Updated 'What are you reading' thread

I'm a big reader, and always on the prowl for new books.

Currently, I'm reading 'The Fatal Shore' by Robert Hughes. It's about the founding of Australia. Very interesting, yet harrowing, and sad. Don't know why it's taken me this long to get around to reading it!

Just read, "Life" by Keith Richards and "Live from New York" the history of Saturday Night Live. I have the Bob Marley bio by Timothy White on the end table. Other then the Keith book, the books came from my sweetie who spotted them at Goodwill.

The Complete Western Stories of Elmore Leonard

I've spent the last six years reading things because I HAD to for school, now that I can read whatever I want to, I'm kind of overwhelmed. In a good way.

I've burned through a good handful of books the past couple of months.

Recently finished re-reading The Killer Angels and Gods and Generals (M and J Sharra).

Currently finishing a left-wing screed the topic of which is not allowed here.

Then I've got the Laura Hilenbrand book Unbroken that a freind loaned me. I really liked her story on Sea Biscuit.

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9781400064168.html

Just finished "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy and am about a third of the way through "Last Night in Twisted River" by John Irving.

I'm hooked on Jonathan Tropper novels for fiction. Just finished "Plan B." Great stuff.

As for non-fiction, I just "kindled" Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" last night, another one of those "books that for some strange reason I never got around to reading."

A Simple Twist of Fate by Andy Gill
The making of Blood on The Tracks & how it was recorded in Minnesota

I just finished: "Bloodtide" by Melvin Burgess, liked it so much I immediately read the sequel "BloodSong". Really original Sci-Fi/fantasy.

Just started the Icewind Dale Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore, not bad so far.
http://www.wizards.com/global/images/products_frgiftset_885570000_lgpic.jpg

"The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf" by William C. Davis. I also try to read the Bible daily.

This Wheels On Fire... The autobiography of Levon Helm..

Currently finishing a left-wing screed the topic of which is not allowed here.


Initials?

half way through Order of the Phoenix as i go through the complete Harry Potter set for a second time.

once that's done, i'm going to dive into The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings trilogy. haven't read 'em since high school 35 years ago. then my reading list for the rest of 2011 ventures forth to Dickens, Jules Verne, HG Wells, Twain and Shelby Foote's 3-volume Civil War narrative

Currently making my way through Keef's "Life". Scored it at the local library browsing through the new arrivals. Picked up a copy of "Ronnie" by Ronnie Wood at the same time. These should satisfy my Stones fix for a while.

Music

The Rough Guide to Reggae (http://www.amazon.com/Rough-Guide-Reggae-Guides-Reference/dp/1843533294/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298489014&sr=1-1)

Excellent reference book on the evolution of Jamaican music.
Short artist bios and discographies.


Action/Adventure

WEB Griffin "The Outlaws" (http://www.amazon.com/Outlaws-Presidential-Agent-Novel/dp/0399156836/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298488896&sr=1-1)

Ted Bell "Warlord" (http://www.amazon.com/Warlord-Hawke-Novel-Ted-Bell/dp/006185929X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298488940&sr=1-1)

I'm about to start Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

graham's history of the king ranch

just finished the buck owens bio

"Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy

Lately I've been on a fiction binge. The Fort: A Novel of the Revolutionary War - Bernard Cornwell, Son of Heaven - David Wingrove, December 6 - Martin Cruz Smith and Galileo's Dream - Kim Stanley Robinson.

In between those I've reading a non fiction book, April 1865 the Month That Saved a Nation by Jay Winik it's excellent. His other book the Great Upheaval is also terribly good. He's a wonderful writer and scholar.

At hand now is The Good Son - Michael Gruber a novel set partly in right now Pakistan. He's a very interesting, thoughtful and imaginative author. I've enjoyed all his books so far.

I'm reading "Space" by James A. Michener; it's an historical fiction story of the development of the US space program; very interesting.

After that, I've got "Chariots of the Gods?" by Erich von Däniken. I can't wait to read this one.

Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Can't Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters by Robert Gordon

Reading the new one by Orson Scott Card, but I'm damned if I recall the title at the moment. Also "A Thousand Names For Stranger" by Julie Cznerda, "The Face" by Dean Koontz, "Mockingjay" by Susanne Collins and the final installment of the "Lost Fleet" series by Jack Campbell.

Yeah, I read too much SF!

Justin

Initials?

It's by Greg Palast. It's a few years old. For me it's a re-read actually.



I'm reading "Space" by James A. Michener; it's an historical fiction story of the development of the US space program; very interesting.
....


Great book.

Back when I was 19 or so, I read it and that book - specifically - changed my life. Literally. I remember it vividly; one of those few undeniable turning points where we make a conscious choice that effects everything afterward.

I've burned through a good handful of books the past couple of months.

Recently finished re-reading The Killer Angels and Gods and Generals (M and J Sharra).

Currently finishing a left-wing screed the topic of which is not allowed here.

Then I've got the Laura Hilenbrand book Unbroken that a freind loaned me. I really liked her story on Sea Biscuit.

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9781400064168.html



I loved "The Killer Angels"... It is the best of those books and was done by the father, the others by the son. Its a different book than the others, taking a much more personal look at the characters. Its more of a serious novel from my perspective, though I enjoyed the subsequent books. Won the Pulitzer prize too as I recall.

Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766 by Fred Anderson.

This book should be required reading for all American history buffs....amazing, amazing stuff (only slightly hindered by the author's 'not having used many French sources).


I'm also reading Time Must Have a Stop by Aldous Huxley

I'm currently reading a novel titled "The Winter Queen". Well written, interesting but a bit slow. Before this one I read David McCullough's Pulitzer prize winning biography of Harry Truman, which I highly recommend. Next up is Robert Louis Stevenson's "Kidnapped". I've never read it. Thought I would give it a try.

Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766 by Fred Anderson.

This book should be required reading for all American history buffs....amazing, amazing stuff (only slightly hindered by the author's 'not having used many French sources).


I'm also reading Time Must Have a Stop by Aldous Huxley


Hey! "The Crucible Of War" is a great book. Have you read Francis Parkman on the entirety of the french and Indian wars? The language might be a bit tough but he was the first to cover that ground and it is a huge work of several volumes.

Today I'm finishing off the latest Tim Dorsey book: Electric Barracuda. All his books are the zany adventures or 2 nut case fugitives in Florida. These are not deep, cosmic books, but they are quite entertaining and funny.

I lived in Florida for a few years in the 70's (and may well live there again someday).

Here's are the other books in the series:
Florida Roadkill (1999)
Hammerhead Ranch Motel (2000)
Orange Crush (2001)
Triggerfish Twist (2002)
The Stingray Shuffle (2003)
Cadillac Beach (2004)
Torpedo Juice (2005)
The Big Bamboo (2006)
Hurricane Punch (2007)
Atomic Lobster (2008)
Nuclear Jellyfish (2009)
Gator A-Go-Go (2010)

I average 2 to 3 books a week. Unless it's something like Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth. That'll eat up a week all by itself.

I just finished My Reading Life, by Pat Conroy, and started in on Battle Cry of Freedom, a one-volume history of the Civil War and the events leading up to it, by James McPherson. I read every day, but often only ten or twenty minutes at a time, so this one will take me a while.

Just finished "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy and am about a third of the way through "Last Night in Twisted River" by John Irving.

"Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy

I think I've read all of C. McCarthy's stuff. Brilliant, but like an auto wreck that you can't look away from.

I've always said that Blood Meridian is like a version of Apocalypse Now if it had have been set in the American Southwest in the 1800s.

I know someone who reads lots of Cormac McCarthy.

I'm currently reading "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse, bit by bit, on my lunch hour, and very much enjoying it.

Lately I've been on a fiction binge. The Fort: A Novel of the Revolutionary War - Bernard Cornwell, Son of Heaven - David Wingrove, December 6 - Martin Cruz Smith and Galileo's Dream - Kim Stanley Robinson.

