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Greetings to all,

Just curious to know what books other members are currently reading. This may be an odd topic for this forum but it's said, "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body"

I myself am not a habitual reader but when I do get a good book, it’s hard not to finish it.

I'm currently reading "The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho" and would highly recommend it. It's a great book and one that I’m sure to finish. This book is a fable about following your dream. Google the name of the book and you’ll come across several reviews.

Any recommendations about a book that you may have liked or which had an impact on you?

Cheers.

"The Known World" by Edward P. Jones. It's a novel centered on several free blacks in the South and the slaves that they own. It's more character and anecdote than plot, but it's a compelling page-turner nonetheless. It's also on the NYTimes list of the best American fiction from the past 25 years.

"Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. Near-future science fiction (don't let that scare you) that is absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking. Some of the finest prose I've read in years. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but I highly recommend checking it out!

Democracy in America by Tomas de Tocqueville.

Squarejaw said"The Known World" by Edward P. Jones. It's a novel centered on several free blacks in the South and the slaves that they own. It's more character and anecdote than plot, but it's a compelling page-turner nonetheless. It's also on the NYTimes list of the best American fiction from the past 25 years.

Holy crap I'm reading that book too! I'm only in the first chapter though... That jerk off in rain while in the woods is a hot scene... LOL

I'm also reading "The Innocent Man" by John Grisham.

"One Mississippi" by Mark Childress hits close to home for me.

Mistral's Kiss by Laurell K. Hamilton and I Heard God Laughing a collection of poems by Hafiz as translated by Daniel Ladinsky

East of Eden, by John Steinbeck.

"The Lightning Thief," I have to go upstairs to find the author. Good book about about a kid who's father is a Greek god, literally.

"David Balfor," by Robert Louis Stevenson, the sequel to "Kidnapped." Really good books written in that old style, lots of Scottish accents.

Frank

"The Beatles: The Biography" by Bob Spitz. Over 800 can't-wait-to-turn pages.

I love to read, books more than anything else, hardcovers preferably and fact unless its a romance novel, horror, sci-fi, those kind of genres. Oh hell, I just love books period. Depends on my mood what kind of book I read. Self help are above all my favorite though because I usually learn ways to improve my well being and take care of myself as well as another person and which ways of doing it are sane and acceptable.

Currently on communication and living a spiritual life with the books

"The Big Book of How to Say It" and "A Path With Heart"

Currently I'm reading WATCHMEN, its a comic that was listed as TIME magazine's best 100 novels.
Good, but very dark. If you're going to read it, make sure you read every page, and don't be tempted to skip ahead.

"City Life" by Witold Rybczynski

A good asessment of American cities, why they came to be how they are, and thoughts on their future. It's a good read for the thoughtful urban dweller in many of us.

...but nobody likes my books. Too much nonfiction. Hardly big fun.

I just finished (re)reading "The Great Gatsby" and now (OH boy, I'm good look like the biggest mo) I'm starting "Kate: The Woman Who was Hepburn."

I am currently reading 3 books. It is not for school or anyhting. I just like to read. One of my books can get really boring so I will switch and read an interesting book for a chapter or two. Then go back to the boring one.

The boring book is called "Art & Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time, and Light" by Leonard Shlain. I guess boring is a bad word. I enjoy the book because I learn a lot from it, but I can only red so much before my mind wonders. The book is about how art and Physics are closely related through all centuries. I am just in the beginning and it is becoming more and more interesting how he has connected the two poler opposites.

The interesting book is also by Leonard Shlain called "Sex, Time and Power: How Women's Sexuality Shaped Human Evolution." It is an interesting book about the Quid Pro Quo relationship between man and woman. There is a chapter or two on homosexuality, but I have not read it yet. It is a book that I will read many times because I love the information it gives.

My third book is a research book "The Rough Guide to South America." I am reading it because I am planning on backpacking through South America next year.

As for recommendations... One of my guilty pleasures is a the novel called "The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientist" by Gideon Defoe. It is one of the only book I have laughed out loud at. I love it. It is full of "British humor." The humor is not for everyone though.

I am a huge reader, I find that is lets me escape the world while still keeping my bearings. I am currently reading four books.

"A Brief History of Nearly Everything." I am at a coffee shop right now, so i don't know the author. Horribly fascinating! Full of odd humor and amazing facts. i recommend it to anyone.

"It." by stephen king. I should say rereading, this is an amazing book. I've read it three times. he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts It is nothing like the movie, I highly recommend it to anyone that is not already frightened by clowns.

"Howl's Moving Castle." Just started this, really good so far.

"Tornado in a Junkyard" it is a non-fiction about the evolution myths(or junk) that mainstream humanity has been fed. Truth be told, it is excellent and has completely changed the way I view the world.

"The Satanic Verses"

it's ok, I think it'd help if I was more educated about Islam.

It's probably not so bad that I'd go kill someone about it though.

I was challenged to read "Finnigans Wake"

Blind Faith by Ben Elton

This week, I'm re-reading Joane Vinge's "Cat" series. I don't think I've read them back-to-back before, and the style makes a little more sense, since I've learned that she wrote the first book when she was only 16.

Also, "Special Topics In Calamity Physics," by Marisha Pessl, and "Stripping Analysis: Principles, Instrumentation, and Applications," by Joseph Wang, which is a lot less prurient than you might think, since it is actually about electrochemical methods.

BTW: Last night I FINALLY got around to installing built-in lights into the headboard of my bed. (I've been meaning to for at least 20 years.) A nice even LED illumination all the way across. Celebrated by staying awake half the night reading!

"It Never Rains In Tiger Stadium".
Yeah, it's a jock book about football.

i just finished 'here's what we'll say,' by reichen lemkuhl. it was pretty good,not especially well-written/edited, but an interesting glimpse at life (and gay life) at the USAFA.

currently reading 'imperial hubris' and 'woman of the house'[a nancy pelosi biography] on the bus/train, and 'permanent partners,' by betty berzon, at home.

the 800 lb. gorilla i still haven't finished is doris kearns goodwin's lincoln book.

i like biographies.

and 'city life' was great.

I always read books, Im currently reading Dean Koontz "The Good Guy".

makeumyne said"The Satanic Verses"

it's ok, I think it'd help if I was more educated about Islam.

It's probably not so bad that I'd go kill someone about it though.

It's not bad at all, it's very funny. Actually, when you read it, you'll see what pissed off the Ayatollah AND Cat Stevens...(hint: it had nothing to do with Islam or Mohammed).

I don't want to spoil it for you.
If anyone is curious, email me and I'll tell you.

Just finished two gay teen detective novels by Josh Aterovis. "Bleeding Hearts" and "Reap The Whirlwind" both very good. I am going to read "War Against The Animals" by Paul Russell and "Where The Boys Are" by William Mann next, as well as a collection of gay short stores from Britain called "The Next Wave".

"God is not Great" by C. Hitchens

Giving by Bill Clinton

I'm reading Ultraprevention: The 6-Week Plan That Will Make You Healthy for Life (recommended by my doctor) and Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd. I'm also trying for the third time to finish McGahern's By the Lake.

Just heard that the Kindle I ordered from Amazon is going to ship next week. Anyone already have one? If so, how do you like it? Was it worth the $500?

Lately I've been re-reading books I haven't read in 10 or 20 years. I just finished Middlemarch by George Eliot and am now reading Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet. Amazing books and amazing writers!

This Is Your Brain On Music. The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin

So the author worked in the music industry for YEARS and then attained his education in neuro-science and now has this AWESOME book on how and why individually are attached to certain sounds/beats/music/lyrics. How I will catch a certain tune, yet you won't and vice versa. VERY intriguing for the music enthusiast.

Books I enjoyed:
The Alienist - Caleb Carr
Naked - David Sedaris

Just starting 100 years of solitude (Gabriel García Márquez) and a Brief History of Time(Stephen Hawkins) ...

I'll let you know..

I am on the second volume of In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust, and in between Close Range by Annie Proulx.

I'm reading Psychology Today Aug. '08(read it every month) and The Second Generation by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, along with The Serpent Bride by Sara Douglas

Dead on the dance floor, by Heather Graham.

Right now, I'm reading Darkmans by Nicola Barker. It's a ghost story, but very well written. If Zadie Smith decided to write a ghost story, this would be it.

I just finished The Black Swan by Nassim Nicolas Taleb. It's about how we don't really understand the role that luck plays in our lives. It'll change the way you approach your investments. It'll probably change the way you view a lot of things in life.

After Darkmans, I'm going on a Neil Gaiman marathon!

The Book of Kells, an Illustrated Introduction the the Manuscript in Trinity College Dublin by Bernard Meehan.

I'm utilizing the information and illustrations in an attempt to immitate the style and composition is my own work.

Nice to see this thread revived. I always like to see what other people are reading. I often learn of books I've not heard of before.

What I'm currently reading? Probably not too surprising since it's a top seller right now: Scott McLellan's book about the Bush White House, What Happened.

I'm almost finished and have to say I'm a little disappointed. For as much hype as there was about this book, it's pretty mundane. There are no bombshells to be found here.

It pretty much just affirms what everyone already knew. Bush operates in a bubble, listens to those who agree with him and pushing aside those who don't. He overstated the case for war in Iraq. He's not a deep thinker, but trusts his instincts.

Oh, and McLellan really doesn't like Condolezza Rice.

Paradigm saidI'm reading Psychology Today Aug. '08(read it every month)

Admit it. You relate to the cover story.

obscenewish said[quote][cite]Paradigm said[/cite]I'm reading Psychology Today Aug. '08(read it every month)

Admit it. You relate to the cover story.

[/quote]

Lol, hey i'm not the only guy who has an entire leather suit that's custom made

Finally reading The Queen of the Damned.

ParadigmLol, hey i'm not the only guy who has an entire leather suit that's custom made

True. Very true.

"Eleven Minutes" - Paulo Coelho

Will probably read "The Witch of Portobello" next.

I finished The Known World this spring and enjoyed it, but recommend finishing it without much time lapse; otherwise, it's not as easy to reconnect and follow. I'm trying to finish Is Bill Cosby Right? by Michael Eric Dyson and I found a memoir/graphic novel entitled Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.

I have been reading gay fiction for the past two weeks.

Finished:

"Call Me By Your Name" by Andre Aciman (excellent), "50 Ways To Say Goodbye" by Nick Alexander (good), "Clay's Way" by Blair Mastbaum (not bad a bit over dramatic), "The Sea of Tranquility" by Paul Russell (very good), "My Side Of The Story" by Will Davis (good).

I am now reading "The World of Normal Boys" by Karl Soehenlein (very good so far).

I've got a couple, mostly for pleasure reading, that I can eventually combine into research at some point.

