Tell us your latest reading

[Zomby Woof]

Just finished Al Gore's "The Assault On Reason", and have David McCullough's "Truman" lined up. After 15 years, I think it's high time I give it a go.

What's the latest book on your desk/coffee table/night stand/end table/kitchen table/etc? :D

[lizziegrace]

1. What did you think of Gore's book?

:hi:

[Zomby Woof]

4. Alternately depressing, uplifting, and enraging

Bush's disastrous regime is the perfect template for his thesis. It's the gift that kept on giving.

I commend Gore's ultimate optimism, because I can't quite summon the level he does. But the book deepended my respect for him. I highly recommend it.

[lizziegrace]

6. That's good to know.

Give Nini a :hug:

:)

[Sequoia]

80. I just started reading it this morning.

I tend to avoid books like that but this one seems good.

I just finished a small but really good novel:

"April in Paris", by Michael Wallner



From Publishers Weekly
Wallner's harrowing debut, a love story of sorts though there's little romance, rings with authenticity. In 1943, Corporal Roth, a 22-year-old translator in the German occupation forces in France, is reassigned to SS headquarters in Paris, where his job is to translate the confessions of members of the resistance as they are being tortured. While strolling through the city, Roth encounters a beautiful young woman and is instantly smitten. Because he can speak French flawlessly, Roth takes the identity of "Antoine" and pursues the young lady, Chantal, with tragic results. Chantal is a member of the French resistance, and while Roth isn't a coldhearted Nazi, he is a German and his obsession leads him ever downward until he's accused of being a traitor. Many European imports these days read like pale imitations of genre novels by Americans, but this sterling period piece will strike readers as distinctively and refreshingly German in its concerns. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

I was stumped by all the French, and it did read a little shakey at times, but I think that was due to the translation. However, all in all, I really liked it and the end? Well, if you know your history you'll think "..and then what happened?"

[Starbucks Anarchist]

2. Philip K. Dick's "Time Out of Joint."

[bridgit]

18. love his work...

:)

[JitterbugPerfume]

88. I just got Time out of Joint

and it is on my LONG list.

I just finished Ubik.It was a real wild ride!PKD is a very interesting author

[supernova]

3. Harry Potter 7 and The Social Atom

are the ones I'm into right now.

The Social Atom is kind of a tough slog for me, I normally don't read social science stuff but as a natural loner, I found the concept interesting.

[Omphaloskepsis]

5. The Fool's Progress: An Honest Novel by Edward Abbey.

I'm a big fan of his works and this one was really good.

[triguy46]

7. The Old Patagonian Express, by Paul Theroux

Its about 30 years old, but still a good travel read. If you have not read any of his travel books, they are quite different: they're about the travel aspect not about 'go here, see this, stay here, eat this.' its more of the story of movement.

[FloridaJudy]

8. Jared Diamond's "Collapse"

About how societies/civilizations fall apart, usually through their own stupidity. Combined with Gore's latest book, not the most cheerful bedtime fare.

For comic relief - as well as some rare wisdom - I keep several books of Anne Lamott's essays: Traveling Mercies, Plan B, Operating Instructions.

[WindRavenX]

14. Diamond is an excellent historian/scientist. Loved that book.

Very powerful--should be required reading in college.

[ThomCat]

15. I loved some of his other books.

But that one seemed far too repetative. How many times can you make the same points over and over and over again?

It was a good book, and I'm glad he wrote it. It will be a good book to site in future discussions. But it could have been just as thorough in half as many pages.

[VenusRising]

9. I just finished the Deathly Hallows

and His Dark Materials series in the last two weeks. I'm on chapter 4 of Assault on Reason.

[yellowdogintexas]

103. I finished "Deathly Hallows" about a week ago.

next up after Rashomon Gate I may read "The Well of Lost Plots"

[rockymountaindem]

10. I just finished "The Battle for Spain: THe Spanish Civil War 1936-1939"

and I'm currently reading "The Life and Times of Gregorii Rasputin".

[Zomby Woof]

54. I need to read "The Battle for Spain"

I am enamored of any and all things to do with Spain, and try to absorb as many history tomes as I can on the subject.

[rockymountaindem]

94. There are a lot of books on the topic

"The Battle for Spain" is a rather dispassionate history, though comprehensive and informative. It's good, but be prepared. If you want something different, you could try "The Spanish Cockpit" by Franz Borkenau, a compellation of his experiences in Spain during the early part of the war, and of course "Homage to Catalonia" by Orwell.

