What Are You Reading?

[SRock]

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

[TexAg '01]

Good book. Have you read any of his others?
Not yet. I really want to read An Inconvenient Book, though. Is it as good as this one?

[Lo'Tek]

Ghost Rider by Neil Peart

I'm also reading this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this,

[maskaggs]

Wine and War by Don & Petie Kladstrup

[SpyvSpy]

Ghost Rider by Neil Peart

I'm also reading this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this,

Are you sure your not reading"this" instead?

[ShaveAddict]

Im currently reading Gargamtua by Francois Rabelais.

[O.G.]

Im reading The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace D. Wattels

[ebit]

Exploring the Boundary Waters - Daniel Pauly

http://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Boundary-Waters-Planner-Guide/dp/0816642168/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253242301&sr=8-1

I've always been disappointed with most of the midwest's idea of "camping." I've convinced a few friends that this is a trip we need to make next summer and so far this book has been worth it's weight in gold. I'm definitely learning a lot.

[blackfoot]

Exploring the Boundary Waters - Daniel Pauly

http://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Boundary-Waters-Planner-Guide/dp/0816642168/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253242301&sr=8-1

I've always been disappointed with most of the midwest's idea of "camping." I've convinced a few friends that this is a trip we need to make next summer and so far this book has been worth it's weight in gold. I'm definitely learning a lot.

I will have to check this out. I am hoping to go to the Boundary Waters this coming spring.

[SRock]

Not yet. I really want to read An Inconvenient Book, though. Is it as good as this one?

If Beck is your guy and your politics are on par you will enjoy it. If you view him like conservatives view Keith Olberman you'll probably hate it. If you can maintain a neutral or near neutral standpoint it is still a good book as well.

[TexAg '01]

I will definitely have to give it a try then. Thanks for the info!

[Soulcraft]

I have been on a crime kick lately. I must have read 4 Michael Connelly novel in four days. I am currently reading The Black Ice and it is a ton of fun. I also bought a bunch of stuff of amazon by Richard Stark, Raymond Chandler, Ian Rankin and the two finnish guys that did the Martin Beck stories. My girlfriend things I am going nuts. Am I the only one here?

Recently finished Don't think of an Elephant. Great book if you are interested about how the political discourse in America is structured. This book is written by George Lakoff, a hardcore progressive, but I think it can be interesting to the more conversatives among us interested in seeing where the debate is going.

[UptonBeat]

A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving. Reading it for a class, but loving it. Recently read A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean (great book), and soon to start on Cien años de solidad por Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I've heard it described as the greatest piece of literature of the 20th century. Has anyone read it (preferably in the original Spanish) who can back that up? Being Colombian, I'm also looking forward to experiencing such an iconic piece of my culture.

[Thunderjugg]

Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky. the richard pevear and larissa volokhonsky translation came highly reccomended and i also purchased a few of his others in this translation. good stuff.

[TimmyBoston]

Mortal Stakes by Robert B Parker


I recently finished Sacred and Profane by Faye Kellerman

[David in Boston]

Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky. the richard pevear and larissa volokhonsky translation came highly reccomended and i also purchased a few of his others in this translation. good stuff.

I've recently been reading books about Existentialism and seen many references to Dostoevsky as one of the founding fathers of this philosophical movement.

I have no experience in reading Russian novels and don't know where to start.

Could you suggest a "Dostoevsky" book list as to novels, short stories etc.

Thanks

[AndrewWiggin]

I have no experience in reading Russian novels and don't know where to start.


Get ready to be depressed in general. I liked Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamozov is a difficult book to get through, it's especially difficult to grasp since he didn't finish the story (I believe he was going to publish a second book). Anyway, Dostoevsky is brilliant, and if you can't sit through Karamozov, read the chapter about the Grand Inquisitor, it was honestly the most important part of the book for me.

Right now I'm reading Good to Great by Jim Collins, it's about a handful of companies that were good companies but shifted gears to outpace the market by about five times and sustain that growth.

Also reading In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. It's a great book, real easy read. It's about the shift from eating food, which is basic traditional cuisine that our grandparents/great grandparents ate, and the "food" that we eat now. It's not a hippy/vegan book it's just about the focus on nutrients now rather than food. Very interesting to see that stuff like carotenes in carrots aren't as good for you as the carrots themselves are.

[dog]

just finished Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Tried reading Accellerando by Charles Stross and hated it.

I'm not sure what will be next on the list.

Is anyone else here a librarything user?

[marvin100]

I've recently been reading books about Existentialism and seen many references to Dostoevsky as one of the founding fathers of this philosophical movement.

I have no experience in reading Russian novels and don't know where to start.

Could you suggest a "Dostoevsky" book list as to novels, short stories etc.

Thanks

Start with Notes from the Underground.

[thunderball]

Tintin in Tibet. Awesome! :biggrin:

[kingb71]

Tintin in Tibet. Awesome! :biggrin:

I LOVE Tintin books, I grew up on that stuff.
I'm currently reading "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown. I put it on hold at the library & for some reason, my hold came up 48 hours after the book was released even though I was #88 in line!

[Drubbing]

Could you suggest a "Dostoevsky" book list as to novels, short stories etc.


Get ready to be depressed in general. I liked Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamozov is a difficult book to get through, it's especially difficult to grasp since he didn't finish the story (I believe he was going to publish a second book). Anyway, Dostoevsky is brilliant, and if you can't sit through Karamozov, read the chapter about the Grand Inquisitor, it was honestly the most important part of the book for me.

Karamazov is considered one of best, C&P one of his most famous. Yes, entertainment is not high on the list with Dos. But it is masterfully captured bleakness; think of Dickens without the laughs and wacky characters.


just finished Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

I finished this a while ago; great book in the same vein as Brave New World. Both echo the present modern captivation by media and TV.

I don't know about anyone else, but I track my reading via Google library. Great way to see where you've been and add book on you're want to read list. You can do your own reviews as well. Can make it private or public.

[AndrewWiggin]

Karamazov is considered one of best, C&P one of his most famous. Yes, entertainment is not high on the list with Dos. But it is masterfully captured bleakness; think of Dickens without the laughs and wacky characters.

Yeah, Karamazov is spectacular, but Russians... Bleak. Still great though.

[David in Boston]

Start with Notes from the Underground.

Looks like I'll start with that one.

Thanks

FYI from Wiki...

Notes from Underground (Russian (http://badgerandblade.com/wiki/Russian_language): Записки из подполья, Zapiski iz podpol'ya), also translated in English (http://badgerandblade.com/wiki/English_language) as Notes from the Underground or Letters from the Underworld while Notes from Underground is the most literal translation) (1864) is a short novel (http://badgerandblade.com/wiki/Novel) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (http://badgerandblade.com/wiki/Fyodor_Dostoyevsky). It is considered by many to be the world's first existentialist (http://badgerandblade.com/wiki/Existentialism) novel.

[TimmyBoston]

True Detectives by Jonathan Kellerman

[packRat]

Beggars In Spain by Nancy Kress

http://images.indiebound.com/483/733/9780060733483.jpg

[dog]

I've recently been reading books about Existentialism and seen many references to Dostoevsky as one of the founding fathers of this philosophical movement.

I have no experience in reading Russian novels and don't know where to start.

