[Bruce Wang]

Inspired by the Music Thread, I thought we should start a book thread.  What are your favorite books from 2024?

For me, two stood out. Both by Irish writers.  Small Things Like These (adapted to a movie starring Cillian Murphy) and The Bee Sting which reminds me of one of my all time favorite books (The Corrections) but set in Ireland.

Small Things Like These got recommended to me by the lady next to me in line for a signing by another Irish writer.  I asked him why a smaller country like Ireland produced so many of our greatest writers.  He said "The English colonized our country so we colonized their language."  He also pointed out that the perspective from being part of the EU has been an advantage to more contemporary writers.

[Bruce Wang]

Inspired by the Music Thread, I thought we should start a book thread.  What are your favorite books from 2024?

For me, two stood out. Both by Irish writers.  Small Things Like These (adapted to a movie starring Cillian Murphy) and The Bee Sting which reminds me of one of my all time favorite books (The Corrections) but set in Ireland.

Small Things Like These got recommended to me by the lady next to me in line for a signing by another Irish writer.  I asked him why a smaller country like Ireland produced so many of our greatest writers.  He said "The English colonized our country so we colonized their language."  He also pointed out that the perspective from being part of the EU has been an advantage to more contemporary writers.

[crackpot]

He said "The English colonized our country so we colonized their language."  He also pointed out that the perspective from being part of the EU has been an advantage to more contemporary writers.

I love that, thanks!

[crackpot]

He said "The English colonized our country so we colonized their language."  He also pointed out that the perspective from being part of the EU has been an advantage to more contemporary writers.

I love that, thanks!

[Mick]

My soon-to-be daughter-in-law gifted me with Yuval Noah Harari's "21 Lessons for the 21st Century." Very interesting book.

"Best book" tends to be a somewhat ubiquitous topic. I would be interested in "worst book you ever read" at some point; e.g., what book affected you most negatively, derailed your career, etc.

[Mick]

My soon-to-be daughter-in-law gifted me with Yuval Noah Harari's "21 Lessons for the 21st Century." Very interesting book.

"Best book" tends to be a somewhat ubiquitous topic. I would be interested in "worst book you ever read" at some point; e.g., what book affected you most negatively, derailed your career, etc.

[Hurlburt88]

After visiting Yellowstone and getting a recommendation, I have enjoyed the Frontier Traveler trilogy by D.A. Galloway:   Burning Ground, Fatal Ground, and Bitter Ground.  A ton of geographic and historic detail set in the 1870's west with a person from modern Pennsylvania to travels back in time on a spirit quest.

[Hurlburt88]

After visiting Yellowstone and getting a recommendation, I have enjoyed the Frontier Traveler trilogy by D.A. Galloway:   Burning Ground, Fatal Ground, and Bitter Ground.  A ton of geographic and historic detail set in the 1870's west with a person from modern Pennsylvania to travels back in time on a spirit quest.

[jonnyss]

thanks for the suggestion of "small things like these." best book i read in 2024 is helen dewitt, "the last samurai." unrelated to the tom cruise movie of the same name, it's the multi-layered and complex, but very satisfying, story of a single mom raising her prodigy son on the precepts of kurosawa's "7 samurai."

[jonnyss]

thanks for the suggestion of "small things like these." best book i read in 2024 is helen dewitt, "the last samurai." unrelated to the tom cruise movie of the same name, it's the multi-layered and complex, but very satisfying, story of a single mom raising her prodigy son on the precepts of kurosawa's "7 samurai."

[Bruce Wang]

My soon-to-be daughter-in-law gifted me with Yuval Noah Harari's "21 Lessons for the 21st Century." Very interesting book.

"Best book" tends to be a somewhat ubiquitous topic. I would be interested in "worst book you ever read" at some point; e.g., what book affected you most negatively, derailed your career, etc.

The worst books I read were for Philosophy CIV at Stanford.  The syllabus was populated with the politically correct at the expense of the Canon.  And where the Canon was included (e.g. Aristotle), most of time was spent discussing how they were evil and stupid.

[Bruce Wang]

My soon-to-be daughter-in-law gifted me with Yuval Noah Harari's "21 Lessons for the 21st Century." Very interesting book.

"Best book" tends to be a somewhat ubiquitous topic. I would be interested in "worst book you ever read" at some point; e.g., what book affected you most negatively, derailed your career, etc.

The worst books I read were for Philosophy CIV at Stanford.  The syllabus was populated with the politically correct at the expense of the Canon.  And where the Canon was included (e.g. Aristotle), most of time was spent discussing how they were evil and stupid.

[JJJ]

I enjoyed “Five Laterals and a Trombone” (or was that 2023?) and am currently reading “By The Grace of the Game” by Dan Grunfeld, who writes very well. :)

[JJJ]

I enjoyed “Five Laterals and a Trombone” (or was that 2023?) and am currently reading “By The Grace of the Game” by Dan Grunfeld, who writes very well. :)