[RetroLounge]

11. Just finished "A Bigamist's Daughter"

by Alice McDermott.

Depressing and hopeful, all at once.

RL

[Robeson]

12. I've been rereading the Rape of Europa......

...and it's astonishing at the foresight and planning - which actually both sides had in WWII - with respect to the arts and treasures of countries involved, albeit, the Germans were more involved with looting.

Never-the-less, both sides had an idea as to how to preserve the treasures. I wanted to reread this book, to contrast it with the total lack of respect, and lack of planning, as to the treasures we allowed to be exploited, robbed, and broken in Iraq, the very cradle of our civilization. There ought to be a book written about THAT topic.

[onager]

84. I read "Rape Of Europa" a few years ago.

Very absorbing. And covered a subject we don't hear much about. While the loss of human beings is certainly worse than the loss of art...

Oh hell, no it isn't, not always. Let's say I had just escaped from a sinking ship in a small lifeboat. Floating in front of me I see a crate marked Works By Goya, then I hear Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh screaming for help. There's not a doubt in my mind what I would save, and it can't talk. :evilgrin:

One day I was poking around a used-book store here in Los Angeles and came across the official U.S. Army record of art/architectural treasures destroyed in WWII.

Strange as it sounds today, after WWII the US Army actually created an entire military unit to do nothing but document the destruction of humanity's common cultural heritage.
I believe the title is Lost Treasures Of Europe.

The Army found pre-war pictures of each item, then on the facing page a photo of what was left, if anything.

It's a damn heartbreaking book, since it covered all of the European war zone and not just the more famous art spots. e.g., there are photos of beautiful, ancient buildings the Nazis destroyed during their invasion of Russia.

There are also a lot of famous places, like the house of Diane de Poitiers in Italy that was destroyed. She was the mistress of King Henry IV of France, IIRC. It is said that our modern red wine glass was molded from the shape of her breast. That I do remember, for some odd reason.

[WindRavenX]

13. Currently reading "The Crystal Cave" by Mary Stewart

Great epic..

[Bullwinkle925]

16. I've just finished "Shantaram" by Gregory David Roberts

a novel about Bombay, Afghanistan & Pakistan. Most of the story is set in Bombay with a lot of very differing and interesting characters - a look into the *Indian Mafia* underworld along with a a very keen description of daily life in a slum dwelling. Bombay itself becomes a main character in the book.
I've since picked up and barely begun "The Terror" by Dan Simmons. The clerk in the bookstore said he was terrified reading this one - so I'm eagerly awaiting the action to begin.

[Momgonepostal]

79. I found the beginning of The Terror really slow...

slow to the point I almost gave up on it, but I'm glad I stuck with it. It picked up considerably, and although not one of my favorites of all time, it was a good read.

I've read at least one other fictionalized account of the search for the Northwest passage, but The Terror is definitely the weirdest.

[bridgit]

17. Mary, Mary - James Patterson...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary,_Mary

[CottonBear]

91. I recently read that one! It was a fun read. I ususally don't read that genre

but I really enjoyed the book.

[bridgit]

96. my friend Betsey & me read back and forth...

i do enjoy mysteries i.e. Poirot, Marple; read all of the ones one might think as such, or in that genre; read the 'big stuff' in college of course trained as a Shakespearean Actress so been all up & down Desdemona, Lavinia, Juliette...Anna K, etc...so some of the rest can be like a paid vacation if you catch my drift :hi:

[SeattleGirl]

19. Reading Assult on Reason right now.

I like it so far.

[Zomby Woof]

55. There are parts that just floor me

It's best to read it with his drawl in mind. :D Sometimes I think he's too good to be president, lol.

[Rabrrrrrr]

20. "Assault on Reason", a new book on Churchill's entry into power, and a re-read of LOTR

I like to re-read LOTR every couple years, and this is the year. I'm using the copies I bought at the Border's at the WTC on the evening of Sept. 10, 2001, and which I started reading on the subway to work the morning of Sept. 11. They're starting to fall apart, though (I got some poorly made copies in my boxed set: the page cutting is off, and the bindings are crap). I'm going to go buy some new ones, and put these books to rest in my collection since they are - at least to me - of significant historical value.

