I was a guest on Coffee Table on KBBI this morning, keeping company with Shady Grove Oliver and Terry Rensel as we talked about our favorite reads with people who call in. It was a blast, as always–thanks, guys!–and without further ado, here’s the books we talked about on the air.

Caroline
Cow Woman of Akutan (there’s a title for you) by Joan Brown Dodd
The Wind is not a River by Brian Payton

Lee
The Martian by Andy Weir
Astoria by Peter Stark (Lee compares this book to Alfred Lansing’s Endurance, one of the great survival stories.)
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

Trish
A Thousand Prayers by James Sweeny
The List, a collection of short stories also by James Sweeny

Shady
Shadow Show by Sam Weller
Hyperbole and a Half (another great title) by Allie Brosh
I’m a Stranger Here Myself and A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (Dana inserts herself here with her favorite Bill Bryson book, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid)
The Greenlanders by Jane Smiley (Shady says its a great adventure story).
All’s Fair by Mary Matalin and James Carville (Shady says it’s a horrible book but you won’t be able to put it down. I just ordered a copy from the Homer Bookstore, so sold!)
Among Others by Jo Walton
Also, she’s been reading a lot of Agatha Christie, and says it’s interesting to see how Christie’s craft evolved over the years (decades)[century]. If you have yet to encounter Dame Agatha, Dana recommends Murder on the Orient Express. (They made a terrific movie out of it, too.)

Terry
A Peace to End All Peace by David Fromkin, a history Terry says reminded him of Barbara Tuchman’s The March of Folly.
Madam Secretary by Madeleine Albright (which Terry recommended in response to my recommendation of Read My Pins, see below)
Winston Churchill, Winston Churchill’s War Leadership and Churchill’s Political Philosophy, all by Sir Martin Gilbert. (Terry says these books are small, about 116 pages each, and a quick way into the life and character of Churchill, if you’ve always wanted to read about him but were daunted by the massive amount of books with his name in the title. Like me.)
The Martian by Andy Weir (Dana says she’s halfway through and loving it.)

Dana
If I Should Die by Matthew Frank
Sniper’s Honor by Stephen Hunter
The Voyage of the Basilisk by Marie Brennan
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Euphoria by Lily King
The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore
The Plantagenets by Dan Jones
Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride by Pam Muñoz Ryan
Read My Pins by Madeleine Albright
You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack by Tom Gauld
Dana says you can read her reviews of these books on her Goodreads page.

And a shoutout to the Homer Public Library’s Read 15 in ’15 reading challenge, because Shady and I and Terry are all participating. Click on the link to download a list of 150 books in various categories, and pick 15 of them to read in 2015. You can fill out an online form about a book you’ve read and leave a few comments, too. They’re printing out the comments and posting them on a bulletin board in the library so you can stop buy and get a few ideas. I’ve read seven from their list so far and every one has been a book I never heard of or something I wouldn’t have picked for myself. Fun.

Chatter A Peace to End All Peace A Thousand Prayers A Walk in the Woods Agatha Christie All's Fair Allie Brosh Amelia and Eleanor Go For a Ride Among Others Andy Weir Astoria Barbara Tuchman Bill Bryson Brian Payton Churchill's Political Philosophy Cowwoman of Akutan Dan Jones David Fromkin David McCullough Euphoria homer bookstore homer public library Hyperbole and a Half I'm a Stranger Here Myself If I Should Die James Sweeny Jane Smiley Jill Lepore Jo Walton Joan Brown Dodd KBBI Lily King Madam Secretary Madeleine Albright Marie Brennan Mary Matalin and James Carville Matthew Frank Murder on the Orient Express naomi novik Pam Muñoz Ryan Peter Stark Read My Pins Sam Weller Shadow Show Sir Martin Gilbert Sniper's Honor Stephen Hunter The Greenlanders The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid The List The March of Folly The Martian The Plantagenets The Secret History of Wonder Woman The Voyage of the Basilisk The Wind is Not a River The Wright Brothers Tom Gauld Uprooted Winston Churchill Winston Churchill's War Leadership You're All Just Jealous of my Jetpack