This month, I decided to start a "Related Reads" section for each book blurb - this will just be a short list of books I've read before that I feel are related or similar in some way to the reviewed book.
Shantaram - Gregory Roberts
"I don't know what frightens me more, the power that crushes us, or our endless ability to endure it."
This epic is long (over 900 pages) and a bit of a slow build. Mostly set in India, with the final portion set in Afghanistan, it's based on the life of the author - a heroin addict who escaped from prison - and written in the first person.
There were a few things that annoyed me about the book - mostly the author's tendency to foreshadow in the "if only I knew then what I knew now" sort of way - but overall, I thought the book was gripping and interesting, despite its sometimes-messy prose. It's packed full of enough events to strain credibility, but down-to-earth enough to be achingly realistic. I'll note that there's a good bit of violence and torture interspersed throughout the story.
Related Reads:
The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)
Seven Pillars of Wisdom (T. E. Lawrence)
Catch Me if You Can (Frank Abegnale)
The Valley of Amazement (Amy Tan)
Outliers: The Story of Success - Malcolm Gladwell
"Success is not a random act. It arises out of a predictable and powerful set of circumstances and opportunities."
I must admit that I was expecting this to be a self-help sort of book; thus, I was a little disappointed. While the book is well-written and the information is interesting, I found myself thinking things like, "That's all very well for Canadian hockey players born in January, but what does that have to do with me?" I had also heard many of the stories cited in the book before, so there wasn't a lot of new data or extrapolations made for me. I still think I'd recommend it as an interesting read (especially for those that like statistics or history), but I personally only took away a few practical things (the principle of "practice makes perfect" and the importance of having meaningful work, mostly, which aren't principles unique to this book).
Related Reads:
The Happiness Project (Gretchen Rubin)
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat (Oliver Sacks)
The Mint (Complete, Unexpurgated Text) - T. E. Lawrence
"If only I could sleep solidly! but desert experience taught me to hover through the nights in a transparent doze, listening for the threat of any least sound or movement: and in a hut of fifty strong fellows there is not one minute of night-silence."
This book is hard to find in physical form, but I picked up a copy in a used bookstore last year. If you're a fan of T. E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia) and/or interested in accounts of RAF (Royal Air Force) experiences, I'd recommend this book as almost a necessity to round out your knowledge. However, I wouldn't really recommend the book if you're not at all familiar with the author; in my opinion, context matters a lot here.
The Mint, Lawrence's account of the years during which he joined the RAF under an assumed name, is frequently punctuated with strong language, passing references to the author's past, and the everyday physical goings-on of military life that both repulsed and attracted Lawrence - a juxtaposition that was common throughout his life. The style is uniquely Lawrence's and the chapters are short and chronological, tending to read as journal entries or stand-alone short stories in style. As someone who's read a good bit of things by and about T. E. Lawrence and who considers him a "favorite historical figure", I found the book very interesting, even profound. But those who have no context for the book or reasons behind its writing will probably be puzzled at best, and offended at worst.
Related reads:
Seven Pillars of Wisdom (T. E. Lawrence)
A Prince of Our Disorder (John E. Mack)
Going Solo (Roald Dahl)
All Things Wise and Wonderful (James Herriot)
Shantaram - Gregory Roberts
"I don't know what frightens me more, the power that crushes us, or our endless ability to endure it."
This epic is long (over 900 pages) and a bit of a slow build. Mostly set in India, with the final portion set in Afghanistan, it's based on the life of the author - a heroin addict who escaped from prison - and written in the first person.
There were a few things that annoyed me about the book - mostly the author's tendency to foreshadow in the "if only I knew then what I knew now" sort of way - but overall, I thought the book was gripping and interesting, despite its sometimes-messy prose. It's packed full of enough events to strain credibility, but down-to-earth enough to be achingly realistic. I'll note that there's a good bit of violence and torture interspersed throughout the story.
Related Reads:
The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)
Seven Pillars of Wisdom (T. E. Lawrence)
Catch Me if You Can (Frank Abegnale)
The Valley of Amazement (Amy Tan)
Outliers: The Story of Success - Malcolm Gladwell
"Success is not a random act. It arises out of a predictable and powerful set of circumstances and opportunities."
I must admit that I was expecting this to be a self-help sort of book; thus, I was a little disappointed. While the book is well-written and the information is interesting, I found myself thinking things like, "That's all very well for Canadian hockey players born in January, but what does that have to do with me?" I had also heard many of the stories cited in the book before, so there wasn't a lot of new data or extrapolations made for me. I still think I'd recommend it as an interesting read (especially for those that like statistics or history), but I personally only took away a few practical things (the principle of "practice makes perfect" and the importance of having meaningful work, mostly, which aren't principles unique to this book).
Related Reads:
The Happiness Project (Gretchen Rubin)
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat (Oliver Sacks)
The Mint (Complete, Unexpurgated Text) - T. E. Lawrence
"If only I could sleep solidly! but desert experience taught me to hover through the nights in a transparent doze, listening for the threat of any least sound or movement: and in a hut of fifty strong fellows there is not one minute of night-silence."
This book is hard to find in physical form, but I picked up a copy in a used bookstore last year. If you're a fan of T. E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia) and/or interested in accounts of RAF (Royal Air Force) experiences, I'd recommend this book as almost a necessity to round out your knowledge. However, I wouldn't really recommend the book if you're not at all familiar with the author; in my opinion, context matters a lot here.
The Mint, Lawrence's account of the years during which he joined the RAF under an assumed name, is frequently punctuated with strong language, passing references to the author's past, and the everyday physical goings-on of military life that both repulsed and attracted Lawrence - a juxtaposition that was common throughout his life. The style is uniquely Lawrence's and the chapters are short and chronological, tending to read as journal entries or stand-alone short stories in style. As someone who's read a good bit of things by and about T. E. Lawrence and who considers him a "favorite historical figure", I found the book very interesting, even profound. But those who have no context for the book or reasons behind its writing will probably be puzzled at best, and offended at worst.
Related reads:
Seven Pillars of Wisdom (T. E. Lawrence)
A Prince of Our Disorder (John E. Mack)
Going Solo (Roald Dahl)
All Things Wise and Wonderful (James Herriot)
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