Thread: What are you reading?

Originally Posted by NightTrainLayne

Attachment 13314


BoomTown. Awesome book of Oklahoma City History. From before the landrun, through to the current city. It jumps back and forth between the history in chronological order with the 2012-13 OKC Thunder season (the infamous James Harden Trade season), and weaves a fun analogy between the sudden emergence of the City and the sudden appearance of the Thunder and their respective success.

OKC has such a rich, entertaining, and surprising History, and Sam Anderson does a great job of weaving it all together.

Just spent my weekend hiking in SE OK.

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

Just a glorious book - i have read it before, but listening to the audiobook now on my morning runs.

I started reading the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. no comment as of yet. not far enough along.

Originally Posted by Valar Morghulis

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

Just a glorious book - i have read it before, but listening to the audiobook now on my morning runs.

this sounds kinda intriguing. I think I have always had an uncertainty or chronic fear of something

Eisenhower: In War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith

I am halfway through Empire of the Summer Moon right now and I can honestly say it is one of the most fascinating books on history I've read in some time.

Essentially it is the story of the waning days of the wild west and what if finally took to drive out the last of the Comanche tribes and expand American settlements to the west. The focal point of the story is Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche Warchief, who was was literally a bridge between old and new worlds as the son of a Comanche man and a woman named Cynthia Ann Parker. Cynthia was actually abducted from her home at the age of 9 after most of her settlement was killed by the Comanches who were so powerful that they kept Americans, Mexicans, and the Spanish at bay for hundreds of years.

This is a hard read in that you get glimpses into historical accounts of the savagery at the time from the people who lived it via journals and other writings. These include things like mutilations and infanticide, often with all the gruesome details included. So don't expect to pick this up for light reading before bed. I have had to re-read several passages because they are so engaging and disturbing. It is hard to imagine that in the lifetimes of people we may have known (such as great-grandparents) that the world was still very much open and untamed as little as just over a century ago. This book was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and one of the easiest recommendations I can make for fans of history, or people playing Red Dead Redemption 2 and wondering about that era which admittedly made me look into books like this last week.

Originally Posted by MasterShake

I am halfway through Empire of the Summer Moon right now and I can honestly say it is one of the most fascinating books on history I've read in some time.

Essentially it is the story of the waning days of the wild west and what if finally took to drive out the last of the Comanche tribes and expand American settlements to the west. The focal point of the story is Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche Warchief, who was was literally a bridge between old and new worlds as the son of a Comanche man and a woman named Cynthia Ann Parker. Cynthia was actually abducted from her home at the age of 9 after most of her settlement was killed by the Comanches who were so powerful that they kept Americans, Mexicans, and the Spanish at bay for hundreds of years.

This is a hard read in that you get glimpses into historical accounts of the savagery at the time from the people who lived it via journals and other writings. These include things like mutilations and infanticide, often with all the gruesome details included. So don't expect to pick this up for light reading before bed. I have had to re-read several passages because they are so engaging and disturbing. It is hard to imagine that in the lifetimes of people we may have known (such as great-grandparents) that the world was still very much open and untamed as little as just over a century ago. This book was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and one of the easiest recommendations I can make for fans of history, or people playing Red Dead Redemption 2 and wondering about that era which admittedly made me look into books like this last week.

Quanah Parker is an interesting "hero" (for many). Living most of my life in his neck of the woods, I have always been interested in his life. I'm always surprised that he is not more widely known. Everyone has at least heard of Geronimo or Crazy Horse. Not so much Chief Quanah Parker.

I might have to pick this up.

Originally Posted by Dapper Dan

Eisenhower: In War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith

This is one of my all-time favorites.

Originally Posted by MasterShake

I am halfway through Empire of the Summer Moon right now and I can honestly say it is one of the most fascinating books on history I've read in some time.

Essentially it is the story of the waning days of the wild west and what if finally took to drive out the last of the Comanche tribes and expand American settlements to the west. The focal point of the story is Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche Warchief, who was was literally a bridge between old and new worlds as the son of a Comanche man and a woman named Cynthia Ann Parker. Cynthia was actually abducted from her home at the age of 9 after most of her settlement was killed by the Comanches who were so powerful that they kept Americans, Mexicans, and the Spanish at bay for hundreds of years.

This is a hard read in that you get glimpses into historical accounts of the savagery at the time from the people who lived it via journals and other writings. These include things like mutilations and infanticide, often with all the gruesome details included. So don't expect to pick this up for light reading before bed. I have had to re-read several passages because they are so engaging and disturbing. It is hard to imagine that in the lifetimes of people we may have known (such as great-grandparents) that the world was still very much open and untamed as little as just over a century ago. This book was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and one of the easiest recommendations I can make for fans of history, or people playing Red Dead Redemption 2 and wondering about that era which admittedly made me look into books like this last week.

I own this book and have read bits and pieces, but I haven't been able to read it all the way through yet. Now i'm gonna have to find the time!

Originally Posted by aberdien

This is one of my all-time favorites.

It was hard to find a good Ike biography. This one looks to be the best. I’m enjoying it so far. He had always seemed like a great American.

Re-reading The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. I recommended it to chazoe a while back, we made a deal--he reads Dog Stars I read the Ty Cobb bio--never heard his thoughts. Re-reading it, I'm convinced it was a reasonable recommendation for that crusty dude. It's a McCarthy/Hemingway type book.

Absolutely riveting....

Priorities require that I read the Beastie Boys book before I read the Quanah Parker book.



Preordered it but have only just found the time to read it, so I'm only on page 50 but it's excellent so far. Ad Rock and Mike D both acknowledge that MCA was the brains so the book won't be as good without his perspective. But it's got a lot of good, interesting stuff in it. Exploring NYC life in the 80s, being teenagers, the punk scene, etc. Their voices come through really well which is awesome. Can't wait to get into the actual band stuff.

Also, it's a hefty price but worth the physical copy. Very well made, tons of pictures throughout. Impressive. Fans of Beastie Boys will enjoy, but fans of music in general should also get a good kick out of it.

I'm just still over here reading Wheel of Time....

Good lord what a long series it is. I forgot how long it was (especially since it drags like molasses in the middle)

Originally Posted by Freyaka

I'm just still over here reading Wheel of Time....

Good lord what a long series it is. I forgot how long it was (especially since it drags like molasses in the middle)

Yeah it goes on for a Wheely Long Time.

Gotta check out that Beastie Boys book. Last good autobiography I read was Bruce Springsteen's. That man is a poet, probably the easiest book to read and the hardest to put down I've ever read in that genre.