The Pptarmigan

I commute. I listen to audiobooks. Occasionally I actually read a book. This is my record of such.

[pptarmigan]

Book 16 (99): Tasting Beer: An Insider's Guide to the World's Greatest Drink - Randy Mosher

ACTUAL BOOK

Should I read it? Yes, if you're a homebrewer or just a lover of beer.  Mosher dives into some of the history of beer as well as a description of the various styles.  He dedicates a good portion of the book to the various taste profiles and how to "judge" beer, which I found interesting.  You can pick this up and read sections at a time, so it's a good one to have around to pick up now and then.

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Book 15 (98): Micro - Michael Crichton & Richard Preston

AUDIOBOOK read by John Bedford Lloyd

Should I read it? No.  While I liked the concept of this story, I was not impressed with the execution.  There are plenty of great Crichton books out there, so choose one of them instead of this one.

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Book 14 (97): Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War - Karl Marlantes

AUDIOBOOK read by Bronson Pinchot

Should I read it? Yes.  Vietnam is not a genre that I ever read, but I'd heard great things about this book and am glad I picked it up.  A well written novel that puts you in the trenches with Bravo Company, I was fully engaged the whole time.  If you like war novels, I very much recommend this one.

[pptarmigan]

Book 13 (96): Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore - Robin Sloan

ACTUAL BOOK

Should I read it? Yes.  A fun and quick read that I very much enjoyed.  No big surprises or deep thinking involved, just sit back and enjoy.

[pptarmigan]

Book 12 (95): Maphead - Ken Jennings

ACTUAL BOOK

Should I read it? If you're a fan of maps and geography, yes.  Otherwise, maybe.  I was pleasantly surprised by this book as it had good pacing, moved through various map related topics, and contained enough information and humor to keep me engaged.  As a closet map geek, I had fun reading it.

[pptarmigan]

Book 11 (94): The Keep - Jennifer Egan

AUDIOBOOK read by Jeff Gurner and Geneva Carr

Should I read it? Yes.  A fairly short tale that toys with some spookiness, I enjoyed the characters and the dual story lines.  In fact, I liked this book better than Egan's award winning book A Visit From the Goon Squad.

[pptarmigan]

Book 10 (93): In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex - Nathaniel Philbrick

AUDIOBOOK read by Scott Brick

Should I read it? Yes.  A harrowing true tale of the whaleship that was sunk by a sperm whale, Philbrick does a great job of balancing the story with history of the characters, the culture, and the era.  In addition, Brick does a fantastic job, as usual, narrating the book.

[pptarmigan]

Book 9 (92): The Bible (New International Version)

E-Book

Should I read it? Seriously? Yes.  Now.

[pptarmigan]

Book 8 (91): A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Dave Eggers

AUDIOBOOK read by Dion Graham

Should I read it? No.  I wanted to like this book, I really did.  The overall story is interesting and enjoyable, but it just seemed buried in the narrative and thoughts of the writer.

[pptarmigan]

Book 7 (90): The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

AUDIOBOOK read by Tim Robbins

Should I read it? Yes.  Although this isn't a happy story, I enjoyed it.  Another classic that I failed to read in High School, I'm glad I picked it up and can see why it's considered one of the greats.  The ausiobook version I listened to was read by Tim Robbins, who did a nice job, although got too quiet at times.

[pptarmigan]

Book 6 (89): The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck

AUDIOBOOK read by John Chancer

Should I read it? Yes. While heartbreaking, there is a reason that this book is considered an American classic.  This is definitely not a book you want to read if you're looking for a pick-me-up, but the descriptions of the struggles of the migrant farmers and they way they were treated are vivid and often haunted me.  

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Book 5 (88): The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

ACTUAL BOOK

Should I read it? I can't decide.  This book has been compared to Forrest Gump as the main character has a number of unlikely adventures meeting famous people along the way.  The overall story is fairly enjoyable and it is a very quick read, I just never connected with the writing style.  It may be because of the translation from Swedish, but I didn't think it flowed well.  Others I've talked to enjoyed it, so it may just be me.

[pptarmigan]

Book 4 (87): Freedom - Jonathan Franzen

AUDIOBOOK read by David LeDoux

Should I read it? I'm still on the fence.  I was hesitant to start this book as I tried to read The Corrections a couple of years ago and hated it.  I found I didn't like any of the characters and just couldn't go on.  In Freedom, I was more into the overall story, but once again had a hard time latching on to any of the characters.  Ultimately, this is a story about flawed people that are hard to like, but were just likable enough for me to stick with it.  Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but I can see why there are those that think this book is fantastic.

[pptarmigan]

Book 3 (86): A Clash of Kings - George R.R. Martin

ACTUAL BOOK

Should I read it? Yes, if you've already read Game of Thrones.  The continuation of the Song of Fire and Ice series, the second installment is as engaging as the first.  The only downside of these books for me is the length as I tend to bog down on some of the story lines that I'm less interested in.

[pptarmigan]

Book 2 (85): Faithful Place - Tana French

AUDIOBOOK read by Tim Gerard Reynolds

Should I read it? Yes. The third book in French's Dublin Murder Squad series, I enjoyed this book equally as much as I enjoyed The Likeness.  You don't have to read the series in order, as the main character changes with each book and I would very much recommend both books 2 and 3 with a half-hearted recommendation of Book 1.

[pptarmigan]

Book 1 (84): Bring Up the Bodies - Hilary Mantel

AUDIOBOOK read by Simon Vance

Should I read it? Yes, but be sure to read Wolf Hall first.  This continuation in the historical fiction series following Thomas Cromwell is a fantastic read.  I've very much enjoyed both books in the series and highly recommend them.

[pptarmigan]

Book 40 (83): Before the Frost - Henning Mankell

AUDIOBOOK read by Cassandra Campbell

Should I read it? Probably not.  While this wasn't a bad detective novel, I found the main character annoying and I didn't particularly enjoy the story line.  This was my first Mankell novel and although I didn't really like, I'll probably pick up another as the writing wasn't bad.