What Are You Reading?

[kwk285]

The Lion by DeMille

[Stone Dude]

The Lion by DeMille

Nelson DeMille is a third cousin of mine. I have never met or spoken with him, but my grandfather has. The Lion is awesome


I am reading "The Real Lincoln", and "The 4 hour work week"

[Laz]

I just finished Chinese Dreams (http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Dreams-Kindle-Single-ebook/dp/B004JN0CMK/ref=zg_bs_2486013011_39) a Kindle single (short story at a reasonable price).

[AlanL]

Dimiter by William Peter Blatty.

[CubReporter]

"Write More Good" by The Bureau Chiefs.

It's probably a little dry for someone who hasn't worked in news media, but anyone who's ever worked in the business will get a laugh on every page.

One of my favorites: "Working at a local newspaper requires certain skills: Realizing you just racked up four years worth of student loans at Columbia to write 600 word stories about an octogenarian pan-flute player who smells like cat pee."

Occupational humor, sure. But still, for anyone who still picks up a paper in the mornings could probably appreciate some of the humor.

[AlanL]

Just bought it today, and I love it so far!

I've got this book. Although it does not include the first two novels, it's a nice volume to have.



What translation are you guys reading? Mine is by Pevear and Volokhonsky. I read their translations of Anna Karenina and The Idiot. I was pleased with both.


I just finished Pevear & Volokhonsky's translation of The Idiot, and have also read their translation of Karamazov. They make these works quite accessible.

[jasonled75]

The Bible, and The Lost Souls First Day In Eternity by J.M. humphrey

[babafats]

Finally finished A Feast for Crows last night. I'm not sure why, but I found it much more enjoyable and readable this second time through it (first time I got maybe 2/3 of the way through and put it it down); perhaps the excitement of A Dance with Dragons allegedly being complete and in the final stages of publication.

[Mycon]

I'm hopping between several books at the moment.
The Two Towers
Salem's Lot
The Spinward Fringe series
and The Dark Tower series

[Waistcoat]

Just finished Starship Troopers for the second time, such interesting political views. I'm trying to get my hands on a cope of Moby Dick atm to read next

[Dustinl]

Just finished the road

What did you think?


DL

[JoshuaNY]

Most of my reading is done for pleasure. I am working my way through the Harry Dresden Series by Jim Butcher. I just love his character. A bit doofy but a good soul. He is a very funny yet brave character. I'm Currently reading Death Masks





I've also made a New Years Resolution to read the entire Bible, actually I made it about a week ago, but that's close enough to New Years, right? I'm still in Genesis, but I'm really enjoying spending a few minutes with my Bible everyday. I've also began an individual Bible Study of the book of Proverbs, covering and studying a chapter a day. The amount of wisdom in that book is astounding. Highly beneficial for one of any faith.




I too am reading the entire Bible. I am doing an entire Bible in a year thing. A little each day starting with Genesis and workin my way through. As of now I am in 2 Kings. I have read alot of it before now but in bits and pieces. Since I am a Lutheran I think it is important to have read the entire Book at least once.

As with the above I am reading the Book of Concord. Which is the book of Lutheran Confessions, official explanations and summaries of what Lutherans believe, teach, and confess. They are the definitive standard of what Lutheranism is.

I know the basics, well more then the basics but I am studying my faith trying to get a much better understanding of what it is to be a Lutheran. Sorry If I sound like I am proselytizing. Just explaining what Im reading . :001_smile

I also am reading Honky by Dalton Conley. Which highlights the racial differences in inner city schools. It is a comming of age story of a white boy growing up in a neighborhood of predominantly African American and Latino housing projects in NYC Lower East Side. It illuminates the vulnerabilities of childhood complicated by unusual circumstances. He shows how race and class have shaped his life and lives of his schoolmates. It illustrates the issues of inequality in society and an understanding of the privelage of whiteness, social construction of race, the power of education and tghe challenges of inner city life.
I am a teacher so I try to read books on education to better understand the students I teach.

Haha, now that I have gone through my list it looks like most of my reading is educational and professional development. When it comes down to it I enjoy it all so it really is all for pleasure.

Happy Reading

[Ru4scuba?]

Figure I'll crack Rummy's book, see what, if any revelations are in Known and Unknown

[Laz]

I missed posting a few of the books I have finished. I finished the next 2 books in the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons Endymion (Bk. 3) (http://www.amazon.com/Endymion-Hyperion-Cantos-Bk-3/dp/0553572946/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b) and The Rise of Endymion (Bk. 4) (http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Endymion-Dan-Simmons/dp/0553572989/ref=sr_1_12?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305441912&sr=1-12) Both were a nice addition to the series.

Also read Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life (http://www.amazon.com/Unlimited-How-Build-Exceptional-Life/dp/0307588300/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305442105&sr=1-1) by Jillian Michaels.

[YetiDave]

"God is Not Great" by Christopher Hitchens. Talk about incendiary!

[David in Boston]

"God is Not Great" by Christopher Hitchens. Talk about incendiary!

Considering my avatar maybe I should get around to reading that one.

[Relayer56]

The 9/11 Commission Report

[mdevine]

"The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco

[Pbalkan]

THE TIGER'S WIFE by Tea Obreht (for a book club), just finished.

Now reading 877 JOKES ABOUT 9/11, A NOVEL. Unplublished (yet) novel by my son, Aaron Balkan.

[SiBurning]

Sherlock Holmes, the complete adventures

Also going through the various movies & tv shows

[marvin100]

Memoirs of my Nervous Illness, by Daniel Paul Schreber. Solar anus...

[marvin100]

Now reading 877 JOKES ABOUT 9/11, A NOVEL. Unplublished (yet) novel by my son, Aaron Balkan.

Your son's work is good! I bet he'd like Grover Press (poet on wordpress).

[housemaidsknee]

just started through the language glass. very interesting look into how the language you speak affects cognition.

[nyfinest]

The 100 Thing Challenge-Dave Bruno
Ask Not: The Speech of John F. Kennedy-Thurston Clarke
Brooklyn, NY" A Grim Retrospective- Jerry Castaldo

Kid of a broad spectrum genre of books.

[Laz]

just started through the language glass. very interesting look into how the language you speak affects cognition.

That sounds interesting. let us know what you think of the book.

[RSC]

An Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth by Mohandas Gandhi.

Sort of interesting to read how Tolstoy was a major influence on him, since the last book I finished was War and Peace.

[camjr]

Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage about the Lewis and Clark expedition.

[mdevine]

I just finished Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose and highly recommend it. I started Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent this morning.

[Rudy Vey]

I just finished Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose and highly recommend it. I started Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent this morning.

Great book and great movie, too.

[mdevine]

Great book and great movie, too.

I'll have to find the movie. I'm often hesitant to watch a movie if I've read the book. You're not the first I've heard tell that the movie does the book justice.

[marvin100]

The movie is quite good.

For Conrad, I believe Nostromo is his finest work. Superb book.

I'm re-reading Goedel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. I just taught sections from it, and I got so excited I'm reading the whole thing again. So great. Wish I could read it again for the first time.

[ShavelockFoams]

Bill Bryson's At Home, it is the story of how homes, and their contents, came to be, and how both culture and homes influenced each other.

