What Are You Reading?
- Thread starter TimmyBoston
- Start date
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:
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.
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.
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!
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!
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
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
+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...
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades by Robert Spencer
Total Truth by Nancy Pearcy
America's Secret War by George Friedman
Total Truth by Nancy Pearcy
America's Secret War by George Friedman
Thud!, by Terry Prachett
The Forgotten Man, by Amity Shlaes.
The Forgotten Man, by Amity Shlaes.
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....
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.
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.
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 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 this afternoon for a negotiating seminar I'm taking next week. It's very well-written and...persuasive.
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. Its about a student in Tokyo who graduates from university and goes to the countryside to teach; right now Im at the point where he is just getting settled into his new job. Im 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 Senecas 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 Senecas 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.
Interesting habit I have picked up: I got a copy of Senecas 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 Senecas 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.
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.
Tim
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.
And a book in swedish called Gryning över Kalahari about the origins or man.
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.
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.
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)
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)
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 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.
Tim
That's what I am hoping!
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