Going to Greece to get some culture. I was hoping the beeb had some good book suggestions. And I read that tear jerker art of racing in the rain Thanks.
Reading "Unbroken" now. Awesome story. There was just a thread on this topic recently if you can find it. Edit: found it http://forums.13x.com/showthread.php?t=297917&highlight=Book
Story of a Secret State. True story of a major operative in the Polish Underground during Nazi and Soviet occupation of Poland. Real deal spy stuff.
Hottie Author #1 Rebecca Skloot: Just finishing "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" voted one of the 10 best books of 2010. She's the donor of the "HELA" cells that are use have been used for just about every medical breakthrough since the 1950s. They rode on the 2nd satellite into orbit, have been blown up in nuclear bombs, and everything in between. It's juxtaposed with her dirt-poor Southern black family and the shadow of racism, mistrust, and a bunch of other twists and turns. Great book. Hottie Author #2 Susan Casey: Another great read is "The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean". This book looks at the shipping industry which loses thousands of tons of ships and cargoes each year due to giant freak waves and the elite class of big wave surfers who travel the world to ride 100'+ waves. Utterly fascinating read.
Non-fiction - Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West Fiction - Atlas Shrugged Stuff to piss you off - Lies My Teacher Told Me. This one is a real eye-opener.
I'll second 1Q84. I love Murakami's writing and this is a pretty good one from him. If you have never read any of his stuff "The Wind Up Bird Chronicle" is probably my favorite. Also if you need to fill inspired about running read his memoir "What I talk about, When I talk about running" is great John MkPhee's "Uncommon Carriers", its a bunch of short essays about the author taking rides with people that deliver stuff. He rides with a chemical tanker trunk driver, train engineers that deliver coal from Wyoming, he goes to UPS's air distribution hub, etc. I just read Hemingway's "A Farewell to Alms" and then juxtaposed to Orwell's "An Homage to Catalonia" to get two author's take on the spanish civil war.
