"What Are You Reading, DU?" March 2010 Edition

[Zomby Woof]

Making my way through one of my two volumes of Shakespeare's complete works, this one containing the comedies and histories. Currently through Act One of "The Winter's Tale". I have never read this one before, but understand its reputation as a romance with intense psychological and dramatic aspects separates it from many of his other comedies. I am finding this to be true so far, and even if I had no foreknowledge of its content, I would be struck by the difference in tone and structure (not many scene changes, long monologues, etc.) compared to most of his other comedies.

Since I am not content to read just one thing at a time (What? You have that problem too?), I am also absorbing Shelby Foote's first volume of his masterful trilogy "The Civil War: A Narrative". Volume One covers Fort Sumter through Perryville. The best thing about reading Foote, besides his great writing, is hearing that wonderful Mississippi baritone of his as I am carried back 150 years.


Ok... time to share!

[JTG of the PRB]

1. At the moment I'm reading "A Deepness in the Sky" by Vernor Vinge.

The last book I read was "A Fire Upon the Deep," also by Vinge, and I think it may have been the best sci-fi book I've ever read.

This one is really, really good so far too.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

3. Oops, wrong place

[fNord]

5. oops agin, i guess

[eppur_se_muova]

52. Vinge writes some great stuff.

You might check out Iain M. Banks -- his earlier works are being reissued in large format ppb. I seldom reread books, but I may make an exception for "Player of Games" and "Consider Phlebas".

[eppur_se_muova]

55. delete, wrong place.

[LeftyMom]

2. Twelve Days of Terror, about the New Jersey shark attacks of 1916

So far I like this one better: http://www.amazon.com/Close-Shore-Terrifying-Shark-Attacks/dp/0767904141 as Twelve Days could use the services of a good editor, IMO.

[Zomby Woof]

7. Don't tell BeachBaby

She'll never go to the beach again, then she'll have to change her DU name. :o

[EvolveOrConvolve]

4. "DotNetNuke 5 - Open Source Web Application Framework for ASP.NET"

Yea, I'm a loser.

[fNord]

6. Good Omens....

By Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

although I recently found one of my favorite books, "The Illuminatus! Trilogy" on tape and have been listening to that as I go to sleep(with some interesting dreams!)

[burrfoot]

36. Both Excellent! Over the years I've obtained one copy with each

of the versions of the cover art on Good Omens. I think I may need to read Illuminatus! again. Good stuff!

[SeattleGirl]

8. "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" by Donald Connery.

True story about an 18-year-old guy who was wrongly convicted of his mother's murder in 1973. The perversion of the "justice" system detailed in this book is maddening. and I know this is not the only time this has happened either.

[kentauros]

9. "Three Cups of Tea - One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time"

by Greg Mortenson

I'm about two thirds' way through it. I am now of the opinion that this book should be required reading at least by all liberals, but preferably by all Americans.

[old mark]

10. A few older books by Walter Mosley, one of the best American writers living. nt

[fNord]

11. nothing to do with your post...

or the op.....
I just like your tag line....
I'd vote for her!!

[old mark]

16. My wife gets RuPaul and Ron Paul confused, so it came naturally...

I don't see the resemblance, myself....

mark

[Zomby Woof]

15. I like him

"RL's Dream" is a favorite of mine. I pictured RL as John Lee Hooker.

[old mark]

17. My wife is reading RL right now. If you google Robert Johnson,

you will find he looked much slicker than John Lee -


Link:

http://www.48chicagoblues.com/Reobert%20Johnson%20for%20web%20site/Robert%20Johnson%20details.htm


Scroll down the article to find a self portrait made by R L in a 5 & 10 photo machine as well as the only other authentic pics of him. Till around 1990, no pics were known to exist.

mark

[Zomby Woof]

22. Oh yeah

Love Robert Johnson - I have the boxed set featured in that story. I realize he is the RL in the title, but I messed up and meant that Soupspoon Wise, even if modeled after Johnson, reminded me of Hooker when I read the story. Just the kind of quiet dignity he had while in decline.

[LibDemAlways]

12. I'm rereading an oldie, Flight of the Falcon by Robert Lindsay about

the escape of convicted spy Christopher Boyce in 1980. I'm rereading it after about twenty years because I went to high school with Chris and his partner in crime Daulton Lee, and their unlikely story -- even though both are today free men living in obscurity - continues to interest me.

Also recently reread Catcher in the Rye. Even at 57 I understand and appreciate where Holden Caulfield is coming from. Disagree with those who dismiss him as a "whiner." I think he was just cutting through the bullshit that surrounded him. Anyhow, both good reads.

[Ozymanithrax]

13. Colors of a Different Horse - Wendy Bishop and Hans Ostrom

and It by Stephen King

[fishwax]

14. I'm reading D'Arcy McNickle's novel The Surrounded and the comic book series Air

The Surrounded is among my favorite works of American Lit, which I've read several times before. Air is something I haven't read before, but I picked it up last year in an attempt to branch out into the graphic novel/comic book field. It's pretty good stuff.