It made me realize that I didn't appreciate the subtleties and history of all the things in our homes. (except the shave gear):lol:

[kwk285]

The Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver

[Roobaix]

The Dark Tower Stephen King

I'm currently on The Drawing of the Three, The Dark Tower II

[SalvadorMontenegro]

I've got this book. Although it does not include the first two novels, it's a nice volume to have.



I just finished Pevear & Volokhonsky's translation of The Idiot, and have also read their translation of Karamazov. They make these works quite accessible.

I agree. I don't have any means for comparison, but I enjoyed the translation of The Idiot and Anna Karenina. I'm almost finished with War and Peace.

Has anyone read any Aristotle? If so, what's the best book/work to start with?

[The Nid Hog]

I'm reading The Belly of Paris by Emile Zola.

[SeattleSparky]

Now on LA Confidential

[Laz]

I just finished Love Wins (http://www.amazon.com/Love-Wins-About-Heaven-Person/dp/006204964X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306654461&sr=1-1) by Rob Bell and Safely Home (http://www.amazon.com/Safely-Home-Randy-Alcorn/dp/0842359915/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306654524&sr=1-1-spell) by Randy Alcorn.

[travel boy]

Getting things done- actually enjoying reading it

[Arsenal]

Less Than Zero

The Mask Of Sanity

[King of Kailua]

The Road (http://www.librarything.com/work/1222607/73926487)

Not the most uplifting bedtime reading. I'm liking the book, which is odd because so far there's not a glimmer of hope in the prose for the two characters that I feel. About 1/3 of the way through it.

[arghblech]

101 Reykjavik by Hallgrimur Helgason

up next is Dad's Nuke by Marc Laidlaw

[MaverickPL]

Dune by Frank Herbert (4th time now) - an amazing Book. The best book I've ever read.

[babafats]

Has anyone read any Aristotle? If so, what's the best book/work to start with?

I've read a lot of Aristotle. What are you interested in? His writings are so broad that approaching it with some particular interest in mind is the best approach.

That said, his most important works are probably the Physics, Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics and Politics. Also fairly important are the logical works grouped together as the Organon, in particular the Prior Analytics.

I can highly recommend "The Basic Works of Aristotle" volume, translated by Richard McKeon. It contains several portions of works, as well as the entirety of the Physics, the Politics, the Nicomachean Ethics, the Metaphysics, the Poetics, On the Soul, and On Generation and Corruption.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me. I studied philosophy, and I spent most of my time with Aristotle (I must've gone through the Nicomachean Ethics like five times).

So as not to derail the thread completely, I'm currently re-reading A Storm of Swords, from the Song of Ice and Fire series.

[JBagKY]

About half way through The Things they Carried by Tim O'Brien. I have heard many times that its one of the best books about war ever written and I am really liking it so far. Also reading Axis by Robert Charles Wilson. I read Spin at the recommendation by some on here and really liked it. Figured I would keep with that series for a while.

[David in Boston]

About half way through The Things they Carried by Tim O'Brien...

I've got to pick up that book someday.

I was told by a friend it is a great read.

[Dennard]

The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett.

[marvin100]

About half way through The Things they Carried by Tim O'Brien. I have heard many times that its one of the best books about war ever written and I am really liking it so far. Also reading Axis by Robert Charles Wilson. I read Spin at the recommendation by some on here and really liked it. Figured I would keep with that series for a while.

Good book. Just taught it, actually. The chapter in which he talks to his daughter about truth is arguably the best-known section of post-modern fiction ("metafiction"?) ever written.

[Turtledrum]

Hearsay by Lee Robinson
and
In The Realm Of Hungry Ghosts by Gabor Mate

[Relayer56]

Just picked up this one yesterday. Enjoying it so far.

The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn (Nathaniel Philbrick)

[ryan020406]

I have two books going right now. I am reading Abraham Lincoln the prarie years and the war years by Carl Sandburg as well as re-reading The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. Carl Sandburg's biographical work on Lincoln is second to none. Robert Ludlum I think is one of the greatest fiction writers I've ever read. He did such a great job with the plots and description. All of the way through his books you can picture everything.

Ryan

[marvin100]

http://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/2666-roberto-bolano.jpg

Roberto Bolaño - 2666

[GoodKat]

My laptop went kaput a week or 2 ago. Got it back but to entertain myself I reread Sherlock Holmes and now have a pipe interest! Doh!

[professorchaos]

I just finished The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. A long, entertaining read. Finishing it was like saying goodbye to an old friend.

Started The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman. Not sure how I feel about it. Started off extremely dark yet I kept turning the pages well past when I should have turned out the light.

On deck are Jim Butcher's Ghost Story (The Dresden series is too much fun, a true guilty pleasure). And if he really pulls it off this time, George R.R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons.

[digital_injection]

I am currently reading "American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis. I saw the movie prior to reading the book, which is what made me pick the book up. The movie was good but the book is so much better. It's very tough to put it down. I have not finished it yet because I don't want it to end. I love reading about weird characters, especially those who pay close attention to detail in everything they do. Read it, you will not be disappointed.

[SpyvSpy]

http://www.borders.com/ProductImages/products/00/58/38/b/58387764_b.jpg

[Misunderstood]

Uncle got me hooked on Clive Cusslers writings. Kinda bounced around with about 5 of his and decided to start at the beginning and I'm about to start The Mediterranean Caper when I find time.

[professorchaos]

I've got to pick up that book someday.

I was told by a friend it is a great read.

The Things They Carried is very good. Also very much worth reading is The Thirteenth Valley by John DelVecchio. One of the best books I've read.

[marvin100]

I am currently reading "American Psycho" by Bret Easton Ellis. I saw the movie prior to reading the book, which is what made me pick the book up. The movie was good but the book is so much better. It's very tough to put it down. I have not finished it yet because I don't want it to end. I love reading about weird characters, especially those who pay close attention to detail in everything they do. Read it, you will not be disappointed.

Heh, I read that on the beach in the Bahamas in 1994 (spring break with my rugby team). Fear and loathing in paradise :)

[Mountie]

Currently on Under the Dome by Stephen King. Almost done.

[kzoo1]

Just finished "Three Cups of Deceit", and "Where Men Win Glory"
Highly recommend both.

[profsaffel]

A. Lincoln by Ronald C. White. It's not just another Lincoln biography.

[Slowhand]

Just finished Anthony bourdain's Kitchen Confidential and am about 1/3 through Medium Raw.

Both good reads, if you lime bourdain's style.

[garyg]

The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett.

That's a good one, I need to order up some Hammett from the library. Meanwhile, this last while I re-read Kim, by Kipling, followed by Heart of Darkness. Both were a treat to read again after some decades. With those to take back up to the library tomorrow is Berensen's The Secret Soldier, which was good but not in the league of the others.

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

I'm reading W.E.B. Griffin's "Brotherhood of War: The Lieutenants, The Captains, The Majors".

"Hailed by Tom Clancy as "an American epic," the Brotherhood of War series is a sweeping military saga that probes the hearts and minds of those who fight our nation's wars. Packed with adventure and realism, loyalty, victory, and betrayal, the absorbing stories in this omnibus edition are classics of the genre".

http://www.amazon.com/Brotherhood-War-Lieutenants-Captains-Major/dp/0399147306

Christopher http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff318/peprita628/Smilies/ReadingSmiley.gif "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you'll go.” Dr. Seuss

[sk0ttomann]

Unfortunately I don't have too much time to read... Having a two year old and a full time job pretty much eliminates free time, unless I wait until SWMBO goes to bed. If I do that though, I'm wrecked the next day at work...

