Yankee4Life Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 What books were they, Y4L? Oh, this was many years ago. Not all of them were bad of course, there was a pretty decent sized list of books to choose from. But all the good ones (To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn) were always checked out of the library. Remember, back then there was no Amazon.com for me to go to and get this stuff. One of the books I didn't like was "The Grapes of Wrath", I just never got into it. I read it, took notes and passed the test. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroEric Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 At least you do read, and you gave the book a chance, obviously taking enough from it to pass a test. What I hate is when my students come in and say, "This was stupid. It was boring," but (1) they can't tell me any specific reason why they didn't like whatever I assigned them and (2) they say that for everything. Even David Sedaris. "I just hate reading." Then, when I give them Cs and Ds on their papers, they don't understand. Reading regularly increases the ability to write and communicate. In the words of Charlie Brown: ARGH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroEric Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 i did read some of Sandman, i think the first book, but most of it i couldn't get into, just was too... dull. dull, dull, dull. (quoting monty phyton.) This is a response to an older post, but give it a chance past the first book. I didn't really get into that one either, but the later books definitely pick up the pace. Sandman has my all-time favorite meta-fictional comic book panel: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillerBs Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 It would be great if this generation would turn off the idiot box and pick up a book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abc006 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 It would be great if this generation would turn off the idiot box and pick up a book.This isn't at all directed to you specifically, but people see that kids just watch TV on TV - look for yourself, and you would actually be surprised how many kids love reading. Not saying that nobody watches TV, but you would be surprised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillerBs Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Well I myself don't watch a whole lot of TV. I just know from my nieces and nephews that a lot of kids don't like to read. They say that they hate reading, and so do all of their friends. Of course, this is only in my area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgbaseball Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Reading is the #1 leisure activity in America. While TV watching clearly dominates all other leisure activities in the time spent category, reading is #1 among favorite leisure activity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim416 Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Hope you all can check out my book, The Ghosts of Vietnam. Go to my website. Web Page Name or to MYSPACE Web Page Name There are several reviews on Amazon.com also. You can purchase it there, Barnes and Noble, or through me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcrunner4623 Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 The Perfect Mile is a great book about Roger Bannister's quest for the Four-Minute Mile and the people surrounding him in the chase. I read it in about a couple days and it was solid. Any sports book by Mike Lupica is a good read, he brings humor and great insight. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair was by far one of the most influential books I have read. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred13 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 So the book I ended up doing was On the Road by Jack Kerouac, and so far, it is one hell of a book, I'm really enjoying it. One more question though directed at anyone: What is, in your opinion, the best fictional novel with a baseball theme? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mav3rek Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Even though it's part of my curriculum for U.S. History since 1865, My Soul Is Rested by Howell Raines is a very very very good book about the Civil Rights Movement in the Deep South. It is a series of interviews with people that were directly involved in the movement, and even some who were directly opposed to it. I never knew quite what all went on, and what kind of struggles different people went through. This book has opened my eyes to a lot, and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the Civil Rights Movement during the 50's and 60's in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroEric Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 The Curious Case of Sidd Finch, by George Plimpton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lautrec Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 What books were they, Y4L? Here's another thought, Fred. In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood (not a novel, but a "non-fiction novel" -- Capote's words), there's a great passage about how the night of these murders was the first night that many Kansas...ites? Kansasians? Anyway...Kansas citizens locked their doors. You might be able to use that image as a metaphor and paint that decade as a turning point for America. --Eric It's Kansans. And, I live about 7 miles from the site of the murders, Holcomb, Kansas. I know the assistant DA on that case, I was friends with his son. It's amazing how much that sad story is still intwined in our minds after all these years (1959). How about something by one of the greatest American prose masters; Steinbeck? I'm thinking about Grapes of Wrath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royal Blues Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Believe it or not, but I'd throw Stephen King into the mix. Two of his works come to mind: Hearts In Atlantis, and The Body (which can be found in Different Seasons...for those who don't know, it's the story that became the movie Stand By Me). I'm a huge fan of his work, but I like his non-horror writing just a tad better than his "typical" works. Bag of Bones is another excellent book. It's more or less a romantic ghost story. And, if you have a month or two to kill, the Dark Tower series is absolutely wonderful. Amazing character development. The last book was extremely powerful. I honestly cried at one point about halfway through the book and had to put it down for awhile. If anybody's read it, they may know exactly what I mean. I'll also agree with Maverick. The Harry Potter series is very adult-friendly. I'm 30, and I still enjoy them, as they are very well written, and cannot wait for the 7th book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroEric Posted March 29, 2007 Share Posted March 29, 2007 A guy whom I consider one of the best writers of the 20th/21st C. has been chosen as the next Oprah's Book Club reading -- Cormac McCarthy. He'll be giving an interview on TV, which is ridiculous if you know anything about him. I think he's refused to do interviews for at least 15 years, maybe 20. --Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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