Today’s Five was suggested by Matt Helm.
I find myself awash in Mystery and History this summer:
Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander series — All because I wanted to snog Ken Branagh, who’s playing the detective on TV. But the books themselves are terrific. Wallander is a deeply flawed but tenacious cop, who solves cases because he keeps…coming…after…the bad guy. Mankell’s take on his native Sweden is an eye-opener for Western Hemisphere-types who think of the country as a glorious outpost of hedonistic charm where anything goes. Well: not so glorious. And he gets in some nasty swipes at the state-run media. Think that’s where we’re headed?
P.D. James, Private Practice — The Baroness’ latest (last?) Adam Dalgliesh story has not much good to say about socialized medicine or the fate of the British middle classes. In other words, perfect reading for those who wonder what life under ObamaCare would turn into. There’s also a number of musings on aging and death. Well, the author is 89, after all.
Amanda Foreman, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire – Also discovered after I saw it on film. Fascinating, compelling, and — dare I say it? sexy. It’s a cautionary tale for women in politics. Oh, dear.
Death of a Citizen by Donald Hamilton – the first Matt Helm book of 33 that span over 30 years. I’m actually in the middle of reading 18 of these first editions that I got on eBay for a song.
The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane by Robert E. Howard – rereading these after I don’t know how many years, but in an unedited and illustrated version.
Flywheel, Shyster & Flywheel: The Marx Brothers Lost Radio Show, edited by Michael Barson – All the scripts (except for one) from the only radio show that Groucho and Chico did together. A lot of the lines from this pop up later in Duck Soup and The Big Store. Hi-lar-ious! Brought to you by Esso.
Henry VIII: The King and His Court by Alison Weir – Had this for years and haven’t read it yet. Weir’s histories on the British royalty are superb.
The Steel Wave: A Novel of WWII by Jeff Shaara – I love this guy’s books. This one covers D Day and Rommel’s part in the assassination attempt on Hitler. Can’t wait for the next one, No Less Than Victory, to come out in November.
uh…let’s see, I’m reading Clive Young’s “Homemade Hollywood” right now, which is really good. I’m also reading “The Grapes of Wrath,” Which I’m hating because it has no rayguns nor aliens in it, and hence is a complete waste of time. (Also: Socialist!) I just wrapped up “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand, whcih surprisingly DOES have rayguns in it. Uhm…after those I’m jumping in to “Soon I shall be victorious” and “World War Z.”
If anyone out there is interested in Hard SF, reasonable alternate histories, and the space program, I’d strongly reccomend “Voyage” by Stephen Baxter, btw.
Wankette: Isn’t a list of five supposed to include, uh… five?
A “series”, in this case, is nine. So I’ve actually lapped most of you.
I can suggest a really great historical fantasy for you. You could even imagine K. Branagh playing the hero. (For you Hollywood types: film rights are still available. Contact my publisher.)
Thanks for the recommendation on the Wallander books. I wonder if I can get them anywhere in the original Swedish.
Wankette,the best Swedish mysteries I ever read were by a married couple,Maj Sjowall and Per Walloo.This was in the mid 70’s.Splendid crime fiction,as well as a savage critique of the welfare state in Sweden..
Sjowall and Walloo were actually Socialists, criticizing the welfare state from the left.
They damn good writers,though
They were..sorry
I guess that if I had to recommend any American author for summer reading,it would be Elmore Leonard.He started out as a writer of Westerns,an acknowledged master…Crime fiction,an acknowledged master(set in Detroit and the Florida Gold Coast)…and “Cuba Libre”,about the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana.Folks,it doesn’t get any better than this.
Currently reading West Oversea by Lars Walker, and enjoying it very much!
I discovered I have a Larry Niven anthology, “Playgrounds of the Mind.” (When you work in a bookstore you just accumulate these things.) I don’t think I’ve ever read any of his books, but they rave about him at Republibot so I’ll give him a try.
Been thinking about re-reading the Dune books (Frank’s) since it must be twenty years since I’ve read them. But I may re-read Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time since the next book is due out at Christmas-time. It’ll take me at least that long to get through them all. I’ve been reading that series for over half my life. It’ll be such a relief when it’s over!
Assasanation Vacation by Sarah Vowell
When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
(I damned well better read one of those Lars Walker tomes)
Technopoly by Neil Postman
Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
1. Team of Rivals — Doris Kearns Goodwin
2. The Red and the Black by Stendahl
3. Men in Black by Mark Levin
4. any Vince Flynn novel — I’ve been meaning to read one.
5. The Idiot by Dostoyevsky
Mark Levin’s radio show is a hoot. He gets so angry, and his voice gets higher, and he starts sputtering.
But his persona aside, he writes a hell of a book. “Men in Black” was very, very good.
“Get off the phone, stupid!”
