What are you reading?

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Sir_Galahad
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Re: What are you reading?

#26 Post by Sir_Galahad » Wed Feb 25, 2009 2:43 pm

The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes. If you would like a primer on where our country is headed, economically, read this book.
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Re: What are you reading?

#27 Post by silvercamaro » Wed Feb 25, 2009 3:12 pm

clem21 wrote:Breaking Dawn of the aforementioned Twilight series which I'm being forced to read
Through The Looking Glass by The Rev. Charles Dodgson
I thought you would be re-reading The Brothers Karamazov -- for the sex.
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Re: What are you reading?

#28 Post by T_Bone0806 » Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:34 pm

I will be catching up on my Stephen King. Just started Lisey's Story, then Duma Key, then Just After Sunset. Then I'll be caught up.

I have a week off in a few weeks, and I think I will use some of it to read Civil Wars. It's been awhile since I read the adventures of Spidey, Iron Man, Captain America and such (no, I'm not gonna tell you I haven't picked up a comic since I was a kid..but I haven't picked up a comic since my SON was a kid). My son told me about this storyline which ran through all of the Marvel Universe books, in which the issue of government registration for all super-powered folk split the heroes on opposite sides of the debate. Iron Man led the Pro-registration contingent, with Cap on the other side opposing the violation of civil liberties it represented. Some pretty wild stuff happens, including Spidey unmasking himself (causing J. Jonah Jameson to go ballistic over discovering that he had been employing the bane of his existence!), and the fallout results in the eventual death of a MAJOR Marvel player. Mike had read a good share of it at work (yes, getting paid to read comics, as he needed to know the storyline in order to do his assignment at the videogame company he works for) and told me he thought I would love it. So he bought me a batch of the collections (the comics of each character during their participation in this storyline were collected in individual paperback books) that make up the storyline for Christmas, and I found the few that I needed in order to complete the saga very cheap, so they are now sitting patiently in a hefty box waiting for me to tear into them. My wife has that worried look on her face that I may get hooked on collecting comics again, but no chance. I see that those things that cost 12 cents when I was a youngster now go for 3-4 bucks apiece. The high cost is what caused me to stop collecting a good 15-20 years ago. So I will revel in the adventures of my childhood heroes with these books, but will resist the urge to continue past that. Besides, I'm sure that the mythos of the characters ave been altered, as comics were always re-inventing origins and circumstances for the characters.
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Re: What are you reading?

#29 Post by themanintheseersuckersuit » Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:53 pm

I just got in a couple of previously owned James Crumley paperbacks from Amazon and I'm looking forward to them. Bordersnakes and The Last Good Kiss.
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Re: What are you reading?

#30 Post by tubadave » Wed Feb 25, 2009 5:27 pm

Well, duh!!! I'm reading the Bored, of course.


Ok, seriously, I haven't sat down a read a book from one end to the other since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Yes, I know how long that's been. I need to start making time to read again.

I have, sitting on the table at home, a copy of On The Edge: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Commodore by Brian Bagnall. When I finally get myself reading again, that will be the first one I pick up. It will be interesting to go back and find out how things really were behind the scenes for the makers of my favorite 8-bit computers.
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Re: What are you reading?

#31 Post by tubadave » Wed Feb 25, 2009 5:31 pm

SportsFan68 wrote:
minimetoo26 wrote:
Ritterskoop wrote:Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion

next up:

Temple Grandin, Animals Make Us Human
I think I'd be interested in the Temple Grandin book.

I still haven't started the books I bought before Christmas. But I read Beedle the Bard! It took less than half an hour, but I liked it.
I haven't even gotten to Beedle the Bard, which Santa brought me.

This is REALLY pathetic. :(

What's even more pathetic is that I, an alleged megafan of the Harry Potter series, haven't even bought Beedle the Bard yet. I may have my fandom membership card revoked if I'm not careful. :)
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Re: What are you reading?

#32 Post by etaoin22 » Wed Feb 25, 2009 6:04 pm

I have become fascinated with P2P. Sites in India mostly. Weird and wonderful stuff I would never see without the current de facto albeit not de jure relaxation of the usual rules of paying to read.

I have also been picking up randomly books from the basement, a good many of which are water damaged from being in the wrong place during a storm sewer backup a couple of years ago.

