What Are You Reading? [Archive] - Page 3

sparkchaser

11-30-2007, 05:54 AM

I recently finished Idoru (http://www.amazon.com/Idoru-William-Gibson/dp/0425190455/ref=collectionofcoll) by William Gibson and now I am reading The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill (http://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Wit-Winston-Churchill/dp/1854795295/ref=collectionofcoll) by Dominique Enright.

Up next will either be Roman Britain and Early England 55 BC to AD 871 (http://www.amazon.com/Britain-England-Norton-Library-History/dp/0393003612/ref=collectionofcoll) by Peter Blair or Spook Country (http://www.amazon.com/Spook-Country-William-Gibson/dp/0399154302/ref=collectionofcoll) by William Gibson.

desmoface

11-30-2007, 06:20 AM

"The Art of Being Human," by Richard Janaro & Thelma Altshuler. It's the text for my Humaninities class. Yayy.

Steve

mental

11-30-2007, 10:45 AM

I'm working my way through The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (on book 3) and The Blood Books by Tanya Huff (opened the cover of the first one).

If you're a sci-fi fan pick up a novel called Spin, by Robert Charles Wilson. It's really more of a drama than sci-fi, but it's a good read. I finished it a few months back and it's still one I think about.

Love the Dresden files. I've pretty much devoured that series, only one left to go and I don't think it's in paperback yet.

Just finished Terry Pratchett's "Thud!", which I think is the latest Discworld release. Great book, par for the course from him. One of my favorite authors.

brooklynlou

11-30-2007, 11:33 AM

The Illuminatus Trilogy by Shea and Wilson. The annual xmas time read. A fairy tale for paranoids ...

profipsy

11-30-2007, 03:29 PM

Got a few on the go at present:-

The Name of the Rose, Eco
Beowolf, Seamus Heaney's translation - excellent read and vibrant translation.
Stone henge decoded.

Emilius

12-01-2007, 04:15 AM

Just finished Dostoievsky's The Brothers Karamazov (a very long, deep, thought-provoking book).

About to start A Grief Observed, by C.S. Lewis.

TimmyBoston

12-01-2007, 11:21 PM

Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton

ratcheer

12-02-2007, 11:19 AM

Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton

That is one of my all-time favorites. I read it ten years or so ago.

Tim

180gVinyl

12-02-2007, 03:47 PM

Winter's Bone - Daniel Woodrell

Mr-Scruffy

12-04-2007, 11:17 AM

"Pierced by a Sword" and "Conceived Without Sin" by Bud Macfarlane Jr.

Get them free here:
http://www.catholicity.com/novels/

analog_kid

12-04-2007, 11:42 AM

I just got into The Secret Agent by Joesph Conrad this past weekend. It's a great book if you are big on long, flowing, descriptive sentences that seem to never end. Conrad's style is so intricate and imaginative and in my opinion doesn't get near the credit he deserves for his writing. The characters are so vivid and life-like, the book just comes alive right off the pages. It's probably of no surprise I've nearing the half-way point already.

SmoovD

12-04-2007, 11:49 AM

The Illuminatus Trilogy by Shea and Wilson. The annual xmas time read. A fairy tale for paranoids ...

Just dusted this one off as well...

rtaylor61

12-04-2007, 09:02 PM

Carl Hiaasen "A Death in China".

Randy

MacArthur Mike

12-04-2007, 09:55 PM

"I Am America (And So Can You)," by Steven Colbert. Very entertaining.

Just finished..."The Omnivore's Dilemna" and "Organic, Inc."

ralphy43

12-06-2007, 12:59 PM

cormac mccarthy
no country for old men

- dazzlingly tough

kwk285

12-06-2007, 01:02 PM

I just finished
The Cold Moon by Jeffrey Deaver
and
Shoot Him if he Runs By Stuart Woods

jnich67

12-06-2007, 01:57 PM

Angel Infernal by Edward Lee

next is The Terror by Dan Simmons

I'm a horror fan

Jordan

Daves

12-06-2007, 02:00 PM

I am reading,Spoken Here, by Mark Abley. It's all about how different languages are disappearing. So far it's been good.:thumbup1:

JBHoren

12-29-2007, 03:48 PM

Well, I finally finished reading Chandler Burr's The Emperor of Scent, about Luca Turin and his theory of smell. Now I'm reading Luca Turin's book, The Secret of Scent: Adventures in Perfume and the Science of Smell.

I finished reading Luca Turin's book, The Secret of Scent: Adventures in Perfume and the Science of Smell -- interesting and demanding reading... lots of chemistry in it, and not chatty like Chandler Burr's book. Nevertheless, I found it compelling and worthy of reading (especially after first reading Burr's The Emperor of Scent.

NOW, I'm busily reading Chandler Burr's newly-released book, A Year Behind The Scenes (of the perfume industry in Paris and New York). A-mazing! In the same way that Burr opened the doors to scents and how they are/might-be smelled, he now opens the doors to how two scents are created: one, an in-house scent (Hermes); the other, a "celebrity scent" (Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely, from Coty).

Again, highly recommended reading. Here is an excerpt, in which Chandler Burr expresses his feeling about Hugo Boss's Number One:

If a cat had morning breath, then ate kibble, then licked its anus, then licked your hand, and if you then smelled your hand,
it [Number One] would smell like this.

Fascinating. I have two kittens... you do the math. Fortunately, they both brush their teeth before going to sleep.

Dr. Mike

12-29-2007, 04:02 PM

Right now, The Book of Mormon.
Once I have finished it, I have 2 new books that I have added with a gift card from Barnes & Noble that I got for Christmas: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein, and America, the Last Best Hope, Vol. 1 by Bill Bennett.

cr8n

12-29-2007, 06:42 PM

Just read this thread from the beginning to present.

2007:

Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje
The Sportswriter, Richard Ford
Independence Day, Richard Ford
The Sea, John Banville
Saturday, Ian McEwan
On Chesil Beach, Ian McEwan

... some others

Paul

mental

12-30-2007, 01:16 AM

I recently finished up "Anansi Boys", by Neil Gaiman. Enjoyable read from an author whose work I really like. If you've read "American Gods", the theme is somewhat similar, although (with a few exceptions) it's not as dark as American Gods was.

Honestly, I'm running out of good series and individual books to read... I'll have to check back over this thread for inspiration.

TimmyBoston

12-30-2007, 02:06 AM

Slowly whittling my way through Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Also rereading The Big Sleep and Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler and I recently finished Big Business by Robert B. Parker

aardvark

12-30-2007, 03:17 AM

This is a novel that was released a couple of months ago. It is long (over 600 pages), and it is very good. Gives a real feel for the Viet Nam Conflict (over 58,000 GI's dead, but they don't call it a war!) through the eyes of four or five main characters.
"Tree of Smoke" by Denis Johnson

ratcheer

12-30-2007, 08:09 AM

I am currently about four chapters into Atonement, by Ian McEwan. It was a long-running best seller and they have made it into a major motion picture, but I am so bored it is difficult for me to pick it up to continue. :bored: I must be missing something.

I will persevere.

Tim

thirdeye

12-30-2007, 08:30 AM

King C Gillette, The Man and he's Wonderful Shaving Device.

My daughter gave it to me for Christmas. Rather interesting fellow. I never knew he worked so hard and so passionately to create his version of a Utopian Society. Makes me wonder just how he's efforts contributed to world peace today? .......... Any thoughts?

Bowcephalus

12-30-2007, 07:51 PM

"Democracy in America" is a fascinating French perspective of Americans,their politics, and world view........F.A. Hayek's "The Road to Serfdom" a great arguement for Liberty.......David A. Clary's "Adopted Son" is a great insight into George Washington and his relationship with Lafayette and the relationship between America and France during both revolutions.....Anything by C.S.Lewis or George MacDonald ("At the Back of the North Wind" is a great start).....Most anything from the "Library of America" series; Lincoln,Washington,Paine,Madison,Jefferson,Twain,E merson.....Just recently bought a complete Churchill set of "A History of the English Speaking Peoples" so I have abit to keep me busy for quite a bit......

gps

12-31-2007, 02:03 PM

Just finished: "The Devil in the White City" by Eric Larsen.

Just started: "Neuromancer" by William Gibson.

Must Dash

12-31-2007, 11:09 PM

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Not sure what it is that attracts me to his books but I just keep devouring them.

Any other Murakami fans in the audience?

Cheers

Jeremy

Bowcephalus

01-01-2008, 11:28 AM

Brian Greene's "The Fabric of the Cosmos"......Looks to be a fascinating read so far..........

badgerman

01-01-2008, 02:29 PM

I've always been on classics. Rigt now, I'm reading Dracula.

TimmyBoston

01-01-2008, 03:26 PM

Brian Greene's "The Fabric of the Cosmos"......Looks to be a fascinating read so far..........

I liked it. Elegant Universe is also a good read.

2bits

01-01-2008, 04:04 PM

Excellent choice sir.

2bits

01-01-2008, 04:09 PM

... Raymond Chandler

always a pleasure and worth a re-read
.. hard to think many have not read these even 1x

180gVinyl

01-01-2008, 04:15 PM

Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2008

But I do have a couple of James Lee Burke novels in the wings :biggrin:

Bowcephalus

01-01-2008, 04:55 PM

"The Elegant Universe" is on the shelf beside where it was....Am I working in reverse here? Any significant difference between the two that would indicate a proper sequence of reading them? My intent was to read that next......I'll probably go back and do the Hawking thing again after that.....I missed the "Universe" broadcast a while back....This stuff is a break from the politics and history for the sake of a little variety..........

frogman18

01-01-2008, 05:10 PM

Ken Folletts "Pillars of the Earth"

analog_kid

01-01-2008, 05:25 PM

I just finished The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman this afternoon. Excellent read if you are "in" to that sort of thing.