Could you suggest a "Dostoevsky" book list as to novels, short stories etc.

Thanks

I agree with AndrewWiggin. I'm just getting into Crime & Punishment, and although it's a very good book it is pretty depressing. If you're insterested in Dostoevsky I would recommend it.

[jperalta]

Just finished The Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Interface, and Snow Crash all by Neil Stephenson. Reading Quicksilver by the same now. He's a great author but all of those books except Interface had rather marginal endings. It's like he was writing this great story and said "oh, crap, the publisher said I only have two more pages and I have to wrap this up."

[David in Boston]

I agree with AndrewWiggin. I'm just getting into Crime & Punishment, and although it's a very good book it is pretty depressing. If you're insterested in Dostoevsky I would recommend it.

Did pick up "Notes from the Underground" and I'm having a hard time getting into it. Decided to put it down for now and try it later.

I just may pick up another book about explaining Existentialism instead.

As in "Beginners Guide to Existentialism".

Thanks for the feedback.

[Piper Down]

Five Families by Selwyn Raab. Epic history of Cosa Nostra in the U.S. Not exactly a page-turner, but loaded with interesting facts leading to a cohesive history. Takes a pretty strong stand on the JFK assassination.

[bellerofonte]

"De tranquillitate animi", Lucio Anneo Seneca

[marvin100]

As in "Beginners Guide to

You might want to try Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus. The first and fourth chapters ("An Absurd Reasoning" and "The Myth of Sisyphus") do a great job of laying out the basic assumptions of Existentialism, at least its most central version: life is inherently meaningless, there are ways we can glimpse the absurdity of it, those glimpses are meaningful and liberating, we can invest life with whatever meaning we desire--it's an empty vessel.

I teach that stuff, and those chapters, along with some lectures & supplement, are the ones that flip people's light switches most often.

[David in Boston]

You might want to try Albert Camus' The Myth of Sisyphus. The first and fourth chapters ("An Absurd Reasoning" and "The Myth of Sisyphus") do a great job of laying out the basic assumptions of Existentialism, at least its most central version: life is inherently meaningless, there are ways we can glimpse the absurdity of it, those glimpses are meaningful and liberating, we can invest life with whatever meaning we desire--it's an empty vessel.

I teach that stuff, and those chapters, along with some lectures & supplement, are the ones that flip people's light switches most often.

I did recently read Camus' "The Myth of Sisyphus" and "The Stranger".

Looks like my next book will be "Existentialism for Beginners".

I'll PM you about some the subject later.

Thanks

[gaseousclay]

picked up some old Yale Shakespeare books from a thrift store a month ago and am currently giving them a go. just finished Macbeth and will probably read Richard the Third tonight

[Macion grey]

Perfume: The story of a murderer.

Brilliant.

[Dennard]

The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon

[kwk285]

Wicked Prey by John Sanford

[Leche]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2540/3728223304_f71ddab99d.jpg

Very interesting.

[Miles]

Going through "The Big Four" by Agatha Christie.

Hercule Poirot is one sneaky little guy

[GMen]

The Book of Fate, Brad Meltzer, good book...

[Henrique]

I've started re-reading Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series.

[marvin100]

Andrea Dworkin - Intercourse

[TonyH]

Just started one of my annual October reads: The Halloween Tree, by Ray Bradbury. My Favorite.

[infotech]

Louis L'aMour - Sitka

LaMour is way more than just a Wester book writer. His novels always fascinate me because he writes about real places at times when the world was a much larger place and things were a lot different.. This one is about Alaska before the US bought it.

[jtc33]

People of the Book.

[ratcheer]

I've started re-reading Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series.

+1 - That is an awesome journey you are starting. I read all twenty of them about three years ago.

Tim

[King of Kailua]

I just checked out of the library...
Blessed Unrest by Paul Hawken (http://blessedunrest.com/)

and Gardening when it counts; growing food in hard times by Steve Solomon (http://books.google.com/books?id=lbohaJCxFnAC&dq=Gardening+when+it+counts&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=79_LSu2lBJPqsQO61viSAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#v=onepage&q=&f=false)

Hope they're good reads.

[Mr. O]

I'm reading The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the road to 9/11 (http://www.amazon.com/Looming-Tower-Qaeda-Road-Vintage/dp/1400030846/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254882843&sr=8-1)
Let me say that the average American cannot even begin to fathom why these men in caves hate us. Basically, they want the world to return to the 7th Century.

[s1mp13m4n]

I am listening to the Harry Potter series of audiobooks at the moment. I am in book five.

[Alacrity59]

My wife and I just finished the Kill Call a British cop series. We read to each other . . . out loud. If you have never tried this you may be missing out on something.

[SRock]

...

[WhosYerBob]

Currently reading "The Fortune of War" - #6 in the Aubrey–Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. Can't believe I only recently discovered him as an author.

[Brushing with danger]

I am simultaneously reading:


Across the River and Into the Trees by Ernest Hemingway
Demons by Fedor Dostoyevsky
Shadows in Paradise by Erich Maria Remarque


I have more books lined up...but at the rate I'm going I better get a shelf for them :lol:

RECCOMENDATION ALERT: All you WWII fanatics, owe it to yourself to check out Chief Culprit: Stalin's Grand Design to Start World War II by Viktor Suvorov (http://www.amazon.com/Chief-Culprit-Stalins-Design-Jacket/dp/1591148383/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254949211&sr=8-1)

[sparkchaser]

Just finished The Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Interface, and Snow Crash all by Neil Stephenson. Reading Quicksilver by the same now. He's a great author but all of those books except Interface had rather marginal endings. It's like he was writing this great story and said "oh, crap, the publisher said I only have two more pages and I have to wrap this up."

That's a common criticism. That being said, Zodiac actually had an ending.

[Brodirt]

Salt: A World History. By Mark Kurlansky.

Its as much a history of salt as it is a history of human civiliazation. I am in the last 20 pages and have enjoyed the preceding 475 immensely. Highly recommended.

[shavervinnie]

"To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. Excellent in every way. Won a Pulitzer in 1961. Should be required reading for it's moral themes and family dynamic. Of course, everyone's seen the film (one of the very best), but, the book has a depth that's hard to put on film.

Randall

[A-Man]

Purpose Driven Life

and

Chi Running

[SRock]

Chi Running

Great books!

[ratcheer]

I just started The Constant Gardener by John LeCarre, a new author for me.

Tim

[Joker]

I just finished The thirty-nine steps, and Greenmantle by John Buchan They are WWI tales of espionage.

[ama015]

Just now I am reading "The Growth of the Soil" by Knut Hamsun. He got the Nobel prize for this book, and it is one of the best books I have read if not the best.

Also reading Daniel Goldhagens "Hitlers willing Executioners". A nightmare read about how everyday Germans got into Police battalions etc. and became mass murderes.

[fleshdunce]

Right now I am reading the original Foundation Trilogy of books by Issac Asimov. Currently on the second one, Foundation and Empire and loving every bit of it. Only wish I had more time to read that instead of my school books at the moment.

[Dennard]

The Art Of Manliness by Brett and Kate McKay

[Erebos]

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

[kprincehouse]

Just now I am reading "The Growth of the Soil" by Knut Hamsun. He got the Nobel prize for this book, and it is one of the best books I have read if not the best.


