# What's the most rececent book you read because someone you know personally recommended it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2017, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743 "2017-05-16T13:30:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/1 "2017-05-16T13:30:46Z")
I just started **His Majesty’s Dragon** , by Naomi Novik, which I’m enjoying so far. My husband suggested it. ---
**Author:** ![thebenn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@thebenn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thebenn)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/2 "2017-05-16T13:54:08Z")
_Ready Player One_ on the recommendation of my sister. As a semi-geeky child of the 80’s, I absolutely loved it. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/3 "2017-05-16T13:57:48Z")
[Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War](https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FA5UEG/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o04_?ie=UTF8&psc=1) Recommended by my Taekwondo instructor. I highly recommend it as well. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/4 "2017-05-16T17:20:11Z")
My entire family raved about [Red Notice](https://www.amazon.com/Red-Notice-Finance-Murder-Justice-ebook/dp/B00LD1ORX6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1494955022&sr=8-1&keywords=Red+Notice) - mother, father and brother - but I didn’t like it as much, mainly because it’s more thriller than finance story. ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/5 "2017-05-16T21:49:39Z")
\*To the Bright Edge of the World \* by Eowyn Ivey. Recommended by my friend Nancy. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/6 "2017-05-16T22:53:17Z")
The Martian, and I didn’t finish it. It just didn’t draw me in, and I never looked forward to picking it up and reading more. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/7 "2017-05-16T23:41:04Z")
The Hangman’s Son by Barry Longyear. A friend enthused over it, said it was the greatest thing ever, really praised it sky-high. I didn’t like it as much as he liked it…but I definitely liked it! A thoughtful and emotionally gripping story. I think some of the “police procedure” stuff in the book is total hokum. But the personal relationships are greatly endearing. It’s a great book about people and the need for emotional warmth. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/8 "2017-05-17T00:13:02Z")
‘The Sympathizer’, Viet Thanh Nguyen Recommended to me by a friend who has visited Vietnam, as we’re considering visiting. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/9 "2017-05-17T00:29:48Z")
Outlander. Well, didn’t finish it… _Won’t_ finish it… But I _did_ start it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/10 "2017-05-17T02:39:31Z")
Steinbeck’s _ **East of Eden** _. A Polish girl at my institute in Moscow gave it to me when she learned I was reading John D MacDonald’s _ **Travis McGee** _ series to pass the time.\* \*\* \*\*\* \*Not that there’s anything wrong with that; she just thought Steinbeck would be a step up for me. \*\*Also given to me by another (American) classmate that same year. \*\*\*My group leader gave me Thomas Wolfe’s _ **Look Homeward, Angel** _ at around the same time. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/11 "2017-05-17T04:17:58Z")
Something by Terry Pratchett, read about 20 pages, took it back to the libary. Guns Germs and Steel, I thought was over-rated. Way too repetitious, he had about enough material there for maybe a 100-page book, and Diamond is not a good enough writer to keep me riveted… ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/12 "2017-05-17T11:48:00Z")
A fellow teacher recommended Bertolt Brecht’s “The Good Person of Szechwan.” Which was more interesting and more subtle than I usually expect from Brecht. ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/13 "2017-05-18T02:01:45Z")
When I was back home in March, my mother, aunt and uncle were talking about books they’d enjoyed, and I made a note to look them up and give them a try. So based on that I recently read _All the Light We Cannot See_ and _The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society_, both set during WWII. Enjoyed both of them. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2017, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-rececent-book-you-read-because-someone-you-know-personally-recommended-it/786743/14 "2017-05-18T23:24:26Z")
In general, I’ve had very good luck with books recommended here on the SDMB. Someone here started me on the “Alan Lewrie” series of naval adventures by Dewey Lambdin, a series I have come to love. I wish I could remember who it was here, but, well… THANKS!