Books. For the literati among us.

[joe]

how are most of you guys reading . . . physical book or kindle / nook / online?

I'm still an old fashioned, knuckle-dragging page turner, but I'm thinking of getting a kindle / kindle paperwhite . . .

I'm mostly on a kindle at this point (an actual kindle, not the app) and like it generally. I have noticed it makes me less aware of the title/author of what I'm reading (inadvertent tie-in to the subliminal advertising discussion in the other thread)

 

[Seth]

how are most of you guys reading . . . physical book or kindle / nook / online?

I'm still an old fashioned, knuckle-dragging page turner, but I'm thinking of getting a kindle / kindle paperwhite . . .

Kindle. Haven't bought a paper book in years, at least not a novel. Also occasionally read on my iPhone Kindle app if I accidentally let my Kindle run its battery down but that's pretty rare. I have the original Paperwhite, which I'd buy again without any hesitation. You can get less expensive ones but the backlight is definitely good to have. I also have the ads removed as well.

So, $119 for the base model. $70 for 3G connectivity (as opposed to WiFi only) and $20 for no ads, so around $210 if you get both. 3G is worth it for that occasional time when you need to download something when you don't have WiFi. Saved me a few times but it's not required, especially if you have the app on your phone. And ads, or "special offers" as they call them, I just can't do it. But again, up to you.

 

[LostAnvil]

how are most of you guys reading . . . physical book or kindle / nook / online?

I'm still an old fashioned, knuckle-dragging page turner, but I'm thinking of getting a kindle / kindle paperwhite . . .

almost always print, unless the book is over 700 pages - then I'll consider getting it for my Nook, but will still end up buying it in print to put in the library

 

[joe]

Four straight clunkers.
The Altar Girl, Orest Stelmach
The Oddfits, Tiffany Tsao
The Hundred-Year Flood, Matthew Salesses - I probably would have liked this when I was like 17-25
Winter Men, Jesper Bugge Kold

 

[sundance]

• Edwin G. Burrows & Mike Wallace, Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898.

Highly recommended. I'm making the move to NYC later this year and this history is getting me well in the spirit of it. Huge, comprehensive, but quite readable. The city makes a lot more sense knowing where it came from and how it was shaped through time. Caro's Robert Moses biography, The Power Broker, is next on the list.

• Jon Meacham, Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush.

The early stuff—family and raising—is fascinating, but by the 1980s and after the book devolves into a somewhat perfunctory tour of political events. Probably inevitable, given the amount of material to cover and the space allotted to it, but Meacham doesn't hit quite the right rhythm to keep it interesting. YMMV.

 

[LostAnvil]

Four straight clunkers.
The Altar Girl, Orest Stelmach
The Oddfits, Tiffany Tsao
The Hundred-Year Flood, Matthew Salesses - I probably would have liked this when I was like 17-25
Winter Men, Jesper Bugge Kold

Clunkers, as in no good?

 

[joe]

Clunkers, as in no good?

Yessir.

 

[LostAnvil]

reached a new goal in 2018 with 27 books

 

[NYCFCfan]

reached a new goal in 2018 with 27 books

View attachment 9414

Read the Elon Musk book last month, it was a very entertaining read.

 

[LostAnvil]

Read the Elon Musk book last month, it was a very entertaining read.

yeah, I agree - I'm not one for biographies or memoirs, so I was quite surprised by how much I liked it

 

[NYCFCfan]

I've gotten through a few books in the last months as I'll drop some recommendations here.

Leadership by Doris Kearns Goodwin

It's good if you haven't read any of her other books. If you've read her other books, there's a lot that's repeated. The books follow Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and Lyndon Johnson through the trying times they faced and explains how they got through them. Good if you work in a management role.
​

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

This really should have been 2 books in one. The first about the World's Fair and the second about HH Holmes. If you like US History mixed in with a murder story then this is a good one for you.
​

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

You get a tremendous insight into what made Jobs the person he was. He was an abrasive, egotistical, asshole, but he was great at motivating people, sticking to his ideas and once he had a vision for something he'd work towards it. It's a great read for anyone who's ever interacted with an Apple product or seen a Pixar movie.
​

Get Well Soon by Jennifer Wright

This is about history's greatest plagues and most deadly outbreaks as well as the people who pioneered efforts to combat them. It's a very entertaining read if you like history and science.
​

American Radical by Tamer Elnoury

A Muslim undercover cop wants to join the FBI after 9/11 to help fight terrorism. He does after some time and the stories he tells about his time undercover in the US and abroad, and the plots he helped stop, are page turners. It's non-fiction, and an entertaining story as well as memoir of sorts.
​

Conspiracy of Fools by Kurt Eichenwald

This is the story of the collapse of Enron. I honestly just though Enron was an energy company and was blown away to learn all the stuff they were doing, how poorly they were doing it, and how far they got by doing it. Politics and economics buffs rejoice, but the characters are entertaining enough to be a movie.
​

I've got more but these were some of the most entertaining books I've read over the past few weeks so here we are.

 

[LostAnvil]

I've gotten through a few books in the last months as I'll drop some recommendations here.