Next up is a re-read,The Art of Happinessby The Dalai Lama.

tcbubba

01-01-2008, 05:30 PM

drewfer

01-01-2008, 07:20 PM

Just found this thread...lots of really good suggestions out here.

I'm currently reading 'It Can't Happen Here' by Sinclair Lewis.

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned but a fantastic general suggestion for this group would be Diane Ackerman's 'A Natural History of the Senses' . From the Amazon.com summary:

"One of the real tests of writers," notes Ackerman in this liveliest of nature books, "is how well they write about smells. If they can't describe the scent of sanctity in a church, can you trust them to describe the suburbs of the heart?" Ackerman passes the test, writing with ease and fluency about the five senses. Did you know that bat guano smells like stale Wheat Thins? That Bach's music can quell anger around the world? That the leaves that shimmer so beautifully in fall have "no adaptive purpose"? Ackerman does, and she guides us through questions of sensation with an eye for the amusingly arcane reference and just the right phrase.

Lynchmeister

01-02-2008, 11:01 AM

Still making my way through Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller. At first I was pretty critical of the book and found it extremely difficult to make any sense of, but am now starting to make a little sense out of it. Surprisingly, it's managed to hold my interest to the point where I want to continue reading.

bishop

01-02-2008, 11:13 AM

Garrison Keillor's Pontoon. A Christmas present from my wife to add to the long list of Keillor books I devour.

Mr. Gillette

01-02-2008, 01:28 PM

Though not a new book, my son gave me for Christmas, Simon Winchester's "The Meaning of Everything" (The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary).

It's an enjoyable read, so far...fascinating stuff, flows well, insightful, and easily picked-up/put down without loss of context...a perfect hanging out after the holidays book!

stevensj2

01-02-2008, 01:40 PM

Just finished up The Iliad by/attributed to Homer, and have now began reading The Odyssey.

I'm also reading The Silmarilion by Tolkien, plus the usual Emerson and Thoreau that I try to read on a nightly basis.

I cannot even begin to imagine how many times I've read Walden :001_smile

JBHoren

01-02-2008, 02:21 PM

Ken Folletts "Pillars of the Earth"

+1 My all-time favorite by Ken Follett, and one of my all-time favorites, in general. I've read all of Michner's novels, and Pillars of the Earth is better-by-far. I don't know how many people I've turned-on to this book...

liege

01-02-2008, 02:26 PM

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades by Robert Spencer
Total Truth by Nancy Pearcy
America's Secret War by George Friedman

DirtyDave

01-02-2008, 02:44 PM

Thud!, by Terry Prachett
The Forgotten Man, by Amity Shlaes.

Bowcephalus

01-02-2008, 04:08 PM

From the political side.......Had a chance to read "Exposing the Real Che Guevara" by Humberto Fontova back during the first part of August......Interesting insight into things I had never seen addressed in such detail before, presented in a really compelling style about that dude who's image all the teenagers and Hollywood types like on their tee-shirts......"Reagan's War" also good insight into how Reagan formed his views in the early days of Hollywood and how he was viewed through Soviet eyes...."Reagan's Letters" is the kind of book you can read small portions of to get a better view of his nature and character,sort of like the letters of many of the founders in that the personal thoughts come through unfiltered by the usual trappings of public office, or manipulations of speechwriters...I thought I recognized the name "Mark Spencer"....Read the first part of "The Truth About Muhammad" after the "Che" book and decided I needed a break from all of the bloodshed for a bit.....It was a bit tedious on the front end with all of the historic detail but I'll probably go back and finish it in a few weeks.....I think it may prove to be very enlightening....

Crag

01-02-2008, 04:21 PM

I just got done reading The Tipping Point, by Malcom Gladwell, and must say that this book was very informative but not at all what I thought it was going to be about. It was great if I wanted to learn about Dunbar's Magic number 150, or the concept of Critical Mass, but not really as useful in my profession as I thought it would be.

I'm also reading I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, and (WARNING SPOILER INFO TO FOLLOW) It is NOTHING like the Movie, but it is a good book nonetheless. It is a story of the last human among an entire world filled with Vampires, and as Vampires were once only to be held as legend, so is this man...Only a legend, killing Vampires as they once hunted and killed man. Kind of an interesting storyline IMO, but a little thin.

KUJO

01-02-2008, 04:33 PM

Ken Folletts "Pillars of the Earth"

Enjoy it...it's such a well-written story. I find myself remembering the characters in it often....I gave my copy to SWMBO who is devouring it 100+ pages a day.

I just finished The Looming Tower (http://www.amazon.com/Looming-Tower-Qaeda-Road-Vintage/dp/1400030846/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199320177&sr=1-1)by Lawrence Wright...it's a very readable history of Al Qaeda from the mid-80s to present.

I started Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199320279&sr=1-3)this afternoon for a negotiating seminar I'm taking next week. It's very well-written and...persuasive. :biggrin:

DEmac

01-02-2008, 04:44 PM

I just finished reading For Whom the Bell Tolls, it was well worth reading, I love Hemmingway. I have just started Botchan by Natsume Sōseki, pretty interesting so far and most importantly, short. I have to finish it before the spring semester starts, so short is important. It’s about a student in Tokyo who graduates from university and goes to the countryside to teach; right now I’m at the point where he is just getting settled into his new job. I’m also looking to pick up a copy of Death in the Afternoon during my next stop by B&N.

Interesting habit I have picked up: I got a copy of Seneca’s Letters and left it on the back of my toilet and have been reading one, sometimes two of his letters each day. They are the perfect length for such a purpose. I would recommend Seneca’s Letters to anyone no matter how interested in philosophy they are, but I would not recommend it for the book club, the discussions could devolve into name calling really quickly because of the subjects he covers.

sparkchaser

01-03-2008, 06:59 AM

I recently finished Spook Country by William Gibson and I have just started Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian.

ratcheer

01-03-2008, 02:35 PM

I recently finished Spook Country by William Gibson and I have just started Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian.

I read Master and Commander a couple of years ago. It was a huge mistake. I then had to go on to read the remaining 19 books in the series, it was so good. :wink:

Tim

bjrn

01-03-2008, 02:44 PM

Working my way though the brothers Grimm's complete fairy tales (one or two stories each night). Picked it up at a sale, and it's actually quite nice to read because in addition to those I've heard as a child it has lots of weird stories I hadn't heard.

And a book in swedish called Gryning över Kalahari about the origins or man.

jramire2

01-03-2008, 03:14 PM

I just finished reading "I Am Legend". I liked the movie (didn't love it, but liked it) and found out that it was a remake of an old movie, The Omega Man. Usually, books are better than the movies based on them, so I had high hopes for IAL. Unfortunately, while I felt the movie ended in kind of an abrupt manner, I found the book did as well and was a bit disappointed.

I'm now waiting on a book in the mail called Reflex, the sequel to a book called Jumper from Steven Gould. Jumper is my favorite scifi book, I read it at least once a year since it came out in 1998. I wasn't aware that a sequel had been written until I found out that a movie based on his books will be in theaters next month. The movie looks very different than what happens in the first book, so I wanted to read the sequel before I saw the movie.

Walravine

01-03-2008, 07:31 PM

Here's an odd mix of books I've been working on:

Ike, by Michael Korda
Our Dumb World: Atlas Of Planet Earth (The Onion)
The Great Influenza by John Barry (1918 Spanish flu pandemic--scary stuff)

castlecraver

01-03-2008, 09:09 PM

After reading all of his other books, I received this lastest tome for Christmas.
Im clearly addicted to his writing. If you are a rock 'n roll fan and love music.. Chuck Klosterman books are for you.

I'm really on the fence about Klosterman. On one hand, he's got that rock critic's writing style that seems to waiver between sweeping overstatements and failed attempts to be profound and insightful. On the other hand, he doesn't have the pretentious air about him that so many contemporary rock critics have. Plus, he's spoken pretty favorably about my favorite bands.

I'm reading "Boomsday" right now. Kind of a silly book, but jovial and engrossing.

sparkchaser

01-04-2008, 04:00 AM

I read Master and Commander a couple of years ago. It was a huge mistake. I then had to go on to read the remaining 19 books in the series, it was so good. :wink:

Tim

That's what I am hoping!

NurseMedic

01-04-2008, 05:46 AM

"A Salty Piece of Land" by Jimmy Buffett. I'd been eyeing his books for years, didn't even pick one up when I was living in Miami, but had this one drop into my lap as one of my wife's coworkers passed it on to me. Simple prose, but vividly descriptive. If you like to read to be entertained, not to have your thoughts provoked, this is a great read.

Mike in Michigan

Areler67

01-04-2008, 05:58 AM

I'm reading "Virus émergents vers de nouvelles pandémies" from Claude Chastel;
It' a book about the new epidemics like SRAS, H5N1. Very interesting book.

Walravine

01-04-2008, 10:10 AM

I'm reading "Virus émergents vers de nouvelles pandémies" from Claude Chastel;
It' a book about the new epidemics like SRAS, H5N1. Very interesting book.

Sounds like a good companion book to The Great Influenza that I've been reading. Too bad I can't read French.

Jibslider

01-04-2008, 10:17 AM

Tales of an Empty Cabin - Grey Owl
Endurance - Alfred Lansing
The Best of Robert Service
The Wills Eye Manual

copdan128

01-04-2008, 11:15 AM

Just finished "With the Old Breed on Pelieliu and Okinawa" by E.B Sledge. A great account of the pacific theater from the eyes of a common footsoldier, a private in a Marine line platoon during WWII. I recommend it to anyone interested in history, especially military history.

sullivanpm

01-04-2008, 11:49 AM

Kiss Me, Deadly by Mickey Spillane

SmoovD

01-04-2008, 12:00 PM

Just transitioning into D. Hoffstader's Godel, Escher and Bach. I read his Metamagical Themas back in high school (20+ years ago) and loved it. Why it took so long to get to this...I dunno.

