Books you read in 2020

Discussion in 'TMB Book Club' started by Kevintensity, Jan 6, 2020.

  1. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson TideIndianapolis ColtsBook Club

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  2. Cornelius Suttree

    Cornelius Suttree the smallest crumb can devour us
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    1. No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    2. Child of God - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon (4.5/10)
    4. Fire Sermon - Wright Morris (9/10)
    5. The Field of Vision - Wright Morris (7/10)
    6. The Throwback Special - Chris Bachelder (6.5/10)
    7. Slow Man - J.M. Coetzee (8.5/10)
    8. Ghosts - John Banville (6.5/10)

    Banville is an incredible writer, but I have found his books to be challenging reads. He uses multi-page paragraphs when characters are going all stream of consciousness and everything is a compound-complex sentence. This did not have much of a conventional plot. It was a follow-up to The Book of Evidence, but apparently not a direct sequel. It read a bit like a horror/suspense movie. Begins with a shipwreck on a desolate Irish island. Then some creepy unnamed presence takes over the narrative
     
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  3. Arrec Bardwin

    Arrec Bardwin La Araña Discoteca
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    1. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
    2. The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1)- Brandon Sanderson
    3. Words of Radiance (SA #2) - Brandon Sanderson
    4. Oathbringer (SA #3) - Brandon Sanderson

    Just burned through ~4k pages in less than a month, can’t wait for #4.

    Gonna stay on Sanderson with Mistborn
     
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  4. Cornelius Suttree

    Cornelius Suttree the smallest crumb can devour us
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    1. No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    2. Child of God - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon (4.5/10)
    4. Fire Sermon - Wright Morris (9/10)
    5. The Field of Vision - Wright Morris (7/10)
    6. The Throwback Special - Chris Bachelder (6.5/10)
    7. Slow Man - J.M. Coetzee (8.5/10)
    8. Ghosts - John Banville (6.5/10)
    9. Solo Faces - James Salter (10/10)

    Wow. I can only think of a handful of books that brought out the range of emotions I experienced while reading this. Immediately a personal classic. Just a total breeze to read because it is expertly written, has a very compelling plot (revolving around climbing in the Alps) and features a protagonist that is cut from a rare kind of cloth. I wanted this book to go on forever
     
    #104 Cornelius Suttree, Feb 15, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2020
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  5. Cornelius Suttree

    Cornelius Suttree the smallest crumb can devour us
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    1. No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    2. Child of God - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon (4.5/10)
    4. Fire Sermon - Wright Morris (9/10)
    5. The Field of Vision - Wright Morris (7/10)
    6. The Throwback Special - Chris Bachelder (6.5/10)
    7. Slow Man - J.M. Coetzee (8.5/10)
    8. Ghosts - John Banville (6.5/10)
    9. Solo Faces - James Salter (10/10)
    10. The Year of Silence - Madison Smartt Bell (7/10)

    a look at how an array of New Yorkers are each impacted by the death of a young woman. If you are interested in a touching book that hits on themes like addiction, mental health, suicide, etc. then I'd check it out, especially if you love NYC. Started it Saturday morning and finished it this afternoon on a nice sunny bench, very easy read
     
  6. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    1. Black Ops (Expeditionary Force #4) by Craig Alanson (7/10)
    2. The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington, by Brad Meltzer (6/10)
    3. Blood of Elves (The Witcher #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski (8/10)
    4. Time of Contempt (The Witcher #2) by Andrzej Sapkowski (7/10)
    5. Family Secrets: The Case That Cripled the Chicago Mob, by Jeff Coen (8/10)
    6. Baptism by Fire (The Witcher #3) by Andrzej Sapkowsi (7/10)
    7. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (7.5/10)
    8. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi (6/10)
    9. Last of the Mohicans by James Fienmore Cooper (7/10)
    10. Into the Fire (Orphan X #5) by Gregg Horowitz (8.5/10)
    11. The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston (8.5/10)
    12. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (7/10)
    13. Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil War, by S.C Gwynne (8.5/10)

    American Dirt -
    There's a lot of controversy about this book. Author got a huge advance, Oprah picked it for her book club. The author is half Puerto Rican/Half white got a bunch of shit for writing a novel about the plight of a middle class mexican woman becoming a migrant on a journey to the border to escape cartel violence. The story itself was just ok. It was all kind of mis-marketed as a great social justice novel. It was more of a suspense novel. I enjoyed it. I get the criticism of it. It would of been cool if someone of mexican desent who had a better understanding of living w cartel violence ect. Even absent all the controversy, ,the book was way over hyped. It was an entertaining story, but not some great novel.