The Second World War - John Keegan
The Face of Battle - John Keegan
Canadian Coinage and Money before 1850.
Ottawa, Capital of Canada.
Dreadnought
Years of Upheaval - Henry Kissinger.

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Re: What are you reading?

#33 Post by clem21 » Wed Feb 25, 2009 6:28 pm

Jeemie wrote:
MarleysGh0st wrote:
Jeemie wrote:Those books are awful.
How would you know?

You don't read.
:mrgreen:

Touche.

Actually, like Clem, I'm being forced to read them because my daughter liked the movie.

But the books definitely read like they were written by a bored housewife.
Yeah I'm just being forced because the person in question enjoys forcing me to do things against my will.

Although I do enjoy the perfect handsome vampire guy character. He reminds me of myself.

At least the perfect and handsome part...
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Re: What are you reading?

#34 Post by MarleysGh0st » Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:01 pm

clem21 wrote:Yeah I'm just being forced because the person in question enjoys forcing me to do things against my will.

Although I do enjoy the perfect handsome vampire guy character. He reminds me of myself.

At least the perfect and handsome part...
And you are a night person!

Hmmmmm.

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Re: What are you reading?

#35 Post by clem21 » Wed Feb 25, 2009 7:50 pm

MarleysGh0st wrote:
clem21 wrote:Yeah I'm just being forced because the person in question enjoys forcing me to do things against my will.

Although I do enjoy the perfect handsome vampire guy character. He reminds me of myself.

At least the perfect and handsome part...
And you are a night person!

Hmmmmm.
Who is fascinated with disposing of dead bodies....
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Re: What are you reading?

#36 Post by Bob Juch » Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:06 pm

I just started reading Wanderlust, a social history of travel by Laura Byrne Paquet, the wife of Paul Paquet, the trivia guru.

It's quite appropriate, considering.
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
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Re: What are you reading?

#37 Post by minimetoo26 » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:16 am

CD: Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain. Having had Anthony in my head for a couple of weeks, I can't imaging reading it in print
I read it in print and he writes quite well. I enjoy his personality and he is one of the few people I could forgive for being a chain smoker.
Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgment, the manner in which information is collected and used.

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Re: What are you reading?

#38 Post by Catfish » Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:28 am

minimetoo26 wrote:
CD: Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain. Having had Anthony in my head for a couple of weeks, I can't imaging reading it in print
I read it in print and he writes quite well. I enjoy his personality and he is one of the few people I could forgive for being a chain smoker.
I was surprised to learn that he was an experienced novelist before writing the memoir.
Catfish

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Re: What are you reading?

#39 Post by tanstaafl2 » Thu Feb 26, 2009 11:05 am

Currently reading Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa by Peter Godwin.

Had planned to reread Flashman's Lady in anticipation of travel to Madagascar. But with the country still circling the toilet at the moment I have put that off as it is a bit depressing to think all that planning may have gone for naught.

So next on the list is probably The Steel Bonnets and The Reavers by George MacDonald Fraser as I have been meaning to read them and may finally get around to it.

May see if I can find anything interesting that is specifically about Malawi since that is the current back up trip plan to replace Madagascar and combine with our trip to South Luangwa and Shiwa Ng'anda in Zambia this fall. But haven't given up on Madagascar quite yet.

I also have The Africa House by Christina Lamb that I plan to read in preparation for visiting Shiwa Ng'anda but was planning to save that for the long flight over.
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Re: What are you reading?

#40 Post by mellytu74 » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:40 pm

During the recovery period, we have:

1) Alternate Presidents and Alternate Kennedys, both edited by Mike Resnick.

A while back, I asked about alternative history/sci-fi, although not necessarily sci-fi books. Our own gs was nice enough to send these my way.

I find them very interesting and just what I was looking for. Also, the short story format is good while I am still on the painkillers.

2) I Still Have It...I just Can't Remember Where I Put It by Rita Rudner.

I am a big Rudner fan and this book of short essays fits the bill. Also fits the shortened attention span/painkillers criteria.

On Tap:

3) The Bones of Plenty and Reapers of the Dust, both by Lois Phillips Hudson.

Recommended by our own Spocky. I am looking forward to these.

4) Havana Nocturne by TJ English.

Also a BB recommendation.

5) The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff.

Also have some Nora Ephron books -- Crazy Salad and Scribble Scribble on the night table. Short essays good got the short attention span.

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Re: What are you reading?

