What are you reading?

[unjonharley]

The Hebrew Bible. On talking book, 79 hours.. Fucking boring.. Lots of UFO's and sex, with crimes mixed in the lot..

[misfit]

Sun Tzu's, "The Art of War" early translation, not Giles.......

[BoyScoutGirl]

Just finished the first book of The Hunger Games trilogy because everyone at work is raving about it. It was fast-paced enough that I read it in one (long) sitting but honestly I think I'd rather re-read Harry Potter if I'm in the mood for young adult fiction again.

Currently reading Catcher in the Rye aloud with my boyfriend. First time for him, third for me. Love this book.

Also working through a compilation of Edgar Allan Poe's short stories. Good stuff.

[stinkyfoot]

London: The Biography by Peter Ackroyd, is basically a bunch of historical vignettes about the city of London.

Also, Enabling Creative Chaos: The Organization Behind the Burning Man Event, by Katherine Chen, which has the stench of business school academia all over it but is a topic that I am very interested in.

[The CO]

Documentation on the CNC machine I start using soon, and a few other technical manuals.

[theCryptofishist]

The EA...

[gyre]

Sun Tzu's, "The Art of War" early translation, not Giles.......

Is it one you'd recommend?

I've noticed how much the different versions change the tenor sometimes.

CO, that actually sounds like fun.

[illy dilly]

Just finished a really good fiction called Darwin's Children by Greg Bear.
It was pretty fast paced. Was written in a way that it tells 3 different stories that often cross paths and intermix, and all end up coming to the same great climax. At times the story gets pretty detailed in the molecular structure of human cells, DNA/RNA, and the molecular structure of the human body and it all interacts with each other and the environment. But, I skimmed through a lot of that, because over all it doesn't affect the plot.

More or Less, it was about a virus that plagues man kind, at some point in "the not so distant future", there was actually a slight mutation on a virus that has been lying dormant in humans for hundreds of years. It made it so that the next generation of people rely heavily on smell, taste, and body language. Then there were the 'normal' folks that haven't been infected, and they outcast and imprison any of the infected people.

What you don't know about the story, while you're reading it, is that the author is actually using the story to make a statement about the current views of evolution. After the book the author/editor has included an epilogue and a 'context' written by the author. I guess, Greg Bear doesn't believe that only 'survival of the fittest' is the major contributing factor to evolution.
Honestly, I could care less what the author thinks about evolution, but the story was pretty kick ass.

[gyre]

I hope you realize 'fittest' is usually misunderstood.

What does he think is the factor?

[illy dilly]

I didn't bother to read all of the epilogue or the Context, but from what I gather, he believes that viruses likely play a huge role in evolution, more so than Darwin's theory that the most suitable for the environment will survive.


A large part of the story is that the fathers actually first develop one version of the virus. Which, then affects the sperm they deliver to the mother, while they also pass the virus along. When the mother's egg becomes fertilized it is with this abnormal sperm. During pregnancy the virus also attacks the mother, and changes the fetus through the mother. In the end, the baby ends up being immune to the virus, but has super smelling ability, can control pheromones and facial/body language.

He suggest that since viruses go and inject bits of DNA into a nucleus, if it were injected into the reproductive organs, it could affect the growth of reproductive cells, which could in turn affect the off spring.
At one point the author touches, very briefly, on sickle cell anemia, actually being the side affect of a virus, but with a beneficial out come.

I'm sure there is a lot of it that I'm missing, or over looking. Give it a read. I really liked it, and its a pretty quick read.

[gyre]

Interesting.
I will have to check it out.


'Fittest' only means fittest to reproduce successfully.
Obviously that can have other consequences than most suitable.

There is interesting new info coming out about environment affecting genes in a permanent way.
Stressors during childhood can affect genes permanently and toxic damage often gets worse with later generations.
Some fascinating science and theories being developed.

[theCryptofishist]

750 page novel called Europe Central, set in Soviet Russia and Nazi Germany in WWII. It's good, but...
You know that when you're reading a novel set then and there that there's no chance of a happy ending.
It's a series of interconnected short stories (well, some of them reach novella length) concerning famous and not-so-famous persons. I just finished reading the story of a Russian general who, when the Soviets abandon him and his men and he's caught by the Nazis he ends up working for them. The next one is about General Paulus--who was the commander of the 6th army at Stalingrad and when he's abandoned by the Nazis ends up doing propaganda for the Soviets. I don't expect this to be easy. I'm still a little clenched stomach from the last one.