Mommy Wars:Stay at Home and Career Moms Face Off on Their Choices, Their Lives and Their Families
Leslie Morgan Steiner

Playing With the Boys:Why Separate is Not Equal in College Sports
Eileen McDonagh and Laura Pappano

Ultramarathon Man
Dean Karnazes
Read it as I begin a new segment of my training plans, so roughly 6-8 times a year :-P

Runner's World

Currently "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. I'm about three quarters of the way through it and I've already dubbed it one of the best books I've read. Her philosophy is presented and masked in an amazing work of fiction. I just picked up one of her non-fiction books, "The Virtue of Selfishness," which one of my professors highly recommended.

SouthBeachBum saidCurrently "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. I'm about three quarters of the way through it and I've already dubbed it one of the best books I've read. Her philosophy is presented and masked in an amazing work of fiction. I just picked up one of her non-fiction books, "The Virtue of Selfishness," which one of my professors highly recommended.

Shoot your professor.

darkly dreaming dexter (book which the tv shoe dexter is based)

obscenewish said
Shoot your professor.

Have you read it?

Personally, I find Objectivism (although I only know the general theories she set forth, as I haven't yet read any of her non-fiction)a rather interesting philosophy.

Alice II by Robert Thurston

Taming Your Gremlin by Rick Carson

In the evenings this week, I've been re-reading Christopher Moore's last few books, which were mostly a single story, but came out years apart. Love his stuff.

In the car, (when I'm waiting for things, not driving) I've got Chuck Palahniuk's "Rant" which I'm kind of getting in to and will probably finish off this weekend.

And when I was in the city last week, I picked up and started on Jon Fasman's "The Geographer's Library." The premise seemed juicy, but half-way through the book, it turns out to be sort of shallow and uninteresting.

I'm reading the Timothy Zahn Star Wars trilogy.

I wasn't sure if I was going to really enjoy reading Star Wars, but I have to say they're pretty damn good.

SouthBeachHave you read it? Personally, I find Objectivism (although I only know the general theories she set forth, as I haven't yet read any of her non-fiction)a rather interesting philosophy.

Yes, I read most of her work a billion years ago. I don't care much for objectivism, although I found Rand's take on romanticism interesting. We had a long acrimonious debate about her here some months ago. Nathaniel Branden's critique is most salient since he was her former partner in philosophical crime.

SouthBeachBum saidCurrently "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. I'm about three quarters of the way through it and I've already dubbed it one of the best books I've read. Her philosophy is presented and masked in an amazing work of fiction.

Yeah, the rape scene was so poignant, so moving, so noble. After reading this, I have to wonder what all the hype about this book is about.

MCAT Books: for Physics, General Chemistry, Biology, Organic Chemistry, and one for vebal reasoning....sounds fun...doesn't it?

Just finished Joe Keenan's MY LUCKY STAR, a farce about gay hollywood. He has written two other very funny novels and used to write for that very gay show, FRAZIER.

Finally also finished WHY WE RUN by Ben Heine about, guess what, running. Good sciency study of human and animal anatomy and physiology that shows humans were born for endurance running. Something I have a bit of a problem with after my first marathon, but, hey, what's my hip got to complain about?

Oh, and (shameless plug) I have my own book about glbt Los Angeles, called LOVE WEST HOLLYWOOD. Check it out at www.lovewesthollywood.com

I've currently been reading "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. It's an intense book. Even though some things about this book have been greatly exaggerated, it's still one hell of a story. And one hell of a drug addiction.

Hehe I've also been reading up on "South Park and Philosophy" by Richard Hanley. It's actually pretty philosophical.

creyente saidBooks I enjoyed:
The Alienist - Caleb Carr
Naked - David Sedaris

Just starting 100 years of solitude (Gabriel García Márquez) and a Brief History of Time(Stephen Hawkins) ...

I'll let you know..

I read "The Alienist" over a decade ago because a friend of mine who was an editor and well steeped in NYC history and mentioned how accurate it was. Although that knowledge made the book more interesting, I just found the story facsinating.

Naked - loved it as I have every David Sedaris book. I just finished "Me talk funny one day"

Currently:
The 400 page manual on how to use my camera.

SouthBeachBum saidCurrently "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand.

I LOVE "The Fountainhead". Nothing holds my screen door open better. I tried "War and Peace" and even "Atlas Shrugged", but "The Fountainhead" is the clear winner.

I was concerned you'd died, JP, when you didn't react to Ayn Rand instantly. I'm relieved that I don't have to fill in for you.

obscenewish said[quote][cite]Paradigm[/cite]Lol, hey i'm not the only guy who has an entire leather suit that's custom made

True. Very true.

[/quote]
Mines tons better looking trust me

I just started reading Mix & Match Chinese Astrology by Richard Craze it's certainly gotten me confused who would have thought the chinese zodiac had an animal for the month, the hour, as well as the one for the year and an element you fall under. this makes me think of starting one for the chinese zodiac....

....this thread .....but not for long after seeing grandpa in leather .....

Lol Caslon you're so funny!
I just started reading The Seat of the Soul by Gary Kuvac (his last name might be spelled wrong).

CharlieT saidCurrently I'm reading WATCHMEN, its a comic that was listed as TIME magazine's best 100 novels.
Good, but very dark. If you're going to read it, make sure you read every page, and don't be tempted to skip ahead.

That book was fantastic! I've totally become an Alan Moore fan since reading that and "V for Vendetta."

I'm not reading anything at the moment. I am taking these titles to heart, though, to give me something to look for in the book store. Keep the good ideas coming!

Borrowed a copy of Breaking the Surface by Greg Louganis froma friend of mine. Ten years after this book was published and his story broke, I still think it's a great book.

Right now I'm reading two books, "What We Say Goes: Conversations on U.S. Power in a Changing World" by Noam Chomsky, and "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason" by Sam Harris. So far I'd say they're fairly good books.

About to start "Boston Boys Club" by Johnny Diaz.

I am also reading "Death & Diamonds" The Hardy Boys Undercover Brothers #15.

Just finished this morning "Cataclysm: The First World War as Politicial Tragedy" by David Stevenson

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray: so funny!

Just started David Sedaris' latest - "When You Are Engulfed in Flames". I was actually laughing outloud just reading the inside flap.

Already have my tickets for when he comes to town in October.

Im currently reading "I am not myself these days" by Josh Kilmer-Purcell. Its very good so far.

Just picked up "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving.

Here are a few I've enjoyed recently and a couple I go back to repeatedly.

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME by Andre Aciman

HEYDAY by Kurt Anderson

SKIN LANE by Neil Bartlett

FISHBOY by Mark Richard

WINTER'S TALE by Mark Helprin

ANOTHER COUNTRY by James Baldwin

THE FOLDED LEAF by William Maxwell

THE PUGILIST AT REST by Thom Jones

And anything by Raymond Carver, Jayne Anne Phillips, or J.D. Salinger

obscenewish said

ParadigmLol, hey i'm not the only guy who has an entire leather suit that's custom made

True. Very true.

Fecking hell !! If you go to the woods today your sure of a big surprise?

Don't need one?

The Bible... waiting for a better book to come along

Flight by Sherman Alexie is one of my favorite books- a little strange (short), but still a great read for anyone who has felt a sense of oppression in their lives.

Also, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts is a wonderful book if you need a companion for a long flight or need to drown out the voices around you- it's about 800 pages but once you start reading it there is no putting it down.

But the book that I think everyone should read is of course Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn. Quinn is one of the most remarkable authors I have come across. His books (all of them) show life from points of view (or angles I guess) that I would have thought impossible at first glance, or rather he allows one to see past the solid wall blocking our view. Read it. You won't regret it. I have bought ten copies of it- so if you live in Boulder and want to borrow one, let me know.



I am a bookworm, so if you are looking for more recommendations just ask!

California Hiking (there's a few weekends I need to fill up with destinations for my buds and I this summer & fall)

um, I'm currently rereading 'Wizards First Rule' as well as the apple developers manual on objective c (it's the programming language that a lot of osx stuff is written in). I actually just finished the sword of truth series, and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy - plus they are making it into a tv series that should be out shortly.
In about one month though I'll start reading the new textbooks and rereading some of the old when school starts, but until then I read for pleasure.
Plus, now that I've got my iPhone I've got wikipedia and sacred-texts in my pocket, so I doubt I'll ever again lack for reading.

highsierrahiker said"Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. Near-future science fiction (don't let that scare you) that is absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking. Some of the finest prose I've read in years. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, but I highly recommend checking it out!

Amazing book...well worth reading and savouring.

Currently reading After Dark by Haruki Murakami. Seriously twisted in a really good way.

And..Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything by Don Tapscott & Anthony Williams.

And keep re-reading...Anything Can Be Healed by Martin Broffman

Voyage From Yesteryear by James P. Hogan

I don't much like him as a person, given that he believes AIDS is caused by pharmaceuticals. Hmpf

A right nutcase, but he writes good enough sci-fi.

I decided to go for an older book (not that older, but not new) and am going with Stephen King's "Cujo". Great summer read.

I just started reading Odd Hours by Dean Koontz, wow I love the character Odd Thomas

"Devil May Care" the newest Bond novel

the ACE Group Fitness manual AND the AFAA Group Fitness Manual

Complete Conditioning for Martial Arts

and Inside the Lion's Den by that Shamrock fighter guy.

I'm into The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I read this as a student and am re-reading it. I like re-reading a number of my books years later.

I've just about finished "Hiding in Plain Sight, the Secret Life of Raymond Burr"...it's an easy read and horribly written. I can't believe I paid $24.00 to read this. D'oh!

The Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts

cjstreed saidThe Queen of the Damned by Anne Rice
And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts

"And The Band Played On" is a great book, I have read it at least twice. Made me angry in parts.

I finished two books last night, so I need to start another one tonight. There is a Nick Alexander book I might start (his follow-up to "50 Ways to Say Goodbye"). I also have a collection of David Leavitt's novels I may start. I am off next week so I will have more time to read.

I am currently reading "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. It's such a great book! Next up, I just purchased "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski.

Oh yes "Call me by your name" = def. the most beautiful book I read this year and a most special exercice in reading. I loved it till the end and was very moved.

steven_patterson saidHere are a few I've enjoyed recently and a couple I go back to repeatedly.

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME by Andre Aciman

HEYDAY by Kurt Anderson

SKIN LANE by Neil Bartlett

FISHBOY by Mark Richard

WINTER'S TALE by Mark Helprin

ANOTHER COUNTRY by James Baldwin

THE FOLDED LEAF by William Maxwell

THE PUGILIST AT REST by Thom Jones

And anything by Raymond Carver, Jayne Anne Phillips, or J.D. Salinger

The Machiavelli Interface by Steve Perry



<3 my cyberpunk

"Call Me By Your Name" is one of my favourite books of the year (see my blog on MySpace for the others).

