I apologize if this thread has already been started, but I did a search and didn't find it.

This year I've continued going back to books that we all were supposed to have read in school, interweaving them in between stuff I have to read for work and other books recommended to me by family and friends. I've found I have a much different perspective on them this go around, and actually enjoy them, probably because I'm not "forced" to read them this time.

I just finished "Where the Red Fern Grows"....never had to read this one in junior high or high school. I thought it was good, but not great. I would recommend everyone read it once.

Finished Ron Chernow's bio of Washington (started in 2018). Really like it as a follow-up to his bio of Hamilton.

The Innocent Man - non-fiction by Grisham. Average at best. There's a Netflix doc of it which was a bit better than the book.

Currently reading:
The Last Republicans - about 41 and 43. Author is Mark Updegrove, director of LBJ Library
Papillon - one of my favorite movies but never read the book.

Audible:
When Breath Becomes Air - memoir of a young neurosurgeon who contracted terminal cancer. Written while he was succumbing to this disease. Interesting and not a huge commitment of time. Little over 5 hours.

Bloody Rose (Eames)- B - Follow up to Kings of the Wyld. Not as good but still a fun read.

Currently reading: Skyward (Sanderson)

Listening: Dark Tower 4

Just read Mass Effect - Annihilation. It wraps up a plot thread from Andromeda. I enjoyed it. A shame that that's it for the ME series for a while, but it'll return someday in one form or another.

2018 was a bad year for me on the book front. i didn't read nearly enough. need to get back on it in 2019.

I just finished up Band of Brothers the other day, so good. I love the miniseries just never put in the time to read the book. I read With the Old Breed, one of the two books they based The Pacific on, last year but it was a bit tedious. Seemed to be a lot of the same over and over, but Band of Brothers was interesting from front to back. Every time I read about the men from WWII I'm in awe, The Greatest Generation is aptly named.

Furlock Bones said:

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2018 was a bad year for me on the book front. i didn't read nearly enough. need to get back on it in 2019.

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2018 was the first time I actually kept track of my reading. At the end of 2017 I was thinking, it seems like I read quite a few books this past year.

Between reading and audible I did 58 books in 2018.

how do you like audible? i've been using overdrive for audiobooks since it's free, selection can be somewhat limited though

hph6203 said:

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Trying to turn the TV off and read more to regain some focus that's been lost due to ADD inducing machines.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

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How did you like Man's Search for Meaning? It's been in my Amazon cart for a while, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet

I have Audible since I drive long commutes. However if you don't care about having new or specific books you can easily get a lot of content free. Thus I am considering dropping it.

Currently reading: A Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols - It's about 9 men who raced to be the first person to sail around the globe without stopping. Enjoying it so far.

Currently listening via Audible: The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield - It's about a lesbian who not only converted to Christianity but became a reformed presbyterian pastor's wife.

07ag said:

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how do you like audible? i've been using overdrive for audiobooks since it's free, selection can be somewhat limited though

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I love Audible. In Dec 2017 I got the version where you paid a onetime fee for the year and got all 12 credits at once. Between that and all the sales they have, I have more than enough unread books to last me all of 2019 so I didn't renew. Once you are a member, it's easy to find great books for 1.95-6.95 range.

I'm currently listening to "No Country for Old Men" - which is great so far, the narrator is perfect - and I think I paid $4.95 for it.

I used Overdrive for a while because it worked with my library - the problem I had was being able to find and actually get good books.

Like Frok - I have a decently long commute and the audiobooks are terrific for commuting.

Quote:

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Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols

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saw a documentary on that awhile back,, really quite interesting


also, on overdrive, found out today you can add different libraries, and anyone who lives anywhere in texas can get a houston library card, and access to the 14k+ audiobooks they have

I forgot - one other issue I had with Overdrive / Library Audiobooks was being able to keep the book long enough to finish it.

AGCP3 said:

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hph6203 said:

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Trying to turn the TV off and read more to regain some focus that's been lost due to ADD inducing machines.

