[Cody Dawg]

If so recommend a book.

What's the last book that you read and enjoyed?

Mine was The Dogs of Bedlam Farm by Jon Katz. I loved his first book, A Dog Year, because the dog featured in it, a border collie, was bred by a friend, Deanne Veselka. It's all about his experiences living with those marvelous sheepdogs, the border collie. His second book is a sort of follow-up to the first and in it he discusses the trials and tribulations from moving from an urban environment to a rural environment and how it impacted his life and teaching with his dogs. He also reconnects with his sister with whom he was estranged and he discovers that they have a common link unbeknownst to both of them: A deep love of canines.

I recommend both books, actually.

Next up for me is Tom Wolfe's latest offering, I Am Charlotte Simmons.

Anyone have a recommendation?

[JoshuaZ]

When I was little I used to read nonstop. I mean, all the time. In class, at recess, at home. Wasn't a big TV watcher when I was a kid.

Sadly towards the end of high school and through college I really didn't do that much fun reading. My attention turned away from novels and towards magazines and the internet. Which is a shame, because I still love to do entertainment reading, but I just don't do that much of it anymore.

[Cody Dawg]

While everyone else is watching television or a movie I love to go to bed, snuggle under my big soft comforter with the dog napping beside me, and read a great book. There is nothing like it.

[JoshuaZ]

I did love the book "If chins could kill, confessions of a B movie actor" by my favorite B movie actor ever! Makes plane flights a lot easier.

[wallinbl]

Linked: How Everything is Connected to Everthing Else by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi. It's non-fiction, but it reads very fast and very well. He explores networks in various environments like people (things like how Christianity spread by word of mouth from a small area to a massive worldwide religion) and the Internet (how websites interlink and create popularity of certain sites) and even tosses in a little bit of six degrees of Kevin Bacon. It's not overly scientific in its analysis - it's designed to be read by anyone.

[i]The Moral Vision of the New Testament : Community, Cross, New Creation A Contemporary Introduction to New Testament Ethic[i] by Richard Hays. It's an excellent overview of the message of Christ. I wish more people understood what Christ's message was - so many people have it wrong (this includes both Christians and non-Christians). I think there would be a lot less fighting and bickering over various political issues.


Sorry, I don't really read much fiction, so I can't suggest much there.

[Cody Dawg]

Those sound like great reads.

You can tell a lot about a person by what he chooses to read.

[Kevin]

"I'm With The Band"

Confessions of a Groupie.

Sounds tacky and cheesy but it's a great read for that era.

[Cody Dawg]

I heard about that book, Kevin.

You're up early!

[Kevin]

Early? I usually get up at 6. I got up at 8:30

I am up late!

I read the book when I was in High School. And then again a few years ago.

REALLY good book. Pamela is a good writer.

She even has a follow up to it I read.

[Stradlater]

Yes, I read. REALLY.

Haven't had a chance to tackle a book since a couple weeks ago, when I was finally revisiting my favorite author and read Nabokov's "Transparent Things" and "Pnin." The former was shorter but the latter was breezier. Both were enjoyable but not up to par with his best.

In the meanwhile, I've been reading the New Yorker short fiction and other articles. I find the writing in that magazine far better than most new novels you'll find on the rack these days.

[osiris]

Hooked on phonics worked for me...

I just finished reading the Howard Hughes biography "Citizen Hughes" by Drosnin (written from Hughes' hand written notes).

If you're a Hughes fan and want to know what really happened in those hotel suites in Vegas & Bahamas... leading up to Watergate, this book is for you. The movie "The Aviator" was about 10 seconds in the real life of Hughes, the rest of his life was far more interesting and darker. A must read for fans of politics.

[Cody Dawg]

OKAY.

Now you are one of my FAVORITE PEOPLE, Stradlater!

Nabokov!

My Master's thesis was on Nabokov. I'm a Nabokovian scholar. I have EVERY one of his books, first editions, most of everything he wrote, original recordings of his lectures, etc. He is a genius.