One of my favorite books, too. It's what I read when I'm feeling out of equilibrium and the world doesn't make sense. Something about the honest simplicity of that book just refreshes me. The movie / documentary Alone in the Wilderness about Dick Proenneke serves a similar purpose. Great book!

Right now I'm reading something a little less refreshing, IRS Publication 17. Good times! :)

Edit: Oh, and my recreational reading is Alan Flusser's Dressing the Man, in an effort to recover from twenty some years of willful slovenliness.

[NervousBreakdown]

104 pages...??? Holy poo....

I just finished "Hitler's Last Soldier in America" by Georg Gaertner...

This guy was the last escaped German POW in the US (he surrendered in 1985...!!)

His story is truly amazing... He was somewhat of a celebrity,, playing tennis and skiing with the likes of Robert Stack,, Herb Caen (who wrote an article about Gaertner's escape in the San Francisco Chronicle,,,,, and had no clue that the guy that won the tennis doubles tournament with him shortly thereafter was the escaped POW in his article),, Vic Seixas,, Bjorn Borg,, Lloyd Bridges,, and many others....

He turned himself in to Bryant Gumbel on the Today Show.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_G%C3%A4rtner

[Cities]

I just finished "Moneyball", and now I'm onto "Liar's Poker". I guess I'm on a Michael Lewis kick.

[AndrewWiggin]

A Game of Thrones, part of A Song of Ice and Fire. I've never been a fan of fantasy, but that book was incredible.

[marvin100]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61FZFR3FCFL._SL500_.jpg

Djuna Barnes - Nightwood

[Zen Master Kool-Aid]

The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins

[Erebos]

A Game of Thrones, part of A Song of Ice and Fire. I've never been a fan of fantasy, but that book was incredible.Agreed, best fantasy series I've ever read. The author needs to hurry up and finish the next book already.

[The Nid Hog]

The City and the City, China Mieville

[ProphetNoir]

Fledgling by Octavia Butler

[azmark]

Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity again. And bought 5000 Year Leap at Half Price Books.

[Navig8tor]

Murther and Walking Spirits - Robertson Davies.

[fidjit]

Half way through Dan Browns Lost Symbol.......meh !

Next in line Matthew Reilly's new one - 5 Warriors....hate to say it but after his last book, expecting meh ! as well.

[AndrewWiggin]

Right now I'm rereading Black, Red, and White, the Circle Trilogy by Ted Dekker. It's a cool series, then I'm going to read the fourth installation, Green.

[Miles]

Biology by Neil Campbell and Jane Reece. 8th edition.

Gentlemen, it is riveting. Riveting.

[jsrdrnr]

my Pharmachology textbook!

[Monkeydad]

Badger & Blade

[big1096]

Just finishing up Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill. Top notch ghost story!

[J.B. Books]

There is a very large amount of avid readers on this board, very many of us thirst for knowledge.

What book or books are you reading right now? What are you finding stimulating? What would you recommend to others?

I have just completed " The Bridge Of Sighs" by Richard Russo and "Snow In August" by Pete Hamil. Both were excellent.

[ogopogo]

This weekend I'm starting 'The Wordy Shipmates' by Sarah Vowell.

[Pitino]

A Twist of Sand by Geoffrey Jenkins. Great book, Jenkins was a contemporary of Ian Fleming.

[Dennard]

How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

[kwk285]

The Brass Verdict by Connolly

[Bertilak]

Just finished two back-to-back: The Tears of Autumn and The Last Supper by Charles McCarry. (No, neither is a religious book!)

These are cold war spy/suspense/adventure/thriller books. The central character is CIA agent Paul Christopher but the books cover ground from 1926 before he was born up through the post-Vietnam era.

The author actually was a CIA spy during the time that Christopher was active. Although this is definitely a work of fiction the general tone, situations, "trade craft", etc are supposedly straight out of real life. But that is not to say this is a book of two-dimensional characters in a gimmick-driven plot. Here is a quote from a review on Amazon:

McCarry's nuanced, at times poetic, writing style, his ability to create real, flesh and blood characters who will move you, and his fast-paced, taunt storyline, put him at the top of the list for craftsmanship. There were actually moments when I found my eyes filling with tears, at a particular poignant passage, or at the loss of a favorite character.

I recommend reading Autumn first and Supper second. This is the order of publication. There are other Paul Christopher novels I haven't read (yet) but suspect it would be best to read them in the order of publication.

[SRock]

I finally finished Black Belt Patriotism by Chuck Norris. All in all it was a very good book (I was pleasantly surprised). As expected a book with Patriotism in the title does have a bit of a conservative lean (in case anyone didn't know that Chuck is a hard core Republican).

I just started re-reading A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.

[TSWebster]

I'm currently working my way through the Clarkson collection, an omnibus of Jeremy Clarkson's 3 articale collections.

Good fun to read and you can put it down and pick it up again at any time thanks to the short format.

[Wil Dorenbos]

Nietzsche like most of the time

[Flux]

Working on Vince Flynn's Term Limits. It's quite good so far.

[big1096]

I'm now on to Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol

[moonshine44]

Just finished Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove for the fifth or sixth time. Now I'm reading Stephen Hunter's Night of Thunder

[ratcheer]

I am starting The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell. Another new author, for me.

Tim

[kap49]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Absolutely wonderful. One of the few times I've read a book of this size in a weekend. Quite a ride.

[WhosYerBob]

Just received "Perfumes - the A-Z Guide" by Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez. Interesting.

[eightysixCJ]

Strictly Right, William F. Buckley Jr. and the rise of the American Conservative Movement by L. Bridges and J.R. Coyne Jr.

Tom

[Dennard]

Just received "Perfumes - the A-Z Guide" by Luca Turin & Tania Sanchez. Interesting.

That's a great book.

[ama015]

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Absolutely wonderful. One of the few times I've read a book of this size in a weekend. Quite a ride.

I have read all of Larsson`s triology, great books if you like crime. Perhaps the best crime books of newer date I have read.

[ama015]

Reading for the xxx time John Steinbeck`s Tortilla Flat. An all time classic. Steinbeck tell us all in a truly sublime and wonderful way how the daily life of a few poor and "wine-loving" loafers living their life in a small, poor part of Monterey, California, "Tortilla Flat". Steinbeck`s pen is so warm, real, knowing, fun, sad and loving that this book is on my top 5 list of all of my 35 years of reading. A must read:)

[marvin100]

The Raw and the Cooked, in honor of Claude Lévi-Strauss's death just a few days ago at 100 years old. A titan.

[Navig8tor]

Just started reading Rain Fall by Barry Eisler. It's the first in a series of books about an asian american assassin. So far he is into good scotch.

[Dennard]

Reading for the xxx time John Steinbeck`s Tortilla Flat. An all time classic. Steinbeck tell us all in a truly sublime and wonderful way how the daily life of a few poor and "wine-loving" loafers living their life in a small, poor part of Monterey, California, "Tortilla Flat". Steinbeck`s pen is so warm, real, knowing, fun, sad and loving that this book is on my top 5 list of all of my 35 years of reading. A must read:)

+1. Steinbeck is one of my favorite writes. I have Tortilla Flat on my shelf, but haven't read it yet. Maybe I'll go for that one next.