In between those I've reading a non fiction book, April 1865 the Month That Saved a Nation by Jay Winik it's excellent. His other book the Great Upheaval is also terribly good. He's a wonderful writer and scholar.

At hand now is The Good Son - Michael Gruber a novel set partly in right now Pakistan. He's a very interesting, thoughtful and imaginative author. I've enjoyed all his books so far.

Not to overload your plate, but you might want to look into Patrick O'Brian's series of Jack Aubrey novels. Wonderful stuff, and with 20 1/2 novels it ought to keep you occupied for a while!

I've burned through a good handful of books the past couple of months.

Recently finished re-reading The Killer Angels and Gods and Generals (M and J Sharra).

Currently finishing a left-wing screed the topic of which is not allowed here.

Then I've got the Laura Hilenbrand book Unbroken that a freind loaned me. I really liked her story on Sea Biscuit.

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl/9781400064168.html

Thanx for the heads up on L.H. I really enjoyed Seabiscuit -she's got a great style. I'm gonna' look for this one.

Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Can't Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters by Robert Gordon

I've read the Muddy Waters bio. Tip top stuff, and well written. Enjoy.

Moneyball, by Michael Lewis

(but I've read two of Cormac McCarthy's since New Year........)

In an effort to appear less of a philistine I'm reading Tolstoy's War and Peace, took me some time to get into it but I'm starting to really enjoy it.

Just finished reading Danny Wallace's 'Awkward Situation's for Men' - a great and hilarious read, not sure if it'll be easily available in the US though.

I think I've read all of C. McCarthy's stuff. Brilliant, but like an auto wreck that you can't look away from.

I've always said that Blood Meridian is like a version of Apocalypse Now if it had have been set in the American Southwest in the 1800s.

That's an apt description. His style is almost mesmerizing... dreamlike. The same effect I get from Apocalypse Now.

"Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy
That's my favorite of his books.
I'm reading Milton's Paradise Lost. Every once in a while I read one of the classics that I overlooked in my youth.

That's my favorite of his books.
I'm reading Milton's Paradise Lost. Every once in a while I read one of the classics that I overlooked in my youth.

You might be interested in Philip Pullman's trilogy, "His Dark Materials", which was inspired by Paradise Lost. In it, men and fallen angels attempt to kill "The Authority" and establish a Republic Of Heaven.

Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia. New bio of T.E. Lawrence.

Spies of the Balkans: A Novel. Fast moving and lots of action about pre-WWII Salonika and the Balkans.

Sea of Thunder. History of WWII Battle of Leyte Gulf. Insights into Japanese and American commanders, vivid description of battles, info on battleships Yamato and Musashi.

Justine - Lawrence Durrell. Literary classic about naughty goings on in 1930 Alexandria, Egypt. First book of trilogy.

Just finished the Fender Amp book that came out a while ago. Very cool and very informative.

Casebook after casebook after casebook

I loved "The Killer Angels"... It is the best of those books and was done by the father, the others by the son. Its a different book than the others, taking a much more personal look at the characters. Its more of a serious novel from my perspective, though I enjoyed the subsequent books. Won the Pulitzer prize too as I recall.

It is an excellent novel, probably the best Civil War book I've ever read. My brother got to meet Michael Shaara when he was in the service and really liked him.

Justin

My current books are:

The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million by Daniel Mendelsohn. It's about the author's search for six members of his family that were murdered in the Holocaust. He recounts the story of Genesis in parallel with his own story. Very interesting read so far.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. About a girl who made set of audiotapes before she committed suicide, that explain to 13 people the role they played in why she decided to end her life.

And next on my to-read list is What is the What by Dave Eggers. It's a novelized biography of Valentino Achak Deng, a Sudanese refugee now living in the United States, and his journey to get here.

Currently I have been rereading some Sherlock Holmes because they were free on my Bookreader.

I can give a few suggestions on some great reading material in my opinion:

The best novel I have read in recent years was The Windup Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami. This is a very unique book and I don't think I have ever read another piece anything quite like it. It was written only in Japanese for a Japanese audience, but was later translated. Along with being a weird twisting story it includes some history references to the Japanese colonialization of Manchukuo and the eventual shameful evacuation of the Japanese officials leaving all their military and others to be slaughtered when the Communists finally overtook the area.

The BEST adventure book I ever read was The White Nile by Alan Moorehead which was a history of the 19th Century explorers searching for the source of the Nile River. A very historical and exciting read. His follow-up was The Blue Nile which was similarly about earlier explorers also in the region of the Nile River dating from about the mid-1600s up to about the period where The White Nile picks up chronologically. Not as good as the White Nile probably because he had less material for references than for the later period, but still a very good book.

Another favorite of mine was Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. I know a lot of people think it was too depressing, but I think it is a true modern classic piece of literature. It is not all depressing, it is ultimately about salvation and does has some very humorous parts.

Hey! "The Crucible Of War" is a great book. Have you read Francis Parkman on the entirety of the french and Indian wars? The language might be a bit tough but he was the first to cover that ground and it is a huge work of several volumes.

No, I've not read it...but I REFUSE to call that war the "French and Indian War". It was a global conflict with every right to have been known as the "first" World War. "The Seven Years War" is, to me, the only aceptable term (especially considering the fact that ONLY Americans call it the French and Indian War!).

Still, when I'm done with WWI (perhaps as soon as 2016 when my Verdun book will hopefully come out) I think I might move on to the Seven Years War so Parkman will be on the list. Thanks for the heads up!

Stephen Kings Firestarter
and Shogun and Tai-Pan by James Clavell

Another favorite of mine was Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. I know a lot of people think it was too depressing, but I think it is a true modern classic piece of literature. It is not all depressing, it is ultimately about salvation and does has some very humorous parts.

A great book. A real eye-opener for your typical middle class American kid...

The last thing I read was The Fourth Part of the World by Toby Lester. Non-fiction, it starts out to be the story of the 1507 Waldseemüller Map, but it ends up being about how Western Europeans changed their vision of the world at the end of the Middle Ages. Well written and fascinating.

Just finished "Juliet, Naked" by Nick Hornby and Keef's "Life"
Almost done with "Bearers of the Black Staff" by Terry Brooks.
Getting started on "What Technology Wants" by Kevin Kelly.

I'm reading the service manual for my 1999 Kawasaki ZRX1100....

New pistons going in....

Today I just picked up Chuck Berry's autobiography, the unedited version published in 1987. So far it traces his great grandparents from slavery, talks about him pleasuring himself as a kid rubbing on the swing set (in so many words), getting caught on the roof trying to peep at naked ladies, and loving country music on the radio. I have very high hopes that this will be a very telling book. Chuck was never one to hold anything back.

I like to read. In the past month or so I've read Keith's "Life", "The Moral Landscape" by neuroscience philosopher Sam Harris, “The Housing Boom and Bust” by economist Thomas Sowell, “Michael Bloomfield - If You Love these Blues an Oral History”, Peter Schweizer’s “Architects of Ruin” and “They Came By Ship – The Stories of the Calitrani Immigrants in America” by Mario Toglia. The reference that I’ve referred to most often is the Oxford Italian Dictionary.

The Sam Harris book was an interesting take on morality and the human condition, one of my favorite topics, albeit from a new perspective. The Bloomfield book was the least satisfying, particularly in the wake of reading Keef’s surprising effort. I’m finishing the Calitri book tonight. I really don’t know what to read tomorrow.

This Wheels On Fire... The autobiography of Levon Helm..

Is it a good read?

The Artist's Way, thanks to the recommendation of a couple of posters here.

Meanwhile, waiting for the last Spenser book to come out (RIP Robert B. Parker), and Cornwell's next book in his King Alfred line.

A great book. A real eye-opener for your typical middle class American kid...

