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Summer's almost over and you still can't decide what you should be reading on the beach?

Don't worry. Let the 44th and 45th Presidents of the United States be your guides.
Barack Obama put out a short list of books he's been reading.
"This summer I've been absorbed by new novels, revisited an old classic, and reaffirmed my faith in our ability to move forward together when we seek the truth," Obama wrote in a Facebook post Sunday.
The books Obama recommended are:
-- "Educated" by Tara Westover, a memoir about a woman who leaves her survivalist Idaho roots behind;
-- "Warlight" by Michael Ondaatje, a post-World War II novel that Obama says is "a meditation on the lingering effects of war on family;"
-- "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones, about a newlywed black attorney wrongly convicted of rape;
-- "Factfulness" a tome by Swedish academic Hans Rosling on the "secret silent miracle of human progress," and;
-- "A House for Mr. Biswas," considered to be the first, great novel by the late V.S. Naipaul.
Obama also put out a reading list back in June, which included works such as "The New Geography of Jobs" and "Why Liberalism Failed."

Trump's list
President Trump said he doesn't have much time to read these days, but he's been making book recommendations on Twitter.
There's a common theme among the books that have Trump's approval. They either focus on the President in a positive light or have been authored by Trump supporters, friends or anchors on his favorite channel, Fox News.
The list of books Trump has recommended this year include:
-- "The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump," by Gregg Jarrett. Trump lauded this book as "hard work" from Jarrett, a Fox News legal analyst who Trump called "a brilliant guy."
-- "The Briefing: Politics, the Press and the President," by Sean Spicer. "A friend of mine and a man who has truly seen politics and life as few others ever will, Sean Spicer, has written a great new book," Trump wrote, adding that the account from his former White House press secretary is a "story told with both heart and knowledge."
-- "9 Rules of Engagement," by Harris Faulkner. Trump praised this memoir by Fox News anchor Faulkner as a "terrific new book."
-- "The Capitalist Comeback: The Trump Boom and the Left's Plot to Stop It," by Andy Puzder. Trump gave a nod to his former labor secretary nominee Puzder's new book, predicting that it will be a "big hit."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/20/politics/barack-obama-reading-list-trnd/index.html
 


The six original Dune books written by Frank Herbert. The Hyperion Cantos (Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, The Rise of Endymion) written by Dan Simmons. Also Carrion Comfort.....also written by Dan Simmons.
 

I'm just about to start one I have been waiting for, it was just released this week I think;

Author: Clay Travis (host of the podcast "Outkick The Coverage", a really good sports podcast)

Title: "Republicans Buy Sneakers Too: How The Left Is Ruining Sports With Politics"

>> Travis wants sports to remain the great equalizer and ultimate meritocracy—a passion that unites Americans of all races, genders, and creeds, providing an opportunity to find common ground and an escape from polarizing commentary. He takes readers through the recent politicization of sports, controversy by controversy and untalented-but-celebrated hero by hero, and skewers outlets like ESPN which spend more time mimicking MSNBC than covering sports.

Travis hopes that if we can stop sports from being just another political battlefield, and return it to our common ground, we can come together as a country again.<<
 

Travis wrote a pretty good book on the last year of the Fulmer Tennessee program. Although he got fired, Fulmer comes across as a pretty good guy.
 


stocker08 said:
The six original Dune books written by Frank Herbert. The Hyperion Cantos (Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, The Rise of Endymion) written by Dan Simmons. Also Carrion Comfort.....also written by Dan Simmons.
Click to expand...

If you like Simmons, have you read Ilium and Olympos? They're his best, I think. The only Simmons book I didn't like was Drood, his book about Dickens. One of the few books I've ever quit in the middle.

Outside of sci-fi. Don Winslow's The Border is due out in February. I'd recommend reading The Power of the Dog and The Cartel so you're ready. Then if you still have time read The Force, which is unrelated but also awesome. Winslow is great.
 

justthefacts said:
If you like Simmons, have you read Ilium and Olympos? They're his best, I think. The only Simmons book I didn't like was Drood, his book about Dickens. One of the few books I've ever quit in the middle.