Leadership by Doris Kearns Goodwin

It's good if you haven't read any of her other books. If you've read her other books, there's a lot that's repeated. The books follow Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR and Lyndon Johnson through the trying times they faced and explains how they got through them. Good if you work in a management role.
​

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

This really should have been 2 books in one. The first about the World's Fair and the second about HH Holmes. If you like US History mixed in with a murder story then this is a good one for you.
​

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

You get a tremendous insight into what made Jobs the person he was. He was an abrasive, egotistical, asshole, but he was great at motivating people, sticking to his ideas and once he had a vision for something he'd work towards it. It's a great read for anyone who's ever interacted with an Apple product or seen a Pixar movie.
​

Get Well Soon by Jennifer Wright

This is about history's greatest plagues and most deadly outbreaks as well as the people who pioneered efforts to combat them. It's a very entertaining read if you like history and science.
​

American Radical by Tamer Elnoury

A Muslim undercover cop wants to join the FBI after 9/11 to help fight terrorism. He does after some time and the stories he tells about his time undercover in the US and abroad, and the plots he helped stop, are page turners. It's non-fiction, and an entertaining story as well as memoir of sorts.
​

Conspiracy of Fools by Kurt Eichenwald

This is the story of the collapse of Enron. I honestly just though Enron was an energy company and was blown away to learn all the stuff they were doing, how poorly they were doing it, and how far they got by doing it. Politics and economics buffs rejoice, but the characters are entertaining enough to be a movie.
​

I've got more but these were some of the most entertaining books I've read over the past few weeks so here we are.

Thumbs up for The Devil in the White City - might have to check out Leadership

 

[FootyLovin]

reached a new goal in 2018 with 27 books

View attachment 9414

Very cool stacks! Lots of diversity in there. I loved Americanah.

Here are my three favorite reads of 2018.

The Hike, by Drew Magary. I read this on the recommendation of derek_villa. It is highly entertaining if you like fantastical style. Very easy read.

Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts. Novel set mostly in India that gives you a great feel for living there from someone who clearly loves the country.

Zen in the Martial Arts, by Joe Hyams. This is actually a reread, one of the books that I reread in whole or part at least once per year. Short, fascinating vignettes that are a fun read and, as any great Zen koans will do, they stay with you and guide your thinking (and hopefully behavior).

 

[mgarbowski]

reached a new goal in 2018 with 27 books

View attachment 9414

That is an impressive stack. First, just for being actual books. I have moved almost entirely over to eBooks. Second for the total. 27 was once a number I hit or at least approached almost every year, but in the 5-6 years my book totals are way down, mostly in single digits. Finally, nice range, with some good ideas.

 

[EganSoccerWords]

There there is next on my list. My reading is way down because I've been geeking out bingeing season 1 of critical role.

 

[Kenny]

Just finished this. It was a lot of fun - - basically real-life Game of Thrones. Plus I feel like I'm a little more edumacated now!

 

[daveh]

I love Shantaram- read it a few times as it’s so immersive. Cheap holiday

Very cool stacks! Lots of diversity in there. I loved Americanah.

Here are my three favorite reads of 2018.

The Hike, by Drew Magary. I read this on the recommendation of derek_villa. It is highly entertaining if you like fantastical style. Very easy read.

Shantaram, by Gregory David Roberts. Novel set mostly in India that gives you a great feel for living there from someone who clearly loves the country.

Zen in the Martial Arts, by Joe Hyams. This is actually a reread, one of the books that I reread in whole or part at least once per year. Short, fascinating vignettes that are a fun read and, as any great Zen koans will do, they stay with you and guide your thinking (and hopefully behavior).

 

[LostAnvil]

Very cool stacks! Lots of diversity in there. I loved Americanah.

That is an impressive stack. First, just for being actual books. I have moved almost entirely over to eBooks. Second for the total.

thanks! it certainly helps that my wife and I work in the publishing industry and that we commute via train

 

[Gotham Gator]

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

This really should have been 2 books in one. The first about the World's Fair and the second about HH Holmes. If you like US History mixed in with a murder story then this is a good one for you.
​

Thumbs up for The Devil in the White City - might have to check out Leadership

Erik Larsen’s books are terrific.

Check out Isaac’s Storm too.

 

[mgarbowski]

I have been getting a subsidized Audible membership via a credit card, but that will soon end. My general disinterest in listening to spoken word is well established, but free is/was free. I have found I do better with some non-fiction. I have 6 Audible credits I need to use to buy books before I cancel. Looking for recommendations especially in these areas:

• History especially of the big sweeping kind. The more specific it is the more I lose when my mind inevitably wanders which is my main problem with podcasts and audiobooks. So an overview of Viking conquests over centuries, or ancient Persia or Chinese empires or early medieval Europe or pre-colonialism Africa is better than some specific civil war or the reign and policies of a single ruler or brief period. I'm open to any time or place.
• Soccer. But not strategy or tactics. That would also get lost to me on audio. But stories about the history of the game, or of some team - anywhere really - or soccer in [pick any country or region], or soccer and culture treatments.

Also just any good book you particularly loved in audio form, but know that I don't like fiction when the reader goes all in on voices and accents, which I think is a minority opinion.