I read the three. Angela's Ashes, Teacher Man and another, if memory serves. I couldn't help but think that Frank may have embellished a bit. Knowing his brother Malachy, I always assumed that he did. He really did go from rags to riches though and experienced a tragic early childhood. Very compelling story.

I'm currently re-reading Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and also Beyond Good And Evil.

This Wheels On Fire... The autobiography of Levon Helm..

What a GREAT read! I recommend this to everyone who digs rock bios (and who doesn't).

Rereading Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.

I am re-reading The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin & Eytan Kollin. The sequel is here, but I'm re-reading the first one before I start it.

If you like Robert Heinlein, you'll love this book. This is the best sci-fi book I've read in the last twenty years. I hope the sequel is half as good.

I just finished the "Millenium" trilogy by Stieg Larsson and they were hard to put down. The movies are pretty faithful to the books, although they by necessity have to leave out a LOT of back stories that you'll find in the novels. The ending is phenomenal and I have yet to see how they finished off the third movie but if it's the same as the book, oh man. Definitely a worthy read--must be in order: tattoo, fire, hornet's nest. The movies in the original Swedish language are really good, with superb acting. They're on Netflix. But as usual, do NOT watch the movies first and spoil the great reading.

Seen some western references and have to throw out Elmer Kelton for your consideration. His "Texas Ranger Trilogy" is very good, not romanticized accounts of life as a Ranger. All Kelton's stuff is good. Similar to McMurtry. And I don't even really like westerns, but Kelton is a good read.

I'm reading the service manual for my 1999 Kawasaki ZRX1100....

New pistons going in....

RZ350 and you're on a ZRX? You're a puzzle wrapped in a riddle!

FENDER : The golden age 1946-1970.

well, I dont know if im exactly reading it, but it sure has purty pictures :).

I can tell where I was up to, by the drool on the pages.

Before this one I read David McCullough's Pulitzer prize winning biography of Harry Truman, which I highly recommend. +1. A great book.

I just finished "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" for the 2nd time. Probably first read it at least 35 years ago. Riveting & moving for those w. an interest. I am not easily moved.

Starting "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bryson in about 30 minutes. If you were born in the '50s, check out "The Thunderbolt Kid" by the same.

Good to see there are still other readers out there.

+1. A great book.

I just finished "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" for the 2nd time. Probably first read it at least 35 years ago. Riveting & moving for those w. an interest. I am not easily moved.

Starting "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bryson in about 30 minutes. If you were born in the '50s, check out "The Thunderbolt Kid" by the same.

Good to see there are still other readers out there.

When I take over the world, 'A Short History...' is going to be required reading for everybody. :lol:

That book contains so much knowledge, and is so enjoyably readable, that it should be forced upon everyone!

I've read just about every Bryson piece that I could get my hands on. Such a talented writer, with just the right amount of dry humour.

Tip: If you can find his two books on the English language -'Mother Tongue' and 'Made in America'- you're in for a real treat.

I just finished the "Millenium" trilogy by Stieg Larsson and they were hard to put down. The movies are pretty faithful to the books, although they by necessity have to leave out a LOT of back stories that you'll find in the novels. The ending is phenomenal and I have yet to see how they finished off the third movie but if it's the same as the book, oh man. Definitely a worthy read--must be in order: tattoo, fire, hornet's nest. The movies in the original Swedish language are really good, with superb acting. They're on Netflix. But as usual, do NOT watch the movies first and spoil the great reading.

My wife bought the trilogy, and I've read them. Very compelling but Stieg Larsson was a journalist and it shows. A lot of things needed editing out, such as how much Lisbeth Salander bought at Ikea and H&M. :rolleyes:

+1 on the movies. Noomi Rapace, who played Lisbeth Salander, is incredible. I pity the poor girl who's playing that character in David Fincher's American remake.

As for myself, I just whipped through Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells, a decent steampunk novel. Gave me a nice break between (a) reading books about puppy training† and (b) writing my own*.


† - Got a Lab/Newfoundland cross puppy a few weeks ago so I have to learn how to train the wee thing.

* - Yes, I'm seeing if I can break into the wonderful world of literature. No publishing deal yet but I have a literary agent.

Another favorite of mine was Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. I know a lot of people think it was too depressing, but I think it is a true modern classic piece of literature. It is not all depressing, it is ultimately about salvation and does has some very humorous parts.

anyone interested in Angela's Ashes should get the audio book read by the author. it is much better as heard through McCourt's own voice. and you remember those lyrics to the old Irish drinking songs that his dad sang? McCourt actually sings them on the audio book. really the best way to experience this story.

I read the three. Angela's Ashes, Teacher Man and another, if memory serves. I couldn't help but think that Frank may have embellished a bit. Knowing his brother Malachy, I always assumed that he did. He really did go from rags to riches though and experienced a tragic early childhood. Very compelling story.

Yes, I read all three also. I think McCourt is a brilliant writer. Any writer who writes will embellish, it is inevitable and I would expect it. It does not detract from the story in any way, and who would know what was embellished in the first place, even him probably in some points? It was written as a novel, not strictly as an autobiography.

halfway through the Keith Richards autobiography - self indulgent but sometimes interesting - and rereading Our Man in Havana - Graham Greene - funny and well written

I just finished reading Rick Atkinson's "An Army at Dawn", a history of the Africa campaign in WWII. I'm now reading his "The Day in Battle", about the invasion of Italy. This is supposed to be a trilogy; I hope he publishes the third volume, which will conclude the European campaign.

halfway through the Keith Richards autobiography - self indulgent but sometimes interesting - and rereading Our Man in Havana - Graham Greene - funny and well written

Read the KR bio, and pretty much concur. Sadly, I've never read any Graham Greene. So many books, so little time. Any suggestions on where I should start?

Just about to finish Thomas Pynchon's latest, "Inherent Vice" - quite a "light" read, by Pynchon standards, and in a similar vein as "Vineland" (though not as complex & funny).

I'm reading Triumph and Tragedy, the sixth and final volume of Winston Churchill's history of WWII, written from 1946 to 1950. The whole tome is fascinating, if not a little stilted at times. Funny thing, I had to learn to read the King's English, as opposed to American English. There is a difference.

Just finished "Zorro" by Isabel Allende, and starting Hugh Genoways' "Museum Adminsitration". Quite a shift, to be sure!

Someone asked if "This Wheel's On Fire" is worth reading: in my opinion, it absolutely is -- I really enjoyed that book and it gave me a completely different view of The Band. Similar to reading Johnny Cash's "Cash", Levon Helm has a way of telling the story such that you feel like you're sitting on his porch with him having a few drinks (or in the case of Levon, a few "left hand cigarettes" as my grandfather would say, heh) and shooting the breeze; all very Southern, and being from the South, that really came across to me and made me feel at home. One of those books you hate to see end.

Recently finished Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker,_Tailor,_Soldier,_Spy) by John le Carre. Great book; take notes if you read it -- this book gets really confusing towards the end when all the seemingly disparate pieces start falling into place.

Close to finishing Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Olds). I'm a big history nut and also love airplanes, particularly the prop-era; Olds is someone I've long admired so it was great that his memoirs were finally released.

Next up will either be Keef's "Life" or "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

I'm reading this forum...

Steve Coll's Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

Yes, I read all three also. I think McCourt is a brilliant writer. Any writer who writes will embellish, it is inevitable and I would expect it. It does not detract from the story in any way, and who would know what was embellished in the first place, even him probably in some points? It was written as a novel, not strictly as an autobiography.

