What are you reading?

[Zomby Woof]

I picked up a copy of Stephen Ambrose's Crazy Horse and Custer when I was at Little Bighorn Battlefield last week. I had been aware of the book for years, but it made sense to buy it while I was at ground zero. Within the first 50 pages, I have learned enough about the intricate and deeply misunderstood Sioux culture to fill an undergrad course.

Just picked up Bill Clinton's new book Giving: How Each of Us Can Change The World today. Good to see him make the rounds on the talk shows, reminding us yet again what a thinking president was like.

What's your latest reading?

[MorningGlow]

1. Harlot by the Side of the Road

I'm too lazy to look up the author. "Translates" several very racy stories in the bible and deconstructs them in enlightening essays. Nicely done.

[yurbud]

50. I thought it would be about Congress

[MorningGlow]

55. No

Congress is worse. :P

[BlueIris]

95. I FLOVE that book!!! (Jonathan Kirsch wrote that, by the by.)

[Mojambo]

2. Getting caught up by reading the Ex Machina trades

Comic books count, right?

[sir_captain]

3. Dubin's Rapid Interpretation of EKGs

It's about as thrilling as it sounds.

[Cabcere]

4. This thread.

:P

[unsavedtrash]

5. I'm waiting for Hack: How I Stopped Worrying About What to Do with My Life and Started Driving a

Yellow Cab.
Other than that The Non-Designer's Web Book, Computers in Libraries: An Introduction for Library Technicians, and Developing Library and Information Center Collections.

[stuntcat]

6. Of Human Bondage

I read slow so I probably said that same book weeks ago! I'm going to read now and STOP wasting time online.

[PassingFair]

10. Loved it!

Never met a Somerset Maugham book I didn't marvel over.

On edit: This one has the added advantage of
appearing to look smutty to the casual observer!

[jus_the_facts]

7. Just finished... Of Men and Monsters ~ William Tenn... next ... Ilium ~ Dan Simmons....

:hi:

[Mutley]

8. I just finished the last Harry Potter book

(Oh yes I did just say that). :P

I haven't decided what to read next. A friend gave me a box set of the Chronicles of Narnia, and I'm considering those.

[tigereye]

9. just finished The Bone Man of Benares by Terry Tarnoff

great 70s travel story - cool experiences

and Let The Northern Lights Erase Your Name by VEndela Vida. Short, intense, very well written.

[Lyric]

11. Sophie's Choice, by William Styron

I've seen the movie too, of course.

[PassingFair]

12. Naked by David Sedaris

Some FUNNY stuff.

Just finished A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby,
the rights of which, my daughter tells me, have
been optioned by Johnny Depp.

Soon to be a major motion picture, I'm sure.

[stuntcat]

23. and Right On on Naked

:headbang:
I'm like in love with David Sedaris :loveya:

[MissHoneychurch]

13. Just finished Ian Rankin "Exit Music"

I hope this wasn't the last one of the Rebus series.

Started Dorothy L. Sayers "A presumption of death"


That Crazy Horse - Custer book sounds like a book I want to read.

[Rambis]

31. Exit Music?

I thought I had read all 18 but I have never heard of that one?

[Richardo]

14. "The Path Between the Seas" by David McCullough

Story of the building of the Panama Canal. Excellent book - I'm on about page 110 out ~700. (The French have just decided on the site, and they propose build a sea-level canal all the way through the isthmus.) :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Tyler Durden]

15. The Yiddish Policemen's Union: A Novel by Micheal Chabon

WAY too complex to explain, let's just call it a Film Noir Detective story that is set in the "Federal Jewish Reserve" of Alaska, in a an alternate present day.

Just read it.

[Erva]

16. Is it any good?

I have it, but I haven't read it yet.

[Tyler Durden]

19. I have to force myself to put it down.

Haven't gotten very far as my schedule is a little crowded. Fair Warning: some knowledge of Yiddish (which I have) is VERY HELPFUL. It helps in knowing that a "Schtarker" is a "Bad Guy" (means much more than that, but Yiddish is full of nuance).

[EstimatedProphet]

17. DU

[YDogg]

21. Ditto

[Dr. Strange]

22. I'm reading that too...

Don't tell me how it ends!

[EstimatedProphet]

25. I think it ends with a power surge

[Dr. Strange]

26. Ah, yes...the surge.

Should have seen it coming.

[ThatsMyBarack]

18. "Who Moved My Secret?"

