The Alchemist, Paolo Coelho: Recommended by Vash. Written by a Brazilian so it has a definite non-American vibe. A bit ethereal new-agey, kind of similar to Life of Pi. Basic message is follow your dreams. Easy to read and worth the time. A good, positive message which conflicted with my realistic (cynical) attitude. I understand why some people (Vash) like it so much and some people (me) are less enthusiatic. A moderate thumbs up.
Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Bill Bryson: recommended by Rcooled. I could not get into it and did not finish it, which is saying alot because I have a compulsion about finishing books. I was just not in the mood for the whole "my hilarious life as a kid" shtick. I may try again in the summer by the pool with a pitcher of margaritas, etc, but not now. Thumbs down.
Caught Stealing, Charlie Huston: recommended by fxeditor. Potential MLB player has career ending injuryand becomes a boozing bartender on the short road to nowhere. The action starts when he is in the wrong place at the wrong time, and gets cuaght up in a criminal enterprise. Huston is not a great author, but it's a pretty good story, with lots of action and the main character's development is not typical. A good ending. Casual reading. The only problem was that if the F-bombs were deleted, the book would be half its current length. Reading "F'n F this, F'ing F'er" gets tedious after awhile. Thumbs up.
Christopher's Ghosts, Charles McCarry: Seahawk recommended another McCarry book which I couldn't find so I picked up this one. McCarry is a very talented writer. It's a story about pre-war Germany and the SS atrocities, etc, and how a young boy comes back to get his revenge. The action was initially very subtle (slow) and the story long in developing, but it was very well written. I will eventually read everything McCarry has written. A big thumbs up.
Next on the list: Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales and whatever I can find by McCarry (thanks, Seahawk), Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates (Gaijin), and Dragon at the Edge of the World by our own Charles White (if I can find it). I am working my way through the recommendations here
what book did you last read/recommend?