What book are you reading now

[Said1]

Two Lives - Vikram Seth

I love books about India, (espeically the British Raj) although this book isn't about India, specifically. I'm terrible at writting reviews, so I'll just past this one - from Amazon of course, third on down, I think.



As I was reading this book I kept thinking what a fascinating (if misleading) cultural document it would make for future generations: the coming together in friendship and marriage of a Hindu from India and a Jew from Berlin . . . in England! And their nephew, years later, retelling not only their story but his own, which spans continents and cultures as if space and language were not barriers. One could get a wonderfully misleading idea of how world-traveled and multi-cultured the average 20th-century citizen was! --But that's not really the point here, just a (to me) fascinating sidelight.

Readers of Vikram Seth will immediately recognize the clear, balanced, always kind attitude in the writing. Seth takes the interesting approach of telling his own connection with the characters first, so you meet his uncle Shanti and aunt Henny as middle-aged and old people -- and follow them to their deaths before you learn very much about what brought them together or how they wound up in London as husband and wife. It's amazing that this works as well as it does -- instead of being less interested in them, you find yourself anxious to know how Shanti lost his arm, how Henny escaped from Germany on the eve of Word War II, and how they fell in love and came together.

Each story is told in turn -- Shanti's first, then Henny's, and it is another amazing feat of writing that this doesn't become repetitive or confusing. You are carried from India to Berlin to Edinburgh to Italy to London with Shanti, incidentally learning a lot about dentistry along the way (readers of A SUITABLE BOY will smile and settle in, remembering the long discourse on shoemaking in that novel!). Then you are carried, less directly, from Berlin to England with Henny, but the real force of her story (she died before Seth began the writing project, so he never interviewed her directly in the way he did his uncle) comes in letters from her old Berlin "set" after the war. This is an intriguing story, and makes me wonder why we haven't had a flood of novels and memoirs on the topic before (perhaps we have, and I'm just ignorant of them). Henny, whose sister and mother were unable to leave Germany and perished in the death camps, slowly gets into contact with old Christian and Jewish friends still in Germany and learns piecemeal from them how they managed in the war -- who risked life to visit and bring supplies to her sister and mother in the final days before deportation, who disappeared into the cloud of Nazism, dropping old friends, who straddled the awkward line between assimilation and rebellion. We learn of the compromises everyone made, the choices they regretted and the risks they wished they had and hadn't taken. It's a fascinating glimpse into the minds of ordinary Germans after the war -- all couched in the terms of everyday life, from despair over a stolen cachet of clothing to embarrassment at the gratitude of elderly beggars when they are given just a crust of bread to cold toes in old shoes -- the stuff of life in those terrible years. Henny, safe in England, is filled with sadness and fury, and feels she must "cut" those friends whom she learns were not as kind as they should have been during the war, no matter their friendliness afterwards. She also reconnects with the fiance who buried the Jewish half of his ancestry and married a Christian girl while Henny presumably waited for him abroad.

I've already given away too much, but this is the kind of book you yearn to sit down and dissect with good friends. It's rich in detail (you will never forget the account of the Birkenau gas chamber), good-hearted, and important, not only for its wealth of historical and biographical information but for a glimpse into the lives of people who traveled continents, making friends and connections along the way, appreciating the differences among religions, cultures, literature, and music without championing any above the others, and living full and well-considered lives. I highly, highly recommend it.]

http://www.amazon.com/Two-Lives-Vikram-Seth/dp/0060599669
Excellent non-fiction.

[Mr. P]

Playboy! That's a book, right?


.....j/k:laugh2:

[Said1]

Playboy! That's a book, right?


.....j/k:laugh2:

How dare you make a mockery out of my thread. It's to be pretentious as possible at all times. :laugh2:

[Guernicaa]

I just finished Elizabeth Wurtzels Prozac Nation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prozac_Nation

Really good book.

[CockySOB]

I just finished Elizabeth Wurtzels Prozac Nation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prozac_Nation

Really good book.

Liz did one helluva job on Prozac Nation. Her other books that I've read are More, Now, Again and Bitch. I wasn't too impressed with either, although More, Now, Again was captivating to read (like watching a train wreck).

[Abbey Marie]

I like to switch between fiction & non-fiction, so:

Death In Vienna- Daniel Silva (his whole series about Mossad assassin Gabriel Allon is fun)
Culture Warrior - Bill O'Reilly

[5stringJeff]

How did I miss this thread?!?!?

I'm reading Martin Van Buren and the Romantic Age of American Politics (http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Van-Buren-Romantic-Signature/dp/0945707258/ref=sr_1_5/103-9751410-2224642?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180146013&sr=8-5).

[nevadamedic]

I have three of them I am working on. The Art of the Deal ~ Donald Trump, Carolyn 101 ~ Carolyn Kepcher, You're Hired ~ Bill Rancic and of course my two catalogs I get Crutchfield ~ They have everything for personal entertainment from Car Audio, Home Theater, I-Pods, Satellite Radio, Marine Audio, Navagation Systems, Portable DVD Players, Mobile Video, Radar Detectors and a lot more. They have good deals sometimes, but I just like getting their new catalog every five weeks or so just to see all the new technology and they also have great tips. You can goto www.crutchfield.com and check it out or request a free catalog and they send you a new one everytime one comes out, that will satisfy your guy needs lol. The Second catalog is Galls. They have everything for First Responders, Emt's Police, Military Security, Water Rescue etc. They sell gear and supplies and have some great knifes. Youo can request their free catalog at www.galls.com:laugh2:

[Abbey Marie]

How did I miss this thread?!?!?

I'm reading Martin Van Buren and the Romantic Age of American Politics (http://www.amazon.com/Martin-Van-Buren-Romantic-Signature/dp/0945707258/ref=sr_1_5/103-9751410-2224642?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180146013&sr=8-5).

Let m know how that is. Next in my batting lineup are two biographies of Alexander Hamilton.

[5stringJeff]

Let m know how that is. Next in my batting lineup are two biographies of Alexander Hamilton.

I'm enjoying it so far. I'm reading through the "definitive" bios of all the Presidents through Reagan.

[Nienna]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

[Mr. P]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Damn girl, it's nice to see you!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought you may have been sucked into cyberspace! :laugh2:

[Kathianne]

Damn girl, it's nice to see you!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought you may have been sucked into cyberspace! :laugh2:

Dittos on what P said.

Reading, Great Expectationsfor the I don't know how many times. Going to be 'teaching it' next year.

[Nienna]

Dittos on what P said.