I can't remember the title of the Churchill book - I'm just a chapter in, but it's fucking wonderful. The writer was on the Daily Show or Colbert a couple weeks ago.

[NMDemDist2]

42. I"m re-reading LOTR right now too! n/t

[BreweryYardRat]

21. I'm finishing Barbara Hambly's "Traveling With The Dead."

Next up, Harry Turtledove's "In At the Death."

[enigmatic]

22. Harry Crews

[Adsos Letter]

23. "Propaganda" by Jaques Ellul...

"Manufacturing Consent" by Jean Hardisty is next.

:D

[MonkeyFunk]

24. Just finished Harry Potter

almost finished with 1000 Splendid Suns, and I think next I'll give Neil Gaiman's Stardust a try before the movie comes out next week.

[Heidi]

25. Finishing up "Pollock: An American Saga."

Beautiful, brilliant biography of Jackson Pollock. It has taken me all summer to read it with lots of breaks, mainly because it's such a detailed account not only of his growth as a painter (and sculptor) but his downward spiral into self-destruction.

[Heidi]

78. SPOILER ALERT:

I finished the book last night. Pollock dies. (That's dark humor, folks. CMW has been teasing me all summer while I've been reading this beautiful book, "So, is he dead yet?")

[krispos42]

26. "The Dark Tower" series.

I've read the first 4 books (kinda missed the fact that the series finished recently :blush: )

I downloaded the first two books to my iPod and listened to them while running machinery at work, which inspired me to read the 3rd book. Again.

Just finished that one, and once I manage to get my moving done, I guess I'll re-read the 4th book.

THEN I'll visit the used book store and get numbers 5, 6, and 7 and read those for the first time.

[SeattleGirl]

28. That's a great series!

[krispos42]

29. The book on tape is awesome, too

They reader really brings the voices to life!

[idgiehkt]

27. Bitter Blood, by Bledsoe

didn't even remember that happening, am reading another one of his now but I can't remember the name of it.

[buddhamama]

30. a couple of re-reads

for sanity David Sedaris' Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.

I finished "Under The Banner of Heaven" Jon Krakauer, not too long ago. It's an excellent read.
http://www.reviewsofbooks.com/under_the_banner_of_heaven/

on edit: it is good to see you my Zomby friend. :hi: :donut: :loveya: :hug:

[Zomby Woof]

56. Good to see you too, Cherylmama!

:loveya: :hug: :donut:

I wish I had time to reread... I have 3 dozen books on my shelf still waiting for their first round, lol. Then I go out and buy more. It's a sickness. :D

[I Have A Dream]

31. "Buddha" by Deepak Chopra n/t

[MissMillie]

32. I just finished Irving's "Widow for a Year" and have now started

The Hobbit

(don't laugh, I've never read it before)

[terrya]

33. "Truman" is an excellent biography.

I just finished "Bill Clinton - Mastering the Presidency" by Nigel Hamilton. It's a very well researched history of Clinton's first term as President. Very readable.

"The Assault of Reason" is my next read.

[Zomby Woof]

58. "Truman" is engrossing

I am enjoying it tremendously so far.

I am curious about the Clinton book. Good to know it did the job for you.

Hope you enjoy Gore's latest. It's a sobering analysis of what is wrong with the state of discourse and the creeping fascism in today's media. He manages to maintain a sizeable level of optimism, but with enough caution and concern to balance it. The fact he offers solutions is proof that he isn't just being preachy or "Chicken Little" as his detractors claim. He sees the problem, and a way out.

[meegbear]

34. This post ...

*giggle**snort*

[Dragonbreathp9d]

35. Matt Donovan's "Vellum"

havent read much this summer though, before that it was "Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844"

[bigwillq]

36. I just finished "The Silenced"

and I am now on to "Barter Island"


The Silenced was fictitious but was inspired by the "White Rose Society". It was very good.

Barter Island is just a frivolous fiction novel.

[underpants]

37. Finishing "Food Fight" (the Farm Bill) tonight

I have Gore's Assault on Reason book, The Catcher was a Spy (a bit too detailed for me), and War is a Racket (bought that last week)

The Gore book and the book on Moe Berg are from the liberry

[SecularMotion]

38. "The Assault on Reason" was the last book I read

I'm just finishing "Bootleg: The Secret History of the Other Recording Industry"

and next up is "Thomas Paine and the Promise of America"

[femmocrat]

39. Almost done with "The Orchid Thief" by Susan Orleans.

It wasn't what I expected, but I learned a lot about orchids! :)

[Starbucks Anarchist]

45. Wasn't Adaptation somewhat based on that book?

[Tyler Durden]

40. "First Light", Richard Preston

puts things in perspective and is well written.