Do you like Gore Vidal also? I've had the pleasure of discourse with Mr. Vidal over the years and he's also a genius in the same vein with Nabokov.

to you.

[DeathToWindows]

I'm very fond of various forms of science fiction; I've recently been reading Sean McMullen's Greatwinter Trilogy... most excellent.

[agentz]

I enjoy reading but at the moment I only really read when I'm in bed. The last book I read and really enjoyed was All Fun And Games Until Somebody Loses An Eye by Christopher Brookmyre. I've been reading a lot of Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks series as well lately which I quite enjoy.

[Kevin Moon]

Right now I'm reading through Barren Lands by Kevin Krajick. It's about the search for diamonds in North America.

[strictlyplaid]

I'm reading for my Ph.D. comprehensive exams, so the answer is "yes." All non-fiction academic books, naturally.

[chris v]

I am finally reading Moby Dick or The Whale. I have no idea why I put this off until now. what an amazing book. When I'm done, I'm going to read up on some non-fiction history of the whaling industry, then read it again, so I can get a bit more of a clue as to what's going on.

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

OKAY.

Now you are one of my FAVORITE PEOPLE, Stradlater!

Nabokov!

My Master's thesis was on Nabokov. I'm a Nabokovian scholar. I have EVERY one of his books, first editions, most of everything he wrote, original recordings of his lectures, etc. He is a genius.

Do you like Gore Vidal also? I've had the pleasure of discourse with Mr. Vidal over the years and he's also a genius in the same vein with Nabokov.

to you.

"Ada" is my absolute favorite book. It seems to be a love-or-hate novel, and a lot of people denounce it strictly because it comes off, at times, as literary masturbation, but I always felt that that was partially the point (poking fun at Proust, among others), and nonetheless, the writing is beautiful. "Lolita" and "Pale Fire" trail only a short distance from my respect for "Ada."

What did your thesis concern? And how do you rank/feel about his books?

I'm not especially familiar with Vidal, at least not with his fiction. Would you recommend a starting point?

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by chris v

I am finally reading Moby Dick or The Whale. I have no idea why I put this off until now. what an amazing book. When I'm done, I'm going to read up on some non-fiction history of the whaling industry, then read it again, so I can get a bit more of a clue as to what's going on.

You might be interested in "Arthur Gordon Pym," by none other than Mr. Edgar A. Poe. It's a high-seas narrative (Poe's only novel), and it most likely influenced ol' Herman.

[wdlove]

Hi Cody,

My mother loved to read. She tried to impart that on to me.

TV was my mainstay most of my life.

Now it's being on my Mac. iChat and my new website. Both bring me great joy.

[ryaxnb]

The Cat who could Read Backwards.

(the new ones suck, the first 4 and some of the later, like Talked to Ghosts or Blew the Whistle are pretty good, this is THE Best!)
If you like mysteries (not very bloody mysteries) or cats this is for you.

[dcmacdaddy]

Read this thread from three days ago, it was on the exact same subject.
Recommend a great read

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Well, I'm in school, so I try to balance school readings with interest readings. Currently for fun I'm getting through "Stalingrad" by Antony Beever and "Collapse" by Jared Diamond.

For school, it's "A Short History of Progress" by Ronald Wright (similar to Collapse), "A History of Science in Society: From Philosophy to Utility" by Ede & Cormack, "The Scientific Revolution and the Origins of Modern Science" by Henry, "Online Weather Studies" by Moran, and "Environmental Physiology of Animals" by a bunch of people.



greg

[chris v]

Originally Posted by Stradlater

You might be interested in "Arthur Gordon Pym," by none other than Mr. Edgar A. Poe. It's a high-seas narrative (Poe's only novel), and it most likely influenced ol' Herman.

Poe's writing style, the whole of it, I find to be opaque, byzantine and turgid, to the point where he's nearly impossible to bear. But I will take that under consideration anyway, due to my interest in the subject matter, and the historical context, which you mentioned as being related thereto, and my interest therein.