Reading, Great Expectationsfor the I don't know how many times. Going to be 'teaching it' next year.

lol... It was actually a parallel universe-- a different life with all the same characters as my life, but in which everyone acted in strange and surreal ways. I'll let you know when I return for real. :)

Great Expectations... good book, if you read the cliff's notes only. :)

[Kathianne]

lol... It was actually a parallel universe-- a different life with all the same characters as my life, but in which everyone acted in strange and surreal ways. I'll let you know when I return for real. :)

Great Expectations... good book, if you read the cliff's notes only. :)

Luckily for me, I enjoy Dickens. I will look at the Cliffnotes afterwards though, for ideas on quiz/test questions. I tend to be too 'historical' for 7th graders. :laugh2:

[nevadamedic]

Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince ~ I know, I am way behond :( Although Harry hooking up with Ginny is defintaly my favorite part of the book so far.

[hjmick]

The Secret Servant - Daniel Silva

[nevadamedic]

Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince ~ I know, I am way behond :( Although Harry hooking up with Ginny is defintaly my favorite part of the book so far.

The end of this book sucked :(

[Nienna]

The end of this book sucked :(

Just finished book 7 today. It was pretty good. I guessed a few things right. :smugsmile:

:)

[nevadamedic]

Just finished book 7 today. It was pretty good. I guessed a few things right. :smugsmile:

:)

I'm going to start book 7 tomorrow. I didn't really like the ending of book 6 all that much.

[Spyder Jerusalem]

Is there anyone here over the age of twelve?

From the choices of reading material, i can't much tell.
Anything "important" you might need to know about the last in the HP series of CHILDREN'S books can be found in its Wikipedia entry.

I leave it up to all the adults to Google it for themseleves.

I myself just got finished reading Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt and Red Thunder by John Varley.

You know, books for adults.

[nevadamedic]

Is there anyone here over the age of twelve?

From the choices of reading material, i can't much tell.
Anything "important" you might need to know about the last in the HP series of CHILDREN'S books can be found in its Wikipedia entry.

I leave it up to all the adults to Google it for themseleves.

I myself just got finished reading Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt and Red Thunder by John Varley.

You know, books for adults.

We don't want to know about the coloring book's your working on.:fu:

[Spyder Jerusalem]

coloring book's

You don't put apostrophes in plural nouns.

If you had higher than a third grade reading level, you'd know that.

:flippingyouofftoo
:dontneedacutesygif
:todoiteffectively
:either

:dev:

[nevadamedic]

You don't put apostrophes in plural nouns.

If you had higher than a third grade reading level, you'd know that.

:flippingyouofftoo
:dontneedacutesygif
:todoiteffectively
:either

:dev:

You are definatly proof inbreeding exists today.:pee:

[Spyder Jerusalem]

That coming from yer semi-literate ass almost made me spew rum and coke out my nose in abject mirth!

I'll bet I could piss on yer head and convince you it was rainin'.

Did yer parents have any children that lived?

:clap:

[nevadamedic]

That coming from yer semi-literate ass almost made me spew rum and coke out my nose in abject mirth!

I'll bet I could piss on yer head and convince you it was rainin'.

Did yer parents have any children that lived?

:clap:

Illeterate? How old are you 11, 12?:fu:

[nevadamedic]

That coming from yer semi-literate ass almost made me spew rum and coke out my nose in abject mirth!

I'll bet I could piss on yer head and convince you it was rainin'.

Did yer parents have any children that lived?

:clap:

Don't you EVER fucking talk about my family you piece of shit.

[avatar4321]

Been studying so much i havent had time to read anything lately. I havent started anything new. But I did read the Master of Dragons. Which was pretty good. I think im going to reread Leadership by Mayor Guiliani if I figure out how to get it from where i put it. Great book. McCain's book on courage was pretty good too except for that one part where he was going on how all politicians lie. and i was trying not to throw it accross the room yelling that if he is upset with lying to people he should resign from office.

I am sure ill read something else soon if i can.

[avatar4321]

That coming from yer semi-literate ass almost made me spew rum and coke out my nose in abject mirth!

I'll bet I could piss on yer head and convince you it was rainin'.

Did yer parents have any children that lived?

:clap:

Maybe if you stopped drinking so much alcohol, you wouldnt be such an idiotic @$$ and might have something intelligent to say.

[nevadamedic]

Been studying so much i havent had time to read anything lately. I havent started anything new. But I did read the Master of Dragons. Which was pretty good. I think im going to reread Leadership by Mayor Guiliani if I figure out how to get it from where i put it. Great book. McCain's book on courage was pretty good too except for that one part where he was going on how all politicians lie. and i was trying not to throw it accross the room yelling that if he is upset with lying to people he should resign from office.

I am sure ill read something else soon if i can.

Master Of Dragons? Is that simular to Harry Potter?

[Angel Heart]

I'm going to start book 7 tomorrow. I didn't really like the ending of book 6 all that much.

I finished book 7 on Monday. I loved it. I wonder if they'll be able to get a PG-13 rating out of the movie. There's a lot of violence in the book.

[avatar4321]

Master Of Dragons? Is that simular to Harry Potter?

It was the third book in the Dragonvold Trilogy by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. It was an alright series. Magic and dragons involved. but eh. they've done better.

[nevadamedic]

I finished book 7 on Monday. I loved it. I wonder if they'll be able to get a PG-13 rating out of the movie. There's a lot of violence in the book.

I don't think violence matter all that much to make it from PG-13 to Rated R, at least not the way it's done in the Harry Potter series I don't know though. It would suck for the kids if it was Rated R but her last couple books really seem like that are geared for late teens and adults with all the darkness.

I'm also sad to see Tonk's with Lupin, she's supposed to be with me! :laugh2: If you haven't noticed she's on my Avatar! :):coffee::cheers2:

[Angel Heart]

:laugh2: I love Tonks. I would love to be able to change my hair color like she does. I'm also as clumsy as she is. I wish the movies had gone more into her. Sadly they don't put enough time into the supporting parts.

[nevadamedic]

:laugh2: I love Tonks. I would love to be able to change my hair color like she does. I'm also as clumsy as she is. I wish the movies had gone more into her. Sadly they don't put enough time into the supporting parts.

She's not that clumsy....... I would love for her to bump into me ;)

One of my friend's said there was a while conversation between Harry and her in the 5th book but it wasn't in the movie. I don't remember it from the book, what was it about?

[Abbey Marie]

Founding Brothers The Revolutionary Generation Joseph Ellis

Fabulous book. IMO, it should be required reading in High School.

[manu1959]

2007 California Building Code

[Guernicaa]

Maybe if you stopped drinking so much alcohol, you wouldnt be such an idiotic @$$ and might have something intelligent to say.
Whats the matter? Will god get mad if you say ass?

