Whatcha readin' lately?

[Heidi]

I was in Lugano yesterday and picked up a few new books:

- The Word and The Bomb by Hanif Kureishi (for Call Me Wesley)
- Der Dalai Lama, Die Biographie, by Gilles van Grasdorff (also for CMW)
- Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami for me :bounce:

I'm about 100 pages into Kafka on the Shore and I _love_ it. :thumbsup:

So what are other DUers reading now? :hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. At the moment, my dear Heidi......

I am reading my own writing.......

I am writing a poem.......and it has most of my attention...

It isn't very good yet.....*sigh*

I haven't given up, though......

:hug:

[Heidi]

3. Don't _ever_ give up, gf.

:hug: :loveya:

[4morewars]

67. You go CP !!

Throw them words around !

[4morewars]

68. self delete

I posted in the wrong spot ! D'oh !

[MissHoneychurch]

2. I read a another book by Murakami

It was good but strange.

Right now I read "Trail of tears. The rise and fall of the Cherokee Nation" by John Ehle.

Before that I finished the new book by James Patterson "Judge and Jury".

[Heidi]

4. I've heard about the Ehle book,

and have considered ordering it. (What I've heard is that Ehle's potrayal of the Cherokee people is inaccurate.) What do you think of the book so far?

[MissHoneychurch]

5. I just started this morning

so I can't really say yet. Thanks for letting me know that it might be inaccurate.

[Robeson]

8. Murakami...

...Hey MissHoneychurch! Have you read the "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" from Murakami? It's like a good movie. It's one of those books you want to read again, to pick up on things you may have missed the first time...:hi:

[Kutjara]

11. That's a great book and definitely...

...rewards multiple readings. I also love "Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World."

[MissHoneychurch]

12. That is the one I read

and I am absolutely sure I missed a lot when I read it. But he still fascinated me enough that I am thinking about reading another book by him.

:hi:

[billyskank]

6. *smooch*

:*

:hug:


(I'm not reading anything right now).

[Heidi]

7. You're readin' my mind!

:*

:hug:

[Omphaloskepsis]

9. I'm re-reading Hayduke Lives! by Edward Abbey..

I'm reading it again. Last time was 10+ years ago.

Interesting article about the book and airport security..
http://www.citypaper.net/articles/101801/news.godfrey.shtml

Sad.. A nation of wimps.

[Heidi]

10. Hey, that might be one

that I could order from RetroLounge's new online bookstore. I understand that he's working on making international shipments available. Thanks for the recommendation, my friend. :hi:

[Omphaloskepsis]

13. It is a sequel...

The first book is The Monkey Wrench Gang.. I love them both.

The Monkey Wrench Gang is a novel written by American author Edward Abbey (1927-1989), published in 1975.

The novel concerns the use of sabotage to protest environmentally damaging activities in the American Southwest, and was so influential that the term "monkeywrench" has come to mean, besides sabotage and damage to machines, any violence, sabotage, activism, law-making, or law-breaking to preserve wilderness, wild spaces and ecosystems.

From Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monkey_Wrench_Gang


I would recommend them.. A easy fun read.

[Heidi]

15. Reminds me of the Kurt Vonnegut short story,

"Welcome to the Monkey House," one of my favorite short stories _ever_. Have you read it?

[Omphaloskepsis]

18. I have read it..

My copy of Welcome to the Monkey House is a collection of short stories. I don't recall that particular story. The only two I remember are about handicapping people with weights and forced euthanasia for the elderly.

I should check Wikipedia for a synopsis.

[Heidi]

21. Forced euthanasia was one of the themes of this short story,

as was mandatory birth control. If there wasn't a plumber upstairs replacing a toilet right now, I'd run upstairs and get my collection of short stories to provide you with more details about this particular gem. It's one of the most concisely prescient predictions of how we're living now that I've ever read.

[Omphaloskepsis]

28. I will dig out my copy in the morning..

I need sleep. I spent most of the day at the vet. I had to have my Guinea pig put to sleep.. A sad day around the household.