Just started "Thinking Straight" by Robert Reardon yesterday. About teenager who is sent away by his parents to be "cured" of his homosexuality through religion.

I have also started reading "Sottopassaggio" by Nick Alexander, the follow-up to "50 Ways To Say Goodbye" (which I would reommend).

"an inconvenient truth" by al gore

"Salvation: Black People and Love" by bell hooks and "Emotion" by James Hillman. Both are highly recommended.

"Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain

"Confessions of an Economic Hitman" and "Trillion Dollar Meltdown" having finished Rushdie's "Shalimar the Clown".

Need another good novel. Any recommendations?

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince! LOL!

The Origin of Species - Charles Darwin

I burned through 3 of Armstead Maupin's books ("Tales of the City" "More Tales of the City" and "Further Tales of the City") in about 2 weeks (I finished the most recent one while flying) :-D

I'm gonna tackle Dwight McBride's "Why I Hate Abercrombie Boys" once it arrives Tuesday.

I'm just starting the War of the Souls series from Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
Also just read the Oct. issue of Psychology Today which had very interesting topics in it.
Also just started Slavery by Another Name by Douglas Blackmon

Finished 'The Conversion' by Joseph Olshan which I really liked. Had a hard time putting it down. Good gay fiction.

The Cloudspotter's Guide atm (Weather Geek!). Then I just bought a copy of Beyond Good and Evil

Just read My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult and now im reading Kite Runner by some middle eastern author whos name escapes.

I'm reading City of Ember right now. May be a kids book but hey, I like it.

Dragons of A Lost Star man I love every book from Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

Last Read: Coffin County by Gary A. Braunbeck

Currently Reading: The Roots of Evil-Weird Stories of Supernatural Plants edited by Michel Perry

Next Up: The Hunger by Whitley Strieber



I love books

"against a dark background" by ian m. banks.

My textbook...yay for studying

"Fundamentals of Hearing" Bill Yost

Istanbul: Memories and the City by Orhan Pamuk. I'm enjoying it a lot.

I want to read The Wasted Vigil by Nadeem Aslam, but I'm waiting for the paperback.

"Mysterious Skin" by Scott Heim

LSAT prep-book.

Yeah, I think I am indeed going to go ahead and go for it.
What the hell have I got to lose?

Good luck SAHEM.

An RJ friend recommended the book that I am currently reading and I can barely put it down -- a real page turner -- called "MAY DAY" by Nelson DeMille. It involves a secret Government mission, a new missile test, and the Jumbo supersonic Jetliner full of passengers it accidentally hits.

Nixonland by Rick Perlstein.

For anyone who wants to understand why our political culture is so toxic, the book shows that it was the result of some deliberate, conscious decisions made by the Republican party and Richard Nixon in the late 1960s. We talk about how divided the country is---the term "positive polarization" was coined by then-Vice President Spiro Agnew (well, actually his speechwriter, Bill Safire) to mean the strategic decision to set Americans against one another for political gain.

We are still living with the consequences.

reading is almost the greatest exercise for the mind, the next best thing is writing a book, but there aren't many people who have the nerve, the persistence, and the eloquence to capture a nation with a single sentence. these are necessary, but eloquence comes with experience. lol.

i read EVERYTHING, lol. i am into a book called On Writing, by Stephen King. you need one of two things in order to like this, a fascination with writing, or with Stephen King, i have both. lol. the book is awesome, it talks about a lot of aspects of writing and it has early short work in it as well.

i am in the middle of Dragonlance Chronicles once again, and i have to say it is awesome! it is a 3 book trilogy, but my collector's edition is about 1200 pages of pure adventure, with some fantasy aspects. it's nice to read in front of the fire with a good drink and someone to lay with.

i am in the middle of a lot of books, so i thought i would name off the two on the very top of my head

also, i am writing a book that should be out soon, and if i may say so, it is pretty good. it's called Scattered Warriors, a trilogy, but the first book is the one that is coming out soon. it depicts the life of a young man struggling to overcome the gripping aspect of war: death.
the M/C blindly follows orders until they continue to warp his mind by keeping him away from his great loves, another character in the book, and independence despite his adulthood.
fighting against the odds, the M/C discovers what love really means, and what it really means to be a warrior. it's an tale of epic proportions. lol.

Starless Night by R.A. Salvatore

edit: chaos, is your book gaythemed? Coz that would really rock. LOL. Very few fantasy and scifi books are gaythemed.

I rarely find a book I enjoy and get into so since Harry Potters wraped up and dunzo it's been hard finding something to get into.

I picked up this book on Friday called "Hero" by Perry Moore.. It's about a basketball jock gone superhero who happens to be gay, and all the struggles and blah, blah blah... so that's what i'm reading now.

I'm reading "Rool, Jordan, Roll" about the world the slaves made for themselves in the U.S. South. It's not interesting, but it's what I have to read for class this week. Oye

Twilight

dont laugh- its really good

I just finished reading "My Friend Leonard" by James Frey and I loved it

SurrealLife said"Mysterious Skin" by Scott Heim

If you like the book...skip the movie. If you don't care for the book that much you might enjoy the movie.

RunintheCity said

SurrealLife said"Mysterious Skin" by Scott Heim

If you like the book...skip the movie. If you don't care for the book that much you might enjoy the movie.

I really liked the book, so scratch off another movie from my list.

I am now reading "Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You" by Peter Cameron. Very funny in parts but also sad. I also find it disconcerting to read. The main character and I share many of the same feelings of life and our peers at 18. It takes me back to a time and place I didn't want to go again.

Love in the Time of Cholera and just finishing up Secret Life of Bees

BEST ALL-TIME READ..........KITE RUNNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich, not about what you think haha its for my Native American Literature class

I just started Demons by Dostoevsky

Right now, nothing. Since I started running instead of biking I just don't find me reading that often.

Started reading "Saints of Augustine" today by P.E. Ryan (as Patrick Ryan his "Send Me" was one of my favourite books of 2007).

It is a very good young adult book for gay and straight males.

Just finished several gaythemed books.

Internet went down, so I spent a lot of days reading heh.

Hero by Perry Moore was awesome. XD I know it's cliched and even the superheroes are thinly disguised marvel and DC heroes, but it was refreshing because of the gay spin to it.

Borstal Boy by Brendan Behan was pretty fun too. A bit hard to read as the dialogue is in Irish/Cockney/Scott and whatnot slang. But quite fun It's an autobiography so don't expect much. Not much gay themes to it at all though (except a mention of Wilde etc.). VERY different from the movie which had distinct gay themes.

Common Sons by Ronald Donaghe was also great. Kinda interesting to read a gaythemed story set in the rural 1960's. Great romantic read though.

right now, i'm halfway through:

Tantra the Path of Ecstasy, by Grorg Feuerstein,
(re-reading) Magick, by Alister Crowley,
Opening the Dragon Gate, by Thomas Cleary,
Hatha Yoga Pradipika, by Swami Muktibodhananda,
the Elegant Universe, by Brian Greene,


and as i buy books at like 5 at a time lol, i have a big stack of others waiting for me to finish these. its exhausting, but i can't help myself lol
others in the que include:

Dynamics of Yoga, by Swami Satyananda Saraswati,
Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, by Fuerstein,
Taoist Meditation, by Cleary,
Holding Yin, Embracing Yang, by Wong,
The Law is for All, by Crowley,
Warped Passages, by Lisa Randall,
Parallel Worlds, by Michio Kaku,
the Fabric of the Cosmos, by Brian Greene,
Physics of the Impossible, by Michio Haku

yeah, u know Disney's Sword in the Stone? u know Merlin's hut, with the stacks of books open, piled, and stacked on every flat surface?

that's my room right now lol..

and i have a few more waiting for me back at home for winter break ;) wish me luck

After a long break I'm writing again, so I'm brushing up on my punctuation.

I'm reading two books: 'A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation' by Noah Lukeman and 'Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation' by Lynne Truss

"You Can Say You Knew Me When" by K.M. Sohlenlein. A story about a 33 year old gay man who is investigating the mystery of his recently deceased father's time spent in San Francisco in 1960-61. A good read about a gay man who is struggling with relationship issues, not only with his bf, but also his friends, his family (including his dead father) and himself.

The author's "The World Of Normal Boys" was one of my favourite reads this year.

Right now I'm reading Hot, Flat and Crowded by Thomas Friedman. It's a pretty good succinct telling of how the global energy crisis emerged and what America can do to become more energy independent. It's pretty interesting to find out exactly how US oil dollars fund terrorism. Take a look if you're interested in why the world is going to shit. haha

Kafka Comes to America - a senior federal public defender's devastating first hand stories about defending people in both the US and at Guantanamo from trumped up charges. It is horrifying to read in detail of how badly our government has undermined the principles of fairness and decency that have so far protected all of us. None of this made us safer. Quite the opposite.

The Numerati - a half fascinating/exciting, half creepy look at the work of mathematicians who look at people's individual and aggregate behavior online to figure out what they will do and buy next.

Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley

Buckley is always a great read--political humor at its best.

At the moment am reading "Ghost Riders" (Travels with American Nomads) by Richard Grant.

It is a fascinating story and well worth taking the time to read.

Decided to bring it to the notice of this forum post so that others can share it.

First published in the U.K. in 2003 .

prey by micheal crichton

its awesome... basically its about how computer sytems can evolve... AI. its very good.

Dragons Of A Vanquished Moon by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman did I mention before how much I love these 2 Author

Deeper by Jeff Long, sequel to Descent which I enjoyed immensely.

Thankee ActiveAndFit who bought me the book! ^_^ *hugs*

Last Read: The Roots of Evil, Weird Stories of Supernatural Plants

Currently Reading: The Hunger by Whitley Strieber

Next: Walkers by Ghram Masterson

Got 'Til It's Gone by our own Johnnie Ray Rousseau
This is a well written piece of fiction that has a great pulse on reaching mid-life and how one man deals with it. Characters and relationships are well defined. Highly recommended!

SOCİAL PROBLEMS written by KENNETH J. NEUBECK , MARY ALİCE NEUBECK WCB MCGRAW-HİLL the book includes such chapers: sexism, heterosexism,agism

Deluxe - How Luxury Lost its Luster

"A hard-hitting behind-the-scenes look at the luxury fashion industry today"

Very informative and also entertaining. Although I must say it hasn't broken me of my love for everything Burberry.

Daniel Goleman's "Working with emotional intelligence"

also Slaying the Dragon by Micheal Johnson.

The dharma bums (kerouac). again.
and
The Days Run Away Like Wild Horses Over the Hills ( bukowski)... again.

