Monday, December 25, 2017

Top Ten Books I'm Looking Forward To in 2018

This week le Broke and le Bookish are doing books they're looking forward to in 2018, either as new releases or just-getting-around-to-reading-it titles.

1. Frank Sinatra: The Chairman,  James Kaplan


This has been on my to-read list since ...er, September 2016. I love ol' blue eyes, having been a collector of his music and movies since 2004.  It's time to read the sequel to The Voice!

2. 1906:A Novel, James Dalessandro


I've read several factual histories of the San Franscisco earthquake and fire of 1906, and this one has been on my to-read list for a while.

3. The Grid: The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future Gretche Bakke



You know I love reading about power lines.

4. Door to DoorThe Magnificent, Maddening, Mysterious World of Transportation, Edward Humes


Roads are also cool.

5. Munich, Robert Harris


"Robert Harris". Sold!


6. Fools and Mortals, Bernard Cornwell.



"Bernard Cornwell"...SOLD! Wait, is this about Shakespeare?  Who do I see about er, getting it a little early? Know whatimean,  nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more? 

7. 9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America, Brion McClanahan


Ahhahhahhah, finally! Someone who doesn't worship Teddy Roosevelt. Probably written in the same vein as Recarving Rushmore. Honestly, I like this most for the title..I don't know that I really want to read about politics at the moment.  We'll see.

8. Amsterdam: A History of the World's Most Liberal City


Amsterdam! It has bikes, and canals, and very pretty houses.  Apparently it also has a reputation for legalized weed and prostitutes. But who has time for that when you can bike by canals and look at the pretty houses? 


*wolf whistle*

9. A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and A Great War, Joseph Loconte


This one has been on the list for a while, and I recently snagged a copy on sale. 

10. This is Your Brain on Parasites, Kathleen McAuliffe



This checks all the boxes, doesn't it? Science, brains, mind control...can't miss it! 













23 comments:

  1. This is an interesting looking bunch of books. The parasite book looks particularly interesting. It seems that there are a lot of books and articles popping up lately about both mutualistic as well as parasitic organisms that live with people. It seems to be a fascinating subject.

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    1. I have a couple of books in this area, the other being on "The Gut". You're right, though, it is getting increasingly more attention.

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  2. Well, I have *one* of those..... [grin] Some great titles! I'm going to see if I can read at least one book a year with a really off-the-wall title that'll make everyone at work wonder what the *heck* I'm reading now.... I have a few in mind! [lol]

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    1. I respectfully suggest "The Origin of Feces". I've gotta go after that one at one point just in honor of the title.

      Guessing at our intersection...the book on parasites, 1906, and Amsterdam seem the likeliest contenders.

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    2. Good title [lol]. But no on any of those three.... [grin]

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    3. Really? Don't tell me you snagged Cornwell early!

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  3. Oooh! The 9 Presidents who Screwed up America looks really interesting! Great list!

    Here’s my Top Ten Tuesday!

    Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog

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  4. None of these made it to my list but these look interesting.

    I hope you get to read all these books soon :)
    My TTT: http://flippingthruthepages.com/2017/12/top-ten-books-im-looking-forward-2018/

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  5. This Is Your Brain on Parasites sounds like such a good read.

    Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!

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  6. That book about parasites looks super interesting...as does the history of Amsterdam! Thanks for highlighting some nonfiction I'd not heard about yet!

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    1. Your post returned the favor with the Bundy title. Roll tide! ;)

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  7. Cornwell? Shakespeare? Bottom? Puck? Wow! I can hardly wait until the January publication. Thanks for alerting me to what promises to be a great novel!

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  8. I am definitely adding the Amsterdam title to my list. It is a very interesting city and there's so much to see, you definitely need to devote a few days to it. And try not to get mowed down by the cyclists. The Red Light District is surprisingly...homey. Like, you are walking through and you see schools and families out walking and cafes full of weed lined up on trays like donuts in the morning and prostitutes in their windows, yet nothing feels out of place.

    I am also going to add that president book to my list - I want to see how these presidents screwed up our country - though some of them I already know!

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    1. And oops, the Amsterdam book was already ob my list. Have you blogged about it before?

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    2. I may have mentioned it -- I intended to read it last year, but my TBR stack grew too quickly for me! Now, last year I DID read "In the City of Bikes", which is also about Amsterdam.

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    3. Yes, I remember seeing that one and commenting on it. It truly is the city of bikes, it is insane. Amsterdam is an amazing city - though I never want to see that airport ever again. We flew in on buddy passes (my uncle works for Delta) but could not get back to the US because we ended up stuck there in the third busiest weekend in the entire history of the airport. It was terrible. We were stranded for a week, getting to the airport by first shuttle every morning at 7, then going back to the hotel on the last shuttle every night, also at 7. My grandpa ended up having to buy us round-trip tickets on another airline, because it was the cheapest option to get home. We couldn't even get back to the US, period.

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    4. Whoa! I hope it didn't sour the experience as a whole. It doensn't sound like it, given your praise of Amsterdam in the past. Did someone in your party speak Dutch?

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  9. Interesting collection. A couple I'd like to read. The Hobbit, wardrobe and war one. I'll be interested to read your review on the Amsterdam one.

    I'll have to pass on the Nine Presidents. I like Teddy. :)

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    1. If you are at all interested in podcasts, I linked to a chat with the author from The Art of Manliness a few months back. The book was already on my radar, but it provides a little taste..

      Link:
      http://thisweekatthelibrary.blogspot.com/2017/02/podcast-of-week-lewis-tolkien-and-great.html

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  10. I absolutely love your list! I am particularly intrigued by The Grid and 9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America.

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    1. I intend for "The Grid" to be a January read, so it won't be too long. :)

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  11. I haven't heard of any of these, but I hope you love them!

    Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!

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