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A Great Read
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Books
A Great Read
<font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif" size="1">Like to read great books? From fiction books like <u>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</u> to non-fiction autobiographies, members of the Book Message Board can help you find that next great read!</font>
I don't usually post on the boards but I read some fantastic books this summer....THE POWER OF NOW & A NEW EARTH; AWAKENING TO YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE....both by ECKHART TOLLE. The author is abs
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Cat:a8a2f11e-9648-4e84-80dd-46ee37ced053Forum:e8bbac91-f95f-4acf-abc1-0df3f3e6c5eeDiscussion:01580f50-a36c-4c34-a11e-96f62e375718
Forums » Entertainment » Books » A Great Read
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Re: A Great Read
posted at March 31, 2012 2:11 PM EDT
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Posts: 3
First: March 31, 2012 Last: April 2, 2012 |
In Response to Re: A Great Read: This is my first visit to AARP's Message Boards. Seeing the headline "A Great Read" I couldn't let the opportunity pass, to tell everyone about two novels by Wilkie Collins. Both were written in Victorian England in the 1860's, but both still carry the incredible power of can't-put-it-down mystery novels. Some portions do drag a bit, but they serve to develop the characters - some bizarre and some heroic.The Moonstone is about the theft of a diamond sacred to the Buddhist faith, and Woman In White draws you in to the sleazy greed of conspiracies to marry for money. Both books are about 150 years old, but both will grab you after only three or four pages. They're still in print. Try them and see. The Moonstone is the first detective novel, in English at least, structuring the central role very well. Woman in White, situated in wealthy, genteel society, reveals how sinister and black-hearted some people can become. Both are five star reads on my shelf. Dan Posted by CarolandDan Thanks CarolandDan I love Victorian England detective novels but can not say I have read Moonstone yet, I will add to my read list! Another great one is Charles Finch. He is fairly new but I have read 3 of his books and loved them! |
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Re: A Great Read
posted at March 31, 2012 2:14 PM EDT
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Posts: 3
First: March 31, 2012 Last: April 2, 2012 |
In Response to Re: A Great Read: I want to second those who have recommended Fall of Giants. Can't wait for the next one. I also want to recommend a book by one of our local authors here in Youngstown, OH (I know, but there really is some amazing talent out here): One for Sorrow by Barzak. Anybody reading the Hunger Games books? Posted by drtess Hi drtess, I did not think Hunger Games would be a book I would enjoy but my neice recommended it and I couldn't put it down. Two days I had it read!! I started book two but haven't got into it yet as I was sick with a chest cold and felt to miserable! Is Fall of Giants a continuation of the Pillars of the Earth or more like his older books? Thanks G |
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Re: A Great Read - Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin
posted at March 31, 2012 2:22 PM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: March 31, 2012 Last: March 31, 2012 |
This is an amazing look at the inside workings and behind-the-scenes manipulations of our financial industry as it happened. Thoroughly researched by the author, who was also a columnist reporting on the events for the New York Times, you are right there in the board rooms and the government offices as U.S. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, New York Fed Chair Tim Geitner and the CEOs of all the major commercial and investment banks jockeyed to either survive the crisis they created or gobble up the losers in the melee. It's also interesting, though perhaps not surprising, to know that all the banking CEOs and major players have the Treasury Secretary, the NY Fed Chair and other government officials on their speed dial and are almost always granted immediate access. I have to say that, based on this read, I have a much better respect for the daily burdens faced by Secretary Paulson during this period and the reasoning for his actions. It does not mean that I agree with the route taken, but sometimes when you are in the middle of battle, you cannot see solutions that may be outside the box. The book begs the question as to why banks were allowed in the first place to become Too Big to Fail, but also shows how the survivors of this crisis came out even bigger. There was a great deal of talk during those sleepless days and nights about saving the jobs of the CEOs and the employees, a bit less talk about doing what is right by their shareholders, and very little discussion about saving the working class citizens who were wholesale damaged by the crisis. There was also almost no acceptance of accountability for their own actions, nor much discussion about the causes. You would need to read "The Big Short" for a discussion of how the lack of banking regulation led to greed-infused creativity on Wall Street and a sell-out of the American people. Also, there was very little revelation as to what might happen should the big banks be allowed to fail other than generalizations