Yes, it was "Angela's Ashes", "Tis" (the one I couldn't recall) and "Teacher Man" that comprised what I always believed to be Frank McCourt's memoir trilogy. Readers of Keef’s “Life” will likely suspect that some creative license was taken by the author and I suspect that the late Mr. McCourt may also have been guilty, but as you say, we really don’t know. Pete Hamill’s “Forever – A Novel” is a fictional tale that may appeal to McCourt fans. Hamill spins a well-written historical yarn of Gaelic magic and New York City politics that I found informative and entertaining. As an Irish/Italian American born in Brooklyn, Hamill’s book really appealed to me. It helps that historical fiction is really my favorite type of novel.

Currently finishing a left-wing screed the topic of which is not allowed here.


I'm reading that too! Am I allowed to mention what it is (in my case "Myth of the Rational Market") if we promise not to discuss its contents?

Cheers,
Geoff

I'm reading that too! Am I allowed to mention what it is (in my case "M.o.t.R.M.") if we promise not to discuss its contents?

Cheers,
Geoff

Fixed it for you. This we we can allude to it without upsetting Aunt Fannie.

Go here (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f34/what-you-reading-chapter-2-a-668886/index20.html#post10514867).

I'm "Bongolation" there.

Scroll backwards until you're bored.

I read several books a week, minimum.

Under The Dome by Stephen King

Finishing this up at the moment, an utterly horrific story:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H44IkuSV9qQ/TJWnYzGnh3I/AAAAAAAANyo/m0qdHetWJ0s/s320/mao%27s_great_famine.png

Finished this one yesterday:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__WMecpTp03E/TNuhikt_JFI/AAAAAAAABLg/hwKJTh9N-y4/s320/bloodlands.jpg

Read this one yesterday (quite good):

http://ecimages.kobobooks.com/Image.ashx?imageID=XDBqQMAmhEGyDfF0ZXqY0g&Type=Full

This, the latest Bernie Gunther mystery (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/philip-kerr/field-grey.htm):

http://murderbytype.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/field.jpg?w=183&h=275

Also waiting for this (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/david-downing/potsdam-station.htm) to show up:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511ZjpXUK3L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

...and this one (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/jonathan-rabb/second-son.htm), too:

http://npaper-wehaa.com/pub-files/11954882034741b3cbb31cc38/pub/Shepherd-Express-02-08-2011_12972114374d51e02dd5e41/lib/12972147114d51ecf72425b.jpg

In the "historical crime" department, I read this last week:

http://ecimages.kobobooks.com/Image.ashx?imageID=-5aSminWzUGqD21B7aV3Jw&Type=Full

This one a couple of weeks ago, very good:

http://i43.tower.com/images/mm108597604/a-little-white-death-lawton-john-paperback-cover-art.jpg

Lawton really is an exceptionally fine writer, easily on par with Le Carre (Our Kind of Traitor was weak) and Furst, but different. He writes for grownups.

This one recently, too:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0375504966.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

As a native Northern Californian descended from the state's pioneers, I find these histories fascinating. I lived for about fifteen years in San Francisco, and very much of my time was spent in Chinatown -- the real one, where I was the only non-Chinese literally as far as the eye could see. The streets, alleys and surviving buildings in this book are very vividly in my mind's eye as I read it, which adds to this fascinating account.

This one recently, a good survey:

http://www.bloomsburypress.com/bloomsbury/covers/9781596915039.jpg

The newest Lawton, not his best but certainly better than Le Carre's new one:

http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2010/10/24/PH2010102402660.jpg

Lawton is an exceptionally good writer.

Just started "Theodore Rex" by Edmund Morris, after finishing the first of the trilogy, "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt." I never realized that he was such a prolific author, and probably a genius of sorts. Fascinating character. (And it must "kill" him that he's right next to Jefferson on Mt. Rushmore...)

Ooh, I've requested this one (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/e/sam-eastland/red-coffin.htm), too:

http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/reviews/TRCoffin.jpg

A sequel to this (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/e/sam-eastland/eye-of-red-tsar.htm):

http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/reviews/EotRTsar.jpg

"Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards" by Al Kooper. Should be required reading for gigging musicians.

Life by Keith Richards and Shutter Island. Just finished Red Dragon, Silence of the lambs, Panic and Mr. Nice.

Today I just picked up Chuck Berry's autobiography, the unedited version published in 1987. So far it traces his great grandparents from slavery, talks about him pleasuring himself as a kid rubbing on the swing set (in so many words), getting caught on the roof trying to peep at naked ladies, and loving country music on the radio. I have very high hopes that this will be a very telling book. Chuck was never one to hold anything back.

Is that the one with the picture of Chuck shirtless on the cover, holding his ES?? I love that book.

Picking this up at the library today:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5206/5243299186_c2f5ed20f2.jpg

I stardet reading The 5000 Year Leap.

This is also on its way:

http://img2.hotshed.com/images/12327/12327169_1_413_2.jpg

John LeCarre, OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, and now, A MOST WANTED MAN. I have gotten back in to fiction, mostly spy, thrillers, international intrigue type novels. For many years it was just technical work stuff, and of course all things guitar and music, including some great bios such as SKYDOG, ROOMFUL OF MIRRORS ( re Hendrix), and GRANT GREEN (written by his daughter). Also, THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC (Daniel Levitin), and ALL YOU NEED IS EARS by George Martin are good reads.

John LeCarre, OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, and now, A MOST WANTED MAN. I have gotten back in to fiction, mostly spy, thrillers, international intrigue type novels.
I'm not big on Le Carre's later stuff, but I do read it. His earlier work is great, though, before he got quite so full of himself.

I don't go for the "one hour to save the planet" thrillers which are too improbable to be enjoyable for me, and not generally very well-written.

Alan Furst (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/alan-furst/) is very good, one of only a handful of American writers I read. His stories are very realistic recreations of, usually, pre-WWII European espionage.

John Lawton (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/l/john-lawton/) is a remarkably fine writer who often writes stories loosely based on mysterious intrigues of the Cold War such as the "Crabb Affair" and the Profumo scandal, the public explanations of which were improbable and incomplete.

Olen Steinhauer (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/olen-steinhauer/), Joseph Kanon (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/k/joseph-kanon/) and David Downing (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/d/david-downing/) are also OK.

I think I missed this one (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/alan-furst/night-soldiers.htm) the first time around, so I've requested it:

http://ecimages.kobobooks.com/Image.ashx?imageID=YWWid_p8p0elOwTIjBsonA&Type=Full

This book, I don't think you have an english translation, it's funny this guy got the Nobel price for his novels in 1970.

This book, I don't think you have an english translation
Yeah, it's this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGRGIR_qnEY/S5ChwZN8JAI/AAAAAAAAAzY/M0t8wL0PJyQ/s320/n127030.jpg

Check out "A Fraction OF The Whole" by Steve Toltz.

Every single person that I've recommended this book to has agreed that it was the best fictional novel they had read.

"There are more than 500 pages in Steve Toltz' first novel, A Fraction of the Whole, and yet one can turn to nearly any of them and find something worth reading aloud. It has the weight and complexity of a life's masterpiece, but reads as if it was written in a stream of consciousness style. But what consciousness!" Short listed for the Booker Prize, what a romping ride, you will laugh (out loud) and cry too. Just Google the reviews.

Yeah, it's this:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_LGRGIR_qnEY/S5ChwZN8JAI/AAAAAAAAAzY/M0t8wL0PJyQ/s320/n127030.jpg

Ok, but I couldn't find yesterday any of his books on amazon.com, it gave me only french translations and i was a bit surprised because it's a wellknown novel.

Ok, but I couldn't find yesterday any of his books on amazon.com, it gave me only french translations and i was a bit surprised because it's a wellknown novel.
Probably due to using the French transliteration of his name.

He's certainly there in English translation (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_at_ep_srch?ie=UTF8&search-alias=books&field-author=Aleksandr+Solzhenitsyn&sort=relevancerank).

You're right, I didn't know about different transliteration between french and english about his name.

The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson

I'm currently re-reading Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and also Beyond Good And Evil.

