I just finished Jim Malusa's Into Thick Air, his account of travelling to the low spots on six continents by bicycle. I love bicycle touring, and I am a sucker for travel writing, so this tweaks me on at least two levels. Mike and Shel, the two of you might enjoy it.
Guys, I am reading Stephen Coll's Ghost War, which is an account of the War in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion in the 1980s up to Sept. 11th. Coll is a great writer, and I am really enjoying reading it. It has the feel of a cloak-and-dagger mystery (much of the early part of the book outlines the CIA's involvment). I have to remind myself that it is journalistic history, not fiction. It's a good read, and I recommend it.
Finished The Forever War, by Dexter Filkins. Great book about Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Lots of small scenes depicting the author's experiences as an embedded reporter. Great book. Doesn't leave you optimistic about things.
Finished The Gift of Rain (can't remember author, sadly) over the weekend. Very enjoyable page-turner of a novel about WWII in Malaysia. The narrator is a young person who befriends a Japanese man who teaches him martial arts. Beautifully written and great for the cabin, I think...
Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed. This is a nonfiction book about the way monetary policies and the gold standard led to economic collapses in the 20th century. Makes you worried about economy now. But a really interesting book.
A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Interesting post-apocalypse society book sort of like 1984, but with a new focus. Could be a really good book club book--deals a bit with religion, feminism, environmentalism, and stuff.
Gentlemen, I got a bit bored and distracted with reading about technology and civic engagement, so I went to the library and grabbed some fun books.
I read three books in six days. Not all of them are great, but if you are interested in endurance and mid-life thinking and other philosophical quandries, then you might like these books:
At the top of my list is Bill McKibben's Long Disntance: A Year of Living Strenously. Obstensibly, it's about McKibben - who is one of this countries most-read environmental writers - deciding to spend a year living in his body rather than his head, and his physical activity of choice is xc skiing. However, over the course of the year, his father has a brain tumor and dies rather quickly. It's a good read, and he's a great writer. This one is at the top of my most recent list.
Next is Rob Mundle's Fatal Storm: The Inside Story of the Tragic (1998) Sydney-Hobart Race. Every Boxing Day, hundreds of yachts and racing boats leave Sydney, Australia, and travel across the Tasman Sea and the Bass Strait to Hobart, Tasmania. In 1998, 24 hours after the ships left Sydney, a cyclone struck with sustained winds above 80 knots and rogue waves as high as 90 feet. Six racers died, while over 55 people were plucked from the sea alive by the hundreds of people who made up the rescue crews. If you liked A Perfect Storm, you'll like this. It's second on my list, mainly because there were passages at the beginning that I simply skimmed to get to the race itself.
I just this morning finished Pete Vordenberg's Momentum: Chasing an Olympic Dream. V. was a very good xc skier in the 1990s for the USA. It's a jock's story that ends with platitudes about endurance and skking through the pain and some nirvana-like existential experience that occurs when everything goes right. Unless you like xc skiing - and I do love xc skiing - there's not much else to recommend this book. It's third on this current list, and I suspect it will both to fourth once I finish reading . . .
Gavin Mortinmer's The Great Swim - this is a narrative about four American women who swam the English Channel in 1926, the first women to achieve this masochistic goal. What I have read tells me that Mortimer has the writing chops to make this interesting.
I did get and read the new Barbara Kingsolver Book, The Lacuna, which was fabulous. Interesting historically (Mexico and US history in first half of 20th century) and also great story with great writing. Big recommendation.
Also read The Four Minute Mile, Roger Bannister's book. Kind of nice running inspiration book from a guy who clearly loved the sheer joy of running and was more into tapering than training.
I finished Leif Enger's first novel, Peace Like a River, and I loved it. When I get ahold of a good novel, I like to read it slowly and make it last. Enger's prose is lovely, almost old-fashioned, and the narrative moves pleasurably along, told by an asthmatic 11-year old boy (Reuben Land). The central action revolves around Reuben's brother Davy and the family's search for him. The primary theme is faith lived, doubted, and retold. It's great stuff.
Just finished Independent People by Halldor Laxness. Really liked it. Strong recommendation.
ReplyDeleteI just finished Jim Malusa's Into Thick Air, his account of travelling to the low spots on six continents by bicycle. I love bicycle touring, and I am a sucker for travel writing, so this tweaks me on at least two levels. Mike and Shel, the two of you might enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteSteve, thanks for the recommendation. I enjoyed Out Stealing Horses, so I think I'll give Independent People a try.
