What are you reading?

MisaBlue · Post by **MisaBlue** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 8:33 am

Start-Up Nation. The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle
by Dan Senor and Paul Singer

it is MUST READ BOOK!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely amazing!!!!!!

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 4:08 am

The British Library is trying to put everything online, including newspapers.

I understand they charge for downloading, but not searching.

http://www.bl.uk/

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

pizzamancer · Post by **pizzamancer** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 9:48 pm

Foundation by Asimov.

Packoderm · Post by **Packoderm** » Tue Nov 29, 2011 11:26 pm

Steel Beach by John Varley.

Elliot · Post by **Elliot** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 12:57 pm

.
Walden and Civil Disobedience.

The current Occupy Wall Street movement reminded me to re-read Henry David Thoreau’s famous essay On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience.

The essay is included in most printings of Walden, Or Life In The Woods, for which Thoreau (1817-1862) is perhaps most famous. (Some Wall Street type is supposed to have called him the most dangerous man in America.)

In Walden itself, Thoreau recounts his experience and thoughts from living by himself in a rudimentary cabin in the woods for two years. His insights remain very much applicable today.

It took only one page -- of this, my third reading; once a decade seems right -- to see that Thoreau was an entertaining writer. His dry self-deprecating humor and insightful wit had me giggling three times in just that first page.

MisaBlue · Post by **MisaBlue** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 1:02 pm

The Last Wish by Sapkowski

Post by **Savannah** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 1:13 pm

It's So Easy: And Other Lies - Duff McKagan

On Deck:

The Hypnotist - Lars Kepler
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) - Mindy Kaling (the actress/writer on The Office)

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:44 pm

The Court of the Air. Between A People's Tragedy.

maryanimal · Post by **maryanimal** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 9:49 pm

I finally picked up a few books at the trhift store today. I'm looking forward to reading them! I got:

A romance novel: Restless Hearts by Marta Perry
Fiction: One on One by Tabitha King
Non-Fiction: Same Sex: Debating the Ethics, Science, and culture of homosexuality Edited by John Corvino
Womens Health and Wisdom: Real Life Solutions fro0m the editors of Health magazine.

Post by **trilobyte** » Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:31 am

Currently juggling between Douglas Adams' So Long And Thanks For All The Fish and a technical reference manual to a new software tool.

robbidobbs · Post by **robbidobbs** » Sat Dec 17, 2011 9:48 pm

Hogfather. Sixth time - perfect for this time of year.

Happy Hogswatch everybody!

Sic Pup · Post by **Sic Pup** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:06 am

I recently finished:

"The Rules Of The Tunnel - My Brief Period Of Madness" by Ned Zeman one mans shocking journey to "sanity" via ECT, thoroughly enjoyed (if that's the right word).

"Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest" by Wade Davis 10 years in the writing, nothing short of epic.

I'm halfway through "And So It Goes Kurt Vonnegut: A Life" by Charles J Shields, Kurt is on my top 10 favorite authors list.

Up next : "Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer" by Chris Salewicz

"Love Goes To Buildings On Fire: Five Years in New York That Changed Music Forever" By Will Hermes

Post by **Eric** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:27 am

Hopping in and out of "A History in Fragments" by Richard Vinen, which is interesting but not a light read

Just finished "Extra Virginity, the sublime & scandalous world of olive oil" by Tom Mueller, which is depressing if you by your (supposedly) extra virgin olive oil in a supermarket

Reading "The Swerve, how the world became modern" by Stephen Greenblat which is about the rediscovery of Lucretius' poem On the Nature of Things in 1417, the world that poem came from, the world it was discovered in & the world it helped create (ours)

Next on the list:

"Pity the Billionaire" about the Great Recession and the comeback of the Right, by Thomas Frank

"December 1941" by Evan Mawdsley about the American entry into WWII

"Rome" by Robert Hughes, a history of the city from foundation to modern times

for some reason I also have a backlog of magazines to read: Scientific American, Discover, Archaeology, Biblical Archaeology Review, Smithsonian... you would think I would get more reading done being unemployed...

lemur · Post by **lemur** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 11:34 am

The Book of Mormon.

TT120 · Post by **TT120** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:08 pm

I'm reading everything I can about Burning Man. I heard there was a test at the gate for birgins so I'm memorizing the first timers guide and everything else I can. I'm gonna ace that test!

(I know there is no test but the theory is still sound)

lemur · Post by **lemur** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:11 pm

TT120 wrote:

(I know there is no test but the theory is still sound)

actually there is a test...

part of the test is knowing that the ones who say that there is no test are just testing if you knew about the test..