Fear and loathing is amazing. Sadly my copy has been destroyed. The movie is so close to the book it is ridiculous. The great shark hunt is the only Thompson I have in the house now. It is excellent also. I've heard good things about the curse of Lono also.

Currently between books. My next book will most likely be Mother Night by Vonnegut. I also read a lot of hemingway. And may have to check out some McCarthy based on what i have seen here.

Don't know how bad this is going to be, but I picked it up at the library because my other stuff is slow getting here:

http://images.indiebound.com/345/981/9781605981345.jpg

Currently got Keef's " Life " and " Riding Shotgun " by Gerry McEvoy going at the same time.

Gerry played bass for a while for some dude called Rory

You're right, I didn't know about different transliteration between french and english about his name.
Transliteration from Cyrillic is exasperatingly arbitrary and inconsistent. There are about three systems in English. Transliteration to Cyrillic is even more arbitrary and inconsistent. :roll:

Fear and loathing is amazing. Sadly my copy has been destroyed. The movie is so close to the book it is ridiculous. The great shark hunt is the only Thompson I have in the house now. It is excellent also. I've heard good things about the curse of Lono also.

Currently between books. My next book will most likely be Mother Night by Vonnegut. I also read a lot of hemingway. And may have to check out some McCarthy based on what i have seen here.

The film is excellent. :)

You should check out The Rum Diary, it's not much like Fear & Loathing, but that's not a bad thing - it demonstrates that Thompson's skills weren't just limited to his Gonzo style, he could write "normally" with the best of them.

“Happy,” I muttered, trying to pin the word down. But it is one of those words like Love, that I never quite understood. Most people who deal in words don’t have much faith in them and I am no exception—especially the big ones like Happy and Love and Honest and Strong. They are too elusive and far too relative when you compare them to sharp, mean little words like Punk and Cheap and Phony. I feel at home with these, because they’re scrawny and easy to pin, but the big ones are tough and it takes either a priest of a fool to use them with any confidence.

Finished this one yesterday:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/__WMecpTp03E/TNuhikt_JFI/AAAAAAAABLg/hwKJTh9N-y4/s320/bloodlands.jpg

How was this? I was thinking of getting it. You have cool taste in books.

How was this? I was thinking of getting it.
It's interesting in that it looks at eastern Europe as the primary focus, which I don't recall seeing before. It's a ghastly story (though Mao's Great Famine is hugely more appalling).

I've read several hundred books on the history of Stalinism and I believe he makes a few errors in this book, but there are some interesting new data.

It's worth reading. Most libraries seem to be picking it up.

Just finished No 3 in Stieg Larsson's Millenium Trilogy.

http://media.mightyape.net.nz/images/products/9601326/Kingpin-How-One-Hacker-Took-Over-the-Billion-Dollar-Cybercrime-Underground-3549693-4.jpegI'm reading the hacker story Kingpin written by a ex-hacker and actual Wired magazine editor Kevin Poulsen. Also, it's the first book I've actually bought on my iPad thru Amazon Kindle Store.

http://amzn.to/eOzmv8

Last book I finished was We Will Not Fight by Will Ellsworth-Jones, the true story of a group of conscientious objectors who refused to enlist for the military during the first world war.

I didn't realise when I bought it, but a lot of the book takes place locally. My hometown is mentioned twice; the objectors were kept in the army barracks just up the road from me on their way to France to face trial. Maybe it's just that local connection, but it was the type of book I couldn't put down.


I'm currently reading The Village That Died For England by Patrick Wright, another true story about war - it centres around Tyneham, a village in the south of England that was evacuated and used as an army training ground during the second world war. It's yet to grab me in the same way as We Will Not Fight...then again, I'm like that with books...I only really got into Fahrenheit 451 about halfway through.

Just finished Empire Falls by Richard Russo.
Just started Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original by Robin D.G. Kelley.

U2 by U2...their own story.

John LeCarre, OUR KIND OF TRAITOR, and now, A MOST WANTED MAN. I have gotten back in to fiction, mostly spy, thrillers, international intrigue type novels. For many years it was just technical work stuff, and of course all things guitar and music, including some great bios such as SKYDOG, ROOMFUL OF MIRRORS ( re Hendrix), and GRANT GREEN (written by his daughter). Also, THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON MUSIC (Daniel Levitin), and ALL YOU NEED IS EARS by George Martin are good reads.

Actually, the Grant Green book, Grant Green: Rediscovering the Forgotten Genius of Jazz Guitar, was written by Green's ex daughter-in-law.

Waiting for the big load from the library, I'm re-reading some of the wonderful stories in these:

http://media.us.macmillan.com/jackets/258H/9780374502560.jpg

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0374504407.01._SX140_SY225_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

To my knowledge, there was never another writer like Singer.

Personal favorite short stories...

"Alone"
"A Wedding in Brownsville"
"The Seance"
"The Spinoza of Market Street"

As delightful a writer as he was, he was notoriously a pretty awful old man. My friend's mother got saddled with the task of driving him from NYC to Rochester to a lecture and felt it was an experience she would have gladly forgone. :mrgreen:

This is waiting for me at the library, though I consider it a "non-book":

http://www.jklutherie.com/images/products/detail/B.FEN.GOLDEN.YRS.1.jpg

Heaven and Hell (My Life with The Eagles) - Don Felder

"Stuff White People Like" by Christian Lander


funny

Dickens - Barnaby Rudge, on my Kindle.

I go in phases, of reading fiction then getting fed up with a terrible book and just reading non fiction, politics, science, art theory etc. (yeah I'm a geek) The someone will suggest a title and I'l be back into fiction again. The last really awesome book I read was Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. I can't recommend it high enough.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptonomicon

Now I'm reading the Brothers Karamazov, which i've been meaning to read for 15 years and have finally picked up a used copy. I'm just beginning it though.

This (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/toby-ball/vaults.htm) is on request at the library:

http://www.waterstreetbooks.com/files/waterstreet/the_vaults.jpg

Debating whether I really want to read it. Could be pretty bad.

"Life" by Keith Richards.

Then, I want to buy "The War for Late Night"

Master and Commander - Patrick O'Brian

Eighteenth and early nineteenth century Royal Navy Man O War.

Watched the DVD last night, and ready to dig into the book.

Jamie

Finished Keef's Life, and liked him more before I read it.
Now in the midst of the Aeneid (Fagles' translation). It's better.

Motorcycle Diaries

Serena by Ron Rash

I'm an everyday reader and amateur book collector, and for a couple of decades now I've dedicated myself to Norwegian crime novels - old and new.

In addition I read a bit of non-fiction (guitars/trucks/wildlife/skijumping/local history/WWII) and biographies (Roy B., Eric Clapton, Karen Carpenter, The Band).

Serena by Ron Rash

Great book!

I'm reading:

Brazzaville Beach by William Boyd (just finished Ordinary Thunderstorms by same author)

Libby Prison Breakout by Joseph Wheelan (civil war prison in Richmond, Va.)

And, I just finished A Season in Hell,,,Exile on Main St. by Robert Greenfield, which has more detail about life at Nellcote than you'll ever need, but not much about the music that was written and recorded there..

The Good Soldier Švejk by Jaroslav Hašek. I'm about halfway through, but find very little time to read. So far it's not nearly as good as I expected it to be.

Next in line is Life.

Halfway through The Snowman by Jo Nesbo - Norwegian author, I read The Redbreast first, he has a style I quite like.

Halfway through The Snowman by Jo Nesbo - Norwegian author, I read The Redbreast first, he has a style I quite like.

Hey, we share the same taste concerning Jo Nesbø. Great crime novelist!

The Redbreast is possibly my Nesbø favorite, but The Snowman isn't far behind.

Yes, I thought The Redbreast was better but The Snowman is engaging - I know the west coast of Norway a bit (Stavanger/Sandnes area) and around Geilo and Hovden but don't really know Oslo so it's quite interesting.