Boogie

01-04-2008, 01:12 PM

Just finished reading I Am Legand. With all the press about the movie, thought I'd give the book a read.

Churchill

01-04-2008, 01:33 PM

Just finished "Scarlet" by Stephen Lawhead. It's a different take on the Robin Hood story. Book 1 was "Hood" and Book 3 is to be called "Tuck".

steveo

01-04-2008, 01:57 PM

Just finished reading I Am Legand. With all the press about the movie, thought I'd give the book a read.

Really enjoyed this book.Currently reading Octopussy/Living Daylights.The last of the Fleming 007 books:frown: Gonna move onto Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis next.Some reviews say its better than some of Flemings Bond books.

Boogie

01-04-2008, 06:22 PM

Really enjoyed this book.Currently reading Octopussy/Living Daylights.The last of the Fleming 007 books:frown: Gonna move onto Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis next.Some reviews say its better than some of Flemings Bond books.

I absolutely love the James Bond films, by far my favorite film franchise, but I have never read any of the books by Fleming. Are they really good? I know some of them were written quite a while ago, did they age well?

scagooch

01-04-2008, 06:54 PM

The gods will have blood by Anotole France. I've read Colonel Sun. Definitely better written then the Fleming Bonds but the story is weird (M gets tortured) No memorable villains like Sol Horror.

jwjody

01-04-2008, 07:13 PM

I just finished The Time Traveler's Wife.

I'd like to read I am Legend next.

J

WithTheGrain

01-04-2008, 11:26 PM

I'm really on the fence about Klosterman. On one hand, he's got that rock critic's writing style that seems to waiver between sweeping overstatements and failed attempts to be profound and insightful. On the other hand, he doesn't have the pretentious air about him that so many contemporary rock critics have. Plus, he's spoken pretty favorably about my favorite bands.

I'm reading "Boomsday" right now. Kind of a silly book, but jovial and engrossing.

I hate Klosterman; though I only know him from his newspaper work. He wrote for the Fargo (ND) Forum for years. His work was often too pretentious and he worked too hard at being counter cultural. That said, it is always good to see the local boy make it big, so I am happy about that.

steveo

01-04-2008, 11:46 PM

I absolutely love the James Bond films, by far my favorite film franchise, but I have never read any of the books by Fleming. Are they really good? I know some of them were written quite a while ago, did they age well?

The books are great reading.I read them in order so there was some continuity to my reading although it is not necessary.Personally I find that movie Bond and literary Bond are two totally different characters and the books have a different feel from the films.I suppose if you like the 50s cold war era interesting you will enjoy these books.As to whether they age well some bits are really unpolitically-correct but I dont think that is a bad thing.Why not try Casino Royale.Its his first and some say best book.

jpweston

01-05-2008, 05:18 PM

I just started Kung Fu High School by Ryan Gattis.

j.

neilxvx

01-05-2008, 05:25 PM

I'm currently reading The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Engels

Dirk Tanner

01-06-2008, 06:57 AM

I read I Am Legend before I saw the movie. Book = Great, Movie = Crap. It's amazing to me how Hollywood can rape a good, classic book. PLEASE read the book. Even though it was written 50 years ago, it's genius. Don't bother with the movie.

Reading:
Blood Meridian by McCarthy (again). If you haven't read this, you must.
Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
The Paperboy by Paris Trout

Nice thread!

jwjody

01-06-2008, 07:19 PM

I hate Klosterman; though I only know him from his newspaper work. He wrote for the Fargo (ND) Forum for years. His work was often too pretentious and he worked too hard at being counter cultural. That said, it is always good to see the local boy make it big, so I am happy about that.
I've read Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs. I enjoyed the essays. I wouldn't mind rereading them.

I've never read any of his journalistic work.

J

bishop

01-08-2008, 01:56 PM

Desperate Characters by Paula Fox.

Various essays in literary & cultural criticism on the side.

ratcheer

01-08-2008, 02:37 PM

Hobbesoxon

01-09-2008, 02:02 PM

"Ulysses" by James Joyce - truly incredible, don't believe what you've heard. It really is a bloody fine book.

"Guide to the Bodhisatva's Way of Life" by Shantideva - some solid wisdom from the 8th century A.D. Definitely an education in improving oneself.

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

sparkchaser

01-09-2008, 07:06 PM

"Ulysses" by James Joyce - truly incredible, don't believe what you've heard. It really is a bloody fine book.

Don't believe the hype.

I tried to read it. I really, really did. I bought the Cliffs notes for it and another guide. I would read 1 or 2 chapters, get an idea in my head what was going on, then read the Cliffs and the other guide. I could not have been more wrong. I gave up after 6 chapters.

Apparently I am not smart enough for the book.

steveo

01-09-2008, 11:25 PM

Currently reading Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis.

Hobbesoxon

01-10-2008, 12:34 AM

Don't believe the hype.

I tried to read it. I really, really did. I bought the Cliffs notes for it and another guide. I would read 1 or 2 chapters, get an idea in my head what was going on, then read the Cliffs and the other guide. I could not have been more wrong. I gave up after 6 chapters.

Apparently I am not smart enough for the book.

I respect the fact that you tried; I very nearly didn't bother, simply because so many people claim to love it as a badge of status. Then, I started reading it and the wily old Irishman changed my mind about his book.

Perhaps quite a lot of it is down to cultural referencing, rather than anything more highbrow.

I firmly believe everyone should try it. If you hate it, as least you know you gave it a chance. If you love it, you're not alone. Anthony Burgess famously described it as "the best book of the 20th century". I thought this was rhubarb until I read it. :)

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

falkon

01-10-2008, 02:41 PM

Peter Hathaway Capstick- "Death in the Tall Grass"

A professional hunter that probably died before I was born. His books are amazing for those interested in hunting. Many of his books are just endless ramblings about various game species and numerous stories from his life. Warning, you will start to develop a condition similar to SCAD and you might club the old lady at the bookstore who's thinking about taking the sole copy for her husband's birthday. His books don't seem to get restocked much.

Soapmistress

01-10-2008, 02:44 PM

"The Frontiersmen" by Alan Eckart

Soapmistress

analog_kid

01-10-2008, 04:14 PM

http://www.themillionsblog.com/images/Rashomon.jpg

I really dig Akutagawa's stories. He's kind of like a japanese Edgar Allan Poe.

analog_kid

01-10-2008, 04:17 PM

"Guide to the Bodhisatva's Way of Life" by Shantideva - some solid wisdom from the 8th century A.D. Definitely an education in improving oneself.

I need to get around to reading that one of these days. I've seen it referenced in countless books with similar subject matter. Do you practice or just a fan?

krawlx

01-10-2008, 04:18 PM

I've just finished reading The Professor and the Madma by Simon Winchester along with A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Child Soldier by Ishmael Beah. Both are great books. Next I'll be starting The Places in Between by Rory Stewart.

Hobbesoxon

01-11-2008, 01:17 AM

I need to get around to reading that one of these days. I've seen it referenced in countless books with similar subject matter. Do you practice or just a fan?

You won't regret looking at the book! I can recommend the translation by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and Neil Elliott (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Bodhisattvas-Way-Life-Shantideva/dp/0948006889/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200042697&sr=8-3), which is straight-talking, clear and excellent. Like drinking cold, clear water.

I practice Zen (on and off!), and sit with my university group (more Thai style), but Shantideva cuts across all denominations and schools. In fact, my copy was sent to me by a generous Tibetan monk who reads my tea blog (http://half-dipper.blogspot.com). :chinese:

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Smell The Glove

01-11-2008, 01:44 AM

When I'm not reading this Forum I'm reading "The Only Dog Training Book You'll Ever Need", in anticipation of a new addition to my family. A Bullmastiff pup called Maxwell.

Hobbesoxon

01-11-2008, 01:46 AM

I see you're a short-haired, robust dog type... I like them big and stupid, English Sheepdog style. :)

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

krawlx

01-11-2008, 07:33 AM

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. Not sure what it is that attracts me to his books but I just keep devouring them.

Any other Murakami fans in the audience?

Cheers

Jeremy

I went on a Murakami kick last year. I read Kafka, Dance Dance Dance, After the Quake, and Norweigan Wood over a period of three or four months. I really liked all of the books, but I read Norweigan Wood last and it really threw me off because I kept waiting for the paranormal to creep into the story but it never really did. As of now, I'd be hard-pressed to choose a favorite as they are all good reads.

analog_kid

01-11-2008, 07:44 AM

You won't regret looking at the book! I can recommend the translation by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and Neil Elliott (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Bodhisattvas-Way-Life-Shantideva/dp/0948006889/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200042697&sr=8-3), which is straight-talking, clear and excellent. Like drinking cold, clear water.

I practice Zen (on and off!), and sit with my university group (more Thai style), but Shantideva cuts across all denominations and schools. In fact, my copy was sent to me by a generous Tibetan monk who reads my tea blog (http://half-dipper.blogspot.com). :chinese:

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Thanks for the recommendation on the book edition! I added it to my Amazon wish list lest I forget.

I bookmarked your blog as well. The images are incredible! And I'm quickly discovering I have hardly scratched the surface of tea. I have a hard time calling myself a connoisseur now.

Hobbesoxon

01-11-2008, 07:56 AM

Thanks for the recommendation on the book edition! I added it to my Amazon wish list lest I forget.

I bookmarked your blog as well. The images are incredible! And I'm quickly discovering I have hardly scratched the surface of tea. I have a hard time calling myself a connoisseur now.

