Oh no, John, summer reading should ALWAYS be trashy bios by Kitty Kelly. My all time fave is Nancy Reagan's...SOooo tacky, Soooo uppity, Soooo insanity.
JakeWalker
· 1 year ago
Glad to see you could recycle this.
sec1350
· 1 year ago
Forgive the shameless self promotion but for a compelling portrayal of the struggle for human rights in US courts take a look at my new book, "Justice Across Borders" (2008 Cambridge University Press). It examines the heroic campaign by victims and activists from all over the world to hold torturers and murderers accountable in US federal courts. I also examine the Bush administration's attempts to block these cases. Check out the synopsis and reviews here: http://www.justiceacrossborders.com (or just look for it on Amazon).
chrisnyc
· 1 year ago
while interesting, Michael Pollan is a gasbag. It's very easy to talk about eating locally when you live in the American Fertile Crescent of California. Try eating locally in the Hudson Valley in winter. It's a great idea, but not that practical in most parts of the country. You're better off eating sustainably, eating local when you can, and eating things grown and processed organically.
HIreader
· 1 year ago
More in the shameless dept. I have a new book coming out, a prose poetic memoir of Alzheimers from a wonderful small press in San Diego:
'A Walk in the Woods' by Bill Bryson is the absolute best summer read. It's nonfiction, but it's narrative nonfiction. You could classify it as a travelogue, but it's not really a travelogue. Easily my favorite recent book (of all books, not just nonfiction).
If you're into historical nonfiction, 'Blood and Thunder' by Hampton Sides is also fantastic. A truly balanced look at Kit Carson, and all of the amazing events and people that intersected with his life.
I would also recommend Steven Johnson's 'Ghost Map'. It's about the guys who discovered bacteria while fighting against a brutal outbreak of cholera in London. It's narrative nonfiction, and it reads VERY quickly ... I think I read it in four nights.
In terms of fiction, I would toss out anything by Jane Austen. I recently read her novel 'Persuasion' for the first time. It differs so much from the rest of her novels, and is worth a read for any fictionophile.
DCinDC
· 1 year ago
When you really think about it, McCain has been to the doctor a lot. Would you employ a person for a job that must see a doctor so often? Really McCain seems quite sick and frail and needs medical exams to remain in preventive health. Not good!
gate82
· 1 year ago
Just finished ALl The Shah's Men by Stephen Kinzer. It recounts the '53 American led coup against the semocratically elected gov't of Iran. Since it seems as if this administration is hell-bent on going to war with Iran before their term is up--it's topical. You could evenmake the argument that the Coup in '53 was the foundation upon which many of our future ME problems were built.( Repressive disctatorship by the Shah, Islamic revolution and hostage crisis, Iran-Iraq War( arming Sadam),etc
Jimbo62
· 1 year ago
Obama's "Audacity of Hope".......read it, it will reinforce why he should be the next president. It's very well written and actually made me think that we might have a chance at getting out country back on track.
marathon
· 1 year ago
If you're looking for books to read to kids that adults will enjoy, let me suggest "Harris and Me", by Gary Paulsen, and "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck. "Harris and Me" is a book about a boy of about 11 who spends the summer with his 9 year old "cousin" because his parents are "puke drunks". "A Long Way from Chicago" is about a brother and sister from Chicago who have to go stay with their grandma for a week each summer during the 30s. I've read these stories to all three of my kids and they've all enjoyed them. And recently my wife gave "A Long Way from Chicago" to her dad. It's currently his favorite book. Warning: if you read the reader comments at Amazon, there will be spoilers!
Chris_Tucker
· 1 year ago
Brunelleschi's Dome, by Ross King. An absolutely engrossing book combining Florentine history, engineering, archetecture, and politics, and all centered around the construction of the Great Dome of the Cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore.
It's not a long book, but the story is almost as amazing, as the Dome itself and how it came to be built.
dindc
· 1 year ago
I'll second the recommendation for "Omnivore's Dilemma." GREAT book!!
All Comments
http://www.justiceacrossborders.com (or just look for it on Amazon).
I have a new book coming out, a prose poetic memoir of Alzheimers from a wonderful small press in San Diego:
http://spdbooks.org/Details.asp?BookID=97809351...
aloha, sms
If you're into historical nonfiction, 'Blood and Thunder' by Hampton Sides is also fantastic. A truly balanced look at Kit Carson, and all of the amazing events and people that intersected with his life.
I would also recommend Steven Johnson's 'Ghost Map'. It's about the guys who discovered bacteria while fighting against a brutal outbreak of cholera in London. It's narrative nonfiction, and it reads VERY quickly ... I think I read it in four nights.
In terms of fiction, I would toss out anything by Jane Austen. I recently read her novel 'Persuasion' for the first time. It differs so much from the rest of her novels, and is worth a read for any fictionophile.
It's not a long book, but the story is almost as amazing, as the Dome itself and how it came to be built.