[Hagbard Celine]

I'm reading "The Bourne Legacy" and "Dexter Darkly Dreaming" simultaneously. I still haven't finished "Stiff," but I've been meaning to. I just finished the last three Harry Potters. Those books were so good. Can't wait for the "Halfblood Prince" movie.

[Monkeybone]

"Where the Wild Things Are" RAAAHHHH!!

yet it teaches you to be a good boy. gets me through my day step by step

[hjmick]

I'm reading "The Bourne Legacy" and "Dexter Darkly Dreaming" simultaneously. I still haven't finished "Stiff," but I've been meaning to. I just finished the last three Harry Potters. Those books were so good. Can't wait for the "Halfblood Prince" movie.

Jeff Lindsay was recently at a local bookstore near me, touring for the third Dexter book. I now have all three autographed.

In case you're wondering, he says he is very pleased with the Showtime series.



As for me, I am reading True Evil by Greg Iles.

[Hagbard Celine]

Jeff Lindsay was recently at a local bookstore near me, touring for the third Dexter book. I now have all three autographed.

In case you're wondering, he says he is very pleased with the Showtime series.



As for me, I am reading True Evil by Greg Iles.

My girlfriend got me into Dexter. I just bought the first season of Dex on itunes. I've only watched a few of them but it's already become my favorite show--even better than 4400.

[Nukeman]

Just finished "The Simpsons and Philosophy" the Doh of homer. Good book

Now I'm reading Precipice by Ben Bova....

[Guernicaa]

I'm currently reading "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand.
Ayn Rand was one of the few intelligent conservatives in history.

[Nukeman]

I'm currently reading "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand.
Ayn Rand was one of the few intelligent conservatives in history.

She is very long winded at times!!! Did you know that her and Alan Grenspan were very close???

[mrg666]

just finished james herbert others
just starting shaun huttson relics

[diuretic]

"After London" Richard Jefferies.

[Said1]

Gulliver's Travels (again).


It was the only book on the suggested reading list that I not only read, but involved only one section for the essay. :laugh2:

[Cheyenne]

The Truth about Love by Pat Love, Ed. D (research)

[Cheyenne]

2007 California Building CodeCan't point you [again].

[hjmick]

Dinosaurs in the Attic: An Excursion into the American Museum of Natural History by Douglas Preston.

From Library Journal:

"New York's American Museum of Natural History, one of the outstanding science museums in the world, contains an extraordinary collection of objects: dinosaur skeletons, human mummies, tiny beetles, birds of paradise, and massive totem poles. Only a tiny fraction of the millions of catalogued specimens is on public view, and Douglas, with a series of judicious choices, takes us on a tour of the great labyrinth of storerooms and vaults that houses the bulk of the collection. Of equal interest are the people who built up and continue to maintain this extraordinary collection. This is a delightful book filled with fascinating stories, anecdotes, and personalities. Highly recommended."

[Abbey Marie]

Dinosaurs in the Attic: An Excursion into the American Museum of Natural History by Douglas Preston.

From Library Journal:

"New York's American Museum of Natural History, one of the outstanding science museums in the world, contains an extraordinary collection of objects: dinosaur skeletons, human mummies, tiny beetles, birds of paradise, and massive totem poles. Only a tiny fraction of the millions of catalogued specimens is on public view, and Douglas, with a series of judicious choices, takes us on a tour of the great labyrinth of storerooms and vaults that houses the bulk of the collection. Of equal interest are the people who built up and continue to maintain this extraordinary collection. This is a delightful book filled with fascinating stories, anecdotes, and personalities. Highly recommended."


That sounds interesting!

[Nienna]

Mansfield Park

[darin]

Road and Track, October 2008

[hjmick]

That sounds interesting!

It really is. I have read all of Preston's fiction and enjoyed it but I expected this to be dry. To the contrary it is quite interesting, some of the appeal may be my love of museums.

Douglas Preston's brother is Richard Preston, also an author. His works are mostly non-fiction. He wrote The Hot Zone and The Wild Trees, both of which I would recommend.

[Abbey Marie]

It really is. I have read all of Preston's fiction and enjoyed it but I expected this to be dry. To the contrary it is quite interesting, some of the appeal may be my love of museums.

Douglas Preston's brother is Richard Preston, also an author. His works are mostly non-fiction. He wrote The Hot Zone and The Wild Trees, both of which I would recommend.

Have you read The Bone Vault by Linda Fairstein? Much of the murder mystery takes place in museums in NYC.

[hjmick]

I haven't read it, but it is now on my list.

[Roadrunner]

Unholy Alliance by David Horowitz. Should be read especially by Democrats since it deals with how the radical left pays right into the hands of the Islamofacists. Horowitz was once a leader of the radical left so he has knowledge and experience whereof he speaks.

[Abbey Marie]

Unholy Alliance by David Horowitz. Should be read especially by Democrats since it deals with how the radical left pays right into the hands of the Islamofacists. Horowitz was once a leader of the radical left so he has knowledge and experience whereof he speaks.

Also interesting! This thread is becoming a good source of info for books I will be reading.

[Guernicaa]

The Fountainhead

Ayn Rand

Its taking me forever!!

[mrg666]

Also interesting! This thread is becoming a good source of info for books I will be reading.

come on then enlighten us as to what your inspired to read

btw
as anyone ever read the necroscope series by brian lumley ?
if not i would definately recommend

http://www.brianlumley.com/

[Kathianne]

Me? Well I'm reading "Great Expectations" for the second time since July. Probably the sixth time total. I must be masochistic as I'm making my 7th grade read it this year. Don't ask me why, 'they couldn't handle Shakespeare comes to mind.'

[Abbey Marie]

come on then enlighten us as to what your inspired to read

btw
as anyone ever read the necroscope series by brian lumley ?
if not i would definately recommend

http://www.brianlumley.com/

The two books I said were interesting a few posts back!

[hjmick]

come on then enlighten us as to what your inspired to read

btw
as anyone ever read the necroscope series by brian lumley ?
if not i would definately recommend

http://www.brianlumley.com/

I've read almost all of them. I enjoy/enjoyed his spin on the vampire legend.

[mrg666]

I've read almost all of them. I enjoy/enjoyed his spin on the vampire legend.

yes i was intrigued for weeks on end till i read em all

[Cheyenne]

Just started 'The Shortest Distance Between You & a Published Book' by Susan Page.
And 'When Men Batter Women' by Jacobson & Gottman. Fascinating & horrifying at the same time.

[Said1]

Blink - Malcolm Gladwell

A book about rapid cognition.