Ever Dirk - Memoir of Dirk Bogarde
The Private Patient - PD James
I to Myself - Henry David Thoreau
On Ugliness - Umberto Eco

The Orc King by R. A. Salvatore
Genesis of Shannara: The Gypsy Morph by Terry Brooks and when i find The Pirate King by R. A. Salvatore i'll start that

Poetry today - - - - - - Ithaka by Greek poet C.P. Cavafy; and an old favorite - - Memory of Cape Cod and other works by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

I just started My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk.

Descent Into Chaos by Ahmed Rashid

The subtitle: "The United States and the Failure of Nation Building in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia" says it all. Scary stuff. Many opportunities lost.

Four Past Midnight by Stephen King

I am about to start up again "Tales of Hoffman" by E.T.A. Hoffman and I am about to start reading "The Decameron" by Boccaccio. I also have a Henry James collection of short stories I need to finish.

The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox.

I'm almost through it and I'd be curious to hear from anyone else that read it to get your take.

the appeal. john grisham.

waiting for my copy of HERO to arrive this week!

I have to read The Glass Menagerie by --- Tennessee Williams during break...haven't started yet =(

History of My Life vols. 1 & 2, Giacomo Casanova.

Every Christmas I read Ada, or Ardor, by Nabokov, which is my only sacred ritual, and with a cognac for libation.

Voyage au Bout de la Nuit, Indiana, and A l'ami qui ne m'a pas sauvé la vie.

jomach333 saidTwilight

dont laugh- its really good

My roomie at school just read it and he loved it. My mom didnt know what to get me for christmas so we went to a book store and she said pick a book so I picked Twilight. I hope its as good as I'm hearing.

Right now I'm reading Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris and never has a book caused so many aches from laughing. Any of his books would a solid read.

Just finished reading "ender's game" and "ender's shadow". Both really good books. Kinda made me think of Starship troopers though lol.

Windows to Our Children by Violet Oaklander

I'm so glad I found this thread! Love to read here, and I've read a few really good ones this last little while that I'd love to share with you all, as some might be stuck on something to read over the holidays, or have gift cards they don't know what to spend on. I've thoroughly enjoyed:

Jeffrey Eugenides-- Middlesex

Ken Follett-- Pillars of the Earth

Ayn Rand--Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead

Laurence Hill--The Book of Negroes

Glen Duncan--I, Lucifer

Khaled Hosseini--The Kite Runner

Louis de Bernieres--Birds Without Wings

Marie Phillips--Gods Behaving Badly

Noam Chomsky--Hegemony or Survival



Currently, and this might sounds strange to some of you, I am reading Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight". I know it's geared toward teens, seeing how it's a teen romance, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it, it's an easy read, and entertaining. And I must admit, even I am somewhat smitten with Edward Cullen.

After that, my reading list includes:

Timothy Findlay--Pilgrim

Irving Stone (I think?)--The Agony and the Ecstasy

Anne Marie MacDonald--Fall on Your Knees

Ken Follett--World Without End


Okay, that's it! Sorry to be long-winded guys! Off to put a dent in my book! Take care!

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is a great read about acceptance of death and the continuation of love.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is a young adult fantasy novel but its a great read integrated with interesting illustrations.

just finished "The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters" by Gordon Dahlquist an outstanding book one of the best I've read in years. Also reading "Nefrititi, The Book of the Dead" by Nick Drake a good read too.

If you liked the Alienist by Caleb Carr then read the other book with the same characters " The Angel of Darkness"
If anyone is into historic fiction try the Fadoran books by Boris Akunin awsome books, they all take place in the later part of the reign of Tsar Alexander the II in Russia. Kind of a Sherlock Holmes but with a Russian twist.

I havent read many of Stephen King but I can say Im a fan... I've read IT*, dream catcher, salem's lot (i havent read the final).

and also "the psychoanalist", I was looking for oure horror but it more like a police novel but it is still a great book. i recoment it, although a friend says that his others book are more likely the same.

I have this extreme love for ancient egyptyan culture and Ive enojoyed so much reading history novels developed in this time. my favorite of this genre is "the nile's thomb" by Bernard Simonay and "Queen liberty" (La reina libertad, is the name in spanish) by Christian Jacq.

Has anyone heard about this book called "the physics of the imposible", written by a very famous -cientific?, i dont know thw word in english- named Michio Kaku ?

I wan't to read it but is not available in Mexico or in spanish...reading it in english would make it harder but more interesting xD

Another great one, that I highly recommend, is "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx.Great book!

greekguy79 said
Noam Chomsky--Hegemony or Survival

EW. Chomsky is a bafoon and wannabe American philosopher.

El señor de los anillos (vol 1) and before that it was Boleros en Habana by Roberto Ampuero

Drown by Junot Diaz

and

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano

Lostboy76 saidEl señor de los anillos (vol 1) and before that it was Boleros en Habana by Roberto Ampuero

NICE!

* Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism, by David Mills
* Anathem, by Neal Stephenson

this has to be the sexiest thread on the forum. That guys can look as good as you lot and read books is so hot I can´t process it.

I'm currently reading Godless by Dan Barker. It is great so far. For a religious person who has maybe not ever read an non-believing themed book, I think this is a great option.

Twilight
I saw the movie, and it was really good, and everyone kept saying "the book was so much better"

So I figured I should read the book.
BTW saw the movie twice

I am now on the third book of the twilight series called Eclipse. I read the first 2 books (over 1000 pages together) in one week. THey are wonderful books, probably not for everyone, but they are really good in my opinion.

I just started Chelsea Handler's "Are you there, Vodka? It's me Chelsea." I'm hoping it stays as good as the first chapter.

Just finished Foucault's Pendulum. It's the smart man's Davinci Code. SOOO Good!

I just started reading a book that sounds really geeky, but actually it's surprisingly interesting. It's called A Tour of the Calculus. It describes the history of calculus, how it originated and evolved, and explains in plain English the practical applications of calculus. Just what someone like me, who's chronically math challenged, needs to understand something that seems like a foreign language to me.

I just started The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals by Jane Mayer about how the "War on Terror" has steadily and unmistakably eaten away at the foundations of American Law and Justice. It's a fascinating and terrifying look at the mindset and corrupted ideology of Cheney and the Neocons. I got it for Christmas and can barely put it down.

I'm currently reading "The Astonishing Power of Emotions" by Esther and Jerry Hicks. It teaches how your emotions effect your life.

Queer in America: Sex, the Media, and the Closets of Power by Michelangelo Sginorile

It covers the topics of late 80's and early 90's gay politics, with a focus on the 'outing' controversies.

collegeswimmr said
Just finished Foucault's Pendulum. It's the smart man's Davinci Code. SOOO Good!

But did you understand it? I've read it twice, enjoyed it twice, but also left confused by it twice. And if you liked that you should check out anything by Arturo Perez-Reverte. He's not quite at Eco's level but pretty darn good.

I am currently reading Microserfs by Douglas Coupland for the umpteenth time (although I've learned to skip the cheesy ending). I read it every time I get burned out at work and it usually recharges my batteries for a few months. Its portrayal of techie life is how I wish my life would be.

a book on puppy care and training, as i am getting one in a week!

other than that, i'm embarassed to admit a lack of reading lately on my part, aside from health magazines and cnn.com.

While Christmas shopping I picked myself up a copy of I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert.
It's a satire on coservative political policies.

Ship of Magic

By Robin Hobb

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

It's nothing special, I just happened to draw it randomly from a pile of books my co-workers had in a cabinet.

In Love with a Thug
by Reginald L. Hall

A story of a man doomed by passion, In Love with a Thug is by turns a humorous, tragic and hard-hitting look at the cost of destructive love and the price some pay for true happiness. Very Good book, just got it yesterday and I'm 3/4 done with it already!!!

Just read I Am Not Myself These Days by Josh Kilmer-Purcell on the flight back from Omaha. It neatly compacted all of the elements I hate about memoirs into a few hundred pages. Dreck. Pass. As usual, I have a hundred other books that I'm halfway through. But I did get an Oliver Sacks book and an Eggers novel for xmas, so those may rise to the top of the heap.

Just finishing Dynamic Duos by Keith Swain. It's a book about gay relationships and although he feels the need for an Alpha/Beta relationship for real success, there's also a lot of good general relationship (emphasis on gay relationship) information to ponder. It's a good book, I'd recommend it.

madtown said(although I've learned to skip the cheesy ending)

You mean the "OMG MOM HAD A STROKE! TEARS!" part? Most of his novels end in the garbage-truck-hitting-brick-wall-at-full-speed fashion.

I am reading 15 DAYS by Christie Blatchford.

I just got the French Laundry and Tavern on the Green cookbooks! So much good stuff!

I just started reading "The Back Passage" by James Lear. I thought it was a mystery story with a gay detective who had a bit of sex on the side. As it turns out (so far) it is a sex novel with a little bit of detecting on the side! The sex is very explicit and fun to read. Didn't know there was so much M/M action going on in England circa 1925.

I am just about to finish "Tales of Hoffmann" by E.T.A. Hoffmann. If you like weird/surreal stories with ghosts or the supernatural then I would recommend this book.

I am about 1/4 the way through the "Decameron" by Boccaccio. It is a fun read. I did not realize that 14th century stories could be so bawdy!

Chelsea Handler's Book was great "Are You There, Vodka? It's Me Chelsea" it was hilarious, but now I'm reading "The Swimming-Pool Library" by Alan Hollinghurst, the January selection for my Book Club here in Boston.

Just finished "The Name of the Wind" which was excellent.

Now that the semester and the holidays are over I just finished The Invention of Sodomy in Christian Theology, which was the longest 200 pages of reading I have tortured myself with in a while.

For fun I am reading John Hodgman's More Information than you Require.

I'm just getting into Sailing Through Rough Waters by Rick Glaze - president of Glaze Capital Management. This book is looking at economic cycles - the timing, length and depth of economic upturns and downturns. Most financial downturns are connected to credit excesses, and our present situation is no different. It promises to be a good read.

The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James

S W A Y by Brofman

The irrational behavior of irrational people. Compelling read for those of us who want to figure everyone out.

I'm reading the collected works of Jung at the moment. Amazing, amazing, amazing stuff.

next will be a poetry compilation of ee cummings, or a science book a friend gifted me called "The Field" which is about reality's composition in the context of waves and frequency.

Raphsody by Elizabeth Haydon and The Outstretched Shadow by Margaret Weis & James Mallory

Original Sin: A Cultural History

"In this brilliant account, Wheaton College literature professor Jacobs (The Narnian) traces the idea of original sin from the Bible to the present day."

http://www.amazon.com/Original-Sin-Cultural-Alan-Jacobs/dp/0060783400/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232666266&sr=8-2

your minds

About to start Jayne Anne Phillips' LARK AND TERMITE and I can't wait.