You should read "The Devil's Star" next - it's a real tense thriller, one of the most exiting I've read - maybe as good as The Redbreast!

Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor

Dickens - Barnaby Rudge

“No One Would Listen" by Harry Markopolos. Talks about the Madoff scandal. Only 2 chapters in but its crazy stuff how this guy tried to warn people and no one would listen.

When I take over the world, 'A Short History...' is going to be required reading for everybody Just finishing it & gotta agree. Great combo of basic sciences + humor. Will recommend it--probably fruitlessly--to my friends who are constantly spouting off 'science facts' that have, really, no basis in science.

"Stalingrad" and "The Fall of Berlin-1945" are shockingly good. I've read both twice.

Just picked up "Endgame, 1945" by David Stafford + the first of the Stieg Larsson trilogy to tide me thru the next couple weeks.

Just finishing it & gotta agree. Great combo of basic sciences + humor. Will recommend it--probably fruitlessly--to my friends who are constantly spouting off 'science facts' that have, really, no basis in science.

"Stalingrad" and "The Fall of Berlin-1945" are shockingly good. I've read both twice.

Just picked up "Endgame, 1945" by David Stafford + the first of the Stieg Larsson trilogy to tide me thru the next couple weeks.

That's too much!!! 'Stalingrad' was a fantastic read. 'Endgame' was quite enjoyable too. We seem to have similar tastes!

Haven't read any S Larsson yet, but because of your post, I'm definitely gonna' look into his stuff!

Thanx!

Recently finished Keith's "life". Enjoyed it a lot.

Also recently finished "Human Is", a compilation of Phillip K. Dick short stories. Great stuff.
I just started "Ender's game" by Orson Scott Card. It was a recommendation from another thread here about sci-fi. Terrific ! I got half-way through it in one sitting!

I'm getting great recommendations from all the good folk here - and I haven't read this much for years. :grin:

'Quantico' by Greg Bear.
Everything Bear writes is a masterclass in creative writing. Powerful, fluent, compassionate, prophetic and entertaining.

Plus, I second the praise already mentioned here, for one my favourite writers -
Bernard Cornwell

"Stalingrad" and "The Fall of Berlin-1945" are shockingly good. I've read both twice.

Just picked up "Endgame, 1945" by David Stafford + the first of the Stieg Larsson trilogy to tide me thru the next couple weeks.
Read all of these and they were OK, except for the Larsson stuff, which I found overlong, overrated, predictable and definitely not worth it.

Currently reading Nog by rudolph Wurlitzer, cult classic

Haven't read any S Larsson yet, but because of your post, I'm definitely gonna' look into his stuff! Don't go by my post on Larsson. Picked it up on the recommendation of a friend, haven't started it yet. That type of book not my cup of tea usually but figured "why not"? Nice thing about books, nothing to lose...

Read all of these and they were OK Matter of taste of course. I thought "Stalingrad" was way more than OK, same for "The Fall of Berlin" but I know people who'd probably find 'em just OK at best.

This was pretty ghastly, still a relatively unknown horror story of almost unbelievable atrocity and pure evil, of no military significance:

http://i43.tower.com/images/mm101710704/a-plague-upon-humanity-daniel-barenblatt-paperback-cover-art.jpg

A Journey In Ladakh, by Andrew Harvey. If you enjoyed Matthiessen's "The Snow Leopard", you'll love this!

Justice by Dan Mahoney crime, mystery, suspense thriller - NYPD style.

Just finished "The Given Day" by Dennis Lehane, an excellent, well researched, historical novel by a talented writer. I'm in the middle of "Red Mutiny-11 Fateful Days on the Battleship Potemkin" by Neal Bascomb, a fascinating history of a largely forgotten incident with world changing implications. In between, I'm re-reading the Aubry-Maturin saga by O'Brian, and the Earl Swagger/Bob the Nailer series by the talented Steven Hunter-first class trash!

Dennis Lehane, an excellent, well researched, historical novel by a talented writer.

He lost me forever when he had people telling lightbulb jokes in 1954.

I started this yesterday and am about 2/3 done:

http://i43.tower.com/images/mm107331077/night-soldiers-furst-alan-paperback-cover-art.jpg

Because of the FanasticFiction description [linked earlier] being completely erroneous, I thought it was a different book that I had already read. It wasn't.

It's a bit better than his later stuff, and he is always very good -- and Furst is about the only American writer I normally read (there are excellent American writers, but they are not part of the American publishing's business plan, which is to import "quality" fiction from abroad).

It's mature writing with mature style, as good as Lawton.

Can't let this thread die...

Also by Donald Thomas:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51GSAXTJTSL.jpg

Extremely interesting!

Some of the technical gimmickry of the Cold War:

http://images.ebook68.com/42/spycraft-the-secret-history-of-the-cias-spytechs-from-communism-to-al-qaeda-984.jpeg

...and, on order from the library, a view of the other side, the DDR's Stasi:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/052188747X.01._SX240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Finishing this:

http://images.betterworldbooks.com/078/The-Secret-Cases-of-Sherlock-Holmes-9780786706365.jpg

It turns out that Thomas, in the opinion of most critics, writes the best Holmes pastiche. Add to this that the stories are based on actual period cases.

I was a bit skeptical of these books, but find I enjoy them quite a bit.

Thanks for the heads up, Anchoret.

For the past six months I've had Vols.I and II of the The Complete Sherlock Holmes in heavy rotation on the night stand, I'll be sure to check out Thomas' stab at Holmes. Sounds very promising.

Currently making my way through Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. Am on #4, Something Rotten. Am quite liking them.

I'm a big reader, and always on the prowl for new books.

Currently, I'm reading 'The Fatal Shore' by Robert Hughes. It's about the founding of Australia. Very interesting, yet harrowing, and sad. Don't know why it's taken me this long to get around to reading it!

Have you read "In a sunburned Country" by bill Bryson? A somewhat more lighthearted book on Australia. You may be Oz'd out after Fatal Shore, but I quite enjoyed Sunburned.

I'm re-reading On the Beach by Neville Shute

The Arctic Grail by Pierre Berton. It's a historical account of arctic exploration in the 1800's and the search for the North West Passage. Pierre Berton has a knack for making history come alive. It's an excellent book and hard to put down once you get into it.

http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1225948201l/2019793.jpg

Finished Keith Richards and Ozzy Osbourne biographies, now onto a whole pile of books I got for christmas, including 3 or 4 reprints of the old Shadow pulp novel series. great stuff. Lamont Cranston... where are you?

I read a lot and a lot of varied stuff. Right now, I'm in the middle of "Swamplandia!" by Karen Russell, an extraordinarily talented young writer. Excellent book. Highly recommended.

Just finished Broom of the System by Davide Foster Wallace and started Sirens of Titan by Vonnegut.

It's been a while since I read this, but I plan to again:

http://images.indiebound.com/472/421/9781586421472.jpg

Moritz Thomsen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moritz_Thomsen) was a remarkable writer and a unique character. His writing is greatly admired by other writers, many of whom promoted his work and saw to it that it received the recognition it deserves, as Thomsen himself was too deeply cynical and unambitious to promote a career on his own.

His most well-known works, which were uniformly beautiful, insightful and poignant, centered on his hitch in the Peace Corps and following years in Ecuador.

The undercurrent in all of this work was Thomsen's own troubled personality, though his previous history was rarely mentioned and only in passing. My Two Wars, published posthumously, finally exposes the formative experiences in Thomsen's life before he joined the Peace Corps in his fifties, namely his ghastly upbringing in a wealthy family and the horrors and idiocies of being a lead bombardier in the USAAF during WWII. Thomsen's memoir is a great antidote to the "Greatest Generation" mythology, a brutal portrayal of the dehumanization and sheer senselessness of mechanized war.

Thomsen died of cholera and neglect in Guayaquil in 1991.