[Hagbard Celine]

Still reading "The Bourne Legacy" and almost finished with "Darkly Dreaming Dexter." They're both pretty short, but since I only read on the pot and/or just before I fall asleep, it's kinda slow goin'.

[Yurt]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0446353205.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

[hjmick]

The Chase by Clive Cussler.

[avatar4321]

Just finished an Inconvenient book. havent started a new one yet.

[Nienna]

The Magician's Nephew, by C.S.Lewis

[5stringJeff]

The Magician's Nephew, by C.S.Lewis

Nienna!!! How are you?

Oh... I'm reading the biography of William Henry Harrison.

[hjmick]

Rite of Passageby Richard D'Agostino

Just finished Creepers & Scavenger by David Morrell and Power Play by Joseph Finder.

[manu1959]

totilla flat...... steinbeck

[manu1959]

The Magician's Nephew, by C.S.Lewis

ever read screwtape?

[Abbey Marie]

Clapton
the Autobiography

He is pretty open about his alcoholism and womanizing, but it's the discussions of what motivated his various songs and collaborations that make the book interesting.

[hjmick]

About a week ago I finished a book called The Religion by Tim Willocks. It was a work of historical fiction set in 1565 during the Muslim siege of Malta. The central character, Mattias Tannhauser, is taken as a youth from his village by Muslim invaders and grows up to join the ranks of the Janissary's. After leaving his Muslim life, he settles in Sicily where he becomes a prosperous arms dealer, soldier of fortune, and bar owner. His reputation leads Contessa Carla La Penautier to his doorstep. Using her charms and a promise of title and wealth, the Contessa, a young widow, recruits Tannhauser to help her find bastard son, Orlandu, she was forced to abandon at birth 12 years earlier. They arrive on Malta, where the Contessa believes her son is, and Tannhauser and Carla get caught in the Turkish attack on the Christian enclave. The story takes place between May and September of 1565. It is rich in historical detail, beautiful detail, character development, and a plot that moves surprisingly well. This book sat on my shelf for over a year. Every time I picked it up to start reading it, I would fan the pages and think, "Too many words, I'm not in the mood for all these words." You may say, "Hey, dummy, it's a book, there are lots of words in book!" You're right, of course, but some books rely on dialogue as well narrative/descriptive paragraphs, at 640 pages, The Religion doesn't use as much dialogue as other books, which means there are a lot of words. I loved this book. I wish I had committed myself to reading it sooner. On the upside, it is supposed to be the first book in a Tannhauser trilogy, I am anxiously awaiting book two.

The Religion (http://www.amazon.com/Religion-Novel-Tim-Willocks/dp/0374248656)

A couple of days ago I finished The Last Jihad by Joel C. Rosenberg. Written before 9/11, the book opens with a kamikaze attack on the Presidential motorcade and involves war with Saddam. It was a good read.

Currently I am reading Rosenberg's second book, The Last Days. So far so good. Arab terrorists, CIA, Israelis, Palestinians, Iraqis, Russians, car chases, homicide bombers. Good Fun.

[hjmick]

I suppose I should have mentioned that the title is derived from the defenders of Malta. They are The Knights of Saint John the Baptist, also known as The Hospitallers. They were rivals of The Templars and called themselves The Religion.

[5stringJeff]

Last week I finished "Biography of a Dollar." It's a great read about currency valuation, trading, and the weak dollar.

I'm currently reading "The 360-degree Leader," about leadership in an organization in all directions.

[manu1959]

cannery row.....

[DragonStryk72]

This past month I've read:

The Audacity of Hope
FairTax: The Truth by Neal Boortz
The innocent Mage
The Awakened Mage both by Karen Miller
An Inconvenient Book by Glenn Beck
Crazies to the left of me, Wimps to the right by Bernie Goldberg
The Spiderwick Chronicles

[5stringJeff]

Finished "The 360-degree Leader." It was OK.

Now I'm on to "The Fabric of the Cosmos," which is about theoretical physics.

[avatar4321]

liberal fascism

[retiredman]

"Temporary Shepherds" by Roger Nicholson

[manu1959]

Finished "The 360-degree Leader." It was OK.

Now I'm on to "The Fabric of the Cosmos," which is about theoretical physics.

http://books.google.com/books?as_auth=Patrick+M+Lencioni&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=author-navigational&hl=en

this guy writes great leadership books....we have used him as a consultant.....

[5stringJeff]

Never heard of him, but I'll have to check him out. Thanks! :thumb:

[midcan5]

Just finished 'Big Con,' Jonathan Chait and 'The End of America,' Naomi Wolf. Both worth reading this election time.

Still reading, 'The Culture Of Make Believe,' Derrick Jensen. Radical look at America. Also started Richard Powers, 'Three Farmers on their Way to Dance.' One of my favorite fiction authors, but the book ties into life enough during the time of the first world war to make it pertinent.

[Yurt]

http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/13700000/13705432.JPG

[Mr. P]

Playboy...hey that's as thick as some books! :cheers2:

[Yurt]

Playboy...hey that's as thick as some books! :cheers2:

the articles are arousing....

[My Winter Storm]

John Grishams 'King Of Torts'

[Said1]

Jacob the Liar - Jurek Becker

[5stringJeff]

I just finished Ron Paul's "The Revolution." It's only 170 pages, and an easy read besides. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. In fact, I would add this book to the list of every high school senior's "must read and report on in order to graduate" list.

[Yurt]

Next - michael crichton

[crin63]

I'm reading, How to own a gun and stay out of jail.

[AFbombloader]

After I went to the DMZ and realized I really knew nothing about the Korean War, I picked up "The Korean War" by Max Hastings. Very interesting book about the forgotten war.

AF:salute:

[Said1]

I'm reading the Celestine Prophecies, again. I need to revisit the second insight. :laugh2:

[Little-Acorn]

the articles are arousing....

What articles?

[Shadow]

I read a lot since there is never anything good on the boob tube. I have read 4 books this month and have started on my fifth this week.


Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts.. very good mystery about a baby that was stolen at birth and presumed dead,20 years later he comes back to solve the murder of his mother. The author beats you over the head with her liberal views quite a bit,but it was still good.

Obsession by Karen Robards another good mystery/government conspiracy type book. Lots of twists and turns.

High Profile by Robert B Parker . One of his detective series, not Spencer for hire though. I think the detectives name was Jesse Stone ,who is a small tourist town cop trying to solve the murder of a controversial talk radio host (imagine that).

The Price of Pleasure by Kresley Cole...pure smut, but I had to mix it up a bit.

Right now I am reading Falling Awake by Jayne Ann Krentz ,another mystery type book that involves level 5 dreaming research and murder. So far so good.

