# What's the last book you read (and would you recommend it)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 14, 2004, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201 "2004-02-14T11:35:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mogiaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mogiaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mogiaw)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/1 "2004-02-14T11:35:52Z")
I have alot of time on my hands and have been reading and reading, i’ve recently run out of things to read so i’m looking for recommendations! To start the ball rolling… The last book i read was _One Hundred Years of Solitude_ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I would wholeheartedly recommend it. To what sort of person i don’t know, but it is the magical-realist story of several generations of a family in South America. I felt sad when I finished it, I thought it was so great. ---
**Author:** ![Marlitharn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@Marlitharn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlitharn)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/2 "2004-02-14T11:57:13Z")
[The Devil’s Advocate,](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0061010790/qid=1076758695/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/103-6747685-2192647?v=glance&s=books) by Morris West. It’s about a dying English priest who travels to an impoverished village in Italy a few years after WWII to investigate a possible new saint. West looks at the nature of faith, politics, and basic human survival, and how they all relate to each other, and the characters are all, IMHO, extremely well-drawn. I’d definitely recommend it. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/3 "2004-02-14T12:48:35Z")
_Warped Factors: A Neurotic’s Guide to the Universe_ by Walter Koenig about, well… Walter Koenig and sure, I’d recommend it to any \*Trek \* or \*B5 \* fan. I’m currently reading _A Different Flesh_, an alt-history novel by Harry Turtledove about North America being populated by \*Homo Habilis \* instead of _Homo Sapiens_. I’d reccomend it so far too. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/4 "2004-02-14T12:51:18Z")
Well, I just went through my storage of books and so am currently rereading books. The last new novel I read was Nightwatch (Terry Pratchett Discoworld) One of the best discworld books. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/5 "2004-02-14T13:47:08Z")
I picked up a copy of Jack Olsen’s “Son–The True Story of a Psychopath and his Victims” for 50 cents. I would recommend this book to anyone who reads the true crime genre. And I plan to get some more of Olsen’s books. “Doc” sounds fascinating. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/6 "2004-02-14T13:54:24Z")
The last book I read was _Devices and Desires_ by P.D. James. It was classic James–a solid, well-crafted murder mystery. I’d recommend it to mystery fans. Before that I read, _Affinity_ by Sarah Waters, a novel set in a Victorian women’s prison. It’s quite well-written and full of interesting tidbits about not only 19th century prison life, but also the spiritualism craze. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/7 "2004-02-14T14:12:05Z")
_Riches From Horses_ by Steve Ahern. I read it as a teenager and have been looking for it for years. I ordered a copy from Sweden over the internet. Not as good as I remembered but if you want encouragement in your efforts to become a professional gambler, yes read this one. ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/8 "2004-02-14T14:13:57Z")
The last two personal books I read were _Hominids_ and _Humans_ by Robert J. Sawyer. I’d recommend them to any sci-f fans. Last book I tried to read was The Philosophy of History. Hegel does not hold my interest in the least. Last book I actually finished (or almost finished) was the Meditations on First Philosophy by Descartes. Geesh, I need to get back on top of my reading. I should be doing a book a day, not a book a month. Oh, and I don’t recommend those books to anyone not studying philosophy. ---
**Author:** ![Ave\_Minerva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@Ave\_Minerva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ave_Minerva)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/9 "2004-02-14T14:34:56Z")
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. Excellent! ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/10 "2004-02-14T14:51:49Z")
I read _Middlesex_ by Jeffrey Eugenides. It’s a fictional story about a hermaphrodite (boy) who was raised as a girl. But it’s more than that. It’s about Detroit in the 60’s and 70’s and Greek culture. I’m also reading _Blue Latitudes_ In it, the author (whose name escapes me) goes to all the places Captain Cook has gone. If you like reading books by Bill Bryson, you’d like this one. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/11 "2004-02-14T14:52:57Z")