I think I missed this one (http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/alan-furst/night-soldiers.htm) the first time around, so I've requested it:

http://ecimages.kobobooks.com/Image.ashx?imageID=YWWid_p8p0elOwTIjBsonA&Type=Full

I need to see if he latest is now in paperback. I made the mistake of reading the first several quick and then ran out. I've been making myself wait for paperback for the last two.

I need to see if he latest is now in paperback. I made the mistake of reading the first several quick and then ran out. I've been making myself wait for paperback for the last two.
Hey, get that library card!

So much of the formerly onerous rigmarole of public library usage is all instant and online these days that there's no reason not to get some value out of your tax dollars by being a regular borrower. :wink:

I need to see if he latest is now in paperback.

Spies of the Balkans is due in paperback on 14 June. (http://www.amazon.com/Spies-Balkans-Novel-Alan-Furst/dp/0812977386/ref=tmm_pap_title_0)

Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

Caesar: The Ides of March have come!
Soothsayer: Aye, Caesar, but not gone....

Neal Schubin's Your Inner Fish and Stephen Jay Gould's Bully for Brontosaurus. I've been on an evolutionary biology kick lately.

Hey, get that library card!

So much of the formerly onerous rigmarole of public library usage is all instant and online these days that there's no reason not to get some value out of your tax dollars by being a regular borrower. :wink:

As a librarian, I could hardly agree more.

Inspired by the alcoholic/sobriety thread I am now reading "Goodbye Mr Wonderful : a story of alcoholism, sobriety and early recovery" by Chris McCully. Beautifully written as a literary logbook it gives me the exact time about my own state of alcoholism ... I'm not in danger yet :)

Atomic America by Todd Tucker.

The story of the only fatal reactor accident to happen in the United States.

SL-1.

It is timely.

i just read alan moore's "the courtyard". it's a pretty neat and non-derivative lovecraft inspired tale about noise bands and language as a drug. well, that, and cosmic horror.

i'm also working my way through promethea, which at points almost stops being a comic book and turns into sesame street as produced by the golden dawn.

Atomic America by Todd Tucker.

That sounds really interesting, I'll check it out.

By the same author:

http://images.betterworldbooks.com/074/The-Great-Starvation-Experiment-Tucker-Todd-9780743270304.jpg

WWII conscientious objectors who volunteered to be systematically starved in order for medicine to learn how to treat the millions of starvation victims found in the liberation of Europe and its chaotic aftermath.

Dickens - Barnaby Rudge, on my Kindle.

Still

The Pleasures of the Damned - Charles Bukowski

Just to recommend How German Is It by Walter Abish and Hunger by Knut Hamsun. Would recommend The Concept of Dread by Keirkegaard but i haven't read it though a friend of mine did

"The Wine Caper" - Peter Mayle
Love reading Peter Mayle's writings, he's "The Ultimate Escape From The Mundane." :cool:

This is on the way:

http://i43.tower.com/images/mm114141008/fighter-pilot-memoirs-legendary-ace-robin-olds-christina-hardcover-cover-art.jpg

My best friend's dad, a three-war pilot, knew Olds very well. Olds checked him out on the F-86 before he headed to Korea where he was credited with three kills in Mig Alley before the "North Korean" pilots were instructed not to engage American fighters.

I'm going to try to get him to read this too and see what he thinks about it. He's never short on incisive observations about anything. :wink:

He's also writing his own memoirs.

Started this one:

http://images.betterworldbooks.com/193/The-Execution-of-Sherlock-Holmes-Thomas-Donald-9781933648224.jpg

Crime historian Thomas's trick of having Holmes on actual cases continues to appeal to me. His nonfiction work is also excellent.

just started this last night.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y170/hekawi/bloodycover.jpg

read his previous books "Manhunt - The 12 Day Search For Lincoln's Killer" and "Lincoln's Assasins". love the guy's writing style. puts you right there in the thick of it. all 3 books are highly recommended

I gave up on Barnaby Rudge about a week ago and now I've read 2 1/2 books in the Donovan Creed series by John Locke.

read his previous books "Manhunt - The 12 Day Search For Lincoln's Killer" and "Lincoln's Assasins". love the guy's writing style. puts you right there in the thick of it. all 3 books are highly recommended

I'll take a look, though I think I might have read one of these already a few years back, I dunno. :oops:

You may enjoy this one, which I found absolutely fascinating:

http://images.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/0/31/616/625/0316166251.jpg

Most of the major figures of the Civil War prominently figured in the Mexican War as young men. This book follows their truly remarkable exploits.

One of my top five American history titles!

McCullough's 1776.

And... Street Rodder Magazine.

I'm still ready Dirty Work by Stuart Woods. Good story and plot but characters spend
a good bit of the book eating and not on the cheap. Kind of humorous there but
interesting read. Takes place mainly in NYC although there is some international
participation.

Just finished reading all the Alan Furst books. I read them in the order of publication and loved them all. Learned a lot about the war and the peoples of greater Europe. We tend to think that the ****s had total control over everything - not really.

I gained a new perspective on the French - particularly Parisians!

Now I'm reading "We the Drowned" by Carsten Jensen. Pretty good so far, as sweeping sea saga's go.

I just started " The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." I wanted to see what all the fuss has been about.

I just started " The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." I wanted to see what all the fuss has been about.

I read the book then saw the movie version. I thought the book was pretty good. Sex, drugs, violence, mystery - what's not to like?

I read the book, and bought the second one.

Then I watched the movie.

The way some of the stuff in the book was depicted in the movie made me see things in a different light. It's one thing to read about sadomasochistic weirdness, but another to actually see it played out so graphically.

I can certainly see why the book is so popular - people really seem to be fascinated with this stuff. It a great read... just don't care to read any more of it.

I don't think I've ever felt this way about a book.

I read the book then saw the movie version. I thought the book was pretty good. Sex, drugs, violence, mystery - what's not to like?

I read the book, and bought the second one.

Then I watched the movie.

The way some of the stuff in the book was depicted in the movie made me see things in a different light. It's one thing to read about sadomasochistic weirdness, but another to actually see it played out so graphically.

I can certainly see why the book is so popular - people really seem to be fascinated with this stuff. It a great read... just don't care to read any more of it.

I don't think I've ever felt this way about a book.

Try reading " American Psycho " by Brett Easton Ellis. That book will make you feel so dirty you need a shower. :shock:

Just got done with "Anything Considered" by Peter Mayle.
And have just begin "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking.

I found "Mother Courage and her Children" by Bertolt Brecht in a charity shop on Friday. I've read the character outlines, now I'm about to start on it in earnest. I'm not a huge fan of reading scripts, but Brecht is hard to come by here in NZ.

I am reading this:
What are you reading (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/bad-dog-cafe/263089-updated-what-you-reading-thread.html#post3108757)

Also "Game of Thrones"

Mostly read history and other non-fiction but I liked "The Pillars Of Earth" and this is the sequel...

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa167/DLeeWebb/56080873.jpg

Just finished The Ring Of Soloman by Stroud

Agatha Christie. Poirots Last case.

I finished the third John Locke book and I've returned to Barnaby Rudge to see if I can finish it.

Good Rockin Tonight: Sun Records and the Birth of Rock and Roll, Escott

http://www.casualoptimist.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Gleick-e1299206849377.png

The Borders by me is going out of business so I just got a bunch of books for $1.99. Just finished Starting Over: The Making of John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Double Fantasy by Ken Sharp.

Pretty fascinating one this week:

http://www.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=9781585428458/LC.JPG&client=847-342-5300&type=xw12&oclc=&upc=

For driven, obsessive personalities, does anyone beat magicians?

I just started " The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." I wanted to see what all the fuss has been about.
Not much.