[Johnny Dale]

Crush Depth by Joe Buff

I stumbled across the book at a flea market. Being an old submariner it piqued my interest. So far it has been a fetching read. Much better than I anticipated.

[Calder]

I'm working on Les Miserables for the 6th or 7th time. It's one of my favorites and I was lucky enough to be assigned the book to do a final project on in one of my classes this semester.

I'm going to blow this mother straight out of the water. :001_smile

[funkyb]

Tom Clancy's Debt of Honor. Loving it (all all the ones before it)!

Wanting to go back and re-read Rudy Rucker's Infinity and the Mind. (great text on set theory and the nature of infinity as a mathematical concept)

[s1mp13m4n]

I am listening to the Harry Potter audiobook series. I am a few chapters away from finishing bok five and then it is on to book six for me. :)

[marvin100]

+1. Steinbeck is one of my favorite writes. I have Tortilla Flat on my shelf, but haven't read it yet. Maybe I'll go for that one next.

I HATE Steinbeck, but I almost enjoyed this light-hearted book about my home town.

[OckhamsBlade]

Natures Metropolis by William Cronon. Its a great read a blend of environmental history, economic history and urban history which is highly readable. Anyone from the Mid West or who has an appreciation of well written history should pick it up.I am currently reading for my oral examination in history so I have been busy and will continue to be until Dec. 2. Keep plugging away right...

[thunderball]

Can't seem to get enough Tintin these days! :redface:

[OneRand]

Influence: Science and Practice -Robert Caldini.

Must read.

[TimmyBoston]

I have just completed " The Bridge Of Sighs" by Richard Russo .

IMO, Richard Russo is the best writer today. His work is masterful.

[cfriend]

A modern English translation of the Qur'an. I have just picked it up so I cannot yet comment.

[TonyH]

Pride & Prejudice and Zombies

[PCFiend138]

Pride & Prejudice and Zombies

what do you think of it? i got it for my girlfriend and she said she liked it but it was hard for her to keep the conversations straight so she quit reading it. by the way did you see sense and sensibility and sea monsters at work?

[fleshdunce]

Just finished up the original Foundation trilogy by Asimov..gonna take a break from Asimov for a bit and now I am reading Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein. Really enjoying it so far.

[kwk285]

Evidence by Jonathan Kellerman

[Dennard]

IMO, Richard Russo is the best writer today. His work is masterful.

+1. He's written some of my favorite books, i.e. Empire Falls and Straight Man.

[jsrdrnr]

Pharmacology!

[SRock]

A modern English translation of the Qur'an. I have just picked it up so I cannot yet comment.

Definitely worth the read.

[thunderball]

The Japan Times....(sports section)

[SRock]

The Japan Times....(sports section)

In Kana/Kanji or English? I have to say I'm jealous. I can read some and recognize some and speak a bit but every time I see someone who is totally proficient in Japanese I must admit I am jealous.

[thunderball]

In Kana/Kanji or English? I have to say I'm jealous. I can read some and recognize some and speak a bit but every time I see someone who is totally proficient in Japanese I must admit I am jealous.

Ah, in English! :biggrin:

[SRock]

Ah, in English! :biggrin:

:lol::lol::lol:

I can't ever find it around here in English. Otherwise I would as well. I rely on the net for most of my news. :eek::mad:

[s&g'sdad]

Just finished Torture at the Back Forty, a true story about a brutal murder that took place in Green Bay back in 1983, not far from my childhood home. I still remember when it happened. Also finished The Time Traveler's Wife. Not too bad. I'm currently reading The Given Day by Dennis Lehane.

Aaron

[TimmyBoston]

:lol::lol::lol:

I can't ever find it around here in English. Otherwise I would as well. I rely on the net for most of my news. :eek::mad:

Just give me a call, I'll read you the Indy Star. :biggrin:

[blackfoot]

Just give me a call, I'll read you the Indy Star. :biggrin:

:lol::lol::lol:

[Henrique]

I've started re-reading Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series.

I'm still reading this :biggrin:

I had already read the first 3 books (those were the only ones published in portuguese).
I bought the english Omnibus version and I'm currently half way on the fourth book.

[MrMoJoe]

Just started reading Rain Fall by Barry Eisler. It's the first in a series of books about an asian american assassin. So far he is
into good scotch.

+1

I've read the entire series. Good stuff - may be the best of the genre. :thumbsup:

[Matt P]

I'm finishing up Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh it is excellent hard Scifi. I also just picked up Flashman by George McDonald Fraser because of another thread on this board. I had been thinking about starting the Flashman series and the thread pushed me to it.

[mjmallon]

Just finished:

Neil Postman - "Amusing Ourselves to Death"
Conrad Baar - "Born Only Once: The Mirracle of Affirmation"

Reading now:

Viktor Frankl - "Man's Search For Meaning"

[marvin100]

Just finished:

Neil Postman - "Amusing Ourselves to Death"
Conrad Baar - "Born Only Once: The Mirracle of Affirmation"

Reading now:

Viktor Frankl - "Man's Search For Meaning"

I quite enjoyed the Postman, and that Frankl is outstanding.

[Grace]

I just recently passed out of a Robert A. Heinlein phase; highly reccomended, I'm shocked no-one's drafted The Moon is a Harsh Mistress or Stranger in a Strange Land for some big Hollywood production yet.

Right now I'm reading The Real Jimmy Carter by Steven Hayward. Very enlightening.

[jazzman]

Just finished Zappa, by Barry Miles. I learned quite a bit, but the writing style is not terribly inviting. Also, some minor factual mistakes that should have been caught by an editor make me wonder about its accuracy in other areas (Cucamonga is 75 miles west of LA:eek:; Strom Thurmond was a senator from South Dakota).

[Dennard]

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.

[ama015]

Cecilia Samartin`s Broken Paradise. A truly wonderful book, read it, just superb!

[beginish]

"Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell.

[saltypete]

Just finished 'The Cold War' by John Lewis Gaddis. I found it to be a simply worded, yet compelling account of the complexities of the cold war.

Pete

[wellmonium]

After having my life changed by "Zen and the Art of Motorcycly Maintenance" which I read about 4 million times, I just picked up "Shop Class as Soulcraft". This is a book for the ages if we ever get there! You may want to get off the couch, you may ask yourself, "Is this my beautiful house?" you may not get it, you may not get over it! Steve McQueen said in "Le Mans", "Racing is life, everything that happens before or after it is just waiting." I couldn't have said it better and my name is Steve!

[Dustinl]

Currently I am reading "The Texian Iliad" by Stephen L. Hardin. It is a military history of the Texas Revolution.


DL

[Slivovitz]

Just started The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Didn't get very far yet, as I was reading it on a plane, and I always have trouble concentrating under those conditions.

Just finished The Egyptian by Mika Waltari and Broca's Brain by Carl Sagan while on vacation. Recommend both, although somewhat mildly.

[Dustinl]

Just started The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Excellent book! My favorite fiction. I love everything that I've read by McCarthy. The Road comes out in theatres tomorrow. Hoping I get to see it this weekend.


