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Recommend me a book

HalIncandenza

HalIncandenza

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I read quite a bit, but am kind of at an impasse as to what I want to read next.

I prefer historical fiction or nonfiction. Something with a local (Winston-area) backdrop could be cool, but not if the book is schlock, save the location. I'm always up for a good baseball book.

Last 5 books read:
Tale of Two Cities
Moby Dick
Freakonomics
Are We Winning?
Medium Raw

HALP!
 
I dont read much fiction but loved The Master and Margarita. Not historical fiction per se but a commentary on stalins Russia.
 
Last edited:
HalIncandenza said:
I read quite a bit, but am kind of at an impasse as to what I want to read next.

I prefer historical fiction or nonfiction. Something with a local (Winston-area) backdrop could be cool, but not if the book is schlock, save the location. I'm always up for a good baseball book.

Last 5 books read:
Tale of Two Cities
Moby Dick
Freakonomics
Are We Winning?
Medium Raw

HALP!
Click to expand...

I have the perfect book for you (no joke), it's called "A Sense of The World: How A Blind Man Became History's Greatest Traveler" by Jason Roberts.

It's the story of how Lt. James Holman, a British naval officer in the 19 hundreds becomes blind in his early 20s and decides to explore the world.

This is one of my favorite books, I have read it a half dozen times.

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Going obvious here... Superfreakonomics.

Have you read predictably irrational, the upside of irrationality, how we decide? I'm currently reading everything is obvious and think it's pretty good.
 
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. True crime, set in the late 1800s during the World's Fair in Chicago. Very good.
 
HalIncandenza said:
I read quite a bit, but am kind of at an impasse as to what I want to read next.

I prefer historical fiction or nonfiction. Something with a local (Winston-area) backdrop could be cool, but not if the book is schlock, save the location. I'm always up for a good baseball book.

Last 5 books read:
Tale of Two Cities
Moby Dick
Freakonomics
Are We Winning?
Medium Raw

HALP!
Click to expand...


I would very highly recommend "The Gilded Leaf" by Patrick Reynolds, about the R.J. Reynolds family. It is a fascinating story, and I couldn't put the book down when I read it. If you haven't read it yet, you'll thank me for the rec.

And it you liked Freakonomics, I'd suggest either "Year of Living Biblically" or "The Know It All", both by A.J. Jacobs. Jacobs is the editor who single-handedly saved Esquire magazine from perpetual suckitude, and hes a very dry humorous writer.
 
"A Year of Living Biblically" is hilarious, I got it for Christmas last year.
 
I finished "the picture of Dorian Gray" last night.

Next up is moneyball.
 
Thanks for the recs so far. Will definitely be reading a couple of them.

RE: Freakonomics, I thought it sucked. Maybe that's too harsh, and maybe I'm affected by myself reading it years after it came out, but it all seemed pretty common sense(incentives drive actions? no wai!), except for a couple cool tidbits. The controversial abortion section was almost worthless to me because of the time between its publication and my time reading it, so I wonder if that was the majority of my problem with the book.

I still might give Superfreakonomics a try, but I'm not excited for it.
 
Though they are basically the same book, I enjoyed Superfreakonomics a lot more than the first one.

I would recommend reading "Manhunt" by James Swanson. Incredibly detailed account of John Wilkes Booth's flight after shooting Lincoln. Read it, and then go see Robert Redford's "Conspirator" about the trial of one the Lincoln...conspirators.
 
Last Call: the rise and fall of prohibition

Reading it now and really enjoying it. Particularly recommend it if you enjoy american history and/or appreciate booze.
 
I'll keep pimping Never Let Me Go and Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Both were excellent.
 
I enjoyed Outliers by Malcom Gladwell and it would fit with your constraints.
 
I hated Freaknomics as well, but did like Superfreakonomics. Also if you like Gladwell, my favorite of him is what the dog saw.
 
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