[Shadow]

Double..sorry

[retiredman]

1 Kings

[Abbey Marie]

13 Things That Don't Make Sense: The Most Baffling Scientific Mysteries of Our Time
by Michael Brooks

I would give this a very high recommendation. It is a fascinating book about scientific results that scientists cannot explain or even accept.
See below...

Amazon.com Review
Product Description
When we look to the "anomalies" that science can’t explain, we often discover where science is about to go. Here are a few of the anomalies that Michael Brooks investigates in 13 Things That Don’t Make Sense:

Homeopathic remedies seem to have biological effects that cannot be explained by chemistry

Gases have been detected on Mars that could only have come from carbon-based life forms

Cold fusion, theoretically impossible and discredited in the 1980s, seems to work in some modern laboratory experiments

It’s quite likely we have nothing close to free will

Life and non-life may exist along a continuum, which may pave the way for us to create life in the near future

Sexual reproduction doesn’t line up with evolutionary theory and, moreover, there’s no good scientific explanation for why we must die

Science starts to get interesting when things don’t make sense.

Science’s best-kept secret is this: even today, there are experimental results and reliable data that the most brilliant scientists can neither explain nor dismiss. In the past, similar "anomalies" have revolutionized our world, like in the sixteenth century, when a set of celestial anomalies led Copernicus to realize that the Earth goes around the sun and not the reverse, and in the 1770s, when two chemists discovered oxygen because of experimental results that defied all the theories of the day. And so, if history is any precedent, we should look to today’s inexplicable results to forecast the future of science. In 13 Things That Don’t Make Sense, Michael Brooks heads to the scientific frontier to meet thirteen modern-day anomalies and discover tomorrow’s breakthroughs.

13 Things opens at the twenty-third Solvay physics conference, where the scientists present are ready to throw up their hands over an anomaly: is it possible that the universe, rather than slowly drifting apart as the physics of the big bang had once predicted, is actually expanding at an ever-faster speed? From Solvay and the mysteries of the universe, Brooks travels to a basement in Turin to subject himself to repeated shocks in a test of the placebo response. No study has ever been able to definitively show how the placebo effect works, so why has it become a pillar of medical science? Moreover, is 96 percent of the universe missing? Is a 1977 signal from outer space a transmission from an alien civilization? Might giant viruses explain how life began? Why are some NASA satellites speeding up as they get farther from the sun—and what does that mean for the laws of physics?
...

[Abbey Marie]

Picture of Michael Brooks. So young to be so smart.

http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/lmong/Anahad_OConnor.jpg

[hjmick]

I'll have to pick up a copy of that book, sounds interesting.

Right now I'm in the middle of The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi. Very interesting look at a decades old serial killer case in Italy.


Amazon Best of the Month, June 2008: When author Douglas Preston moved his family to Florence he never expected he would soon become obsessed and entwined in a horrific crime story whose true-life details rivaled the plots of his own bestselling thrillers. While researching his next book, Preston met Mario Spezi, an Italian journalist who told him about the Monster of Florence, Italy's answer to Jack the Ripper, a terror who stalked lovers' lanes in the Italian countryside. The killer would strike at the most intimate time, leaving mutilated corpses in his bloody wake over a period from 1968 to 1985. One of these crimes had taken place in an olive grove on the property of Preston's new home. That was enough for him to join "Monsterologist" Spezi on a quest to name the killer, or killers, and bring closure to these unsolved crimes. Local theories and accusations flourished: the killer was a cuckolded husband; a local aristocrat; a physician or butcher, someone well-versed with knives; a satanic cult. Thomas Harris even dipped into "Monster" lore for some of Hannibal Lecter's more Grand Guignol moments in Hannibal. Add to this a paranoid police force more concerned with saving face and naming a suspect (any suspect) than with assessing the often conflicting evidence on hand, and an unbelievable twist that finds both authors charged with obstructing justice, with Spezi jailed on suspicion of being the Monster himself. The Monster of Florence is split into two sections: the first half is Spezi's story, with the latter bringing in Preston's updated involvement on the case. Together these two parts create a dark and fascinating descent into a landscape of horror that deserves to be shelved between In Cold Blood and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. --Brad Thomas Parsons

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. United in their obsession with a grisly Italian serial murder case almost three decades old, thriller writer Preston (coauthor, Brimstone) and Italian crime reporter Spezi seek to uncover the identity of the killer in this chilling true crime saga. From 1974 to 1985, seven pairs of lovers parked in their cars in secluded areas outside of Florence were gruesomely murdered. When Preston and his family moved into a farmhouse near the murder sites, he and Spezi began to snoop around, although witnesses had died and evidence was missing. With all of the chief suspects acquitted or released from prison on appeal, Preston and Spezi's sleuthing continued until ruthless prosecutors turned on the nosy pair, jailing Spezi and grilling Preston for obstructing justice. Only when Dateline NBC became involved in the maze of mutilated bodies and police miscues was the authors' hard work rewarded. This suspenseful procedural reveals much about the dogged writing team as well as the motives of the killers. Better than some overheated noir mysteries, this bit of real-life Florence bloodletting makes you sweat and think, and presses relentlessly on the nerves. (June 11)

[crin63]

I'm reading The Doctrine of Repentance by Thomas Watson an old Puritan, Ted, White and Blue, Pop Photo and Americas 1st Freedom.

[5stringJeff]

Just finished "Bell Curve," and now reading "The Revelation of Jesus Christ," an exegesis of Revelation.

[No1tovote4]

I'm going after the classics.

I am currently reading (re-reading).

Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein

Next in line is 1984 - Orwell

After that I'm hitting Dune - Frank Herbert

Then I'll pick up Fahrenheit 451...

I'll probably return to some more modern scifi after these...

I likes teh readings!

[5stringJeff]

Finished "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." Just beginning to read "The South Was Right."

[Mr. P]

Finished "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." Just beginning to read "The South Was Right."

A civil war buff are ya?

[5stringJeff]

A civil war buff are ya?

Actually, I'm more into the Revolutionary War period. But I do have a few Confederate ancestors.

[retiredman]

It's almost Year B in the lectionary, so I am reading the Gospel According to Mark.

[hjmick]

Just finished TSAR by Ted bell, excellent read.

Halfway through EXTREME MEASURSES by Vince Flynn. Very good read so far.

[darin]

Mission Al Jazeera, by Josh Rushing.

[5stringJeff]

I just finished The South Was Right. I agree with the authors' main premise, but not with some of the other positions they take.

I'm now reading "Polk," about the 11th President.

[Noir]

Have recently finished 'The politics' 'Twas quite a trek that took me about a year to read (yes I am a very slow reader). Just started Reading 'saint morrissey' by Mark Simpson, who (so far atleast) seems to be an excelent writter, the book is psychobabble about Steven Morrissey.