And I'm wondering why the fuck I do this to myself. And when I'm reading other books, I only read with half my brain, because I know that nothing's really at stake...

[Sic Pup]

Currently reading Everyone Loves Our Town: An Oral History Of Grunge while waiting for my request for my local library to purchase The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best Kept Secret since none of the libraries in the interloan system will fulfill my request due to it's newness.

[lucky420]

The Hunger Games trilogy...don't laught it is actually pretty good. I like the premise

[theCryptofishist]

I finished Hide Me Among the Graves on Friday.

[aka'aka]

Right now I'm reading "The Drunkard's Walk, How Randomness Rules Our Lives" by Leonard Mlodinow. It's pretty good if you like Probability/ Statistics all in everyday life... Also anything by Chuck Palahniuk is always entertaining...

[TomServo]

One of my all time favorites! Finally found a copy at a used book store.

[Fufa]

I know what I WILL be reading soon!

For the past 7 years, I have on and off tried to find a book series I started reading in junior high. The librarian at my school had a shelf of special new books that she had just bought, and were kept them behind her desk because they weren't yet barcoded and available to check out. However, she really liked me, so she would pick a book off the shelf she thought I would enjoy and let me take it out on the honour system. One of those books was the first of a series, and had just been released. It was a really cool fantasy adventure book, but I forgot the name soon after when I found the next book in the series wasn't coming out for a few years.

A creative google search this morning, using the only parts of the plot I remember (which is VERY little, pretty much a vague description of the setting) found the series! And, as of 2011, 3 books of the total 5 in the series have been released!

I'm buying the 3 books this weekend, I'm so excited!

[theCryptofishist]

Just finished, a couple of hours ago, Jack McDevitt's The Engines of God.
On to Adam Hochschield's The Unquiet Ghost.

[H.G.Crosby]

Erwache, erwache, erwache,
Erwache in Frieden,
Herrin des Friedens,
Ruhe in Frieden,
Ruhe in Schönheit
Göttin des Lebens
Schönheit im Himmel
Himmel ist im Frieden,
Erde ist im Frieden
O Göttin,
Tochter von Nut,
Tochter von Geb,
Geliebte von Osiris,
Göttin reich an Namen!
Alle preisen Dich
Alle preisen Dich,
Ich begehre Dich,
Ich begehre Dich,
Lady Isis!

[OregonRed]

Taking an Oregon Writers Seminar this term First book: Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. WIN!

For my other class Wuthering Heights. I am not a fan.

[geospyder]

I'm 57% (according to my Kindle) through the 911 Commission Report. Actually quite readable. Interesting to see some of the principals in the news the last couple days.

[SquirrelHead]

I just finished the Hunger Games trilogy last week and then The Twelfth Imam today. I will start The Tehran Initiative on Friday.

[knowmad]

Leo Tolstoy's The Kreutzer Sonata, and other Short Storys

[Fufa]

I'm buying the 3 books this weekend, I'm so excited!

Damn, of those 3 books, 2 have been out of production for years. I just ebay sourced one, and now I'm hunting down the other. Who knew reading books was this much work?

[Bin Noddin]

I'm buying the 3 books this weekend, I'm so excited!

Damn, of those 3 books, 2 have been out of production for years. I just ebay sourced one, and now I'm hunting down the other. Who knew reading books was this much work?

Fufa: I've had good luck finding old/odd books on Alibris.com .

[Fufa]

I'm buying the 3 books this weekend, I'm so excited!

Damn, of those 3 books, 2 have been out of production for years. I just ebay sourced one, and now I'm hunting down the other. Who knew reading books was this much work?

Fufa: I've had good luck finding old/odd books on Alibris.com .

Ooh thanks! I checked it out, but it's got the same prices as most other websites ($100+ for nice condition). I got lucky with ebay with one for $35, of the same quality as the rest priced at $140.

I really cannot believe how rare these books are...

ETA: Oh wait, one copy for $65! Still a little steep for me though.

[gyre]

I want to read Wilson's new book, The Social Conquest of Earth.
He's going to be speaking in SF for those that are in the area.
He talked about some of the book recently, and it sounds fascinating.


http://longnow.org/seminars/02012/apr/2 ... est-earth/

[BoyScoutGirl]

Just finished reading Ernest Cline's Ready Player One. It's been described as "this generation's Neuromancer," but I think I'd rather just read Gibson again or else re-read Snow Crash.

Also recently read the first book in the Hunger Games series; was not impressed.

[ranger magnum]

The Phantom Tollbooth. Amazing childrens book. I read it to my son each night.