The Kite Runner

Triumph of the Spirit: The DPN Chronicle by Angel M Ramos


DPN stands for Deaf President Now and the book tells the story of the 1988 student movement at Gallaudet University to have a Deaf President installed at the university. My last bf is Deaf and he attends Gallaudet. I visited there a few times when we were together. It's a very interesting place and it was insightful to learn about Deaf Culture. I still have reading material regarding the subject and am still learning sign language even though I'm single now.

Just started "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman, I think I've given up on ever seeing the end of George RR Martin's Dance of Dragons series. There were rumors at one time about Tor having another writer finish The Wheel of Time, but I've given up on that ever getting published in my lifetime.

The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida...

"In a Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson. He is an excellent writer, and this book has made me laugh out loud about 5 or 6 times.

If you did not read "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follet, I highly recommend it, and I am waiting for the sequel, "end of the Earth", I think, to come out in paperback.

And I just finished "A thousand splendid suns" by the author of "The Kite Runner". It was good, but I like KR better.

Currently reading:

The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide by Douglas Adams (The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe)

The Defenders Essential Vol. 4 by Marvel Comics

Up next:

Lost On Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Star Wars: A New Hope screenplay by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan

American Gods by Neil Gaiman (I will finish reading it this time!)

The Coming of Conan The Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard

Lucifer by Vertigo comics

The Avengers: Celestial Madonna by Marvel Comics

On hold:

The Silmarillion by J.R. Tolkien

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

This post and God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens

Well I decided to start Twilight to see what the big deal is... I'm half way though and so far it blows.

Just finished 'The Folding Star' and 'The Swimming Pool Library' by Alan Hollinghurst. Both are beautifully written novels about gay men in pre-AIDS Europe.

Now I'm reading 'The Omnivore's Dilemma', which is going to make it tough to ever walk through the door of a supermarket.

"I,Fatty" by Jerry Stahl.

Roscoe Arbuckle's life story. The first movie star to have a million dollar contract, also the first star to have his career ruined because of a sex scandal.

A very interesting and enjoyable read

The Obsidian Trilogy To Light a Candle by Mercedes Lackey & James Mallory

Math Magic

3 books and several articles a week for grad school.

kill me kill me kill me kill me

lol

"Piaget in the Classroom" Milton Schwebel

Great strategies

The Power of Now A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle recommend to me from a new friend

The Tale Of The Body Theif by Anne Rice..

The Wings of the Dove by Henry James

I just finished My Own Country by Abraham Verghese. It's a doctor's memoir of treating HIV-AIDS patients in rural Tennessee in the late 1980's. The book is spellbinding, beautifully written and unflinching. It's one of the few books I have read that left me in stunned silence for hours after I finished it.

Next up: 740 Park - The Story of the World's Richest Apartment Building

Right now I am prepping for a job interview on Thursday....cross your fingers and wish me luck....so I am studying "Developing Inquiry-Based Science Materials - A Guide for Educators" and "The Everything Project Management Book"

Right now, "The Hidden Family" by Charles Stross. Recently finished The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson.

k, well i read many things at the same time, so here goes:

"Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time" - by Carroll Quigley
(groundbreaking and masterful - highly recommend for everyone)

"A Peoples History of the United States" - Howard Zinn

"War Against the Weak: Eugenics and America's Campaign to Create a Master Race" - by Edwin Black

"Money" - by John Kenneth Galbraith

A year of living Bibically by AJ Jacobs. A agnostic jewish man attempts to spend a year living by following all 700 + rules in the bible.

"1776" by David McCulllough

The Theory of Light and Matter by Andrew Porter

Right now I'm reading "Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas Hofstadter. I'm almost done and it's pretty damn good (it did win the Pulitzer prize, I just found out). It also contains one of the best non-mathematical descriptions of Gödel's Incompleteness theorem I have ever seen. I'm also totally in love with Gödel... And Bertrand Russell.

I'm also reading "The Art of War" from Sun Tzu. I just never got around to it before, and so am doing so now. It's very good, but on a personal level, I absolutely detest the style it is written in because I am enormously lazy.

I just finished "Basketball Jones" by E Lynn Harris & have just started reading Dan Brown's "Angels & Demons" in anticipation of the movie release this spring. Then of course there is the ever present "ACE Personal Trainer Manual" which I am slowly getting through for my certification test .

Currently reading The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer. Everyone else's reading list sounds really interesting, there should be a RJ book club ;)

Ritournelle saidRight now I'm reading "Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas Hofstadter.

I absolutely loved that book!
Once you're done, you should get a kick out of Goffman's "Frame Analysis"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erving_Goffman
The two books work beautifully together.

I just finished In The Woods by Tana French.

Next up is Beautiful Boy by David Sheff - a father's journey through his son's addiction.

A friend of mine introduced me to Terry Goodkind, author of the The Sword of Truth series, his first book I'm currently reading is Wizard's First Rule. It's addicting and at times I can't put the book down...

The_Geo saidI am a huge reader, I find that is lets me escape the world while still keeping my bearings. I am currently reading four books.

"A Brief History of Nearly Everything." I am at a coffee shop right now, so i don't know the author. Horribly fascinating! Full of odd humor and amazing facts. i recommend it to anyone.

I read this book and LOVED IT. The author is Bill Bryson. He has done alot of other books on travel as well as several on the English Language. His books on English language are funny and fascinating. He writes with the same sense of humor that he does with the Nearly Everything book.

swimbikerun said"God is not Great" by C. Hitchens

I read it a very hard read but I enjoyed it. It's not often that I have to pull open the dictionary and look up a word but this book did it for me.

anch saidGreetings to all,

Just curious to know what books other members are currently reading. This may be an odd topic for this forum but it's said, "Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body"

I myself am not a habitual reader but when I do get a good book, it’s hard not to finish it.

I'm currently reading "The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho" and would highly recommend it. It's a great book and one that I’m sure to finish. This book is a fable about following your dream. Google the name of the book and you’ll come across several reviews.

Any recommendations about a book that you may have liked or which had an impact on you?

Cheers.

History of Knowledge
The Naked God
The six Wives of Henry VIII

LESS THAN ZERO by BRETT EASTON ELLIS (author of American Psycho, Rules of Attraction)

The last books I have read were:

Northhanger Abbey by Jane Austen (yes I am a victorian kind of gal)

The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach( needed some help with being smart about my money)

The Twilight series ( I resisted for along time but finally succumbed due to peer pressure from several close friends. It was good for some bubble gum pop type reading)

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (hilarious)

Me Talk Pretty One day by David Sedaris ( on the floor laughing)

What I plan to read next :

1. On writing by Stephen King. ( he describes the writing process and from what I have been told its really good)
2. Satanic Verses by Salmun Rushdie
3. Autism : The Way I See it by Temple Grandin ( She is autistic and describes the autistic experience from one who has it. )

Beloved and God: The Story of Hadrian and Antinous by Roysten Lambert

The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation by Hans Dieter Betz

&

De Natura Deorum (On the Nature of the Gods) by Plutarch

Currently reading Out of the Past: Gay and Lesbian History from 1869 to the Present. Will soon be starting Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire and as soon as it comes in (it's on preorder right now) I will be starting Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance - Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! by Jane Austin and Seth Grahame-Smith

Almost finished with Essential: Defenders vol. 4



Well be reading The Infinity Gauntlet next



Still reading The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide. In the middle of The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe.



Maybe reading Lost on Venus next

Entre Les Murs by François Bégaudeau. It is about kids & teachers in school in the 19e Arrondissement of Paris. The movie based on this book won the Palme D'or at Cannes.

The Known World, looks really interesting. As does My Name Is Red. I'd like to pick them both up.

When Darkness Falls: The Obsidian Trilogy Book 3 by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

The Road -Cormac McCarthy and Candide by Voltaire

bjjguynyc saidEntre Les Murs by François Bégaudeau. It is about kids & teachers in school in the 19e Arrondissement of Paris. The movie based on this book won the Palme D'or at Cannes.

The Known World, looks really interesting. As does My Name Is Red. I'd like to pick them both up.

The Known World was incredibly difficult for me to actually get into. I thought it would have been much better than it actually was.

Growingbig:

Hitchhiker's Guide! Good choice! Such a phenomenal series.

Right now I'm working my way through Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov after which I'm going to be reading either Hernando de Soto's The Mystery of Capital or Irvin Yalom's When Nietzsche Wept, both of which I've read parts of but not all of. Actually, I got partway through When Nietzsche Wept on a roadtrip down to Vegas and back for a fraternity conference. My fraternity brother and I would switch off driving, and whoever was in the passenger seat would read out loud while the other drove. Hooray for Nietzsche storytime!

The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince

I'm bored already. besides that a short story, We Who Stole The Dream by James Tiptree, Jr.

Re-reading,
C.J. Cherryh's Cyteen

It is a favorite and there is so much I forgot about.

Just finished "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" and "The Richest Man in Town." Both were awesome reads...the second actually inspired me to join the Peace Corps.

Looking forward to staring 'Next' and 'The Life of Pi' as soon as the next two weeks settles school assignments and readings.

jpopenb said 2. Satanic Verses by Salmun Rushdie

A truly funny book. When you're done with it, you'll learn the REAL reason they put the hit out on Rushdie, and it had nothing to do with blasphemy.

I picked up The Three Musketeers at the library the other day. I've never read it before and I wanted something a little more fun than the heavy stuff I've been reading lately. It's actually pretty funny.

"Do You" by Russel Simmons

I’m about half way through “Cracked up to be” by Courtney Summers. I went to elementary school with her and she’s a friend of my brother’s. It’s her first novel. An easy read aimed at the teenage girl demographic, but it’s not so bad.

"Food Matters" by Mark Bittman... really making me aware of my eating habits.

Man In The High Castle by Phillip K. Dick

On jprichva's advice. Loved it. Though PKD has obviously never heard of Unit 731 when he wrote this. Now trying to grab more of his books (still looking for Ubik).

SEDATIVE IS BACK!!! YEAH!!!

Three Men in a Boat, Not to Mention the Dog - Jerome K. Jerome

The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. I don't usually go in for sci-fi but these are fun/fast reads.

DCEric saidSEDATIVE IS BACK!!! YEAH!!!

Three Men in a Boat, Not to Mention the Dog - Jerome K. Jerome

LOL. I was never away.

That said... the title of the the book... and the author's name has my interest piqued.

The Road Cormac McCarthy - Outstanding book on the love btw a boy and his father.

The Hours - Michael Cunningham


&


Capitalism and Freedom - Milton Friedman (after reading The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein)

Chronicles of the Brothers- Wendy Alec
Decline and Fall of the British Empire-Piers Brendon

A Thousand Splendid Suns...by Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner)

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.

The Ends of the Earth (a Wonder Woman graphic novel)

For me literature and comics are like oreos and a glass of cold milk. Simply irresistible.