[Heidi]

29. Well,

sh!t. I'm sorry to hear your Guinea pig has crossed the rainbow bridge. :(

Sweet dreams, Omphaloskepsis. :hug:

[JitterbugPerfume]

64. Ohhhhhhh! I gotta read that!

I loved "the Monkey Wrench Gang" if memory serves , it was recommended to me by our dear sweet Kef , long ago

[ghostsofgiants]

14. Aside from school-related shit...

When I have the spare time, I've been occasionally looking at "Rock and the Pop Narcotic" by Joe Carducci, "Our Band Could Be Your Life" by Michael Azerrad, and "Feature Filmmaking at Used Car Prices" by Rick Schmidt.

[Heidi]

19. A couple of good books on filmmaking:

We have "Shrader on Shrader," which I found fascinating, given his Calvinist upbringing, but you might also enjoy "Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer," by Schrader. :thumbsup:

http://www.amazon.com/Transcendental-Style-Film-Bresson-Paperback/dp/0306803356/sr=1-2/qid=1159430711/ref=sr_1_2/002-2967035-2069646?ie=UTF8&s=books

[ghostsofgiants]

20. Neat, thanks!

[tigereye]

54. nice choices Primate!

I have a few of those - not the film-making one, though.

Our Band COuld Be Your Life is like reading about my college and post college years....

[ghostsofgiants]

92. I'm really enjoying the filmmaking one.

it outlines the filmmaking process and tells you how to do it really cheaply, haha. Useful information for aspiring filmmakers, haha.

I'm also planning to pick up "Please Kill Me" by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain when I can. I've taken to reading about music quite a bit lately.

[Nicole]

16. The Memory Keeper's Daughter

by Kim Edwards. I just started it so no opinion yet.

I just finished reading:
Foreign and Female (Immigrant Women in America 1840-1930) by Doris Weatherford.
It left me wanting to read part two covering 1931-2005 but alas it doesn't exist.
I did however find:
American Women and World War II (History of Women in America) by the same author & I have ordered it.

[Heidi]

23. Hi, Nicole!

If you're interested in a woman's perspective on immigration and its connection to US policy, particularly in the past 20 years, google this name: Dr. Lourdes Gouveia. She's Director of the Office of Latino & Latin American Studies at the University of Omaha, and has authored and co-authored several books and studies on immigrant populations in the Midwest. :hi:

[Nicole]

30. Hi Heidi!

Thanks, I will definitely look for some of her work.

Speaking of reading, it's bedtime book time here. :hi:

[Heidi]

31. Sweet dreams, gf.

:hug:

[fizzgig]

17. i'm making my way through amber again

i love this series

[Heidi]

24. Hi, kagehime!

Is that science fiction or fantasy fiction? Beautiful cover. :thumbsup:

[fizzgig]

26. hi heidi

sci fi/fantasy

it has provided the best metaphor for my life and it is so worth the read

[Heidi]

27. I'll look for it on your recommendation.

Love your sigline, by the way. Truer words were never spoken. :thumbsup:

[billyskank]

33. Hi kagehime!

:hug:

[tigereye]

60. we read all the Amber series to my son!

they were fascinating and fun.

[haf216]

90. OMG

I have never met anyone who has read that series. I love it. I'm so glad that are other people in the world who have found Zelazny. I have read most of his stuff. I usually not into short stories, but I love his. I may have to pull out my copies and reread the series, haven't done so in couple of years.

[Wetzelbill]

22. both "Nickel And Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich and

"No Country For Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy.

[Heidi]

25. Oooooooooooooooooh, I've been dying to read

"Nickel and Dimed"! Thanks for the reminder to put it on my list, Bill. :hug:

Here's one I bet you'd enjoy: "Toxic Sludge is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry"
by John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton

http://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Sludge-Good-You-Relations/dp/1567510604

[Wetzelbill]

32. oh yeah "Nickel and Dimed"

is fantastic. She is a wonderful writer, it's easy to read because of her style. I think a lesser writer could have made it a tedious project. It's amazing that Ehrenreich was able to go and immerse herself into work like that. She basically travels to different cities and works as a low wage worker, fascinating and amazing stuff. Very feminist oriented work too. Important to understanding a woman's role in the low-wage workforce.