that it would be catastrophic for both the domestic and world markets. Of course, one bank, Lehman Brothers, was left to fail, and the controversy over that decision is still debated. One is still left to wonder what the affect might have been if bailout funds were channeled instead to middle class consumers to save their homes, how a "trickle up" theory might have worked. Some jaw-dropping revelations, however, keep this book moving like a novel, from calls at 2 a.m. to days without sleep as all parties worked on solutions. The intrigue hardly ever lets up. In one instance, Japanese investors flew to the U.S. to present a $9 BILLION check, probably the largest ever written, to conclude a transaction on a holiday. It was also intriguing to see how little President Bush was involved in the activities and decisions, simply getting an occasional report, then stepping up to the microphone when the bailout was announced. All in all, an intriguing read - and a must read for anyone who has a healthy curiosity about how it all went down. It's fairly widely accepted now that the bailout has created a gradual improvement of the economy, assisted by similar actions under the Obama administration. Ultimately, perhaps, Hank Paulson can sleep well at night understanding that his plan has worked, albeit much more slowly than anticipated. Andrew Ross Sorkin, regardless of his inside connections and access to personal notes, diaries and the people that mattered, needs to be commended for his ability to bring all of it to an organized compendium that keeps the reader involved. |
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Re: A Great Read
posted at March 31, 2012 4:24 PM EDT
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Posts: 447
First: August 24, 2010 Last: June 9, 2013 |
In Response to Re: A Great Read: has anyone ever read Jonathan Kellerman? a great mystery writer. I just got thru his latest, "Victims" and couldn't put it down. Posted by cmurphy19 Jonathan Kelllerman, like James Patterson and Patricia Cornwell, is not near as good as he used to be. I loved the earlier books of all three, but their writing has really declined.
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Re: A Great Read
posted at March 31, 2012 4:27 PM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: March 31, 2012 Last: March 31, 2012 |
I also just recently retired and work part time. However, I am a full time homemaker and theology student,so I find littlet time to read still, but it is one of my favorite things to do. I just got a Kindle last year and it is the best present!!!! I seem to be reading many books at once. I just finished an autobiography called Secrets or somethng. I borrowed it and had to give iit back so I can't remember the full title. Anyway, it was a spellbinder and the writer had struggled with whether or not she was capable to writing. Life can be good. |
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Re: A Great Read
posted at March 31, 2012 5:23 PM EDT
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Posts: 3
First: March 31, 2012 Last: April 3, 2012 |
In Response to Re: A Great Read: In Response to Re: A Great Read : Jonathan Kelllerman, like James Patterson and Patricia Cornwell, is not near as good as he used to be. I loved the earlier books of all three, but their writing has really declined. Posted by ksales I agree w/you re Cornwell and Patterson but I think Kellerman's still "got it." He and Michael Connelly and Harlan Coben among others are 'must reads' for me. To each his own or "different strokes" as the old song went. |
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Re: A Great Read
posted at March 31, 2012 5:32 PM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: March 31, 2012 Last: March 31, 2012 |
matthew henry commentary of the bible/type the words matthew henry commentary in the search box and go to the link that starts with apostle/ next go to gutenburg.org and it will pop up project gutenburg i am presently reading "wuthering heights" it is listed in the top 100 authors area.
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Re: A Great Read
posted at March 31, 2012 5:49 PM EDT
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Posts: 447
First: August 24, 2010 Last: June 9, 2013 |
In Response to Re: A Great Read: In Response to Re: A Great Read : I agree w/you re Cornwell and Patterson but I think Kellerman's still "got it." He and Michael Connelly and Harlan Coben among others are 'must reads' for me. To each his own or "different strokes" as the old song went. Posted by cmurphy19 Kellerman is not as bad as Cornwell and Patterson, but I still think he's declined since his early books. On the other hand, Micheal Connelly never disappoints me. All these years, he's been one of the tops on my list.
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Escapeism, sort of
posted at March 31, 2012 7:04 PM EDT
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Posts: 1
First: March 31, 2012 Last: March 31, 2012 |
Recently discovered a John Grisham book I haven't read: "Playing for Pizza". It's a great read. Although it is set in Italy, it reminds me of my old home, New Orleans. If and when it is ever made into a movie, I hope they don't make a bomb of it like they did with Frederick Forsyth's "Odessa File". I read Mike Tidwell's "Bayou Farewell" about a year or two before Hurricane Katrina decimated the Gufl Coast. It was eerily prophetic. |
Forums » Entertainment » Books » A Great Read
