What books have you been reading lately?

Perhaps you've read In Search of Excellence: Lessons from Americas Best Run Companies, by Jr. Waterman & Thomas J Peters?

It was very enjoyable in it's day, probably not so much now as that was another era of business. Many things have been upended since.

Guess it is an offshoot of one I read @ 35 years ago "A passion for excellence" by Tom Peters.... I was a tile contractor back then and one of my customers was an executive for a large grocery store chain...really cool guy and he told me that it was mandatory reading for all management. I went out and bought it, read it and definitely learned from it. It provided me with a new way of looking / perspective of how companies ran and how they can fail without passion excitement being part of the culture... If you love what you do...you never have to go to work.
 
The son-in-law just dropped a book on me that I guess I will have to pencil out the time to read...since he felt compelled to hand it to me....The Alchemist...something to do with the wild ass crazy dreamer that I seem to be in his eyes
 
Awareness is a really good book, but De Mello's writing is rough.
Hadn't really thought about it but yeah he is definitely not a refined writer / author. It gets a little clumsy / hard to follow at times but the head scratching and retrospect he walks you through is enlightening and thought provoking.
 
Stephen Hunter is also another author whose books I have read in entirety.
For anyone unfamiliar, Stephen Hunter created the character, Bob Lee Swagger,
The movie, "Shooter" was based on Hunter's book "Point Of Impact", but once again, Hollywood producers destroyed the integrity of the movie within the first few minutes of the movie by deviating from the book as originally written.
Seen the movie? Read the book, and all of the other books written by Hunter.
Dan Brown is also among the authors I read. I have read all of the books he has written.
I have other authors who I have read extensively.
In the meantime, thanks for participating in this thread.
 
Stephen Hunter is also another author whose books I have read in entirety.
Although there are authors of whose stuff I've read a few of, the only author whose stuff I've read in its entirety is James Hadley Chase. I read loads of his books between the ages of 14 and 18 then thirty something years later, read them again plus loads that I'd not read at the time.
PC was not his forté ! He'd get chased out of town by just about every group today, even white men !!
But most of his books are so good and readable if trash is your vice, which it was obviously mine at one point.
but once again, Hollywood producers destroyed the integrity of the movie within the first few minutes of the movie by deviating from the book as originally written.
If I've read the book, I wont watch the film and if I've seen the film, I won't read the book. I remember watching "Jaws" a couple of times when I was 13 and I loved it {still do} then just before I turned 14, I read the book. What a crock ! Even though it came first. They couldn't have made "Jaws" based on the book if kids were going to be allowed to see it !
And Hadley Chase's "No orchids for Miss Blandish" is absolutely nothing like the film that was made from it, "The Grissom gang." I'd read the book a few times when I saw the film and I was enraged at how they butchered the story .:RTFM: The only good thing about that shocker of a movie was Kim Darby. Cecil B's "The Ten Commandments" was similar for someone well familiar with "Exodus."
Poetic licence be damned ! :D
On the other hand, I read "Star Wars" {and read the photonovel and the huge booky comic} long before I saw the film and I liked it. And when I got around to seeing the film I liked it too but I was pretty ill that night and I'd more or less forgotten about the book.
One other book that I did like and then saw the film later and thought was brilliant was "The Godfather." But having both a book and its film version in my brainspace is almost as rare as hen's teeth.
 
It's hard to believe that I started this thread nearly a year ago.
Since then, I have read one or two books weekly.
Stuart Woods books are good reads it you don't mind reading his ten cent novels of his characters Stone Barrington and Teddy Fay.
Stuart Woods does deserve credit for having written his best books earlier in his career.
Grass Roots
Capital Crimes
Chiefs
Under The Lake

As much as I do enjoy reading fiction, I prefer reading storylines that incorporate historical fact woven into a mystery.

Steve Berry and James Rollins are two authors whose books are replete with fact and fiction.

NPR recently interviewed the author of this book.
 
It's hard to believe that I started this thread nearly a year ago.
Since then, I have read one or two books weekly.
Stuart Woods books are good reads it you don't mind reading his ten cent novels of his characters Stone Barrington and Teddy Fay.
Stuart Woods does deserve credit for having written his best books earlier in his career.
Grass Roots
Capital Crimes
Chiefs
Under The Lake

As much as I do enjoy reading fiction, I prefer reading storylines that incorporate historical fact woven into a mystery.

