Biography:
Lincoln -- David Donald's bio, halfway through
David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism -- My second read through, want to underline quotes this time
Life and Death in Shanghai -- Came recommended by my mom and stake president
Journalistic New Stuff:
Out of Mao's Shadow -- How Communists are strangling China
The Snow Lion and the Dragon -- Tibet vs. China, both groups hate the book, must be balanced
Novels:
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -- Yes!
Gilead -- Thirty pages in and pretty solid, a bit lyrical, but still
Norwegian Wood -- A little racy, but halfway through
Black Swan Green -- John recommended it last year, finally want to follow through
Chinese:
哈利·波特与“混血王子” -- Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, been reading it for years, I can finish this summer though, my characters are much better.
Poetry:
Good Poems by Garrison Keillor -- 2/3 read already, just pick off those last stragglers.
Sci-Fi:
Dune -- Supposedly one of the best books of the genre. Ever. Supposedly.
On my list for consideration:
Bonfire of Vanities -- Eighties zeitgeist novel
The Dog Who Wouldn't Be -- Favorite book from childhood
Atlas Shrugged -- Have read it, probably only Mormon who hasn't
Solaris -- More sci fi, liked the movie, book supposed to be entirely different
Armageddon: The Battle for Germany, 1944-1945 -- Liked his history of the Pacific war
*Victor Hugo, but just seemed pedantic to write it like an essay. Not that I have anything against pretension--why else would I write this post?
For some reason it seems to me that you've mentioned already reading "World War Z." If I'm wrong about that, I'd recommend that you do so. A thoroughly enjoyable zombie book (which also sparked some thoughts about how we write/produce historical works).
ReplyDeleteIf you're looking for good sci-fi, have you tried "Ender's Game"? I read it a couple of years ago and found it a fast, compelling read.
I don't know "The Dog Who Wouldn't Be" (or whether there's an actual dog), but I'd recommend "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time" and "The Dog's of Babel" as two good summer reads.
Finally, the most worth-while book I've read in the biography category lately is "My Grandfather's Son," a memoir by Clarence Thomas. It's good to see our ideological opponents as real people and understand where they're coming from on a personal level.
Loved "Curious Incident of the Dog" - it was very insightful. Didn't like "Ender's Game" at all, but then I don't like SciFi much. Loved "Life and Death in Shanghai" - very well crafted.
ReplyDeleteBut I would heartily recommend the Horatio Hornblower novels by C.S. Forrester. I got both Harrys hooked on them - there are 11 of them - and I cried when they ended - I wanted them to go on and on. The A&E 8 DVD set of movies based on the first books were wonderful too - they whetted my appetite for the books. Actually the 1951 movie with Gregory Peck is pretty good too.
I didn't really like Curious...Dog... Other books I have enjoyed though are: The Bridge of San Luis Rey, The Power of One, The Maltese Falcon, 3 Cups of Tea, Suite Francaise.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever read the Fables comic books? They are great.
If you haven't read Fahrenheit 451, you should. Short and amazingly prescient.
ReplyDeleteYeah, looking back on Norwegian Wood I realize I probably self-expurgated more than I remember... Totally with Jason on Ender's Game. For some reason whenever I come across it I just pick it up and read it straight through.
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