Outside of sci-fi. Don Winslow's The Border is due out in February. I'd recommend reading The Power of the Dog and The Cartel so you're ready. Then if you still have time read The Force, which is unrelated but also awesome. Winslow is great.
Click to expand...
I have both Ilium and Olympos. Haven't read them yet, but they're in my queue. Hard to believe that they'll top Hyperion or Carrion Comfort.

And lol.....Drood is one of the books I'm currently reading. Anyone else read multiple books at a time?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

I have not read Carrion Comfort. I'll add that to the list.

I almost never read multiple books at a time. Occasionally if I want to read a business book, I'll do so at the same time I'm reading a novel.

Also, a shoutout to the Hennepin County Library system, which lets you check out ebooks. Very handy.

https://hclib.overdrive.com/
 

Unregistered User said:
Summer's almost over and you still can't decide what you should be reading on the beach?

Don't worry. Let the 44th and 45th Presidents of the United States be your guides.
Barack Obama put out a short list of books he's been reading.
"This summer I've been absorbed by new novels, revisited an old classic, and reaffirmed my faith in our ability to move forward together when we seek the truth," Obama wrote in a Facebook post Sunday.
The books Obama recommended are:
-- "Educated" by Tara Westover, a memoir about a woman who leaves her survivalist Idaho roots behind;
-- "Warlight" by Michael Ondaatje, a post-World War II novel that Obama says is "a meditation on the lingering effects of war on family;"
-- "An American Marriage" by Tayari Jones, about a newlywed black attorney wrongly convicted of rape;
-- "Factfulness" a tome by Swedish academic Hans Rosling on the "secret silent miracle of human progress," and;
-- "A House for Mr. Biswas," considered to be the first, great novel by the late V.S. Naipaul.
Obama also put out a reading list back in June, which included works such as "The New Geography of Jobs" and "Why Liberalism Failed."

Trump's list
President Trump said he doesn't have much time to read these days, but he's been making book recommendations on Twitter.
There's a common theme among the books that have Trump's approval. They either focus on the President in a positive light or have been authored by Trump supporters, friends or anchors on his favorite channel, Fox News.
The list of books Trump has recommended this year include:
-- "The Russia Hoax: The Illicit Scheme to Clear Hillary Clinton and Frame Donald Trump," by Gregg Jarrett. Trump lauded this book as "hard work" from Jarrett, a Fox News legal analyst who Trump called "a brilliant guy."
-- "The Briefing: Politics, the Press and the President," by Sean Spicer. "A friend of mine and a man who has truly seen politics and life as few others ever will, Sean Spicer, has written a great new book," Trump wrote, adding that the account from his former White House press secretary is a "story told with both heart and knowledge."
-- "9 Rules of Engagement," by Harris Faulkner. Trump praised this memoir by Fox News anchor Faulkner as a "terrific new book."
-- "The Capitalist Comeback: The Trump Boom and the Left's Plot to Stop It," by Andy Puzder. Trump gave a nod to his former labor secretary nominee Puzder's new book, predicting that it will be a "big hit."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/20/politics/barack-obama-reading-list-trnd/index.html
Click to expand...

I think Trump is a fargin idiot, but I have more respect for his list than I do Obama’s. (Though my guess is both lists are fake news).

Trump’s list reads like an expert trying to increase his expertise. Obama’s reads like a dilettante trying to sound impressive.
 



If there are any fantasy fans in here, I highly recommend:

Dragonlance Chronicles
Kingkiller Chronicles
Sword of Truth series
 

My son is reading Homeland for a book report, so I am re-reading the Legend of Drizzt! I loved the Dragonlance Chronicles. I am torn on the kingkiller Chrnoicles. Book 2 read like a 7th grader's dream life :).

My personal favorite is WoT.

