What Are You Reading

[pistolpete]

Lord Whimsy.

Read this excellent book. "Mammal of Paradise," funny and poignant. Pete.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Just bought Judge Andrew Napolitano's 'Constitution in Exile'. Looking forward to reading it ..... but I've got so many books open at the moment, it will have to wait it's turn! Soon though!

-dixon cannon

 

[Harp]

Just bought Judge Andrew Napolitano's 'Constitution in Exile'.

-dixon cannon

legitimus moderatio!

 

[Twitch]

Got into a re-read of one from years ago People of the Lake- Mankind and Its Beginnings by Richard Leakey.

 

[52Styleline]

Death at Hallows End by Leo Bruce

 

[Dr Doran]

1/ Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Montefiore -- fascinating, fascinating, fascinating
2/ I, the Jury by Spillane -- just finished; didn't like it much, too hypermacho for me and the violence (and sadism) was a bit sick. If someone can tell me why I should have liked it, I'm all ears and I'll consider rereading it
3/ Also just finished Vengeance is Mine by Spillane -- didn't like that one too much either, saw the twist with the transvestite a mile away.
4/ Still carefully working through The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker -- great on many things including violence, war, gender, and general observations about politics trumping actual science in the academy, but some doubts about the section on intelligence
5/ Continuously revisiting, as a long-term, slow "project," all of H. P. Lovecraft and the later stuff inspired by him: I found a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories set in Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos, fairly well-written curiosa including two explaining Watson's experiences in Afghanistan and how he got injured there. I may get collections of Lovecraft's letters
6/ Found a book of a genre previously unknown to me, hard-boiled crime detective stuff meets erotica. Haven't started it yet. I don't know if it will be arousing or just goofy
7/ Rereading Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Celine in stops and starts. Too bad about his politics; he was a great writer.
8/ Origins of the Peloponnesian War by de Ste. Croix -- brilliant
9/ Rereading Aristophanes in chronological order while reading Thucydides for the events of the same years to look for the resonances

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

Master and Commander - Patrick O'brian. Thought it was good, but not sure if I will continue the series.

Anna and the King of Siam - Currently reading, am sort of becalmed halfway through where it seems to get a bit dull.

The Picture of Dorian Grey - Just started it, seems interesting.

War and Peace - Started it, then quit. I don't really care for Tolstoy's narrative style.

The Lost World - Just finished rereading it.

The Middle East: A brief history of the last 2000 years - OK book, but didn't really do much to tie everything together. Spent too much time on the Ottoman Empire.

 

[Sunny]

All eleven of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Mars/John Carter books. I will be moving on to the Venus stories when I finish. :eusa_clap

 

[JazzBaby]

In an effort to give my novel a shot in the arm, I'm re-reading 'Jazz' by Toni Morrison to get a feel for the way she incorporates jazz rhythms into her narrative.

I might read 'Beloved' again, although I was practically traumatised after reading it first... lol

 

[Shearer]

I'm plodding through The Terror by Dan Simmons, which got good ratings from Amazon, but so far has failed to terrorize me. It's almost 800 pages, so I might just start using it to work out my triceps at my desk.

Waiting on See You After the Duration: The Story of British Evacuees to North America in World War II from the UPS guy.

 

[Brian Sheridan]

I have on order the William Powell: The Life and Films biography by Roger Bryant.

Jon

I am just finishing the Powell book. A bit disappointing for the price. The Powell bio "Gentleman" is much better but it is out-of-print and used copies are expensive.

 

[thebadmamajama]

I tend to have about 40 books going at once, and more like 100 when I have a heavy literature course load, but right now:

On Writing by Stephen King
Facino Cane by Honoré de Balzac
Frenchman's Creek by Daphne DuMaurier
Anne of the Island by LM Montgomery (for the 6th time I'm sure, at least)
Suite Française by Irène Nemirovsky

et.al.

 

[Harp]

8/ Origins of the Peloponnesian War by de Ste. Croix -- brilliant
9/ Rereading Aristophanes in chronological order while reading Thucydides for the events of the same years to look for the resonances

Alcibiades' Reply in Thucydides is most intriguing--as the individual himself.

 

[carebear]

I tend to have about 40 books going at once, and more like 100 when I have a heavy literature course load, but right now:

On Writing by Stephen King
Facino Cane by Honoré de Balzac
Frenchman's Creek by Daphne DuMaurier
Anne of the Island by LM Montgomery (for the 6th time I'm sure, at least)
Suite Française by Irène Nemirovsky

et.al.

Have you ever read "Maps in a Mirror" and "Unaccompanied Sonatas" (I think there's 2 more but it's late)? They are collections of Orson Scott Card's short stories.

His introductions are worth the price alone. He discusses the nature of horror fiction and fantasy. I really like his concepts of fiction and what it is "for".

Anyway, you might check out the intros if you see them while out and about.

 

[Polka Dot]

Hugo - Les Misérables
Stendhal - La Chartreuse de Parme
Prévost - Manon Lescaut
Balzac - Le Colonel Chabert
Marivaux - Le Paysan parvenu

Not to mention hundreds of pages of random excerpts and theoretical articles. It's a bit to have going at once, but it's paying off in spades: I got into Harvard's PhD program in French Lit yesterday!*

* That's sort of what the haircut was about--a mini celebration. See the "I did it..." thread in the Powder Room.

 

[Harp]

Hugo - Les Misérables
Stendhal - La Chartreuse de Parme
Prévost - Manon Lescaut
Balzac - Le Colonel Chabert
Marivaux - Le Paysan parvenu

Not to mention hundreds of pages of random excerpts and theoretical articles. It's a bit to have going at once, but it's paying off in spades: I got into Harvard's PhD program in French Lit yesterday!*

* That's sort of what the haircut was about--a mini celebration. See the "I did it..." thread in the Powder Room.

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Veritas, Veritas That's GREATTTT!!!!!!! :eusa_clap

 

[CanadaDoll]

Hugo - Les Misérables
Stendhal - La Chartreuse de Parme
Prévost - Manon Lescaut
Balzac - Le Colonel Chabert
Marivaux - Le Paysan parvenu

Not to mention hundreds of pages of random excerpts and theoretical articles. It's a bit to have going at once, but it's paying off in spades: I got into Harvard's PhD program in French Lit yesterday!*

Wow that's fantastic Polka Dot!!! Congratulations!:eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Jay]

Several things right now:
1. The Fear and Loathing Letters, Vol. 1-Hunter Thomson
A wonderful book of letters sent by Hunter S. Thompson from 1955 to 1965. It's an awesome insight on how Gonzo came about.

2. Gumshoe: Reflections in a Private Eye by Josiah Thompson
This I thought would be interesting and I wasn't let down. A college professor who teaches English becomes a Private Detective in real life.

3. Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger
A look into the darker side of Hollywood in its early days.

 

[Dr Doran]

Hugo - Les Misérables
Stendhal - La Chartreuse de Parme
Prévost - Manon Lescaut
Balzac - Le Colonel Chabert
Marivaux - Le Paysan parvenu

Not to mention hundreds of pages of random excerpts and theoretical articles. It's a bit to have going at once, but it's paying off in spades: I got into Harvard's PhD program in French Lit yesterday!*

* That's sort of what the haircut was about--a mini celebration. See the "I did it..." thread in the Powder Room.

Congratulations, I am very excited for you. Let's hope your graduate school experience won't be as full of annoying individuals (and hideously-clad grad students) as mine.

 

[Dr Doran]

Alcibiades' Reply in Thucydides is most intriguing--as the individual himself.

Exactly which reply are you talking about? The long speech before the Sicilian expedition?