De-con-struct-ing Superwoman
by
Monique J. LeBrocq

Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky

Both are excellent.

eb925guy saidThe Road Cormac McCarthy - Outstanding book on the love btw a boy and his father.

Agreed-was incredibly moved by it.

Going through a "read everything by the same author phase". Just finished The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perotta, and started Joe College. Also getting ready to start Watchmen, but saving it for a 4 hour plane ride to the west coast next week.

read Witness by Whittaker Chambers . . .

The Road to Serfdom - Freidrich Hayek

A very interesting look at how the lofty goals and good intentions of government and collectivist systems as well as the striving for economic equality almost inevitably leads to fascism and tyranny with decreasing quality of life and freedom for all.

bjjguynyc saidEntre Les Murs by François Bégaudeau. It is about kids & teachers in school in the 19e Arrondissement of Paris. The movie based on this book won the Palme D'or at Cannes.

'Tis the in thing right now. The 20th century French conference is going to be plagued with this movie and book.

I am reading Je bande donc je suis par Erik Rémès.
Rereading Massimila Doni for an article/conference.

Want to finish The Stone of Laughter by Hoda Barakat.

I am now reading "The Cloister Walk" by Kathleen Norris I had just finished one of her other books, "Amazing Grace" and decided to dive into her work again. It's a nice take on religion that isn't too preachy, I love it!

Flesh and Blood by Michael Cunningham (The hours). I started reading it 2 weeks ago, but couldn't get into it, but I want to finish it in time for the next meeting of the Orlando Gay Book Club.

I am reading "I Had To Say Something: The Art of Ted Haggard's Fall"- By Mike Jones. So far its a very interesting read.

The Divine Comedy by Dante

I recently finished When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris, which I enjoyed like I have several of this others (not Barrel Fever though).

I like to rotate nonfiction and fiction, so I am now currently reading The Answer Is Always Yes by Monica Ferrell. It's about this geeky loner who goes to NYU and is desperate to reinvent himself as someone cool and hip. I'm liking it, it's sort of funny, but I'm a third of the way in and not too much consequential has happened.

Next on my list is most likely Why We Suck by Dennis Leary, though I have some other options. What Happened by Scott McClellan, which is a couple months away from being irrelevant, and Nixonland by Rick Perlstein, which is probably way too long for my patience.

Mujong (The Heartless) -- Korean Lit...Amazing

BERNSTEIN BEARS!

I just finished When You are Engulfed in Flames, by David Sedaris. It's hilarious, one of the funniest book I've ever read. I highly recommend it.

Finally found Ubik by Phillip K. Dick. Still, it's in e-book form. Not terribly appealing as a medium.

Also reading Unholy Child by Catherine Breslin.

It makes me giggle on the metro and all the Spaniards give me strange looks.

I've got a reading pile - and its mounted up because if I'm on a long train trip I sometimes refuse to spend a stupid amount of money on a magazine, so I get a book! So far my pile consists of . . .

'Riding The Magic Carpet - A Surfers Guide To Finding The Perfect Wave'
by Tom Anderson

'Vivienne Westwood - An Unfashionable Life'
by Jane Mulvagh

'The Beach'
by Alex Garland

'The Long Way Round'
by Ewan McGregor & Charlie Boorman

'Black Swan Green'
by David Mitchel

'You Only Live Twice'
by Ian Fleming

So I have a book for what ever mood I'm in!! lol!!

bernd saidFlesh and Blood by Michael Cunningham (The hours). I started reading it 2 weeks ago, but couldn't get into it, but I want to finish it in time for the next meeting of the Orlando Gay Book Club.

I was looking at it the other day, but I got the Hours instead, the movie was amazing but the book is not as stellar heh.... how about F&B?

Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck. :-)

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Always have 2 or 3 going at once. Finished re-reading "The Grapes of Wrath", and am currently reading "1776". I read Ludlom or Sandford on the bus to/from work .

Adventures of Ideas by Alfred North Whitehead

Programming and technical manuals count? lol

I just finished "Da Vinci Code" I love this book, it's superb man.

I like also "the chronicles of narnia". Sounds childish but I like the substance it's biblical.

Harry Potter..this is cool.. I have complete sets of this book..

Just finished: "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy (Highly suggested).

Also just finished: "City of Glass" by Paul Auster. (Great read for anyone seeking an intelligent mystery/noir type of novel.)

Currently reading:"Brooklyn Follies" also by Paul Auster.

I read "The Road" when it came out. Totally recommend it to everyone!!!

Currently readin "Dont Start The Revolution Without Me!" by jesse Ventura, And I just got Ron Pauls book "The Revolution A Manifesto" . I guess this month I feel political.

"why we suck" by dr. dennis leary.

up next 'are you there vodka? its me chelsea' by chelsea handler

and i just finished 'the end of days'

... Slowly savouring 'The Art Of Innovation" by Tom Kelley... A gem for whomever is a tad bit inclined towards development & design...

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini Had to finish the trilogy... Dont get much time to read though

Kite Runner. I'm 40 pages in and about to get another 40 in tonight ;-D

I just finished Agent Zigzag. Currently I'm in the middle of my favorite book, The Brothers Karamazov and about to start Notes from Underground tomorrow -- anyone want to take a guess who my favorite author is? Haha.

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert.

Not for non-fans of non-fiction (and yes that was intentional), nor for those that dislike picking up a dictionary every other sentence...

jprichva said

jpopenb said 2. Satanic Verses by Salmun Rushdie

A truly funny book. When you're done with it, you'll learn the REAL reason they put the hit out on Rushdie, and it had nothing to do with blasphemy.

Just finished Freakonomics by Leavitt and dubner and plan on starting it today asap. I will let you know what I think of it once I start reading it.

stevarino7 said

It makes me giggle on the metro and all the Spaniards give me strange looks.

I recently read this book and love it.

Just finished "Inhuman Condition", Clive Barker

Now, "Middlesex", Jeffrey Eugenides. Unfortunately, this one's an Oprah book. Every now and then, she actually picks out a good book. LOL Plus, it's based in Detroit as well as Greece, lending a historical air to the plot.

SQL for Smarties. And yes, I am a nerd

Out of Egypt by Anne Rice; and Linear System Theory by Rugh

I've been rereading Peter Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy... an epic 3000+ pages! Some of the best new generation sci-fi around.

"Do You" by Russell Simmons
and "I, Lucifer" by Glen Duncan

The Geo: "It" is one of my favorite books ever! I read it first in while in high School in about '89(I know I know). The book scared the hell out me, but also reminded me so much of the great relationships I had with particular friends while growing up. King's imagination with regard to the friendships, and the childlike point of view was haunting in it's own right. "It" made me think of those friends fondly and scared the hell out of me a the same time. I think I may have to revisit the book.

I also really enjoyed the "Dark Tower" Series by King! However, with an 11yo and 8yo, I have to choose carefully when making book decisions as I have hardly any time to indulge myself!

Great topic.

The Tragedy of Today's Gays - Larry Kramar

Anything about General Patton

How To Build A Dinosaur by one of the science consultants to the team that made the Jurassic Park movies. He has obtained funding and has a lab at which they are trying to control the genetics of development in bird embryos at the stage when they still have their dinosaur traits. Ordinarily, as a bird embryo develops it goes through an early stage with scales, claws, a tail, etc and then the genes that build those parts are switched off and genes to develop birdlike characteristics get activated. This guy and his team believe they can hatch a dinosaur in the next few years and are hard at work trying!

Now: When the Lion Feeds by Wilbur Smith.

Next: The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson.

"It"

I'm currently reading.

Tao Te Ching
By: Lao Tzu
Translated by: John. C.H. Wu

Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe
By: Edgar Allan Poe

I'm planning to read these books next.

Johnny Got Hist Gun
By: Dalton Trumbo

and

Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster
By: Svetlana Alexievich
Translated by: Keith Gessen

Child 44 by Tim Rob Smith. It's the best novel I've read in 10 years. It was on the New York Times bestseller list, apparently, so maybe you've all read it already. We don't get the New York Times up here in Canada though, so I didn't know about it :-)

Elegy
by Mary Jo Bang

"The Lost City of Z" by David Graham. Moral of the story -- going off into the Amazon Jungle is a very, very bad idea.

Also, "The Flowers of Evil", poetry by Charles Baudelaire.

I'm reading Marley & Me, by John Grogan

I'm reading Marley & Me, by John Grogan

As recommended by MikeOnMain here: How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster.

It's a fun read, and really helping me understand fiction. I don't tend to read fiction, but this gives me a framework to read it. Thanks Mike!

I'm glad you're enjoying it.

I'm reading The Fossil Trail: How We Know What We Think We Know About Human Evolution by Ian Tattersall.

Books Read Since 1-1-09
* means I recommend
*Choke
*Percy Jackson Books 1 - 5
*Blue Nowhere
*Monster Island
Monster Nation
Monster Planet
*Obedience
Super in the City
*Bitten
*I Am Not Myself These Days - memoirs of an alcoholic drag queen
Currently reading Stolen, book two after Bitten, great werewolf book

'The Dominant Animal' Ehrlich and Ehrlich

"Field Guide to Trees of North America" National Wildlife Federation

Right now I'm reading mostly for my Master's in Museum Studies degree, which includes a roughly 1000 page study guide and then various papers from about 6 different books. This is all for the 1st module of 4 for the postgraduate degree before I write my dissertation.

The reading material deals with museum issues and ranges from archaeology, sociology, art history, anthropology, ethnology, natural science, philosophy, administration, marketing-you name it-it's extremely interdisciplinary, so it can be fascinating yet sometimes a little dry and unrelated to my own discipline (fine arts) but I have yet to be bored with any of it.

Before all this started the last book I read was Survivor by Chuck Pahlaniuk.

"Rememberance of Things Past", Marcel Proust.

Switching back and forth between Atlas Shrugged and A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Finishing Atlas Shrugged is my goal for the summer, but I know I'll go through a few quicker reads before that happens.

Defenders of the Faith: Charles V, Suleyman the Magnificent, and the Battle for Europe 1520-1536 by James Reston, Jr.

Royal Panoply: Brief Lives of the English Monarchs by Carolly Erickson

League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century: 1910 by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill

I'm reading and re-reading the book I'm writing.

It's amazing how many typos creep in. Ugh.

jprichva: oh, you have no idea how many nightmares you'll have about those typos. Even after you've read and proofed a dozen times, you'll still find one. Hell, I find them in books published by the major publishers. A typo's sole reason for being is to drive writers mad in the middle of the night.

I'm reading Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. Part of my effort to read some of the classics I've missed. It's a long list. Next up: The Pearl, by John Steinbeck. Way, way down the list is Ulysses, by James Joyce.

Joyce scares the crap out of me, but I have to face him sooner or later.

i read salman rushdie's "the enchantress of florence"

this book is filled with magic realism. not as great as his "midnight's children" though...

osgar

makeumyne said"The Satanic Verses"

it's ok, I think it'd help if I was more educated about Islam.