#41 Post by ontellen » Thu Feb 26, 2009 10:52 pm

Recently read Havana Nocturne along with AD. It was in anticipation of our trip to Cuba. Hubby read it in 4 days while there.

Then I needed something light for vacation and read Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchey.

Now reading World Without End by Ken Follett.

Just received One Minute to Midnight about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Reviews said it was the best book on the subject.

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Re: What are you reading?

#42 Post by Bob Juch » Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:06 pm

ontellen wrote:Now reading World Without End by Ken Follett.
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I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
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Re: What are you reading?

#43 Post by goongas » Fri Feb 27, 2009 10:06 pm

Outliers is Malcolm Gladwell's newest book.

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Re: What are you reading?

#44 Post by lilyvonschtupp26 » Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:31 pm

I've got several books going now:

Adult: Thirteenth Tale Diane Setterfield
Awakening and selected short fiction - Kate Chopin

YA: Advanced Reader's Copy of the 6th volume of the Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Ransom my Heart by Princess Mia Thermopolis (with help from Meg Cabot)
Football Hero by Tim Green (middle linebacker Atlanta Falcon)
All the Lovely Bad Ones (great ghost story) by Mary Downing Hahn
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Re: What are you reading?

#45 Post by etaoin22 » Sun Mar 01, 2009 1:22 pm

Found downstairs and I have never actually read them tho I bought them, and they stand together:

The Closing of the American Mind - Bloom (with introduction by Bellow)
Ravelstein - Bellow (allegedly fictionalized Bloom)

I shall try.

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Re: What are you reading?

#46 Post by KillerTomato » Sun Mar 01, 2009 2:22 pm

I'm currently reading all of the James Bond novels, in order of course. Currently, I'm halfway through "From Russia With Love".

I've also got Neal Stephenson's "Anathem" sitting there waiting for me read, along with "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay, and Robert McCammon's "Speaks the Nightbird", and I've got some trashy Clive Cussler (who hasn't been really good in years) in the car.

And I'm in tubadave's position of being a big HP fan, yet not having picked up "Beedle the Bard" yet. But February is my mega-busy time of year (which is why I just booked my vacation...i NEED A F'IN VACATION!!!!), so I'll get around to it.
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Re: What are you reading?

#47 Post by tanstaafl2 » Sun Mar 01, 2009 3:51 pm

KillerTomato wrote:
I've also got Neal Stephenson's "Anathem" sitting there waiting for me read, along with "Darkly Dreaming Dexter" by Jeff Lindsay, and Robert McCammon's "Speaks the Nightbird", and I've got some trashy Clive Cussler (who hasn't been really good in years) in the car.
After seeing Dexter on the tube I broke down and bought the first two seasons on DVD and bought the first 3 books (the fourth is due out soon in the US and apparently was just released in the UK). I liked the books although they quickly develop significant changes from the TV series. The third book apparently caused some consternation with the hard core fan base. Not sure if that influenced me or not but I didn't care for it quite as much as the first two. Will be interesting to see where the next one goes.
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Re: What are you reading?

#48 Post by Kazoo65 » Sun Mar 01, 2009 7:09 pm

With all the snow/cold weather in January/February, I haven't gotten to the library as much as I'd like.

However, I did read "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" between snow storms. Very good-I can see why Oprah picked this one.

My library has "Q & A" but guess what-it's checked out! Hmm, I wonder why.....
I'm just a game show nerd.

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Re: What are you reading?

#49 Post by AlphaDummy » Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:27 am

ontellen wrote:Recently read Havana Nocturne along with AD. It was in anticipation of our trip to Cuba.
Great...now our secret is out!! :lol:
Hubby read it in 4 days while there.
You know...I never did see him the whole time... 8)


Don't get any ideas, people. Ellen just happened to mention a while back that she was reading a book about pre-Castro Cuba, and I told her that this was likely the same book my son gave me for Christmas. (It was.)

Right now, I am sneaking peeks in my other son's copy of American Lion. As I have time, of course.
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Re: What are you reading?

#50 Post by etaoin22 » Mon Mar 02, 2009 11:42 am

Railroads Triumphant

another one from the cellar, which I had bought on a clear-out shelf somewhere, but never read. It is a well-known book, and a fair mix of old-fashioned narrative, and economic analysis, but the analysis is sketched out and deserves more attention. Easy read. (2h).

Bellow and Bloom are still there waiting for me.

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