[REP]

34. Volume 3 of Holroyd's Shaw Biography

If only there were a group as brilliant as Shaw and his friends (such as the Webbs) around today.

[Heidi]

36. I just checked at amazon.

There also are two more volumes after Vol. III, right? Do you recommend reading all of them? Of the three you've read, is one better or more interesting than the others? :hi:

[REP]

134. There Are Three Volumes

I recommend reading them all; they're all fascinating. The third volume is understandably less action-packed; Shaw lived to be 94 and this volume covers his life from ages 63 to 94, when he was older, sick, and losing his lifelong friends to death and in some ways, losing his convictions. Even though this is a 'warts and all' biography, the author is at least as much a fan of Shaw as I am, and though his wrong calls are not diminshed or whitewashed, the reasoning behind some of them is explored if possible, and the basic decency and kindness of this very strange man is apparent, no matter what boneheaded (or brilliant) thing he did or said.

If only one can be read, Vol 1 for those who know Shaw's work; Vol 2 for those who don't.

I knew quite a bit about Shaw before, but until reading this biography, I had no idea that Shaw had so many cars, and enjoyed driving them badly!

[terrya]

35. Several books:

A couple of weeks ago I finished a biography of journalist I.F. Stone called "All Goverments Lie" The Life and Times of Rebel Journalist I.F. Stone by Myra MacPherson

I just now finished this excellent, most readable novel "A Spot of Bother" by Mark Haddon

And now I'm reading "The Way We Live Now" by Anthony Trollope.

[Heidi]

37. Hi, my friend!

:hug:

Adding "All Governments Lie" to my list. :thumbsup:

[terrya]

38. Hi, my friend!

You will enjoy it. :-)

:hug:

[Crazy Dave]

39. Oh....real exciting stuff

"Airflow In DuctS" by Leo A. Meyer :rofl:

Seriously, it's a great book if you are new to HVAC systems.

And a good morning to you from Florida USA Heidi:hi:

[SoCalDem]

40. I envy you readers..

I see so many books I would like to buy (I do buy them and give them to my son), but my stinko vision makes reading no fun at all anymore..

I know they make some in big print, but it's a hassle to not be able to just browse and get waht sparks your fancy..

[Poll_Blind]

41. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn & Autobiography of Fredrick Douglass

Happened on both by chance. Good stuff, so far anyway, couple chapters into both.

PB

[ScreamingMeemie]

42. "The Whitehouse Handbook" by the webmaster at

whitehouse.org.

And "Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman". :hi:

[BarenakedLady]

43. A Confederacy of Dunces

I had never read it before, but heard it was good. I'm digging it so far.

[Heidi]

44. Definitely on my list.

Have you read "The Neon Bible"? :hi: barenekkidlady! ( ;) )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Neon_Bible

[BarenakedLady]

46. Not yet

Maybe next!

[JitterbugPerfume]

69. A Confederacy of Dunces

is simply the funniest book I have ever read

[Heidi]

85. On that recommendation,

I'll buy it tonight. Thank heavens for www.buch.ch ! :hi:

And :hug: for all you're doing to honor the memory our mutual friend, Ed. :*

[REP]

135. I Make A Point To Read It Once A Year

A wonderful book, and everytime I read it, I want to go yell at John Toole for killing himself. How dare he deprive me of more of his writing? I hope he can somehow know how much joy his book has brought so many people. 12" of Paradise, indeed!

[deadparrot]

45. . . .

