Spurstalk Book Recommendations

[Thunder Dan]

I'm always looking for good stuff to read ( :reading ) I hate going to the bookstore becuase I hate to take the time searching for something that might intrest me. I was thinking mabye I could get some ideas and share some ideas. Just post good books you have read or are currently reading, and tell us a little bit about what it is about. It will be kind of like one of those summer reading lists you had back in the 7th grade. I'll start:

Killing Yourself To Live: 85% of a True Story by Chuck Klosterman

This book is listed as a ficton, though only for legal purposes I assume because all of the stories are true. Chuck was a head writed for Spin Magazine (He now writes for Esquire) and on his first story he was sent to tour the country to report on historic places of rock and roll celebrity deaths (Chelsea Hotel for Sid ending with Seattle for Kurt). You read about those places and the adventures of being on the road for months while driving across the country in a Ford Taurus. He tells you about everything from the best ways to smoking minimal ammounts of weed off a car cigarette lighter, to the best albums to listen to at deafing volumes in your car. The main thesis is about how rock stars don't truley live until they die (Kurt Cobain is much more famous post mortum). The book also has a secondary thesis, that being that love relationships seem like much more than they really where if they do not turn out in your favor, all relating to the primary thesis.

Chuck is a brilliant writer. As someone said to me "Chuck writes and thinks, like most people wish they could talk." It is a very funny and entertaining book. If you like music this book is as good as it gets for you.

[Spurminator]

WTF... wrong thread...

[1369]

"The Road" Cormac McCarthy

"Old Man's War" John Scalzi

"Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors" Carl Sagan

"Snow Crash" Neal Stephenson

"In Search Of Captain Zero" Allan Weisbecker

"West Of Jesus" Steven Kotler

[leemajors]

anything by reginald hill, john le carre, charles todd, or rennie airth atm. british detective fiction is where it's at for me right now. i should be getting dusk watch sometime this week, i can't wait for that either.

[Bill O'Reilly]

I recommend you go to Billoreilly.com and order a signed Culture Warrior book, and if you have a young one at home, might as well pick up "The O'reilly Factor For Kids". While you are at it, you might want to pick up one of our nice "No Bloviating" shirts that are selling like hotcakes.





And remember, the spin stops here, because we're looking out for you.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

http://www.alan.com/images/books/RedWhiteLiberal_pb224.jpg

[Ballcox]

"The Road" Cormac McCarthy

"Old Man's War" John Scalzi

"Shadows Of Forgotten Ancestors" Carl Sagan

"Snow Crash" Neal Stephenson

"In Search Of Captain Zero" Allan Weisbecker

"West Of Jesus" Steven Kotler

Just finished No Country for Old Men by McCarthy, very good read. It was the first book of his that I've read, very impressed.

[tekdragon]

I'm travelling on business tomorrow, and planning to read "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom on the plane and over the weekend. I'll have a review next week.

Good idea for a thread. I'm always looking for something to read, but have the same problem with the bookstore.

[Death In June]

Journey to Ixtlan - Carlos Castaneda. Awesome series of books to choose from, but this is a personal favorite. If you're unfamilar with his work, Carlos was an anthropology student who allegedly became the apprentice of an Indian scorcer in the sonora desert in central Mexico.

[1369]

"Pattern Recognition" William Gibson

"Breakout: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Korea 1950" Martin Russ

"Generatioin Kill" Evan Wright

"All The Pretty Horses" Cormac McCarthy

"Red Branch" Morgan Llwelyn

"The Hot Zone" Richard Preston

[Sapphire]

I'm travelling on business tomorrow, and planning to read "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom on the plane and over the weekend. I'll have a review next week.

Good idea for a thread. I'm always looking for something to read, but have the same problem with the bookstore.
That's a really good book, so is Tuesdays with Morrie by the same author.

I recently finished Marley and Me by John Grogan and it was a great dog story. I just started Angela's Ashes by McCourt.

[Flea]

That's a really good book, so is Tuesdays with Morrie by the same author.

I recently finished Marley and Me by John Grogan and it was a great dog story. I just started Angela's Ashes by McCourt.


I loved Angela's Ashes!

James Clavell is one of my most favorite authors, his books are always a good read, Shogun, Taipan, Noble House. Ayn Rand is another favorite, Fountain Head is a great book by her.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

Naked Pictures of Famous People by Jon Stewart has me cracking up right now. Shit like this is really all I can read without wanting to close my eyes.

[T Park]

anything by Michael Connelly.

Especially his newest one.

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

"Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
My teacher in 6th grade, who was probably the strongest and toughest guy in the school, cried because of the tragedy that takes place in the final chapter of the book.

[NorCal510]

www.sparknotes.com

www.cliffnotes.com

[Borosai]

I haven't been reading as much as I should, but these are a few classics that I have read recently:

"Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov
"Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen
"A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess

and a few in Spanish (I'm sure they're available in English) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez... great writer.

"Cronica de una muerte anunciada"
"Del amor y otros demonios"
"Memoria de mis putas tristes"

[leemajors]

I haven't been reading as much as I should, but these are a few classics that I have read recently:

"Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov
"Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen
"A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess

and a few in Spanish (I'm sure they're available in English) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez... great writer.

