and interesting plot about a woman who travels a circuit of planets, arriving every 1000 years, thereby becoming a legend through the planetary generations.  It gets really thought provoking as a message gets through to her from her ancient past, but is about future events.  I love time travel conundrums!  The wicked part is this has a cliffhanger, so it’s the first of a series.  Darn it, I want resolution! 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My August reading(listening):

Fiction:

The Weight of Ink, by Rachel Kadish -- interesting story of two strong women -- a female scribe (rare) for a rabbi in 17th century England, just after the Inquisition and just before/during/after the plague, as well as a female historian in the current era who is given the found papers of the scribe/rabbi to interpret.

Devil Bones, by Kathy Reichs (Temperance Brennan #11)

 

Nonfiction -- Science/Psychology/Economics/Politics/Self-Help:

Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment, by Daniel Kahneman -- meh.  I really liked "Thinking, Fast and Slow" so I looked forward to more insightfulness along those lines, but this seemed boring and mostly a rewording of TFAS.  Maybe it's just me?  I stuck with it but give it middling rating.

The Storm is Upon Us: How QAnon Became A Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything, by Mike Rothschild -- good informative introduction and background of the Q nonsense.

The Devil's Harvest: A Ruthless Killer, a Terrorized Community, and the Search for Justice in California's Central Valley, by Jessica Garrison -- I found this book to be informative about the background of the farmworker culture and the drugs and other criminal elements of these communities, but this was not "your typical serial killer" for us true-crime buffs.  This fellow was mostly a contract killer, with a few added victims of his own after they offended him in some way.  Most eye-opening (and sad) was how he was able to escape the law for so long, largely because crimes inside the undocumented migrant communities are just not given the same priority by law enforcement.

Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, by Michael Wolff -- good -- I need these kinds of books for context, which I can't seem to get from following news as it happens.

Siege: Trump Under Fire, by Michael Wolff -- also good but largely repetitive with Fire and Fury, though it covers later events.

The Cult of Trump: A Leading Cult Expert Explains How the President Uses Mind Control, by Steven Hassan -- this author is highly respected as an expert on cults, and I found the information on cults in general interesting and informative, but I found his writing style too braggy and repetitive, and the parts about Trump were interesting but not compelling cultwise, to me at least.

Frankly, We Did Win This Election: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost, by Michael C. Bender -- I liked this one, thought it was well written and gave lots of background and context of the sort I wanted.  He wrote in a largely neutral tone politically.  Afterwards I read some reviews critical of the author as too accepting of Trump and/or conservativism, but I didn't find him to be an apologist but rather professionally neutral.

Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story, by Julie K. Brown -- another thumbs-up from me.  Good background/context for the story which I had not followed in any real detail.  At first it felt like she was bouncing around chronologically and also digressing into her personal details as the investigative journalist too much, but eventually it became clear this was the style of the book, to take side trips into various aspects or characters of the story as they came up.  Still a tad self-focused, but easy for me to set that aside in order to grok the picture of this story, which of course ties in to so many other current news stories.

Death Sentence: The Inside Story of the John List Murders, by Joe Sharkey -- still listening to this one.  I don't recall hearing about him at the time, either in '71 when the murders happened (opposite coast from where I was growing up) or in the late '80s when he was caught and tried.  It's well written and interesting, and I heard about it from FJ!

I started and abandoned two books this month -- pretty rare for me.  One was Nicholas Tassim Taleb's "Antifragile" (he's horribly self-focused even when the topic is interesting to me -- this time I couldn't even follow the jargonistic jibberish from the start so gave up promptly) and the other was "Clutter Free" by Kathy Lipp (too religiousy and otherwise bland and boring)

Anyone notice a theme in my reading this month? :lol:  I still have a few anti-Trump books in the queue, and a few more I'm still waiting for in audio format, but in general I'm looking forward to getting back to some history and more decluttering books, not to mention a few long-awaited mystery titles.

  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I read the first installment of John Scalzi’s Interdependency series (sci fi) - The Collapsing Empire.  It’s an interesting concept - what happens when the interstellar superhighways between the human space habitations start to unravel.  I’ll get around to reading the rest of the series in the next few months.  It’s been awhile since I’ve read this author.

My current book was a recommendation by @church_of_dog in a prior thread.  Lucy Worsley’s The Art of the English Murder.  I’ve just started it, but it looks promising.  🙂

  • Love 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, CTRLZero said:

My current book was a recommendation by @church_of_dog in a prior thread.  Lucy Worsley’s The Art of the English Murder.  I’ve just started it, but it looks promising

That one was a few years ago for me.  I remember being surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  IIRC it focused on the history of murder investigation, since originally the English bobbies were stationed on every corner (hyperbolically) to try to prevent crimes but there wasn't much skill or organization in trying to solve crimes once they had happened.  