The Life of Andrew Jackson, Robert Remini
The Craft of Political Research, W. Philips Shively
Empirical Political Analysis

I don't get much time to read for pleasure during the semester. :)

[Heidi]

47. Are you

a political science major or teacher? :hi:

[deadparrot]

48. A major...

In the middle of what is possibly the most overanalytical, dry, dull course ever created in political science. :)

[Heidi]

49. Ahhh, I see.

That was one of my majors, though mine was geared more toward theory. :hi:

[deadparrot]

51. I love the theory part as well...

Unfortunately, this class is one of the requirements. Oh well...it'll all be over by December. :hi:

[Name removed]

50. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[seemunkee]

52. The Ice Master: The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk

simultaneously reading The Hopes of Snakes: and Other Tales from the Urban Landscape.

[tigereye]

53. I just finished Mark Haddon's

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. It was wonderful! Next on my book group list is White Teeth by Zadie Smith, which I started when it came out and didn't finish. The book group is wonderful incentive to finish stuff!

I am in the process of reading some sci-fi, finishing Birds Without Wings and a new Rei Shimura mystery. (by Sujata Massey)

[Heidi]

56. Oh, I need to visit the DU Book Group.

I'd sort of forgotten about it. :blush:

Hi, tigereye! :hug:

[tigereye]

59. Hi Heidi!

you have cool taste in books! I really like Hanif Kureshi....

no, I was talking about my IRL book group. I haven't been to the DU one, either. Mine is me and a bunch of Lit PHDs... moms from my son's school.

[Heidi]

62. Oooooo, I see.

I'd love to be able to find a book club here. There _are_ book clubs, but they all want to sit around talking about German- and Italian-language books. The nerve of 'em. :P

[terrya]

116. If you get a chance, read Mark Haddon's new book.

"A Spot of Bother". Trust me, it's wonderful. :-)

:hi:

[Katina]

55. silly stuff...beach reading

I don't want to let the summer go...
right now, I'm reading Chill of Fear by Kay Hooper, and I just finished both Hard Truth, by Nevada Barr & Born to be Wild by Catherine Coulter...all three are totall beach fodder..but it was what I needed at this time. B-)

[Heidi]

57. My reading tastes vary by season, too.

In the winter, I read heavier fare, and tons of art books. :hi:

[Katina]

66. I read Kafka on the Shore a while back

The prose & imagery was brilliant..one day, I have to go to Japan.

[Liberalynn]

121. I love Kay Hooper's stuff and

my sister is a big Catherine Coulter fan. I've never read Nevada Barr but I've read a few articles about her. I think I read she based her first book on a fantasy about killing an ex-boss. I bet there are a lot of people who can relate to that fantasy! :evilgrin:

Right now Nora Roberts is my favorite but I also enjoy Karen Robards and Mariah Stewart. I like the paranormal and the FBI stuff and/or any one who combines the two.

I totally relate about needing the beach reading stuff right now too.

[clyrc]

58. I'm reading Orhan Pamuk's The New Life

and a big book on Turkish art. I fell in love with Istanbul when I visited this last summer, so now I'm reading everything I can about it.

[Heidi]

65. He won the German book traders' peace prize

last year for his body of work, right? I'll look for "The New Life." :hi:

[zonkers]

61. Note on Writing A Novel, an essay by Elizabeth Bowen. Found it online

for free in PDF form. It is a great read. Meaty.

[Heidi]

63. Hey, zonkers!

How about a link? :hi:

[zonkers]

70. Sure....

Go to www.narrativemagazine.com
Scroll down, you should see it.
You need to join for free, donations optional.
If you have any problems PM me.
:)

[Heidi]

72. Got it!

http://www.narrativemagazine.com/906/ElizabethBowen_NotesonWritingaNovel.pdf

Thank you, zonkers! :pals:

[4morewars]

71. The DaVinci Code

I bought this book months ago, but I've been so busy. It's driving my wife mad, as I refuse to watch the movie until I finish the book! We have had more than a few chances to see it too. Is it out on DVD yet ? lol
Anyway, I started it over yesterday and read about 40 pages. My work is heading into the slow season, so I'll have plenty of time on my hands to catch up on the reading. Maybe we'll go to the bookstore today !