However I also like
The First Law
Mistborn
The Night Angel Trilogy.
 

mplarson7 said:
If there are any fantasy fans in here, I highly recommend:

Dragonlance Chronicles
Kingkiller Chronicles
Sword of Truth series
Click to expand...

So how was the Star Trek convention this year?

And did you make it to Comic-Con? I've heard that's pretty neat
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
So how was the Star Trek convention this year?

And did you make it to Comic-Con? I've heard that's pretty neat
Click to expand...
I know your just being an asshole but I loved kingkiller. Some people read to escape

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 



bigtenchamps1899 said:
I think Trump is a fargin idiot, but I have more respect for his list than I do Obama’s. (Though my guess is both lists are fake news).

Trump’s list reads like an expert trying to increase his expertise. Obama’s reads like a dilettante trying to sound impressive.
Click to expand...

Hahaha! I love good satire.
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
So how was the Star Trek convention this year?

And did you make it to Comic-Con? I've heard that's pretty neat
Click to expand...

Only time I've seen statements like this were meant to be a passive-aggressive insult into my choice of reading material. I'll assume for your benefit that you aren't that idiotic.

That said, I've been to neither of those events, nor have I ever had an interest in going.
 

mplarson7 said:
Only time I've seen statements like this were meant to be a passive-aggressive insult into my choice of reading material. I'll assume for your benefit that you aren't that idiotic.

That said, I've been to neither of those events, nor have I ever had an interest in going.
Click to expand...

Honestly.....look what ogee wants to read next...."Republicans Buy Sneakers Too: How The Left Is Ruining Sports With Politics" (Post #4). ROLF!!!! And he's making jokes about what people choose to read??? :pig:

And.....I think that Comic-Con would probably be pretty fun.
 

Oh, for cryin’ out loud, it was a joke. And a damn fine one if I might say so myself. Do we really need to take ourselves that seriously? Lighten up, Francis
 

Ogee Oglethorpe said:
Oh, for cryin’ out loud, it was a joke. And a damn fine one if I might say so myself. Do we really need to take ourselves that seriously? Lighten up, Francis
Click to expand...

Wasn't that good, honestly. Way over-used material, gets pretty old after you hear it a dozen times.
 

Low hanging fruit. Not a good joke at all. Not even really a joke anymore.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

stocker08 said:
Honestly.....look what ogee wants to read next...."Republicans Buy Sneakers Too: How The Left Is Ruining Sports With Politics" (Post #4). ROLF!!!! And he's making jokes about what people choose to read??? :pig:
.
Click to expand...

Clay Travis Rocks! His podcast is awesome! He's actually an attorney who worked on the Obama campaign so he's far from a RW shill. The title of the book obviously is the famous quote from Michael Jordan when he was asked why he didn't often get into political discussions. Huh, smart guy that Jordan dude.
 

Plausible Deniability said:
Clay Travis Rocks! His podcast is awesome! He's actually an attorney who worked on the Obama campaign so he's far from a RW shill. The title of the book obviously is the famous quote from Michael Jordan when he was asked why he didn't often get into political discussions. Huh, smart guy that Jordan dude.
Click to expand...
Jordan thought the left was ruining sports with politics?

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 


Plausible Deniability said:
Clay Travis Rocks! His podcast is awesome! He's actually an attorney who worked on the Obama campaign so he's far from a RW shill. The title of the book obviously is the famous quote from Michael Jordan when he was asked why he didn't often get into political discussions. Huh, smart guy that Jordan dude.
Click to expand...

Umm, no he didn't. He voted for Obama twice, volunteered on Gore's presidential campaign, and hasn't been a practicing attorney since 2006. His schtick now is the contrarian/conservative sports guy whose strategy is to outshout and out-macho his adversaries. Just what we need.
 

The "Natchez Burning" trilogy by Greg Iles is excellent. Three lengthy historical fiction novels ("Natchez Burning," "The Bone Tree" and "Mississippi Blood") about racism in Mississippi during the civil rights era. The three books are a combined 2600-2700 pages and the author kept the plot and subplots fresh all the way through. The books can be read as stand alones.
 

