the final book in the Heir series...all three are really good, and a refeshing look into wizards and warriors...
Catfish, Yaz, and Hammerin' Hank: The Unforgettable Era That Transformed Baseball, by Phil Pepe this is about baseball in the 1970s; decent read, numerous pictures, a bit Yankee-centric if that might bother you.
Just finished - I've read all of Brookmyre's books and I usually enjoy them immensely. And that was the case with this one. His previous effort, The Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks was good, but not quite at his usual high level. A Snowball in Hell sees the return of three of his previous characters from different novels. In particular, it was a welcome return for the deliciously evil Simon Darcourt. Brookmyre at his best is the most inventive Scottish crime fiction writer of the last 13yrs.
Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, An American Town by Warren St. John I'm about half way through and it's incredible so far. I've read St. John's other book and it was fantastic too. Anyway, this is the story of a youth soccer club (U13s, U15s and U17s) in suburban Atlanta comprised exclusively of refugees. The kids are primarily from Africa, but there's a handful from the Middle East, Asia and Eastern Europe as well. The suburb of Clarkston was transformed in the 1990s from a nearly all-white suburb to one of the most ethnically diverse towns in America in the span of a decade. Refugees from over 50 countries were resettled in Clarkston. It's also the story of the refugees and the townspeople and how they reacted to each other.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Jar-Everymans-Library-Cloth/dp/0375404635/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241448934&sr=8-1#"]Amazon.com: The Bell Jar (Everyman's Library (Cloth)): Sylvia Plath: Books[/ame]
Edwidge Danticat's excellent The Farming of Bones - Revisiting this one. My, how I dislike the Dominican Republic's Trujillo. Danticat is fantastic, and I read anything I can get my hands on.
Read them all, plus have my PhD in Latin American history, all of which contribute to me having Trujillo tops on my most hated list - and that is really saying something. Good books all.
Six winning days at the track in a row. 3 in one week at Keeneland last month, including the All Stakes Pick 4 on the Blue Grass Stakes, which sent me to the IRS window. Had big days at Churchill Downs on Oaks Day, Derby Day-- My facebook profile pic is me and my $20 win ticket on Mine That Bird that paid $1032, and Wednesday I was 3/4 of a length from a $30K Pick 6 score and had to settle for 3 consos paying $757.80 for 5 out of 6. I'd say that it's working. Current handicapping reading:
I reread Geert Mak's in Europe this weekend (as it was such a lovely weekend for reading in the garden in Europe) and it was brilliant the second time as it was the first time. Any of you who are interested in how events in 20th century Europe are all linked in should read this book. It is not a dry history book, it includes many personal accounts of people who were actually there when it happened and it's seriously well written. Non-fiction fans (you know who you are) read this book, I can guarantee that you will like it. [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Europe-Travels-Through-Twentieth-Century/dp/009951673X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241986969&sr=8-1"]In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century: Geert Mak: Amazon.co.uk: Sam Garrett: Books[/ame]
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Gumbo-Tales-Finding-Place-Orleans/dp/0393061671/ref=ed_oe_h"]Amazon.com: Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table: Sara Roahen: Books[/ame]
The Dive by Pipin Ferreras Good book describing the crazy sport of underwater freediving where divers go down as far as 561 ft on a single breath of air. The focus of the book is about Ferreras' wife Audry Mestre who was a world champion but los her life trying to reach a free diving record.
Kick the Balls: An Offensive Suburban Odyssey, by Alan Black A Scottish immigrant takes on an assistant coaching role for a youth soccer team; the book is sarcastically funny at times, crude at others, as Black regales the readers with his version of a season from hell with the worst team ever.
Just finished the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Awesome book. I don't look at afghanistan the same way anymore, I have a lot more respect for them and their struggles. I started Water for Elephants recently, although i'm almost done with it as well and it's a great novel written by Sara Gruen. Definitely recommend both of these. I'll be done in a few days and i'm currently looking for a great follow up to read, any suggestions? Nothing political at the moment, i'm in a fiction novel kick at this time..