The Cellar / Books You Recommend

**Posted by monster** 10/13/2020 7:21 pm

Squeeze Me: Carl Hiaasen.

I love Carl -he's hilarious and completely deranged, so I read all of his stuff. Had no idea this latest one touched on current events. Hilarious and a little scary. I am scared that some of his portrayals are closer to the truth than is comfortable. Loved it. One of the characters is a returning weirdo, but it doesn't lessen the story if you haven't read any of his other novels.

**Posted by Flint** 10/13/2020 7:37 pm

I can tell you about the really great 1st chapters of a big pile of books...

**Posted by monster** 10/13/2020 7:46 pm

I think Hiassen is inspired by you tbh -ever lived in Florida?

**Posted by Clodfobble** 10/13/2020 8:07 pm

I have very much enjoyed The Overstory by Richard Powers. Grand and moving and a huge cast of characters. It's dragging a little here at the end, as we wrap everybody's separate storylines up after they all converged for the big action--but only a little.

**Posted by glatt** 10/13/2020 8:22 pm

I read Station Eleven by Emily S. J. Mandel a few months before the pandemic. It was a good book and I would recommend it It’s timely because it’s about a pandemic and the post apocalyptic world that follows. Mostly though, it’s a story about characters.

Just thought about it because I had 6 hours to kill on Sunday while I ran a blood drive, and my wife handed me the same author’s new book as I was heading out the door. I didn’t even get a chance to crack it though.

**Posted by lumberjim** 10/13/2020 8:28 pm

The name of the wind ~Patrick Rothfus.

Pissed that the 3rd book isn't out yet.

**Posted by lumberjim** 10/13/2020 8:30 pm

The Butress of Windsor ~ TD Black

**Posted by DanaC** 10/14/2020 3:34 am

I am 3 books into the Dresden Files (audio book) and absolutely loving them

I have had the first book for years. Always appealed to me, but could never get into it. So, as I was at a loose end a week or so ago, I figured I'd give it another go.

Now am totally addicted

**Posted by griff** 10/14/2020 6:48 am

2312 Kim Stanley Robinson I'm not sure if HappyMonkey mentioned this book, it is my current read.

**Posted by Happy Monkey** 10/14/2020 10:49 am

Wasn't me; I may have recommended his Mars trilogy, though. If not, consider this that recommendation.

I'll throw in Iain M. Banks's Culture books as well (TV show currently in development).

And Steel Beach by John Varley.

**Posted by wolf** 12/07/2020 10:37 am

Still coasting along on the wonderfulness that is A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Nearly all of the action takes place in a grand hotel in Moscow starting in the 1920s. Given the constricted setting you wouldn't expect much of it, but the storytelling is amazingly rich.

**Posted by fargon** 12/07/2020 11:43 am

Good Morning Miss Wolf.

**Posted by monster** 12/07/2020 12:09 pm

woooooooolf! oh hai!

**Posted by griff** 12/07/2020 12:43 pm

wolf wrote:
Still coasting along on the wonderfulness that is A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Nearly all of the action takes place in a grand hotel in Moscow starting in the 1920s. Given the constricted setting you wouldn't expect much of it, but the storytelling is amazingly rich.

Interesting scene...

**Posted by Clodfobble** 12/07/2020 2:53 pm

Welcome, wolf!

**Posted by BigV** 12/09/2020 11:33 pm

My most recent download from Audible is Ready, Player Two, by Ernest Cline.

Narrated by Wil Wheaton.

NOM.

**Posted by griff** 12/11/2020 9:10 am

Am I right to assume that RP1 and RP2 are not written for people who have consciously avoided gaming their entire lives because of their addictive personality? I'm told they're good.

River Out of Eden - Richard Dawkins

I never read him before, he is really good.

**Posted by Clodfobble** 12/11/2020 12:18 pm

They're not about gaming, really. It's mostly just 1980s fan service, tossing in as many pop culture references as humanly possible. The first one was okay, for a kids' book, but I saw a few excerpts of the second one online and had a hard time figuring out if they were satire.

**Posted by BigV** 12/11/2020 8:51 pm

RP1 was very enjoyable, listening to WW is always a pleasure. Recommended.

**Posted by DanaC** 8/15/2021 7:19 am

I just finished an amazing audiobook - not exactly light listening though not nearly as heavy to get through as I thought it might be:

The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11, by Garrett M Graff

A few 9/11 things have been popping into my youtube feed recently, and I watched a report from the day - it was took me right back to that day. Left me reflecting on how everyone who watched the events unfold on TV across the world was a little scarred by it - not nearly as affected as Americans, but still affected by the horror of it - I know it left a lasting impression on me. And then I was thinking about how the world changed in that one day - and how even now we are seeing its legacy play out in Afghanistan

Then saw this book on Audible and thought ok, that might help me sort out how I feel about this.

Anyway - I highly recommend this audiobook - it is compelling and well put together - in partiucular it was fascinating to hear what was going on behind the scenes at the White House and on Air Force One and what the news reporters were experiencing - gave me a different insight into people like Cheney, Rumsfeld and Bush.

Last edited by DanaC (8/15/2021 7:21 am)

**Posted by griff** 8/15/2021 7:33 pm

The Tiger by John Vaillant

Highly recommended, history, natural history, sociology...

**Posted by bbro** 9/03/2021 5:57 pm

I think I might be in the minority in that I didn't like Ready Player One very much.

One of the first books I started recommending to people was A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. I like a lot of his books, but not all.

I loved The Rook by Daniel O'Malley (the STARZ series really didn't do it justice).

Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes was really good. I have the sequel here that I've been meaning to start :|

The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters was one of the first books I finished that I considered "difficult, but worth it"

This Body's Not Big Enough for Both of Us by Edgar Cantero I love this one. It's such a unique story that I haven't read before and it's told really well.

There's many many more I would recommend, but I figured I'd start with these

**Posted by Clodfobble** 9/03/2021 6:11 pm

Oh shit, y'all... So I scrolled up the page, saw a post by myself that I didn't remember writing, and realized that's the first time this has happened in the new place. And then I looked at the date and was like, "Wait, that was almost a year ago, has it been a year?"

Our one-year anniversary is on October 13th, the start date of this thread.

**Posted by DanaC** 10/15/2021 2:33 pm

Flint wrote:
I can tell you about the really great 1st chapters of a big pile of books...

Omg, this!

I have been in a really unsettled mood of late and have struggled to connect with stuff. I have like 7 -8 books I'm a few chapters into and intend at some point to go back to..

I have just started a new audiobook that so far has me gripped, but its non-fiction another 9/11 account.

Other than that its podcasts all the way at the moment

**Posted by meghanswift** 10/19/2021 5:02 pm

I would recommend Man's search for meaning. It is full of bravery and dedication.