/poe

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by chris v

Poe's writing style, the whole of it, I find to be opaque, byzantine and turgid, to the point where he's nearly impossible to bear. But I will take that under consideration anyway, due to my interest in the subject matter, and the historical context, which you mentioned as being related thereto, and my interest therein.

/poe

Funny, I'd characterize many of Melville's works with those exact same adjectives (see especially "Pierre, or the Ambiguities," which is interesting in theory, but incredibly tiresome). But whereas "Moby Dick" is a wondrous exception, so is "Pym," which differs greatly from his more famous (and more contrived) short fiction and verse (of course, some stories and poems are exceptions, as well).

I'd still recommend "Pym," and I think you'd be surprised once you get into it—unless, of course, you'd prefer not to

[dav]

currently reading a biography of bukowski, and various books of his work.
and daily articles from magazines, web, papers.
reading lemony snicket to the kids at bedtime.

[shunt]

I only really read when I'm visiting the real America...

..I think you know what I mean, what I really mean.

*I just woke up*

[macaddict0001]

I read quite a bit, but I think that we read thoroughly different genres.(I tend to like sci-fi/fantasy) I will recommend some books all the same. I really like the lord of the rings and the foundation series. some of Jack London's' work is quite good though. There are also many smaller names, like scott sigler and christopher paolini.

[subego]

Just finished Mary Renault's "The Persian Boy"

It's a biography of Alexander the Great told from the perspective of his eunuch lover. Horrifying, hilarious, and illuminating. It's not only a great piece of historical fiction, it's a great piece of fiction in general.

Renault really has a excellent sense of first-person storytelling, as well as a total mastery of clever historical exposition. You never feel the narrator is talking to a 20th century audience.

You can't bring up Alexander without bringing up the sex part, and yep, the thing is pretty gay (should that kind of thing bother you), but another aspect of Renault's skill is how she appropriately has the narrator discuss sex (especially with Alexander) in a very discreet manner.

The narrator is a whore, but a very classy whore, and as such, would be discreet about those sorts of things. Much of the humor in the book comes from the fact that despite being a whore, the narrator is a classy Persian, while Alexander is a product of the boorish Macedonians.

Highly recommended.

[Jawbone54]

I've loved reading since I was very young. I was always the quiet one of the family, who'd find a quiet place while we were visiting someone else and read whatever book(s) I had at the time. I stopped reading for about 2 years in high school, but picked it right back up when I graduated. At times I've read as many as 15 books at once. I know that's the not the greatest habit to get into, but there are so many good ones, and it's hard to stay focused.

I grew up on the Hardy Boys.

Right now I'm reading...
Merey Christianity - C.S. Lewis
Persecution - David Limbaugh
Hemingway - A Life Without Consequences - James R. Mellow (just started...supposedly a really good Hemingway bio
Velvet Elvis - Rob Bell
John Adams - David McCullough (awesome, awesome, awesome read if you like American history)
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy (been reading this one for what seems like years)
A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
The Collected Works of John Keats - love Keats' poetry... especially "Ode on Meloncholy"

[RobOnTheCape]

Chris v wrote:

"I am finally reading Moby Dick or The Whale. I have no idea why I put this off until now. what an amazing book. When I'm done, I'm going to read up on some non-fiction history of the whaling industry, then read it again, so I can get a bit more of a clue as to what's going on."

My five year old son and I just went did the tourist thing in New Bedford yesterday. Toured the Whaling museum, where they have more books on whales, whaling, Melville, Moby Dick than you can imagine. Driving back I was thinking about the towns historical impact on the region and how it extended throughout the world. Because of the day I too was feeling like picking up a few books at the library on the same subject.

As far as my reading goes, has David McCullough put out a book that was NOT great, or nearly? Besides books, I think I look forward to opening up my mailbox and finding my copy of "The Atlantic" inside almost as much as seeing my ibook screen announce that there is a OS update available. I've had a subscription going since about 1989, and have enjoyed that magazines articles more than any other by far. So many times the articles are right on the money, and their subjects of discussion often become news weeks later on the networks, or in news print. Moreover, I love the fact that the writers of these great articles are held accountable in some sense since their articles are dissected by the readers, whom are often people who have first hand knowledge of the articles premises. The authors will then often address each of the points made by the readers, sometimes countering, and sometimes conceding error.