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The first book in the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny popped up unexpectedly as I was browsing available audiobooks at the library.  I just finished “Still Life” and can’t wait to get my hands (ears) on the next one.  I’ve seen many recommendations for this series, and am so glad to have learned about it here at FJ. 📚❤️ 

  • Love 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fiction for Myself:

  • Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid


Homeschool for the Kids:
 

  • Charlotte's Web by E.B. White   
  • Father and I Were Ranchers (Little Britches #1) by Ralph Moody 
  • The Wright Brothers, Pioneers of American Aviation by Quentin Reynolds
  • Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson


Bedtime with Kids:

  • Late Lunch With Llamas (Magic Tree House #34) by Mary Pope Osbourne 




I am often reading multiple books for myself at the same time, but that doesn't happen as often when we are doing school. 
 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Confessions of Frannie Langton (hist. fic murder mystery), by Sara Collins.  It will be book 71/90 this year.  I would have shot for 100 except that I can't take any time during November to read bc Nanowrimo.  If I DID try for 100, I would be reading a book like every three days* and that is a little much to be honest.  

 

*I'm an English major.  You do the math.

Edited by LilMissMetaphor
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

29 minutes ago, LilMissMetaphor said:

The Confessions of Frannie Langton (hist. fic murder mystery), by Sara Collins.  It will be book 71/90 this year.  I would have shot for 100 except that I can't take any time during November to read bc Nanowrimo.  If I DID try for 100, I would be reading a book like every three days* and that is a little much to be honest.  

I have ready 78/120. I am including all the books I read for homeschool stuff, but I typically do read a book of my own ever 2-3 days. I have problems. 

29 minutes ago, LilMissMetaphor said:

 

*I'm an English major.  You do the math.

I love this. 😅

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, PoppyPeace said:

I have ready 78/120. I am including all the books I read for homeschool stuff, but I typically do read a book of my own ever 2-3 days. I have problems. 

This is awesome.  I'm curious what your other time commitments are! I'm a fast reader (I can easily read a large book over the course of one day) but I just have too much other stuff going on to sustain that.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, LilMissMetaphor said:

This is awesome.  I'm curious what your other time commitments are! I'm a fast reader (I can easily read a large book over the course of one day) but I just have too much other stuff going on to sustain that.

I am home with my kids during the day since we homeschool. Our curriculum has us reading multiple books a day and since they are very different ages, I am reading a lot. I don’t actually need to read anything but the read aloud to them, but I read what they read as well. I find it important and we all enjoy it, plus children’s literature is great.  
 

I am a fast reader and usually have one book on my kindle and one hard copy going at once. I usually read in the evenings or when drinking my coffee. I read when waiting for appointments, while at the park with the kids, etc.  

I do have a lot going on, but I have learned over time that I need to take care of myself and reading is a big part of that along with hiking and yoga. 
 

Mostly I think it is because I read quickly as I have had my nose i a book since I could read.  Plus I rarely watch TV. The kids and my husband will be watching movies while I sit there reading. 
 

 

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm at 161 books completed in 2021. Aiming for 200. Like other people, I'm a fast reader who generally has a handful of books going at any given time.

I'm on a real sci-fi kick right now. My currently reading list is as follows:

Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky - About 1/3 in. Space spiders. It's delightful.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino- about 50 pages in. It's pretty awful. I'll probably quit.

Reamde by Neal Stephenson - online games with real life problems

 

Just finished:

The Missing Treasures of Amy Ashton by Eleanor Ray

Rabbits by Terry Miles

Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland

Edited by keen23
  • Upvote 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/4/2021 at 10:00 AM, KWLand said:

I just finished the Midnight Library by Matt Haig.

I listened to and enjoyed this in audiobook format.  It had some interesting twists on the typical alternate universe theme.  Some brief thoughts under spoiler.

Spoiler

The part that was really unusual (to me) for this genre was that the traveler didn’t know the back story of the people whose lives she was inserted into.  That was a little unnerving, but I liked experiencing her challenges.  Towards the end, I got an “It’s a Wonderful Life” vibe, like the librarian was taking the role of guardian angel.  Interesting novel.

I took a chance and listened to an audiobook that kept popping up as a recommendation.  Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor was just as absurd as I thought it would be, but ultimately gave me enough laughs and appreciation of clever silliness as the plot unrolled. 🙃 My favorite part was about a visit to the library.  🤣

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.