[Heidi]

If you're enjoying The DaVinci Code, and you're on your way

to a bookstore, check out almost anything by Umberto Eco. My favorites are "The Name of the Rose" and "Foucault's Pendulum." :thumbsup:

:hi:

[4morewars]

75. I read both of them !!!

I loved them ! They were delicious !!! I love the way he writes.
Heidi, You Rock !

It doesn't matter if I buy a book today.
Sometimes I go to the bookstore just for the smell, do you think that's wierd?

[Heidi]

76. Not weird at all.

I lovelovelove bookstores. My favorite is The Tattered Cover in Denver. But I'm the same way about hardware stores and art supply stores. :blush:

[4morewars]

83. LOL, me too !

That's too funny, I also like the way those places smell !

A few of my other favorites are chocolate stores and bakeries ! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[Heidi]

88. Oh, this will make you hungry!

This is the little grocery store I shop in sometimes in the village down the mountain from us:

[4morewars]

93. You're killin me ! lol

I was going to ask where do you live, maybe I could visit, but I see by your profile that you are in Switzerland.

Actually, if the fascists continue to ruin this country, Switzerland may be a desireable place to relocate.
I'll buy you a chocolate covered strawberry !

:hi:

PS: My Mom was there a few years ago, she loved it and had a wonderful time. She grew up in Ireland, so she knows a beautiful country when she sees one !

[Heidi]

95. This will make it worse, I'm afraid.

:evilgrin:

I came to Europe as a 36th birthday gift to myself, fell in love with this part of Switzerland, lifestyle and political climate (then), and met the man of my dreams (DUer Call Me Wesley) during my three-month writing sabbatical here. Decided to stay.

Where did your mom visit in Switzerland? There really are four distinct regions here: the Swiss-German part (Zurich, Bern, etc.), the French-speaking part (Geneva), Romanche (Graubunden region), and where we live, the state of Ticino, where Italian is the official language. :hi:

Here's our region:

[huskerlaw]

119. OMG...

bookstore love!

There is simply no better bookstore than The Tattered Cover.

Gah...now I miss it! x(

:hi:

[Flying Dream Blues]

73. Fractured Mind by Robert B. Oxnam

It's his memoir about living with multiple personality disorder. A PhD and reknowned expert on China (former President of the Asia Society in NYC), he tells the story with the voice of each of the personalities. It's easy to read and fascinating to understand how distinct the "lives" of each of the personalities is, how he managed to be so successful, and how his therapy progressed. A great read if you're into psychological stuff; I'm a therapist so I love this kind of book.

[jane_pippin]

127. That was a fascinating book!

I read it about a year ago and I couldn't put it down. And I don't have anything to do with therapy and I rarely if ever read non-fiction. It was so interesting to see how he described what he went through and how he dealt with it.

[datasuspect]

74. a poke weed grows in looziana:

an annotated biography of jerry reed

[wildhorses]

77. can you believe I am just NOW getting around to reading

Jane Eyre~Charlotte Bronte:hi:

[Heidi]

78. Ha!

About 10 years ago, I decided to re-read for pleasure all of the books I'd been _forced_ to read as a student. I enjoyed them a lot more the second time around, needless to say. :D

:hug: So good to see you, wildhorses! :*

[wildhorses]

80. and to see you also.

:*:hug:

are you and CMW going for mods again?

[Heidi]

84. One day at a time.

:rofl:

[LSK]

79. 1776 and Programming C#

and several other books that I started but then get distracted from.

[RetroLounge]

81. Little Beauties - Kim Addonizio

:hi:

RL

[WCGreen]

82. I'm reading The Jane Austen Book Club

and A team of Rivals...

The first a wonderfully delicious "chick" book and the second, a deep look at the presidency of Lincoln....

[underpants]

86. "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins - amazing stuff

and I am only about 20 pages into it.

I just finished "My War:Killing Time in Iraq" by colby Buzzell.

I have a short review here
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x237194

I preferred "The last true story I will ever tell" as far as first person Iraq war books go

[Heidi]

89. Reading your review right now!

Thanks, underpants! :hi:

[jane_pippin]

129. The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell was an eye-opener

I got to see him speak in the Spring when he was on a book tour for it--if you ever see that he's coming to your town, go!

