Does anyone have suggestions for good summer reads? I'm looking into everything from Lance Armstrong's books to Spartacus. All comments will be greatly appreciated.
You might enjoy "Swimming to Antarctica." The name of the author escapes me now, though it shouldn't b/c the book is unforgettable! It's by/about a woman who does marathon swims in different parts of the world, sometimes to set records but also for causes such as peace/environment.
The swims she does are truly amazing! As a teen, she swam the English Channel. She also swam in frigid temps in the Arctic and Antarctic oceans, in shark-infested waters off Africa--where she had a shark tailing her and had to sprint to shore while her "handlers" distracted the shark--and the list goes on.
She's a good writer too, very nice description of her swims and how she trained for them.
The Kite Runner--absolutely nothing to do with swimming, but a fantastic book.
The Life of Pi--almost as good.
Saturday--incredibly good writing.
Good nonfiction beach books include Shadow Divers, as well as The Devil's Teeth.
I've been working my way through Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series. Great stuff! Even if you're a voracious reader getting through the entire twenty book series should take you a decent part of the summer. I started last year and I'm only about half way through right now. It's worth savoring.
The series is about a British Naval Captain (Aubrey) and his surgeon friend (Maturin) during the Napoleonic wars in the early 19th century. The Russell Crowe movie "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" was based on a couple books from the series.
Kirk,
I agree with you re the Patrick O'Brian series. They're like candy to me so I limit the intake to about every third book. I just finished The Surgeon's Mate.
I'm currently reading the new David Mitchell novel, Black Swan Green, and I'm enjoying it even more than his previuos novel Cloud Atlas which was awesome.
Rich
All these books sound really good and I'm about halfway through Lance Armstrongs second book and then I don't know what I'm going to read but those all sound good.
Another great book I'm looking to get is Stotan as a reread. Its about a high school swim team of 4 and their amazing year together. Thats a book I would recommend.
I thought of one more--Three Nights in August. Even if you're not a baseball fan, it's a great book. Written by the same guy who wrote Friday Night Lights.
Sci-Fi/Fantasy:
- I would whole-heartedly recommend Robert Heinlein's work; three of my favorites are The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Stranger in a Strange Land, and Job.
- Azimov's short story anthologies are also excellent (his novels less so).
- I also love anything written by Lois M. Bujold. She writes some of the most psychologically believable sci fi/fantasy on the market today.
- Eric Flint's 1632 and its sequels are also excellent.
History:
- Bruce Catton's Army of the Potomac trilogy (Mr. Lincoln's Army, Glory Road, and A Stillness at Appomatox) is some of the best military history every written. The historical figures pop to life as real live human beings.
- Dreadnought by Robert Massey is another excellent book for making historical figures into real, live people. I especially loved his description of Jackie Fischer--what a pistol!
Racey, historical fiction:
- Have you ever actually read Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers? Some of the swashbuckling movie versions are quite good, but they still do not do the book justice. Read it, and you'll be whistling Allouetta, and snapping your fingers while hollering "garcon!" the next time you eat out.
- George M. Fraser's Flashman series is also rollicking good fun (from an alpha-male point of view), and if you can find any of his out of print, semi-historical accounts of his time as a junior officer in WWII and Palestine prior to 1948, they are a good read.
Lastly, I admire the sheer chutzpah of the title, Lies and the Lying Liars, even though I've not read the book, nor can I comment on its fairness or balance.
Matt