[Deep13]

41. Justinian's Flee.

It is a history of the impact of bubonic plague on the 6th century Roman Empire.

[Bunny]

43. I am slowly, very slowly, working my way through The Lucifer Effect, which details the infamous

Stanford prison experiment, and the potential for evil behavior that lies in each of us. I haven't gotten very far, but it is indeed chilling stuff.

[Z_I_Peevey]

47. I started that one, but had to move on.

It was a bit more dense than I was expecting...

[Z_I_Peevey]

48. Just finished "Prometheus Rising" by RAW,

and moved on to "Quantum Reality" by Nick Herbert.

Also, I'm reading in "Hypocrite in a Poufy White Dress" by Susan Jane Gilman, during my lighter moments.

[LynneSin]

44. My latest reading would be your thread

:hide:

[bikebloke]

46. The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva

...a popcorn read.

Waiting in the wings, Deer Hunting with Jesus by Joe Bageant.

[RogueTrooper]

49. The Night Watch by Sergey Lukyanenko

after that: Constantine's Sword by James Carroll.

[havocmom]

50. Fools Crow

Assault on Reason is in the bull pen, warming up

[GOPisEvil]

51. "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx is Burning"

A really good read. Quick, entertaining and well-done. :thumbsup:

[Zomby Woof]

59. Kind of like an evening with you

:D :beer: :hi:

[Left Is Write]

52. A Stranger in the Family: A True Story of Murder, Madness, and Unconditional Love

by Steven Naifeh.

[idgiehkt]

60. I love books like that.

thanks, I'll have to check it out, "Bitter Blood" is along the same lines, just an unbelievable tale of what can happen when two complete loons in a family start working in concert. :(

[Left Is Write]

63. I read Bitter Blood fairly recently - within the last few months.

It was a compelling story, but such a horrible, horrible ordeal - especially those little boys.

[idgiehkt]

64. yes, I'm from NC and didn't even remember it

scary to think about what your own family can do to you. :cry:

[bluethruandthru]

53. Smilla's Sense of Snow. n/t

[LearnedHand]

62. I LOVED that book

SO much better than that disastrous movie they made from it.

[ashling]

57. Dallek, Lone Star Rising and Givner, Katherine Ann Porter

for a graduate history class ... also, Larry McMurtry; a Critical Companion

oh, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - way cool!

[hyphenate]

61. Just started reading

"The Fundamentals of Extremism: The Christian Right in America"--I can't recall the editor, though.

[Oeditpus Rex]

65. The NL West standings

Depressing. I don't recommend it.

x(

[Zomby Woof]

92. Truly

It's one reason I am hiding in my books... like some sort of reverse baseball Groundhog Day thing, or something.

[Bjornsdotter]

66. Are you in my house?

Just finished Gore's book and I just received the Truman book from my grandmother's estate. I also received "Profile of Courage" (a first edition) that I'm looking forward to reading. My grandmother loved the book on Truman...she said he was a much better president than he was ever given credit for.

Last book I finished was Harry Potter #7.

Cheers

[huskerlaw]

67. The Golden Compass

and The Thirteenth Tale. Recently: Harry Potter 7, The Assault on Reason, and 1000 Splendid Suns.

I recommend them all...for very different reasons.

:hi:

[benEzra]

68. _Hyperion_ by Dan Simmons

[jus_the_facts]

82. Wicked good tale...

...my first Dan Simmons read....have since enjoyed many more of his works but that one is quite a TRIP! :thumbsup:

[RandomKoolzip]

69. Jon Ronson's "The Men Who Stare at Goats" and Greg Palast's "Armed Madhouse"

[trackfan]

70. Paul Krugman's The Great Unraveling

and Polydore Vergil's On Discovery

[SteppingRazor]

71. I'm currently in the middle of The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway

The most recent book I finished was Joe Bageant's Deer Hunting With Jesus. Highly recommended.

[BarenakedLady]

72. still working on Memoirs of a Geisha

Prior to that I read the new Harry Potter and also The Time Traveller's Wife.