[hjmick]

Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield.

From Amazon.com:


Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by, that here obedient to their laws we lie.

Thus reads an ancient stone at Thermopylae in northern Greece, the site of one of the world's greatest battles for freedom. Here, in 480 B.C., on a narrow mountain pass above the crystalline Aegean, 300 Spartan knights and their allies faced the massive forces of Xerxes, King of Persia. From the start, there was no question but that the Spartans would perish. In Gates of Fire, however, Steven Pressfield makes their courageous defense--and eventual extinction--unbearably suspenseful.

In the tradition of Mary Renault, this historical novel unfolds in flashback. Xeo, the sole Spartan survivor of Thermopylae, has been captured by the Persians, and Xerxes himself presses his young captive to reveal how his tiny cohort kept more than 100,000 Persians at bay for a week. Xeo, however, begins at the beginning, when his childhood home in northern Greece was overrun and he escaped to Sparta. There he is drafted into the elite Spartan guard and rigorously schooled in the art of war--an education brutal enough to destroy half the students, but (oddly enough) not without humor: "The more miserable the conditions, the more convulsing the jokes became, or at least that's how it seems," Xeo recalls. His companions in arms are Alexandros, a gentle boy who turns out to be the most courageous of all, and Rooster, an angry, half-Messenian youth.

Pressfield's descriptions of war are breathtaking in their immediacy. They are also meticulously assembled out of physical detail and crisp, uncluttered metaphor:

The forerank of the enemy collapsed immediately as the first shock hit it; the body-length shields seemed to implode rearward, their anchoring spikes rooted slinging from the earth like tent pins in a gale. The forerank archers were literally bowled off their feet, their wall-like shields caving in upon them like fortress redoubts under the assault of the ram.... The valor of the individual Medes was beyond question, but their light hacking blades were harmless as toys; against the massed wall of Spartan armor, they might as well have been defending themselves with reeds or fennel stalks.

Alas, even this human barrier was bound to collapse, as we knew all along it would. "War is work, not mystery," Xeo laments. But Pressfield's epic seems to make the opposite argument: courage on this scale is not merely inspiring but ultimately mysterious. --Marianne Painter

From Publishers Weekly:


Pressfield's first novel, The Legend of Bagger Vance, was about golf, but here he puts aside his putter and picks up sword and shield as he cleverly and convincingly portrays the clash between Greek hoplites and Persian heavy infantry in the most heroic confrontation of the Hellenic Age: the battle of Thermopylae ("the Hot Gates") in 480 B.C. The terrifying spectacle of classical infantry battle becomes vividly clear in his epic treatment of the Greeks' magnificent last stand against the invading Persians. Driven to understand the courage and sacrifice of his Greek foes, the Persian king, Xerxes, compels Xeones, a captured Greek slave, to explain why the Greeks would give their lives to fight against overwhelming odds. Xeones' tale covers his years of training and adventure as the loyal and devoted servant of Dienekes, a noble Spartan soldier, and he describes the six-day ordeal during which a few hundred Greeks held off thousands of Persian spears and arrows, until a Greek traitor led the Persians to an alternate route. Rich with historical detail, hot action and crafty storytelling, Pressfield's riveting story reveals the social and political framework of Spartan life ending with the hysteria and brutality of the spear-thrusting, shield-bashing clamor that defined a Spartan's relationship with his family, community, country and fellow warriors.

Excellent read. Pressfield brings history to life.

[DannyR]

Picking up Wings of Wrath this tuesday. Book 2 of the Magister trilogy by C.S. Friedman.

Just finishing up Hammer of God, book 3 of Karen Miller's Godspeaker series.

If you like fantasy novels, I recommend everything by both Friedman and Miller.

Up next after these two is Peter Hamilton's The Temporal Void. Hamilton is a master at modern space opera.

[remie]

Been on a dog kick since Christmas

1 Merle's Door

2 The Art of Racing In The Rain

3 The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

All pretty good reads

[Psychoblues]

I just started "Halliburton's Army" by Pratap Chatterjee.

Need something to keep me jammin'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:beer::cheers2::beer:

Psychoblues

[Nukeman]

about halfway through "Unholy Deception". Pretty good book!!

[emmett]

"You're smarter than you think"

[Psychoblues]

That's a stretch.



"You're smarter than you think"

Don't you think?!?!?!?!?!???!?!

:beer::cheers2::beer:

Psychoblues

[Nukeman]

That's a stretch.




Don't you think?!?!?!?!?!???!?!

:beer::cheers2::beer:

PsychobluesNow why would you say something like that?!?!?!?!!??!?

You don't me from Adam, yet you think you have me pegged!!!!!!!!

Hmmmmmmmmmmm!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?

[emmett]

Now why would you say something like that?!?!?!?!!??!?

You don't me from Adam, yet you think you have me pegged!!!!!!!!

Hmmmmmmmmmmm!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?


He was talking about me Nuke!

:laugh2:

He might have been right! Then again, he might want to read it too!

:laugh2:

[Psychoblues]

Oh, no, it's only rock 'n roll but I like it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:beer::cheers2::beer:

Psychoblues

[Nukeman]

Just finished the book "Vanish". Pretty good, with a good message!:thumb:

[DragonStryk72]

I'm re-reading the Lone Wolf Series, which I found online through Project Aon, although I have most the books in my ownership currently.

[Abbey Marie]

Frommer's Scotland

[emmett]

Now reading "Sufferings in Africa" by Captain James Riley. Excellent!!!!

[Kathianne]

He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys (Hardcover)
by Greg Behrendt

Hey even us political obsessives need a break to reality now and again...

[Psychoblues]

Anybody done any Noam Chomsky jamm?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!? Great reading!!!!!!!!!!!


:beer::cheers2::beer:

Psychoblues

[Abbey Marie]

The Shack - Wm. Paul Young

A novel that presents a story about incredible loss, intertwined with informal and yet amazing conversations with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This book is fascinating, and much better than I can describe it without giving the story away.

Reviews are phenomenal.

I would highly recommend it. :thumb:

[5stringJeff]

Abbey, as you read that book, keep in mind that there are many unscriptural concepts contained within. I'd recommend reading the essay at this link:
http://www.normangeisler.net/theshack.html

[5stringJeff]

Oh, and I'm reading the New Penguin History of the World.

[emmett]

I'm reading the Bible again. Not gonna skip though. Going cover to cover.