    Hymns of the Republic. Gwynne is one of my favorite NF authors. This was good, but not great. Learned a lot. I was expecting him to take a different angle or perspective, but it was pretty much a straight history of the last part of the war, the politics ect. Learned a few new things, but I had high expectations. Still glad I read it.
     
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  7. Cornelius Suttree

    Cornelius Suttree the smallest crumb can devour us
    Donor TMB OG
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    1. No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    2. Child of God - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon (4.5/10)
    4. Fire Sermon - Wright Morris (9/10)
    5. The Field of Vision - Wright Morris (7/10)
    6. The Throwback Special - Chris Bachelder (6.5/10)
    7. Slow Man - J.M. Coetzee (8.5/10)
    8. Ghosts - John Banville (6.5/10)
    9. Solo Faces - James Salter (10/10)
    10. The Year of Silence - Madison Smartt Bell (7/10)
    11. The Hunters - James Salter (9.5/10)

    The Hunters has gotta be a) one of the finest debut novels ever and b) one of the best fiction books about aerial warfare. Published in 1956, its protagonist is a fighter pilot in the Korean War. It is super concise and gripping. It details both the battles in the air as well as on the ground among elite pilots. Kick ass. Salter is truly amazing
     
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  8. Kevintensity

    Kevintensity Poster/Posting Game Coordinator
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    1) The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow 8.5/10
    2) The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch 8/10
    3) The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski 8/10
    4) Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman 7/10
    5) The Hot Zone by Richard Preston 8.5/10
    6) Atomic Habits by James Clear 8/10
    7) The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup 7.5/10

    Atomic Habits
    Wasn't really sure how to rate this one. I've been wanting to improve when it comes to certain things, like exercising regularly, learning a new language, being more productive in my mornings rather than just watching sportscenter and messing on my phone. I enjoyed reading this book, felt like it contained some solid info and tips for building habits. I'd like to start doing some cardio in the morning before work, and practice on my language each day rather than sporadically in bursts every once in a while. So I guess it remains to be seen what effect this book will have.

    The Chestnut Man
    Easy read that I flew through. Didn't really nail the ending for me though as far as revealing the identity of the killer. Found this while searching for books similar to the Netflix series Broadchurch. They're making it into a show that I'll watch when it comes out.
     
    #108 Kevintensity, Feb 22, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2020
  9. BP

    BP Bout to Regulate.
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  10. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    1. Black Ops (Expeditionary Force #4) by Craig Alanson (7/10)
    2. The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington, by Brad Meltzer (6/10)
    3. Blood of Elves (The Witcher #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski (8/10)
    4. Time of Contempt (The Witcher #2) by Andrzej Sapkowski (7/10)
    5. Family Secrets: The Case That Cripled the Chicago Mob, by Jeff Coen (8/10)
    6. Baptism by Fire (The Witcher #3) by Andrzej Sapkowsi (7/10)
    7. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (7.5/10)
    8. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi (6/10)
    9. Last of the Mohicans by James Fienmore Cooper (7/10)
    10. Into the Fire (Orphan X #5) by Gregg Horowitz (8.5/10)
    11. The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston (8.5/10)
    12. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (7/10)
    13. Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil War, by S.C Gwynne (8.5/10)
    14. The Second Founding: How The Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution, by Eric Foner (8.5/10)
    15. Thaddeus Stevens: Nineteenth Century Egalitarian by Hans L Trefousse (8/10)
    16.
    The Plot Against America by Phillip K Roth (8/10)


    Second Founding & Thaddeus Stevens - Ive been on a Civl War kick lately. The Second Founding was clearly written as a response to the awful shit the Trump admin is doing. It covers the amendments enacted right after the civil war, the intentions of the language in the amendments and the compromises made to get them passed. I learned a lot and it's basically a big fuck you to right wingers who want to bastardize the intent of these amendments, while also claiming to go by original intent.

    Thaddeus Stevens is the most underrated hero our country has. Been wanting to read something on him for a while. His name came up a lot in the Second Founding, so I found a bio on him. Someone needs to do an updated version. This was good but it;'s from the mid 90s and all the framing isnt the best. The author contends that Stevens was always frustrated w Lincoln. Felt he was all half measures. But also that Lincoln used Stevens to lead the way and normalize positions like universal suffrage and abolitionism to give Lincoln room to make it politically doable. Really found that interesting, and if true, really puts Lincoln in 4D chess territory.

