What Are You Reading

[carebear]

New World Coming: The 1920's and the Making of Modern America

Very interesting so far, nice overview of social movements and politics with some society-type details of celebrities of the day.

Some amazing parallels to today, history being cyclical and all.

If you like history with a true story to frame it I can recommend "Close to Shore" which not only covers the Matewan Creek shark attacks in detail but also gives the social context. (anyone know why so many people were on the Jersey beaches in 1917?)

I also enjoyed "The Devil in the White City". It's nominally about a serial killer in Chicago at the time of the World's Fair in 1893 but the whole country and its movements manage to make an appearance. A bit before the "Fedora" era but still intriguing.

 

[Harp]

Current Reading List

'Postmodern Theory,' by Steven Best and Douglas Kellner;
and James Joyce's 'Ulysses.'
I reluctantly admit to finding these inside my apartment
building laundry room, since I'm too lazy and shiftless to
visit the Chicago Public Library.

 

[Feraud]

If you like history with a true story to frame it I can recommend "Close to Shore" which not only covers the Matewan Creek shark attacks in detail but also gives the social context. (anyone know why so many people were on the Jersey beaches in 1917?)

I also enjoyed "The Devil in the White City". It's nominally about a serial killer in Chicago at the time of the World's Fair in 1893 but the whole country and its movements manage to make an appearance. A bit before the "Fedora" era but still intriguing.

I like your taste in books. I read Close to Shore and have The Devil in the White City on my "to read" list.

 

[Mr_Misanthropy]

Well, I just finished "Wicked" by Gregory Macquire, it's the basis for the popular musical. It's basically about the politics behind the "assassination" of the Wicked Witch of the West, and the inner workings of Oz. Very good book. I'm now working on the sequel, "Son of a Witch", about the aftermath. I highly recommend both!!

 

[carebear]

I enjoy reading history in general and military history in particular. Even my technical reading is usually from historically contextual books. "Salt", "Longitude", "Search for Schrodinger's Cat", "Against the Gods", anything by Victor Davis Hanson.

If you don't know the historical context of an event or person you can't truly assess "what it all means" accurately.


Now, as far as fiction goes, if it doesn't say "Harlequin" on the spine I'm not touching it.

 

[Matthew Dalton]

I wouldn't call myself particularly well-read, but I tend to lean towards the classics. More modern fare that I've enjoyed would be anything by Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett.

 

[magneto]

I enjoy reading history in general and military history in particular. Even my technical reading is usually from historically contextual books. "Salt", "Longitude", "Search for Schrodinger's Cat", "Against the Gods", anything by Victor Davis Hanson.
...

I heard "Salt" was actually extremely fascinating...seriously!
I am reading Anita Loos' memoir about the Talmadge sisters (the silent screen actresses), a book of food-related essays by M.F.K. Fisher, and reading Reading Jazz (compendium of jazz reviews, interviews, criticism, etc. from 1910s to present).
Like Nero Wolfe, I am not happy unless I have ~3 books going at once

 

[Sefton]

At the moment I'm finishing "George Orwell-An Age Like This 1920-1940" which is vol.1 of 4 that collects his letters,essays,journalism and reviews. Prior to that I read Orwell's account of his time as a militiaman fighting the fascists in the Spanish civil war titled;"Homage to Catalonia". He's one of my favorite writers. Sitting on the shelf next up is the complete short stories of Ernest Hemingway (a writer whom Orwell apparently had a rather poor opinion of...I like "Papa" though.. )

 

[Rosie]

I'm reading a couple of things now:

Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Problems by Dorothy Rubin (aren't you all jealous?) lol

The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World by Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D

and Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

 

[Novella]

I need to stop messing around on the computer and read more books.

I feel that way all the time! There are just so many interesting things to read on the computer.

Right now I'm reading Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books - very fun reads. The mysteries themselves are alright, but it's the characters of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin that really make the books funny and interesting.

 

[Lady Day]

Well upon finishing 'The Culture of Fear: Why Americans are Afraid of the Wrong Things', I jumped to, 'Tuning in Trouble: Talk TVs Destructive Impact on Mental Health.'

Like you DIDNT know that stuff was bad for you!


LD

 

[LizzieMaine]

I've got several books going -- in the living room I'm reading "Broadcast Advertising" by Frank Arnold, a 1931 treatise on the use of radio as an advertising medium; in the bedroom I'm reading "Glorious Technicolor -- The Movies' Magic Rainbow," by Fred Basten, a history of the company that made color cinematography a practical reality; and in the kitchen I'm reading "Fast Food -- Roadside Restaurants in the Automobile Age," by John A. Jakle and Keith A. Scull. (For some reason I always end up reading books about food in the kitchen...)

 

[koopkooper]

Remembering Kate by Scott Berg....great book on Ms Hepburn, wonderful stories from a wonderful lady.

 

[Section10]

"Arctic Dreams" by Barry Lopez

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

Years ago I read "Dreadnought" from cover to cover, and I still don't know why the hell WWI was fought.

 

[Willi_Goat]

I am reading Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose.

 

[VintageJess]

Willi,

I enjoyed Citizen Soldiers a great deal, hope you do too!

I am currently reading Tarawa: The Story of a Battle, by Robert Sherrod and it is exellent.

Jessica

 

[Willi_Goat]

Willi,

I enjoyed Citizen Soldiers a great deal, hope you do too!

I am currently reading Tarawa: The Story of a Battle, by Robert Sherrod and it is exellent.

Jessica

I am enjoying the book very much. I am in the military and enjoy reading the history of the military. I have also read Band of Brothers, same author. There is a book, Biggest Brother by Larry Alexander that is a very good read, about Major Dick Winters.

Sticking with the ETO, there is another book I found very good about a National Guard unit from Bedford, Virginia that was part of the first wave in on Omaha Beach, The Bedford Boys: One American Town's Ultimate D-Day Sacrifice by Alex Kershaw. It has alot about the home front in it as well. I read this book during my last rotation to the desert and it moved me, with some other reasons as well, to propose to my girlfriend.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I just finished "The Maltese Falcon", it was fun to campare the movie to the book. And I just started "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay", a Golden Era adventure story of young boy escaping pre WWII Europe and coming to America to write comics. This book on many awards including the Pulitzer, but I've really just started it myself.

 

[jake_fink]

I just finished "The Maltese Falcon", it was fun to campare the movie to the book. And I just started "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay", a Golden Era adventure story of young boy escaping pre WWII Europe and coming to America to write comics. This book on many awards including the Pulitzer, but I've really just started it myself.

TAAoK&C has some slow spots, but overall I think you'll dig it. The Derby Dugan books are also fun for comic lovers, and there is Men of Tomorrow, the real story of Kavalier and Clay. Sort of.