JDCookMS · Post by **JDCookMS** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 12:47 pm

I'm reading Explorations in Culutural Competence: Journeys to the Four Directions by Hilary N. Weaver. (It's one of the books for my diversity class.)

Post by **Savannah** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 3:49 pm

Reviews of the stuff I was reading!

It's So Easy: And Other Lies - Duff McKagan. I liked it, though more because it was an interesting memoir than because I was a Guns n' Roses fan as a kid (I was, but not a super-fan, and I knew zero about Duff). Just an interesting and unique story of a poor childhood, a fascinating career, and profound alcoholism & recovery.

The Hypnotist - Lars Kepler. Gratuitously bloody Swedish crime thriller, reasonably suspenseful, also unwieldy, overlong, crowded, wildly implausible in places. The story is told from too many points of view (a cop, the titular hypnotist, the hypnotist's wife, etc) which sucked, because--while the characters were well-developed, they were also insufferable. The cop was the only likable narrator. I actually put this book down for 2-3 days at a time between chapters, but was determined to finish because 1) I'm stubborn, and 2) once your library book is overdue, you don't want those 15 cents a day to be in vain. The Hypnotist would have been a lot better as an action/thriller movie--with Alexander Skarsgård playing the cop, please--and I actually can't help but think that the authors were thinking of selling the movie rights the whole time they were writing it . . . (the action sequences are so lovingly detailed it's as though a stunt coordinator is choreographing long distance, from his sick bed).

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) - Mindy Kaling (the actress/writer on The Office). Exceedingly lightweight, funny, and short. I was hoping for essays but it was more like chit-chat. Fun anyway.

Sail Man · Post by **Sail Man** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 4:05 pm

Eplaya?

Duh!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 4:16 pm

I finished A People's Tragedy a few weeks back. Absolutely wonderful book, although it's not light reading. (literally or metaphorically) Even after going through the Soviet Union and out again, it seems Russia has not changed from being corrupt on levels we americans cannot think of...
Now I'm reading 2666 and I don't have much to say about it.

gyre · Post by **gyre** » Sat Jan 21, 2012 5:26 pm

TT120 wrote:I'm reading everything I can about Burning Man. I heard there was a test at the gate for birgins so I'm memorizing the first timers guide and everything else I can. I'm gonna ace that test!

(I know there is no test but the theory is still sound)

If I'm at the gate, there will be a test.

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:05 am

In the last month have read: Lamb-Christopher Moore
Life of Pi -Yann Martel
Rules for Virgins-Amy Tan

and currently reading..........The Dovekeepers by Aliced Hoffman

bigdane · Post by **bigdane** » Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:09 am

I'm knee deep in Janet Evanovich...by no means a literature prize winning piece...but easy and fun nonetheless...c'mon a female bounty hunter in jersey??

TT120 · Post by **TT120** » Sun Jan 22, 2012 9:32 am

gyre wrote:
TT120 wrote:I'm reading everything I can about Burning Man. I heard there was a test at the gate for birgins so I'm memorizing the first timers guide and everything else I can. I'm gonna ace that test!

(I know there is no test but the theory is still sound)
If I'm at the gate, there will be a test.

LOl.....bring it! I was always good at tests, even the ones I didn't study for.

robbidobbs · Post by **robbidobbs** » Mon Jan 23, 2012 10:30 am

The first good dirt-storm is the real test, that and the 115 degree days.

I'm just having a grand time jogging thru Diskworld (misspelling intentional). Almost finished with The Truth. Whee!

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 1:31 pm

Recently finished What's Mine is Yours. Decent enough book and somewhat "burny" in its values. I did get irritated with the breezy tone. Do non-fiction books seem dumbed down from what they were 20 years ago? It's like they all started as magazine articles with bridges between them or a lot of padding. or both. I suppose they are more accessible, but I keep finishing books that themselves seem unfinished or over worked or something.
*sigh*

Fufa · Post by **Fufa** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 5:58 pm

DUNE!

Holy crap I love this book.

lucky420 · Post by **lucky420** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 7:40 pm

Recently read, Run by Blake Crouch and Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Both have cool twists at end.

REading now, Cirkus by Patti Frazee. Story about a Chezch/Romanie circus in the US circa 1900.

theCryptofishist · Post by **theCryptofishist** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 7:47 pm

Now, it is possible to imagine a circus themed book group. Or a "regular" book group doing an extended theme.
That (a theme) would be interesting in of itself, if the books were good...

moonrise · Post by **moonrise** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 8:32 pm

Traffic School
by A. Website

it sucks! worst thing I've ever read.

Now back to real books (sorry I had to be a smart ass, but it is true...I'm doing traffic online school, blech) -minus 2 points for Moon (we hope!)

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