DL

[blackfoot]

After having my life changed by "Zen and the Art of Motorcycly Maintenance" which I read about 4 million times, I just picked up "Shop Class as Soulcraft". This is a book for the ages if we ever get there! You may want to get off the couch, you may ask yourself, "Is this my beautiful house?" you may not get it, you may not get over it! Steve McQueen said in "Le Mans", "Racing is life, everything that happens before or after it is just waiting." I couldn't have said it better and my name is Steve!

I have heard of that book.

[pauls51]

Just finished an Australian autobiography - I,Mick Gatto... All about the Melbourne underworld..

Pretty good read if your into this sort of stuff.

[Drubbing]

After having my life changed by "Zen and the Art of Motorcycly Maintenance" which I read about 4 million times, I hope it changed you life for the better, it didn't for Pirsig. He committed himself to an Asylum trying to achieve academic validity for his theories, that sort of went round in circles, eating themselves.

He couldn't even unravel them himself. Curious novelty of a book, and a man.

[Ru4scuba?]

Just picked up another Winston Churchill bio by John Keegan. Its a short read.

After that, I'll be on to Stephen Ambrose's "Eisenhower and the Espionage Establishment"

[MMCCX]

finishing up the new Terry Pratchett, "Unseen Academicals" (fantasy/satire).

then going to re-read "Kon-Tiki" by Thor Heyerdahl for about the tenth time. still floors me, a real life adventure about a group of men with about the biggest brass ones ever....

[ratcheer]

Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell.

Tim

[moonshine44]

The Protector's War by SM Stirling...

[blackfoot]

The Protector's War by SM Stirling...

I started reading that and haven't finished. Now I can't find the book. :thumbdown

[The Nid Hog]

I just finished Tokyo Year Zero by David Peace. A little disturbing but fascinating.

[DougK]

I just started A World Lit Only by Fire by William Manchester. Pretty good read so far.

[auk1124]

The Borgias and Their Enemies: 1431-1519 by Christopher Hibbert. An interesting read about a nasty family. Its Machiavelli-icious! :thumbup:

[sparkchaser]

Continental Drift by Russell Banks. Outside of my normal genre but it was a Secret Santa gift so I figured I would give it a whirl.

[cooltide]

just finished the third policeman
brilliant

[ama015]

Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor. This is the third time I read this masterpiece of a history book. A must read for anyone interested in World War II and why Hitler`s Germany met it`s end.

[chainfire]

Just finished The Branch and the Scaffold - Loren D. Estleman which was about the various exploits that went on in the west centering on the hanging judge Isaac C. Parker.

To get into the holiday spirit, I'm onto Wally Lamb's Wishin' and Hopin' a Christmas Story.

[chainfire]

Just Read:
Wishin' and Hopin' a Christmas Story - Wally Lamb B+
A cute holiday story with some good laughs.

Reading Now:
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford

In the Queue:
The Hitchhiker's Trilogy - Douglas Adams
...and Another Thing - Eoin Colfer
The World without Us - Alan Weisman
Dreamsongs v1 & v2 - George R.R. Martin
The Secret History of the American Empire - John Perkins
How to Paint a Deadman - Sarah Hall

[kap49]

Under the Dome by Stephen King - one of his better efforts.

[andrewckellogg]

I just started A World Lit Only by Fire by William Manchester. Pretty good read so far.


Really great book - I thought I was the only one to ever purchase it.

[Dryden]

I'm in the middle of "The Wheel of Time" series at the moment. Pretty decent so far. Very similar writing style to that of Tolkien.

[beginish]

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Trying to catch up to the rest of the family.

[ppearce]

Currently reading The Brass Verdict, by Michael Connelly, which is another Connoly masterpiece, and concurrently, SOG, The Secret Wars of America's Commandos in Vietnam, by John Plaster. Just finished On the Road, by Jack Kerouac, and A Life Among Secrets, the Uncommon Life and Adventures of Eddie Fields, by Stephen Minch.
Up next: Rough Weather, by Robert Parker.
BTW, me and my CLW get almost all of the books we read from either Abebooks or Alibris.
Cheers!
Phil

[kingfisher]

Just finished "Anna Karenina" by Tolstoy. Outstanding.


Now reading "Up from Slavery" by Booker T. Washington.

[blackfoot]

I'm in the middle of "The Wheel of Time" series at the moment. Pretty decent so far. Very similar writing style to that of Tolkien.

Really? I have never heard of it.

[chainfire]

I'm in the middle of "The Wheel of Time" series at the moment. Pretty decent so far. Very similar writing style to that of Tolkien.


Really? I have never heard of it.

I hate to say it, but Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series has to be the single most frustrating reading experience of my life. I learned about it ~1994. The final book #6 had supposedly just come out and I read it all the way through to find out it was no longer 6 books, but probably 8.

Now I stand before you a beaten man. :crying: 15 years later, 13 or 14 books +2 or 3 more to go under the new author, the death of the original author, and who knows how many more years before it ends...if it ever ends. :cursing:

I beg you to run from this series, by book 10 there's so much meaningless stuff going on I could no longer keep track of it without reading the Wiki articles to catch back up.

[chainfire]

Just Read:
Wishin' and Hopin' a Christmas Story - Wally Lamb B+
A cute holiday story with some good laughs.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford A
A very touching story.

Reading Now:
The Hitchhiker's Trilogy - Douglas Adams

In the Queue:
...and Another Thing - Eoin Colfer
The World without Us - Alan Weisman
Dreamsongs v1 & v2 - George R.R. Martin
The Secret History of the American Empire - John Perkins
How to Paint a Deadman - Sarah Hall

[Dryden]

I hate to say it, but Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series has to be the single most frustrating reading experience of my life. I learned about it ~1994. The final book #6 had supposedly just come out and I read it all the way through to find out it was no longer 6 books, but probably 8.

Now I stand before you a beaten man. :crying: 15 years later, 13 or 14 books +2 or 3 more to go under the new author, the death of the original author, and who knows how many more years before it ends...if it ever ends. :cursing:

I beg you to run from this series, by book 10 there's so much meaningless stuff going on I could no longer keep track of it without reading the Wiki articles to catch back up.

Haha, I know what you mean! The man was a great storyteller but not a really great writer! It's one of those series that you have to put a serious investment of time in. Especially when each book is 300+ pages!

[blackfoot]

I hate to say it, but Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series has to be the single most frustrating reading experience of my life. I learned about it ~1994. The final book #6 had supposedly just come out and I read it all the way through to find out it was no longer 6 books, but probably 8.

Now I stand before you a beaten man. :crying: 15 years later, 13 or 14 books +2 or 3 more to go under the new author, the death of the original author, and who knows how many more years before it ends...if it ever ends. :cursing:

I beg you to run from this series, by book 10 there's so much meaningless stuff going on I could no longer keep track of it without reading the Wiki articles to catch back up.


Haha, I know what you mean! The man was a great storyteller but not a really great writer! It's one of those series that you have to put a serious investment of time in. Especially when each book is 300+ pages!

The sad thing is, I'm not sure if this intrigues or scares me. :blush:

[Wingnut]

If any of you are pilots or enjoy reading aviation litereature, I'm in the middle of "Fly by Wire", William Langewiesche's analysis of the "Miracle on the Hudson" ditching. The author writes very well, is knowledgeable (he's a pilot himself), and you don't have to know a lot about aviation to enjoy it. His premise is delving into how the Airbus's automated computer systems aided in the safe outcome of that flight, but the book takes on many related topics in an engaging and enlightening way. As a pilot myself (and one who recently went through a multiple bird strike incident - although with relatively little danger or damage) I found it to be a fascinating read.