Great stuff, you'll love the book I think. :)

Thanks for the kind words about the ol' Half-Dipper... there's certainly a lot to know about tea. I'm certainly no master, either - it's like wine, takes a lifetime but is great fun to learn right from the start.

:chef:

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

JBHoren

01-11-2008, 08:11 AM

The Albany Trio -- three of William Kennedy's novels, set in Depression-era Albany, NY: Legs, Billy Phelan's Greatest Game, and Ironweed.

I've already read Ironweed, but wanted to read them in chronological order. Yes, Legs is about "Legs" Diamond.

analog_kid

01-23-2008, 02:31 PM

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51bSuhx78ML.jpg

I got a good start on The Way of the Shark by Greg Norman last night. The Shark tells a pretty good story, and seems like a very humble guy considering his accomplishments on and off the golf course. The guy is a class act, and his charisma is deeply missed in the current golf scene in my opinion. Tiger may be amazing, but he has the personality of 4x8 section of drywall.

Lynchmeister

01-23-2008, 03:17 PM

It only took something like a month, but I finally finished Tropic of Cancer today. First impressions left me bewildered and grossed out. Final impressions are that I'm glad I soldiered through it because other than the 50 or so pages of unintelligible drug/alcohol induced ramling (what else could cause a man to write such utter nonsense?), I really enjoyed his stories of (to put it bluntly) being an American bum in Paris.

Androclese

01-23-2008, 04:04 PM

The Bible
The Confessions of St. Augustine

That's at the exact time of posting to this thread. The list is likely to get longer at any given moment in time. :biggrin::biggrin:

kwk285

01-23-2008, 04:35 PM

Sick Puppy by Carl Hiassen.

sparkchaser

01-24-2008, 05:24 AM

MikeNYC

01-24-2008, 07:47 AM

Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich. It's the inside story of 6 MIT students who took vegas for $Millions.

sparkchaser

01-24-2008, 07:59 AM

Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich. It's the inside story of 6 MIT students who took vegas for $Millions.

I read that last year. Great read.

Lynchmeister

01-24-2008, 08:38 AM

This, combined with your avatar, made me :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

:lol:

Had it not been for that episode, this book never would have been on my radar. I was literally wandering around the library aimlessly and happened upon the book. :001_rolle

DrumDawg

01-24-2008, 09:00 AM

Great Thread!:thumbup1:

I just finished "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman. Today I'll start "Black" by Ted Dekker.

I loved the trilogy, have listened/read it three times (black, red, and white)

MacArthur Mike

01-24-2008, 09:03 AM

Just stared "The Nine" by Jeffery Toobin about The Supreme Court.

DrumDawg

01-24-2008, 09:29 AM

great thread
sorry i am so late coming to the party.

Currently Reading:
The Bible through again (every morning)

3/5 Instrumental Teaching Methods Books and 3/5 World Music Books (for work)

I will be reading The Husband by Koontz when we travel to the conference bball tourney

and in the spring when work slows down will ready either The Queen of Bedlam by Robert Maccammon or Usher's Passing by Maccammon (again).

Reading Stocks for Dummies (in the bathroom)
and listening to The Bad Place by Koontz in the car (for like the 4th time).

Hobbesoxon

01-24-2008, 12:06 PM

Currently Reading:
The Bible through again (every morning)

Interesting. I recently found my "little red book" (a New Testament) from school, and noticed that it said it was given to the recipient on the understanding that they would read a little every day. I've been delving into it each morning, too.

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

sullivanpm

01-24-2008, 12:20 PM

Recently started rereading The Godfather by Puzo.

Skier

01-24-2008, 03:31 PM

I'm still working on the Discworld series by Pratchett. I just started Pyramids. I am amazed I missed his work for so many years.

Bubarubu

01-24-2008, 03:35 PM

Just finished "What is the What" by Dave Eggers (he ghost-authored this mostly-true memoir of a Sudanese Lost Boy now living in the US) and started "The Faith Between Us" (two guys, on Jewish and one Catholic, both very well-educated and involved in their faiths, reflecting on the role of belief and faith in general and in their specific relationship). Also "Towards a Better Life" by Kenneth Burke--punishment for having read a lot of Burke's writing previously. This amuses my advisor a great deal.

tony mack

01-24-2008, 03:46 PM

On my list is Generation Kill by Evan Wright, about Marines during the invasion of Iraq.

Has anyone read it?

ratcheer

01-24-2008, 03:47 PM

I am currently reading Pretty Boy Floyd, A Novel by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana (what a name!).

Tim

gps

01-24-2008, 05:23 PM

Just started "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" by Jeremy Scahill.

JBHoren

01-24-2008, 05:50 PM

I'm engrossed in Richard K. Morgan's latest novel,

TH1R
TE3N

Zeni

01-24-2008, 07:27 PM

I'm still working on the Discworld series by Pratchett. I just started Pyramids. I am amazed I missed his work for so many years.

+1
I read Making Money about a month or so ago.

In between reading Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, I'm reading I'll Sleep When I'm Dead the dirty life and times of Warren Zevon. I'm a long time Zevon fan, probably the most underrated Rocker. Reading the book brings me back to hanging out at my friend apt who turned me on to Warren. :thumbup1:

Aperture

01-24-2008, 07:46 PM

Chugging along through "Black Hawk Down" by Mark Bowden.

Dr. Mike

01-24-2008, 08:05 PM

I just finished "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert Heinlein. I am now starting "America: The Last Best Hope, Volume 1" by Bill Bennett. I can never get enough history!

jpweston

01-24-2008, 08:34 PM

I'm engrossed in Richard K. Morgan's latest novel,

TH1R
TE3N

I just started reading Altered Carbon and am enjoying it quite a bit. My interest was piqued after hearing an interview with him on NPR.

j.

Jack Bauer

01-24-2008, 09:04 PM

Songs of the Doomed by Hunter S. Thompson

Chris

rexj

01-24-2008, 11:16 PM

Sleeping With The Devil by Robert Baer

TimmyBoston

01-24-2008, 11:57 PM

Sleeping With The Devil by Robert Baer

This is a very cool book by a former CIA operative about the US, Saudi Arabia and Oil, very interesting read.

Lynchmeister

01-25-2008, 05:05 AM

Yesterday I started On the Road. It was given to me 8 years ago as a High School graduation gift and I can't count how many times I've read it. Fantastic book.

Hobbesoxon

01-25-2008, 05:22 AM

Yesterday I started On the Road. It was given to me 8 years ago as a High School graduation gift and I can't count how many times I've read it. Fantastic book.

Classic, I love Kerouac. Dharma Bums, and why not.

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

sparkchaser

01-25-2008, 05:35 AM

Yesterday I started On the Road. It was given to me 8 years ago as a High School graduation gift and I can't count how many times I've read it. Fantastic book.

I love that book. Dharma Bums is good too but I never read anything else by Kerouac.

sparkchaser

01-25-2008, 05:37 AM

I'm still working on the Discworld series by Pratchett. I just started Pyramids. I am amazed I missed his work for so many years.

I desperately want to finish the Discworld series. All I have read so far is Jingo. So many books, so little time.

20-odd pages left for me to go in Master and Commander. I have no idea what I should read next.

Androclese

01-25-2008, 07:41 AM

The Bible
The Confessions of St. Augustine

That's at the exact time of posting to this thread. The list is likely to get longer at any given moment in time. :biggrin::biggrin:

Bleak House by Charles Dickens
The Collected Short Stories of Louis L'Amour: The Adventure Stories
The Battle of Life by Charles Dickens

You see I have this "problem"....

Lynchmeister

01-25-2008, 08:11 AM

I love that book. Dharma Bums is good too but I never read anything else by Kerouac.

A few years ago, I bought Beat Hotel by Kerouac, but have yet to read it. Thinking about it, I have a handful of books that I bought, but haven't read yet that are all a few years old.

analog_kid

01-25-2008, 08:21 AM

A few years ago, I bought Beat Hotel by Kerouac, but have yet to read it. Thinking about it, I have a handful of books that I bought, but haven't read yet that are all a few years old.

I find books are a lot like cigars, they are better when you let them "rest" before enjoying them.

The Snark Hunter

01-25-2008, 06:04 PM

House of Leaves for the second time. It gives me the creeps more than any "horror" novel I've read.

DEmac

01-25-2008, 06:24 PM

House of Leaves for the second time. It gives me the creeps more than any "horror" novel I've read.

I couldn't make it past about thirty pages, it just bored me. I just can't get into the "what's going to happen next?" thing.

DirtyDave

01-26-2008, 08:11 AM

I desperately want to finish the Discworld series. All I have read so far is Jingo. So many books, so little time.

20-odd pages left for me to go in Master and Commander. I have no idea what I should read next.

Rob,

I am reading Thud right now. They are all good, so just pick one and I bet you will enjoy it. I am not terribly picky about order in this series. It's nice, but not necessary.

sparkchaser

01-26-2008, 04:05 PM

Rob,

I am reading Thud right now. They are all good, so just pick one and I bet you will enjoy it. I am not terribly picky about order in this series. It's nice, but not necessary.

I finished Master & Commander last night. My gf has informed me that she will buy the rest of the series for me.

In the meantime, I have started reading Collapse by Jared Diamond.

redbike

01-26-2008, 05:03 PM

I decided I wanted to know more about European history, so I'm 200 pages into this:

http://www.amazon.com/Europe-History-Norman-Davies/dp/0060974680/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201395729&sr=8-1

I started it once before and never got past 100 pages, so this time I think I'll make it. Or so I hope.

jim

DEmac

01-26-2008, 06:04 PM

Just finished reading the journals of James Cook. It was for class, but I still enjoyed it none the less. There is some crazy stuff in there, VD, cannibalism, etc.

