Book recommendations, please

[abcinyvr]

An Artist Of The Floating World - Kazuo Ishiguro
The Interpreter Of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri

The Professor And The Madman - Simon Winchester

I looked up the books on your list and these three will be going on my list of books to read (along with Skinny Dip). The Professor And The Madman was recommeded to me two years ago and I'm still planning on getting to it. Simon Winchester has three books I want to read. Have you heard anything about 'The Map That Changed The World'? (I think that is it's title)
I've only read 'The Remains of the Day' by Kazuo Ishiguro. Loved it. (Seeing as this is technically a Movie site I was thinking we should have a thread about recommended books that were made into movies, like 'The Remains...' or books that should be)

[flipp525]

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb has always been an old favorite. Does anyone think this might be made into a film one day?

Oh, and if you enjoyed Atonement, I would check out Enduring Love, also by Ian McEwan. It has an unforgettable opening.

Stiff by Mary Roach is great fun. It's the book that figured so prominently into the unravelling of Lisa's death on Six Feet Under. Very informative non-fiction book on the many facets of the human cadaver.

Oh, I'm halfway through SKinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen. It's pretty entertaining.

[abcinyvr]

There are several books on the Battle of Jutland that I've thought about. 'Castles of Steel' is one of them, and it is the longest - so I've been a little hesitant. It certainly sounds great. I will just have to dive in.

The closest thing I've read in relation to Imperialism and Africa was 'Barrow's Boys', by Fergus Fleming. It is about John Barrow, Secretary of the British Admiralty through the first half of the 1800's. He was resposible for most of the British expeditions to the North and South Polar regions as well as into Africa. It is one of the best books I've read since I've lost myself to non-fiction. It is just one explorer after another and each section is fascinating and almost unbelievable. For anyone interested in getting started on reading about exploration this is a perfect introduction. I would also recommend starting with 'Nathaniels Nutmeg', by Giles Milton which is a history of the spice trade. Brutal and also unbelievable.

[Penelope]

Next I will return to WW1 and I want to read a book on the Battle Of Jutland. So Penelope should I read 'Castles of Steel'?

Robert K. Massie's "Dreadnaught: Britain, Germany and the Coming of the Great War" (originally published in 1991) examines the naval arms race between Britain and Germany from approximately the mid-1880s to August 1914; "Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany and the Winning of the Great War at Sea" (published in 2003) follows through from August 1914 to the end of the war, and after. As you can see, it's basically a two-volume set, so you may want to read them one after the other. "Castles of Steel," naturally, contains much coverage of the Battle of Jutland (it takes up 5 chapters), but also includes EVERYTHING else that occurred in the naval war between the two powers. I don't know if that's more than what you want, but I highly recommend them.

By the way, I just finished reading Thomas Pakenham's "The Scramble for Africa: White Man's Conquest of the Dark Continent from 1876 to 1912" (published in 1990)--have you read it? If you're interested in imperialism and its impact on both Africa and European politics, it's a must read.

[abcinyvr]

I have a friend who has a copy of 'Paris, 1919' and I am planning on moving on to that once I finish reading my way through The Great War. Rather than picking one book which covers the whole war I decided to read separate ones on the individual battles. I have been very happy with the ones I have chosen:
When Your Number's Up - Desmond Morton
- an overview of soldier-life in the Great War

A Storm In Flanders - Winston Groom
- a history of the battles of 'Ypres' from 1914 to 1918 (I'm intending to read a separate book on Passchendaele, 'In Flanders Fields: Passchendaele 1917', by Leon Wolff)

The First Day On The Somme - Martin Middlebrook
- as it says it is only the very beginning of the terrible battle

Gallipoli - Alan Moorhead (not to be confused with 'Gallipoli' by Jack Bennett, which was made into the 1981 Australian film - and which I read 20 years ago)
- the full story of the British/Australian battles with the Turks

The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916 - Alistair Horne
- the brutal French battle at Verdun

Which took me up to 1916 or so. And I was so overwhelmed by the tragedy and misery that I had to take a break. I am now reading a novel called 'Peace Like A River', by Leif Enger. It was recommended by a friend whose judgement I trust. It takes place in 1962 and is the story of a family in crisis. There are no photos of dead soldiers in it, nor any maps and I am a little confused. I am finding it to be like Dorothy Allison, or perhaps like 'Heart Is A Lonely Hunter'. The narrator is a boy but I keep reading it to be a girl - so that may be why I am thinking Allison or McCullers.
Next I will return to WW1 and I want to read a book on the Battle Of Jutland. So Penelope should I read 'Castles of Steel'?

