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Old 06-22-2009, 11:36 AM
'M'
 
Location: Glendale Country Club
1,954 posts, read 3,180,243 times
Reputation: 2813

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Quote:
Originally Posted by MsMcQ LV View Post
The only "recent" non-fiction books I have read are 'Dreams From My Father', 'The Audacity Of Hope' and 'Change We Can Believe In', all by Barack Obama. I had several reasons for wanting to read them, the first being to learn something about the man who had just been elected president. (Got the books right after the election) Secondly, I wanted the books so I could find the so-called 'quotes' that were floating around the internet and counter the misquoting with the facts.
Whether you voted for Obama or not, these books are a good read.
MsMcQ... Have been curious about the Obama books, just haven't gotten around to reading them. Books about Abraham Lincoln have picqued my curiosity. I always read reviews about any Lincoln book...seems they are very good reads. One book I have on my list is Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns. However, there are probably over a hundred (I'm guessing) books on Lincoln.

Does anyone have any Lincoln books you'd like to suggest for us 'thirsty' members?
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Old 06-23-2009, 05:22 AM
 
Location: Pennsylvania
5,725 posts, read 11,672,607 times
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Outliers, Blink or The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
A Whole New Mind by Dan Pink
The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
Five Minds for the Future by Howard Gardner
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Old 06-23-2009, 09:25 PM
 
3,555 posts, read 7,827,216 times
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"M" wrote;
Quote:
However, there are probably over a hundred (I'm guessing) books on Lincoln.
I don't remember where I read it (or possibly heard it) but the only person with more books written about them is this felllow Jesus!

I almost never read fiction any more. Some non fiction that I've enjoyed;

"The Limits of Power", Andrew Bacevich
"The Pentagon's New Map"
"Tear Down This Myth", about the cultish behavior of those who "think" they know the Reagan presidency.
"A Short History Of Nearly Everything", Bill Bryson, or anything else he's written
"The Great Derangement", Matt Tiabbi

golfgod
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Old 06-24-2009, 11:38 AM
 
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I have only read one of his books but I loved it.

Stephen Ambrose "Undaunted Courage" about Lewis and Clark
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Old 06-24-2009, 07:45 PM
 
3,555 posts, read 7,827,216 times
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Coffee for me reminded me of the late, great Steven Ambrose and "Undaunted Courage". In that vein "road" stories are always good. IMO some of the best are;

"Undaunted Courage"
"Blue Highways", William-Least Heat Moon
"Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn", Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain,
"The Hobbit",

Some others that I liked;

"Slaughterhouse 5",
"Catch-22", the movie was crap, everyone uses the phrase but few know what it means.
"Lincoln At Gettyburg", by Garry Wills. Like a lot of his writing it can be a bit of a slog, but it is a great read and exposes the great myths (the things that we all think we know) about the Gettysburg address.

Almost anything by Kevin Phillips.

golfgod
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Old 06-26-2009, 01:11 PM
 
Location: Colorado
1,904 posts, read 3,977,499 times
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I'm also a fan of Jack Kerouac. I don't know that he should be classified as non-fiction but most of his books reflect his life experiences in some way.
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Old 06-26-2009, 01:28 PM
 
Location: Indianapolis, IN
914 posts, read 4,435,406 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DFWgal View Post
Richard Preston's books. I've read "The hot zone" and "The cobra event".
Oh, I love his stuff! "The Cobra Event" is actually fiction, but still a great "what if" story!

I would recommend "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman", a collection of autobiographical stories about physicist Richard Feynman. Obviously is helps to have some interest in physics, but I think anyone who is interested in education and learning would really like this book, too!

Also, I recently read and enjoyed "The Wordy Shipmates" by Sarah Vowell. It is about the Puritans who settled the Boston area. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in American History.

Finally, "Notes From a Small Island" by Bill Bryson is really great! Bryson is a humor/travel writer of sorts. Most of his books are pretty good, but this one is my favorite! He wrote it after living in England for 20 years, right before he returned to the US for a bit. This book is kind of a tour of England: Bryson talks about what different places are like, what it was like for him when he first visited them when he arrived in Britain, he tells different stories from his time living there, etc. Really very funny!
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Old 06-26-2009, 02:57 PM
 
596 posts, read 887,414 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 'M' View Post
MsMcQ... Have been curious about the Obama books, just haven't gotten around to reading them. Books about Abraham Lincoln have picqued my curiosity. I always read reviews about any Lincoln book...seems they are very good reads. One book I have on my list is Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns. However, there are probably over a hundred (I'm guessing) books on Lincoln.

Does anyone have any Lincoln books you'd like to suggest for us 'thirsty' members?
Manhunt: The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer
- by James L. Swanson

This book is such a fast-paced, well-edited read, I will be surprised if it isn't made into a movie one day. Very good.
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Old 06-26-2009, 03:41 PM
 
16,579 posts, read 20,625,859 times
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I enjoyed Lincoln by David Herbert Donald. It was thoroughly researched and not too dry.

I also recommend

The LBJ trilogy by Robert Caro (and I think he's writing a 4th);
Vietnam: A History, by Stanley Karnow
Truman by David McCullough

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Fast Food Nation by... can't remember

I'm reading Depletion and Abundance by Sharon Astyk right now and it's interesting and thought-provoking.

Also second some of the other suggestions, such as South, Three Cups of Tea, and anything by Jon Krakauer.
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Old 06-28-2009, 03:17 AM
 
Location: Texas
44,256 posts, read 64,122,228 times
Reputation: 73915
Definitely Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Fascinating.
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