It's OK, but immensely overrated and OVERLONG. I read it, pretty much regretted it. :sad:

Predictable and PC, but it has me somewhat curious as to whether it is either full of cliches, or the actual source of them. :confused:

There are a number of carbon-copy Lisbeth Salander characters in movies, books and TV in recent years, for example, and it's pretty clear somebody's copying somebody.

I suspect they're all ripping off William Gibson, I dunno.

Just finished "Kitchen Confidential" again, the entire "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series for the 47th time (aprox.) and "Anarchy Evolution" by Greg Graffin (lead singer of Bad Religion) And now I'm waiting for Simon Pegg's book "Nerd Do Well" to come in from amazon. Other recent reads are "Pygmy" by Chuck Palahniuk, "Better Than Sex" by HST, and some Nietzsche thrown in too.

Oh and I'm slowly burning my way (sometimes literally) through "Cooking For Geeks" and "I'm Just Here For the Food"

I almost forgot... I read Keef's "Life" on the plane from Alaska to Georgia about a month ago.

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

Someone on TalkBass enthusiastically recommended this:

http://www.khantazi.org/Rec/IainMBanks/WaspFull.gif

...but after only a few pages I'm having my doubts.

Let's see, two or three undergrad psychology textbooks, several journal articles, The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett, and the Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard. That and the TDPRI Tele Build diaries. Amazing!

Have moved on to Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain by Charles R. Cross

Finished Life - KR - ok ish
Re-reading Smileys People - John le carre (great writing - as good a book about emotion, loss as it is a spy novel)
Starting on The Old devils - Kingsley Amis -in this case, a father I prefer to the son

Re-reading Smileys People - John le carre (great writing - as good a book about emotion, loss as it is a spy novel)
That was about the last really good book he wrote.

This arrives today:

http://beta.images.theglobeandmail.com/archive/01260/p_otsdamn_stati_1260844cl-3.jpg

The series is OK, not fantastic, but is helped by being written by a relatively serious historian.

http://www.gazellebookservices.co.uk/ImagesMaster/W150/0872207234.jpg

Mostly read history and other non-fiction but I liked "The Pillars Of Earth" and this is the sequel...

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa167/DLeeWebb/56080873.jpg

Nobody can paint a villian like Ken Follett. The Master!!! :twisted::mrgreen::cool:

Poems and Selections of E.B. White

I'm a big reader, and always on the prowl for new books.

Currently, I'm reading 'The Fatal Shore' by Robert Hughes. It's about the founding of Australia. Very interesting, yet harrowing, and sad. Don't know why it's taken me this long to get around to reading it!


I'm 170 pages into that book. It's unbelievable that anybody survived the voyage let alone be in any condition to work upon your arrival.

This is on its way:

http://www.daemonsbooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/THE-COMPLAINTS-by-Ian-Rankin.jpg

Like the irritating Le Carre, Rankin has reached that point in his success where he thinks he's entitled to preach at his readers, but I'll give this a look anyway. We'll see.

This arrived for me at the library today...been waiting fir it for quite a while:

http://www.eurocrime.co.uk/reviews/FGrey.jpg

I finished the third John Locke book and I've returned to Barnaby Rudge to see if I can finish it.
I finished it! And it was worth the effort.

Mario Puzo - The Godfather. Great movie. First time reading the book and it is awesome. :mrgreen:

Just finished Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes. Fun read. Back to the library this week.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f2/Pirate_Latitudes.jpg/200px-Pirate_Latitudes.jpg

For the skillionth time:

http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1173030145l/239622.jpg

Someone on TalkBass enthusiastically recommended this:

http://www.khantazi.org/Rec/IainMBanks/WaspFull.gif

...but after only a few pages I'm having my doubts.

It's a seriously effed-up story!

I like Iain Banks but I gave up on Feersum Endjinn (one of his sci-fi novels as Iain M Banks). The phonetic spelling did my head in!

I'm currently reading Keep It Together - Cosmic Boogie With The Deviants and The Pink Fairies by Rich Deakin.

I'm currently re-reading Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas .... .

Based on this thread, I got a copy of this as an Audio Book. I've heard about 5 or 6 chapters and it's great. Should be good on my two 8-hour drives next week.




Rereading Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.

Got this one too, also based on this thread.


Also re-reading Michaelangelo and the Popes Ceiling which details the painting of the Sistine Chapel.

Stephen Kings Firestarter
and Shogun and Tai-Pan by James Clavell

I loved Tai-Pan and Noble House. I read them in reverse order and it still worked, maybe even better. Ripping good yarns.

Tammy Wynette...tragic country queen by jimmy mcdonough.

Jo Nesbo - The Snowman

Great page turner.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51aejodbOmL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Someone on TalkBass enthusiastically recommended this:

http://www.khantazi.org/Rec/IainMBanks/WaspFull.gif

...but after only a few pages I'm having my doubts.

Have to agree, found it okay for a while but eventually disappointed.

Was highly recommended Flann O'Brien's The Third Policeman as a more original and superior book, yet to read it.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_BseaLMuSYMk/TBfgEKC8xoI/AAAAAAAAEOc/pI6OogD1XZ4/s320/the_third_policeman.jpg

This time of year I'm lucky to get 20 minutes a day reading, but I'm almost finished with Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Idiot. I've loved every Dostoevsky novel I've read.

Dog of the South by Charles Portis

This is coming in:

http://manoflabook.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/lost-in-shangri-la-201x300.jpg

This one too, eventually (lot of previous requests). I have great suspicions about its accuracy in portraying the Dodds:

http://booksadeal.com/wp-content/uploads/aes/Everyday-Deals-on-Books_6484_500x375.jpg

This...

http://img2.imagesbn.com/images/100580000/100580707.JPG

This, good overview, but rambles. Has a bit of background on the Dodds (above):

http://i43.tower.com/images/mm116173097/dupes-how-americas-adversaries-have-manipulated-progressives-for-paul-kengor-hardcover-cover-art.jpg

This is on its way:

http://tinyurl.com/4ycvvo7

I've also been reading the remarkable books of John Greenway, a truly unique character who was a great many things, including a heavyweight professor of Anthropology, a cop and a cultural provocateur.

His Down Among The Wild Men is a classic:

http://www.natale.to/libri/libro197.jpg

While most of his academic works concern his vast expertise in legend and folk music and the culture of Australian aborigines, his The American Tradition -- A Gallery of Rogues (1976) is a meandering collection of his mordant views on everything from the then-current social movements to George Patton.

If you can find extant copies of his books in your library system, you should check them out. Greenway had a rare, truly brilliant mind that obsessively collected facts about everything that interested him or riled up his sense of the stupid and hypocritical -- which in 1976 was nearly everything.

Started this, but may blow it off:

http://douglaswjacobson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/The-Katyn-Order1-198x300.jpg

I think it's trying and failing to match Furst.

This is coming...

http://www.lamplighterpublishing.com/images/AOTD.jpg

...based on seeing this. (http://www.egodialogues.com/words-language/huxley-orwell.php)

Got [Zinn's fake history] too, also based on this thread.

You are worse than wasting your time.

Currently working my way through these on my Kindle...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512ijkqveKL._SS500_.jpg http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51%2BEL0ObJoL._SS500_.jpg

Give up reading, start writing

http://www.jesusforpresident.org/download/COVER-LO.jpg

Life. Didn't think I'd like it as much as I do....but it just grows on you as you move through it, periodically running to youtube to listen to some x-pensive winos or wingless angels. It helps if you lived through the same time period and can appreciate that things really were...different...during the 60's and 70's..

Just started reading A&R by Bill Flanagan.

It has positive reviews on the back by Tom Petty and Elvis Costello. Why can't i trust their opinions on the book?

Churchill's War, David Irving

You are worse than wasting your time.

I've read the reviews and understand what it is.


I'm not opposed to hearing what other people think, whether I agree with them or not.

I just finished 'I. Sniper' by Stephen Hunter.