    The Plot Against America - Someone posted a thread on the TV board this was a new show. Trailer looked good, and saw it was a book so I read it. It's an alternative history about when Charles Lindbergh beat FDR in the election and USA became uber Isolationist, Lindbergh gave Hitler room to operate and was always excusing his actions ect. How American slowly slipped into Authoritarianism. This book was freaky as fuck because it's like Roth had a time machine to live here and now, and jump back to the 90s where he wrote this book and took away a shitload of themes from today. Including America First slogan.


    I really need to find something lighter to read next lol.
     
  11. Cornelius Suttree

    Cornelius Suttree the smallest crumb can devour us
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    Roth is really really good. Check out Everyman if you liked his writing style and want a quick and easy read

    1. No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    2. Child of God - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon (4.5/10)
    4. Fire Sermon - Wright Morris (9/10)
    5. The Field of Vision - Wright Morris (7/10)
    6. The Throwback Special - Chris Bachelder (6.5/10)
    7. Slow Man - J.M. Coetzee (8.5/10)
    8. Ghosts - John Banville (6.5/10)
    9. Solo Faces - James Salter (10/10)
    10. The Year of Silence - Madison Smartt Bell (7/10)
    11. The Hunters - James Salter (9.5/10)
    12. Lunch at the Piccadilly - Clyde Edgerton (4/10)

    I've loved every other Edgerton book I've read but this was kind of corny and lame. Set in a small town in NC, a sweet young man takes care of his loving aunt in her final year or so of life. Edgerton is generally good at playing off southern stereotypes and making religious types out to be the hypocrites they really are. But it just came across like he was trying too hard here

    started The Moviegoer by Walker Percy this afternoon and it's already so much more enjoyable :fap:
     
  12. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    Loved this. "Dharma Bums" was even better IMO
     
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  13. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    1. The Noonday Demon: An Atlas Of Depression / Andrew Solomon (9/10)
    2. The Edifice Complex: How The Rich And Powerful (And Their Architects) Shape The World (6.5/10)
    3. Educated: A Memoir / Tara Westover (7/10)

    4. Train Dreams (A Novella) / Denis Johnson (10/10)

    Man, you guys ever read this guy? A master of language and storytelling...I feel like one sentence led directly to the next. He described the entire thing in an economy of words. This could easily be a novel but he got right to the point every single page. The story is set in Idaho/Washington in the first half of the twentieth century.


    Still Working On--
    [​IMG]
     
    #113 TC, Feb 24, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2020
  14. BigRed

    BigRed Well-Known Member
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    1. Anxious for Nothing by Max Lucado ****
    2. Eevie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes **1/2
    3. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson ***1/2
    4. The Hero of Ages (Mistborn #3) by Brandon Sanderson ****
    5. How Happiness Happens by Max Lucado *****
    6. Patriot Games by Tom Clancy ****

    Currently reading Edison by Edmund Morris and The Shores of Tripoli by James Haley
     
    #114 BigRed, Feb 24, 2020
    Last edited: Feb 24, 2020
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  15. Cornelius Suttree

    Cornelius Suttree the smallest crumb can devour us
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    RIP Edmund Morris
     
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  16. billdozer

    billdozer Well-Known Member
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    1. The Shadow of What Was Lost (Licanius #1) - James Islington (10/10) (reread)
    2. An Echo of Things to Come (Licanius #2) - James Islington (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Light of All That Falls (Licanius #3) - James Islington (10/10)
    4. Starsight (Skyward #2) - Brandon Sanderson (7.5/10)
    5. The Prestige - Christopher Priest (7.5/10)
    6. American Gods - Neil Gaiman (7.5/10)
     
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  17. Arrec Bardwin

    Arrec Bardwin La Araña Discoteca
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    1. American Gods - Neil Gaiman
    2. The Way of Kings (Stormlight Archive #1)- Brandon Sanderson
    3. Words of Radiance (SA #2) - Brandon Sanderson
    4. Oathbringer (SA #3) - Brandon Sanderson
    5. Mistborn (MB #1) - Brandon Sanderson

    Good but not as good as Stormlight books.
     
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  18. The Blackfish

    The Blackfish The Fish in Black
    Staff Donor TMB OG
    Alabama Crimson TideIndianapolis ColtsBook Club

    No, they’re not, but what is?

    I love Mistborn. Make sure to read them all the way through. The Wax and Wayne books are really great as well (MB 4-6 currently, one more W&W book to come.) Read Mistborn: A Secret History after you finish Bands of Mourning.

