Last Book You Read V. 1.0

[MrDNA]

Since I've actually had a chance to read the past few weeks I thought it might be nice to set up one of these for books. Same idea as the movies, post up what you read, a rating out of 10 and the genre of the book.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safran Foer (Novel) - 8/10 A tale of a boy whose father died in the World Trade Center trying to find what lock a key of his father's opens. Kind of an odd premise, but if you know JSF you're not surprised. Like "Everything is Illuminated" this has a bit of the magical realist in it. Well written and made me think.

Mad Ducks and Bears, George Plimpton (Sports) - 8/10 The sequel, sort of, to "Paper Lion." I say "sort of," because it's a totally different sort of book. It's basically a prolonged conversation with Plimpton, offensive lineman John Gordy and d-lineman Alex Karras. It's fascinating to get a glimpse into their football and personal lives. Even though it's from a different era, it's really enhanced my understanding of the game. Also, it's hilarious in parts.

[rowech]

I've wondered why in the heck nobody ever started this thread:

Hardball Times Annual (10/10) -- My first year reading this and I have to say I enjoyed it a heck of a lot more than Baseball Prospectus or Shandler. While the others give more individual player info, I think this book stands out as to what the analysis craze of baseball should be about.

Duma Key, Stephen King (10/10) -- I'm a big Stepen King fan. I rank The Stand as my second favorite novel of all time (Pillars of the Earth at #1) and The Shining for me, is the perfect King Novel to get someone hooked. This one ranks just a little below The Shining but is well within the same class. Classic King in that the plot is slow for about 1/3 of the book and then the pace goes at race car speed to the finish.

[Buccaneer]

I've wondered why in the heck nobody ever started this thread:

Me too.

The Rising Tide, Jeff Shaara (9/10) - Typical Shaara readability but I appreciate him introducing me to the North Africa and Sicily campaigns in WW2, both of which I knew little about.

A Voyage Long and Strange, Tony Horwitz (9.5/10) - By one of my very favorite authors, he basically travels to the places and routes covering the North American Exploration Age - from the Vikings in Newfoundland to Columbus in DR to Coronada across the Southwest to De Soto across the Southeast.

[RainMaker]

Breaking the Spell (9/10) - If you're looking for a psychological look at why we believe in religion, this is your book. Really deep and insightful. Changes your whole outlook on why we believe in things like religion. Uses a mix of psychology and biology to make hypothesis'.

Blasphemy (6/10) - Tried to jump on the coattails of the Da Vinci Code and CERN hoopla. Book that pits science, religion, and politics against one another. Looks at the dark side of each. Decent novel for a lazy weekend, but not something I'd go out of my way to read.

God Save the Fan (4/10) - I'm a big fan of Deadspin and picked up Will Leitch's book. Really turned out to just be a lot of his old posts and the stories behind them. Had some new material that just wasn't that interesting. He does a good job at showing the ridiculousness of sports and especially ripping on ESPN. But he spends way too much time on topics about his own journalism history and some local Cardinals bar he found in New York. I just had no interest in a biography.

Game of Shadows (8/10) - Took me awhile to get to this book but WOW. Bonds is a huge cocksucker. I was amazed at the amount of info these guys were able to dig up and the story they placed together. Goes beyond just Bonds and talks about other athletes like Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery.

Up next I have Crazy 08 (recommendation from someone here) and Let Me In (foreign vampire book that is a new movie).

[Jas_lov]

Somone did start it...

Last Book You Read V. 1.0 - Front Office Football Central

But I guess this will be the new one.

The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (9/10) - I'm also a big Stephen King fan and I'll have to check out Duma Key. Some of his new stuff I've read hasn't been that great. The Long Walk was one of King's first books. He wrote it when he was a college freshman and I finished it in just a couple days because it had me hooked. I thought the ending was a little dissapointing, but other than that it was amazing and I would recommend it to any Stephen King fan.

[Buccaneer]

There's also this thread too Books - Front Office Football Central

Copying from that one:

Adventures of the Thunderbolt Kid, Bill Bryson (10/10) - I really love Bill Bryson and his sometimes exaggerated descriptions of growing up in the 50s and early 60s in Des Moines are perhaps the funniest things I have ever read. Every page is a laugh out loud moment, which is saying a lot for me.

[ISiddiqui]

The Subtle Knife - 8/10: Second in Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" series. I thought it advanced the plot very well from The Golden Compass. Introducing Will and indicating where he came from makes the story much more interesting. The building up to the attack, by Lyra and Will's actions, and those who are opposed is also very well done.

[MrDNA]

Sorry for the dupe threads - I did a search and didn't find any of them. I love reading these reviews, though, so keep 'em coming!

[korme]

I'm reading Kenny Mayne's book, An Incomplete and Inaccurate History of Sport. It is entirely fluff, no substance, but it's pretty funny if you like Mayne's humor and good toilet-reading material. Worth the ~$10.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Okay, but don't laugh ... book four of the first segment of the Warriors children's fantasy series.

[MylesKnight]

Most recent that I've finished was...

Himmler's Black Order: a History of the SS (8/10 - Very diffiicult read at times due to content) - The stranger-than-fiction history of the SS and the man who led it. The SS was an organization led by a man motivated by the belief that he was the spiritual reincarnation of the Saxon King Heinrich I, founder of the German Reich. Street fighters and convicted criminals became Ministers of State and police commanders; charitable works and mass extermination were administered from the same building; boy generals directed vast heterogeneous armies on devastating campaigns of terror. From the development andorganization of both the Waffen-SS and the Allgemeine-SS, to the wideranging effects they had on the police, racial policies, German history, education, the economy and public life; to their uniforms and regalia designed to set Himmler's men apart as a new elite in Third Reich society -- this remarkable book tells it all.

[MacroGuru]

I am currently reading The Blood Bowl Omnibus by Matt Forbeck - 8/10 - I love the book(s), as the Omnibus is all 3 books tied into one. It takes one of my favorite table top games and gives it some great life. It drags in a couple of areas but it is definitely funny all around and some of the match descriptions are pretty crazy.

[judicial clerk]

Last book I read was The Road by Cormac McCarthy[sp]. I give it 9 out of 10. Story of a father and son on a journey in a post-apocolyptic United States. He is a great writer and this was a book that stayed with me for a while. However, its not the feel good story of the year. The subject matter is gut wrenching and unrelenting. My wife could not read it. I think there is a movie coming out. I would be interested to read other people's opinions.

[ISiddiqui]

The Road was amazing! Possibly the best I've ever read about the resulting loneliness and urgency after a world wide catastrophe. McCarthy just brilliantly recreates a post apocalyptic world. One of the best works of science fiction I've ever read. But yes, very haunting and it does make you think.