What Are You Reading?

[acfrery]

I have recently read two impressive books:

• Libertines in Paradise (João Silvério Trevisan): allegedly a history of homosexuality in Brazil, it is more a historically organized collection of thoughts about sexuality. Excellent by all means.
  
• MAUS (Art Spiegelman): the story of a jewish family in Poland during WWII; terrible and excellent.
  

Now I am reading "Don't call it night", by my admired Amos Oz. His "Black Box" is one of the most beautiful and influential books I have ever read. Just one hint: it is solely composed of letters!

 

I created the entry "My Readings" in My Webpage. You will also find my pens there, of course.

Edited January 5, 2006 by acfrery

[chupie]

Currently working on my masters, so recreational reading is nonexistent. However, I'll finish soon, and when I do, I have numerous works awaiting.

 

Although I am primarily a nonfiction type, in the fiction category I like some of Tom Clancy's stuff, Michael Crichton (Sphere and the first Jurassic Park were good).

 

What I can't wait to dive into, however, is Frank Herbert's Dune series. We have all of his books and some of the prequels and sequels by his son.

 

Frank Peretti is also a great fiction author, IMHO.

Be certain to read Congo. I thought that book was soooo good.

[chupie]

This thread hasn't been updated in a while. I would like to hear what everyone is reading now.

 

I just finished Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince. As a 27 year old male professional, I know that I am not the target audience for JK Rowling, butm fiance got me hooked on the series.

 

I think the Harry Potter books are such an important piece of literature and culture. Has any other book or series driven kids and teens to reading like Harry Potter has?

I'm currently obsessing over that series. It's ridiculous. I just want to detconstruct it and reconstruct it but I enjoy it so much that I forget I'm trying to figure out more technical matters.

 

I tend to reread books I love. All the Dick Francis books. Anne McCaffrey Pern books. Madeleine Brent books (who is really the same guy that wrote the Modesty Blaise books, they are harder than heck to find, but I LOVE them. They are unfortunately categorized as romances but IMO they are more like the original action heroine with a brain and unusual skills books. Serious, if you can find them, read them. Highly entertaining.)

 

I like bios , history books and I also read a lot of racing books. Great Broodmares of the 20th Century and a volume of short stories on horse racing by classic authors are sitting on my kitchen table to be picked up as soon as I get that stupid Potter kid out of of my system. (How does she write so FUNNY! I mean, yeesh. Only two other authors have made me laugh out loud and that is Peter David (Star Trek New Frontier) and David Sedaris (Me Talk Pretty One Day - a must read book) ).

 

I'm afraid I stay away from Oprah recommendations since, as far as I can tell from what those who read them tell me, their main objective is to be depressing. I like to be entertained for the most part when I read. I'm not very literary minded. I wish I was, but besides LOTR, there are few literary giants that hold my attention. (It's a terrible thing, I know, but I just can't get into Hemmingway and such). So there you have it. My guilty reading habits. I feel pretty far down the literary ladder when I see what everyone else is reading!

[southpaw]

Getting ready to do something wonderful - start my first recreational book now that seminary is over . Today I bought An ace of the Eighth: An American Fighter Pilot's Air War in Europe by Norman "Bud" Fortier. I'm looking forward to it.

[KendallJ]

The waiting list is growing long.

 

Recent reads:

 

The God of the Machine - Patterson

The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics

Viable Values - Smith

 

On deck (mostly Christmas presents):

The Capitalist Manifesto

Books 2-6 of Cline's Sparrowhawk Series (great historical fiction!)

Titan, Biography of John D. Rockefeller

[BMWRT]

Currently it is

 

 

The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956: An Experiment in Literary Investigation (Gulag Archipelago)

 

Aleksandr Isaevich Solzhenitsyn

 

This should be a must read for anyone

 

sal

[Bill]

WARNING: Fountain Pen Connection

 

Recent non-work related reads I enjoyed include a couple of Bill Bryson books, Michael Palin's Full Circle, Palin's Hemingway's Adventure, The Turning by Tim Winton (should be available in the U.S. by now -- although I liked his Dirt Music better), and a couple more Prachett Discworld books.

