Hi all,
I have seen links for TV series recommendations but thought I would start a thread for book recommendations. Let's categorize with Non fiction/Fiction.
Non Fiction:
"Bad Blood" about the Theranos/Elizabeth Holmes debacle. A well researched and interesting read.
"American Overdose" about the opioid crisis and specifically Perdue Pharma's role as well as the FDA's role. Fascinating albeit disturbing read regarding the crisis and Big Pharma's role and the FDA's (seemingly corrupt) influence/inaction.
Fiction:
Just finished a well written/interesting book, "Saints for all Occasions". It is a family saga detailing the lives of two immigrant sisters from Ireland who arrive in America in the 1950s. Maybe because I am Irish in heritage (the youngest from a family of 9 children whose grandparents came from Ireland), this novel resonated with me.
Anyone else have books which they can recommend?
I just finished "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng. Fun novel, easy to read, in some cases predictable but nice twists as well Before that I finished the "classic" novel "The Boys from Brazil" by Ira Levin - I liked it.
Now I'm reading "Educated" and I love it already!
Most recent non-fiction I read was "Factfulness" - rather straightforward concepts but still valuable to see it all explained through the author's own experiences as a doctor in third world countries.
I have started reading again a bit more, since I received a new Kindle, and I am also on Goodreads, which makes it easier to get book recommendations.
I am determined to read "Star of the Sea" by Joseph O'Connor (Sinead's brother I believe) at some point. It's about a ship making a passage to America from Ireland in the mid 1800s, but there is a serial killer on board.
I started reading it in 2006, but I was very ill at the time and the drugs I was being treated with affected my cognitive function. This meant when reading I'd read a page then not remember what I'd read. so I'd have to go back to the start. It was exasperating and I'd eventually give up. It's on my bookshelf with the book mark in at the page where I gave up, round about chapter 3 I think. It got to the stage I just bought magazines because I could look at the pictures.
One factual book I found unreadable was the Steve Jobs bio. It was an absolute bore and I gave up in the middle, too much stuff about circuit boards and very, very dry
I really enjoyed that. Could have done with a bit more stuff about circuit boards though.
Which kind of leads to me to a point about this thread - book choices are personal and depend on personal likes, dislikes, age intellect, interests, and so on.
When I can get back to fiction, this is waiting for me:
For a non-fiction, I have thoroughly enjoyed Eco's "6 walks in the fictional woods" again and everything by K. P. Liessmann.
One thoroughly enjoyable non fiction book for me is "The Lighthouse Stevensons", about the family of Robert Louis Stevenson and how they were the pioneers of lighthouse design.
For a mix of non fiction and fiction, "Longitude" by Dava Sobel.
Good point but so are TV series and programs. And yet, I have obtained some really good recommendations from that thread on EF
Off the top of my head:
non-fiction
Empire of the Summer Moon -- historical novel about Comanche Indians; fascinating, different, lots to think about and learn; copious endnotes show the research behind the book
Guns Germs and Steel (Jared Diamond) -- how culture/trade/plants moved east/west more than north/south
Seeds of Change - how cotton, tea, and other plants transformed world culture and economies
fiction
Nocturnal Butterflies of the Russian Empire - I call this an impressionist book; you get a few dabs of info at one point, a little more info in a later chapter, a little more later.
The Whistling Season - a widower hires an unusual woman to be housekeeper to him and his 3 sons, early 1900s
Sweeping up Glass - middle-aged woman cares for grandson and her mother
The Cave (Jose Saramago) - potter needs to find a way to support himself
The Valley of Light - a tramp goes to small town, becomes immersed in their lives
Non-fiction: "
The Secret Barrister: Stories of the Law and How It's Broken "
Am reading this at the moment and finding it fascinating. A highly informative, often alarming and sometimes amusing account of the English/Welsh legal system. Written in a very articulate style, as one would expect from a barrister.