Steve Berry and James Rollins are two authors whose books are replete with fact and fiction.

NPR recently interviewed the author of this book.
What are you reading that is purely fiction, historical, and non political?
 
You should know. You just quoted yourself. :unsure:
Indeed!
I should have asked three separate questions.
What books have you read that are pure fiction?
What books have you read that are historical?
What books have you read that are non political?

EZ Willis suggested that I should purchase this book.
I should order the book and have it delivered to
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C.
Attention: Joe Biden

Utilizing a thread concerning the reading of books, under normal circumstances, is not an appropriate thread for anyone to call into question the state of my mind, my intelligence, or question everyone else's intelligence.
Then again, it just might be another example of his genius "creative sarcasm".
 
Indeed!
I should have asked three separate questions.
What books have you read that are pure fiction?
What books have you read that are historical?
What books have you read that are non political?

EZ Willis suggested that I should purchase this book.
I should order the book and have it delivered to
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C.
Attention: Joe Biden

Utilizing a thread concerning the reading of books, under normal circumstances, is not an appropriate thread for anyone to call into question the state of my mind, my intelligence, or question everyone else's intelligence.
Then again, it just might be another example of his genius "creative sarcasm".
Fiction...............Is a story. It is a tale of somebodies imagination. Good or bad and the topic of the story will dictate whether it appeals to people to read or listen too. I think a good story needs to not let you know the ending and cleverly misleads you to where the ending or what the ending may be. Do you agree?

Historical books or documentaries...........Firstly I would ask why is this being done. Then I would wonder as to what info has been left out and what has been distorted to tell the story that the person wants to tell.

Political ...........Political stories are usually two things...........The writer/documentary maker wants to show a person or group in a good way or a bad way............for their own reasons.

So basically its all fiction. :-)

Non Political.......... Unsure what would that be except anything but Politics?
 
Fiction...............Is a story. It is a tale of somebodies imagination. Good or bad and the topic of the story will dictate whether it appeals to people to read or listen too. I think a good story needs to not let you know the ending and cleverly misleads you to where the ending or what the ending may be. Do you agree?

Historical books or documentaries...........Firstly I would ask why is this being done. Then I would wonder as to what info has been left out and what has been distorted to tell the story that the person wants to tell.

Political ...........Political stories are usually two things...........The writer/documentary maker wants to show a person or group in a good way or a bad way............for their own reasons.

So basically its all fiction. :-)

Non Political.......... Unsure what would that be except anything but Politics?
I agree that perhaps all books that have been written, fictional, historical, or otherwise are more than likely replete with a mix of truth, perceptions, and conjecture.
Non political books? By that, I meant all those self help books that people buy in attempts to deal with their inability to deal with real or imagined life situations.
Every book has a purpose.
 
'How not to waste your life on Forums' ........ by Orson.

This was a good read by a respected Author.

His other book.......... 'Why doesn't anybody like me' ........ wasn't too bad either.
 
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The Plantagenets - The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England - very good book.
The History of the Byzantine Empire: From Its Glory to Its Downfall - Never knew much about Eastern Europe, this will bring up to speed
Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization - Good read
The History of Medieval Europe - puts today in perspective. Europe was a shit show :)
A Short History of Germany - Really no different than the above, they are very intertwined
Josephus Flavius: Complete Works and Historical Background (Annotated and Illustrated) (Annotated Classics) - interesting read, but rather hard, it was translated from Latin to 16th century English and hasn't been updated. So it is not an easy read.
 
The Plantagenets - The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England - very good book.
The History of the Byzantine Empire: From Its Glory to Its Downfall - Never knew much about Eastern Europe, this will bring up to speed
Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization - Good read
The History of Medieval Europe - puts today in perspective. Europe was a shit show :)
A Short History of Germany - Really no different than the above, they are very intertwined
Josephus Flavius: Complete Works and Historical Background (Annotated and Illustrated) (Annotated Classics) - interesting read, but rather hard, it was translated from Latin to 16th century English and hasn't been updated. So it is not an easy read.
Only trouble is we did all that in our history lessons at school because I am English. So those books wouldn't be high on my radar even if I did read.

"Europe was a shit show" ................. :-) Nothings changed.
 
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Just finished The Rooster Bar by John Grisham while I was flying to and from Las Vegas. About 1/3 of the way through David Browne's Crosby Stills Nash and Young.
 
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