RayG

01-26-2008, 06:15 PM

Just started Night Train to Lisbon. Don't know if I like it yet.

KWE

01-26-2008, 06:20 PM

A Year of Living Biblically by: A. J. Jacobs
Very intertaining

RexHavoc

01-26-2008, 07:22 PM

Anyone else have trouble getting through "Gravity's Rainbow"? I have tried a couple of times, but I just can't seem to get into it, it is supposed to be excellent. Either the book is too dense, or I am.

Shave Ice

01-26-2008, 11:30 PM

Just Finish "And a Bottle of Rum" its a history of Rum.

In the middle of the following:

The Geography of Bliss by Eric Weiner (entertaining look at positive psychology)...just bought it today, very entertain read thus far.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage (a look at history through the stories of beer, wine, tea, coffee, spirits, and Coca Cola). I read beer chapters which were very interesting and just started on the story of wine.

Supernatural by Grahan Hancock (a theory of how stone age art, hallucinogens, UFOs alien abduction phenonema, fairies and DNA are all related)...I am kind of losing my patience with this one...I may not finish reading it.

Bowcephalus

01-27-2008, 08:22 AM

I got a James Cook book for Christmas.........Met an RAF guy in Mexico from his hometown.......It's on the "To read" shelf....Wife also got me a "Captian's Mistress"to go with it........

cachorros

01-27-2008, 08:26 AM

I am currently using "Simple French Food" by Richard Olney to help me fall asleep at nights. It is very interesting to see the way he thought about food and cooking, thought I am not sure whether it will translate directly into any of my meals at home.

DEmac

01-27-2008, 09:15 AM

I am currently using "Simple French Food" by Richard Olney to help me fall asleep at nights.

Ralph Nader's Crashing the Party is great for getting you to sleep for different reasons. Especially if you read it with Nader's monotone voice in your head, you will be asleep in no time. I used it as a sleeping aid a few years back.

Al From Maine

01-28-2008, 09:26 AM

I'm about a third of the way through "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kerns Goodwin.

A facinating look at how political campaigns were run in the mid-19th century.

That's just an excellent book. I enjoyed it very much.

Al

Al From Maine

01-28-2008, 09:27 AM

I am a simultaneous reader - I think I have about 6 or 7 books going right now.

Just finished: Perfume - The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind. Outstanding.

Included in the current works:
Omnivore's Dilemna - Michael Pollen
Shalimar the Clown - Salman Rushdie
The Art of Eating - MFK Fisher
You Shall Know Our Velocity - David Eggers

Plus a couple misc others.

Dennis

The Omnivore's Dilemma is excellent -- I'm looking to pick up his latest book now.

Al

Al From Maine

01-28-2008, 09:29 AM

Just finished "All the King's Men" by Robert Penn Warren about an hour ago. I am also reading "Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Ktichen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany" by Bill Buford. Hillarious book and a great read especially if you love the kitchen and want an inside look at the lifestyle of famous chefs...Mr. Buford became friends with Mario Batali while writing this book and some of the stories he tells about him gives a whole new meaning to the work gluttony.

"All the King's Men" is one of my favorite books. A little tough to get through but oh so powerful!

Al

Al From Maine

01-28-2008, 09:31 AM

I've been reading "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova, an interesting novel about some of the more interesting information regarding Vlad Dracula.

The Historian was my favorite read the year it came out. I understand they're making a movie of it.

Al

Dr. Mike

01-28-2008, 09:56 AM

The Historian was my favorite read the year it came out. I understand they're making a movie of it.

Al

Really? I was extremely disappointed with this one. I was hoping for more. After keeping me in suspense for most of the book, the ending was entirely unsatisfying for me.

Dr. Mike

01-28-2008, 09:57 AM

I'm about a third of the way through "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kerns Goodwin.

A facinating look at how political campaigns were run in the mid-19th century.

I keep looking at this one and contemplate buying it. Maybe one of these days I will pull the trigger.

D'Brie

01-28-2008, 10:22 AM

Marley & Me. Good read!

brooklynlou

01-28-2008, 10:29 AM

Liberal Fascism - Jonah Goldberg

Excellent read so far.

<rant>
I just wish it was written 40 years ago. I remember having to to pretzel my head in grad school trying to follow the arguments of Frankfurt School culture theorists as they made the case that Naziism was a mutation of capitalism rather than a competing brand of socialism. Blaming capitalism for Nazi Germany allowed the international left to get a free pass on WW2 by claiming victimhood as well as blame capitalism for the Holocaust.

The minute you made the argument that national socialism (Nazi's) and international socialism (Soviets) were competeing brands of the same product, and both had used genocide as a tool of domestic policy, the philosophical sommersaults went away and things made more sense. It also got things thrown at you by your professor.

So kudos to Jonah for meticulously researching a history of the left side (statist) of post-enlightenment revolutionary thought from the French Revolution, to Marxism to Fascism, Socialism, and Naziism. (compared to the right branch which feared the concentrated power of the state - ie. the American Revolution)

Of course the part that is getting liberals up in arms here is that Jonah also makes the argument that the progressives of the early 20th century, the forefathers of today's liberals, drank from the same ideological trough as the fascists (as well as mutually inspired each other). Both were enamored with the power of the state, and especiall how in the hands of enlightened experts, the state could be used to cure all of man's ill. Since the American progressives/liberals did not view force as a tool of compulsion to this regard (preferring policies, laws, change of business practices etc), you get smiley face fascism as opposed to the leather boot goose-stepping brand.

Since smiley face fascism is still in the same family tree as the fascism that cause a handful of genocides and prison camps galore, expect howlings, gnashing of teeth and lamentations from the left.
</rant>

MickM

01-28-2008, 10:58 AM

Over vacation I picked up the first five of Zelanzy's Amber series starting with "Nine Princess in Amber". The classic from Zelanzy who is considered the father of psychological sci-fi. Told in first person it's a twisty "bet you didn't see it coming" series full of almost poetic writing.

Finished those and started the next five. On "Blood of Amber" now.

I have read them all years ago. Forgot how good they are. Too bad he died before finishing the last installment.

jnich67

01-28-2008, 10:59 AM

I just finished "Ice Blink" and I'm now reading "Frozen In Time". Both are about the Franklin expedition that was lost searching for the NW Passage. What a tough way to go.

Jordan

jazzman

01-28-2008, 11:03 AM

"Why Darwin Matters," by Michael Shermer. Very readable, and gives me a little dose of science along with the social and religious issues.

moses

01-28-2008, 11:18 AM

"All the King's Men" is one of my favorite books. A little tough to get through but oh so powerful!

Yep, that is easily one of the best books I've ever read. Everything about it is darn near perfect.

-Mo

Lynchmeister

01-28-2008, 02:03 PM

Just picked up The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen today from the library.

Bowcephalus

01-28-2008, 03:49 PM

Started "The Language of God" today......Interesting, very interesting.......
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/03/collins.commentary/index.html

Bowcephalus

01-28-2008, 05:38 PM

I just wish it was written 40 years agoBrooklyn, ever read Hayek?

Leatherneck

01-30-2008, 03:02 PM

I've got three going on right now.
Mark Twain, A Life by Ron Powers
How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill
Hollywood Station by Joseph Wambaugh

Kevin

analog_kid

01-30-2008, 05:05 PM

rtaylor61

01-30-2008, 09:53 PM

Clapton by Eric!

Randy

Confuzius

01-31-2008, 06:11 AM

sparkchaser

01-31-2008, 07:15 AM

A Cook's Tour - Anthony Bourdain At home, a Christmas present from my Girlfriend, she got it signed by him and assure's me that he is just as much of a jerk as you would expect if you have seen any of his tv shows.

I've read all of his stuff except The Bobby Gold Stories (which I'll pass on reading I think), Typhoid Mary (actually looks good), and his new one No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach. I wouldn't so much say that he's a jerk, but I do think he tells it like it is without sugar coating it. He has a very in your face writing style that a lot of people might not like. Plus I suppose being an old school chef from NYC, he's bound to be a little rough around the edges. Have you read Kitchen Confidential?

v-g

01-31-2008, 08:10 AM

I've not read books since I had to in school. I think books are just too much to read. I prefer articles in magazines.

However, I've recently bought Nochnoy dozor aka Night Watch by Kazakhstanian writer Sergei Lukyanenko. This is a pure fantasy-thriller, so should be fun. Funnier than when I tried to handle Shakespeare's Hamlet. I know, not as sophisticated as Shakespeare.

Al From Maine

01-31-2008, 08:28 AM

Just finished The Terror by Dan Simmons and now am starting World War Z by Max Brooks and Anthony Bourdain's A Cooks Tour.

What did you think of The Terror? I didn't care for it -- mixing genres doesn't work for me....

Al

jnich67

01-31-2008, 08:28 AM

The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco For my breaks at work

A Cook's Tour - Anthony Bourdain At home, a Christmas present from my Girlfriend, she got it signed by him and assure's me that he is just as much of a jerk as you would expect if you have seen any of his tv shows.

Good. I would hate to think that he is a phony. :biggrin:

I really enjoy his work - and the fact that he is a jerk. He's the anti-Rachel Ray.

Jordan

Al From Maine

01-31-2008, 08:29 AM

It appears as though I am the only one here reading fantasy; Eldest by Christopher Paolini.
Ken.
Living the fantasy of early retirement.

I read ERAGON but just couldn't make it through Eldest. What do you think of it?

Al

jnich67

01-31-2008, 08:37 AM

What did you think of The Terror? I didn't care for it -- mixing genres doesn't work for me....

