Books for the Beach -- Any Suggestions?

I'll be out of the office, out of state, and off the grid for the next six weeks (paternity leave + holidays + vacation in TX, PA, and Hawai'i). I haven't had six solid weeks to myself in...well...ummmm...since 1998. Whatever should I read?

My daughter and I are biting off a few pages of Smart Mobs each night. I've dusted off a book by Thomas Jefferson. I've got back issues of MSDN magazine, and I plan to buy a book called Cultivating Communities of Practice that a friend recommended. But this probably won't last me a week on the beach, much less six.

What books do you recommend?
I like idea books. No self-help guides, please. Fiction is okay.

Published 12 November 04 11:46 by KorbyP

Filed under: Non-Computer, Community

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# Steve said on November 12, 2004 12:04 PM:: I brought American Psycho with me to Belize. Although you get some wierd stares, it's an interesting book.
# Mike Dunn said on November 12, 2004 12:16 PM:: "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking is one that you can read and absorb in paragraph-sized bites.
# Greg Wishart said on November 12, 2004 12:18 PM:: The 9/11 Commission Report
# Nitron said on November 12, 2004 12:18 PM:: Where @ in TX and PA? It's kinda' freaky that I live in TX (DFW) and am also going to PA (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) for the holidays.
# J.R. said on November 12, 2004 12:29 PM:: Since you have a big chunk of time, you might want to try a big, heavy book. I suggest "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond, or "Godel, Escher, Bach" by Douglas Hofstader.
# Korby Parnell said on November 12, 2004 1:25 PM:: I'll be in the DFW area and out near Abilene for a week and then fly to Wilkes-Barre Scranton for the second. Really freaky.

Considering that I'll be in oil country one week and coal country the next, "The Prize" would be a great read. Unfortunately, I've already read it.

Thanks for the grrreat suggestions. Keep em coming!
# Wayne Citrin said on November 12, 2004 1:52 PM:: I was never able to finish any Joseph Conrad before taking it to the beach. Some people may think I'm crazy, but I think "Lord Jim," "Almayer's Folly," or "An Outcast of the Islands" are great beach reading.

If you haven't read any of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels, they're great beach reading. Read them in order, of course.

Daniel Pinkwater's "5 Novels."

If you want a big, heavy book, the best book I've read in the last 5 years is Robert Caro's "The Power Broker," although a 1100+ page biography of Robert Moses may not be for everybody. If you do tackle it, though, it's well worth your time.
# Julie Lerman said on November 12, 2004 1:54 PM:: Recent Fiction: Life of Pi
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0156027321/qid=1100296454/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/002-6900153-5313605
# barelylegalprogramer said on November 12, 2004 1:58 PM:: I'll throw in a bit of cyberpunk since you want some idea & fiction books: Cryptonomicron by Neal Stephenson (rollicking adventure packed with clever flights of fancy and speculation). The Diamond Age: A Young Ladies Illustrated Primer also by Stephenson (thriller you can share with your daughter! ;) Since life is less without philosophy, but a little abtruse with it, try The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition by Lewis Carrol, edited by Martin Gardner. Finally, I heartily second the Hawkings and Hofstader suggestions.
# a said on November 12, 2004 7:59 PM:: Cryptonomicon

Neuromancer
# Rob Caron said on November 13, 2004 5:06 PM:: This comes out at the end of the month:

A Salty Piece of Land
Jimmy Buffett

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0316908452/
# John St. Clair said on November 14, 2004 12:29 AM:: I'd second Diamond's GGS, but on second reading, it leaves a funny taste in the mouth :)

For big-idea-non-stop-page-turners, I'd say Bill Bryson's Short History of Nearly Everything.
# Martin said on November 14, 2004 9:15 AM:: The Stand (Un-abridged version) by Stephen King ought to fill the whole six weeks.
# Greg Ostravich said on November 14, 2004 9:53 PM:: For fiction I'd recommend:

Any of the
Sue Grafton series (murder mysteries)
A is for Arson - etc.

Stephanie Plum series
("One for the Money", "Two for the Dough", etc. - very funny)

Skinny Dip - very funny stuff - sort of a murder mystery but very entertaining.

Good To Great - kind of dry, and he's arrogant at the beginning but it's good.
# Chris said on November 15, 2004 5:48 AM:: If you haven't read Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson yet, you should! Cryptonomicon is also good, but a later work and much longer.
# dh said on November 15, 2004 7:08 AM:: Kepler's Witch : An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother

This is a recent (2004) biography of an underrated man whose accomplishments were profoundly important in raising mankind out of the darkness and into the light of understanding of our world. In the days when Astrology was on par with science, he revealed much to us that we should all be grateful for. And he did it all amidst personal grief and under deplorable religious conditions.

If you are interested in science at all, this is a good read. I was inspired to get this book from the library after watching Episode 3 (Harmony of the Worlds) of the classic Carl Sagan Cosmos series in which he discusses Kepler (and Brahe).

These men of science whose work will never be forgotten are fascinating to me. Perhaps you would enjoy it too.

"Politics is for the moment, an equation is for eternity." -Einstein
# marty@little-garins.com (Marty Garins) said on November 15, 2004 7:35 AM:: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary <a target="_new" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/006099486X/102-1922676-8539334?v=glance">http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/006099486X/102-1922676-8539334?v=glance</a>
# Hank Fay said on November 15, 2004 4:56 PM:: Bangkok8 by Jeremy Burdett; best novel I've read since (If you haven't already read it): Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.
# JM Balaya said on November 15, 2004 7:54 PM:: The Fat Fallacy - Will Clower Ph.D. not quite self-help but an interesting book on nutrition written by a smart guy not trying to sell stuff (apart from the book that is). Quick read.

Positive Discipline - Jane Nelson "encourage, don't praise."
# Martin Woodward said on November 17, 2004 2:14 AM:: I'd recommend:-

Down Under, Bill Bryson - This book is so funny I farted. Wouldn't have been too bad but I was on honeymoon...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0754023818

Also:-

Frozen Water Trade - interesting history of the trade in ice. If it wasn't for this book an obscure part in the history of America might be forgotton.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786886404
# Brett Keown said on November 17, 2004 10:19 AM:: Someone already gave you the first one I'd recommend... "Cryptonomicon". Another great read is "Secrets & Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World."

Enjoy your vaction Korby!
# Jim and Joanne Hubal said on November 22, 2004 4:38 PM:: A Week at the Beach: 100 Life-Changing Things You Can Do by the Seashore. We wrote it just for the beachgoer who wants to get the most out of those precious ocean minutes. Enjoy!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/156924491X/104-6882687-3750320?v=glance
# Michael said on November 29, 2004 10:17 PM:: I'd recommend Dune...

http://www.dunenovels.com/books/dune.html

No better beach book when you're in the sun and on the hot sands...
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