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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 3/14/2018 9:08:39 AM

wineismylife

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Today I finished reading “Helmet For My Pillow” by Robert Leckie. I enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of WWII history, particularly first person and focused on the Pacific campaign this is a good book for you to read. Previously having read “The Old Breed” by E.B. Sledge these two books are an excellent companion set in my opinion. I’d start with this book then follow with “The Old Breed” although I did them in reverse. Recommended.

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 3/14/2018 4:36:04 PM

khmark7

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quote:

ORIGINAL: wineismylife

Today I finished reading “Helmet For My Pillow” by Robert Leckie. I enjoyed this book. If you are a fan of WWII history, particularly first person and focused on the Pacific campaign this is a good book for you to read. Previously having read “The Old Breed” by E.B. Sledge these two books are an excellent companion set in my opinion. I’d start with this book then follow with “The Old Breed” although I did them in reverse. Recommended.

Good to know, thanks.

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Post #: 272

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 3/18/2018 12:25:50 PM

wineismylife

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Today I finished reading “Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis” by J.D. Vance. I didn’t think I’d like this book judging it by it’s cover so to speak but I did enjoy it. Growing up white and as the middle son of divorced parents I easily identified with many of the same struggles: class warfare, sometimes poor to non-existent employment opportunities, struggling to go to college and be one of the first in the family, upward social mobility and acceptance, etc… Although I’ll freely admit I never experienced the colorfulness of some of his family exchanges I too nonetheless had my family moments growing up in Dallas,Texas in the 60s and 70s. If you’re looking for a book mixed with raw humor, stark reality, emotional roller coasters and a singular goal of obtaining the American dream then this is the book for you. Easy and quick read and recommended on that basis.

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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone.

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Post #: 273

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 3/23/2018 10:58:23 AM

PinotPhile

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Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson.

500+ page bio in progress. He has written several but this is my first read. Very solid author, good style, not so many ivory tower words that I have to sit there w/a dictionary. One of those books I just think I'll page through then end up attempting to read in its entirety before it's due back. I have 3 weeks.

Bibliophile Cheers!

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Post #: 274

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 3/23/2018 1:44:11 PM

Yossarian

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Technical French manuals for my French exams. They suck.

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Post #: 275

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 3/29/2018 1:35:37 PM

wineismylife

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Just finished "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt. Although this was a very well written book with a good plot I found it difficult to read. There were what I would call long winded sections that seemed to drone on forever. Most of those were drug hazed,dream like sequences experienced by the main character. I found myself chewing up whole sections full of excitement and suspense to depressingly find myself in yet another droning section that did nothing more than stretch my ability to maintain focus. Disappointing having wanted to read this for some time and being just a bit let down in the end.

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 3/29/2018 1:39:38 PM

Hollowine

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quote:

ORIGINAL: wineismylife

Today I finished reading my sixth book of 2018. “The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam’s Holiest Shrine and the Birth of al-Qaeda” by Yaroslav Trofimov. Although I had a good basic understanding of most of the history that serves as the story line of this book it was nice to have a simple, easy to read refresher text that also managed to fill in a few details I didn’t recall. A quick and easy read if you’d like to get a handle on some of the history that eventually led to the birth of al-Qaeda, This book is recommended.

Thanks to Hollowine for recommending this book to me.

Sorry I missed your note. Glad you enjoyed the read. I've referenced it several times in conversations as I work with several people from various Middle East countries on my current project.

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Post #: 277

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 3/29/2018 2:06:10 PM

Eddie

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I just read two outstanding books (so good I sped through the two books in three days): the first was The Last Free Man in America, the autobiography of Gatewood Galbraith; the second, Fourth Uncle in the Mountain, an autobiography of Quang van Nguyen, a Vietnamese "barefoot doctor" and traditional healer (the book is a lot like Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi). I recommend both highly, they are real page-turners.

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Post #: 278

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 4/4/2018 12:00:58 PM

PinotPhile

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Last night, I finished plowing through:
World Atlas of Wine, 2007, 6th Edition
This was a gift from DH and there is a more current tome, but much has not changed and it is a great source for detailed maps.

It was a quest. It is done. On to the next vino book!

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Post #: 279

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 4/4/2018 2:24:48 PM

Slye

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quote:

ORIGINAL: wineismylife

Just finished "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt. Although this was a very well written book with a good plot I found it difficult to read. There were what I would call long winded sections that seemed to drone on forever. Most of those were drug hazed,dream like sequences experienced by the main character. I found myself chewing up whole sections full of excitement and suspense to depressingly find myself in yet another droning section that did nothing more than stretch my ability to maintain focus. Disappointing having wanted to read this for some time and being just a bit let down in the end.