It's probably not so bad that I'd go kill someone about it though.

i agree--"the satanic verses" was not that great. in fact i found the sections that the conservative islamists found so objectionable quite tame. but i am not a person who follows islam, so i would not know.

I found The Satanic Verses to be wickedly funny.

And you're right, the "offenses against Islam" were tame. They are also not the reason that Rushdie got that fatwa put out on him by the Ayatollah.

When you read the book, you'll find out the real reason. And scream with laughter.

[


Although the book is getting dated (published 2003), I still find it to be very useful .

Just started - Why The Universe Is The Way It Is

Just finished Ender's Game and Speaker of the Dead by Orson Scott Card in a marathon 48 hours with very little sleep.

Now halfway through Xenocide.

The series is a amazing. Yet I despise the author. I can't reconcile the two. In Ender's Game, the author has one of the characters (Valentine) pretend to be a really vile demagogue using the anonymity of the internet in order to maintain control over the 'ignorant' population when in truth she actually believed more in the opposite of what she was espousing.

I actually have this theory that Card is doing the same thing now. Pretending to be something he is not. A 'Demosthenes'.

Because if that isn't the case... the only explanation is that Card is really more idiotic than I thought. His books tell me that the author is intelligent, and very much tolerant, aware of the hypocrisy and the need of religions (not just one), understands human nature, and knows his science. And yet the real life person leads DOMA, is an anti-gay marriage Mormon, encourages terrorism, and promotes xenophobia - the exact opposite of what he sounds like in his books.

Sounds fishy to me.

But if he IS actually what he sounds like in real life. Then he's really just much more devious.

Last week I was stuck at home with the flu so I had time to finish three books:

How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman. Looks at medical errors, the majority of which are caused by cognitive errors by doctors, not a lack of technical knowledge or skill.

A Saint on Death Row - The Story of Dominique Green I am a staunch opponent of the death penalty and from the account given in the book, there certainly seems to be reasonable doubt that Green committed murder. The book also gives an admittedly one-side but pretty accurate description of Texas's attempts to build a system to railroad through as many executions as possible. In the final analysis I have no doubt that Dominique Green was a reformed man when they killed him - and may have even been innocent of the crime for which he was killed. But I think it a stretch to describe him as a saint.

I am a mentor to a man on death row in Florida and this book also left me reflecting on the number of condemned men I have seen truly changed by their time on death row. These people seem fundamentally changed in a way that other inmates are rarely transformed. It seems to me a cruel irony that the most effective motivator for change I have seen is condemnation and that we then execute people who rarely now represent a threat and could likely be productive citizens.

I also read (twice) Composting, which was a gift from my #1 favorite RJ guy. It's amazing to see how much less stuff goes out in the trash now that most non-meat food scraps, paper and cardboard are being turned into soil.

I'm typing this from the library so I guess I'd better go find something else to read. Maybe something by Orhan Pamuk or This Republic of Suffering by Drew Gilpin Faust.

1491 by Charles C. Mann. Very cool book if any of you guys are interested in history or Native American cultures.

Reading "A Game of Thrones" upon another RJers recommendation in a forum post.

Just finished in the last two weeks:
Grisham - Runaway Jury
Sedaris - Dress my family in courdouroy and denim

Just picked up at the Library:
Grisham - The Last Juror
Heinlein - Have Space Suit, will Travel

I am about half way through "My Own Country" by Abraham Verghese.

It is about a doctor in eastern Tennessee and the town's first encounters with HIV/AIDS patients. It's really well written...I highly recommend it.

Jules Verne, I know lame huh?

The Four agreements by Don Migual Ruis
The Power of Now and A New Earth by Eckart Tolle
Anything by David Sedaris
pThe Yoga Sutras, Swami Satchinanda
Eat Pray Love
Wuthering heights..a classic

Doris Lessing's "The Golden Notebook"
Very European in style (like Stendhal's description of life in France). Doris describes life in England.

Just finished reading Iain M. Banks' Feersum Endjinn

And I friggin loved every little bit of it. A must-read for cyberpunk and SF fans.

I just finished this:

And now I'm into this:

Ghost Map

I just started Brent Week's Beyond the Shadows, the last book in the Night Angel Trilogy. If you enjoy fantasy, this guy will have you reading 'til the sun comes up.

Relic by Douglas Preston and Linclon Child

a1972guy saidDrown by Junot Diaz

and

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano

Nice!
I loooooved The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Diaz, and I liked the short stories of Putas asesinas by Bolaño (don't know the title in English)

I'm reading The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann. Sometimes I'm not sure I like it, sometimes it's really disturbing, sometimes is amusing...
Very intense, that's for sure.

Once I'm done, I want to reread The Golem, by Gustav Meyrink. If you like horror-Gothic-fantastic lit, it's a great classic!

I am reading your profile...What are you wearing?

Jackal69 saidThe Wings of the Dove by Henry James

And five other more, honey...

I tend to read books in orgies, then abstain for a week or two. Reading and evaluating information (which I enjoy tremendously) is a large part of my employment, so I find I don't have as strong a motive towards pleasure reading in the last few years. In 2008 it seemed I read a dozen really excellent titles, but in 2009 I haven't had time to wander the bookstores and stumble on anything powerful.

I'm currently in a foursome:
Bottomless Belly Button
The Art of Subtext This is excellent. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in wordcraft.
NAUI SCUBA Diver
And, on the (questionable) recommendation of a friend, the first and second book in the Twilight series. I'm halfway through New Moon -- the story is decent, but the 1st person narrator character's emotional descriptions are a little too stock YA/Romance to be compelling beyond summer lawn/beach chair reading. I didn't know anything about it, so I thought it was going to be a more complex modern fairy tale. The BBB graphic novel above is actually more interesting and affecting.

marsupial said I'm reading The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann. Sometimes I'm not sure I like it, sometimes it's really disturbing,

If you're not sure you like it try reading it in German, if you've got about a month. Then you'll be sure you don't like it.
I had much better luck with Tod in Venedig. At least it's shorter.

I'm rereading an old favorite:
American Gods
by Neil Gaiman

i just got, the alchemyst by michael scott. haven't opened it yet, but i bought it because of good recommendations. After this series, i guess i'l pick up twilight. I just saw the movie and it peeked my interest long enough for me to finally pull the book out of my trunk after god knows how long.

Other than that these mormons keep dropping by leaving me scriptures to read or reading them to me and discuss the almighty, but since i'm not really reading the entire thing i guess that doesn't count. *shrug*

HotToddy saidI'm rereading an old favorite:
American Gods
by Neil Gaiman

Love that book.
Have you read his Good Omens collaboration with Terry Pratchett? It's definitely worth the time.

The Brief Wonderful Life of Oscar Wao

Reading The Devil Wears Prada for my book club this month, but reading the book is making me want to watc the movie, which was so much better than the book in soooo many ways, skip the book and watch the movie on this one.

Maurice, by EM Forster

The Race by Richard North Patterson

"Rose Madder" By Stephen King. Re-reading it actually for the hundredth time. lol

YogaScott saidThe Four agreements by Don Migual Ruis
The Power of Now and A New Earth by Eckart Tolle
Anything by David Sedaris
pThe Yoga Sutras, Swami Satchinanda
Eat Pray Love
Wuthering heights..a classic

Im trying to get my hands on "The Four Agreements" actually. Also looking to get "The Shack".

Epiphany1882 said

YogaScott saidThe Four agreements by Don Migual Ruis
The Power of Now and A New Earth by Eckart Tolle
Anything by David Sedaris
pThe Yoga Sutras, Swami Satchinanda
Eat Pray Love
Wuthering heights..a classic

Im trying to get my hands on "The Four Agreements" actually. Also looking to get "The Shack".

The Shack, certainly provided food for thought.

Of course some quarters see it as being heretical

i have a stack of books beside my pillow:

Twilight-which is about to get chucked, I hate it!

Rides a Dread Legion by Raymond E Feist, which i am ubber excited to read

and

Powerboat handling course guide books

oh and Sepulchre by Kate Mosse, which was handed to me and may not get read.

I'm currently not reading anything, but I will be reading: Genki 1: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese 1

Once I get the funds necessary to purchase it.

If anyone has any tips on learning the language, not earning the cash, feel free to offer them.

...I also have to read up on programing.

Sean85 saidI rarely find a book I enjoy and get into so since Harry Potters wraped up and dunzo it's been hard finding something to get into.

I picked up this book on Friday called "Hero" by Perry Moore.. It's about a basketball jock gone superhero who happens to be gay, and all the struggles and blah, blah blah... so that's what i'm reading now.

I read one Harry Potter book and that was more than enough. I felt so uncomfortable reading it.

anch saidI'm currently reading "The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho" and would highly recommend it. It's a great book and one that I’m sure to finish. This book is a fable about following your dream.

More than a year old post but... I read this book for my english class, it was very entertaining, and I would recommend it to every that loves magical realism, and/or is a strong believer of fate. ugh.

We Two - Victoria and Albert, Rulers, Partners, Rivals - a superb biography that reassesses Prince Albert's role as Queen Victoria's consort and which details beautifully the influence that the Saxe-Coburg "breeding program" had on Europe's royal families in the lead up to World War One.

I'm reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. Totally awesome. It combines my prissy gay side and nerdy boyish side so perfectly.

"The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown

To the Bitter End by Hans Bernd Gisevius

A set of Time Life books on the Vietnam War.

De beproeving van Obelix

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_beproeving_van_Obelix

A game of thrones, George R. Martin.

Assassination Vacation- Sarah Vowell

ks_dusty saidLet's Roll is a great book, written after the Sept. 11 bombing. I found a copy on ebay.

Sept 11 bombing? Is it fiction?

Mighty_Q said

"The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown

Same here.

the left bank (:

Currently reading Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution by Simon Schama.

A recent read that really affected me was The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. I could see a lot of myself in the character of Newland Archer who is torn between forbidden love and doing what society expects of him.

Rereading Henry Dumas' Goodbye Sweetwater and Moby-Dick. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Call me by your name By Andre Aciman is still a favorite. Started but have not yet finished Snow by Orhan Pamuk.

I HIGHLY recommend Sherry Wolf's Sexuality and Socialism: History, Politics, and Theory of LGBT Liberation
available here:
http://www.haymarketbooks.org/product_info.php?products_id=1774

on back book cover:
"Sexuality and Socialism is a remarkably accessible analysis of many of the most challenging questions for those concerned with full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

Inside are essays on the roots of LGBT oppression, the construction of sexual and gender identities, the history of the gay movement, and how to unite the oppressed and exploited to win sexual liberation for all. Sherry Wolf analyzes different theories about oppression—including those of Marxism, postmodernism, identity politics, and queer theory—and challenges myths about genes, gender, and sexuality."