That being said, I do try to listen to audiobooks in the car. I'm currently listening to "The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality". It's probably a little heady to be trying to comprehend while driving, but that's how I roll...

[Dennard]

That's a good one, I need to order up some Hammett from the library. Meanwhile, this last while I re-read Kim, by Kipling, followed by Heart of Darkness. Both were a treat to read again after some decades. With those to take back up to the library tomorrow is Berensen's The Secret Soldier, which was good but not in the league of the others.

I had read "Maltese Falcon" a while back and I like this style of literature. I've been slowly getting into this one but hopefully this weekend I'll be able to devote more time to it. Kipling and Conrad are authors I enjoy, too.

[cryhavoc]

I usually have 3 books going at one time, one for the nightstand, one for the bathroom and one for the living room. Right now I am reading:

Bible
Towers of Midnight- Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series:thumbup:
The First Crusade- Thomas Asbridge

[Greyfox]

Rereading some old Hemingway classics...working on A Moveable Feast right now.

[wimbouman]

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/ae/c5/6e4ac0a398a0a6a56e07f110.L._AA300_.jpg

[Malacoda]

Picked up A Game of Thrones in April to read during a trip to Mexico (Then, ironically, first saw the ads for the new HBO series on the little headrest LCD TVs on during the flight down there - hopefully they'll come out on DVD at some point so I can watch 'em as we don't subscribe to HBO.). It was a great book. Am now reading book two - Clash of Kings.

[plpenn]

Constructions of Deviance

[marvin100]

Sarah Palin emails hahaaaaaaa

[camjr]

Right now, Larsson's The Girl that Played with Fire, the second in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series.

Cheers,

[Dennard]

Rereading some old Hemingway classics...working on A Moveable Feast right now.

One of my favorite writers. I'm about to start a collection of all of his short fiction.

[FrancisDeSalesman]

Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton. An eminent biography of an extraordinary man.

[camjr]

One of my favorite writers. I'm about to start a collection of all of his short fiction.

You can get most of them all in one place: Hemingway's The Short Stories. It's got all my favorites (The Short, Happy Life of Frances McComber; A Clean, Well Lighted Place; The Big Two-Hearted River, etc.). It's a great book to keep in the bag for flights and layovers.

Cheers!

[orchestrion]

Finally got around to starting The Proud Highway by Hunter S. Thompson

[Dennard]

You can get most of them all in one place: Hemingway's The Short Stories. It's got all my favorites (The Short, Happy Life of Frances McComber; A Clean, Well Lighted Place; The Big Two-Hearted River, etc.). It's a great book to keep in the bag for flights and layovers.

Cheers!

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the one I have. Looking forward to getting into it.

[Kwaka_Chris]

recently finished 'Dissolution' By CJ Samson, FANTASTIC novel reminiscent of Agatha Christie IMHO in that the old style feel of a murder mystery, however set in the times of King Henry with monasteries about. Brilliant book that I picked up on bargain for $3 when Borders was closing down near me. I regret nothing and feel it was a brilliant read and a welcome addition to my bookshelf.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HBPaxT7xImg/TeP1oAWB4FI/AAAAAAAAAOs/6TL76aHinak/s1600/CJSansom-Dissolution.jpg

[mdevine]

The Windup Girl by Paulo Bacigalupi; I'm half way through and really enjoying this dystopian tale of post-oil generipping in Thailand.

[mdevine]

The Windup Girl was the best book I've read in quite a while. I enjoyed it from the start but by midway through, I was unable to put it down. The last three that I enjoyed as much were Mike Resnik's Santiago, Old Mans War by John Scalzi and Neal Stephensen's Diamond Age. I started The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo today and it looks like a fun read.

[airmech]

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. He finished Jordon's Wheel of Time series. I just started it but it looks promising but is a tome.

Tom

[Talltexan]

Currently reading:
Liberty's Mytr
Shadow Diving
GQ
Esquire
Just started reading:
The book by Mrs. Sinatra
Just Read:
Seal Team Six

[xillion]

Just finished AREA 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen

now reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons

[airmech]

Just finished AREA 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen

now reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons

What did you think of Area 51? I finished it a couple of weeks ago. It was a good read and I learned a few things that I didn't know but I am not sold on the Flying Saucer explanation though.

Tom

[Laz]

Just finished AREA 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen

now reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons

Hyperion is a great series. Let us know what you think.

[King of Kailua]

Started reading The Pale King (http://www.librarything.com/work/book/74755664) the other day. The incomplete DFW novel published post-mortem. Stream of consciousness writing that you'd expect from Wallace with limited paragraph formatting. I haven't come across any footnotes yet, and I've no real sense about what this book is going to be about 'scept for a character employed by the IRS who has trouble focusing his concentration at the "tasks at hand".

[Christopher_loaf]

Halfway through The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien (of course) about to pick up and re-read (a tie actually) either The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (sort of a hard read for me) or The Tradgedy of Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe, and I'm hoping to save enough to buy Carte Blanche, by Jeffery Deaver.

Oddly, I'm in the mood to read Le Morte D'Arthur but I can't find my copy...it's in a box somewhere from moving.

[Walker]

178222

[Rossmeister]

I'm reading An Introduction to English Poetry which I'm soon done with, and I'll be moving over to Studying the Novel

After that I can REALLY get started on reading, haha!

[professorchaos]

Just finished AREA 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen

now reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons

I'd love to be reading Hyperion for the first time. What a fantastic read.

[SalvadorMontenegro]

I've read a lot of Aristotle. What are you interested in? His writings are so broad that approaching it with some particular interest in mind is the best approach.

That said, his most important works are probably the Physics, Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics and Politics. Also fairly important are the logical works grouped together as the Organon, in particular the Prior Analytics.

I can highly recommend "The Basic Works of Aristotle" volume, translated by Richard McKeon. It contains several portions of works, as well as the entirety of the Physics, the Politics, the Nicomachean Ethics, the Metaphysics, the Poetics, On the Soul, and On Generation and Corruption.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me. I studied philosophy, and I spent most of my time with Aristotle (I must've gone through the Nicomachean Ethics like five times).

So as not to derail the thread completely, I'm currently re-reading A Storm of Swords, from the Song of Ice and Fire series.

A belated thank you for this post. Between me being out of town and the board being down, I hadn't seen this until now.

I wouldn't say I have any particular interest. General interest. I've read some works by Plato and am moving down the ladder, I suppose. Or up the ladder... (There's a philosophical question, right there.) I'm going to check out the anthology you mentioned. I've had a hard time finding any individual works in the bookstores in NYC. The only one I can find is the Nichomachean Ethics and I read somewhere that it's best to save that for last.

Between now and my previous post in this thread, I finished War and Peace and started reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Real impressive, so far. I'm about 200 pages into it. The guy had some mind.

[AlanL]

Don Quixote, translated by Ormsby.

[JBagKY]

I just finished a collection of Short Stories based on the game LA Noire written by some good noire authors. I might check out some of their other stuff, since I like a good noire every so often.