Given your response I feel comfortable adding here that this was one of the few books that I affirmatively say people should NOT read. As you noted there were some nice parts, and it certainly had some promise, but it never came together and was quite disappointing.

I recently read Red Sparrow, which I liked alot. I also read the second in the series (I can't remember the name), and it was also good (though perhaps not quite as good as the first). The third book -- I had to stop reading. It was so poorly written compared to the others, that I found myself a chapter or two in saying, you know, I don't need to finish this. I am not enjoying it, and life is short. Now since I did not finish it (or get beyond the first 3-4 chapters I think, I could be wrong about where it goes. So take my view on the third one with a bit of a grain of salt......

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Post #: 280

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 4/14/2018 1:44:45 PM

wineismylife

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“Rise and Kill First: The Inside Story and Secret Operations of Israel’s Assassination Program” by Ronen Bergman. Fascinating subject: Covert Operations & Targeted Assassinations. I’ve always been interested in this subject since I first heard about Mossad and IDF several years ago. This book is chocked full of details about the program and specific events going back to the formation of the Israeli state in 1948. Truly a comprehensive work on the subject my only caution is the expansive details do run on after a while and the reader becomes almost numb toward the end of the book. Well written and if you’re interested in covert operations, assassinations and the like this is a priority read for you. Recommended.

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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone.

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 4/14/2018 8:29:11 PM

PinotPhile

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Y is for Yesterday by the late Sue Grafton. She began this formula series A is for Alibi, etc. Do not know if she made it to Z or if the estate will have someone sorta ghost-write now. Robert B Parker's heirs have some ghost writers who carry on his characters and do a decent job.

Suspense, not too terribly intense, but not suitable for me to read later in the evening. That's for low-key stuff.

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 4/16/2018 9:11:26 AM

wineismylife

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I did not know she had passed.

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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone.

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Post #: 283

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 4/16/2018 9:53:20 AM

PinotPhile

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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/29/obituaries/sue-grafton-dies-best-selling-mystery-author.html

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Post #: 284

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/2/2018 12:13:39 PM

wineismylife

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“No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria” by Rania Abouzeid. Interesting book. The author follows several every day Syrians over about a six year period. Average citizens that mostly wanted to just live a safe and secure life and earn a living instead upended by the multi faction war being raged around them. Hard not to be impacted if read openly and honestly with empathy. If you want to learn more about the Syrian Civil War as related by those most impacted by it’s events this would be a good read for you. Recommended.

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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone.

MyBlog @ http://www.wineismylife.net/

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Post #: 285

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/2/2018 4:37:33 PM

khmark7

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quote:

ORIGINAL: wineismylife

“No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria” by Rania Abouzeid. Interesting book. The author follows several every day Syrians over about a six year period. Average citizens that mostly wanted to just live a safe and secure life and earn a living instead upended by the multi faction war being raged around them. Hard not to be impacted if read openly and honestly with empathy. If you want to learn more about the Syrian Civil War as related by those most impacted by it’s events this would be a good read for you. Recommended.

Thanks, i will seek this out.

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/3/2018 3:57:31 PM

wadcorp

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quote:

ORIGINAL: wineismylife

“No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria” by Rania Abouzeid. Interesting book. The author follows several every day Syrians over about a six year period. Average citizens that mostly wanted to just live a safe and secure life and earn a living instead upended by the multi faction war being raged around them. Hard not to be impacted if read openly and honestly with empathy. If you want to learn more about the Syrian Civil War as related by those most impacted by it’s events this would be a good read for you. Recommended.

A college buddy, is Syrian. I've known him since 1974, and we lived together for a couple years in Houston.

Granted, he's far removed from Syria. For a long, long time. But he's totally at a loss as to what is going on over there.

.

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/9/2018 6:49:10 AM

wineismylife

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“Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI” by David Grann. I really liked this book. Real life who done it kind of a book. Covers regional topics I’m interested in such as Native Americans, the Osage people and their lands surrounding Pawhuska, OK. A quick and easy read. Different than a lot of stuff I’ve been reading lately. Recommended.

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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone.

MyBlog @ http://www.wineismylife.net/

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/9/2018 1:26:46 PM

ckinv368

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Finished "Empty Mansions" (book on reclusive heiress Huguette Clark), and am now reading Oz Clark's book on Bordeaux. Both very good!