I also just finished "Highest Duty" by Chesley Sullenberger (the captain of that same flight) a few weeks ago and, although I didn't dislike it, I found it to dance nimbly around many issues (like pilot fatigue and lower salaries at the majors due to cutbacks) that Langewiesche takes on more straightforwardly. "Highest Duty" details Capt. Sullenberger's life up to the day of the crash, the premise being that he'd "trained for this moment all of his life". Perhaps true, but I personally don't see how a hike that he and his wife did months prior to that January morning, for instance, had much bearing on the outcome.

I'm sure that, given Capt. Sullenberger still being an employee of USAir, much that he would have wanted to be more frank about was purposely soft-pedaled. Overall, I like Langewiesche's approach much more.

[beginish]

Haha, I know what you mean! The man was a great storyteller but not a really great writer! It's one of those series that you have to put a serious investment of time in. Especially when each book is 300+ pages!

300? The latest clocks in at more than 700! I hooked into this series back in 92, and have read them all, dipping into the wiki to catch up like Chainfire as needed. Great story. Much too convoluted, but I have to see how it turns out now. The latest is on the shelf waiting for me.

[He-Ben]

I'm currently reading Le Morte D'Arthur here in Monahans, and in my Odessa residence I'm reading Desilu (a biography on Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball).

:thumbup1:

[goby]

Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor. This is the third time I read this masterpiece of a history book. A must read for anyone interested in World War II and why Hitler`s Germany met it`s end.


I'm listening to the Audiobook. It's AMAZING!!!!

BTW, it's "Antony" (my name is Anthony) Beevor, and he also wrote a great book on the Spanish Civil War. At Barnes and Noble I saw that a three volume book on Stalingrad is being released, which Volume 1 in the bookstores now.


Anthony

[ama015]

Just finished "Anna Karenina" by Tolstoy. Outstanding.


Now reading "Up from Slavery" by Booker T. Washington.

Anna Karenina, one of my all time favorites, a classic by any standard.

Just now I am reading Min Ron Nee`s "An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Post-Revolution Havana Cigars" for the xx time, outstanding book about one of life`s truly sublime products!

[thunderball]

Several papers on using word association tests to compare/contrast the makeup of the L1 and L2 lexicon and establish evidence for a syntagmatic-paradigmatic shift.

It's painful. :blink:

[Mandrake]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41mtXew-tnL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

Second in the series of Wallander, just finished the first one, and still not sure if I like it or not, let's see what happens with this one....

[Mpugh77]

Currently reading Hercule Poirot's Christmas; over the past year, I have been working on reading all of the Poirot myteries.

[betat]

Currently reading "The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily" by Rick Atkinson. It is number two in the "Liberation Trilogy". When finished with that will tackle "The Monuments Men" by Robert Edsel.

Hope to get a Amazon Kindle for Christmas to make this reading thing easier.

[TimmyBoston]

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Trying to catch up to the rest of the family.

They're good books, arent' they? :001_smile

[ionineunobend]

30 and it depends on the deals. Last year I went at 7:00 pm Thursday. The year before I went at 11:00 pm on Thursday and was about the same spot in line. I want a laptop this year, but wont be able to get one at Best Buy where I normally go unless I go Thursday morning. I value family and Thanksgiving over the deals...call me old fashioned. I will watch the deals at Staples and Wal Mart and Best Buy to map out what my plans are.

[King of Kailua]

A 1963 addition of The Dunwich Horror and Others by H.P. Lovecraft that I found at a used bookstore for a dollar. The cool looking Cthulhu on the cover caught my eye.
http://img.skitch.com/20091206-rbs1qy37kbfd2exdrn3p44fnis.preview.jpg (http://skitch.com/mharing/nkprm/dunwichhorror-cover)
I started using LibraryThing (http://www.librarything.com/home/mharing) to catalog my books, develop my literature network, and keep track of a wish list. Only a handful of my books are there so far but I'm thinking I like this resource.

[sparkchaser]

A 1963 addition of The Dunwich Horror and Others by H.P. Lovecraft that I found at a used bookstore for a dollar. The cool looking Cthulhu on the cover caught my eye.
http://img.skitch.com/20091206-rbs1qy37kbfd2exdrn3p44fnis.preview.jpg (http://skitch.com/mharing/nkprm/dunwichhorror-cover)
I started using LibraryThing (http://www.librarything.com/home/mharing) to catalog my books, develop my literature network, and keep track of a wish list. Only a handful of my books are there so far but I'm thinking I like this resource.

Great find! I had to pay $35 for my copy.

I have a Librarything account (and a Goodreads one too) but it is sorely in need of updating.

[Hreafn]

The Sword of Truth series.

[BbqMan]

I strongly recommend Don Brown books, (no, not Dan Brown) in a four book series starting with the book "Treason". It takes a hard, but fictional look at the potential impact of Islamic terrorists within our armed services. After Fort Hood, this is something we need to think about.

A bonus for the Kindle readers on this site - the books are FREE to those of us who have gone over to e-readers. The rest of you will follow.

[Ponchy88]

I'm still just a classic book reader, not really in newer novels. Huge Steinbeck fan. I'm currently reading John Irving's The World According to Garp

[David in Boston]

I'm still just a classic book reader, not really in newer novels. Huge Steinbeck fan. I'm currently reading John Irving's The World According to Garp

I enjoyed that novel. Was actually surprised that Hollywood made a good movie from it.

[Tuxedo7]

I recommend Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance ... it's about motorcycles the way Field of Dreams is about baseball ... just used as a common context to get a point across. It is really about the apparent disconnect between "art" and "science", and how they are not really disconnected, and also about quality and caring about what you do (and that results in quality). Quality is kind of like porn ... difficult to define, but you know it when you see it.

[Tuxedo7]

If you're a male, I would highly recommend reading From Here to Eternity by James Jones. It's a great book that will make tons of sense to men, and may help women understand them. While the classic movie with Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra is a very good movie, the book is much more explicit that an early 50's movie could ever be, and Jones does an incredible job of making the characters much more complex and real than the movie ever could. If you aren't familiar with the book/movie, it is set in and around Pearl Harbor in the months leading up to, and including Dec. 7, 1941. James Jones knows how to write to bring you right into the characters' lives, understand how they feel, realize just how much we all have in common and just what makes his characters tick. For those who want to intellectually explore their masculine side, and without apology to those that think men should somehow be more like women.

[TimmyBoston]

Dead Irish by John Lescroart

[chainfire]

Just Read:
Wishin' and Hopin' a Christmas Story - Wally Lamb|B+
A cute holiday story with some good laughs.
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford|A
A very touching story.
The Hitchhiker's Trilogy - Douglas Adams|B
A little hard to follow at times, but very smart writing.