    Also you’ve met a few characters already that may or may not have shown up in Stormlight.
     
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  19. Arrec Bardwin

    Arrec Bardwin La Araña Discoteca
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    Not saying I didn’t thoroughly enjoy it, I just feel like Stormlight is on WoT and Lord of the Rings type level.

    I mean the obvious crossover is

    Hoid

    Im guessing that sets Mistborn before Way of Kings at some point
     
  20. Gonff

    Gonff Prince of Mousethieves
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    Stormlight is highest possible tier.

    Mistborn is also on my favorite books list and is on the tier below Stormlight.
     
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  21. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    1. The Noonday Demon: An Atlas Of Depression / Andrew Solomon (9/10)
    2. The Edifice Complex: How The Rich And Powerful (And Their Architects) Shape The World (6.5/10)
    3. Educated: A Memoir / Tara Westover (7/10)
    4. Train Dreams (A Novella) / Denis Johnson (10/10)

    5. From Bacteria To Bach And Back: The Evolution Of Minds / Daniel Dennett (6/10)
    Pretty dry but I was able to extract a few new things to think about. This guy is trained as an analytical philosopher and it shows. Pages and pages setting up arguments and refuting imaginary challengers. Coolest idea from the book is "competence without comprehension." We think we/people do things because we understand what we're doing and we have reasons for it. Book shows all kinds of examples where organisms accomplish things without being conscious at all. Can lead to some weird examinations of your own behavior.

    Up Next --
    Local history book about the county where I grew up (Saluda, SC)
     
  22. Cornelius Suttree

    Cornelius Suttree the smallest crumb can devour us
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    1. No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    2. Child of God - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon (4.5/10)
    4. Fire Sermon - Wright Morris (9/10)
    5. The Field of Vision - Wright Morris (7/10)
    6. The Throwback Special - Chris Bachelder (6.5/10)
    7. Slow Man - J.M. Coetzee (8.5/10)
    8. Ghosts - John Banville (6.5/10)
    9. Solo Faces - James Salter (10/10)
    10. The Year of Silence - Madison Smartt Bell (7/10)
    11. The Hunters - James Salter (9.5/10)
    12. Lunch at the Piccadilly - Clyde Edgerton (4/10)
    13. The Moviegoer - Walker Percy (10/10)

    Winner of the 1962 National Book Award, this wonderful book is about a young New Orleans stockbroker who fills his days with movies and casual sex. He is in search of authenticity and I think a lot of people on this board could relate to him. It's a coming of age story in some ways. Funny in parts and very touching in others. If you are from NOLA (or have ties to LSU or Tulane), you gotta read this book. This was Percy's debut novel and it reads like a male Flannery O'Connor. So polished and awesome
     
  23. BP

    BP Bout to Regulate.
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    Jungle of Stone: The Extraordinary Journey of John L. Stephens and Frederick Catherwood, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya

     
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  24. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    Added to list
     
  25. billdozer

    billdozer Well-Known Member
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    1. The Shadow of What Was Lost (Licanius #1) - James Islington (10/10) (reread)
    2. An Echo of Things to Come (Licanius #2) - James Islington (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Light of All That Falls (Licanius #3) - James Islington (10/10)
    4. Starsight (Skyward #2) - Brandon Sanderson (7.5/10)
    5. The Prestige - Christopher Priest (7.5/10)
    6. American Gods - Neil Gaiman (7.5/10)
    7. Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman (7.5/10)
     
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  26. CBH

    CBH Well-Known Member
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    1. The Russian Five: A Story of Espionage, Defection, Bribery and Courage by Keith Grave 6/10
    2. An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz 4/10
    3. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe 8/10
    4. Daughter of War (Pike Logan #13) by Brad Taylor 7/10
    5. Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning by Leslie Odom Jr. 8/10

    6. Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders 8/10 I really enjoyed this book once I got used to the way it was written. Seemed like a very original thought and way to write a book.

    7. Quarters: The Accommodation of the British Army and the Coming of the American Revolution by John G. McCurdy 10/10 I may be a little biased on this book as it was written by one of my professors. To be honest though it was very well written and researched and has received a lot of praise throughout the Revolutionary war press, even being nominated for best Revolutionary war book of 2019.

    8. The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus By Richard Preston 9/10 I agree with a lot of what was said in the thread on this book, the beginning was by far the best part of the book for me. I thought the last section was unneeded and didn't add much of anything to the book. It was very interesting though and timely.