[Haole Girl]

87. Journey into Darkness, by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker

It's about an FBI profiler. I love that kind of stuff. But, it's a little hard for me to read...the subject matter, that is. I've had to put it down and then pick it back up a couple of times, because it's so sad.

I like non-fiction. In fact, quite often, the truth is stranger than fiction. So I figure, who needs fiction?

[Heidi]

101. I know whatcha mean, gf.

Some of the true stuff is just too dark for me. And your observation about the truth being stranger than fiction goes for political books, too. :scared:

[bridgit]

91. haven't been reading anything cool, hip, or existential...

:cry: mostly just excel spreadsheets :rofl: here's the latest off my nightstand: The Expert's Crossword Puzzle Dictionary, by Herbert M. Baus :thumbsup:

[Heidi]

97. Oh, sweetie.

:hug: I wish I were accomplished enough to even attempt The Expert's Crossword Puzzle Dictionary. :cry:

:loveya:

[bridgit]

104. Hey!

you making fun of me :rofl:

[Heidi]

105. No way.

I can't do crossword puzzles. They remind me too much of geometry. :scared:

[bridgit]

109. ha, i do know your thoughts on that subject & they are near by slight...

factors to mine as well :scared: :hug:

[ganeshji]

94. three things right now

The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz, Feasting, Fasting by Anita Desai, and Sunlight at Midnight by W. Bruce Lincoln.

[Heidi]

98. Hey, welcome to DU!

:hi:

[ganeshji]

100. Thanks for the welcome.

[Neoma]

96. I'm not reading anything at the moment.

I'm in-between books, but if I was going to start a new book it maybe The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown? Who knows.

[Heidi]

99. Hi, Neoma!

A recommendation: read something by Umberto Eco (like "Foucault's Pendulum") before you read Dan Brown, and _then_ read Dan Brown. You'll get a real understanding of who did most of Dan Brown's research, if you know what I mean. :hi:

[Neoma]

102. I have that book but..

I dropped it due to it seeming way too complicated. May have been wrong on setting it aside but the first page seems to go over my head.

[swag]

103. I just finished "Prisoner of X" by Allan MacDonell.

Saw him do a reading from it at Powell's, after my friend Bettie who used to work with him at Hustler called and urged Aitch and me to go.

Enjoyed the book, though I'm sure not everyone would. Daniel Clowes did a nice cover for it:

[bikebloke]

106. The Sack of Rome by Alexander Stille

Finished it last night. It'a about Silvio Berlusconi's corrupt rise to power. The author mentions that the bushitas are using his same tactics.

[Heidi]

108. Silvio Berlusconi

is not a beloved name where I live. :scared: And that's good enough reason for me to buy the book. :hi:

[ceile]

107. The Paperboy-Peter Dexter

After this I definitely need to read "Paris Trout".
Just finished King's "Cell" (needed something escapist after reading PD James mysteries for the past 2 months).

[Heidi]

110. My mom is a PD James fan,

and she keeps offering to send me her pre-read PD James books. Maybe I ought to take her up on it! :hi:

[ceile]

111. I love all her books.

There's a movie coming out based on her "The Children of Men" with Clive Owen and Julianne Moore. Can't wait to see it-one of my favorite books by her. And, well, you can't beat Clive Owen (yummy).

[Liberalynn]

122. I have one of her books on my wish list

at the Literary Guild web site. "The Lighthouse!" It sounds like I should buy it soon. I like to wait for good sales and shipping deals.

[sakabatou]

112. The Prodigal Spy by Joseph Kanon

[Heidi]

113. I haven't read that,

but it's difficult to resist an opportunity to :hug: you. ;)

[sakabatou]

114. Heh

:hug: you back.

[Liberalynn]

115. I'm So embarassed!

Nothing intellectual as of late. Though I did read Kafka, Tolstoy, Ibsen, Steinbeck, and Fitzgerald in high school and college, some without even having them assigned for a class.