However, I thought I would ask the collective knowledge here some "must reads" this year. I am trying to finish 60 books before the end of the year. I am currently done with 26. They can be collections of short stories or they can be long novels or non-fiction. Here are a few things that I am going to finish before the end of the year:

The Millennium series (Read The Girl With The Dragoon Tattoo)
A Song of Ice and Fire (Read A Game of Thrones and have the others)
Robert Charles Wilson's finale to Spin and Axis
Something by Cormac McCarthy (don't know what yet, suggestions welcomed since I haven't read anything by him)

I don't want to hijack the thread, but thought instead of going through all 180 pages, if you have a suggestion for me, pm me or reply here. Thanks!

[marvin100]

http://quarterlyconversation.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/2666-roberto-bolano.jpg

Roberto Bolaño - 2666

Done. What a remarkable book. Highly, highly recommended.

[mboschm]

These days, I'm off with "Another World" by the catalan economist Arcadi Oliveres, one of the most down-to-earth utopian left-wing intellectuals. I have the luck to know him personally (my mother is a fellow professor in the same Economics Faculty).

[Relayer56]

Right now, reading:

The Last Stand. Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Also, just got a new job with Scholastic Book Fairs, so for work I'm reading:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The NightMarys
:)

[thunder54]

American Empire: The Center Cannot Hold by Harry Turtledove. Anyone ever read any of his alternative history books? I have been reading this series for about a year now, really interesting how if the South had one the Civil War and the US had become 2 countries.

[kg0mz]

Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son. Essays. Non-fiction. Michael Chabon.

[marvin100]

Chabon's a good time.

[lackluster dave]

I'm reading Operation Mincemeat, by Ben Macintyre.

True account of espionage during WWII.

[Trout Whisperer]

Experiencing the Presence of God by A. W. Tozer and the latest issue of "Rocky Mountain Game and Fish". Interesting article about hunting mule deer in the backcountry, but I didn't draw a deer tag this year.

[Bluebriz]

I just started (literally 5 pages, because the intro was so long!) "I Am a Cat" by Natsume Soseki. Has anyone read it? I'll give more feedback once i've finished, or at least got a little further into it!

[sffone]

"Pearls Before Swine."

[Laz]

I just finished Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith (http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Elvis-Repainting-Christian-Faith/dp/0310273080/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1309384797&sr=8-3) by Rob Bell.

[timj219]

"An Army at Dawn" by Rick Atkinson. The story of the allied invasion of northern Africa in WWII. Excellent.

[VGA Ubersoldat]

"Firebase Seattle", Executioner series by Don Pendleton.

[breadstick]

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It's a little slow starting but it's beginning to pick up. I love the way it's written (as all books at that time).

Just finished John Dies At The End by David Wong. If you like weird, off-the-wall stories this one is great.

[the fnger genius]

I'm reading Ubik, by PK Dick, and next up is the Ramayana.



Something by Cormac McCarthy (don't know what yet, suggestions welcomed since I haven't read anything by him)


Start with All the Pretty Horses.

[americanarmsdealer]

H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. I just recently discovered Nook, and I've found a new interest in the old school science fiction novels. Go figure!!

[Cheeva]

Currently reading ,The Discernment of Spirits, An Ignatian guide for Everyday Living. by Timothy M. Gallagher, OMV.

[NewbieRedux]

Gone to New York by Ian Frazier. Essays about NYC.

[Confilo]

Carlos Fuentes, Destiny and Desire

[profsaffel]

The book of Job, and Winnie the Pooh to my son. :wink2:

[Kevan]

Swami Chinmayananda's commentary on the Bhagavad Gita
Meditation, Mind, and Patanjali's Yoga by Swami Bhaskarananda
The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz

[timj219]

Something by Cormac McCarthy (don't know what yet, suggestions welcomed since I haven't read anything by him)
Start with All the Pretty Horses.LOL You're just trying not to scare him! I say start at the sharp end with "Blood Meridian" or "Child of God"

[garyg]

Well, I wasn't so much scared as saddened by Cormac - more maudlin than I'd like, though he is a very descriptive sort. The Road's theme was to me too derivative, but then I read to the disappointing end.

It's more my present taste than the author, and I've yet to read them all ..

[timj219]

Well, I wasn't so much scared as saddened by Cormac - more maudlin than I'd like, though he is a very descriptive sort. The Road's theme was to me too derivative, but then I read to the disappointing end.

It's more my present taste than the author, and I've yet to read them all ..Lots of sadness in all his books. But the two I mentioned are also quite depraved and disturbing. All the Pretty Horses is probably the most accessible and its characters and situations relatively (for Macarthy) conventional. Personally I didn't think The Road was one of his better efforts. My favorite is Blood Meridian. Some of the scenes and characters in that book come back to me over and over. But I would also put The Crossing, All the Pretty Horses, and Suttree above The Road.

[marvin100]

Finished 2666. Jaw-dropping.

Now starting

http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/09/78/01/40/18/0978014018708_500X500.jpg

The Recognitions, William Gaddis

[Ethan.Bassist.]

Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho. Great book.

[elitehunting]

1984

[timj219]

Just finished "An Army at Dawn" by Rick Atkinson
Now I'm on to "Griftopia" by Matt Taibbi

[jonwings]

I just read Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi over the weekend and very much enjoyed it. I picked up Old Man's War at the library and started that yesterday so I have something until my copy of Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson arrives.

[TimmyBoston]

Just finished, "Viking Funeral" by Stephen J. Cannell.

I always have a few going. "Over the Edge" by Jonathan Kellerman, "Sacred and Profane" by Faye Kellerman, "Stalking the Angel" by Robert Crais. Rereading those, and I just started "The Sportswriter" by Richard Ford. That man is a genius.

[TimmyBoston]

Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho. Great book.

I've got this loaded on my mp3 player, but haven't listed to it yet. I'm glad to read this recommendation.

[hitemfrank]

I have started reading 'Helmet For My Pillow' by Robert Leckie.

[mdevine]

I just finished Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay And Started Patrick Rothfuss' The Wise Man's Fear.

[JBagKY]

I have started reading 'Helmet For My Pillow' by Robert Leckie.

After watching The Pacific, I really want to check out that book. Just finished up A Clash of Kings and a book called More than Ordinary. Currently reading Life of Pi.

[garyg]

Ok, did a couple recently, Buried Prey by John Sandford was good in the usual Davenport way. Next read was historical, The Killer Angels by Michael Sharra was a great read.

[GuitarGuy]

Finally finished War & Peace for the 2nd time...

Now reading The Autobiography of Theodore Roosevelt

[Alacrity59]

Stephen Booth's Devil's Edge

[JBagKY]

Today I finished Heir to the Empire and previous finished this week were The Guinea Pig Diaries and previously mentioned Life of Pi. Next will read Vortex and Dark Force Rising.

[MackMaven]

A Song of Fire and Ice: A Dance with Dragons... years in the making. And waiting. But worth it so far :)

[VGA Ubersoldat]

Currently reading The Executioner series by Don Pendleton on my nook, #41 The Violent Streets. My library is rather extensive to list. I suppose I shall just name what I am currently reading.

[Johnny_Z]

Having a Nook color makes it easy to jump around and harder to finish a book (quickly at least). Right now I'm reading The Silmarillion and Beyond Belief.

