What book did you just finish reading?

[West Coast Birder]

For the readers here, share what book you just finished reading and what you thought of it. Also, share what book you have started next., All genres welcome!

I read a lot of nature, science, and travel writing as well as the occasional fiction if it is good.

I just finished "The Serengeti Rules" by Sean B. Carroll, a biologist that has written several books for the amateur reader. This particular book is about the rules that govern how organisms are put together from fertilization to birth and beyond, and how some/many of these rules seem to have analogs on an ecological scale. Very interesting book from an authority on the subject and one who has a gift for making a complicated topic accessible to the lay person. Recommended.



Next book that I am currently reading:

"Rescuing the Planet: Protecting Half the Land to Heal the Earth" by Tony Hiss.

 

[joayne]

Interesting looking book

For me
The Overstory - Richard Powers

 

[West Coast Birder]

Interesting looking book

For me
The Overstory
Richard Powers

Joayne, your link doesn’t work but no worry… I looked it up. Sounds great - imma putting it on my reading list!

 

[The Demented Man]

Halfway through the DCI Jack Logan series by JD Kirk. All set (mostly) in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Some of which I'm familiar with albeit I'm an North East coaster.

 

[joayne]

Joayne, your link doesn’t work but no worry… I looked it up. Sounds great - imma putting it on my reading list!

Fixed.. Thanks, Sam

 

[West Coast Birder]

Fixed.. Thanks, Sam

It’s been a long time since I read fiction. Last fiction I remember reading was All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Brilliant book.

 

[TheAnalogGuy]

«The Waffen SS 1939-1945» by George H. Stein, State University of New York. Published 1966! History!
An interesting read about Hitler’s elite guard at war.

 

[MatthewK]

Just finished a re-read of The Hobbit, and subsequently just started the re-read of the Lord of the Rings; last read these books back in middle school in the 90's, and they've been some of my all-time favorite books since then. I wanted to revisit these through an adult lens to see if I vibe with them the same way that I did when I was a pubescent teen, or if it'll be a case of "never meet your heroes" and they end up not being as good as I once thought.

The Hobbit: a more light-hearted, "surfacey" read that doesn't get too much into the details, and the dialog is rather limited (not in a bad way, it just doesn't delve too deep into the lore). The story holds up, I enjoyed the read, but was chomping at the bit to get to LotR. I'd say that The Hobbit is a good-to-great book, but not one of my top books.

Fellowship of the Ring: this book has been one of my most cherished memories, it blew me away as a teen, and so far it's doing the same as an adult. It's on another level from The Hobbit in so many ways, it's such a rich, flavorful read in almost all aspects. The first half of the book, as the story is set and backstory/gaps from The Hobbit are filled in, the characters are introduced and the impending flight from the Shire is built up, is utterly unmatched, in my opinion, by very few books since. The urgency and drama, the encroaching sense of dread of being pursued by the Black Riders, and the sadness of the characters saying goodbye to their home... it's all just so immense, and I'm loving every second of it. Without a doubt, this book is easily standing the test of time, the writing is absolutely flawless, and I just can't recommend it enough.

(One other thing I'm contending with though: picturing the characters from the Peter Jackson movies when I read. I try to envision my own Frodo/Sam/Gandalf/etc, but keep seeing Elijah Wood and Co )

 

[West Coast Birder]

Yeah, LOTR is one of those book sets that you can keep coming back to and re-reading. They never get old or stale.

 

[TheAnalogGuy]

Well, I’m sort of stuck in WWII litterature. My father was a liason officer for the Norwegian Navy during the scrapping of the german battleship Tirpitz, and my maternal grandfather was sent to the capsized wreck to salvage german sailors trapped inside the hull. But alas, their tools were too small and weak so they had to give up. Horrible scenes were revealed years later when they cut their way into the hull! My father would not talk about it but I got some information from others that were there! But the WWII stories still live on today!

 

[West Coast Birder]

WellI’m sort of stuck in WWII litterature. My father was a liason officer for the Norwegian Navy during the scrapping of the german battleship Tirpitz, and my maternal grandfather was sent to the capsized wreck to salvage german sailors trapped inside the hull. But alas, their tools were too small and weak so they had to give up. Horrible scenes were revealed years later when they cut their way into the hull! My father would not talk about it but I got some information from others that were there! But the WWII stories still live on today!

You may like my earlier mention - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Great novel set in occupied WWII France. Won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

 

[Tom in Arizona]

A little unabashed self-promotion...

Henry Ossian Flipper: First Among Equals

 

[West Coast Birder]

A little unabashed self-promotion...

Henry Ossian Flipper: First Among Equals

Thanks for sharing, Tom! Wow, sounds very interesting and congratulations on writing the book!

 

[TheAnalogGuy]

You may like my earlier mention - All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Great novel set in occupied WWII France. Won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

Ordered now!

 

[Tom in Arizona]

Thanks for sharing, Tom! Wow, sounds very interesting and congratulations on writing the book!

Thanks Sam...
Tom

 

[ShutterbugsstationStan]

I am about half way through the new book by Max Lucado. It is titled What Happens Next. Very good read so far.