Theological-Political Treatise - Spinoza
Persian Letters - Montesquieu
Discourse on Metaphysics/ Monadology - Leibniz
History of Sexuality Vol. 1 - Foucault

The Associate - John Grisham
Excuses Begone - Wayne Dyer
Bodybuilding Anatomy - Nick Evans
The Reader - Bernard Schlink

Prey - Michael Crichton

It was fantastic, finished it in a few hours.

I'm embarrassed to say that I have not really read much since school. I'm usually too exhausted. Thus, I'm a little proud of myself.

The original 1892 copy of "Pianoforte Music"- I think it's by Presser

Oh man,I love to read.I cant stand the type that say reading is boring.
Currently i'm finishing The Kite Runner and after that I want to re-read The Catcher In The Rye.I would have to say that book changed my life.
A book i've been reading on the side is one about Tae Kwon Do.It's pretty good.(I'm too lazy to get the book and tell you all the title )

Plato and Aristotle -- Eric Voegelin

Just finished reading "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell" by Tucker Max and I've gotta say it's a pretty hilarious book! Some of the things in it are ridiculous, but I've never had a book make me laugh out loud before. Lol You guys gotta definitely pick it up and read it! You won't be dissapointed.

Currently reading:
After the Ice: A Global Human History 20,000 - 5000 BC by Steven Mithen, a fascinating history of prehistory.

next in the queue:
Bad Science by Ben Goldacre - about the misuse of science by the media, alternative therapists and everyone else.

Cvs for Dummies

What colour if your parachute

Just finished "Year of the Flood" by Margaret Atwood and getting ready to dive into "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides again

Just bought "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown. Should be good.

hi

Well, since you asked, , I'm reading a few at the same time. I think its good for a reader to do that and it certainly gives me a break from genre's and sometimes I anticipate going back to the book I was reading two days prior, like waiting for the next in a series of Potter books or the like.

I am almost done with 'The Lovely Bones', because Peter Jackson is doing a movie of it, and it's really that good, by Alice Sebold. Also Ayn Rand's 'Anthem', which is like a Orwellian type fictional story, and Vonnegut's 'SlaughterHouse Five'. I also have a non-fiction which I couldn't put down last night, called 'Piercing the Reich: The Pentetration of Nazi Germany by American Secret Agents during World War 2' by Joseph E. Persico. I am the only member of my family that never went into the military, but I think its ignorant not knowing what happened during that period. I usually stay far away from those ultra Patriot type books by Conservatives or any of that stuff written by acerebral minds, like Beck or Palin or the like. Love historical non-fiction though, Michael Beschloss is genius.

In my car sits 'The Great Gatsby', rereading for the fifth time, just can't get why F. Scott was considered so talented, because it really isn't that great..

Def check out Lovely Bones....

bye now...

On the recommendation of a friend, I've read a couple of books on happiness. Both were quite eye-opening, and although they don't really offer any concrete advice on how to be happier, they helped me look at things from a completely different perspective.

They are Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert and Sway. Read them in that order. The first provides the science on why we are not happy. The second is actually about how to avoid making bad decisions, but it covers a lot of the same ground and is more anecdotal. Also, Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell fits in nicely to the mix.

Also, I've read:

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Basically, it's 95% Jane Austen, but to see how the zombies (and ninjas) were injected into the story is often laugh-out-loud funny.

The Family: the Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. Very scary reading.

Finally for some fun, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and The Strain by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo Del Toro.

Ok, that's all for now. Happy reading!!

livelovelearn said
In my car sits 'The Great Gatsby', rereading for the fifth time, just can't get why F. Scott was considered so talented, because it really isn't that great.

The Great Gatsby doesn't wear well, I agree. It's too much of its period. But if you read some of Fitzgerald's short stories, I think you'll see why he is considered a great writer.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer


I want to have New Moon finished before the movie comes out. So far Twilight is a really quick read, I'm already one like page 200.

I'm reading "The Associate" by John Grisham.

jprichva said

livelovelearn said
In my car sits 'The Great Gatsby', rereading for the fifth time, just can't get why F. Scott was considered so talented, because it really isn't that great.

The Great Gatsby doesn't wear well, I agree. It's too much of its period. But if you read some of Fitzgerald's short stories, I think you'll see why he is considered a great writer.

Yes I've read them all, I can see why people consider him a brilliant writer, but then again they say that about Salinger, and that's adolescent, IMHO.

I am working my way through the Charlaine Harris books.

I have already read all of the Sookie Stackhouse books.

Currently reading Grave Secret (Harper Connelly book) & her Lily Bard Books

Bad Dirt by Annie Proulx..Very enjoyable so far :-)

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (won a Pulitzer for this one) --mentions many places in the West where I've been. Love his writing style and diction but just left the book on the night train coming back from France Big Rock Candy Mountain is another of his works I've enjoyed. It can be depressing but describes the tragedy that can befall the ambition of "making it big" well. Couldn't help but empathize...learned a lot about appreciating what i have.

reading’s of great importance to us，i have several book，but they are written in chinese，what a pity

reading’s of great importance to us，i have several book，but they are written in chinese，what a pity

Beloved by Toni Morrison (again)
Dune - Frank Herbert

Academ's Fury - Jim Butcher
Hecate's Glory - Karen Michalson

Textbooks-

Human Anatomy & Physiology
Trail Guide to the Body
Swedish Massage Manual
The Complete Guide to Shiatsu
Subtle Energy

Also, when not studying:

The Boys by Garth Ennis Vol. 1-4 (awesome books)

I picked this one up on Halloween, for some totally creepy, but light reading. It's a graphic novel; totally dark subject matter though....it's a memoir of teen from a dysfunctional family who wakes up forever changed from surgery to remove "a growth" from his neck...

http://stitches.davidsmallbooks.com/

kneedraggen said[


Although the book is getting dated (published 2003), I still find it to be very useful .

Have you read World War Z yet?

A must read!!!

The Wild Things by Dave Eggers - I know it's a kids book but I've never read it before and I want to see the movie. Lol

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

and re-reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Well just started with The Class by Erich Segal. So far its really good.
Have read Love Story, Oliver's Story and Acts of Faith by Erich Segal and haighly recommennd Love Story and Acts of Faith. Wonderful wonderful books.

I'm in the middle of



and




Just got this one for my b-day---can't wait to start it:

La ansiedad

a novel by the Argentinian Daniel Link, which is the relationship of two men via chats, emails, and msn. Well worth reading, but don´t think it´s been translated.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yWKInczNbz8C&dq=daniel+link+la+ansiedad&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=TTTb8FAJDo&sig=mPbqpNDN-D6mSWteD-cbcJE3_Ow&hl=en&ei=uOP5SqqlM9uNjAfAqo2JDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Nothing quite as highbrow as the dude on top of me, is "It's Not Mean If It's True..More Trials From My Queer Life" by Michael Thomas Ford. On nightstand, light fare before lights out...humorous, sometimes touching, recommend.

For something more substantial:
THE SHELTERING SKY--Paul Bowles
THE HOURS--Michael Cunningham

bigmusclepete saidNothing quite as highbrow as the dude on top of me, is "It's Not Mean If It's True..More Trials From My Queer Life" by Michael Thomas Ford. On nightstand, light fare before lights out...humorous, sometimes touching, recommend.

Well, I could say that I'm reading the pattern of steroid-induced pimples on bigmusclepete's back, but that would be really childish and make him think that I RESENTED it when he told me I was so FUCKING OLD so of course I shall swallow my HURT FEELINGS and not say anything about his pimply back except that I am DYING to play "CONNECT THE DOTS" with a black felt-tip marker.

Or, I'd say those things if I didn't have such elegant manners.

I NEVER said "Fucking old"....You know better than that, Jeff, I said "horribly old". At your age, I don't think "Fucking" is an option...

Made in America- By Matt Hughes.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. Story about a metrosexual NYC stockbroker with a lot on his mind. Seemed like a really nice guy except for the chain-saw part...

Finishing up This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper. Excellent, laugh out loud funny, honest too.

Battle, A visual journey through 5000 years of combat, by R.G. Grant.

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

I'm reading two books at the moment; which I'm enjoying both.

Plate Quemada de Ricardo Piglia
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Some books I have read recently and recommend:

One Hundred Years of Solitud by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (my favorite book)

The Tattoo by Chris McKinney

El Principito de Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Currently on Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo-love his stuff. Empire Falls is one of my favs also.

I am not a multiple books at one time kinda guy, so I'm looking forward to next:

Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters
Last Night in Twisted River-John Irving (my favorite author)

I have to finish one to go on to the next, even if it sucks. Doggedly stubborn in that respect.

Just finishing In Cold Blood and about to start Twilight. Yah. My tastes are varied.

Tom Cain's "The Accident Man"

http://www.amazon.com/Accident-Man-Novel-Tom-Cain/dp/067001849X

I am reading A NEW EARTH by Ekhart Tolle it's really heavy going but l am getting there!

Came across a curious little author named S.M. Stirling I have become entranced by his sci-fi writing. First book of his I read was "Dies The Fire."
Since then I have bought every book he has published and I am enjoying them greatly.
Cheers,
Keith

Currently reading 'Law & Ethics for Medical Careers' and a few other books for school. So not really any time to read other stuff. But other than that I read my comic books. Which are too numerous to list. But put out by such companies as DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, Top Cow, and Avatar.

I read 'Watchmen' and really enjoyed that one.

I bought the collection 'The Golden Compass' but never read them but one of my friends did and she wants to borrow them again. She absolutely love them. I do want to get and read the Dresden Files.

Right now I'm reading the last book of Stephen King's Gunslinger Series called The Dark Tower. There are seven books total and I feel like the journey's ending. Really great books.

bbop saidRight now I'm reading the last book of Stephen King's Gunslinger Series called The Dark Tower. There are seven books total and I feel like the journey's ending. Really great books.

Hope you aren't too dissapointed with the last book. I was. King wanted to end that series quickly, and it shows by how it all ends.

I read a lot, and I've been trying to read more widely. Currently I'm reading Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin (a wonderful writer, with excellent control of his elements of story you don't even notice). This is the third book in his Game of Thrones storyline.

I just finished a book Homosexuality and Civilization by Louis Crompton, very excellent history of gay people from 400 BCE to today (though he skips a lot from 1820s to 2003).

I have another 70 odd books to go on my list, and I plan to read through them all (well as much as I can).

mplsmike said

bbop saidRight now I'm reading the last book of Stephen King's Gunslinger Series called The Dark Tower. There are seven books total and I feel like the journey's ending. Really great books.

Hope you aren't too dissapointed with the last book. I was. King wanted to end that series quickly, and it shows by how it all ends.

Of course! Damn it. That's Ka lol