[Laz]

This week I listened to an audiobook that I picked up on iTunes a few months ago when it was on sale. Water for Elephants (http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/water-for-elephants/id364290349?mt=11&name=trailers&ign-mpt=uo%3D4) - it was a great audiobook. The readers did an excellent job of bringing the words to life. I haven't seen the movie, but I can't imagine how it conpete with the audio version.

[JBagKY]

This week I listened to an audiobook that I picked up on iTunes a few months ago when it was on sale. Water for Elephants (http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/water-for-elephants/id364290349?mt=11&name=trailers&ign-mpt=uo%3D4) - it was a great audiobook. The readers did an excellent job of bringing the words to life. I haven't seen the movie, but I can't imagine how it conpete with the audio version.

I read the book and enjoyed it immensely. I haven't seen the movie either, but would think that with such a great source, it has to be at least decent. Plus, Christopher Waltz is an amazing actor.

[djwhite]

I have a couple of books on the go, including: Our Culture; What's Left of It. & The Art of Worldly Wisdom. I also read the Financial Times daily.

[BrowardDet]

Revisiting middle school with "The Hatchet" and "Where the Red Fern Grows", classics

[SenorPartagas]

Buddy of mine was a "security consultant" in Africa a few years ago. He just wrote his first book this year, completely fictional of course:

Grey Redemption by Scott D Covey

[-bussmann]

just finished Amazing adventures if Kavelier and Clay by Michael Chabon, totally great. about to start Fury by Salman Rushdie.
exciting times...

[CyanideJenkins]

Currently reading The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris and From The Shadows by Robert M. Gates.

[SenorPartagas]

Martins A Song of Ice and Fire series, presently on book 2: A Clash of Kings

[TimmyBoston]

just finished Amazing adventures if Kavelier and Clay by Michael Chabon, totally great. about to start Fury by Salman Rushdie.
exciting times...

Both of those are very good books.

[TimmyBoston]

I'm rereading Sleeping Beauty by Ross MacDonald

[njpaddy]

Just finished EYEWALL yesterday. A good, quick summer read about a Cat 5 hurricane hitting the Georgia coast.

[SevenFields]

The Passage

[garyg]

Winds of War by Wouk, read it in the 70's, so thought it might read well again, and it does

[SmoovD]

Just finished Joe Hill's "20the Century Ghosts". It is a fine collection of short stories. I will definitely track down his novels. Up next is....a SS by Ellen Klages "Green Glass Sea".

[Dave in the basement]

Just finished Joe Hill's "20the Century Ghosts". It is a fine collection of short stories. I will definitely track down his novels. Up next is....a SS by Ellen Klages "Green Glass Sea".

I'll definitely have to pick up 20th Century Ghosts, then. I really enjoyed Hill's Heart Shaped Box, as did my wife. I am trying to find some good sci-fi books to read, but in the meantime I am reading Ghost Story by Peter Straub. Supposedly it is quite creepy, but I am only about 25 pages in.

Dave

[SmoovD]

I'll definitely have to pick up 20th Century Ghosts, then. I really enjoyed Hill's Heart Shaped Box, as did my wife. I am trying to find some good sci-fi books to read, but in the meantime I am reading Ghost Story by Peter Straub. Supposedly it is quite creepy, but I am only about 25 pages in.

Dave

I will have to check it out. I know I am out of the loop but I just found out that he is Stephen King's son.

[breadstick]

The Know It All: One Man's Humble Quest To Become The Smartest Person In The World by Al J. Jacobs. I loved The Year Of Living Biblically by him and this one is equally entertaining.

[slivesay]

Martins A Song of Ice and Fire series, presently on book 2: A Clash of Kings
Great series, I just started book 5.

[The Chandos]

Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron. A very interesting book!

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRkK8wQDmJwEVFdT_00K3Qntro_TXWra IOpXybD_88SyY6S1LTS0w

[joshmpdx]

I just finished Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins and enjoyed it immensely. Next up is either: DFW - Pale King, William Gaddis - The Recognitions, or another Tom Robbins - Invalids

[Laz]

I just finished reading Thirteen Reasons Why (http://www.amazon.com/Thirteen-Reasons-Why-Jay-Asher/dp/159514188X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311985566&sr=8-1) by Jay Asher. This weekend I will probably finish The Heart of Haiku (http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Haiku-Kindle-Single-ebook/dp/B0057IYMF4/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311985685&sr=1-1) by Jane Hirshfield. I am enjoying The Heart of Haiku, but didn't care much for 13 Reasons.

[garyg]

The Killer Angels by Michael Sharra - Gettysburg classic, I found this a more enjoyable read than some of the others regarding that battle.

[kg4ghn]

The Power of Personal Accountability.

Good quick read and changed the way I looked at things.

[mdevine]

I just read Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi over the weekend and very much enjoyed it. I picked up Old Man's War at the library and started that yesterday so I have something until my copy of Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson arrives.


Old Man's War is one of my favorites and is on my short list when asked for a recommendation. I just finished A Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. If you read The Name of the Wind, the sequel is every bit as good and worth the long wait between the two. I started Iain Banks' Surface Detail a few days ago. If it's anywhere near the book Player of Games (another of his "Culture" novels) was, I'm sure to enjoy it.

[FL shaver]

Just finished EYEWALL yesterday. A good, quick summer read about a Cat 5 hurricane hitting the Georgia coast.

Got me wondering how Tybee Island and Savannah make out! Gonna have to find it.

Just finished Time of the Doves, the English translation of the Catalan novel La Placa Diamante, the square we stayed at in the Gracia District of Barcelona during our summer vacation in Spain. I didn't realize this until after our return home. This is a coming of age novel for a Barcelona woman during the Spanish Civil War with many of the sites we visited mentioned in the book. Enjoyed it.

Now onto Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth, recommended by a friend after I mentioned how blown away I was by the Gothic architecture in Barcelona.

[DUCK DIGGLER]

I finished up reading Moby Dick on Thursday and last night I spent a few hours on the deck with a good cigar and The Island of Dr. Moreau. I am enjoying re-visiting a few classics. Not sure what is next.

[SmoovD]

I found "The Zen Experience" by Thomas Hoover as a promo freebie on Amazon. It runs over mostly familiar ground but some of the ground I had not trod upon in a quite some time. If you are looking for a historical perspective on Zen Buddhism it fits the bill.

[mlrevinit]

Halfway through the first volume of The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and reading the Hobbitt with my 12 year old son.

[InHotWater]

I bring Mutiny on the Bounty to the beach to read ( the sound of waves, and gulls in the background set the tone)
I started reading The Pluto Files-Neil deGrasse Tyson, (its a cute funny book).
Here is some irony for you..I picked up the DaVinci Code-Dan Brown in hardcover for 50 cents in Catholic thrift shop.

[Dennard]

"Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand.

[RagingRazor]

" The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer. Im a fan of WW2 books, and this is the most hardcore book I have ever read.

[digital_injection]

Going to start on "The Great Gatsby" soon.

[JBagKY]

I am still trudging along with my goal to read 60 books. I finished up books 37 and 38 last week, The Girl who played with Fire and The Girl who kicked a Hornet's Nest. I really liked them. Definitely worth reading if you get a chance. Now am reading Stumbling on Happiness. It was mentioned in The Guinea Pig Diaries by AJ Jacobs and its been pretty interesting.