The "secret" to better living through cussing, daydreaming, etc. Funny shit.

[deepthought42]

35. I've read that! Hilarious!

Have you read "Beam me up Jesus: A Heathen's Guide to the Rapture" also by him? Also freaking hilarious. :evilgrin:

[southpaw]

20. Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk

I read it a couple of years ago. It can stand up to a second reading.

[spindrifter]

24. The Prince of the

Marshes and other Occupational Hazards of a Year in Iraq by Rory Stewart.

This book gives some great insight into the Coalition Provisional Authority and the early efforts and missteps that set the stage for this disaster.

Stewart was 30 years old with a bit of prior experience in the British military and the Foreign Office when he took a taxi from Jordan to Bagdadh and wangled his way into appointment as Deputy Governor of (sequentially) two provinces in the marsh land of southern Iraq.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

27. 1776 by David McCullough.

[Richardo]

38. Such a great book.

The overwhelming occupying force doesn't win that one either. :D

[Starbucks Anarchist]

41. Thanks for spoiling it, jackass!

:P

[Richardo]

42. You're done with it now!

:hi:

[Kutjara]

85. If only King George had stayed the course.

One more surge would have ensured victory. He was only fighting over here so he didn't have to fight over there.

[Richardo]

87. .

:D:thumbsup:

[LeftyMom]

28. Manufacturing Consent nt

[momophile]

29. Failed States by Chomsky nt

[regularguy]

30. "A History of Christianity" by Paul Johnson

He's a conservative and a believer, I'm liberal skeptic, but I got a lot out of his "History of the Jews" so I thought I'd try this one.

[KatyMan]

88. I like Paul Johnson

and have read many of his books. As you mentioned, he is a conservative, but I think that only comes through when he's writing about more recent (Thatcher era) times. Modern Times is a great book, as is his history of the English (I forget the title of the book!). He also wrote a history of the US, which was great until he got to the Reagan era, and then suddenly it was a hagiography. My wife had to put it down and berated me for reading such a conservative apologist ;) But, all in all, he's a good writer, and his opinions, though often disagreeable, are well thought out. Former journalist, which is why he's so readable, methinks.

ETA: the book on the history of the English is called The Offshore Islanders (at least, that's the UK title)

[Phillycat]

32. My husband's got me hooked on Jeffery Deaver.

The Lincoln Rhyme books especially. I've finished The Bone Collector and The Coffin Dancer in a week! They're great. I'm not a huge mystery fan, but this combination of fantastic characterization and super-tight plotting (with great twists!) has me hooked. My husband says I've been "Deaver'd". Hee!

[terrya]

33. I'm re-re-re-re-reading "Empire" by Gore Vidal.

I'm going through his American History series of novels. Again.

[tigereye]

56. used to read every Vidal I could

I'm really behind.


:hi: Terry!

[terrya]

63. His latest "Point by Point Navigation" is another good one.

2nd part of his memoirs. He talks about the death of his longtime partner, Howard Austen. Very moving.

:hi:, tigereye!

[MrCoffee]

34. "Spook Country" - William Gibson's newest

[_testify_]

69. He has a new book??

Where the hell have I been? They're gonna revoke my geek credentials.


Have you read 'Snow Crash' by Neal Stephenson?

[MrCoffee]

82. Snow Crash is one of my all-time favorites

sure it's got plot holes you could drive a Mack truck through, but anyone who names their main character Hiro Protagonist is ok by me.

[_testify_]

96. LOL!

See, it took me forever to get around to reading it precisely because he named him Hiro Protagonist! I thought it was too over the top to take seriously. But damn, that book was fantastic!

[sibelian]

36. This site, actually.

Pretty extensively.

[YankeyMCC]

37. Books I'm reading are

"The Last Days of the Incas" by Kim MacQuarrie - I'm enjoying it very much, very thrilling and interesting story.

Also

"The New Space Opera" edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan - Some really excellent stories.

[bikebloke]

39. The Broken Shore by Peter Temple

And a book I've been waiting for is finally coming for my turn at the library, The World Without Us. A hypothetical look at the world if people suddenly vanished leaving nature to do its thing.

[LSK]

40. Thom Hartmann Screwed

[ghostsofgiants]

43. "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson and "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azerrad

[tigereye]

57. nice picks, Primate!

I really like the Azerrad book.


Plus Jackson isn't too shabby, either. Her stories are incredibly creepy.