Reading Now:
...and Another Thing - Eoin Colfer

In the Queue:
The World without Us - Alan Weisman
Dreamsongs v1 & v2 - George R.R. Martin
The Secret History of the American Empire - John Perkins
How to Paint a Deadman - Sarah Hall
Flashforward - Robert J Sawyer
The Child Thief - Brom

[kimfella]

Extraordinary Engines edited by Nick Gevers. Sub-titled "The Definitive Steampunk Anthology"
14 short "steampunk" stories. I especially liked "Steampunch" by James Lovegrove and "Speed, Speed the Cable" by Kage Baker.
That last title reminded me of "A Trans-Atlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!" by Harry Harrison, although the only thing common between the stories is the Atlantic Ocean and the steampunk aspect. Way back when, when I read ATATH I didn't realize it was "steamy".

[chainfire]

Just Read:
Wishin' and Hopin' a Christmas Story - Wally Lamb|B+
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford|A
The Hitchhiker's Trilogy - Douglas Adams|B
...and Another Thing - Eoin Colfer|B
Surprisingly close to Adams' style and a good continuation to the series.

Reading Now:
The World without Us - Alan Weisman

In the Queue:
Dreamsongs v1 & v2 - George R.R. Martin
The Secret History of the American Empire - John Perkins
How to Paint a Deadman - Sarah Hall
Flashforward - Robert J Sawyer
The Child Thief - Brom

[Slivovitz]

Re-reading Tales from the Drones Club by P.G. Wodehouse. Wodehouse is like literary comfort food for me.

Hmm, 100 posts. Joined in later October. Spending a lot of time here.

[waxinghurts]

I'm reading an Alberto Vargas art book. Such beautiful work. :blush:

[blary54]

I'm currently reading Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples' Organized Crime System....unfortunately after the author released the book the mob put a hit contract on his life so he is currently under police protection. Living in fear for reporting the truth.

So far interesting read but just started it.




http://www.amazon.com/Gomorrah-Personal-Journey-International-Organized/dp/0312427794/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260599002&sr=8-3-spell

[moonshine44]

Catching up on some of my magazines. Finished the SASS Cowboy Chronicle this morning, started Concealed Carry magazine tonight, still have Bicycling and Mountain Bike yet to go...

[airplanedoc]

I'm reading an Alberto Vargas art book. Such beautiful work.

If you ever get a chance swing by the san Fransisco Art Exchange, they have some beautiful Vargas stuff. I have 3 lithographs and several esquire gatefolds.

http://sfae.com/index.php?action=gallery&status=show_artist&ID=3

I have enchanted evening, summer of '42 and symphony.

BTW the model for Symphony was Vargas wife

[FLTiger]

My current book is Red Orchestra (http://www.amazon.com/Red-Orchestra-Underground-Friends-Resisted/dp/1400060001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260604798&sr=1-1), the story of the German resistance to Hitler inside Germany. It isn't exactly a happy story, but those courageous souls deserve to be better known.

[waxinghurts]

If you ever get a chance swing by the san Fransisco Art Exchange, they have some beautiful Vargas stuff. I have 3 lithographs and several esquire gatefolds.

http://sfae.com/index.php?action=gallery&status=show_artist&ID=3

I have enchanted evening, summer of '42 and symphony.

BTW the model for Symphony was Vargas wife

Those are beautiful. I'm studying his style so that my pinups look a little less cartoonie. :thumbup1:

[airplanedoc]

Those are beautiful. I'm studying his style so that my pinups look a little less cartoonie.

Believe me the computer screen does not do them justice, those lithographs are so good as the light changes, the silk takes on different hue's and depth

Just make sure that you always count the fingers correctly, Vargas had a habit of painting one too many fingers and one less thumb on a hand.:thumbup1:

[ama015]

The last week I have read Oscar Wilde`s "The picture of Dorian Gray", a truly classic and Knut Hamsun`s Pan. I have heard people learning Norwegian just to read Hamsun`s book`s in his own language, fantastic book. Now I`m reading Irene Nemirovsky`s "Suite Francaise".

[Gr8Cook]

"A Soldier's Story"
- By Omar Bradley

An extremely readable primary source.

Cook

[saltypete]

'The Great Game, on Secret Service in High Asia', by Peter Hopkirk.
A great read as well as providing insight into the psyche of the British, Russian and Asiatic peoples. It explains why Afghanistan and its surrounds have always been an inconquerable region.

Pete

[King of Kailua]

Consider The Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace (http://www.librarything.com/work/book/54156572). Currently on Up Simba; Wallace's reflection for Rolling Stone magazine on a week with the McCain2000 presidential campaign.

I've been on a bit of a DFW jones since finishing Infinite Jest (http://www.librarything.com/work/book/42043905). In fact, I find myself going back and re-reading sections of that book not infrequently.

http://img.skitch.com/20091216-89b1yisi2gbp5bscc5p4gys1n7.preview.jpg (http://skitch.com/mharing/nm41j/consider-the-lobster)

http://img.skitch.com/20091216-6ik1anjmd2xdknt1wkn3yrasy.preview.jpg (http://skitch.com/mharing/nm41u/dfw-infinite-jest)

[AndrewWiggin]

Empire of Liberty by Gordon Wood, and The Road to Serfdom by Hayek.

[kadett]

Currently reading "L'Assommoir" by Émile Zola. Before that I just finished "Spectacular Realities: Early Mass Culture in Fin-de-Siècle Paris" by Vanessa Schwartz.

[GFlanagan3]

Just Finished 'In the President's Secret Service: Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire and the Presidents They Protect ' by Ronald Kessler Fascinating book

and am now re reading 'All Creatures Great and Small' James Herriot

[TonyH]

In light of the season, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I read it every year at this time.

[infotech]

There used to be a book club around here and one of the first books we read was the Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Having never read Hemingway, I was hooked! I've read three more since then and am currently reading Islands in the Stream.

[TimmyBoston]

There used to be a book club around here and one of the first books we read was the Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Having never read Hemingway, I was hooked! I've read three more since then and am currently reading Islands in the Stream.

I'm really glad you got to love Hemingway. He's my favorite writer. I shut down the book club due to lack of interest. I tried it again with the social groups and that really didn't work either.

[Meisterlowin]

Currently reading True Genius by Hoddeson and Daitch. It's a biography of John Bardeen who was the only individual to win two Nobel Prizes in the same field. Kind of a dry read really but John Bardeen's brother has been a friend of the family for years so the personal connection makes it more engaging.

[mr_economy]

Currently reading "How Markets Fail: The Logical of Economic Calamities" by John Cassidy.

[David in Boston]

"Talking with Sartre",
Conversations and Debates by John Gerassi.

Gerassi was a friend of Sartre thru his father.

In the early 70s recorded talks with Sartre on a number topics.

On a trivial note, it seems the little guy Sartre was a street fighter in his early days. In fact he took up boxing lesson and could hold his own.

[rtaylor61]

"Twitterville" by Shel Israel. It's a business thing.

Randy

[moonshine44]

The Blue Mustang by Will Henry...

[Not A Nice Person]

About a third of the way in to Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger; the book they made the movie from. Fantastic read---I'm pre-reading it largely to offer it as a Literature Circle selection in my sophomore English classes, but I can't put it down!

NANP™

[chainfire]

Books
Just Read:
Wishin' and Hopin' a Christmas Story - Wally Lamb|B+
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford|A
The Hitchhiker's Trilogy - Douglas Adams|B
...and Another Thing - Eoin Colfer|B
Flashforward - Robert J Sawyer|B
An interesting take on whether or not the future is set - much better than the show.