[dreadwing]

Currently I am reading the Game of thrones series, I'm close to the end of the first book so far.

[Kwaka_Chris]

Unsure of what novel to read next, have a selection from Koontz, Dostoyevsky and CJ Sansom, however at the moment I am currently just reading cookbooks in the bath.

Just finished 2 good textbooks though, one on selection/usage/mixing of fine essential oils, and one on overcoming chronic fatigue (mostly dietary and behavioral)

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

I'm now reading "The Devil's Advocate", a 1959 novel by Australian author Morris West.

"A dying English priest is dispatched from Rome as a canonical inquisitor in order to investigate the cult of sainthood that has grown around Giacomo Nerone in the desolate town of Calabria in Southern Italy".

"In the bare, rocky desolation of Calabria in Southern Italy, a cult of sainthood has grown around Giacomo Nerone, a mysterious figure who appeared in the last years of World War II. A dying English priest, Blaise Meredith, is dispatched from Rome as a canonical inquisitor, a Devil's Advocate, to investigate Nerone's sainthood. So begins this story that was nominated for the 1960 National Book Award". :lol:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56961.The_Devil_s_Advocate

http://anzlitlovers.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/devils-advocate21.jpg?w=140&h=230


Christopher http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff318/peprita628/Smilies/ReadingSmiley.gif "Reading is to mind what exercise is to the body. Joseph Addison

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

I'm also reading "The Shoes of the Fisherman", 1963 classic novel by the Australian author Morris West, as well as a 1968 film based on the novel.

Plot:
"Set during the height of the Cold War, The Shoes of the Fisherman opens as protagonist Kiril Pavlovich Lakota (Anthony Quinn), the Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv, is unexpectedly set free after twenty years in a Siberian labor camp by his former jailer, Piotr Ilyich Kamenev (Laurence Olivier), now the premier of the Soviet Union.

He is sent to Rome, where the elderly fictional Pope Pius XIII (John Gielgud) raises him to the cardinalate in the title of St. Athanasius. Lakota initially declines, but reluctantly accepts the promotion.

When the Pontiff suddenly collapses and dies, the process of a papal conclave begins, and Cardinal Lakota participates as one of the electors. During the sede vacante, two cardinals in particular, Cardinal Leone (Leo McKern) and Cardinal Rinaldi (Vittorio De Sica) are shown to be papabile. After seven ballots of deadlock, Lakota finds himself elected Pope (just like a Karol Józef Wojtyła a.k.a Pope John Paul II in 1978 won the election on the eighth ballot on the second day..."So the cardinals have called for a new bishop of Rome. They called him from a faraway land – far and yet always close because of our communion in faith and Christian traditions...Be not afraid."), as a compromise candidate (suggested by Cardinal Rinaldi) by acclamation after the Cardinals, unable to decide between the leading candidates, interview him and are impressed by his ideas and his humility. Lakota takes the name of Pope Kiril (using his baptismal name). Meanwhile, the world is on the brink of nuclear war due to a Chinese-Soviet feud made worse by a famine caused by trade restrictions brought against China by the United States.

The evening after his election, Pope Kiril, with the help of his personal aide Gelasio (Arnoldo Foà), sneaks out of the Vatican and explores the city of Rome without being recognized. Later, the Pope returns to the Soviet Union to meet privately with Kamenev and Chairman Peng (Burt Kwouk) of China to discuss the ongoing crisis.

Pope Kiril realizes, however, that if the troubles in China continue, the cost would be a war that could ultimately rip the world apart. Knowing this, he must seek to convince the West as well as the Catholic Church to open up its resources to aid. At his papal coronation, Kiril removes his tiara (in a gesture of humility) and states this intent, much to the delight of the crowds in St. Peter's Square below.

A major secondary plot in the novel and the film is the Pope's relationship with a theologian and scientist, Father Telemond (Jean Telemond in the book, David Telemond in the film). The Pope becomes a close personal friend of Telemond (Oskar Werner). To his deep regret, in his official capacity, he must allow the Holy Office to censure Telemond for his heterodox views. To the Pope's deep grief, the shock of the censure, combined with his chronic medical problems, eventually kills Father Telemond, who has been slowly dying all this time from a cerebral aneurysm.

Background:
Morris West's protagonist Lakota is inspired by the life of Ukrainian Catholic Cardinal Josyf Slipyj. Slipyj was released by Nikita Khrushchev's administration from a Siberian Gulag in 1963, the year of the novel's publication, after political pressure from Pope John XXIII and United States President John F. Kennedy. Slipyj arrived in Rome in time to participate in the Second Vatican Council".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shoes_of_the_Fisherman

The Book:

http://img.amazon.ca/images/I/41J319M07ML._SL500_AA300_.jpg

The Movie:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__7s9GUTM-oY/SayvCTo1xQI/AAAAAAAAHos/a78RIBZIxr0/s320/shoes.JPG


Christopher http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff318/peprita628/Smilies/ReadingSmiley.gif "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you'll go.” Dr. Seuss

[njpaddy]

For breaks in my once a week Grand Jury duty, I've been taking along some British-nasties to lighten the mood. Currently working my way through some mindless pulp horror of Guy N Smith:
The Origin of the Crabs
Night of the Crabs
Killer Crabs
Crabs on the Rampage
Crabs Moon
Crabs: The Human Sacrifice

[tracman]

Reading on getting an Amateur Radio License.

[Mr. RazorBurns]

tracman, if I can help let me know ------ WB9BW

[Johnny Dale]

Reading "Ender's Shadow" by Orson Scott Card

[Baker]

Just finished The Courts of the Crimson Kings by SM Stirling, recently read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and was considering Ender's Shadow for the next!

[dmachine]

A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

I'm 'kicking back' and reading H.G. Wells classic science fiction novels;

a) "The War of the Worlds"

b) "The Invisible Man"

c) "The Island of Doctor Moreau"

Christopher http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff318/peprita628/Smilies/ReadingSmiley.gif "Reading is to mind what exercise is to the body. Joseph Addison

[Rossmeister]

" The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer. Im a fan of WW2 books, and this is the most hardcore book I have ever read.

Isn't it just insane that before he even gets to the front, his unit has to bail the train and start filling up trench positions to fight the enemy? That book is pretty hardcore, I agree. You should also read Sniper/Sharpshooter/Marksman on the Eastern Front. It's in the same series of books.

It is comparably gruesome, and definitely describes the horrors and absurdities of war in a readable way.

[benito]

Rereading the Rabbit series by John Updike. Plato's Republic is in the cue after that.

[MadRoad]

"American Sea Writing" from the Library of America. It's a great sampling of the styles of various authors throughout this country's history who have ever written about the sea.

[noahpictures]

"Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand.

The best non-fiction book I've ever read.

[JBagKY]

Reading "Ender's Shadow" by Orson Scott Card

I think that Bean was a better character, at least in books that followed his journey, than Ender. Though, Card's other works just weren't as good.

Just finished The Forgotten Man its a look a different look at Roosevelt and the Depression. Good book. Currently reading The Last Command by Timothy Zahn and finishing up that trilogy.