I don’t know if Bob Grant is heard outside the New York area, but he made that line famous. His version: “Get off my phone, you creep!”
Actually, what I should have said was, “Get off the phone, you big dope!”
Matt, don’t forget his computer is on “dial up” so he may not get a ring.
Fritz–
“Get off the phone” is what Mark Levin will say to a particularly stupid or obnoxious caller to his radio show.
I was confused at first, too, since I often get e-mails like that from my family. To which I reply, “That’s not the way to get me to log off and talk to you.”
Read TRANSFER OF POWER.
Or ask Steph, she is a fanatic.
Floyd,I happened to see Stendahl’s grave when I was in Paris,in the Cemetiere de Montmartre.Emile Zola’s grave was there as well,but he was moved years ago to the Pantheon.Was the most beautiful,peaceful place I think that I’ve ever been.
Thanks for the tip on the Marx Brothers book, Matt. I will be checking that out.
Rufus, it will most likely have to be a used version, since it’s out of print. I gave my original copy in the late 80s to Dave Sim, the creator of the comic book, Cerebus, because he had a character named, Lord Julius (Groucho’s real name) that was based on Groucho. I thought he could use the dialogue from it, but he ended up dropping the character at that point. Too bad. Cerebus is the best comic (non-superhero) ever.
I’m looking forward to James Ellroy’s new one in September, Blood’s a Rover. It’s the final book in his American Underworld trilogy.
Lets see
All of Vince Flynn’s books (Pursuit of Honor is coming out in October and I read Chapter one on his web site…HOLY GOD its GOOD!)
Brad Thor has a new one I’ve been meaning to grab called the Apostle. His stuff is good to.
Drew Pinsky’s The Mirror Effect
Quanah Parker, The Last Comanche Chief by Bill Neely. I got it at the Fort Sill Museum store. Excellent read.
Lone Survivor. Rereading Marcus’ book.
Here’s what I’m reading right now:
Horse Soldiers by: Doug Stanton A book about the Special Forces soldiers who fought the initial fight in Afghanistan after 9/11…sometimes on horseback.
Driving Like Crazy by: PJ O’Rourke A collection of Mr. O’Rourke’s automotive articles from years past…entertaining especially if you enjoy automobiles and driving in general.
Starship Troopers by: Robert Heinlein If all you know about this book is a cheesy B movie, then you owe it to yourself to check this novel out. Everything you need to know about what a citizen owes to society, duty and honor it’s all there…if you look hard enough.
Oh, yeah, Troopers is a great book that is never quite what it pretends to be. For a space war story, there’s actually surprisingly little fighting in it, and the details of the course of the war are deliberately hard to follow.
+JMJ+
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
Divine Mercy in My Soul by St. Faustina Kowalska
1: Abandonment to Divine Providence by Jean-Pierre de Caussade, SJ. written in the 18th century, spiritual classic.
2: The Gold Coast, Nelson DeMille.
3: Absalom, Absalom – W. Faulkner
4: Dark Night of the Soul, St. John of the Cross
5: Th Conferences, St. John Cassian
1. Apple Pro Training Series: Logic Pro 8. You too can read this and make that KTEL album you’ve always wanted to make. Thrills, chills and drum fills!
2. A Riot of Our Own: Night and Day With The Clash. Stories from road manager Johnny Green.
3. Photo by Sammy Davis, Jr. Tons of great photos and anecdotes. The cat was never without his camera.
4. 1933 Was A Bad Year by John Fante. Nuns, baseball and dagos.
5. Anyway Anyhow Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of The Who 1958-1978.
The Tiger’s Revenge by Claude Bawls.
The Line in the Sand, by Dick Draggin.
Under the Grandstand, by Seymour Butts.
Oh, brotherrrrrrrrrrrr….
Hey, Wanks, we’re guys and this is what guys do, besides belch and fart. Anyway, my apologies.
Okay, but take that stuff over to Kriskey’s posts — why do you think we hired him?
I’m still waiting for my schnapps.
You’ll drink your bathtub gin and like it, or else!
You sound just like my old man, David!
“Drink your gin, Mikey.”
“Aww, gee whiz, Dad! Do I have to?”
“There are sober people in Saudi Arabia who would be grateful for that gin! Now bottom’s up, buster!”
“If you don’t have liver disease by the time you’re 21, you aren’t trying! Now, down that gin or I’m going to put a dress on you and call you Susie like the pantie-waste little sissy you are!”
1. Aeneid
2. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics
3. Aristotle’s Politics
4. Beowulf
5. The Federalist
6. Dante’s Divine Comedy
7. David McCullough’s 1776
8. How To Read A Book, by Mortimer Adler
9. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
10. Lectures on the French Revolution, by Lord Acton
Read David Hackett Fischer,David? “Paul Revere’s Ride” and “Washington’s Crossing”…
Homosexuality,by Amanda Huginkiss