What have you read recently, and what are you currently reading?

So I started a thread last night asking tRant if they would be interested in a permanent book board. It got mixed reviews. Some were all in, some said hell no, some wanted different boards started, some said there are too many boards already.

All of that being said, this is as close to a book board as it's going to get for now. I hope the participation and discussion is good, and maybe this thing takes off and gets a board of its own. If it fails, then the masses have spoken, and respect decision that too.

So here we go. What have you read recently, and what are you currently reading? I recently read The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow which I enjoyed. I actually read The Cartel first last year which was a sequel to The Power of the Dog. Both books are about the Mexican cartels, and the carnage within it. Killing to these guys is like breathing for us. It's done without thought or remorse. It's completely normal, just another day at the office. Sad thing is, although it's fiction, it's pretty much spot-on to how it really is.

I also read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo recently. I thought it was a very slow starter, but once it got going it was good. I liked both protagonists a lot. Mikael and Lisbeth were both great whether they were working alone, or together. All in all, not a bad mystery who-dun-it.

Finally, I just finished Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl. I'm 45, and this is actually the first time I read it. I was completely blown away. How this was written by a 13-15 year old girl is mind-boggling. This girl was so smart and mature beyond her years, it seemed like a 40 year old woman wrote it.

I had already known it was about a Jewish family who went into hiding during WWII. They basically hid and lived in an attic that was a building where spices were made in Amsterdam. They lived in this attic for 2 years before finally being discovered and arrested by the Gestapo. Anne wrote about the experience in her diary, which she affectionately called Kitty.

I took my time reading it, and actually read several entries multiple times. If you were like me and haven't yet read it deep within your years, I highly recommend you do so. It's easily one of the best books I've ever read.