[BingeAndPurge]

A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin

Desperately trying not to buy this until I read all the Cormac McCarthy books I picked up in June. The same day I got them, I picked up Game of Thrones and read through the whole series. I guess I will commit right here and now and say The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

[D.Gray]

I just finished devouring the last book published in the "Song of Ice and Fire" series by George R. R. Martin "A Dance with Dragons". I started the first book of the series around Father's Day (so far five books have been published of the seven scheduled to be in the series) and now am anxiously waiting the sixth and seventh books to be published. I haven't been sucked into a book/series since I got into "The Wayfarer Redemption" series by Sara Douglass (I had to wait for the books to be made available here in the US as they had been available in the UK and Australia for a few years before they were available here.

Dave

[BrowardDet]

Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. Just getting into Whitman and find him quite brilliant.

[njpaddy]

Yesterday I came across 3 James Thurber books I had packed away years ago. I'm spending this rainy day re-reading THURBER'S DOGS.

[AndreasDK]

Gospel of Matthew.

[mdevine]

I picked up Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book several years ago, planning to read it with my younger children. Somehow, we never got though it. I picked it up a couple days ago and it looks like a quick Summer read. I'm leaving for vacation soon and need to pick up a couple of sci-fi books to read on my Kindle during the trip.

[garyg]

Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor. Not to the end yet, but this is close to the saddest commentary on the human nature that I have read in a long, long time. A Pulitzer prize winner

[breadstick]

The Lost City Of Z by David Gran. Amazing read. I can barely put it down. I'm hoping to finish it tomorrow.

[VULPES]

About a quarter of the way through "A Clash of Kings: Book 2 of A Song of Ice and Fire" and enjoying very much. Prior to that books 1-6 Dan Shepherd series from Stephen Leather and Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. All on my Kindle.

[Sae]

I'm currently reading GEB (Hoffstadter), rule 34 (Charles Stross) and the survival guide in zombie teritory.

[marvin100]

GEB is one of my all-time favorites. I had the good fortune to teach it last spring, too, and it was terrific to revisit the Little Harmonic Labyrinth, the God Over Djinn, etc.

Mindmelting ideas in that thing, and incredible execution.

[jones2289]

A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson. A pretty neat, and humorous, account of an average joe hiking the Appalachain Trail

[rearviewmirror]

In the last few weeks i've read the entire Game of Thrones/Song of Fire and Ice series. Just finished A Dance With Dragons.
Before that was the LotR trilogy, before that was The Dark Tower series.
SoFaI is by far the best IMO.

Time to find another set of books to read. I have the Enders Game books on my nook already, i'll start reading those.....now!

[SmoovD]

Saturday night I finished "The Man from Saigon". Sunday I noticed my son reading "The Lord of the Flies" so I picked it up. It has been awhile since I had read it. It was as good as I remembered it. Yesterday I started "Buddy Holly is Alive and Well on Ganymede". Then I think it is back to traditional sci-fi. Man, I do love my Kindle.

[navy.sailor]

+1 on the kindle. Right now it "A Patriot's History of the United States", "Conceived in Liberty". Just finished "Neptune's Inferno". I am a sucker for history, especially naval history.

[BrowardDet]

Gonna start reading Adam Carolla's "In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks" tonight.

[drquantum]

Beowulf
Remembering the Kanji, vol. 1 (a self-study guide to reading japanese)
Conversations with Wendell Berry

[marvin100]

Wendell Berry +1
A People's History of the United States +1,000,000

Some good reading in this thread. Nicely done, gents.

I'm reading a bunch of Terry Eagleton in preparation for a lit theory class.

[kwk285]

Blood Test by Kellerman

[JM]

"Russia in the age of Peter the Great" by Hughes, "A Complete Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity" by Gill and "City of the Dead" by Keene

[tchudson]

Just finished reading "Spindrift" by Allen Steele. Not sure what to start next.

[njpaddy]

Just finished Prey by Michael Crichton, a hardcover that was sitting unread on my bookshelf for years.

[jmg]

"And On Piano...Nicky Hopkins"

[JM]

I listen to books while I run, workout, clean, etc. and just finished "Appaloosa" by Robert Parker. Listening to books on my iPod has increased my run time from about 45 min. to an hour and a half. I just don't want to stop listening.

In print I just picked up "Ivan the Terrible" by Payne and Romanoff, "Typhoon" by Ryan and "The Orthodox Church" by Meyendoorff.

[njpaddy]

Re-reading some of Kevin Brownlow's THE PARADE'S GONE BY while I await my Kindle's delivery tomorrow. I have my doubts about being able to adapt to an e-reader, but decided to give it a shot anyway. If I don't like it, I can always give it to the grandkids.

[Laz]

I just started re-reading Vernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky (http://www.amazon.com/Deepness-Sky-ebook/dp/B002H8ORKM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1314088305&sr=8-4). I hope to finish this one and A Fire Upon The Deep (http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Upon-Zones-Thought-ebook/dp/B000FBJAGO/ref=pd_sim_kinc_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2) before the third book comes out. If you like Sci-Fi, the the first 2 books are great

[Niubi]

Now reading "FEAST FOR CROWS": http://books.google.it/books?id=NuMx6tmf5iIC&dq=A+Feast+for+Crows&hl=it&ei=roJTTvj4B8nxsgash9kO&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAQ

[Samurai-5]

Just finished Dune House Atreides and Heretic by Bernard Cornwell. Just started Dune Heretic.

[mdevine]

The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One) by Joe Abercrombie- I just finished Rule 34 by Charles Stross.

[Niubi]

The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One) by Joe Abercrombie

I really enjoyed this one and the other books of the saga as well.

[SmoovD]

Buzzd through some classic Sci-Fi shorts by H. L. Gold which were nothing special. Just started League of People 1: Expendable- so far, it is an entertaining read. It is part of a series so if I like it I have the next few weeks reading list ready to go.

[Laz]

Re-reading some of Kevin Brownlow's THE PARADE'S GONE BY while I await my Kindle's delivery tomorrow. I have my doubts about being able to adapt to an e-reader, but decided to give it a shot anyway. If I don't like it, I can always give it to the grandkids.

I bit you will love the kindle. After a book or two you won't even changing the pages and having a font size that is easy to read spoiled me quickly. Let us know how you like it.

[ChrisS86]

I just finished Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. This was easily the most challenging book I've ever read. Hilarious and heart wrenching all at the same time. I think there is much more about the book I'm going to discover.

[rearviewmirror]

The Blade Itself (The First Law: Book One) by Joe Abercrombie-

Just finished this one, based on the recommendations here. about to start reading the second in the series.

[marvin100]

http://www.popmatters.com/images/book_cover_art/a/aestheticdisappear-cover.jpg

Paul Virilio, The Aesthetics of Disappearance

[moonshine44]

The Testament by John Grisham. Read it several years ago, decided to revisit it. Great book!

[mdevine]

Before They Are Hanged (The First Law: Book Two)- I'm halfway through and it is even better than book one. If the final book of the trilogy is as well written, this will be one I will definitely be steering others to.

[breadstick]

Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgress. I've always loved the movie and I'm finally getting around to reading it. The language takes a little getting used to to be able to read it at a decent speed.

[Bigsurprise]

I am currently reading Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters. I tried reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies several times, but I couldn't get into it. I have since loaned that out, and am trying out SSS. So far so good, although I am only 30 or so pages in.

