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I've become an avid reader this past year and I've decided I need to read more books. I just finished reading this.  I may lean to the left but I really enjoyed the book. He was very down to earth and I went in with an open mind reading about his decisions. I'd like to meet the guy and have a good conversation with him if I had the chance. I'm working on the following: It's a satire piece on many aspects of humans. So far it's been humorous.  About to start work on reading this. It's his autobiography and I'm drawn to figure out what made him who he is. This should be a good read once I start it, too. I've read a few excerpts and it's very intriguing.
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I've been woefully lacking in reading the last several years, but I recently finished Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol". It was a fun book, but after "Angels & Demons" and then "The Da Vinci Code", the premise was a little played out. Still, worth reading.
I just bought a new one from Tom Clancy - my all-time favorite author - called "Locked On". It's the latest in the Jack Ryan series. My favorite book of his is "Red Storm Rising". It is a novel based upon WW III breaking out in Europe during the Cold War, and depicts what the European front would have been like and how quick and devastating had NATO and the Soviet Bloc ever came to blows. Being that I was like 13 years old and the Cold War was still VERY cold at the time, it was a rather chilling read.
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
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Quote:
I just bought a new one from Tom Clancy - my all-time favorite author - called "Locked On". It's the latest in the Jack Ryan series. My favorite book of his is "Red Storm Rising". It is a novel based upon WW III breaking out in Europe during the Cold War, and depicts what the European front would have been like and how quick and devastating had NATO and the Soviet Bloc ever came to blows. Being that I was like 13 years old and the Cold War was still VERY cold at the time, it was a rather chilling read.
I read all his books at about that same age and really like his work too. The one that was most eerie to me (can't remember the title offhand) is the one where some lunatic flies a plane into DC. That became really eerie after 9/11.
I didn't know he had a new one. I'll have to check it out.
I personally like Ken Follett. He started off writing WWII caper type books, then moved on to medieval epics like "Pillars of the Earth." Recently, he just started a trilogy that will detail the modern era, from WWI up to more recent times. "Fall of Giants" is about the times leading up to WWI. As historical fiction goes, I thought it was ok.
I've also been reading a bunch of books on the financial crisis and economics. It is interesting to read guys like Arthur Laffer and Joseph Stiglitz. Its also depressing to see how the real economic work has been distorted by politicians so badly.
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Just finally finished Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond. A great book about how and why the early human race was able to thrive and grow in different parts of the world because of certain geographic advantages. Currently reading Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality by Christopher Ryan, Ph.D. & Cacilda Jethá, M.D. So far it's a great read. I've read everything Bill Bryson has written. Love his style. He can make the driest subject light hearted and easy to read. My favorite book of his is A Short History of Nearly Everything. Amazing book about how we know what we know about the world around us.
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Purp, I just finished "Locked On." Great great book. I also recently finished Stephen King's "11/22/63." It's about a guy who goes back in time to stop the Kennedy assassination. Gripping. I'm about to read "Explosive 18", the new Janet Evanovich book. The Stephanie Plum series is very light and funny. Makes a nice change of pace from Clancy. Recently finished the new James Patterson Alex Cross book. It was pretty good, too. My book of the year, though, was Lee Child's "The Affair." It's part of his Jack Reacher series, and it was phenomenal. Coming up soon, though, I'm about to read "A World on Fire", an analysis of the British role in the Civil War. Totally nerdy, which is right up my alley. I also got some new Uncle John's Bathroom Readers, one on the military, one on Presidents. So I read those a few pages at a time.  Vince Flynn has a new book coming out soon in the Mitch Rapp series, which I really enjoy. I believe Ken Follett's next one in the series is coming out in 2012, so that'll be good. I get in these stints where I read a ridiculous amount. I'll go through 3 or 4 books in a week. I went through Clancy's "Locked On" in about 2 1/2 days.
I am unfamiliar with this feeling of optimism
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This one was good. Its about the French Revolution. Everybody gets their head chopped off. Sad ending, though.  Just kidding, although I do like collecting Classics Illustrated comics. More than anything else, they got me started as a reader when I was a kid. Right now, I'm planning to get the latest Michael Connelly - Hieronymous Bosch detective series. Great police procedurals; you should check them out if you like that sort of thing.
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Dave, I'm up to "Concrete Blonde" in the Bosch series. Probably will start it within a few days.
I am unfamiliar with this feeling of optimism
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The Concrete Blonde is an awesome book - I envy you having that in front of you. Connelly really brings Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch to life. I find myself thinking of him as a real person when reading a Connelly book.
