Everyday Systems

Did anybody read anything really interesting this summer? The most interesting book I found is one that I am currently reading: The Great Influenze: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History by John M. Barry. It's about the flu epidemic of 1918 which killed between 50 and 100 million people worldwide. Politics, WWI, epidemiology, genetics...it's all here!

Ooh, that sounds very interesting! I must put it on my list.

While I was driving to Vermont I had lots of time alone in the car (about 28 hours total there and back! whew! ), so I listened to David McCullough read his book "1776". -- It took up 10 CDs, and really helped with the solo driving!!

It was a fascinating book ... plus I passed through a couple of the places described, which was fun for a history buff!

I would recommend it quite heartily for anyone who likes vivid descriptions of everyday life at a unique time in American and British history, or for those interested in military history.

Hmm, best book I've read would have to be "National Electric Code 2005"



Well, ok, so I haven't read the whole thing cover to cover.. really just skimmed it and used it for reference... but if it helps me make the electrical projects I'm doing to code so they won't fail inspection and burn down my house, I figure it's a good read.

"The Lazlo Letters" by Don Novello...
If you want a hilarious read, find this somehow....
I got it when it was published originally in 1977....
It is still ridiculously hilarious...
Remember Don Novello from Saturday Night Live?
Father Guido Sarducci?.....

Well this is a collection of real correspondence between him, under the psudonym "Lazlo Toth,,,American..." and various heads of corporations, like Mc Donalds, and prominent politicians at the time, like Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...

I doubt it's still in print, but who knows... It's really funny!!!!

Another of my very favorite books is a story called "Mutant Message Down Under"... By Marlo Morgan..
It's fiction... About a womans quest towards self realization and wisdom as she learns it from an Aboriginal tribe while on walkabout...
It's really an enjoyable book, though some detractors smash it for being innacurate representation of the Aborigine's real state of living... But, you know, it's fiction, and let's face it, some people really take themselves so seriously, they lose the message because they are just finding fault and being negative... So, maybe I wouldn't recommend it as a historical text, but I loved it.. It was inspiring and uplifting...

A quick read for those of you who like Eastern Philosophy, is "Zen in the Art of Archery" by Eugen Herrigel...
This is a great one! Only about 100 pages or so...

Navin....
Your reading list seems "interesting"... Well you can't account for taste!
Hey, next I bet you'll be reading the local phone book!!!
You know, like in "The Jerk"?!!!
LOL....

Love,
Deb

I've been reading Serious Pig. It's a great book about American food. Much of the book is about food in Maine--which is where I grew up!

I found the first chapter a bit tough to get through, but I really enjoyed everything after that. Chowdah (chowder) is discussed at length! There's even mention of a little dumpy restaurant I used to wash dishes at during the summer while in college.

Justin

ClickBeetle, my husband read 1776 this summer and loved it! It sent him on a historical reading blitz, which included John Adams, George Washington, The Alamo, and, currently, The Pirates Laffite.

Also, we both read Zorro this summer, which was really good, and it was that book that was our introduction to the Laffite pirate brothers.

The time traveller's wife, by Audrey Niffenegger.

Excellent book. Totally internally consistent, as far as I and scores of my mates can work out.

It's ultimately a feel-good story, but with a twist.
C.

The Girl Who Played With Fire, by Larrson,
but it's a sequel so you need to read
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo FIRST.

It has really interesting characters and complicated plotlines. I guess they qualify as thrillers. The first one is about a search for the murderer of a girl who went missing many years ago, but then there's another plot involving a political scandal. It takes place in Denmark, and the author tragically died just before his books were published. There's one more in the series not yet published. Can't wait.

Also loved The Condition, by Haigh? a novel about a dysfunctional family. I like that it starts out in the 70s when the 3 children are young, and then flashes forward to the present time when the "children" are all adults in their 20s. Really gets into family dynamics and family secrets (both secrets from those outside the family and secrets from each other).

I just started the third book in the Troy trilogy by David Gemmell. Just recently finished the second one. His writing is incredible. He has a slew more books, but I've so far only read these two and one other trilogy by him. These take the broad storyline and major characters of these historo-mythic events and situations, and interject "bit" characters, like common soldiers, and follow their actions, weaving out a plot that makes it out to seem like they had profound effects on the way these stories turned out. I can't say enough about how good a writer he is.

I haven't read anything this summer that has totally blown me away, but I did enjoy "The Seance," which is the second novel by John Harwood. It's a faux Victorian novel with plenty of seances, spiritualism, dastardly deeds, mesmerism, and electrical experiments, and it's very well done and a lot of fun.

This summer I read The Friday Night Knitting Club, My Sister's Keeper, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The House on Mango Street, and I'm currently reading The Life and Times of L.Frank Baum. I think of these books, my favorite was The Wizard of Oz. It is completely different from the movie, the illustrations and story are both weird and interesting.

I'm really off on my reading this year as a whole, but just before vacation I stayed up late to read the novella, I am Legend by Richard Matheson. Then when I was on vacation, I found out the same author also wrote Somewhere in Time (which was filmed on Mackinac Island with Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour & has a lovely soundtrack). Since I was in a Mackinaw City bookstore, I was standing there chuckling at the coincidence.

During vacation I also read a Luanne Rice novel called Light of the Moon. Something about this book, the location, and the culture described really grabbed me much more than a normal beach read.

I'm thinking about buying the EL Doctorow new book for a Labor Day reading fiesta.

Colleen

I just finished "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell.

It is not a light read, but it was well worth reading. This one will stay with me a while, I think.

My Summer book reading that I really enjoyed was "Born Round, The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater" by Frank Bruni who use to be a restaurant critic of the New York Times.

This book is about Frank Bruni who was a major food addict. Here was this man who was mostly successful in practically all areas of his life except for dieting. This story is about his life and about his huge addiction to food and finally how he slimmed down and learn to control his eating.

I read this book in hopes of finding out why I like to overeat by looking at why other people overeat and how they overcome overeating.

This is a good read. I, however, am still trying to figure out myself.

Just bumping this up for 2010.

I'm going to cheat by putting in a book I read last summer, because nothing has grabbed me as much this year. The city and the city (or The city & ytic eht) by China Mieville. A really thought provoking, gripping satirical thriller.

Summer 2010 I read The Fountainhead, again. I also read Chirs Hodapp's: Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C.

Both excellent books.