    9. Moscow Rules (Gabriel Allon #8) by Daniel Silva 8/10 I enjoyed this book and moved through it quickly though it wasn't as good as some of the Allon books.

    10. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen 6/10 I struggled through this book and really only enjoyed a few parts of it, I was disappointed because I had been looking forward to it for awhile. It wasn't bad but never really caught me up in it and had a rather boring finish to the book.
     
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  27. smeegsgreen

    smeegsgreen Big fan of Koalas
    Michigan State Spartans

    Stephen king - Salem’s Lot - 8.5 / 10
     
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  28. BP

    BP Bout to Regulate.
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  29. billdozer

    billdozer Well-Known Member
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    1. The Shadow of What Was Lost (Licanius #1) - James Islington (10/10) (reread)
    2. An Echo of Things to Come (Licanius #2) - James Islington (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Light of All That Falls (Licanius #3) - James Islington (10/10)
    4. Starsight (Skyward #2) - Brandon Sanderson (7.5/10)
    5. The Prestige - Christopher Priest (7.5/10)
    6. American Gods - Neil Gaiman (7.5/10)
    7. Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman (7.5/10)
    8. Good Omens - Neil Gaiman (8.5/10)
     
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  30. Cornelius Suttree

    Cornelius Suttree the smallest crumb can devour us
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    1. No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    2. Child of God - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon (4.5/10)
    4. Fire Sermon - Wright Morris (9/10)
    5. The Field of Vision - Wright Morris (7/10)
    6. The Throwback Special - Chris Bachelder (6.5/10)
    7. Slow Man - J.M. Coetzee (8.5/10)
    8. Ghosts - John Banville (6.5/10)
    9. Solo Faces - James Salter (10/10)
    10. The Year of Silence - Madison Smartt Bell (7/10)
    11. The Hunters - James Salter (9.5/10)
    12. Lunch at the Piccadilly - Clyde Edgerton (4/10)
    13. The Moviegoer - Walker Percy (10/10)
    14. The Floating Opera - John Barth (8.5/10)

    published in 1956, this was Barth's debut novel and that is quite an accomplishment. It's a look at the day a young lawyer on Maryland's Eastern Shore decides he wants to end his life. It's an existential and nihilistic story. Would definitely recommend to anyone from Baltimore and also to anyone who is interested in a book that was way ahead of its times. One of the main characters is a cuckold, lol. Sometimes reading Jim Crow era books it is easy to tell where authors stood on social justice issues. Barth was, again, way ahead of his times
     
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  31. joey jo-jo jr shabadoo

    joey jo-jo jr shabadoo you know for me, the action is the juice

    1. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
    2. Red Cavalry by Isaac Babel
    3. Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight
    4. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
    5. The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
    6. I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
    7. The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis
    8. The Idiot by Elif Batuman
    9. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
     
  32. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
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    Two books by the same name? Woahhhhhh
     
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  33. Cornelius Suttree

    Cornelius Suttree the smallest crumb can devour us
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    Dostoevsky's The Idiot is so good

    was thinking about rereading Crime and Punishment soon
     
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  34. TC

    TC Peter, 53, from Toxteth
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    1. The Noonday Demon: An Atlas Of Depression / Andrew Solomon (9/10)
    2. The Edifice Complex: How The Rich And Powerful (And Their Architects) Shape The World (6.5/10)
    3. Educated: A Memoir / Tara Westover (7/10)
    4. Train Dreams (A Novella) / Denis Johnson (10/10)
    5. From Bacteria To Bach And Back: The Evolution Of Minds / Daniel Dennett (6/10)

    6. Breaking New Ground: A Pictorial History Of Saluda County (5/10)
    Is it a well-written book, no. It was published in 1995 by the local historical society with chapters written by various townspeople who are interested in "history." You can imagine some of what that entails. (The phrase "Civil War" almost never appears, for example). However, was it interesting as hell? Yes. There's nothing like reading history that not only has to do with you but is directly related to people and places you know. It's interesting to see mindsets you grew up with and where they came from. It's also interesting to go back and consider just how new this country and this political system are.

    Up Next --
    [​IMG]
     
  35. Gin Buckets

    Gin Buckets Well-Known Member
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    Everyone read American Wolf.... It's really good. It's very much narrative non-fiction, and at one point I was like "this really reads like a disney movie".
     