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by RobOnTheCape

Besides books, I think I look forward to opening up my mailbox and finding my copy of "The Atlantic" inside almost as much as seeing my ibook screen announce that there is a OS update available. I've had a subscription going since about 1989, and have enjoyed that magazines articles more than any other by far. So many times the articles are right on the money, and their subjects of discussion often become news weeks later on the networks, or in news print. Moreover, I love the fact that the writers of these great articles are held accountable in some sense since their articles are dissected by the readers, whom are often people who have first hand knowledge of the articles premises. The authors will then often address each of the points made by the readers, sometimes countering, and sometimes conceding error.

I'd adopt all the feelings you express for The Atlantic as my own for The New Yorker. Except that I experience the pleasure weekly rather than Monthly. I subscribe to the latter (NYer), but occasionally buy a copy of the former off the stands if it interests me. I enjoy both, but prefer The New Yorker because it seems more balanced, in general, and focuses less on politics in the first place. I'd place The Atlantic in between The New Yorker and Harper's as far as leftward-politics go.

[ReggieX]

I really read. Real books with real words and everything! Chapters too!

In fact, I'm 1/4 of the way through Iain M. Banks' "The Algebraist" at the moment, as well as 1/3 of the way through "The Complete Far Side, volume 2"

[ReggieX]

Originally Posted by chris v

I am finally reading Moby Dick or The Whale. I have no idea why I put this off until now. what an amazing book. When I'm done, I'm going to read up on some non-fiction history of the whaling industry, then read it again, so I can get a bit more of a clue as to what's going on.

What is the 4th word of "Moby Dick" ?

[chris v]

Originally Posted by ReggieX

What is the 4th word of "Moby Dick" ?

Some.

Why?

[The Godfather]

"Cocoa Programming for OSX" by Aaron Hillegass, a real page turner!

[ReggieX]

Originally Posted by chris v

Some.

Why?

Everyone knows the first 3.

[chris v]

Originally Posted by ReggieX

Everyone knows the first 3.

Ishmael is the observer. I liken myself to him in many ways.

[Rolling Bones]

Earlier...'Prey' by Michael Crichton.

Just finished 'Freakonomics'.

Third of the way through 'State of Fear' by Michael Crichton.

All three

[Judge_Fire]

Originally Posted by ReggieX

In fact, I'm 1/4 of the way through Iain M. Banks' "The Algebraist" at the moment, as well as 1/3 of the way through "The Complete Far Side, volume 2"

Just finished The Algebraist I'm a huge Greg Egan fan, too, really recommendable if you like Banks. Mindblowing stuff.

But I seem to read non-fiction mostly nowadays. Right now I'm going through a classic from the early nineties, 'Consciousness Explained' by Dennett. I read Stephen Johnson's 'Mind wide open', which was nice and approachable, and what a counterpart Dennett's book makes- it takes more than a bit of effort.

There are just too many good books out there. A sabbatical year or two would be nice right now.

J

[demibob]

just finished angels and demons
if you havnt read any Dan Brown books its one of his best
If your a big reader your likely to have already read the davinci code
if so all his books are fairly similar

[besson3c]

I like those Where's Waldo books.

[demibob]

Originally Posted by besson3c

I like those Where's Waldo books.

dont we all

[malvolio]

Originally Posted by The Godfather

"Cocoa Programming for OSX" by Aaron Hillegass, a real page turner!

Please, whatever you do, don't give away the ending!
I hate spoilers...

[screamingFit]

Sheesh - what a bunch of high-brow titles being thrown around in here...

I'm currently reading:
Laurie Notaro - "We Thought You Would Be Prettier"
Andy Hertzfeld - "Revolution in The Valley : The Insanely Great Story of How the Mac Was Made"