Here are a few i read over the summer...

One Very Hot Day: David Halberstam - its a 'fictional' account of one platoons mission in Vietnam. But its basically a compilation of different true situations that Halberstam witnessed while covering the war. Very, very good, my first read from the guy & its no wonder that he's held in such high esteem.

Natchez on the Mississippi: Harnett Kane - a history of a true 'Crossroads of the South' in Louisiana. A very detailed account of the towns history & its impact on history. Must've been a fascinating place to live, Spanish, French, Native Americans, Quakers, slaves all melting together.

Harvey Keitel, The Art of Darkness: Marshall Fine - a bio of one of the grittiest actors to ever live. As one blurb states, 'Keitel is not so much someone who's haunted by his inner demons, as actively in pursuit of them'. A real immigrant success story, parents were Polish Jews who moved here with nothing, he struggled in school, often in trouble... directionless. Joins the Marines & eventually finds his calling in acting. A real American success story.

Coming Apart, an informal history of America in the 60's: William O'Neal - This books been done a million times, but not as good as this. Big book that really dives into the details & tries to make sense of it all. A great read if you're doing research on the times.

The Power & The Glory: Graham Greene - No wonder this guy is hailed as maybe the greatest American writer by so many. Its fiction about a mysterious priest in 1800's Mexico who's on the run during a dustup between the Catholic church & the Mexican state. I've never been a real big fan of most fiction, but this guys prose is so awesome & he weaves his story so well, that i couldnt help but love it. The guy was a genius wordsmith, he crafts words like Rodan crafts marble.

A Man Named Dave: Dave Pelzer - Think your childhood was bad? ha! this guy overcame things that are hard to imagine, things that would ruin many for life. If you need some inspiration during a dark time, pick it up & feel better about it.

Graham Greene was British, but I'm a fan of his too.

Heh, ya it appears you are correct sir. I grabbed the book to be sure, but the quote i had misread says 'there is no better story teller in English (not American lol) today and he is one of the 2 or 3 living novelists who really count' - V.S. Pritchett

:doh!:

We scholarly types tend to get worked up about similar stuff.

You know there's a movie?

V.S. Pritchett isn't American either so what does he know about greatness in the English language? :p

Here's an interesting review of The China Study, including some back and forth with the author.

Spiral Bound -- a collection of essays and poetry by rapper, singer, teacher, writer Dessa Darling (of the Doomtree hiphop collective in Minneapolis)

I think I'm going to delve into Under the Dome.

I'm on that right now - 100+ pages in...

Postcolonial Plays: An Anthology. Edited by Helen Gilbert

Anyone have any suggestions from the History aisle?

I have several books I want to read over break - none of which are historical.

As a history major, I like to at least squeeze in one history book for fun while I'm reading the 10-15 I have to for class during the semester.

Oh, and tops on my non-history list, though none of the brick and mortar stores seem to carry it:

Bud, Inc. - Ian Mulgrew

http://blogcritics.org/books/article...ud-inc-by-ian/

Any particular era or topic?

Not really.

I'd prefer to stay this side of the 13th century.

Other than that, fire away.

Have you ever read a Barbara Tuchman book?

Lawrence of Arabia's Seven Pillars of Wisdom

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - Morris