Book Recommendations

[Herlock Sholmes]

...Wallander </pedantic>

Thanks Gareth. Don’t tell Fish I got the spelling of a Swedish name wrong

[c.d.]

Hello Sir John,

Glad to see you like Murakami. "Kafka on the Shore" was my first introduction to him and I really liked the book. Have you read it?

c.d.

[bjgourley]

The professor and the madman by Simon Winchester for non-fiction, most of his books are pretty decent for that matter. And for fiction, I've just started reading Casino Royale. I can't speak for the rest of the Ian Fleming Bond books, but the first one is pretty good so far. If that doesn't float your boat, I am Legend by Richard Matheson. Don't worry, it's nothing like the garbage movie they recently did, though surprisingly, the Chuck Heston film was closer to the book. That being said, watch The Omega Man if you haven't already.

[SirJohnFalstaff]

Hello Sir John,

Glad to see you like Murakami. "Kafka on the Shore" was my first introduction to him and I really liked the book. Have you read it?

c.d.

Not yet. I purchased Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. About to start it. Kafka will probably my next, but I don't know when. (So many books to read)

[c.d.]

I am currently reading "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed. Her account of her solo backpacking trek of the entire Pacific Crest Trail in America. 2, 650 miles. What makes it so interesting is that she was completely unprepared for what she did and was pretty much clueless. In addition, she could have been the poster child for bad decisions with regard to her personal life. Hard to believe that one person could screw up their life so badly. She describes one scene on the trail where she sits down to rub her badly aching ankle which she describes as having a golf ball sized bruise on it which is starting to turn black. You expect her to tell how she bruised it on a rock. Nope. Shot up some heroin a few nights before setting out on the trail. Truly amazing. Yet, she gutted it out and wrote a book about it.

c.d.

[c.d.]

Just finished "The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah. Absolutely fantastic book (fiction) about the Dust Bowl and the Depression in America in the 1930's. Incredible characters. Beautifully written. Can't recommend it enough.

She also wrote "The Nightingale" which deals with the French Resistance in World War II. Excellent as well.

c.d.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I’ve only just realised that there are two threads with the title ‘Book Recommendations,’ c.d. The only that I started last year and this one, started by you 14 years ago! I don’t know why I started my thread when this one already existed? I’ve even posted on this thread. My brain must have been out of order on the day that I started the thread.

[c.d.]

Hello Herlock,

Yeah, I was a little confused too, I admit. So it seems that there are two threads for book recommendations. Fiction and non-fiction. I am okay with that.

I can't believe I started this thread fourteen years ago. I was still asking people if they knew where babies came from back then.

I know your reading tastes run towards non-fiction but "The Four Winds" really is that good.

c.d.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Hello Herlock,

Yeah, I was a little confused too, I admit. So it seems that there are two threads for book recommendations. Fiction and non-fiction. I am okay with that.

I can't believe I started this thread fourteen years ago. I was still asking people if they knew where babies came from back then.

I know your reading tastes run towards non-fiction but "The Four Winds" really is that good.

c.d.

Hello c.d.

I’m not averse to fiction but I do tend to mostly read non-fiction. The Four Winds sounds good though. I’ll add it to my list. I was actually looking at a few non-fiction books on the Dust Bowl a week or two ago but couldn’t decide on one.

[c.d.]

Just finished "The Last Mrs. Parrish" by Liv Constantine. Over 18,000 reviews on Amazon although I would refrain from looking at them because a number of them give away the plot.

It is far from a literary classic. The writing is pretty sophomoric and filled with cliches and the plot is a blatant rip off of the classic Bette Davis movie "All About Eve." On the other hand, it was a real page turner and I really enjoyed it. Guess I am not as classy and sophisticated as I thought. Sometimes you just want to give your brain a day off. This book fits the bill. Recommend.

c.d.

[c.d.]

Just ordered this from amazon. A tragic story but apparently highly regarded in outdoor circles. A simple mistake and not being prepared cost this middle aged woman her life. A true cautionary tale.

https://www.amazon.com/When-You-Find...s%2C298&sr=8-1

c.d.

[c.d.]

Just finished The Devil's Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea. A true story and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. In 2001 a group of men attempted to cross into the U.S from Mexico illegally. They got lost in the desert of Southern Arizona and were abandoned by the coyote who they had paid to lead them. 14 of them died horrible deaths from exposure and dehydration. A tragic story and a very good overview of the whole immigration problem from all sides. Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Devils-Highwa...s%2C142&sr=8-1

c.d.

[c.d.]

Reading a real good book right now - The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston who also wrote The Monster of Florence. Rumors throughout history of a lost city in the jungles of South America where the streets are paved with gold and where an advanced civilization flourished and then mysteriously disappeared. Now there is modern evidence they could be true and an extremely advanced sonar system allows mapping from the air. Results show large man made structures in a pattern indicating a city. The author is invited to join an expedition to one of the most dangerous and remote places on earth. Poisonous snakes and insects, trees with leaves so razor sharp they cut right through clothes and skin, pathogens in the water and last but not least a curse from the devil himself over anyone who disturbs the city. After their return tragedy struck. Preston and others found they had contracted in the ruins a horrifying, sometimes lethal - and incurable - disease.

If you like true adventure stories, I highly recommend this one.

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-City-of-...s%2C581&sr=8-1

c.d.

[c.d.]

Just finished Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. An absolutely excellent book. Fiction but based on true events namely the kidnapping of children of the poor during the depression in America (1930s) and selling them to rich families. Be aware that some of the scenes of physical and sexual abuse where they were housed waiting adoption are unsettling. It is also a mystery as there is a connection to a prominent modern day political family. A really mesmerising story, extremely well written and a page turner. Highly recommend.

Over 148,000 reviews on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Before-We-Wer...s%2C217&sr=8-1

c.d.

[c.d.]

Just finished The Wager by David Grann. Grann also wrote The Killers of the Flower Moon which I highly recommend. As for The Wager, all I can say is wow! What a story. It is a true story, the account of His Majesty's ship The Wager. The year is 1740 and The Wager is an English man-of-war taking part in a secret mission to capture a Spanish Galleon loaded with gold and treasure. Throw in press gangs, rats, typhus, scurvy, incredible storms, shipwreck, mutiny, murder, cannibalism all rolled up in an absolutely incredible tale of survival. I highly recommend this one.

https://www.amazon.com/Wager-Tale-Sh...s%2C451&sr=8-1

c.d.