Finishing “Here Comes Trouble” Michael Moore’s bio. It’s brought laughter and tears, and very entertaining.
Not far enough into it to recommend or not but far enough to ask:
Has anyone read Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey?
Really, really unlike anything I’ve ever read … though I admit I don’t usually read fantasy.
We, The Drowned by Carsten Jensen. Far and away the best book I have read in a long time (and I read a lot). It’s hard to describe…historical/fictional narrative about the lives of people in a Danish fishing town/city over the course of decades. Which is waaaay better than that sounds…Would make an awesome movie
The Burning Soul by John Connolly, one of my favorite authors but admittedly the blend of thriller, internal dialogue, and the smallest hint of occult (ghosts are real) is not everyone’s cup of tea. But fabulous, can’t put it down, reading.
Just finished 11/22/63 by Stephen King and enjoyed it very much. It might look daunting at 800+ pages but it’s an easy read and a real pageturner.
Well, I haven’t technically finished it yet, but I am really enjoying Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser.
I just finished ‘Gone’ by Mo Hayder, a mystery/detective novel. I’m a sucker for a mystery/detective novel set in England. The writing was excellent and the characters were well developed. Had somewhat of a similar feel to an Elizabeth George mystery.
Am really enjoying War & Peace a second time, son gave me a different translation for Christmas and it’s really cool.
Not a book, but my kids gave us for Christmas, Cirque de Soleil Michael Jackson tickets, and it was an incredible show. They are traveling the country for the next year, and you may want to watch for them and get tickets. Not big Michael Jackson fans, either. It was even more of a sensory delight than the several previous shows I had seen.
I recently finished the latest Patricia Cornwall which was good, and now am reading a couple books by Surya Das, who writes about Buddhism. Easy to read.
I’m starting 11/22/66 next and am looking forward to reading it.
I just finished The Paris Wife by Paula McLain about Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemingway’s first wife. It was quite enjoyable and an interesting glimpse into Hemingway’s life before he was famous and their relationships with Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.
It’s a novel, but the historical events are true. The author researched historical documentation such as letters between Hadley and Hemingway and their biographies in order to write this book.
I loved The Paris Wife and am now on a Hemingway reading spree. Not sure what I think of his writing yet, though. It’s been a long time since I’ve read him!
Coincidentally, I recently read Stephen King’s memoir about writing, which I think is called “On Writing.” It was fabulous!! The first half is memoir relating to how he became a writer – he is funny and down-to-earth. His humor reminded me of one of my all time favorite books – “The Life and Times of the THunderbold Kid” by Bill Bryson.
The second half is about the writing craft. Still really entertaining, but perhaps more interesting to those with an interest in this subject.
So, then I started to go on a Stephen King reading spree, but didn’t get more than halfway through “Hearts in Atlantis,” because I had to put it down for “The Paris Wife,” for upcoming book group!
The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America by Timothy Egan (who also wrote The Worst Hard Time). What a fascinating read. It’s about the enormous 1910 wildfire in Idaho, Montana, and elsewhere in the US and Canada. But it’s also about the Progressive Era, the idea of conservation, the US Forest Service, and the ever-compelling TR. So many parallels between our time and that one. Highly recommended.
Fool’s Gold by G. Tett. It’s about the creation and implosion of the ABS and CDO markets. It is a great read for the finance person and the non-finance person. My book club asked me to select it as that was my business pre-kids. Very informative read. The author is an anthropologist by training and her perspective was instructive.
Just finished 11/22/63. What a great storyteller Stephen King is!
Then I got the latest Jack Reacher novel from the library. I’m happy. 
Just finished The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach..highly recommend it!!
Greenbutton, We the Drowned sounds fascinating. From your description, it reminds me a bit of The Living, by Annie Dillard, about the settling of the Pacific Northwest. I love everything by Annie Dillard, this included.
That’smyboy, I also really enjoyed The Art of Fielding. A rich but fast-moving read.
ignatius said (I don’t know how to quote here): Dreams of Joy picks up right where Shanghai Girls ends. If you liked Shanghai Girls, grab its sequel…
I finally had a chance to read it (Dreams of Joy). Liked it very much, and look forward to the next installment (you’ll note the ending was left wide open).
Now listening to the Jackie O. interviews. Brilliant stuff.
Just finished Just My Type: A Book About Fonts. I really enjoyed it.
The Fault in Our Stars by the awesome young adult novelist John Green.
“Fairytale Interrupted” by Rosemarie Teranzio. She was JFK Jr’s personal assistant for the last 5 years of his life, when he started and ran George magazine. It’s not a typical trashy celebrity “tell-all.” It’s as much about her personal and career journey as it is about what life was like for John.
Also really enjoyed 11/22/63, and I’m not typically a Stephen King fan. My S thought the ending was kind of lame, but I thought the story itself was really interesting.
** sorry, I don’t know how to do italics for titles!
“The Crimson Petal and the White” by Michel Faber.
Seconding the recommendation for The Fault in our Stars.