  36. Cornelius Suttree

    Cornelius Suttree the smallest crumb can devour us
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    1. No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    2. Child of God - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon (4.5/10)
    4. Fire Sermon - Wright Morris (9/10)
    5. The Field of Vision - Wright Morris (7/10)
    6. The Throwback Special - Chris Bachelder (6.5/10)
    7. Slow Man - J.M. Coetzee (8.5/10)
    8. Ghosts - John Banville (6.5/10)
    9. Solo Faces - James Salter (10/10)
    10. The Year of Silence - Madison Smartt Bell (7/10)
    11. The Hunters - James Salter (9.5/10)
    12. Lunch at the Piccadilly - Clyde Edgerton (4/10)
    13. The Moviegoer - Walker Percy (10/10)
    14. The Floating Opera - John Barth (8.5/10)
    15. Reflections in a Golden Eye - Carson McCullers (8/10)
    16. Play It as It Lays - Joan Didion (6/10)

    The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter is one of my very favorite books. That was McCullers' debut novel. Reflections in a Golden Eye was her second and in 1941 she had it published when she was just 24 :ohgosh: It was super short and a really easy read about the relationship/interactions between a handful of individuals on a military base in the south. McCullers was one of the masters of the southern gothic style so you can expect tragic shit to happen in her books. It's a shame she died at just 50

    Play It as It Lays was a bizarre book and as far as I can tell it was pretty influential back when it was published in 1970. It kind of read like a SoCal version of The Bell Jar, although it was not as well written as anything I've read by Sylvia Plath. Lots of symbolism but in some instances I just wasn't inclined to think too deeply about the possible meaning behind things...I dunno. It had incredibly short chapters so it was easy to breeze through but I'd imagine it would have resonated more with me if I were a woman and could put myself in the shoes of the main character. She deals with issues like menstruation, domestic violence, motherhood, etc. FWIW, in 1991 Didion wrote the first mainstream news article suggesting the Central Park Five had been wrongfully convicted. Might be a good gift for a woke woman in your life?
     
    #136 Cornelius Suttree, Mar 5, 2020
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2020
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  37. smeegsgreen

    smeegsgreen Big fan of Koalas
    Michigan State Spartans

    7) a river in darkness: one man’s escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa - 9.5/10
     
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  38. Kevintensity

    Kevintensity Poster/Posting Game Coordinator
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    1) The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow 8.5/10
    2) The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch 8/10
    3) The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski 8/10
    4) Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman 7/10
    5) The Hot Zone by Richard Preston 8.5/10
    6) Atomic Habits by James Clear 8/10
    7) The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup 7.5/10
    8) Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski 6/10

    Didn't really get into this one as much as I did in The Last Wish, though it ended on a better note. I'll start the Netflix show soon, and maybe get into the next book later sometime.
     
  39. billdozer

    billdozer Well-Known Member
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    Clemson TigersCarolina Panthers

    1. The Shadow of What Was Lost (Licanius #1) - James Islington (10/10) (reread)
    2. An Echo of Things to Come (Licanius #2) - James Islington (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Light of All That Falls (Licanius #3) - James Islington (10/10)
    4. Starsight (Skyward #2) - Brandon Sanderson (7.5/10)
    5. The Prestige - Christopher Priest (7.5/10)
    6. American Gods - Neil Gaiman (7.5/10)
    7. Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman (7.5/10)
    8. Good Omens - Neil Gaiman (8.5/10)
    9. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman (8.5/10)
     
  40. joey jo-jo jr shabadoo

    joey jo-jo jr shabadoo you know for me, the action is the juice

    1. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
    2. Red Cavalry by Isaac Babel
    3. Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight
    4. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
    5. The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
    6. I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
    7. The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis
    8. The Idiot by Elif Batuman
    9. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
    10. Normal People by Sally Rooney
     
  41. joey jo-jo jr shabadoo

    joey jo-jo jr shabadoo you know for me, the action is the juice

    1. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
    2. Red Cavalry by Isaac Babel
    3. Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight
    4. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
    5. The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
    6. I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
    7. The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis
    8. The Idiot by Elif Batuman
    9. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
    10. Normal People by Sally Rooney
    11. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
     
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  42. Cornelius Suttree

    Cornelius Suttree the smallest crumb can devour us
    Donor TMB OG
    Indiana HoosiersArizona DiamondbacksWyoming CowboysNorthern Arizona Lumberjacks