[ghostsofgiants]

74. Yeah, I've been just reading the Azzerad off and on, I've only read a few bands so far...

I'm reading the Jackson at the recommendation of XemaSab. I'm digging it so far, though I haven't gotten too far into that either. Work is consuming most of my time right now, and school will soon be consuming the rest.

[tigereye]

84. what kind of work are you doing?

hope school is going well for you.... have you started yet? (I know colleges start at different times of year in different places...)

[ghostsofgiants]

86. Customer service for an ISP.

Good times, haha.

School has started, but my student loan situation has become a clusterfuck that needs sorting before I can actually register, so I've been trying to find the time for that. Monday morning I'm going to try to get that sorted out.

[tigereye]

89. hopes the loan stuff works out for you

I remember that kind of "waiting around for the money" stuff. Not fun.


actually a lot of those ISP phones could probably be staffed by college age and younger people. Hell, some kids could probably answer questions from the technologically unaware....

[no name no slogan]

44. Rereading "Dune". Also a J.G. Ballard anthology...

...which includes a story called "Why I Want To Fuck Ronald Reagan".

[BurtWorm]

90. I'm in the middle of The Day of Creation

:hi:

[Greyskye]

45. Right now I'm reading "What are you reading?" by ZombyWoof

Not much of a plot so far. Some of the characters have potential though.

[Omphaloskepsis]

46. Learning Cocoa with Objective-C

Nerds...

And yeah, I want to learn how to write native applications for OS X.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

47. 'Lanark' by Alasdair Gray -

a rather odd, but so far very compelling, 'novel in four books' which is part sci-fi dystopia, part Scottish coming-of-age story and part everything else in between. I'm also dipping in and out of Anais Nin's collection Delta of Venus which is utter filth!

[Left Is Write]

48. A Bitter Brew: Faith, Power, and Poison in a Small New England Town

By Christine Ellen Young.

[yurbud]

49. The Plot Against America & The Political Brain

[bullwinkle428]

51. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon

[Mountainman]

52. "Island" by Huxley . This is about the 10th time I've read it. The pages are falling out of my book

I need to get a new copy. There is a part that I read last night that describes Bush 30%ters. On Pala they recognize these folks when they are kids and prevent them from being so believing of propaganda and of the willingness to support dictators.

[Aristus]

53. "A Gladiator Dies Only Once", by Steven Saylor.

A collection of short mysteries featuring Saylor's Gordianus The Finder.

[BOSSHOG]

54. RED STAR ROGUE

The true story of how a Russian Submarine came within 350 miles of Hawaii in 1968 and attempted to launch a Nuclear Missile at Pearl Harbor. Very good read.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

58. Let's see...

From the library:
Bloodthirsty Bitches and Pious Pimps of Power by Gerry Spence
The Politics of Fear by Manuel Gonzales and Richard Delgado
Blasphemy by Alan Dershowitz
The Oracle by William Broad

I got some birthday $$ from Mumsie Dearest, I'm on the look out for good bookstore suggestions.

[texas1928]

59. DU

DUH!

[lligrd]

60. I Used To Read Horror Stories

Now I just turn on the news for the same experience.

[murielm99]

61. The Land Where the Blues Began

by Alan Lomax.

This book is scholarly, but very readable. I am reading it slowly, savoring every interview with old bluesmen and every footnote.

The chapters on levee hollers and prison hollers will break your hearts.

This book is a must read for every blues fan.

I checked it out of the library and renewed it twice. I just now ordered my own copy.

[AnotherGreenWorld]

62. Thomas Mann, Joseph and His Brothers

[KamaAina]

64. Agatha Christie tripleheader, plus "This Land" by Anthony Flint

box from Mom in NYC just arrived at the office, right in time for the weekend.

The Flint book is about the relentless rise of suburban sprawl; the author is a family friend (my Mom used to work with his mom) as well as an expert, having covered the issue for years for the Boston Globe.

[Nikia]

65. The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

It is really dragging so far. I am sure that her style of writing is favored by MFA programs. There is lots of flowery descriptions to break up the plot. I don't like this sort of writing though. Still, I continue reading for the bits of plot here and there.

[Ariana Celeste]

66. Just starting 'Dune: House Atreides'

[NoPasaran]

67. "The Road to Disunion: Secessionists Triumphant 1854-61"

It took Freehling so long to publish Volume Two I was beginning to wonder if I'd live to read it.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

68. Lolita.

I was reading "Reading Lolita in Tehran".

