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Originally Posted by Ken Brown
(Post 11745101)
I have read two outstanding novels this year:
The Road by Cormac McCarthy. McCarthy is an amazing writer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road |
Originally Posted by lhbernhardt
(Post 11744044)
Books that changed my life: Back when I was going to junior high school in Berkeley, CA, an English teacher gave me a copy of a book of poetry, Lawrence Ferlinghetti's "A Coney Island of the Mind." One of the classic beat books. I also love Kerouac's "On the Road" and "The Dharma Bums."
The book I keep going back to (and quoting from often) is Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being." Eternal return; if it happened only once, it might as well never have happened... I love the reason for Sabina's never marching or participating in political demonstrations; I share her rationale! Philosophy disguised as fiction. L. As for the Ferlingetti and Kerouc, yeah that was part of this discovery of bi-coastal post war literature. The real corker was Bill Burroughs and Naked Lunch. The clique of these guys, including Alan Ginsberg made a huge impact on me as I was growing up. I recently re-read Naked Lunch and it was more relevant to a 50+ than it was to a 20something. It is a difficult read for it's deliberate shock and horrible exploration of human appetites and obsessions. It's also a very "historical" book. |
Tim Krabbe's "The Rider" I mistakenly entitled "The Cyclist" above. Also.........any of Maynard Hershon's pieces usually published as collections such as "Half-Wheel Hell". A little hokey, but he writes about social and personal angles of cycling and often dates himself backto the days of Lemond, Chiapucci, etc. Fun to curl up with. May be out of print.
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Originally Posted by Ken Brown
(Post 11745101)
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Originally Posted by donheff
(Post 11745961)
The Road is a powerful book. I thought the movie was good also but a lot of people who didn't read the book dislike the movie. I guess they are not ready for such a dystopian view.
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Originally Posted by '47
(Post 11746294)
Tim Krabbe's "The Rider" I mistakenly entitled "The Cyclist" above. Also.........any of Maynard Hershon's pieces usually published as collections such as "Half-Wheel Hell". A little hokey, but he writes about social and personal angles of cycling and often dates himself backto the days of Lemond, Chiapucci, etc. Fun to curl up with. May be out of print.
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Cycling: "The Rider" is wonderful. Even if you're no Lance fan, you'll like "Lance Armstrong's War".
SF: Someone mentioned Neal Stephenson. Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash, and the Diamond Age are all wonderful. If you've never read Larry Niven, try "Protector" or "Ringworld". John Varley's trilogy, "Titan", "Wizard", "Demon" is still the best SF trilogy I've ever read. |
I'm not much for fiction, I like true stories and biographical stuff. I just finished the biography of former astronaut Story Musgrave. He is one of the great minds of our time. Fascinating life, if you are at all into biographies I highly recommend his.
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Originally Posted by Pobble.808
(Post 11740759)
The interesting selection of books read by 50+ers leads me to wonder what kinds of books might have been written by 50+ers. The only author to have come forward, at least as far as I can recall at the moment, is the esteemed Mr. Digital Gee. I have written one hopelessly unreadable academic tome and published a translation of a Japanese novel which, sadly, does not contain any bike scenes.
Anybody else out there? http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.p...-0-7864-3010-9 |
Originally Posted by Dan Burkhart
(Post 11747717)
I read the book. It was very dark indeed. Haven't seen the movie, but I will eventually.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2457/...8aeac8b6_b.jpg |
My regular re-reads: Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange (actually, this one's on my Desert Island Books list and Desert Island Movies list); the original M*A*S*H (another on the DIB and DIM lists; the tv-series sucks. Out loud.); Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince and Dragon Star trilogies; David and Leigh Eddings' Belgariad and Mallorean series (and their related books). I've actually worn out 2 copies of Heinlein's Glory Road. I first read The Lord of the Rings when I was 15 years old and have re-read it several times. But not in many years. I've tried. I've managed to walk through the audiobooks on my treadmill. But to hold the books in hand and read them with my eyeballs? Just can't seem to get past the first few pages. |
The White Company & The Witchery of Archery are two that I make an effort to read every year. Amazing how the writing
styles & language has changed ! |
It must be time to revive this thread since the weather is much better for reading than riding. I just finished the book "My Abandonment" by Peter Rock, fascinating! A few years ago a runner was running in Portland's Forest Park and came across a camp where a man and his 13 year old daughter were living. This is a novel based on the initial story and a very well written book.
I've read lots of other books this winter, currently reading "Tonto and the Lone Ranger Fist Fight in Heaven" by Sherman Alexie, who is a wonderful writer. The book was the novel that the movie "Smoke Signals" was based on. If you haven't seen Smoke Signals, you should, one of my favorites. |
Originally Posted by donheff
(Post 11736974)
Thanks. I just put a hold on it at the library. On the cycling topic I recommend Miles from Nowhere: A Round the World Bicycle Adventure, by Barbara Savage. Savage and her husband, both totally inexperienced riders took off around the world on a lark in the 70s. Their adventures are phantastic. Unfortunately Savage was hit by a car and killed in Santa Barbara after she got home and never saw the book she had penned published. I think I learned about it here on an earlier book thread. I also give a second to Surely You Are Joking Mr. Feynman, mentioned above.