    1. No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    2. Child of God - Cormac McCarthy (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon (4.5/10)
    4. Fire Sermon - Wright Morris (9/10)
    5. The Field of Vision - Wright Morris (7/10)
    6. The Throwback Special - Chris Bachelder (5/10)*
    7. Slow Man - J.M. Coetzee (8.5/10)
    8. Ghosts - John Banville (6.5/10)
    9. Solo Faces - James Salter (10/10)
    10. The Year of Silence - Madison Smartt Bell (7/10)
    11. The Hunters - James Salter (9.5/10)
    12. Lunch at the Piccadilly - Clyde Edgerton (4/10)
    13. The Moviegoer - Walker Percy (10/10)
    14. The Floating Opera - John Barth (8.5/10)
    15. Reflections in a Golden Eye - Carson McCullers (8/10)
    16. Play It as It Lays - Joan Didion (6/10)
    17. The Color of Night - Madison Smartt Bell (6.5/10)
    18. Clock Without Hands - Carson McCullers (10/10)

    The Washington Post had this on The Color of Night:

    With “The Color of Night,” Madison Smartt Bell delivers a superheated noir potboiler of unrelenting savagery that assumes proportions that are either cosmic or comic, depending on your taste for such things. The novel may make you cheer or vomit, but I guarantee you won’t read anything else like it this year.

    Bell’s protagonist is a Nevada desert rat named Mae, a burnt-out survivor of the worst excesses of the ’60s whose horrific past finds a psychic mirror in the Sept. 11 attacks. When she spots a long-lost lover in the news footage of the fall of the Twin Towers, it triggers a macabre chain of events that drives her deeper into the psychosis that has lain dormant within her for decades. Jarred out of her numbness by the images of destruction back East and flushed from her isolated existence after a bout of vigilante violence, she sets off on a desperate journey towards a final, bloody reckoning.

    Carson McCullers :ohgosh: Published in 1961, Clock Without Hands is set in rural GA right before integration is to occur. It follows four characters: a corrupt racist judge, a dying racist pharmacist, a young aspiring pilot with an advanced sense of social justice and a young black orphan. Not as grotesque as her previous works but still absolutely excellent. Cormac McCarthy is and will always be my favorite author. But I'm not sure Dostoyevsky, DeLillo, Ford, Bellow, O'Connor, Salter, Stegner, etc have anything on McCullers for second place. She was so elite

    * indicates an adjusted book review score as the more I reflect on it the less likely I am to ever entertain the idea of reading it again

    FYI, 2019 National Book Critics Circle Awards were given out a couple days ago. Winners and finalists at the link below

    https://www.bookcritics.org/awards/
     
    #142 Cornelius Suttree, Mar 13, 2020
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2020
  43. Truman

    Truman Well-Known Member
    Donor
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    1. Black Ops (Expeditionary Force #4) by Craig Alanson (7/10)
    2. The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington, by Brad Meltzer (6/10)
    3. Blood of Elves (The Witcher #1) by Andrzej Sapkowski (8/10)
    4. Time of Contempt (The Witcher #2) by Andrzej Sapkowski (7/10)
    5. Family Secrets: The Case That Cripled the Chicago Mob, by Jeff Coen (8/10)
    6. Baptism by Fire (The Witcher #3) by Andrzej Sapkowsi (7/10)
    7. Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (7.5/10)
    8. Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi (6/10)
    9. Last of the Mohicans by James Fienmore Cooper (7/10)
    10. Into the Fire (Orphan X #5) by Gregg Horowitz (8.5/10)
    11. The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston (8.5/10)
    12. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (7/10)
    13. Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil War, by S.C Gwynne (8.5/10)
    14. The Power of the Dog (Power of the Dog #1) by Don Winslow (9/10)
    15. The Cartel (Power of the Dog #2) by Don Winslow (9/10)
    16. The Border (Power of the Dog #3) by Don Winslow (9/10)


    I loved this trilogy. I really didnt know much about it. Just knew it was about the mexican drug trade. I didnt know it was basically historical fiction, that seems pretty spot on to real events. Basically took real life things that happened, w fictional characters. It was amazing. Incredibly satisfying ending too.