[Penelope]

My non-fiction tastes have tended toward Polar Exploration (any ill-fated journey will do) and recently to World War One.

I second Okri's recommendation of "Paris 1919" and also highly recommend: John Ellis' "Eye Deep in Hell: Trench Warfare in World War I"; Alistair Horne's "The Price of Glory: Verdun 1916" and Ian Ousby's "The Road to Verdun"; "France and the Great War, 1914-1918" by L.V. Smith, Stéphane Audoin-Rouzeau and Annette Becker; Robert K. Massie's "Dreadnaught" and "Castles of Steel," both about the Naval war; Byron Farwell's "The Great War in Africa"; David Fromkin's "A Peace to End All Peace"; and Paul Fussell's "The Great War and Modern Memory." There's also a new book out that I'm very keen to read, David Stevenson's "Cataclysm: The First World War as Political Tragedy."

[Okri]

abc, have you read "Paris, 1919" by Margaret MacMillan? It's fascinating stuff.

[MCAR]

some of my recent (recently read, that is) favorites (all fiction except the last four):

A Place Where The Sea Remembers - Sandra Benitez
An Artist Of The Floating World - Kazuo Ishiguro
The Interpreter Of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri
Was - Geoff Ryman
A Blessing On The Moon - Joseph Skibell
Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin
The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down - Anne Fadiman
The Professor And The Madman - Simon Winchester
Six Days Of War - Michael Oren
Dining Out - Karen Page & Andrew Dornenberg

[abcinyvr]

I ditto what abc said (except I do read more fiction than nonfiction, though if nonfiction included autobiographies, than I'd be stuck).

I admit that I lump other genres into non-fiction, so I should clarify the term and include travel writing (Bill Bryson, Paul Theroux) and biography/autobiography (i.e. A Genius In The Family - Hilary DuPres/Piers Dupres, Klee Wyck - Emily Carr). My non-fiction tastes have tended toward Polar Exploration (any ill-fated journey will do) and recently to World War One.

[Okri]

I ditto what abc said (except I do read more fiction than nonfiction, though if nonfiction included autobiographies, than I'd be stuck).

[abcinyvr]

The Devil In The White City?
Absolutely! I Agree. One of the best books I read in 2003. I tend to read only non-fiction these past few years and this is a good example of why. There are so many others that I could list along with this one.
Also check out an earlier book of his called, Isaac's Storm. It is about the September 8, 1900 hurricane that hit and destroyed much of Galveston. It is equal to The Devil In The White City.

[OscarGuy]

I'm not done yet, FilmFan...so, I'll have to get back to you when I'm done. So far, I find every bit of the Witch's character development flawless and believable. I've just gotten to the part where the house falls on Nessarose and she prepares to leave for Munchkinland.

[flipp525]

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.

Completely riveting nonfiction account that actually reads quite like fiction. Larson juxtaposes the efforts of Daniel Burnham, chief architect of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair with the story of H.H. Holmes, considered by some to be America's first real serial killer, who set up a hotel near the fairgrounds and was said to have killed close to 200 mostly young women during this time. It's a fascinating look at late nineteenth century architecture, the concept of progress and invention, as well as an interesting exploration into the mind of a serial killer and the grand opportunity that arose for him when Chicago was picked for the site of the Fair. It covers Buffalo Bill Cody to Lizzie Borden to Jack the Ripper to Classical Revivalist Architecture.

Great read and highly addictive.

[FilmFan720]

OscarGuy, I too just read the book (about a month ago) and found it a grand disappointment. While it tries to make some sort of statement about the roots of evil, I felt it completely failed in marking the path the Wicked Witch of the West took to the evil side. It was like, one day she became evil, and we didn't see the development of her character. I preferred Maguire's background action, particularly the political stuggles in Oz and the power balance. Unfortunately, he skipped most of this, choosing to hint at it rather then show us the world that created this Wicked Witch.

Tripp

[OscarGuy]

I found an interesting book...

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. I thought it would be more like the musical but have discovered an interesting socio-political/religious discussion. It's very "up front" about its opinions, unlike many more subtle works, but it's still a fun read.