Lately I've been more into romantic mystery/thrillers. Trying to cheer myself and and escape from the depression of the real world for awhile.

Right now I am really into reading Nora Roberts. Her Cirlce trilogy is the latest. It involves a witch, a sorcerer, a shape shifter, a scholar, and a reformed vampire who refuses to drink human blood, from different times and worlds! They have been brought together as a unit and are trying to save the universe from being destroyed by an evil vampire queen. At least I know the good guys and gals are going to win the day!

Morrigan's Cross is the first, which I read in a day and a half. The second comes out October 3, I can't wait, it is called "Dance of the Gods." I also like her Eve Dallas series.

I'd like to write romantic/suspense someday too, and I have gotten started on a story which I work on in spits and spurts.

[malmapus]

117. Craigslist job section

Because I really like my sanity (what's left of it), and want to get the hell out of dodge (ie my job).

[Z_I_Peevey]

118. It's My F---ing Birthday, by Merrill Markoe

That's my latest. I picked it up after thoroughly enjoying her "The Psycho Ex Game."

Just finished Helen Thomas's "Watchdogs of Democracy?". A good primer for giving to people who aren't as up-to-date on Bush atrocities as DUers normally are.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

120. Homicide: A Year On the Killing Streets by David Simon.

It was the basis for the amazing TV show Homicide: Life On the Street. The book's great, too.

[electricmonk]

144. Excellent book

I was living just outside of the Baltimore city limits during the time he covers in the book. That was a crazy, scary city at the time as was DC. I actually hung out more in DC though. I haven't read it since it first came out, I might have to pick up a copy and read it again.

[last_texas_dem]

123. Here are my recent ones

The Secret History by Donna Tartt- her writing style may have been a little pretentious, but you get hooked on this book very quickly and it's hard to stop reading. Basically, it's about these kids at an elite college who are in an almost secret society and are studying Greek. A crime is committed and some go to great lengths to prevent another from revealing what happened, etc. Alright, that was probably one of the lousiest plot summaries I've ever given, but I did enjoy the book!

Heroes and Villains: The True Story of the Beach Boys by Steven Gaines- basically, a very interesting but sensational (that cheesy TV movie from the early '90's was based on it) Beach Boys bio. I couldn't put it down.

The Introvert Advantage by (I'm too lazy to check the author's name)- very interesting self-help book I've almost completed. I liked the early sections focusing more on what makes one an introvert than some of the more "self-improvement" sections that follow, but it's informative and helps you come to terms with why you are who you are if you happen to be an intoverted person.

Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine- I'm re-starting this one after setting it aside a couple of years ago when I was about one-third of the way through it. Yeah, this author apparently held some messed-up personal views (anti-Semite), but I find his dark take on war and human nature oddly comforting at this particular moment in life. And I enjoy his regular... usage, as I used to write with those far too often... before I even knew anything about this book... until one of my friends complained about it... and I decided to try to stop!

[femmocrat]

124. "Who Let the Dogs In?" by Molly Ivins

I read mostly the latest political stuff. My son got me this one for Mother's Day. It's a collection of her older op-eds. She is so clever and funny. I recently finished "Conservatives without Conscience" by John Dean. I want to give that new Bob Woodward book a whirl, as well.

[jane_pippin]

125. Still reading The Children's Hospital

by Chris Adrian.

It's brilliant.

Ooh, Kafka on the Shore. My damn "to read" list is getting way, way too long. That's ok though. :D

[Spaceman Spiff]

126. I've been reading what I call "The Bible" lately

Otherwise known as "The ESPN College Football Encyclopedia".

[YankeyMCC]

128. Changes in the Land:

Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England by William Cronon

Fascinating way to look at our history. It puts the ecology - the land, trees, waterways, animals - center stage of a historical account of the colonial period and its impact.

One interesting general point is how European Americans were resource intensive and wasteful right from the get go. At least in New England. Using inefficient fireplaces instead of stoves and wasting wood by using girdling and burnings to clear land and being overly picky about what wood they did use for building and tossing the rest.