ReplyDeleteGuys, I am reading Stephen Coll's Ghost War, which is an account of the War in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion in the 1980s up to Sept. 11th. Coll is a great writer, and I am really enjoying reading it. It has the feel of a cloak-and-dagger mystery (much of the early part of the book outlines the CIA's involvment). I have to remind myself that it is journalistic history, not fiction. It's a good read, and I recommend it.
ReplyDeleteJust finished The Informant. Awesome nonfiction book about Archer Daniels Midland Antitrust investigation.
ReplyDeleteFinished The Forever War, by Dexter Filkins. Great book about Afghanistan and Iraq wars. Lots of small scenes depicting the author's experiences as an embedded reporter. Great book. Doesn't leave you optimistic about things.
ReplyDeleteFinished The Gift of Rain (can't remember author, sadly) over the weekend. Very enjoyable page-turner of a novel about WWII in Malaysia. The narrator is a young person who befriends a Japanese man who teaches him martial arts. Beautifully written and great for the cabin, I think...
ReplyDeleteSteve, you are a voracious reader!
ReplyDeleteRecent reads:
ReplyDeleteLords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed. This is a nonfiction book about the way monetary policies and the gold standard led to economic collapses in the 20th century. Makes you worried about economy now. But a really interesting book.
A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Interesting post-apocalypse society book sort of like 1984, but with a new focus. Could be a really good book club book--deals a bit with religion, feminism, environmentalism, and stuff.
Gentlemen, I got a bit bored and distracted with reading about technology and civic engagement, so I went to the library and grabbed some fun books.
ReplyDeleteI read three books in six days. Not all of them are great, but if you are interested in endurance and mid-life thinking and other philosophical quandries, then you might like these books:
At the top of my list is Bill McKibben's Long Disntance: A Year of Living Strenously. Obstensibly, it's about McKibben - who is one of this countries most-read environmental writers - deciding to spend a year living in his body rather than his head, and his physical activity of choice is xc skiing. However, over the course of the year, his father has a brain tumor and dies rather quickly. It's a good read, and he's a great writer. This one is at the top of my most recent list.
Next is Rob Mundle's Fatal Storm: The Inside Story of the Tragic (1998) Sydney-Hobart Race. Every Boxing Day, hundreds of yachts and racing boats leave Sydney, Australia, and travel across the Tasman Sea and the Bass Strait to Hobart, Tasmania. In 1998, 24 hours after the ships left Sydney, a cyclone struck with sustained winds above 80 knots and rogue waves as high as 90 feet. Six racers died, while over 55 people were plucked from the sea alive by the hundreds of people who made up the rescue crews. If you liked A Perfect Storm, you'll like this. It's second on my list, mainly because there were passages at the beginning that I simply skimmed to get to the race itself.
I just this morning finished Pete Vordenberg's Momentum: Chasing an Olympic Dream. V. was a very good xc skier in the 1990s for the USA. It's a jock's story that ends with platitudes about endurance and skking through the pain and some nirvana-like existential experience that occurs when everything goes right. Unless you like xc skiing - and I do love xc skiing - there's not much else to recommend this book. It's third on this current list, and I suspect it will both to fourth once I finish reading . . .
Gavin Mortinmer's The Great Swim - this is a narrative about four American women who swam the English Channel in 1926, the first women to achieve this masochistic goal. What I have read tells me that Mortimer has the writing chops to make this interesting.
Is anyone else reading anything interesting?
I did get and read the new Barbara Kingsolver Book, The Lacuna, which was fabulous. Interesting historically (Mexico and US history in first half of 20th century) and also great story with great writing. Big recommendation.
ReplyDeleteAlso read The Four Minute Mile, Roger Bannister's book. Kind of nice running inspiration book from a guy who clearly loved the sheer joy of running and was more into tapering than training.
I finished Leif Enger's first novel, Peace Like a River, and I loved it. When I get ahold of a good novel, I like to read it slowly and make it last. Enger's prose is lovely, almost old-fashioned, and the narrative moves pleasurably along, told by an asthmatic 11-year old boy (Reuben Land). The central action revolves around Reuben's brother Davy and the family's search for him. The primary theme is faith lived, doubted, and retold. It's great stuff.
ReplyDelete