 

Getting the most attention right now in my "nightstand rotation" is a new one called Hemingway and the Mechanism of Fame that is a collection of Hem's letters, book intros and such that shows how he became famous for being famous.

 

One page shows a magazine advert where Hemingway is promoting the PARKER 51 PEN! It's reproduced black and white, but I suspect the original was in color.

 

Now I know why I like the FPN forum. It's populated by an intelligent AND literary bunch.

 

Bill (aka Gaspode)

[inkyfingers]

"Moby Dick" by Herman Melville.

 

I've discovered that my Rinehart edition of 1966 (20th printing) is a flawed state. Starting in chapter 81 (page 349), and going on for 30 pages, every other verso and recto are blank! Talk about a printing snafu. So I need to go find another edition before I get to page 349...

[Mac in Alberta]

Still in Christmas present books . . . .

 

The Road to Assisi by Paul Sabatier, edited and annotated by Jon M. Sweeney. I am so behind that this was a gift from my wife for Christmas 2004. Sabatier wrote in the 1890s, so the book is an early modern look at St. Francis.

 

From this Christmas,

 

Intelligence in War, by John Keegan

To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World, by Arthur Herman

The Second World War, by John Keegan

[J. John Harvey]

Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville.

 

I just finished The Secret Atlas, by Stackpole,

 

Watchers, by Dean Koontz

 

Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton,

 

and some book called Heat, and I can't remember the author on that one even though I just finished it a week or so ago.

 

I loved all of them, but I'm still in the middle of Democracy.

Edited January 17, 2006 by J. John Harvey

[RyanL27]

OH, I almost forgot to post here before I go back to school. Finally, time to list some "for fun" reads.

 

Currently:

 

High Drama by Daniel and Beth Barrett- a book about Colorado's Historic Theatres (Opera Houses) written by my girlfriend's parents.

 

Courting Justice by David Boies - This is Mr. Boies autobiography centering around his most famous lawsuits, including the trial against Microsoft in the mid 1990's and NY Yankees vs. MLB.

 

Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis - I'm hoping to start this tonight actually.

 

 

Yay for my last week of casual reading - College again next week.

[Richard]

Just finished The Godmakers, by Frank Herbert. Mind-stretching stuff, as is most of his work.

 

Looking for something really really light, last night I pulled The Mark of Zorro, by Johnston McCulley, off the shelf. This is the original, published back in the 1920s, long before Guy Williams or George Hamilton or Antonio Banderas donned the black mask.

[M4R1N4]

Tolstoy: Anna Karenina here. Halfway through and so far so good!

[HDoug]

It's kinda pen related: "The Bounty" by Caroline Alexander. Subtitled, "The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty." Fascinating! Based on Bligh's log, court minutes etc. Good thing they wrote legibly...

 

Doug

[antoniosz]

"Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China. " by Jung Chang.

Interesting book, captivating history thought narration of personal life in China during the 20th century. Lighter reading than usual, but still enjoyable

[roygbiv]

Sparks of Genius by Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein.

[TheNobleSavage]

Reading the last installment of Michael Savage's Trilogy "Liberalism Is A Mental Disorder"

 

Fantastic and Eye opening. Not for everyone!! My Daddy knows how to write good books!!!

 

 

The Noble Savage

[Guest Denis Richard]

Reading the last installment of Michael Savage's Trilogy "Liberalism Is A Mental Disorder"

The only thing I agree on with Savage is that pasta are best served with just a nut of butter

[TheNobleSavage]

HA HA HA HA HA He does like his food and wine!!!

 

TNS

[Robert Ellis]

Rereading my Bill Bryson at the moment. That chap is hilarious.