[Floogeldy]

130. Statutes and case law.

But if one digs deep enough, there is a really good story behind almost all of them. ;)

[Heidi]

136. Agreed.

I've done my share of legal resarch and know just what you mean. ;)

[Floogeldy]

137. I believe you, Heidi.

In hindsight and retrospect, I wish had a journalism degree, in addition.

[Flaxbee]

131. Just finished Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene

was very funny.

Before that, Sight Hound by Pam Houston.

Now, a mystery. I need to figure out my next two books, though - I get a little panicky if I don't have one to pick up as soon as the one I'm reading is finished.

What is Kafka on the Shore about? Or should I just check it out at Powells?

[Ariana Celeste]

132. Just finished Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment

Fucking awesome book. :thumbsup:

[Jean Louise Finch]

133. This Human Season by Louise Dean

It's a little fiction book about the height of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Two perspectives: a mom with a son in prison and a guard at his prison. It's somehow funny and georgeous and really hitting home for me right now. I highly recommend it.

I'm so delighted to see all the Murakami enthusiasm! I really liked Kafka on the Shore, but nothing can beat the Wind Up Bird Chronicle, for me.

[Deja Q]

138. :blush:

'Dating for Dummies'

'Dreamweaver 8 Bible'

and

'K.I.S.S. Guide to the Kama Sutra' :blush: (though eminently educational...)

[Generic Brad]

139. 3001: A Final Odyssey

Arthur C Clarke ain't all bad.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

140. I'm going through some of the original James Bond novels

Quite a bit different a character than is painted in the flicks.

[Fenris]

141. Emperor of Japan by Donald A. Keene

Selected writings of Thomas Aquinas

Poetics and Rhetoric by Aristotle

History of Japan (3 volumes) by George Sansom

An Introduction to Legal Reasoning by Edward H. Levi

A History of Japan by RHP Mason and JP Caiger

[enigmatic]

142. "Wisconsin Death Trip"- Michael Lesy

It's haunted me since I first read my older brother's copy when I was 11 or 12, and I found a copy last week at a flea market bookstore..



I just started reading "The Razor's Edge" by Somerset Maugham, too; Larry Darrell is probably my all-time favorite literary charector..

[otherlander]

143. The Saskiad

by Brian Hall. I just started it, and it seems pretty interesting so far.

I finished reading Kaffir Boy, the autobiography of Mark Mathabane.

I need something funny to read, so I'm trying to find The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil somewhere. Not in my town's library, so I guess I'll look in the store.

[electricmonk]

145. Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nations Capital.

I just started on that one. I'm a little further along in Photoshop LAB Color: The Canyon Conundrumand Other Adventures in the Most Powerful Colorspace; The Fall of Yugoslavia: The Third Balkan War; No Sweat: fashion, free trade, and the rights of garment workers.

I'm re-reading The Fall of Yugoslavia. I work with a variety of Serbs, Croats and Bosnians and I needed a refresher on what all happened there. One Bosnian girl hates the Serbs and the Serbs talk shit about the Croats and the Croats talk shit about all of them. It's never caused any actual problems at work but the potential is there so I thought it might be a good idea to know the history. One girls father was murdered in the Srebrenica massacre.

edit: punctuation

[Dem2theMax]

146. Two books right now. All depends on where I'm going as to which

book I have with me. One weighs a lot more than the other. LOL.

Manhunt - The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer, by James L. Swanson

John Adams, by David McCullough

Both are such fascinating visits into our history.

[benny05]

147. Saving Graces by Elizabeth Edwards

Poignant...big page turner.

[Skittles]

148. I ordered Olbermann's book from BuzzFlash

that will be my next read

[buddhamama]

149. Good morning, Heidi

I am reading The Portable Jack Kerouac. However, the book that really has me engrossed, that i pulled off the bookshelf just last night, is one I have read a few times before: Human Society in Ethics and Politics by Bertrand Russell. It is still relevant today.

Kafka on the Shore- the title alone makes me want to read it. :thumbsup:

:hi: :hug: