In 2010 I got myself a new Kindle! I really enjoy it and find myself reading a lot more than I ever have before. I'm never good at remembering movies and books for more than a week or so. Therefore, I am using this page to track my reading progress and what I liked. Please drop me comments if you have any suggestions for me or comments on my notes. Look out for my Recommend! picks below ;).Current Page Turner
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration -Isabel Wilkerson
Previous Reads
Fresh Medicine: How to Fix Reform and Build a Sustainable Health Care System -Philip Bredesen
Try it out. It was not the fastest page-turner out there and takes on the very serious topic of our national healthcare situation. Philip Bredesen is/was (not sure when his last term was up) Governor of Tennessee with experience in the health care industry. He begins with a critique of our current system and "Obama"-care, but the majority of the book is to lay out his own thoughts on how to solve the question of healthcare. There are many steps involved, but essentially he suggests to move it to more of a competitive environment which is regulated to a specified standard of care. Once in place, everyone pays into a fund, similar to Social Security, and then they will receive vouchers to use at their choice of healthcare provider for basic, standard healthcare. If you want premium service, you pay above and beyond your voucher. It was an interesting read and I agreed with many of the points. Hard to imagine such a dramatic shift though.
The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal -Ben Mezrich
Try it out. If you've seen the movie (Social Network), maybe you're happy enough with that. As with most books turned movies, you lose some details and things don't happen quite you had pictured them from reading the book. It was an enjoyable read about how Facebook came to be.
The Devil in the White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America -Erik Larson
Recommend! A book about the World's Fair in Chicago around 1890 - something I knew nothing about previously. A history book that is a page turner with a great story(ies). It's actually two stories in one book - how will this "white city" ever meet such grand expectations (I mean where is it now??) and see into the life of one of the earlier serial killers in history.
Born to Run -Christopher Mcdougall
Recommend! Calling all runners (real or wannabes). I think you will love this book. The author is on a mission to find out how people can enjoy running, especially the extreme running done by a elder tribesmen in the mountains of Mexico. He mixes his mission along with a lot of side information about running, where to humans fit in, what is our super power, how are we affected by the shoe industry, etc. Made me want to start running....but I haven't yet ;).
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies -Seth Grahame-Smith and Jane Austen
Try it out. I don't like zombies, but I enjoyed this book. It's a fun take on an old classic and made me want to re-read the original Pride and Prejudice afterwards (and I did!). Nothing too grizzly. If you like this, try Seth's similar book about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - excellent as well!
Uncubicled -Josh McMains
Try it out. This was a cheapee on Amazon ($2-3) and I thought I would give it a try. The author is from my college town, Bloomington-Normal, IL. It was a pretty good thriller, mystery and definitely did not go as I suspected. I was pleasantly surprised. Note that I think it might be split into two volumes now.
Generation Kill -Evan Wright
Try it out. It's been a while since I finished this and I confess that I don't have the best memory for books or movies after it's been about a week :). I believe this tracks one of the first group of soldiers into Iraq and really opens your eyes to what our men are going through. It was a good book, but definitely serious and may or may not be your thing. I think it prompted an HBO special, but I have not watched it.
The Confession: A Novel -John Grisham
No hurry. I am a John Grisham fan and have read most of his books. This one is a little different and although it's well written and kept me turning the pages, it didn't leave the same kine of impression with me. I think I would have been okay to not have read it. But not a bad read.
Never Let Me Go -Kazuo Ishiguro
No hurry. I read this after hearing about the movie recently released (without seeing the movie). Definitely a little weird, but kept me interested and finished quickly. I think it might have pulled a few tears out of me.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (3 part series) -Stieg Larsson
Recommend! I could not put these three books down! A thriller definitely and various stories moving throughout. I immediately found the Swedish movies online, but was greatly disappointed. There was just no way to get all the details into the movie and, sorry to admit it, I was expecting some drop dead gorgeous actors/actresses and was a bit disappointed in that department. We'll see if the U.S. remake can improve at all.
Brain Candy: Science, Paradoxes, Puzzles, Logic, and Illogic to Nourish Your Neurons -Garth Sundem
Next to the Toilet A lot of short stories and tidbits. It was interesting for sure but would be better in paperback as the puzzle and quiz answers are in the back and it was hard to flip in the Kindle. Given the short snippets, it could bode well as a restroom read :).
Poorly Made in China: An Insider's Account of the Tactics Behind China's Production Game -Paul Midler
Recommend! If you have any interest in the business world of China, this is a great read! The story is told about an American working as the middleman in China between the manufacturer and the U.S. buyer...an importer/exporter. The business tactics are so different from what we as Americans would expect. Not to say one way is more correct than the other, but just completely different perspectives. Read it.
Shantaram -Gregory David Roberts
Recommend! Lots of pages, but SO worth it. This is a crazy story of an Australian ex-con living (hiding) in India. It says "based on an extraordinary true story" but I was sad to find out it may not be as close to truth as possible. It had me laughing out loud, crying and on the edge of my seat. A window into a world I will never find myself in :). I've recommended it to others who have enjoyed it as well.
The Inscrutable Americans -Anurag Mathur
Recommend! I bought this a while ago at an airport in India. I forgot how much I enjoyed it until my Mom read it on her recent visit and said she was laughing out loud down at the pool and surely looked like a crazy lady. It's a fun story of an Indian going to college in the U.S. and learning our all American quirks.
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