Reading Now:
The World without Us - Alan Weisman

In the Queue:
Dreamsongs v1 & v2 - George R.R. Martin
The Secret History of the American Empire - John Perkins
How to Paint a Deadman - Sarah Hall
The Child Thief - Brom

[Wil Dorenbos]

Just finished Don Quichot.

[kwk285]

Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child

[TimmyBoston]

Death of a Perfect Wife by MC Beaton

[funkyb]

Going dual right now

Non Fiction: Kip thorne's Black Holes and Time Warps

Fiction: Tom Clancy's Debt of Honor

Both are wonderful.

[Obsessed]

I bought Cormac McCarthy's The Road before work this morning and just finished it. Needless to say, I couldn't put it down.

[blary54]

Currently reading: A Walk in the Woods

Its about a guy(also the author) who decides out of nowhere to walk 2000 plus miles on the Appalachian Trail. The book is hilarious I am pleasantly surprised.

http://www.amazon.com/Walk-Woods-Rediscovering-America-Appalachian/dp/0307279464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261549164&sr=8-1

[Dispatch]

Rudy Giuliani's Leadership

[gaseousclay]

currently reading:

Collapse by Jared Diamond

he basically analyzes past societal collapses (Easter Island, Angkor Wat, Mayan, etc) and draws interesting conlcusions about their demise, most of which are pretty logical (overpopulation, exhausting natural resources, starvation, civil war, etc). paints a pretty bleak picture of what could happen in the world today

[David in Boston]

I bought Cormac McCarthy's The Road before work this morning and just finished it. Needless to say, I couldn't put it down.

I didn't read the book but saw the movie.

The movie was impressive.

[ama015]

David Herbert Lawrence, Sons and Lovers.

[mrbeckett]

I've just started reading Freakonomics. My business professor gave me a heads up that the two courses I have with her next semester (marketing and business economy) would draw heavily on that book, so I picked up a copy today. I'll let everyone know what I think about it later if anyone's interested.

[Dustinl]

Rereading "Gates of the Alamo" by Stephen Harrigan. I read it about 8 or 9 years ago when it first came out. I am on a resal kick right now about the seige and battle of the Alamo so I thought I would read this book again and get fictionalized version of that event.


DL

[Lynchmeister]

Yesterday, I finished reading The Bedroom Secrets of Master Chefs by Irvine Welsh. I'm sure I've spouted my praise of Welsh, so suffice it to say that the book was excellent (if you're into the whole modern, gritty, Scottish literature thing).

Now, I'm cracking open Glue, also by Welsh, for something like the 10th time.

[Mpugh77]

Currently Clocks by Agatha Christie.

[chainfire]

Just Read:
Wishin' and Hopin' a Christmas Story - Wally Lamb|B+
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford|A
The Hitchhiker's Trilogy - Douglas Adams|B
...and Another Thing - Eoin Colfer|B
Flashforward - Robert J Sawyer|B
The World without Us - Alan Weisman|B-
A bit harder to get into than I thought it'd be...but it presents a lot of interesting facts and ideas.

Reading Now:
Dreamsongs v1 & v2 - George R.R. Martin

In the Queue:

The Secret History of the American Empire - John Perkins
How to Paint a Deadman - Sarah Hall
The Child Thief - Brom

[moonshine44]

"Cross Country" by James Patterson...

[David in Boston]

I've just started reading Freakonomics. My business professor gave me a heads up that the two courses I have with her next semester (marketing and business economy) would draw heavily on that book, so I picked up a copy today. I'll let everyone know what I think about it later if anyone's interested.

Read it last year.

The book seem to "piss off" both my Liberal and Conservative friends.:glare:

[saltypete]

Just finished reading Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin. I only picked it up because I am attending a conference in January and he will be the keynote speaker, but I found the book absolutely compelling. A truly remarkable story about a remarkable man. I guess I'll have to see the movie as well.

Pete

[thunderball]

Marriage of Heaven and Hell - William Blake

[johnmrson]

Quantative Risk Management.

[chainfire]

Just Read:
The Hitchhiker's Trilogy - Douglas Adams|B
...and Another Thing - Eoin Colfer|B
Flashforward - Robert J Sawyer|B
The World without Us - Alan Weisman|B-
Mortal Coils - Eric Nylund|A
A very enjoyable read, geared to young adults but still extremely good.

Reading Now:
The Hunger Games/Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins


In the Queue:
Dreamsongs v1 & v2 - George R.R. Martin
The Secret History of the American Empire - John Perkins
How to Paint a Deadman - Sarah Hall
The Child Thief - Brom

[texbilly]

They Have Killed Papa Dead! - The Road to Ford's Theatre, Abraham Lincoln's Murder, and the Rage for Vengeance (Anthony S. Pitch)

[ryand]

Audiobook: "Confederacy of Dunces" - Toole
Kindle for iPhone: "The Sun Also Rises" - Hemingway
Paperback: "Enter Jeeves" - Wodehouse

[ratcheer]

Stephen King's latest, Under the Dome. It was a Christmas gift.

Tim

[shavervinnie]

Economics in One Lesson- Henry Hazlitt
Do It Tomorrow- Mark Forster
A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity- Bill O'Reilly ( Excellent!) :thumbup1:

[Dustinl]

Stephen King's latest, Under the Dome. It was a Christmas gift.

Tim

Tim, let us know how it is. The last King book that I read was "From a Buick 8" which I thought was on outstanding read.


DL

[ratcheer]

Tim, let us know how it is. The last King book that I read was "From a Buick 8" which I thought was on outstanding read.


DL

I am about 150 pages into it (it is over a thousand) and, so far, it is holding my interest very well.

Tim

[Carlin]

Bradley R. Schiller's The Economy Today 11th Edition

aka my economics textbook =/

[SRock]

I just finished re-reading both One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Both are classics. If you've never read A Clockwork Orange (and whether or not you enjoyed the movie) I suggest you give this one a read. It is an interesting novel to say the least.

[chainfire]

Just Read:
...and Another Thing - Eoin Colfer|B
Flashforward - Robert J Sawyer|B
The World without Us - Alan Weisman|B-
Mortal Coils - Eric Nylund|A
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins|A
A great start to a young adult trilogy about a post-apocolyptic world.

Reading Now:
Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

In the Queue:
Dreamsongs v1 & v2 - George R.R. Martin
The Secret History of the American Empire - John Perkins
How to Paint a Deadman - Sarah Hall
The Child Thief - Brom

[Mandrake]

Just Read:

- "The Road" by Cormac Mccarthy

Reading Now:

- "Blood Merdian" by Cormac Mccarthy

Just bought as Xmas present (to be delivered here in Spain next 6th January):

- "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand (believe it or not, this is very difficult to find in Spain, I have been looking for it for some years, and found a copy yesterday...I'm very happy, just last Sunday I watched "The Fountainhead", that is a coincidence...)

[Mpugh77]

Just finished Treasure Island
Just beginning--? I don't know yet.

[JPM]

My wife got me a Kindle for Christmas and I am loving it. I downloaded Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly and am enjoying that.

I am a history buff and especially WWII history so I have also downloaded Ian Kershaw's Hitler biography.