    The first two were only to read list forever, and I noticed the 3rd book came out recently so I jumped in. Kicking myself to not reading them sooner, but also glad I got to read them in one chunk
     
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  44. billdozer

    billdozer Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Clemson TigersCarolina Panthers

    1. The Shadow of What Was Lost (Licanius #1) - James Islington (10/10) (reread)
    2. An Echo of Things to Come (Licanius #2) - James Islington (10/10) (reread)
    3. The Light of All That Falls (Licanius #3) - James Islington (10/10)
    4. Starsight (Skyward #2) - Brandon Sanderson (7.5/10)
    5. The Prestige - Christopher Priest (7.5/10)
    6. American Gods - Neil Gaiman (7.5/10)
    7. Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman (7.5/10)
    8. Good Omens - Neil Gaiman (8.5/10)
    9. Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman (8.5/10)
    10. Stardust - Neil Gaiman (8.5/10)
     
  45. Tangman

    Tangman Well-Known Member
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    * adds McCullers and Winslow to tbr *
     
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  46. joey jo-jo jr shabadoo

    joey jo-jo jr shabadoo you know for me, the action is the juice

    1. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
    2. Red Cavalry by Isaac Babel
    3. Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight
    4. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
    5. The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson
    6. I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid
    7. The End of Eddy by Édouard Louis
    8. The Idiot by Elif Batuman
    9. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
    10. Normal People by Sally Rooney
    11. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson
    12. Grimscribe by Thomas Ligotti
     
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  47. BP

    BP Bout to Regulate.
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    Jesus at what this guy went through. Also would recommend the audiobook, they have a type of Q&A/Podcast between chapters
     
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  48. Kevintensity

    Kevintensity Poster/Posting Game Coordinator
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    1) The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow 8.5/10
    2) The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch 8/10
    3) The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski 8/10
    4) Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman 7/10
    5) The Hot Zone by Richard Preston 8.5/10
    6) Atomic Habits by James Clear 8/10
    7) The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup 7.5/10
    8) Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski 6/10
    9) Belichick by Ian O'Connor 8/10
     
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  49. Tangman

    Tangman Well-Known Member
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    1) Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families (J. Anthony Lukas) - 9.5/10 -
    2) Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties (Tom O'Neill) - 6.5/10
    3) Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov) - 8.5/10
    4) The Hot Zone: The Terrifying True Story of the Origins of the Ebola Virus (Richard Preston) - 7.5/10
    - Shared more in the book club thread for this but man is Ebola nasty. I thought Preston went a bit overboard in spots but still pretty terrifying. An engaging read though. Might try to watch the show from NatGeo here soon (or the movie for that matter).
    5) One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America (Kevin M. Kruse) - 7/10 - I'm sure a lot of you know Kruse from Twitter. I thought this was a fun read that begins with examining how corporate America fought against the New Deal by enlisting religious leaders to frame government programs as against God and thus un-American via initiatives like Spiritual Mobilization. However, once we get to '60s, he kinda shifts away from talking about corporate influence to a more general look at issues where religion and politics intersect: Supreme Court cases on school prayer, Nixon's cynical use of religion, etc. Not sure that his subtitle and overriding theme really fit in with these sections. Either way, this book definitely gives you some ammo against anyone claiming that "America has always been a Christian nation". I plan to read his other 2 books in the near future.
    6) The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World (Niall Ferguson) - 6/10 - This is the sort of financial history that you'd expect from a fellow at the Hoover Institution. Certainly interesting in parts (especially when describing the genesis of the Italian bond market and the Dutch VOC) but very ideological in others [for example, when describing late 20th century Latin American monetary policy and the impending American recession (this book was written in 2008)]. Ferguson is a better writer than many in his field, I'll give him that.
    7) Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War (Joanne B. Freeman) - 8/10 - Again, I shared more in the book club on this one but a really interesting look at the antebellum Congress. Freeman was able to unearth a lot of conflict that was cleansed via official congressional record which provides an original (to me at least) view of these key years. I particularly enjoyed the sections on the effects of media change during this period and how that affected behavior. Going in, I wasn't aware of how much this was based on the life of diary of Benjamin French but it was nice to learn more about a somewhat obscure character. Recommended for sure.

    Up Next: 1)The Dog of the South 2) What It Takes: The Way to the White House 3) Miss Lonelyhearts 4) Learning from the Germans: Race and the Memory of Evil
     
    #149 Tangman, Mar 19, 2020
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2020
  50. BP

    BP Bout to Regulate.
    Donor
    Atlanta BravesGeorgia BulldogsAtlanta Falcons

    Titan: The life of J D Rockefeller Sr- Ron Chernow
    Conquistador- Buddy Levy
    Washington's Spies- Alexander Rose
    On the Road- Jack Kerouac
    Jungle of Stone-William Caelsen
    Granite Mountain-Brenden McDonough
    Cant Hurt Me- David Goggins
    Under the Banner of Heaven-Jon Krakauer

    Fucking Mormons man :facepalm:
     
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