# So... Read any good books lately? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 22, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078 "2005-01-22T13:56:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/1 "2005-01-22T13:56:33Z")
I’m making an effort to read more this year. I’ve read Good Omens (Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman), a book on the folklore behind the creatures in the Harry Pooter books (The Sorcerer’s Companion: A Guide to the Magical World of Harry Potter, by Allan Zola Kronzek & Elizabeth Kronzek), and two issues of National Geographic (I _must_ read them as soon as they arrive). I’ve begun reading Amish Society by John Hostettler based on Scarlett67’s suggestion in a [thread about the Amish](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=295047). I used to read all the time just because I wanted to read, now I realize I need to work my brain or it’s going to fall out of my ears. Funny how that happens when you’re a sahm after being in the workforce for so long. I’ve been spending an awful lot of time conversing with the baby, and it’s not doing much for my intellect. Does anyone have any suggestions? I’d like to point out that I’m not much for sci-fi, but some fantasy is ok; I enjoy non-fiction probably more than fiction. Sociology, Anthropology, Forensics all fascinate me. Also, I think it would be cool if responses were more than the standard “I read X, and it was good” - perhaps a short description without spoiling any endings would be great. Thanks everyone. My brain not turning to pudding is a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/2 "2005-01-22T14:21:37Z")
If you’re interest lies in sociology and anthropology, yet you like a good story, I would recommend “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe. It’s about an African tribe steeped in tradition and culture, and how the tribe, and the main character (a not entirely perfect man) deal with the arrival of European missionaries. It’s a very good book, and I think you would enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/3 "2005-01-22T14:33:55Z")
I gave myself a three-day case of the giggles reading a book called “The Know-It-All: One Man’s Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World” by A.J. Jacobs. Jacobs set a goal for himself of reading the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica, and the book chronicles his efforts and the reactions of his family and friends. It SOUNDS a little dry, but it’s quite funny and touching. Periodically through the book, he “tests” himself to see if he’s gotten smarter - against his brother-in-law, his twelve-year-old nephew, Regis Philbin, Alex Trebek and MENSA. The book starts with Jacobs realizing that he has gotten less smart as he’s gotten older - and if he doesn’t want his brain to ooze out of his ears, he had better do something about it. Thus, it might be right up your alley right now! ---
**Author:** ![gruver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/57b2e6/32.png) [@gruver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gruver)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/4 "2005-01-22T14:42:24Z")
i’m currently rereading anil’s ghost by michael ondaatje. a re-cap from the back cover: “anil, born in sri lanka and educated in england and america, is returning to sri lanka as a forensic anthropologist sent by an international human rights group to discover the source of the organized campaigns of murder engulfing the island.” while there she deals with love, family, identity, the past and a hidden enemy. beautifully written. it’s been a couple years since i read it first but i remember loving it. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/5 "2005-01-22T14:46:48Z")
\*Subterranean \*by James Rollins was good fluffy reading. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/6 "2005-01-22T15:14:06Z")
I’ll give you my standard recommendations. Novel: [English Passengers](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/038549744X/qid=1106406036/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/102-9425191-2077742?v=glance&s=books&n=507846). 19th-century sailors and explorers and preachers and scientists and aborigines – a nice complicated plot with lots of threads and marvelously drawn characters. Nonfiction: I also like anthropology, etc. You can’t call yourself a Doper if you haven’t read [Guns, Germs, and Steel](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393317552/qid=1106406434/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/102-9425191-2077742) – early human evolution, why some societies succeeded and some failed. Which reminds me of another novel: Years of Rice and Salt. Robinson starts with the idea that Europe was pretty well wiped out by the Black Death – how would world history have developed? The Islamic and Chinese civilizations turn out to be dominant, and, well, a bunch of other stuff happens as well. I got this from a thread a couple of years ago, and have been recommending it right and left since I read it last fall. Back to anthropology: One of my main interests is language, how it evolved and how it shapes us as a species. An excellent intro to some of these things is [Grooming, Gossip, and the Evolution of Language](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0674363361/qid=1106406905/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-9425191-2077742?v=glance&s=books). And when you’ve read these four, feel free to come back for more suggestions. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/7 "2005-01-22T15:26:33Z")
[Years of Rice and Salt](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0553580078/qid=1106406710/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/102-9425191-2077742). Sorry – checked the first two links on preview, and assumed the other two were okay as well. And we all know what happens when we assume, don’t we? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![whistlepig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/73ab20/32.png) [@whistlepig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whistlepig)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/8 "2005-01-22T15:44:17Z")
Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival,- In 1815, twelve American sailors washed up on the shore of North Africa. Captured and sold into slavery, they were then dragged along on an insane journey through the bone-dry heart of the Sahara–a region no Westerners had ever explored. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/9 "2005-01-22T15:49:17Z")
**twickster** : I’m a neophyte armchair anthropologist – my amazon wishlist is around a hundred items long at the moment and at least 70% of it is anthropological in nature – and would love some further reccomendations in that genre if you’d be willing. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/10 "2005-01-22T15:58:15Z")
My [wish list](http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/registry.html/ref=cm_wl_topnav_books/002-2591044-7122420?type=wishlist) in case you want some suggestions of your own. I’ve not read any of these yet but they all look fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/11 "2005-01-22T16:07:18Z")
**Aesiron** – the link took me to _my_ wish list – email me your username there (I’m twickster47 at yahoo dot com) and I’ll check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/12 "2005-01-22T16:13:32Z")
Your wish list? Why would it do that? Email sent. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/13 "2005-01-22T17:35:28Z")
I’m reading _Uppity Women of Medieval Times_ and _Uppity Women of Ancient Times_ by Vicki Leon (great reads!), rereading the _His Dark Materials_ trilogy by Phillip Pullman, mired in _Going Postal_ by Terry Pratchett, and just starting _Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda_ by Dallaire. …Yes, I do read too much, why? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/14 "2005-01-22T18:19:47Z")
I finished [The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0553380648/qid=1106418360/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-8000976-5099056?v=glance&s=books) by Tom Wolfe a couple weeks back. It’s excellent - a great trip through hippy culture, and it’s nonfiction, as you say your preference is. I’m also about two-thirds of the way through [Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainance](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060958324/qid=1106418422/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-8000976-5099056?v=glance&s=books), which is also good. I’m not really one for philosophy, but this book is really quite intriguing (and also at least partly nonfiction). ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/15 "2005-01-22T18:37:02Z")
Two great books that I’ve recently finished are: Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky. [Amazon Link](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0142001619/qid=1106419249/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/103-9702528-2927817?v=glance&s=books&n=507846). A fascinating history of “the only rock we eat” and its influence on human history, commerce and conquest. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. [Amazon Link](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0767908171/qid=1106419417/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/103-9702528-2927817). A light-hearted but comprehensive history of well, everything - from the Big Bang to human evolution and rise of civilization. Incredibly easy and read and darn funny too, especially when he’s detailing the foibles and eccentricities of the 18th and 19th century scientists. Are all British scientists eccentric? Sure seems that way from this. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/16 "2005-01-22T18:39:09Z")
I’m rereading the **Outlander** series by Diana Gabaldon. I have _Jurassic Park_ and a _Reader’s Digest_ in the queue. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/17 "2005-01-22T19:04:03Z")
Damn it. I followed **picker** ’s link and realized my list is sorely lacking in the anthropological aspects of food and am now clicking link after link and making my wish list even more unwieldy. I need to stop reading this thread. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/18 "2005-01-22T22:50:21Z")
Great suggestions. Keep them coming! ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/19 "2005-01-22T23:18:37Z")
A nonfiction selection (have not yet read this): **All I Did Was Ask** by Terry Gross All I Did Was Ask is a collection of transcripts from National Public Radio’s “Fresh Air” show hosted by Terry Gross. [review](http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595100121,00.html) I just finished Jeffrey Eugenides’ **Middlesex.** I had picked it up before, and thought, no, I don’t want to read a novel about a hermaphrodite. I am glad I reconsidered when the book came out in paperback. a bit of the book I know you prefer nonfiction, but these days my stock reply when anyone asks about a good book is The Time Traveler’s Wife by **Audrey Niffeneger**. Spellbinding doesn’t begin to describe it. I don’t care for the title, but like Middlesex this book should not be judged by the cover. 🙂 Time Traveler’s Wife is Intelligent, innovative and tender without being the least bit sentimental. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078/20 "2005-01-22T23:47:41Z")
> [@whistlepig](#): > > Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival,- In 1815, twelve American sailors washed up on the shore of North Africa. Captured and sold into slavery, they were then dragged along on an insane journey through the bone-dry heart of the Sahara–a region no Westerners had ever explored. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this book, from people whose judgment I’ve come to trust, and it’s in my TBR pile. I don’t have any recommendations that fit the OP, but I’m in the midst of an excellent evil house story called **The Good House** by Tananarive Due. Well-developed characters (all of them, even the Red Shirts), realistic dialogue, nice pacing, good use of foreshadowing, and for once, a flashback structure that adds to the tension. Due doesn’t give it all away at the start, and she’s not leaving it all for the finish either. Thumbs up. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-read-any-good-books-lately/286078.md?page=2)