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

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How did you like Man's Search for Meaning? It's been in my Amazon cart for a while, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet

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Like I said in my initial post, my brain has definitely been affected by the way I've been using it for the last several years so my mind tends to drift. I probably didn't get as much out of it as I could have gotten, but the story is not exactly an uplifting one. The first half of the book is a lot of hard stuff to read.

I would definitely not consider it an uplifting read so much as it is a suggestion of mindset and focus.

The Outsider - Stephen King. -4 out of 5.

I frequently have multiple books going at the same time, which means I read a lot and rarely finish anything. For 2019, I'm focusing on one book at a time until I finish or decide to bail out on it.

Currently Reading: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

No, seriously. It's a light and fun read. Her rules for clearing out most things make a lot of sense. Her rules for clearing out books seem a bit alarming at first glance. In short, she tells her clients to only keep books that are in your personal "Book Hall of Fame", the favorites that "spark joy" for you. Everything else, even books you're keeping because you intend to read it "sometime", should go. Challenging.

That book advice gives me some trouble too - namely because a lot of first books I read as a kid were from my parents' stash. So I see potential value for my own kids in my book collection - even if the books aren't 'hall of fame' worthy.

Just got my complete works of Shakespeare and started reading it. We'll see how long I take to finish it.

Vernada said:

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That book advice gives me some trouble too - namely because a lot of first books I read as a kid were from my parents' stash. So I see potential value for my own kids in my book collection - even if the books aren't 'hall of fame' worthy.

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She always allows exceptions for "sentimental items" that have great personal meaning, so a book that you read as a child that "sparks joy" for you is one you should keep. However, if you're keeping a box of Little Golden Books that you haven't looked at in 20 years just because your own children might like them someday, she would tell you to throw them out or donate them. If that need ever does actually materialize, then you go get it when you need it. A lot of her rules have to do with eliminating "clutter" that people hold onto only because they think they might need it in the future. (A Depression-era or hoarder mentality.) Spare buttons are a good example. Get rid of them. Nobody ever actually uses spare buttons. Books, on the other hand... Yeah, that's a tougher sell.

I buy books that sometimes sit in the shelf for years before I read them. Agree with Kondo's other methods but not this one.

If books are neatly placed on a shelf then they are decorations. If they are stashed away in a box then they are ready for a trip to Half Price. (Problem is I just bring home more books)

Currently reading:
The first Outlander book ( won the 4th one, so why not)
Listening to Legendary by Stephanie Garber, sequel to Carival

Just finished Stranger in a Strange Land.

powerbelly said:

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Just finished Stranger in a Strange Land.

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What did you think of it? I remember thinking it started interesting but really disliking the second half. Maybe I should give it another try?

Just finished on Audible:

Comrac McCarthy's 'No Country for Old Men' narrated by Tom Stechshulte.

It was excellent. The narrator was spectacular for this story.

I think the premise was interesting and started very strong, but finished just okay.

Glad I read it, but probably wont revisit anytime soon.

Pet Sematary
When the Men Were Gone

" I Am Zlatan " by Ibrahimovic growing up poor in Sweden - then getting rich playing football ( soccer ) !

just finished hp goblet of fire,, most enjoyable of the first 4 hp books, imo

probably pillars of the earth or planetfall next

I just finished Old Man's War by John Scalzi, on my daughter's recommendation, and enjoyed it enough to order the second book in the series. I came to this board to look for any discussion thread on the series. I'm really looking forward to book 8 in The Expanse series coming out this year.

We cut the cord 2 months ago and I have been reading like crazy. One the most recent books is American Radical: Inside the World of an Undercover Muslim FBI Agent. It was an excellent read.

KidDoc said:

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Bloody Rose (Eames)- B - Follow up to Kings of the Wyld. Not as good but still a fun read.

Currently reading: Skyward (Sanderson)

Listening: Dark Tower 4

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I really liked Skyward. Sanderson can do no wrong.