A friend & I were talking about children’s books & she recommended THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH, so I got it at the library. It’s totally delightful, intelligent & imaginative- encouraging kids in clarity of thought & speech. Totally cool! Also, Philip Yancey’s SOUL SURVIVOR- How My Faith Survived The Church- the C’nity Today columnist talks about maintaining Evangelical faith in spite of an intellectually & emotionally indefensible ultra-Fundy background, with the help of Christian writers & thinkers in history & his personal experience. I recommend anything by Yancey- even if I disagree with some points (which I don’t so far in this book). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/12 "2004-02-14T15:03:13Z")
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire I liked it a lot, especially the ending parts. I recommend it to anyone who has read the first three, thought it starts very slow. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/13 "2004-02-14T15:34:59Z")
_Generation X_ by Douglas Coupland. I loved this book and to be perfectly honest, it was the first fiction book that I had read in years. Used to read alot up to Grade 9, then I stopped. Anyways, the reason I enjoyed it was that in spite of the fact that it was written 13 years ago, large portion of the book still connected with me in a way that no book ever has. I’d recommmend to others for sure, but I have to admit not everyone will enjoy it. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/14 "2004-02-14T15:36:03Z")
I just finished The Other Boelyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory and liked it so much I started a thread to find more books like it. 🙂 It is the story of Anne Boelyn’s sister, who led a fascinating life of her own. The author does a great job of making history come alive. Now I am reading the sequel to The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency and am enjoying it, but I am eager to get back to some fictionalized history. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/15 "2004-02-14T15:42:07Z")
**Ave Minerva** , I adored _Perdido Street Station_. It’s some of the best fantasy I’ve read in years. _The Scar_, which is set in the same world, is great, too, though not as dark. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/16 "2004-02-14T16:15:00Z")
I’m rereading _The Masters of Rome_ series and I’m currently on the final book, _The October Horse_. You want an incredibly researched historical fiction series on Ancient Roman and Julius Caeser, this is it. Next on my list, _Wolves of the Calla_. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/17 "2004-02-14T16:34:36Z")
I just read \*Chelsea Horror Hotel \* by Dee Dee Ramone. It’s just…bizarre. If you like squalor, gore, violence, and pointless weirdness, by all means read it. Now I’m reading \*Venus In Furs \* by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, but as I am only on page 10 I can’t say yet whether or not I’d recommend it. A few weeks ago I read Arthur Koestler’s \*Darkness at Noon, \* the story of an old bolshevik who is imprisoned during the Stalinist purges and who ponders what went wrong with the revolution and what the extent of his own guilt is. I highly recommend this book to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![mug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/779978/32.png) [@mug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mug)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/18 "2004-02-14T16:52:38Z")
Cloud 8 by Grant Bailie A book by a local author. It’s a somewhat frightening view of what awaits us in the afterlife. James Broadhurst is killed in a car accident, but instead of everyone’s idea of heaven, he’s stuck in a small, nondescript apartment with an evasive and uncommunicative roommate and a suitcase full of his favorite things on earth: his favorite shirt, tie, pants, mug, book, etc. And no one will tell him where to find other deceased members of his own family. He spends his initial time sitting on the comfy sofa, drinking free beer and watching his family on the television set. Finally he is interviewed for a job he didn’t apply for, and ends up working as an ad copywriter on a user’s manual for an office software program. The problem is nobody at the company seems to be able to tell James exactly what the program is supposed to do. I would recommend it, but you’d probably have to get it through the internet. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/19 "2004-02-14T17:40:06Z")
_Fury_ by Salman Rushdie. It’s t’riffic, although a little wordy and with more pop culture references than VH-1. ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201/20 "2004-02-14T18:18:10Z")
The Fountainhead. By Ayn Rand. Interesting book although I find it disgusting. If you want a book where the hero is an egotist rapist, this is it. Mrs Rand philosophy, on the other hand, is not intersting. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-last-book-you-read-and-would-you-recommend-it/229201.md?page=2)