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Quote:
Coming up soon, though, I'm about to read "A World on Fire", an analysis of the British role in the Civil War. Totally nerdy, which is right up my alley.
I read "nerdy" books too. I'm really not into fiction at all. Can't recall the last fiction I've read actually. The books I listed above are great reads. Totally nerdy but not 'text booky'. The Bill Bryson book I listed I read in about four days. Over 700 pages of fascinating reading. I couldn't put it down, but at times had to as its so packed with information that you have to take breaks to process it all. Yet it's written with such light hearted tone that it's compelling. Bryson is a modern great.
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Quote:
The Concrete Blonde is an awesome book - I envy you having that in front of you. Connelly really brings Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch to life. I find myself thinking of him as a real person when reading a Connelly book.
Hieronymous Bosch was a real person. A Dutch painter in the late 1400's. His most famous work... http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Garden_of_Earthly_Delights
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I also recently finished Stephen King's "11/22/63." It's about a guy who goes back in time to stop the Kennedy assassination. Gripping.
This one is on my Nook...when I finish my current book series, it's next!
#gmstrong #gmlapdance
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I read all his books at about that same age and really like his work too. The one that was most eerie to me (can't remember the title offhand) is the one where some lunatic flies a plane into DC. That became really eerie after 9/11.
That would be Executive Orders. An opus of a book to be sure. Red Storm Rising is one of my favorites. Read it twice.
Right now, coincidentally, I am reading Cardinal of the Kremlin. From there I am thinking of Vince Flynn's Transfer of Power. I have heard that Flynn pens great stories . . .
A friend of mine recommended Watership Down, which I have had in my possession all year and have yet to read.
I just finished The Spy Who Came In From The Cold by John le Carre`, I was going to read Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes (Vietnam war story based on actual events) but the size of it and he being a first time novelist left me wondering if it would be a good read--despite some glowing reviews on Amazon.
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The key with the Vince Flynn novels (the Mitch Rapp series) is that you have to read them from the beginning. Some series you can kind of pick up in the middle and figure things out, but the Mitch Rapp series is really better if you read from the beginning.
I think "Transfer of Power" (the first in the series) might be the best one, but they're all excellent.
I am unfamiliar with this feeling of optimism
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A few recent reads I really enjoyed.
The Big Short. (author of Moneyball dissects the financial crisis from the viewpoint of a few folks who saw it coming and made a lot of money when the poo hit the fan) Robopaclypse. (kind of like Terminator ... But the author is a professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon so the robots / machines are very well described and almost plausible.) On China. (by Henry Kissinger)
And since I'm a big fan of Abraham Lincoln ... I loved Team of Rivals. It's a multi biography about Lincoln and his cabinet.
Next up for me is Unbroken ... And I'm super pumped about it. By the author of Seabiscuit, it's a story about a downed airman in WWII who is adrift in the pacific. Adding further to the intrigue ... The author suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/captainphil/browns bills sig 5.jpg) When it gets cold and snows and the wind blows, you gotta be able to run the ball. - TR
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Books that I've listened to recently. I'm a notoriously slow reader.
From Ayn Rand:
Atlas Shrugged The Fountainhead Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal We the Living The Virtue of Selfishness
From Isaac Asimov:
Prelude to Foundation Forward the Foundation Foundation Foundation and Empire Second Foundation Foundation's Edge Foundation and Earth
From Adam Smith:
The Wealth of Nations
From Rob Chernow:
Washington, A Life
From Freidrich von Hayek:
The Road to Serfdom
From Mark Levin:
Men In Black Liberty and Tyranny
From Mark Steyn:
After America: Get Ready for Armageddon
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Quote:
From Ayn Rand:
Atlas Shrugged
My Mom's absolute favorite book, 2nd being The Fountainhead.
We all just watched the movie Atlas Shrugged together last week. A recommended watch.
" Who is John Galt?"
Last edited by GratefulDawg; 12/31/11 05:24 PM.
You know my love will Not Fade Away.........
#gmSTRONG
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J/C
I'm reading "The End of Growth" by Richard Heinberg. About how our economy is structured on infinite growth, and that resources are becoming either too scarce or prohibitively expensive to foster that growth. Also discusses debt limits (public, corporate, personal) and how we are nearing that point.
Interesting read, especially if you believe that Fossil Fuels are finite.