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/9/2018 8:14:42 PM

PinotPhile

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Something Rich and Strange by Ron Rash. A collection of short stories. Mostly gloomy, but very well written with a shred of hope.

I find the occasional collection of short stories to be a nice break from a long novel or long non-fiction.

Bibliophile Cheers!

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/19/2018 1:59:54 PM

wineismylife

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“The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet” by David Mitchell. Interesting book. Set in forbidden Japan at the turn of the 18th century historical fiction piece about power, corruption and forbidden love. Slow to start put gripping finish make this a fairly easy read.

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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone.

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/19/2018 2:25:21 PM

Slye

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I am reading Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (not to be confused with Fate and Fury of the The Grey Wolves Series). It is the same story told twice from two different perspectives (a male and female in a relationship). So far very well written and engaging.

I also just bought the first two in the series by Volker Kutscher on which the Netflix series Babylon Berlin is based. The latter is fantastic -- originally in German, so you have to either have it dubbed (which is disorienting) or watch with subtitles (which I did). It is an excellent series about a detective in Berlin between the two wars, touching on the rise of Nazism and the activism of the Communist Party, and the inter relationship between those two destablizing factors in Weimar Berlin. I am excited to read the books -- usually I prefer to read books before watching the movie or TV series, but it was the TV series that first caught my attention.

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/19/2018 4:26:57 PM

WineGuyCO

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I have Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose sitting on my nightstand that I want to read but have lots going on right now with our house sale. Having just been to Northern Idaho and NW Montana I really want to read this. Maybe next week when my kids go back home.

Rick

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/20/2018 8:06:21 AM

Hollowine

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From: Hood River, OR
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quote:

ORIGINAL: Slye

I am reading Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (not to be confused with Fate and Fury of the The Grey Wolves Series). It is the same story told twice from two different perspectives (a male and female in a relationship). So far very well written and engaging.

I read this as well, pretty good fiction.

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Post #: 294

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/20/2018 8:14:38 AM

Hollowine

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Re-reading my new favorite book, "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson.

The title is meant to catch your attention, and the F bomb is copiously used throughout, but if you can put those two aside there are some great bits of advice in here. Simple premise, you have only so many F's to give in life, so make them count or you will drive yourself and everyone else nuts. There are several people in my family and work worlds I want to buy this book for and tell them "Chill. Go read this."

May not strike the same chord for each of you, but I loved the approach and the message.

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Post #: 295

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/20/2018 11:01:00 AM

PinotPhile

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The Disappeared by CJ Box. Part of a series featuring a game warden based in WY. Enjoy books in any park-type setting. This is his latest and will take me no more than 4 days. One that's hard to put down for this mystery buff.

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Post #: 296

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/23/2018 12:12:23 PM

Wine_Strategies

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Hollowine

Re-reading my new favorite book, "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson.

The title is meant to catch your attention, and the F bomb is copiously used throughout, but if you can put those two aside there are some great bits of advice in here. Simple premise, you have only so many F's to give in life, so make them count or you will drive yourself and everyone else nuts. There are several people in my family and work worlds I want to buy this book for and tell them "Chill. Go read this."

May not strike the same chord for each of you, but I loved the approach and the message.

Agreed, solid read and a book that 'stays with you', in the best of ways, of course.

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Post #: 297

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/23/2018 12:41:52 PM

CranBurgundy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Hollowine

Re-reading my new favorite book, "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck" by Mark Manson.

I like Mark Manson. He's the author of one of my favorite articles:

https://markmanson.net/internet

However, not giving a f*ck is a sure way to end up in the unemployment line.

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Post #: 298

RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 5/25/2018 1:09:56 PM

PinotPhile

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Look Homeward Angel.

By Thomas Wolfe, written in 1929. Library copy was acquired 1984. 600+ pages. He is supposed to be a great writer, so I'll find out if I agree. I wasn't around when it was written.

Finished the book today. Maybe the strangest book I've ever read. Slogged through it, but neither enjoyable nor recommended. JMHO.

< Message edited by PinotPhile -- 6/1/2018 8:01:44 PM >

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RE: NWR: I just read/am reading.... - 6/6/2018 2:38:53 PM

wineismylife

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“The Great Alone” by Kristin Hannah. I liked this book. I found the subject matter on homesteading in Alaska an interesting read. Well constructed and written. I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as “The Nightingale” but still devoured it in about a week.

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Wine is like potato chips around me...if it's open, it's gone.

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Post #: 300