Seabiscuit (THIS IS OUR NEXT BOOK)

[Alice]

Trust me. Trust the five stars on Amazon. Best non-fiction I have ever read!

[Ray]

I just posted a note on the Stardust discussion - sorry. I'll start Seabiscuit tomorrow. It's impressive that you liked it so well. Did you read the Night Circus? Best book I read last year.

[Tony]

Are you going to reread it Alice? I saw the movie (I think). Twas okay.

[Ray]

I began today. I see what Alice liked - it is a highly detailed history with lots of fun little side stories that create a vision of the world at the time which is unexpected. The movie is the main story, but I can already see that the book will be really fun. We've already covered the San Fransisco Earthquake, the marketing of the first Buicks and invention of stock car racing...

[Alice]

Yeah the movie is just incomparable to the book. Laura Hillenbrand is one of the finest historical writers I have ever come across. She has a way of making non-fiction read like the most interesting and compelling fiction. I mean... it's a horse! But you can't put it down!

[Ray]

You have to read "The Professor and the Madman" by Simon Winchester. Winchester, Bill Bryson, Jon Krakauer(Into Thin Air) Jonathan Harr (The Lost Painting)- journalists and historians who create magic. I frequently refer to The Razor's Edge as my favorite book, but my favorite genre and undergraduate background is history. I love finding out the real deal. While I was in France I visited the ruins of the castle of Coucy because I had been absolutely enchanted by Barbra Tuchman's "A Distant Mirror". I love a good history.

[Alice]

Campbell nobody else is keeping up with us hahahah. What should our next book club book be?!

[Ray]

Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore is coming April 3. I can't wait - he is hilarious. There is time for a book before that though. I started House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. I have a feeling I'll be reading that one a few pages at a time for the rest of the year. Do you feel like anything in particular?

[Alice]

Have you heard of The Fault in Our Stars?? I just bought it recently; it's incredibly well rated both here and on Amazon; it's also pretty short. Haven't read it yet but Long read my copy and he said it was incredible.

In addition to that, I'd also like to eventually read The Constant Gardener by John le Carre, but that one is really long and dense. It's a mystery-political-thriller type book that was made into quite an excellent movie awhile back.