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Quote:
Quote:
From Ayn Rand:
Atlas Shrugged
My Mom's absolute favorite book, 2nd being The Fountainhead.
We all just watched the movie Atlas Shrugged together last week. A recommended watch.
" Who is John Galt?"
Your mother has good tastes in that book.
I wasn't all that enthralled with the first installment of the movie production. I thought that they left out a lot of important details and I while I understand the desire to introduce modern technology (computers, cell phones, etc.) into the movie, it distracts from the essence of the book. It feel of the movie wasn't right because of those distinctions.
I dragged my wife to the movie last year. I'll go just myself this year. She's never been exposed to the book and yet she felt that the plot was deficient. I've gone over the book 5 times and I was underwhelmed by the first part and thought it was poor.
I'm not John Galt. I'm closer to being Eddie Willers. I'll probably end up on an abandoned train in the Arizona desert, passing on a chance to hop onto a wagon train heading to nowhere in particular.
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I used to be a huge fan of Vince Flynn's books. Some sweet action in those.
I recently finished Pride and Prejudice and 1984 for school. I read American Psycho and Less Than Zero (might be my new favorite book) by Bret Easton Ellis at the same time.
Just finished War Room by Michal Holley, which is an awesome book following Bill Belichick, Thomas Dimitroff and Scott Pioli's drafting strategies. Read The Extra 2%: How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First by Jonah Keri about a month ago. Working on Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning In Baseball by Vince Gennaro and Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk now. Catch 22 is coming up.
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Starting the year off by rereading "The Old Man and the Boy" for the 500th time! If you're an outdoorsman and have never read it you better snap to it!
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Another "classic" to read is Catch 22. That is in my top 5 books of all time, as is Slaughterhouse 5.
I am unfamiliar with this feeling of optimism
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I swear Kurt Vonnegut had to be a Cleveland sports fan.
TV Announcer: Elway leads a comeback in Cleveland to go to the Superbowl!! Vonnegut: So it goes.
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I've read several books by James Patterson and Dean Koontz over the past several months
Right now I'm halfway through: Dean Koontz - Intensity
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Stewart O'Nan~Songs for the Missing--a missing persons novel set in Ashtabula! It sucks worse than a Steelers' TD though and it makes me realized highly pimped authors are sometimes overrated and got there only because of connections, not because of connections AND TALENT...
I'm ok with being connected with people and doing well if the TALENT is there...if not, whatever...
I had to finish it only b/c I hate not finishing any book and giving it a fair chance.
I did quit reading Jonathan Frantzen's Freedom--it stereotypes the white middle-class Liberal American household and the Conservative one as well. Not all Liberals drive Volvo 240Ds and wear Birkenstock and not all Conservatives have F-250s with flag stickers. Ugh.
Frantzen was only famous because of Oprah.
Go Browns!
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Right now, I'm reading this: Seriously! Just needed a little smut as a break from the usually murder and violence I usually read. I have an Iris Johanson, a James Patterson, a Lisa Jackson, a Lisa Scottoline and a Greg Iles ready for me to read. I just take a break from suspense/mystery when I start having gruesome nightmares (happens about once a year). And smut is such a pleasant break from blood and guts! LOL!
![[Linked Image from i75.photobucket.com]](http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i302/lrhinkle/d5eaf0b9-e429-4211-b53f-b843bfcf6aa9_zps2ac17420.jpg) #gmstrong
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With the new movie coming out I read my wifes copy of The Hunger Games.... it wasnt to bad.... but I dunno if I will read the second book..... per some suggestion I will be getting the Red Storm Rising on book on CD to listen to in the car on the way to and from work
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I finished a few months ago Terry Goodkind's "The Omen Machine". I am a huge fan of the Sword of Truth series which was a 11 book series that ended with Confessor but Terry continues the story of the main characters in that series with The Omen Machine which is suppose to be a new series/trilogy.
I have right now "The way of the shadows" by Brent Weeks and I have the .ebub version of Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin on my wifes Tablet that I read a few chapters here and there.
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I think that you'll like Red Storm Rising. Absolutely one of my favorite Clancy books. Based upon reading this, I just had a copy of Atlas Shrugged delivered yesterday... so that's on my To Do list now 
Browns is the Browns
... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.
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Quote:
With the new movie coming out I read my wifes copy of The Hunger Games.... it wasnt to bad.... but I dunno if I will read the second book..... per some suggestion I will be getting the Red Storm Rising on book on CD to listen to in the car on the way to and from work
If it is Clancy's Red Storm Rising, it is a great book. It is used as a text at the Naval War College!
