Getting ready to head to china.. got everything but a good book to read. I put a post out to facebook about an hour ago and have already got over 40 suggestions !  I love the range of stuff people suggested…a nd even more the range of people.. old school friends , work freinds, colony friends.. . Facebook is wonderful for this kind of stuff..Please keep th suggestions coming.. I’m reading quite a bit these days..

I should put some of my own recent recommendations. …. stuff I’ve read in the past six months or so…

• ‘Young men and fire ‘ by Norman Maclean was suggested.. and it’s one of my fav’s ..
• And the Stieg Larson ones  are recommended by several.. .. a guilty pleasure tof mine t, oo.
• I.’m currently reading.. and about to finish 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami… I’ve been reading everythign he’s written..(i loved Wind up bird Chronicles, Kafka by the shore, Dance, Dance, Dance. and Norwegian Wood. )..
• I also just finished ‘Tell All’ by Chuck Palahnuik.. dark.. but good. ..
• I also read a book of poetry by Taylor Mali.. ‘The Last. Time as We Are”.. which I sort of liked.  .
•  ‘the art of racing in the rain’ by Garth Stein.. (great !)  ,
• ‘Ballistics:, “sailing round the room” and “picnic lightning” by Billy collins (poetry) ,
• Fortress of Solitude by Jonathen Lethern (quite good) ..
• Freedom by Johnanthon Franzon (Loved it !!) ,
• The Grand Design by Stephen Hawkins.. (Liked it.. but didn’t get much from it) .
• Old Filth by Jane Garam (loved it !.. about an old lawyer who made a fortune in Hong Kong then retires back in England. )
• The Sex Lives of Cannibals by Maarten Roost (light and funny)
• Thuderstruck by Erik Larson (didn’t like the writing.. but liked the story.. about Marconi)
• Tinkers by Paul Harding (the story of a man’s memories as he’s dying. really imaginative.. liked it quite a bit)
• Water for Elephants.. ..by Sara Gruen. light and interesting
• Zeitoun – Dave Eggers (one of my favorite writers).. true story about a Syrian-american ‘s tough time during hurican Katrina.

here’s what folks recommended to me tonight:

• Augie Stevens The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Steig Larsson
• Jack Kouloheris I reread Philip Wylie’s “The Answer”. Short and moving. And still relevant
• František Strnad Read “Journey to the End of the Night” by Céline. It will change your life. Well, perhaps not that much, but it’s really unique.
• John Mangan Ready Player One. My favorite book of 20
• Michael Massetti Money Ball … great book about baseball and statistics.
• Jamison Openthe Gates A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
• Scott Turnbull ‎2nd on Stieg Larsson’s trilogy. I’m working through #3, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, now. A mix of tech, murder mystery, and political commentary.
• Anne Meixner Three Dog Night a short memoir i love it so much that am reading it again even though i just finishes it. Lots of life lessons.
• Seth Robinson Before I Go To Sleep was my favorite book from last year. Really excellent, compelling tale
• Anthony Chirico ‎”She” by H.Rider Haggard
• Sue Jaynes Cutting for Stone. And somehow I have ended up with multiple copies. Want one?
• Augie Stevens The Silmarillion by J.R.R Tolkein is a great book that will take you a long time.
• Tom Mechler The Dying Earth, Jack Vance
• Muhammad Saad Einstein -a life! by Dennis Brian
• Chris Nay ‎”Young Men & Fire” by Norman MacLean is excellent.
• Meryl Goldfarb State of wonder by Ann pachett.
• Jesse ßouchard you should write a book called thug life
• Erándini Brizuela Herrera The Fifth Agreement. Miguel Ruíz …. =)
• Martha Wales The Help.
• Joey Sciacca I read Your wife’s diary …. Not bad, boy she doesn’t like you much. Did you ever read Shogun or Pillara of Eath like I told you to two frigen years ago?
• R Warren Langley The Mattethorn
• Trey Tarrance Possum Living… or The Screwtape Letters
• Joey Sciacca O.k … Stop listening to everyone. Don’t make me Jedi mind trick your ass. Scratch what I said, and it should read Pillars of Earth. But instead read Guns,Germs and Steal.. I’m gunna call and quiz you ass.
• George N Fallieras The Mysterious stranger. Twain
• Zach Miller Incarnations of Immortality series, by Piers Anthony. The first book is titled On a Pale Horse.
• Ben Ashe Greatest show on earth
• Kevin McCullen Joe Abercrombie: The First Law Trilogy
• N Laura Middleton The Outlander series, but they are historical romances with a time travel twist…probably more of a woman’s book…and I just got the 4th in the Paolini dragon series..
• Kevin McCullen Peter F Hamilton: Pandora’s Star / Judas Unchained, Night’s Dawn Trilogy, “Void” Trilogy
• Levi Newton One Second After by William Forstchen.
• Kip Beegle I just reread Earth abides. But I agree with Levi one second after was excellent.
• Scott Brooks John: Chris Nay recommended Young Men and Fire by Norman MacLean. That book was so powerful for me I mailed it to a friend of mine (back in 94) along with a plane ticket to Montana so we could explore where it took place. Other great non-fiction books: Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea (about searching for a gold-laden shipwreck in 8000 feet of water). Tremendous science; Isaac’s Storm (about a hurricane that hit Galveston in 900); and Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors (a story of incredible WWII bravery in the Pacific).
• Michael Pirovano The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. It’s smartfunny
• Bob Blainey God is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens, who recently died. A bit of a polemic to be sure but well researched and written.
• Derek Beatty The Wild Blue
• Sally Pitt Larry Alex Taunton: The Grace Effect
• Naohiko Takeda あらすじとイラストでわかる禅
• Melissa Cefkin Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell. Wait ’till you get to the middle part – you’ll love it , as dystopic as it is (think The Colony, but not really). I haven’t yet read his more recent works, but a master of the English language.
• Alexis Ash The Lost City of Z, and the Earth Children series. Great reads. Or if you want to feel all weird and thought provoking after you’re done reading, anything by John Steinbeck. The Red Pony is my favorite.
• Pam Nesbitt The Zookeeper’s Wife – a prominent warsaw zoo lodges jews during world war 2; will look to see what else i read recently.

Like I said.. please keep those suggestiosn coming..

nite all, nite sam

-me

ps.. Here’s a great video that Gabe and Marcello did for a class project on the Songhai  Empire