Then I went to a garage sale in the country and in a box of nuthin' but bodice rippers (yuck!) I found some actual Literature. I have dim memories of seeing the Kubrick movie on TV, starring James Mason as the dirty old man, but had not read the book.

So I'm checking out the comments in the Tehran book too.

Serendipitous.

[RetroLounge]

70. Several going on at once

Truck: A Love Story by Michael Perry

Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (again)

Charming Billy by Alice McDermott

Utterly Monkey by Nick Laird

RL

[EFerrari]

71. Brothers and The Race Beat, There's other stuff I have open

but mainly, those. Brothers is amazing and also, very sad.

[Hand]

72. "The Mess They Made", by Gwynne Dyer.

It's the third of his books on Iraq ("Ignorant Armies" and "Future: Tense" are the other two). It doesn't contain any brilliant insights around the whole situation, but I think that's because there aren't a lot of brilliant insights to be found there. Worth the read, though.

[susanna]

73. Based on another DUer's* encouragement,

I am now reading someone I never thought I would....a couple of weeks ago, someone posted the thread "Authors/Books that intimidate you" or some such. I said that one of mine was Leo Tolstoy. Well, I am currently halfway through Anna Karenina (I couldn't bear to start with War and Peace...that was just too much). So far, I'm mesmerized. Great book!

* I think it was sfexpat that told me to go for it, not sure. :-)

[bluedigger]

75. Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton

Excellent SF writer if you haven't tried him.

[SeattleGirl]

76. Just finished Tacoma Confidential, about the murder/suicide of

the Tacoma Chief of Police and his wife (he killed her, then himself).

And I'm about 1/3 the way through Assault on Reason by Al Gore, and about halfway through Armed Madhouse by Greg Palast.

[last_texas_dem]

77. I've been slowing working on

Foxes in the Henhouse by Steve Jarding and Dave "Mudcat" Saunders. It's a little out of date because it was written before the '06 elections, so the political situation has changed quite a bit. But it's been pretty entertaining so far all the same. I have just finished Whistling Past Dixie so I thought this one might be an interesting contrast in terms of strategy, though they're not exact opposites by any means.

For classes, I'm working on several textbooks and articles, in addition to a not particularly flattering to * book (actually collection of essays) called The George W. Bush Legacy and just beginning Plato's The Republic.

[KiraBS]

78. Jasper Fforde - First amoung sequels....

The newest Thursday Next adventure.

[yellowdogintexas]

83. I take you have read the others. I just finised "Well of Lost Plots"

those books are great fun

[seemunkee]

79. “Arabian Sands” by Wilfred Thesiger

Originally published in 1959, its about a Brit traveling in the Empty Quarter of the Arabian desert.
I just started it.

[Gonzo Gardener]

80. Don't Sleep with a Bubba...Unless Your Eggs are in Wheelchairs

Susan Reinhardt is pee your pants hilarious!

And, I realize now that not only did I sleep with a 'Bubba', I married him.

What can I say? I was drunk and he was good in bed, heh heh heh!

:silly:




'Crazy Horse and Custer'... wow.

Ever hear of a harmless lil book called 'In the Spirit of Crazy Horse' by Peter Matthiessen?

It is a must!!!

[yellowdogintexas]

81. "Bundori" by Laura Joh Rowland, Samurai Japan murder mystery

2nd in a series. Very good

[DarkTirade]

91. Right now I'm rereading a couple of Fred Saberhagen books

his Faces of the Gods series. I gotta check and see if the sixth one's out yet... :)

[Adsos Letter]

92. "The Unknown American Revolution" by Gary Nash

[Xipe Totec]

93. Computability, Complexity, and Languages

:boring:

[BlueIris]

94. "The Autobiography of My Mother," by Jamaica Kincaid.

[Seabiscuit]

97. Your thread.

[izzybeans]

98. Just finished Death in the Haymarket by James Green

A wonderful history of the chicago labor movement and the injustices surrounding the aftermath of the Haymarket bombing.

[DS1]

99. the news

deal with it

[Bullwinkle925]

100. Have a couple of 'em going right now:

"Animals in Translation" by Temple Grandin with Catherine Johnson and
"The Terror" by Dan Simmons.

[LibDemAlways]

101. My book club is reading a memoir called

A Round-Heeled Woman by Jane Juska, a teacher from Berkeley who, in her mid 60's, took out a personals ad in The New York Review of Books seeking sex with "a man I like." Her tales of the men she met as a result are interesting, but secondary to details of her life story that she weaves into the narrative.