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Thanks for the original recommendation of French Revolutions. Just ordered it from Amazon.
And I have to agree that The Rider by Krabbe is an amazing book. When I read the description--an entire book that is devoted to a single race--I thought I'd get bored. As it was, I couldn't put it down and was sorry when it was over. |
Originally Posted by PrairieDog
(Post 12182041)
Thanks for the original recommendation of French Revolutions. Just ordered it from Amazon.
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Just finished "Bobke II". Bob Roll is immensely entertaining and funny.
Currently reading an excellent book titled "Cutting for Stone". |
Originally Posted by tsl
(Post 11741560)
Back to spec-fic, I thought of another one I really enjoyed last summer. It's the perfect discussion book for 50+ too, BTW.
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist, translated from the Swedish by Marlaine Delargy. In this dystopian near-future, 50+ women and 60+ men who are single, childless and in jobs that can be done by others, are asked to step aside and check into a home where they will live out their lives in pampered luxury--for a price. I'm not sure what is more chilling--the price they pay, that their society thinks it's the right thing to do, or that they go along with it without resistance. The book raises the questions,
A thoroughly provocative book, that really hit home for this single, childless 50+er.
Originally Posted by ahsposo
(Post 11743339)
This sounds interesting. I'll get back to you when I finish it. It's currently checked out but I got a hold on it at my library.
This is an outstanding work of fiction. I second tsl with no reservation. What a powerful book. After I read this I moved 180 degrees but stayed in the arena of dealing with an aging population. The book is Christopher Buckley's Boomsday. |
Some recent reads I cannot recommend highly enough:
Plainsong by Kent Haruf Driftless by David Rhodes Gilead and its sequel Home by Marilynne Robinson The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski And while not recently read, some of my all-time favorites include: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Until I Find You by John Irving Going after Cacciato by Tim O'Brien The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien Ferrol Sams's trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels: Run with the Horsemen, The Whisper of the River and When All the World Was Young. |
Originally Posted by CraigB
(Post 12787500)
Some recent reads I cannot recommend highly enough:
Plainsong by Kent Haruf Driftless by David Rhodes Gilead and its sequel Home by Marilynne Robinson The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski And while not recently read, some of my all-time favorites include: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Until I Find You by John Irving Going after Cacciato by Tim O'Brien The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien Ferrol Sams's trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels: Run with the Horsemen, The Whisper of the River and When All the World Was Young. I found "The Things They Carried" very moving. I am also a fan of Erik Larson: "The Devil in the White City", "Isaac's Storm" and "Thunderstruck" as well as Kazuo Ishiguro: "Remains of the Day"(hence my user name) |
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist, translated from the Swedish by Marlaine Delargy. In this dystopian near-future, 50+ women and 60+ men who are single, childless and in jobs that can be done by others, are asked to step aside and check into a home where they will live out their lives in pampered luxury--for a price. I'm not sure what is more chilling--the price they pay, that their society thinks it's the right thing to do, or that they go along with it without resistance. The book raises the questions,
Ever been in one of those "exclusive retirement homes" - where, for a significant down payment and monthly price, folks - some in their 50's and 60's (others much older) - live lives of pampered regimentation. And, you don't have to be single and childless to participate in these smothered and sheltered worlds. You find them on the ocean in places like Carlsbad, CA. Dress for all meals, sit at the same table with the same boring conversation, get on the bus for an excursion where the most exercise is getting up the steps into the bus. My singing group sings for a couple of those places. |
Originally Posted by DnvrFox
(Post 12787764)
.
Ever been in one of those "exclusive retirement homes" - where, for a significant price, folks - some in their 50's and 60's others much older) - live lives of pampered regimentation. And, you don't have to be single and childless to participate in these smothered and sheltered worlds. You pay for it with your body. |
Originally Posted by ahsposo
(Post 12787772)
Uh, this is a little different...
You pay for it with your body. |
I don't want to be a spoiler so I won't do a detailed summary.
This book was for me a real stunner. Imagine a really, really intelligent Soylent Green mixed with Brave New World and Anna Karenina. |
It looks like 50ers are reading all sorts of stuff, so let me put in my two cents as a retired teacher of literature. For years I was a speaker for the Montana Committee for the Humanities. One of the programs I presented was entitled The Ten Greatest Novels and How to Read Them. The list changed over the years, but here are a bunch that you can't go wrong with though some might take a little time and energy. You might think that the list is a bit academic, which it is. All of these books appear on college reading lists somewhere or other, but all are great novels and accessible to serious readers who want to extend themselves beyond just popular novels, which are primarily escapist and entertaining (nothing wrong with escapism or entertainment, of course). These novels are entertaining as well, but stimulating and enlightenening in addition. Here goes:
Tolstoy: War and Peace; Anna Karenina Dostoyevsky: Crime and Punishment Stendahl: Red and Black Flaubert: Madame Bovary Dickens: David Copperfield Conrad: Heart of Darkness Gaskell: Wives and Daughters Eliot: Middlemarch James: Portrait of a Lady Hemingway: A Farewell to Arms Fitzegerald: The Great Gatsby Faulkner: The Sound and the Fury Twain: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Melville: Moby Dick Hawthorne: The Scarlett Letter |
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