[joshmpdx]

http://www.boston.com/ae/specials/culturedesk/Franzen_Freedom3131.jpg

[kwk285]

I Alex Cross

[coyotewhisper]

"The Miracle of Freedom, 7 Tipping Points that Saved the World"
By Chris and Ted Stewart
It examines seven historical events that have shaped freedom.

[David in Boston]

http://www.boston.com/ae/specials/culturedesk/Franzen_Freedom3131.jpg

Just heard an interview with him on NPR.

Seems like a down to earth guy.

[llonzo]

I am reading this awesome book
http://www.amazon.com/End-Land-David-Grossman/dp/0307592979/ref=amb_link_354383502_27?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=1A9TAAG2SH85WV1N8A4S&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1279103962&pf_rd_i=2486012011
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512qMHPUesL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg
http://bytery.info/nossl/Bt/J.gif

[themiz]

A Brief History of Time
By Stephen Hawking

[rtb178]

http://www.boston.com/ae/specials/culturedesk/Franzen_Freedom3131.jpg

Hey, same here. Not bad, though a bit light compared to Philip Roth, one of whose audiobooks I was listening to before.

[SalvadorMontenegro]

I just finished Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. This was easily the most challenging book I've ever read. Hilarious and heart wrenching all at the same time. I think there is much more about the book I'm going to discover.

That was a terrific book. I finished reading it a couple of months ago. I loved it.


A Brief History of Time
By Stephen Hawking

Let me know how that goes. I tried reading it and it made me feel pretty stupid, so I cried and gave up. It's still by my bed. I'm going to pick it up again soon.

I just finished reading Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Prior to that, I read The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky. Prior to that I read the aforementioned Infinite Jest.

Now I'm reading the following:

The Bible - I am not religious at all, but I want to read it cover to cover. I'm in Exodus right now, so I've got a ways to go.

A book of essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I'm going to buy either Gravity's Rainbow or Middlemarch. I can't decide which.

I'm a much more prolific reader when the weather's cold, so I figure I'll pick up the pace in the coming months.

[Kilgore13]

I am currently reading Incognito by David Eagleman, an interesting look at the function of the unconscious brain as well as the implications of humans being less consciously in control of their own actions. I'm also reading Vonnegut's The Sirens of Titan. I'm a huge Vonnegut fan (just look at my name here) and this is one of his "masterpieces" I haven't gotten around to yet.

[Samurai-5]

Just finished Hammer's Slammers yesterday and started "The Devil in the White City"

[RudyN]

Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer and also a book on Stalingrad (forgot the authors name). I am quite a history buff.

[hotreds]

The Loser Letters by Mary Eberstadt

[njpaddy]

Currently reading my second book on the Kindle, H.G. Wells War of the Worlds. My first Kindle book was Crichton's Timeline. Initial impressions of the Kindle are that it's better than a paperback but not as good as a hardcover. Most annoying feature is "navigation", including the failure to display page numbers. In the Crichton book I had go into the menu to see where I was at, but I have no idea where I'm at in WOTW as I cannot find any page numbers.

[Mountain Bum]

Just finished - Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn Series #1) by Brandon Sanderson

Very good book in my opinion, definately had some very unique attributes to it. Can't wait to read the next one.

In the middle of reading - Passage to Dawn (The Legend of Drizzt, Book X) by R.A. Salvatore

I'm a big fanstasy novel guy and I love the Drizzt series from Salvatore so far. Did get a little slow for me though.

[SmoovD]

Just finished Gaiman's Anansi Boys last night. Now, I need to decide between Matterhorn or diving back into either the Riverworld or League of People series. Until I decide I am going to burn through some classic sci-fi short stories.

[dreadpirate]

Glory Road by Robert Heinlein. My first Heinlein book on the Kindle. After that - it's going to be Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.

[Dave in the basement]

I am looking forward to starting Goblin War (http://www.amazon.com/Goblin-War-Jim-C-Hines/dp/0756404932/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315573952&sr=1-1), by Jim C. Hines, this evening. As with the other books in the series, it should be a nice, fun read.

After that I hope to hop into some sort of grand space opera, if I can find one to scratch that itch. Happy Friday!

Dave

[Deltaboy]

I read and reread Jack Hinson's One Man War.

http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Hinsons-One-Man-Civil-Sniper/dp/1589806409

The true story of one man's reluctant but relentless war against the invaders of his country.A quiet, wealthy plantation owner, Jack Hinson watched the start of the Civil War with disinterest. Opposed to secession and a friend to Union and Confederate commanders alike, he did not want a war. After Union soldiers seized and murdered his sons, placing their decapitated heads on the gateposts of his estate, Hinson could remain indifferent no longer. He commissioned a special rifle for long-range accuracy, he took to the woods, and he set out for revenge. This remarkable biography presents the story of Jack Hinson, a lone Confederate sniper who, at the age of 57, waged a personal war on Grant's army and navy. The result of 15 years of scholarship, this meticulously researched and beautifully written work is the only account of Hinson's life ever recorded and involves an unbelievable cast of characters, including the Earp brothers, Jesse James, and Nathan Bedford Forrest.

[tice75]

Just finished The Retirement Miracle by Patrick Kelly. Honestly, it's given me a new outlook on investing, because banks don't pay any interest, and 401K's have no protection against loss. It helps that I am working in financial services, but the knowledge I've gained from the book is priceless.

-Steve

[cnnc97]

I've been reading a lot of Stephen King lately. I read the entire Dark Tower series over the spring and early summer and now just finished The Regulators and started The Talisman.

[Adam R]

Tina Fey's Bossypants made me laugh. Quick, light, funny. A good book for a man with a daughter.
This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff - was one of the better books I've read in the last month or two.
American Tabloid by James Ellroy was a good manly read. I'm going to read more Ellroy soon. Semi historical fiction based on real characters from the JFK era. Gangsters, G-men, Crooked politicians.

[Adam R]

After that - it's going to be Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.

Vonnegut is awesome. You really have to let the words resonate instead of just power reading a narrative. So it goes.

[Adam R]

Post Office by Bukowski... with a nice glass of scotch (Teachers) by my side.

Bukowski is a really guilty pleasure. I've got a copy of The Most Beautiful Woman in Town. Greasy yet great. Not for boy scouts!

[Laz]

I read Tick Tock (http://www.amazon.com/Tick-Tock-Dean-Koontz/dp/0553582925/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315779518&sr=8-1) by Dean Koontz. A short easy read that was entertaining simply because the characters were so funny.

[njpaddy]

In between reading HG Wells on the Kindle, I continue to read real books on my shelf I never got to. Just finished the illustrated The Da Vinci Code. Some complaints, but overall a good read. I liked it enough to be tempted to buy his illustrated The Lost Symbol.

[joshmpdx]

Just heard an interview with him on NPR.

Seems like a down to earth guy.

Are you going to read it, David?


Hey, same here. Not bad, though a bit light compared to Philip Roth, one of whose audiobooks I was listening to before.

It's fairly quick reading, but I don't really consider 'FREEDOM' "light reading".

Which Philip Roth books have you enjoyed?


That was a terrific book. I finished reading it a couple of months ago. I loved it.



Infinite Jest really changed the way I see all entertainment. It's likely the best book of fiction i've ever read. It's fun to chat with dudes about it too. it's not as much of a hit with the ladies.