[YankeyMCC]

18. "The Graveyard Game" by Kage Baker and

"Answer your love letters" by Adam Genkaku Fisher

[velvet]

19. I'm reading Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon

For the second time. I read it years ago and loved it - drunk, stoned writers behaving badly, what's not to love? It's very funny, unlike the film, which sadly was crap.

[femmocrat]

20. True Compass by Sen. Kennedy.

I started reading it during the power outage in Feb., but haven't picked it up since. Reading in the winter makes me too sleepy.

[Ikonoklast]

21. "Braddock's March," by Thomas E. Crocker

Part of early American history that helped shape the country we now live in.

[Roon]

23. I used to love to read books

I always had a book on me to read when I played with my friends. They would watch a movie or jam in a band...I would read.

I also used to read the paper every morning since I started delivering the papers when I was 13.

But no more, the net came along..bye books, bye messy papers!

I will borrow a true crime story from my Grandparents when I travel though.

[Duer 157099]

31. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much

Very interesting non-fiction about the general field of bibliophilia and obsessive compulsive behavior and how it relates to collecting in general.

I can relate, lol.

edit: oops, wasn't meant as a reply to your post, but that's where it happened

[graywarrior]

24. Alice in Wonderland for my Gov't class

[orleans]

25. "we don't die"

by Joel Martin and Patricia Romanowski (about george anderson--a medium)

i read it yesterday--searching for answers or explanations--and found it very comforting.

[Jade Fox]

26. The Ghost (writer)...

Can't wait to see the movie.

[TheMightyFavog]

27. Sidetracked by Henning Mankell

I want to get through the Wallander books before the second season comes Stateside.

[velvet]

66. I enjoy his books

They have watertight plots written in a careful, methodical but never plodding style. The last one I read, not a Wallander tale but a different cop protagonist, was "Return of the Dancing Master", a chilling thing that involved old and new Swedish Nazis and a lot of snow.

[carlyhippy]

28. a total guilty pleasure

How lucky was this woman? She was the muse for not one, but two of the biggest performers in rock, wow....

[Tobin S.]

29. "Why People Believe Weird Things" by Michael Shermer

Just started it. I've heard that it's a classic skeptic's book and I'm into that sort of thing now days.

[MountainLaurel]

34. That's on my list as well n/t

[Auggie]

30. Buying In:

The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are

by Rob Walker

[libodem]

32. Took me all last year

a few pages at a time to finish The Covenant byJames Mitchener. I read The Source by him just before that. I should have learned. Both were informative.
I'm currently reading 'THE JESUS MYSTERIES' (Was the "original Jesus" A PAGAN GOD?) by Timothy Freke &Peter Gandy and THE DEMON-HAUNTED WORLD*SCIENCE AS A CANDLE IN THE DARK by Carl Sagan.

And... at my bed side mostly untouched is A COURSE IN MIRACLES three volumes.

That's all.

[Bossy Monkey]

33. Simon Schama, "Citizens" (dining table), Richard Rudgley, "The Lost Civilizations of the Stone Age"

(bed, bathroom). The first is recommended (though Prof. Schama presupposes a lot more knowledge of the French Revolution than I have); the second, not so much.

[retread]

35. Little Bee by Chris Cleave

[burrfoot]

37. Larsson; Stieg Larsson.

Just finished The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, now reading The Girl Who Breathed Fire. Both are excellent and I can't wait till the third one comes out!!

[Dr. Strange]

38. Nice post, DUgosh.

:)
I'm reading Hell.

[Fire Walk With Me]

39. Just finished the excellent "Psycho Shop" by Bester and Zelazny

and Bester's "Tender Loving Rage", but I can't recommend TLR due to some unexpected racist comments. I don't know if they are the author's or the characters'. Dang.

Am now on a Philip K. Dick collection and have a short story collection awaiting, a remaindered library book which caught my eye. I can't remember the author's name...

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

40. I have several going.

Being a frequent used bookstore/Goodwill type of book shopper I am reading
'Blue Highways' by William Least Heat Moon-
'A New History of the United States' by William Miller- published about 1955
'From the Folks Who Brought You The Weekend-a short illustrated history of labor on the US"- Murolo and Chitty

The thing I find most interesting is the chronicle of events in the last two books could really be written right now, today, and all they'd have to do is change the names. In other words, the lying cheating bastards of today in business and banking have nothing on the lying cheating bastards of 50 (and more) years ago.............. :)

[Lindsey]

43. I'm not reading it now but" We Don't Die "is a very, very

comforting book. As far as what I'm reading now it's "Destiny of Souls" and "The Happiness Makeover".