Al

I know you didn't ask me, but...I really enjoyed The Terror. I think he did a brilliant job with the mixed genres- the "beast" could really be looked at as a metaphor for so many of the reasons that they didn't belong there. This is a great piece of story telling - IMHO

Since reading The Terror, I've also read "Ice Blink" and "Frozen in Time". Both are studies of the expedition. Simmons got a lot of his info from these. Very interesting.

Jordan

Al From Maine

01-31-2008, 08:41 AM

Although, with the length and depth of his novels, "kick" is hardly appropriate (or doable).

After finishing what is (to me) his magnum opus, "Until I Find You" in early-February, I followed-up with "A Prayer for Owen Meany"... an interesting, sometimes exasperating novel.

Now I'm some 60-pages into an earlier novel of his, "A Son of the Circus" -- I'm enjoying it, but will reserve final judgment until I finish it (at 600+ pages, it won't be for another 3-4 weeks).

I have two earlier novels of his -- "The Water-Method Man" and "The 158-Pound Marriage" -- on reserve at the local Public Library (which I unreservedly recommend as everyone's first-stop for reading material).

Interestingly, one of my rules (which I almost never break) is reading an author's works chronologically... especially in this day of characters reappearing and developing across novels. However, I seem to be reading John Irving in reverse. "Until I Find You" is his most-recent work, for example.

I cannot express how deeply I was touched (perhaps wrenched is more appropriate) by "Until I Find You". Again, weighing-in at 700+ pages, it paralleled and/or resonated with much of my life and experiences, at so many levels (sometimes, to a personally difficult degree). It is a demanding work; one which requires an equal amount of "work" on the reader's part. "Until I Find You" is, simply, the finest novel I have ever read. I recommend it without reservation.

As I'm sure you know, he's most famous for "The World According To Garp" and it's filled with wacky characters that you'll probably never forget. (The movie with Robin Williams was pretty good too.)

Al

Al From Maine

01-31-2008, 08:45 AM

......still workin' on Lonesome Dove. It is loaded with wonderful dialogue, almost as if it were written as a screenplay.

If you haven't seen the movie (which you can rent on DVD -- it was a TV miniseries), it's great. It stars Robert Duval and Tommy Lee Jones.

My 13-year old hadn't seen it and we watched it just last week.

Al

Confuzius

01-31-2008, 09:36 AM

I've read all of his stuff except The Bobby Gold Stories (which I'll pass on reading I think), Typhoid Mary (actually looks good), and his new one No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach. I wouldn't so much say that he's a jerk, but I do think he tells it like it is without sugar coating it. He has a very in your face writing style that a lot of people might not like. Plus I suppose being an old school chef from NYC, he's bound to be a little rough around the edges. Have you read Kitchen Confidential?

Haven't read it yet, It's on the list though.

micah1_8

01-31-2008, 09:39 AM

Just finished Destroyer #48 Profit Motive. It's where we're introduced to Friend, a computer program that exists soley to turn a profit. Even though this book is from the Reagan era, it is still oddly relevant today.

Hobbesoxon

01-31-2008, 09:40 AM

Forget every prejudice you have about haiku. This book blows me away, and they're all penned by Americans.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0393321185.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

DEmac

01-31-2008, 09:45 AM

I've not read books since I had to in school. I think books are just too much to read. I prefer articles in magazines.

That's blasphemy.

Al From Maine

01-31-2008, 09:53 AM

Just finished Cormac McCarthy's The Road. A tight, intense, dark comedy (in the Shakespearean sense of the word).
My copy had a big "Oprah Book Club" selection stamp on it. Don't let that dissuade you.

Next up is a re-read of Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage.

I enjoyed The Road very much. Just a tad dark ... but a riveting story.

Al

sparkchaser

01-31-2008, 09:59 AM

Forget every prejudice you have about haiku. This book blows me away, and they're all penned by Americans.

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Prejudice you say?
Prejudice against haiku?
Surely you jest sir.

Hobbesoxon

01-31-2008, 10:06 AM

Prejudice you say?
Prejudice against haiku?
Surely you jest sir.

:clap:

v-g

01-31-2008, 10:09 AM

That's blasphemy.
No, not per se, unless books are your God.

I've my reasons for saying books are too much to read. But now, I'm tying a book again. I'll tell how it turns out.

sol92258

01-31-2008, 10:19 AM

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
very good read for anyone

sullivanpm

01-31-2008, 10:25 AM

The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel
very good read for anyone
Indeed, that is an excellent read
Currently reading
Red Harvest - Dashiell Hammett

Confuzius

01-31-2008, 11:26 AM

Prejudice you say?
Prejudice against haiku?
Surely you jest sir.
Haiku's are easy
But sometimes they don't make sense
Refrigerator

brooklynlou

01-31-2008, 11:29 AM

Brooklyn, ever read Hayek?

I have.

If memory serves me, my one complaint with "The road to Serfdom" was that its political theory rather than a historical investigation. Hayek made the argument that Socialism, Nazism, and Fascism were for all intents and purposes different flavors of the same thing - Totalitarianism; and if you give the state control of the economy, the end result would be Totalitarianism. His argument was unfortunately more in the form of a polemic than a proof. Hayek never really gave you the ammunition (history, bibliography, quotes etc) you needed to win an argument.

What Goldberg does is put Hayek's statement in a historical context and then document the temporary moments of fascism experienced in the US (Wilson's war-socialism during WW1, The New Deal). He also lists the historical instances where the American Progressive movement and European fascism mutually inspired each other. Goldberg basically gives you this:

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6802/libfaset8.gif

sparkchaser

01-31-2008, 11:34 AM

Haiku's are easy
But sometimes they don't make sense
Refrigerator

:lol:

Al From Maine

01-31-2008, 11:45 AM

I just finished Eragon by Christopher Paolini and just started The Streets of Laredo by Larry McMurtry, which is a sequel to Lonesome Dove.

Tim

My daughter and I read Eragon when it first came out and enjoyed it immensely. Did you like it?

Al

Al From Maine

01-31-2008, 11:51 AM

Just finished To Kill a Mockingbird. Had never read it, rectified that. It was excellent. Off to MFK Fisher now...

Dennis

I reread "To Kill A Mockingbird" last year and it was as good as I remember it from high school. (Good movie too -- Gregory Peck, Robert Duval.)

Al

Al From Maine

01-31-2008, 11:53 AM

I'm currently enjoying The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand

I enjoyed the The Fountainhead much more than her other major work Atlas Shrugged.

Al

Al From Maine

01-31-2008, 11:53 AM

To prevent boredom by the pool while on holiday in Spain, I took 3 books with me that had been sitting at the back of the wardrobe for a few months.

Michael Connelly - The Lincoln Lawyer
Robert Crais - The Two Minute Rule
Dennis Lehane - Coronado

I enjoyed all of them

I read, naturally, The Lincoln Lawyer and found it to be quite entertaining.

Al

ratcheer

01-31-2008, 02:58 PM

If you haven't seen the movie (which you can rent on DVD -- it was a TV miniseries), it's great. It stars Robert Duval and Tommy Lee Jones.

My 13-year old hadn't seen it and we watched it just last week.

Al

I read all the books, last year. I have been looking for the movie for months. I finally found it at Wal-Mart a couple of weeks ago. It was in Full Screen display. I do not buy Full Screen movies. :frown:

Tim

Al From Maine

01-31-2008, 05:39 PM

I read all the books, last year. I have been looking for the movie for months. I finally found it at Wal-Mart a couple of weeks ago. It was in Full Screen display. I do not buy Full Screen movies. :frown:

Tim

I rented it at my local Hollywood video store ... not full screen either.

Al

Al From Maine

01-31-2008, 05:44 PM

No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy

I enjoyed this one quite a bit -- and the movie is excellent.

Al

SmooveRN

01-31-2008, 05:48 PM

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj96/SmooveRN/c5530.jpg

Only about 200 pages in, but a great read so far.

Hobbesoxon

02-01-2008, 12:36 AM

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj96/SmooveRN/c5530.jpg

Only about 200 pages in, but a great read so far.

I remember these! The first ones were decent. Then, he sorted of "extended" the trilogy into other books which eventually ran out of steam (becoming a sort of proto-Robert Jordan).

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

steveo

02-01-2008, 02:44 AM

Just finished Colonel Sun (Kingsley Amis's James Bond novel) and have just started 'Silverfin' the first in the Young Bond series of books.:thumbup1:

jazzman

02-01-2008, 05:04 AM

Secrets of the Kingdom: The Inside Story of the Saudi-U.S. Connection, by Gerald Posner. I've just started it, but Posner seems to be applying the same high level of research and lively writing style I've enjoyed so much in several of his earlier books. And, of course, the subject is very troubling.

Al From Maine

02-01-2008, 06:40 AM

Enjoy it...it's such a well-written story. I find myself remembering the characters in it often....I gave my copy to SWMBO who is devouring it 100+ pages a day.

I just finished The Looming Tower (http://www.amazon.com/Looming-Tower-Qaeda-Road-Vintage/dp/1400030846/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199320177&sr=1-1)by Lawrence Wright...it's a very readable history of Al Qaeda from the mid-80s to present.

I started Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199320279&sr=1-3)this afternoon for a negotiating seminar I'm taking next week. It's very well-written and...persuasive. :biggrin:

The Looming Tower gives you a whole new perspective on Al Qaeda doesn't it? Troubling.

Al

Zeni

02-01-2008, 08:53 PM

I remember these! The first ones were decent. Then, he sorted of "extended" the trilogy into other books which eventually ran out of steam (becoming a sort of proto-Robert Jordan).

I quit the series after Scions, but really like RJ, and Geo RR Martin. Is it worth looking into the latest Brooks?

Hobbesoxon

02-02-2008, 02:30 AM

I quit the series after Scions, but really like RJ, and Geo RR Martin. Is it worth looking into the latest Brooks?

Hmm, I read them about 15 years ago, in my teens! I'm afraid I can't really give you a recommendation either way - except for the fact that, after the third one, there was a noticeable decrease in quality. Speaking personally, I wouldn't bother with them. Maybe have a crack at "His Dark Materials". :)

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Dirk Tanner

02-02-2008, 06:24 AM

Things the Grandchildren Should Know by Mark Oliver Everett, also known as E, the man behind the band Eels. Great band, awesome music, and a darn good book.

Shave Ice

02-02-2008, 09:48 AM

I have.

If memory serves me, my one complaint with "The road to Serfdom" was that its political theory rather than a historical investigation. Hayek made the argument that Socialism, Nazism, and Fascism were for all intents and purposes different flavors of the same thing - Totalitarianism; and if you give the state control of the economy, the end result would be Totalitarianism. His argument was unfortunately more in the form of a polemic than a proof. Hayek never really gave you the ammunition (history, bibliography, quotes etc) you needed to win an argument.

What Goldberg does is put Hayek's statement in a historical context and then document the temporary moments of fascism experienced in the US (Wilson's war-socialism during WW1, The New Deal). He also lists the historical instances where the American Progressive movement and European fascism mutually inspired each other. Goldberg basically gives you this:

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6802/libfaset8.gif

I find this facinating. I have been searching for literature that would increase my understanding of the interplay of economics and social political theory. In particular I am trying the understand the following: How do democracy capitalism relate to each other? Is one necessary for the other to exist? I am thinking about the economic-social-political evolution that China is under going and wondering where it will lead.

Any recommendations for reading?

I am/was a Communication-Sociology-Psychology major and didn't really study political science, philosophy or economics until I was well past by post graduate degree.

DEmac

02-02-2008, 10:41 AM

In particular I am trying the understand the following: How do democracy capitalism relate to each other? Is one necessary for the other to exist? I am thinking about the economic-social-political evolution that China is under going and wondering where it will lead.

Any recommendations for reading?

I am/was a Communication-Sociology-Psychology major and didn't really study political science, philosophy or economics until I was well past by post graduate degree.

The Market Revolution, Jacksonian America, 1815-1846 by Charles Sellers. It's written by a historian, so its more of a narrative than a technical manual. It follows the development of capitalism in America, and how democracy really developed in America at the same time. It focuses largely on the development of banks. It makes a pretty good argument that democracy and capitalism did go together (at least in antebellum America).

The basic thesis is that where in colonial America most people did not interact with the market much (most were subsistence farmers), the extension of transportation infrastructure into the backwoods forced farmers to start producing for a market which they formerly could not reach to sustain their livelihood. These financial pressures led them, the ones who didn't go bankrupt in the Panic of 1819 and loose their farms, to demand a greater say in government.

The argument can be made that eventually the average Chinese person will demand a greater say as well. This scenario would not surprise me if China becomes much wealthier, but like they say, who cares about democracy when most people are struggling to feed themselves? If your main concern is finding food you don't much care who the president is, so it takes a certain amount of wealth to sustain democracy (most political scientists say it takes around $6,000 GDP to sustain democracy. Liberal democracy is a whole other issue.

dwestenk

02-02-2008, 11:05 AM

The Bonehunter's
A Tale of The Malazan Book of the Fallen
(Book 6)
by Steven Erikson

Bowcephalus

02-02-2008, 06:02 PM

Brook.....Your book sounds like a great follow up on Hayek....I'm puttin' it on my list......Thanks.....

KUJO

02-02-2008, 06:27 PM

The Looming Tower gives you a whole new perspective on Al Qaeda doesn't it? Troubling.

Al

It was comforting to read what a bunch of clowns they really are. It's a shame we ignored them too long and never took the full measures we could have when they were much less organized and popular.

It's always more satisfying to plan for and take on a strong enemy than a pest. Now the pest has grown into a difficult enemy--not necessarily a strong one.

TimmyBoston

02-03-2008, 02:40 PM

Just started Animal Farm by George Orwell

Bowcephalus

02-03-2008, 02:47 PM

....Mrs. Jones is already snoring.......

rtaylor61

02-03-2008, 03:07 PM

"A Farewell to Arms"...Hemingway...

Randy

Bob Dobbs

02-03-2008, 10:48 PM

micah1_8

02-04-2008, 09:49 AM

Just started Destroyer #6 Death Therapy.

I know, these things are empty action, but I love the satire.

I also listen to audio books from LibriVox. I expect to finish "Little Women" on the drive home from work today. I promised to read it as a Christmas gift to my wife. It's actually a pretty good book, and I understand what my wife sees in it. It is a bit "girly" though.

KUJO

02-04-2008, 04:45 PM

Animal Farm (http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Farm-Centennial-George-Orwell/dp/0452284244/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202171936&sr=1-1)during daily commute to make up for my painful brain death each night reading The Federal Budget: Politics, Policy, and Process. (http://www.amazon.com/Federal-Budget-Third-Politics-Process/dp/0815777353/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202172138&sr=1-1)

Skier

02-04-2008, 09:53 PM

Just finished "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson and "Death by Black Hole" by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Currently reading "Hiding the Elephant" A wonderful history of the golden age of magic by Jim Steinmeyer and "Duma Key" by Stephen King.

How was the Tyson book? I've listened to the audiobook of the Bryson book and it was most excellent.

I'm currently reading a Farewell to Arms by Hemingway. A buddy of mine is an English major and he always yaps about Hemingway so I figure it's about time to give it a read.

Bob Dobbs

02-05-2008, 06:00 PM

How was the Tyson book? I've listened to the audiobook of the Bryson book and it was most excellent.

I listened to the Bryson book as well. The Tyson book pales in comparison. While it's a bit more simplistic, it is not quite as easy to follow. That's not to say that it doesn't cover some interesting material. I just found "A Short History of Nearly Everything" more engaging.

I'm actually looking forward to the next book on my list, 'How the Mind Works" by Stephen Pinker.

M. McCord

02-05-2008, 06:21 PM

Finishing up: How Few Remain, the first book in the Southern Victory series by Harry Turtledove.

Next up: Under The Skin, The Death of White Rhodesia

jellywerker

02-05-2008, 06:23 PM

Nothing, save for some design books, and those are mostly for the inspirational pictures. I used to read a lot, but have been having a hard time finding good books. The normal library shelf trawl hasn't been doing the trick like it used too, too many things I have read or books that are too similar to things I have read. Any suggestions? I'm open to pretty much anything.

Owl

02-05-2008, 06:49 PM

The White Spider, by Heinrich Harrer. I don't have much time to read as I used to, and miss it terribly, so whatever it is has to be really good. I also live in an extremely flat place, and don't get out to climb as much as I'd like.

Left for Dead, by Beck Weathers. I've read a stack of stuff on '96, and nothing comes close to Beck's very personal description. Maybe the few pages of Krakauers's, where he realizes his mistake regarding Andy Harris. I can't put this book away, though it upsets my daughter immensely. Read the others first, but end it with Beck's.

Good thread, by the way. Some excellent, life changing books have been mentioned.

- tim

TimmyBoston

02-05-2008, 08:39 PM

rtaylor61

02-05-2008, 10:34 PM

I'm finishing "A Farewell to Arms" at the moment, but tonight I picked up "Quiet Strength" by Tony Dungy.

Randy

jellywerker

02-05-2008, 10:56 PM

Do expound. Not to say that I have read anywhere near all of them, but I've read a lot, what were you thinking of?

TimmyBoston

02-05-2008, 11:26 PM

Do expound. Not to say that I have read anywhere near all of them, but I've read a lot, what were you thinking of?

Well Hemingway is always good, you've got a few options, The Sun Also Rises, The Old Man and the Sea, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bells Tolls as well as dozens of wonderful short stories.

The Great Gatsby is always fantastic.

Richard Russo and Michael Chabon have written some of the best books in the last 20 years, those are worth checking out as well.

herculesinypsi

02-06-2008, 05:15 PM

currently reading The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford. Just finished The Sportswriter and Independence Day also by Ford.

KUJO

02-06-2008, 05:20 PM

Do expound. Not to say that I have read anywhere near all of them, but I've read a lot, what were you thinking of?

If you've never read Lolita (http://www.amazon.com/Lolita-Everymans-Library-Vladimir-Nabokov/dp/0679410430/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202347062&sr=1-4)by Nabokov, you're missing out on an English language masterpiece...one of the few books I've literally laughed out loud on in public.

Garak

02-06-2008, 05:26 PM

Just got into Fast Food Nation after The Omnivore's Dilemma. The Assault on Reason before that. Jeez, makes me realize I need to lighten up a bit. And stop eating cheeseburgers, unless I make them from a cow I raised myself.

DEmac

02-12-2008, 09:15 PM

For some research I'm doing I am having to read a book which was printed in 1856, The Great American Battle. It is in pretty good shape considering it's 157 years old. It's weird holding it though, thinking that the guy who put it together has probably been dead over 100 years and wondering who else has handled it over the years. The only thing better as far as my experience goes is reading through journals and letters from the 1820s, it provides a physical connection going much farther back than we can usually manage.

Just got into Fast Food Nation after The Omnivore's Dilemma.

As ridiculous as some of Pollan's suggestions are, The Omnivore's Dilemma really was a pleasure to read. He really is a great story teller, the hunting scenes would make Hemmingway jelous.

LukeInFlames

02-12-2008, 10:12 PM

Well Hemingway is always good, you've got a few options, The Sun Also Rises, The Old Man and the Sea, A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bells Tolls as well as dozens of wonderful short stories.

The Great Gatsby is always fantastic.

Richard Russo and Michael Chabon have written some of the best books in the last 20 years, those are worth checking out as well.

I second Hemingway (with caveats - too many macho-man myths surrounding him) - i suggest the short story 'a clean well-lighted place'. it's REALLY up there.

And F.Scott Fitzgerald's short stories, too. there's tons of them. and some of them are delightfully depressing.

-L.

LukeInFlames

02-12-2008, 10:14 PM

If you've never read Lolita (http://www.amazon.com/Lolita-Everymans-Library-Vladimir-Nabokov/dp/0679410430/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202347062&sr=1-4)by Nabokov, you're missing out on an English language masterpiece...one of the few books I've literally laughed out loud on in public.

One of these days I'll get around to reading Nabokov. But i have to read the collected works of Nikolai Gogol first. And Chekhov. And Turgenev, and Lermontov.... etc etc etc.

so many books and only two eyes to read them with!

-L.

LukeInFlames

02-12-2008, 10:17 PM

I enjoyed the The Fountainhead much more than her other major work Atlas Shrugged.

Al

I don't 'get' Ayn Rand. I read those two in high-school for my own amusement, and was not. i found her philosophy super-creepy and her style bad.

i've yet to find an explanation as to why her works continue to be so popular.

(shrug)

-L.

Al From Maine

02-13-2008, 07:22 AM

I don't 'get' Ayn Rand. I read those two in high-school for my own amusement, and was not. i found her philosophy super-creepy and her style bad.

i've yet to find an explanation as to why her works continue to be so popular.

(shrug)

-L.

It's the whole "one man alone against the world" theme that attracts a lot of folks. Plus her philosophy of objectivism -- that man should follow his own rational self-interest and by doing so he will also find his own true happiness. She believed that this is the highest moral purpose of life.

Granted -- life would be very different if everyone believed as she did.

Al

analog_kid

02-13-2008, 10:09 AM

I don't 'get' Ayn Rand. I read those two in high-school for my own amusement, and was not. i found her philosophy super-creepy and her style bad.

i've yet to find an explanation as to why her works continue to be so popular.

(shrug)

-L.

Really? I think The Fountainhead is one of my favorite works of fiction. Even if you don't necessarily enjoy the content I find that she tells a good story and keeps the reader interested. Which is saying something considering the length of her works!

micah1_8

02-13-2008, 10:31 AM

Might I suggest Notes from Underground? I recently listened to the librivox recording of that and found it quite interesting and timely. It's kind of creepy how books that were written more than 100 years ago can still be relevant. I guess you'd call that timelessnes.

jnich67

02-13-2008, 10:45 AM

Myths To Live By by Joseph Campbell

Jordan

Lynchmeister

02-13-2008, 11:41 AM

A few weeks ago, I googled "recommended books" or "must read books" or something to that effect and compiled a little list. I left the Library with The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. I'm about 1/2 way through it and am loving every word of this book!

Bowcephalus

02-13-2008, 03:17 PM

Just finished "The Language Of God".....Basically a Christian's (former athiest) defense of evolution, theism, and the scientific method.....A very interestingly honest and personal commentary from a cutting edge scientist(The Head of the Human Genome Project) who worships God with an awe that many will find both suprising and refreshing in today's climate of self righteous animosity that is all too prevalent on both sides of the recent discussions.....I find myself moved to take another look at many things the Bible actually says as opposed to how it has been bent to the whim of so many for so long......

rayzor

02-14-2008, 02:35 PM

just finished
The Children's Blizzard, David Laskin
Mossflower, Brian Jaques
The Idiot's guide to the Civil War

working on
Saturday, Ian McEwan
Einstein 1905, John rigden
Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake

kwk285

02-14-2008, 02:43 PM

I don't 'get' Ayn Rand. I read those two in high-school for my own amusement, and was not. i found her philosophy super-creepy and her style bad.

i've yet to find an explanation as to why her works continue to be so popular.

(shrug)

-L.

Hands down Atlas Shrugged is my favorite book. It seems to be a book that either people get or don't. Fountainhead was up there as well.

Ishamael70

02-14-2008, 07:15 PM

I am currently reading "All the Pretty Horses" by Cormac McCarthy, and I just finished the Golden Compass series by Phillip Pullman.

Loving it all!

analog_kid

02-16-2008, 10:06 AM

I finally finished Greg Norman's Way of the Shark. I kept forgetting it in my car or at work so it took me about two weeks to get through the final 80 pages! Anyway, I found it an incredibly inspirational and insightful read. More about life and philosophy of it than golf or his business practices, but he has a very refreshing out look on things and I really enjoyed his ideas.

Next up:
http://www.karatethejapaneseway.com/photos/hagakure.jpg

A favorite of mine.

Stauff

02-16-2008, 10:42 AM

Sigmund Freud biography by Peter Gay.

Next is Powers' The Time of Our Singing.

iron maiden

02-16-2008, 10:47 AM

Just finished Lamb, by Christopher Moore

jazzman

02-16-2008, 11:01 AM

Sigmund Freud biography by Peter Gay.

Next is Powers' The Time of Our Singing.

Please let us know how you like that biography. I've had it for a long time but never got started.

Stauff

02-16-2008, 11:25 AM

Please let us know how you like that biography. I've had it for a long time but never got started.

Well, so far I can say it's really well-written and documented. Only downside IMO is that P. Gay is a psychoanalyst himself and thus explains many biographical elements by referring to Freudian theory. This has given me quite a few good laughs while reading (' a male child urinating in the bedroom of the mother is a clear act of sexual interest.' 'Freud remembered the days when he felt attracted to his young mother and ran away from his old father.' ASO).

Being a historian myself, on a few occasions I have had the feeling that Gay interprets biographical information through the psychoanalytical scope, where some basic historical context would serve him (and the reader) much better. FI, Gay tells us that the fact that Freud had a room for himself to sleep and study, while his sisters and brothers all had to share rooms, clearly indicates he was his parents' favorite child. Now I will tell you such privileges were just typical for the eldest son in a bourgeois Jewish family in Central Europe around 1870...
Still, I'm very glad to be reading it. I'll report on the rest.

johnniegold

02-16-2008, 11:41 AM

1/2 way through Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt.

bman40

02-16-2008, 12:33 PM

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

sphughes

02-16-2008, 01:07 PM

The Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook. I am on a Fantasy run lately.

-Scott

LukeInFlames

02-16-2008, 02:53 PM

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

You're a braver man than me. tried to read 'to the lighthouse' some hears ago, and got about 6 pages into it before i yelled 'what is this ##@!@$#' and hurled it out of the room.

-L.

jlander

02-16-2008, 03:12 PM

Currently reading The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History by Thomas E. Woods Jr.

An interesting view.

jrthebutler

02-16-2008, 08:10 PM

Just finished "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer", by Patrick Suskind.

JB

DEmac

02-16-2008, 08:21 PM

Liberal Fascism - Jonah Goldberg

Excellent read so far.

<rant>
I just wish it was written 40 years ago. ... Since smiley face fascism is still in the same family tree as the fascism that cause a handful of genocides and prison camps galore, expect howlings, gnashing of teeth and lamentations from the left.
</rant>

For those too lazy or lacking time to read it, Jonah Goldberg will be talking about it on C-Span 2, Book TV Sunday at 1:15 pm. I hope those of you interested read this in time.

Roman414

02-16-2008, 09:27 PM

Some books you can re-visit every ten years or so. I am reading "On The Road" and "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" currently, both for I think the third time

Johnny Dale

02-17-2008, 06:26 AM

Really? I think The Fountainhead is one of my favorite works of fiction. Even if you don't necessarily enjoy the content I find that she tells a good story and keeps the reader interested. Which is saying something considering the length of her works!

I read The Fountainhead about 20 years ago and loved. I could not get into Atlas Shrugged though. I may have to give it another try but a re-read of The Fountainhead may be fun.

Current reading has been a lot of fun with the discovery of the Honor Harrington series of Sci-Fi war books by David Weber. They have been a lot of fun and he is not shy on killing off major characters in the series. :frown:

JD

masonjarjar

02-17-2008, 07:17 AM

Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut.

masonjarjar

02-17-2008, 07:39 AM

Although, with the length and depth of his novels, "kick" is hardly appropriate (or doable).

After finishing what is (to me) his magnum opus, "Until I Find You" in early-February, I followed-up with "A Prayer for Owen Meany"... an interesting, sometimes exasperating novel.

Now I'm some 60-pages into an earlier novel of his, "A Son of the Circus" -- I'm enjoying it, but will reserve final judgment until I finish it (at 600+ pages, it won't be for another 3-4 weeks).

I have two earlier novels of his -- "The Water-Method Man" and "The 158-Pound Marriage" -- on reserve at the local Public Library (which I unreservedly recommend as everyone's first-stop for reading material).

Interestingly, one of my rules (which I almost never break) is reading an author's works chronologically... especially in this day of characters reappearing and developing across novels. However, I seem to be reading John Irving in reverse. "Until I Find You" is his most-recent work, for example.

I cannot express how deeply I was touched (perhaps wrenched is more appropriate) by "Until I Find You". Again, weighing-in at 700+ pages, it paralleled and/or resonated with much of my life and experiences, at so many levels (sometimes, to a personally difficult degree). It is a demanding work; one which requires an equal amount of "work" on the reader's part. "Until I Find You" is, simply, the finest novel I have ever read. I recommend it without reservation.

Did you make it through HOTEL NEW HAMPSHIRE yet? That's one of my favorites.. CIDER HOUSE RULES is also great. I have to admit that OWEN MEANY is my favorite, probably my favorite book of all time. I still remember when I finished it the first time, I just sat in my apartment for over an hour just staring at the wall, just overwhelmed and also sad that it was over. What a book.

I haven't read UNTIL I FIND YOU yet, so that will be next on my, after I finish Vonnegut's HOCUS POCUS (I haven't read that in about 15 years).

-Mason