Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton. I read this one before but one of the other guys was reading it so I decided to read it again. The movie “The Thirteenth Warrior” with Antonio Banderes is based on this book.
Congo, by Michael Crichton. I believe this was one of his first books written in the late 70’s or early 80’s before computers were really mainstream. It was cutting edge when he wrote it. This book was also made into a really bad movie, that I haven’t seen, by the same name.
Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne. This book is about the rise and fall of the Comanche and the story of Quanah Parker who was a young girl that was kidnapped by the Comanche and ended up the wife of one of their great chiefs. She was eventually recaptured and brought back to “civilization”, which she hated. Very Dances with Wolves. The writing gets a little long a repetitive in some parts.
Hell in a Very Small Place – The Siege of Dien Bien Phu, written by Bernard B Fall. This book was written in the early 60’s, just after the French lost Indochina and before the complete US involvement in Viet Nam. Very thorough and very long in some parts. It’s interesting to see what part the politics of the time played in the fate of the 10,000 dead during this month long siege. I can’t help but ask myself if their sacrifice was worth it.
Corsair, by Clive Cussler. An OK international intrigue kind of book. A little far-fetched and the heros’ daring-do and their equipment is a little over the top – one of the guys has a prosthetic foot that’s like a swiss army knife of military weaponry. He always has the right tool for the situation. This author wrote the book that’s the inspiration for the movie “Sahara”, which I really liked.
The Social Animal, by David Brooks. Very interesting book that basically describes how our conscious mind is only the surface of who we are and that our subconscious mind is much more important. He describes his hypothesis by telling the story of two people – describing their parents, their birth and childhood, etc. all the way until their death. A small excerpt:
…when you praise a student for working hard, it reinforces his identity as an industrious soul. A student in this frame of mind is willing to take on challenging tasks, and to view mistakes as part of the working process. When you praise a student for being smart, on the other hand, it conveys the impression that achievement is an inborn trait. Students in that frame of mind want to continue to appear smart. They’re less likely to try challenging things because they don’t want to make mistakes and appear stupid.
I haven’t read many of this type of book and I thought it was very interesting.
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand. This is the amazing true story of Olympic runner Louie Zamperini. He set a high school track record in California in 1934 by running the mile in 4 minutes and 21 seconds. He couldn’t make the 1936 Olympic team in the mile but made it in the 5000 meter distance after only competing in four 5000 meter races. He nearly won the Olympic qualifier final (the race was so close they initially announced that he had won). Anyway, everyone thought he would break the 4 minute mile barrier, but World War II intervened and he became a navigator in the Pacific. His plane goes down and he ends up in a Japanese POW camp… Very good book with a very uplifting ending.
Currently reading The Psychopath Test, by Jon Ronson. So far it’s pretty weird and disjointed. I’m hoping that everything comes together at the end. I found this one on a list of a couple thousand books that someone gave me for the Kindle. The author also wrote The Men Who Stare at Goats which is the basis for the movie by the same name. A good quote from this book: “…I thought about my own overanxious brain, my own sort of madness. Was it a more powerful engine in my life than my rationality?”
I’ve also read parts of Eric Clapton (biography) which started out too slow and Ratification, the People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788, by Pauline Maier. Very good history, but exceptionally dry. You just kind of assume the Constitution came into being like you learn in the fourth grade, when actually it was a very divisive document that nearly didn’t make it.
If anyone has read any good books lately, let me know - I've got time.
Jealous. I want to time to read these books- I think I will read The Social Animal- It sounds like something I will enjoy. Have you started writing your book yet?
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