Another series that's pretty good (albeit a lengthy read) is Otherland by Tad Williams. It's a sci-fi set in the near future, where the internet is now a virtual reality environment that you walk around in.
 

Clay Travis, Whose Book Didn't Sell: Nobody Likes Me Or My Book

coolhandgopher said:
That Clay Travis book is doing boffo business-stand up strategy, begging Trump to turn his attention your way to drive sales.

https://deadspin.com/clay-travis-whose-book-didnt-sell-nobody-likes-me-or-1829535016
Click to expand...

coolhandgopher said:
Umm, no he didn't. He voted for Obama twice, volunteered on Gore's presidential campaign, and hasn't been a practicing attorney since 2006. His schtick now is the contrarian/conservative sports guy whose strategy is to outshout and out-macho his adversaries. Just what we need.
Click to expand...

His book Republicans Buy Sneakers Too, a title that aged very poorly from when it was announced to when it was published, has also sold very poorly.

Travis’s book is currently ranked 351st in books on Amazon, up from 403 earlier this week. It did not make the New York Times bestseller list, so he claimed that the New York Times only promotes and features left-leaning books. Except, they don’t. The screengrab below was from Wednesday, but as of today, Fox News analyst Gregg Jarrett and former Utah Republican Rep. Jason Chaffetz both have books in the top 15...

Clay Travis’s entire persona requires a credulous audience to believe that he is considered dangerous by the “mainstream media”—that they don’t want the powers that be to broadcast what he says because he’ll disrupt worldviews and break down authority. In reality, no one likes him, no one wants his book, and no one watches his TV show. Good thing the New Yorker treated this huckster as a voice worth listening to.

https://deadspin.com/clay-travis-whose-book-didnt-sell-nobody-likes-me-or-1829535016
 

justthefacts said:
I have not read Carrion Comfort. I'll add that to the list.

I almost never read multiple books at a time. Occasionally if I want to read a business book, I'll do so at the same time I'm reading a novel.

Also, a shoutout to the Hennepin County Library system, which lets you check out ebooks. Very handy.

https://hclib.overdrive.com/
Click to expand...

Want to tell you thanks for turning me on to this. Sweet!!
 


I almost exclusively read sci-fi books. Just finished 'Cibola Burn', which is the fourth of nine (I am reading the series straight through) in 'The Expanse' series. There is another full novel worth of short stories/novellas that were written as side stories/companion pieces for the series....a few meant to be read prior to the first book and then several more for in-between certain books in the series. Love the idea. So far they've been very good....and I like that these exist to take a short detour from the main story every once in a while. Anyways....this is an excellent book series if you are a sci-fi fan.

An amazon series exists for the show as well. Believe they did six seasons. Never watched it as I always planned to read the books prior....but I will be looking forward to that when I am finished. But in no real hurry for that.....as I am really enjoying the books.
 

I have been on a big mystery kick.

I recently completed my collection of the Perry Mason novels by Erle Stanley Gardner. Gardner wrote 82 novels and 3 short stories/novellas featuring Mason. I now own all of them in paperback.
they are definitely written on a formula, but they're a fast, fun read.

I am currently reading a collection of mystery stories by an author named Jacques Futrelle. Futrelle was very popular in the early 1900's - and then he and his wife booked passage on a new ship - the Titanic. Futrelle got his wife on a lifeboat but he stayed behind and died. His most famous creation is a character named Professor Augustus Van Dusen - nicknamed "the Thinking Machine."

in each story, some strange or mysterious situation is set up and The Thinking Machine comes in and figures out the solution. the best-known Thinking Machine story is "The Problem of Cell 13." in the story, the Thinking Machine accepts a challenge that he can escape from a maximum-security prison in one week. I had to do some online digging to find reprinted editions of the old books.
 

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