[sakabatou]

73. Harry Potter #7

[Giant Robot]

74. The Snake Agent

Can't remember the author's name. I think its by Liz Williams, but don't quote me on that.

[skygazer]

75. Finn by Jon Clinch

The story of Huck Finn's father. Very, very good. I'm always leery when someone toys with a classic but this guy is a wonderful writer. The book is dark, haunting and terribly sad but beautifully written and almost impossible to put down. He doesn't remotely try to be Twain and yet the book complements Twain's work. I really like it.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

76. This Is Orson Welles

Fascinating series of conversations between Welles & Peter Bogdanovich covering most of his films (though frustratingly next to nothing on F is For Fake and The Other Side of The Wind) with plenty of interesting digressions. It's edited by Jonathan Rosenbaum and I've just picked up his book on Welles (Discovering Orson Welles).

[Zavulon]

77. Stephen J. Cannell: White Sister

It's the sixth book in a series about a cop who marries the Internal Affairs agent that did her best to get his badge in the first book.

[jus_the_facts]

81. It's Been A Good Life ~ Isaac Asimov

The book also includes an epilogue in which Janet Jeppson Asimov reveals for the first time that Isaac's 1992 death from heart and kidney failure was a consequence of AIDS contracted from a transfusion of tainted blood during his December 1983 triple-bypass operation. She explains how and when he learned he had the disease, and why his doctors convinced him to keep it a secret from the public. The epilogue includes a description of Asimov's final days, together with some poignant passages that describe his views of life and death.



The book can be purchased online from amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.

http://www.asimovonline.com/

[mainegreen]

83. Currently reading 'Guns, Germs, and Steel' as well as the comic 'little Nemo in Slumberland'

Both are quite good!

[mvd]

85. I just got done with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

It's the best book in a to-be classic series. Now, I resumed Al Gore's The Assault On Reason.

[Broken_Hero]

86. The Deathly Hollows, book 7 of the

Harry Potter series...

This year so far....I've read:

Last Sons-A DC Comic Novel

Heroes Quest-Green Lantern Novel

The Dead Zone-Stephen King

The Dark Half-Stephen King

Geralds Game-Stephen King

Rose Madder-Stephen King

From a Buick 8-Stephen King

I haven't read much this year, and I've been knocking out some of Kings, smaller novels....

[ZombieNixon]

87. Terry Pratchett's "Small Gods"

should probably finish it tonight or in the next few days. Recently finished Pratchett's "Pyramids" as well as Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy as well as Harry Potter 7.

[rubberducky]

89. Alaska-----James Michener

I`ve read all of his books dozens of times.

[CottonBear]

90. The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara (Pulitzer Prize winning novel) & Traveller by Richard Adams.

I grew up in Chattannooga and am a native Southerner but I've never been at all interested in the Civil War. A historian friend of mine recommended The Killer Angels. It was excellent. I'm going to watch Gettysburg, the movie adapted from the novel. It is supposed to be very true to the book.

Traveller is about Lee's horse from the horses' perspective. I've yet to finish this book.

[Susang]

93. Stuart: A Life Backwards, by Alexander Masters

One of the best biographies I've ever read. Should be required reading in schools.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/09/books/09book.html?ex=1186891200&en=fb2b0f78c0c207ff&ei=5070

[Manifestor_of_Light]

95. Reading Lolita in Tehran.

Very interesting view of women and fighting the oppression of the Khomeini 1979 revolution in Iran, and trying to keep some sanity with her English students, studying Western novels.

[Ellen Forradalom]

97. "Mastering Perl"

interleaved with "The Oxford Book of American Short Stories."

The price of an IT career is mountains of tech reading. Still, I make time to read in French and English.

[DS1]

98. Is this the book snob version of a movie 'screening' ?

[PRETZEL]

99. American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips

read American Dynasty when it came out. This one is better.

[bigwillq]

100. I just finished "Night"

by Elie Wiesel and I am still reading this book called "Barter Island" which is just ok.

I put down Barter to start Night, which is only like 120 pages, and I finished it in about 2 hours.

[Thirtieschild]

101. Re-reading Harry Potter - now on Order of the Phoenix; next is Holographic Universe

[yellowdogintexas]

102. Rashomon Gate..a murder mystery of ancient Japan, set

in 11th century. Very good.

[otherlander]

104. I just finished Parcheesi Blues

and started reading Jennifer Government. :hi: