ABBY
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
“I am reading Lonesome Dove. I’m not very far into it because it’s a bit of a humdinger. I’ve been scoping out some Texas history websites and I went to Johnson State Park and asked them about cattle drives, and the ranger suggested Lonesome Dove, and when I watched the miniseries I fell in love with Gus. The book has the same characters but a lot more background and when I read it I feel like a cowboy.”
DANNY
The Third Reich by Roberto Bolaño
“I am currently reading The Third Reich, among other books, but that’s my main focus. I love Bolaño’s shorter works, and this is a medium-length work, but it has the elements I enjoy in his shorter works, including an undercurrent of dread, weird miscellaneous events that are never resolved, just like in real life, and just the general feeling that you are immersed in this weird fever dreamscape.”
JAKE
Iran: A Very Short Introduction by Ali Ansari
“It’s interesting because it’s a very general introduction but it’s basically what I need right now because aside from a little bit about the Achaemenid Empire, I don’t know much about it. I wanted to learn more about the religion of the time, Zoroastrianism, because it’s the first big monotheistic religion, and also learn more about the introduction of Islam to the region.”
JIM
The Harder They Come by T. C. Boyle
“It’s about violence and anti-authoritarianism, and characters that are either engaged in or part of either of the two. Just typical T. C. Boyle – strong characters, well written. He’s pretty adept at expressing a vast knowledge for any of the things he chooses to explore.” Copies of The Harder They Come go on sale March 31. You can pre-order now.
ALTHEA
Leaving the Atocha Station, by Ben Lerner
“I like it. It is one of the funniest books I’ve read in a while. It’s the story of an American living in Madrid, allegedly to research poetry about the Spanish Civil War, but he’s really there to gain life experience and find out if someone can have a profound experience of art. It has a lot of translation humor, where the main character uses his American identity to create a persona of being profound, when in reality he speaks perfect Spanish. It’s funny and relatable – he’s pretentious, but in a way that a lot of us are pretentious.”
BookPeople 
All look like interesting reads. I’ll definitely have to pick up the T.C. Boyle book. I just did a blog post as well on some of the recent books I’ve read/am reading. Check it out @ timeintheuniversalmind@wordpress.com
I swear, Lonesome Dove is turning up everywhere in 2015. I must read it!
Great list! Coincidentally, I also read The Harder They Come, Lonesome Dove, and The Third Reich in the past year. Lonesome Dove is an incredibly absorbing stories. Good book candy for the summer!