Go Browns!
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I've been woefully lacking in reading the last several years, but I recently finished Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol". It was a fun book, but after "Angels & Demons" and then "The Da Vinci Code", the premise was a little played out. Still, worth reading.
I just bought a new one from Tom Clancy - my all-time favorite author - called "Locked On". It's the latest in the Jack Ryan series. My favorite book of his is "Red Storm Rising". It is a novel based upon WW III breaking out in Europe during the Cold War, and depicts what the European front would have been like and how quick and devastating had NATO and the Soviet Bloc ever came to blows. Being that I was like 13 years old and the Cold War was still VERY cold at the time, it was a rather chilling read.
I got into Clancy randomly and read Red October, then followed it up with RSR: Interesting facts: He co-wrote it with Larry Bond, who also wrote about a Korean War in the '80s--Red Phoenix.
It made accurate use of the Tomahawk missiles in conflict and also stated the importance of protecting shipping lanes with frigates (Perrys) and DDs (Spruances).
It highlighted the use of AEGIS on CGs like Tico, etc. and how they are used as "shields of the fleet" by defending CVBGs from "saturation attacks." (carrier battle groups).
It had NATO winning on sheer luck, although I thought Alekseyev and Sergetov were pretty good guys even though they were "the enemy."
It may be my favorite book of all time!
Go Browns!
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Finally read some Neil Gaiman. What was I waiting for??? I absolutely LOVED his 'Amercan Gods'. Sort of a fantasy adventure meets religeous/spiritual epic but set in modern America. And I recently found out it'll be adapted as an HBO series...
I also read The Hunger Games. The distopian future and action are good but the tweeny-hop romance quickly reminded me that it wasn't exactly aimed at adults... Don't plan on reading books 2 or 3.
Currently reading Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Very popular Sci Fi novel . . .
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I am trying to remember ......
Neil Gaiman wrote a comic book that was highly regarded. I just can't remember which one.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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I am trying to remember ......
Neil Gaiman wrote a comic book that was highly regarded. I just can't remember which one.
Sandman. It's supposed to be epic. It's all been collected into graphic novel sized books and I plan on getting them.
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A quick post to the thread-starter... then I'll go back to see what my fellow readin' Dawgs are into.
After a 30-year spell, I decided to revisit a majorly fun head trip:
"Cat's Cradle," by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
"too many notes, not enough music-"
#GMStong
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Quote:
A quick post to the thread-starter... then I'll go back to see what my fellow readin' Dawgs are into.
After a 30-year spell, I decided to revisit a majorly fun head trip:
"Cat's Cradle," by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Read that one my freshman year in college. Really enjoyed it. I might have to get that out of the boxes in the basement.
Might start running around saying "American! American!"
Last edited by brownsfansince79; 01/07/12 09:29 PM.
I am unfamiliar with this feeling of optimism
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I've been reading The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean . So far it's pretty good. Very technical, to a point where it is almost like reading a text book. It involves telling a lot of cool stories about the elements, and their roles in various events in history. I will probably read it again sometime when I'm done, just so I can fully comprehend what all was said.
oioioioi
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I'm reading the Paul Brown Story....It is autographed by Paul Brown and jack Clary..It's a hard copy...in mint condition...found it in a garage sale.....It's signed to Bob...not sure who Bob is...But Thanks for the 50 cent book Bob... 
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Next up for me is Unbroken ... And I'm super pumped about it. By the author of Seabiscuit, it's a story about a downed airman in WWII who is adrift in the pacific. Adding further to the intrigue ... The author suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome.
Best book I've ever read... I read it in 3 days (which is pretty quick for me) and plan to re-read it soon... just an amazing story that will really make you appreciate our vets...
<><
#gmstrong
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The Concrete Blonde is an awesome book - I envy you having that in front of you. Connelly really brings Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch to life. I find myself thinking of him as a real person when reading a Connelly book.
Finished the Concrete Blonde last night. Man, good stuff. Probably my favorite of the 3 Bosch novels I've read (reading them in order).
Also, last week, I finished "Zero Day" by David Baldacci. He has a couple different series (Camel Club and King/Maxwell) that I really like. Well, this one's a new character (maybe a new series). Man, it was fantastic. I recommend it highly.
Last edited by brownsfansince79; 01/18/12 09:53 AM.
I am unfamiliar with this feeling of optimism
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Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... The "What Are You Reading?" Thread
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