"Cronica de una muerte anunciada"
"Del amor y otros demonios"
"Memoria de mis putas tristes"
you should check out northanger abby by austen if you haven't. good stuff.

[fowl play]

anything by Eric Von Lustbader. Lord of Emperors in particular.

[2Blonde]

Naked Pictures of Famous People by Jon Stewart has me cracking up right now. Shit like this is really all I can read without wanting to close my eyes.
Is this a sequel to his America book? I loved that book. I read it about 15 times. The textbook format was genius.

[2Blonde]

Forget that last post. I just Googled that book and saw it was published in 1998, so it's older than America.

[sabar]

Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

Epic war book with deep characters, makes you feel like you were at Thermopylae.

[Thunder Dan]

I haven't been reading as much as I should, but these are a few classics that I have read recently:

"Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov
"Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen
"A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess

and a few in Spanish (I'm sure they're available in English) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez... great writer.

"Cronica de una muerte anunciada"
"Del amor y otros demonios"
"Memoria de mis putas tristes"


I just finished Clockwork a couple weeks ago for the 3rd time, that book is awesome

[CubanMustGo]

I've been on a bit of a US history kick recently. Most anything by David McCullough is eminiently readable: 1776, John Adams, The Path Between the Seas, etc; Joseph J. Ellis is also very readable and I've enjoyed "His Excellency: George Washington", "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation," "Alexander Hamilton" and "American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson."

I'm currently reading a new biography of Einstein by Walter Isaacson, "Einstein: His Life and Universe." Isaacson does a good job of extracting the science basics such that it's understandable by the lay person.

[AlamoSpursFan]

anything by Michael Connelly.

Especially his newest one.

I wholeheartedly concur with TPark on this one.

Michael Connelly writes the best cop/mystery novels I've ever read.

I'm currently blazing through this one though...

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n31/n157527.jpg

I am an absolute junkie for anything with "Demo Dick" Marcinko's name on it!

[monosylab1k]

I've been on a bit of a US history kick recently. Most anything by David McCullough is eminiently readable: 1776, John Adams, The Path Between the Seas, etc; Joseph J. Ellis is also very readable and I've enjoyed "His Excellency: George Washington", "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation," "Alexander Hamilton" and "American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson."

I'm currently reading a new biography of Einstein by Walter Isaacson, "Einstein: His Life and Universe." Isaacson does a good job of extracting the science basics such that it's understandable by the lay person.

If you're into the Civil War then this is definitely a book you should check out.

http://www.radioreader.net/sitebuilder/images/manhunt-176x255.jpg

[duncan228]

A Prayer For Owen Meany- John Irving
Also by Irving- The Cider House Rules
And of course- The World According To Garp

Even Cowgirls Get The Blues- Tom Robbins

[samikeyp]

I just finished "The Biggest Brother" about Major Richard Winters, the commander of Easy Company, 506th PIR. The unit that "Band of Brothers" was based on. If you are a WWII or Military History fan...its a good read.

[AlamoSpursFan]

Who wrote that, Mike?

I'm gonna have to pick that up.

Band Of Brothers was an awesome read. Even better than the series, IMO.

[1369]

Who wrote that, Mike?

I'm gonna have to pick that up.

Band Of Brothers was an awesome read. Even better than the series, IMO.

If you like that, try these:

"The Longest Winter" by Alex Kershaw (Battle Of The Bulge)

"Ghost Soldiers" by Hampton Sides (Raid on the prison camps in the Phillipines)

"The Last Ridge" by McKay Jenkins (Story of the 10th Mountain Division from its formation)

"The Ghost Mountain Boys: Their Epic March and the Terrifying Battle for New Guinea--The Forgotten War of the South Pacific" by James Campbell (Title pretty much spells it out)

"The Right Kind Of War" by John McCormick (First person account of the Marine Raiders in the Pacific)

[Jekka]

www.sparknotes.com

www.cliffnotes.com
Why don't you try actually reading the books on your summer reading list this year? With any luck a dose of classic literature might make you more interesting.

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I just finished Heat by Bill Buford about being a kitchen slave to Mario Batali for a year, and it was pretty good.

Marvel's Alias series is also pretty entertaining, I'm in the middle of it.

For fiction/fantasy/erotica, Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel trilogy is excellent :eyebrows

[pooh]

my books, both the first and second....good reading and the money goes to a worthy cause...my bank account :)

[johngateswhiteley]

1. Ayn Rand
2. Mark Twain
3. Rudyard Kipling

[leemajors]

kipling was/is a badass. plain tales from the hills is one of my favorite collections.

[Taco]

These two books by Mitch Albom are pretty good

http://oz.nthu.edu.tw/~d907907/images/tuesdays%20with%20Morrie.jpg

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0786868716.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[samikeyp]

ASF...Larry Alexander.

[marini martini]

You can wait for mine to come out next year :wakeup

If I could stay out of here :blah

[johngateswhiteley]

kipling was/is a badass.

even if he had only wrote "IF"...that would be enough.