[mnhtnbb]

41. I have two books going at the moment: Freefall by Joseph Stiglitz and

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

Both are amazing. I read Stiglitz when I get up in the morning and about HeLa during
commercials while watching TV at night.

[BarenakedLady]

42. "No Woman No Cry"

My Life With Bob Marley by Rita Marley.

Rastafari! :smoke:

[tabbycat31]

44. Game Change

say what you want to about the publicity the book received, but it's very good and reads like a novel.

It may be a tabloid of the 2008 election, but it's good (library book)

[pokerfan]

45. Transactions of High Performance Computing in Science and Engineering

It's a page-turner!

[Mugu]

46. Light: Science & Magic

It's not for everybody, but it's required reading if you're to ever be good with a camera.

[Throd]

47. Swank

[Broken_Hero]

48. Its a short list,

Twilight-I don't recommend this book to anyone, this book was not for me in the least bit.

Hearts in Atlantis by S. King-very good, I'd recommend it to everyone, the Hearts/College part reminded me of my college days.

Everythings Eventual by S. King-its another collection of his short stories, the best SS being the Little Sisters of Eluria.

Dissolution by Richard Byers, Book 1 of The War of the Spiderqueen-this one was about middle of the road for me, there are 5 more books in this series I believe, hopefully it picks up.

I'm currently 50 pages deep in the Tommyknockers, I gave this one a try a few years back, but I'm attempting it again.

After Tommyknockers, I got Desperation, and then I'm on the hunt for the rest of the War of the Spiderqueen(books 2-4, I got 5/6).

[realisticphish]

49. "Russian Sideshow" by Robert Willet

It's about the American troops sent to prop up the provisional post-czarist government against the Bolsheviks. Fascinating stuff.

[oxymoron]

50. Naked by David Sedaris. (nt)

[bikebloke]

51. Under the Dome by Stephen King

I'd read that he'd gone back to his old form with this one. His early works I liked. But if this starts begging for an editor with a clear-cut chain saw to scythe away the pulp, it'll go back to the library, pronto.

[Hawkeye-X]

53. "Intervention" by Robin Cook

Also "Second Opinion" by Michael Palmer.

[S_E_Fudd]

54. New Biography of Ulysses S. Grant by Joan Waugh...

I find Grant to be one of the most fascinating historical figures in American History...

This treatment is very well done!

[Odin2005]

56. "One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism".

[BeachBaby]

57. "The Almost Moon" by Alice Sebold.

:hi:

[Zomby Woof]

58. Was that the one you picked on your recent bookstore trip?

The one where you didn't buy sci-fi? ;-) :hi:

[eppur_se_muova]

59. Justinian's Flea" and "The Discovery of France".

http://www.justiniansflea.com /

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/02/arts/02iht-booktue.1.8161740.html

I found myself in a mood for some history.

[huskerlaw]

60. Mountains Beyond Mountains:

The Quest of Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World ~ Tracy Kidder

and Outlander ~ Diana Gabaldon

[soleiri]

61. right now

Free Appropriate Public Education: The Law and Children with Disabilities.

actually, really interesting for a textbook.

[PaddyBlueEyes]

62. is that for school

or personal reading?

[soleiri]

68. technically for school

But I always read the whole book if it's interesting instead of the few chapters assigned.
For the amount of money I've spent on textbooks, dammit, I'm getting my intellectual money's worth.

[dysfunctional press]

63. right now...

this thread.

[lazarus]

64. Crazy For God

Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back by Frank Schaeffer.

It's a fascinating trip through the author's upbringing in the nascent fundamentalist movement, and we're now to the point where he and his father started the whole pro-life movement and hijacked the Republican party. It's a fantastic read.

I just finished Idiot America: How Stupidity Became a Virtue in the Land of the Free by Charles Pierce. Not quite as good, but a nice overview of the history of crackpots in America.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

65. Just finished reading

Very interesting book. Deals with, among other things, Kennedy's difficulties with the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, the well-organized Kennedy campaign structure, Eisenhower's relationship with Nixon and a lot of other interesting aspects of that campaign

Unsure of what I'll start on next. I've got a whole lot of stuff I want to get through

[PRETZEL]

67. Death of American Virtue,

the Ken Gormley book about Ken Starr and Bill Clinton.

[azmouse]

69. "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova

It's a little slow moving but I like it alright so far.

[applegrove]

70. The Birth House by Ami McKay.

[grasswire]

71. Wallace Stegner "Wolf Willow"

My grandparents homesteaded on the prairies of Saskatchewan in the same years and same vicinity as Stegner's family. His recollections and analysis are absorbing.

[friedgreentomatoes]

72. Avenger by Frederick Forsyth n/t

[grace0418]

73. The Know It All by A.J. Jacobs. I'm about halfway through and I'm loving it.

I haven't been reading a lot lately, but I'm glad I picked this one up.