[hjmick]

In the Courts of the Sun by Brian D'Amato

From Amazon:


Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
According to the ancient Maya, December 21, 2012, could be the day the world ends. In this ambitious novel, a modern-day descendant of the Maya, Jed DeLanda, goes back in time to save mankind. Well, he doesn’t go back physically; that’s not possible in D’Amato’s world, but it is possible to send back the consciousness of a person and to place it inside the mind of someone living in the past. The plan was to put Jed’s mind inside the body of a Mayan king in the year 664 CE, but, instead, he winds up inside the head of a man about to be killed by ritual sacrifice. Can Jed keep his host alive long enough to save the world? This is the sort of novel that Robert Silverberg might write (and, in fact, it feels a bit like Silverberg’s classic Up the Line)—a richly detailed, intellectually stimulating adventure through time. Unfortunately, it takes too long for the adventure to begin. While it’s fine to describe the future world in which Jed lives and even to establish his credentials for being chosen as humanity’s savior, we shouldn’t be made to wait 200-odd pages before Jed is flung back into the past. Still, he is an engaging narrator, telling his story in an easy, often humorous style. With the release later this year of the high-profile movie 2012 (also based on the Mayan prophecy), prepare for this title to be in high demand. --David Pitt

Review
“In the Courts of the Sun by Brian D’Amato is an enthralling and original read, a stunningly inventive novel that will keep you turning the pages until the wee hours. With the sure hand of a master storyteller, D’Amato weaves together Mayan history, modern science, game theory and the coming Mayan apocalypse to deliver a gripping read. Beware December 21, 2012!”
—Douglas Preston, author of The Codex and The Monster of Florence

While I do not agree with Douglas Preston (one of my favorite authors, as is his brother) that the book "will keep you turning the pages until the wee hours," it is very good. Richly detailed and strikingly original, I believe it suffers only because it is the first of a trilogy. As such, the author, in my opinion, feels free to pace the book slower than if it were a stand alone.

[Little-Acorn]

The Vision of the Anointed, by Thomas Sowell.


From Publishers Weekly
In this broadside against the received wisdom of America's elite liberal intelligentsia, noted conservative Sowell, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, offers some strenuous arguments as well as fuzzy generalizations. Thus, his attacks on the war on poverty, sex education and criminal justice policies forged in the 1960s counter some slippery rhetoric by their defenders, yet his suggestion that these policies exacerbated things is questionable.

Sowell deconstructs how statistics can be distorted to prove assumptions (that lack of prenatal care is the cause of black infant mortality) and gleefully skewers "Teflon prophets" such as John Kenneth Galbraith (who said that big companies are immune from the market) and Paul Ehrlich (who said starvation loomed).

While "the anointed" favor explanations that exempt individuals from personal responsibility and seek painless solutions, those with the "tragic vision" see policies as trade-offs. Sowell scores his targets for disdaining their opponents, but this book also invokes caricature-these days, many of "the anointed" are less unreconstructed than he assumes.

[emmett]

A Certain Justice........P D James

The Heart is A Lonely HUnter ... Carson MuCullars



Both EXCELLENT!

[chloe]

Cashless: Bible Prophecy, the Economic Chaos, and Future Financial Order Book Description, by Mark Hitchcock

Somewhere between writing checks in the 80's and swiping a piece of plastic today, we missed the significance of the emerging cashless society. But there are reasons to take notice. According to Mark Hitchcock, author of several bestselling prophecy books and a trusted expert in this field, what is happening in the world today is consistent with prophecy written in Revelation 13, which predicts a one-world economy under the rule of the Antichrist.

With current research on the global economic, technological, and religious landscape, Hitchcock addresses important questions, including: Will there be a one-world economy in the end times? What is the mark of the beast? Does modern technology relate to the mark? How does the absence of cash prime things for the Antichrist?

The advent of the cashless society is an important one to examine and think through in light of God's Word and His promises.

According to Hitchcock, the emergence of a cashless society is consistent with prophecy written in Revelation 13, which predicts a one-world economy under the rule of the Antichrist. The author examines God's Word in relation to such a global economic landscape.

Mark Hitchcock has contributed to Cashless: Bible Prophecy, the Economic Chaos, and Future Financial Order as an author. Mark Hitchcock graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary and has since pastored Faith Bible Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. He has written six books, including 101 Answers to the Most Asked Questions about the End Times, The Coming Islamic Invasion of Israel, Is America in Bible Prophecy?

[Binky]

I'm rereading a book my hubby wrote entitled, "Drafted," by William C. Stodgel. It's available online at amazon.com...

It starts out about his childhood and then takes off to when he got drafted into the army and then sent to Viet Nam.... It's a great story filled with lots of action. And it's true.... I did all the editing for it and even wrote one chapter myself..... There's a lot of war gore, laughs and adventure.... My man did a great job on writing it.......:banana:

[chloe]

I'm rereading a book my hubby wrote entitled, "Drafted," by William C. Stodgel. It's available online at amazon.com...

It starts out about his childhood and then takes off to when he got drafted into the army and then sent to Viet Nam.... It's a great story filled with lots of action. And it's true.... I did all the editing for it and even wrote one chapter myself..... There's a lot of war gore, laughs and adventure.... My man did a great job on writing it.......:banana:

wow Binky you should make a separate thread about it so other members could buy it if they want to. That is pretty cool !!!!!!!

[Binky]

wow Binky you should make a separate thread about it so other members could buy it if they want to. That is pretty cool !!!!!!!

I already did that eons ago.....I don't think it even got any replies....don't know about views....

[Agnapostate]

Schooling in Capitalist America - Bowles and Gintis

Living Revolution: Anarchism in the Kibbutz Movement - James Horrox


Anybody done any Noam Chomsky jamm?!?!??!?!?

Definitely.

[SassyLady]

Pursuit of Honor - Vince Flynn

[hjmick]

Under the Dome by Stephen King, and to be quite honest, I am have trouble hitting my stride with that book. I'm not sure if it's because it's been so long since I last read King or if it's because I have two shelves of books to read by authors I've been into the last 5 to 10 years.

[Abbey Marie]

Good read.

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel



Henry VIII's challenge to the church's power with his desire to divorce his queen and marry Anne Boleyn set off a tidal wave of religious, political and societal turmoil that reverberated throughout 16th-century Europe. Mantel boldly attempts to capture the sweeping internecine machinations of the times from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell, the lowborn man who became one of Henry's closest advisers. Cromwell's actual beginnings are historically ambiguous, and Mantel admirably fills in the blanks, portraying Cromwell as an oft-beaten son who fled his father's home, fought for the French, studied law and was fluent in French, Latin and Italian. Mixing fiction with fact, Mantel captures the atmosphere of the times and brings to life the important players: Henry VIII; his wife, Katherine of Aragon; the bewitching Boleyn sisters; and the difficult Thomas More, who opposes the king...
-Publishers Weekly

[HogTrash]

Great deals on second hand books at the local Thrift Store.

Five books for three dollars...Ha Ha! :thumb:

SHOOTER/Walter Dean Myers - fiction [Copyright 2004]

LAND OF ELDORADO/Sante Uberto Barbieri - An historical account of early explorers, adventurers and people of Latin American [Copyright 1961]

THE POLITICS/Aristotle - Who by the way was the most famous student of Plato [Published 1986] translated to english

RUSSIA 2010/Daniel Yergin - "Wise...an intelligent guide to the delimmas that Russia's current condition poses both for itself and for the West." - Adam Ulum,New Republic [Copyright 1993]

WHY WHITE KIDS LOVE HIP HOP/Bakari Kitwana - wankstas, wiggas, wannabes and the new reality of race in america [Copyright 2005]

Damn!...I just realized what a boring person I am. :o

[Agnapostate]

Reading about spics, Slavs and Vanilla Ice is retarded, not boring. ;)

[HogTrash]

Reading about spics, Slavs and Vanilla Ice is retarded, not boring. ;) :eek: Oh my!...I knew I wasn't very smart but I never realized I was retarded...Are ya sure Aggy? :confused:

:bow3::thanks: Aggy's my hero cause he's so smart. :D We're friends, ain't that right Aggy? :slap:

[Noir]

Currently - The Selfish Gene By R. Dawkins.

http://i.biblio.com/z/151/291/9780199291151.jpg


Why are there miles and miles of "unused" DNA within each of our bodies? Why should a bee give up its own chance to reproduce to help raise her sisters and brothers? With a prophet's clarity, Dawkins told us the answers from the perspective of molecules competing for limited space and resources to produce more of their own kind. Drawing fascinating examples from every field of biology, he paved the way for a serious re-evaluation of evolution. He also introduced the concept of self-reproducing ideas, or memes, which (seemingly) use humans exclusively for their propagation. If we are puppets, he says, at least we can try to understand our strings

[Shadow]

A fantasy novel called The Gates Of Sleep - Mercedes Lackey. I just started it so don't have much to say about it yet,other than it seems to be a different twist on the story of Sleeping Beauty.

[Kathianne]

Believe it or not:

http://www.amazon.com/Forking-Fantastic-Party-Back-Dinner/dp/1592405053

http://i45.tinypic.com/2a0den6.jpg

[Shadow]

When God Winks At You... by SQuire Rushnell

http://www.whengodwinks.com/

[Abbey Marie]

Through another member's recommendation; I think it was Shadow:

Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells
-Tommy James

[hjmick]

Just finished Under the Dome by Stephen King, and Alter of Eden by James Rollins. Currently reading Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn.

[Shadow]

Through another member's recommendation; I think it was Shadow:

Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells
-Tommy James


That was fast! Hope it is good...I am going to order it to read also, as soon as it is available through my book club.

[Abbey Marie]

That was fast! Hope it is good...I am going to order it to read also, as soon as it is available through my book club.

:thumb:

[Roadrunner]

Just finished reading Game Change, which is about the 2008 presidential campaign. Worth reading. Too bad the voters made the wrong choice.

Before that I read Caesar and Christ. Title was misleading. It was mostly about the old Roman empire and its rulers. Minimal coverage of Christ and the beginning of Christianity.

[hjmick]

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

The Lost City of Z (http://www.amazon.com/Lost-City-Deadly-Obsession-Amazon/dp/0385513534)

From Publishers Weekly:


In 1925, renowned British explorer Col. Percy Harrison Fawcett embarked on a much publicized search to find the city of Z, site of an ancient Amazonian civilization that may or may not have existed. Fawcett, along with his grown son Jack, never returned, but that didn't stop countless others, including actors, college professors and well-funded explorers from venturing into the jungle to find Fawcett or the city. Among the wannabe explorers is Grann, a staff writer for the New Yorker, who has bad eyes and a worse sense of direction. He became interested in Fawcett while researching another story, eventually venturing into the Amazon to satisfy his all-consuming curiosity about the explorer and his fatal mission. Largely about Fawcett, the book examines the stranglehold of passion as Grann's vigorous research mirrors Fawcett's obsession with uncovering the mysteries of the jungle. By interweaving the great story of Fawcett with his own investigative escapades in South America and Britain, Grann provides an in-depth, captivating character study that has the relentless energy of a classic adventure tale.

John Grisham's review for Amazon.com:


In April of 1925, a legendary British explorer named Percy Fawcett launched his final expedition into the depths of the Amazon in Brazil. His destination was the lost city of El Dorado, the “City of Gold,” an ancient kingdom of great sophistication, architecture, and culture that, for some reason, had vanished. The idea of El Dorado had captivated anthropologists, adventurers, and scientists for 400 years, though there was no evidence it ever existed. Hundreds of expeditions had gone looking for it. Thousands of men had perished in the jungles searching for it. Fawcett himself had barely survived several previous expeditions and was more determined than ever to find the lost city with its streets and temples of gold.

The world was watching. Fawcett, the last of the great Victorian adventurers, was financed by the Royal Geographical Society in London, the world’s foremost repository of research gathered by explorers. Fawcett, then age 57, had proclaimed for decades his belief in the City of Z, as he had nicknamed it. His writings, speeches, and exploits had captured the imagination of millions, and reports of his last expedition were front page news.

His expeditionary force consisted of three men--himself, his 21-year-old son Jack, and one of Jack’s friends. Fawcett believed that only a small group had any chance of surviving the horrors of the Amazon. He had seen large forces decimated by malaria, insects, snakes, poison darts, starvation, and insanity. He knew better. He and his two companions would travel light, carry their own supplies, eat off the land, pose no threat to the natives, and endure months of hardship in their search for the Lost City of Z.

They were never seen again. Fawcett’s daily dispatches trickled to a stop. Months passed with no word. Because he had survived several similar forays into the Amazon, his family and friends considered him to be near super-human. As before, they expected Fawcett to stumble out of the jungle, bearded and emaciated and announcing some fantastic discovery. It did not happen.

Over the years, the search for Fawcett became more alluring than the search for El Dorado itself. Rescue efforts, from the serious to the farcical, materialized in the years that followed, and hundreds of others lost their lives in the search. Rewards were posted. Psychics were brought in by the family. Articles and books were written. For decades the legend of Percy Fawcett refused to die.

The great mystery of what happened to Fawcett has never been solved, perhaps until now. In 2004, author David Grann discovered the story while researching another one. Soon, like hundreds before him, he became obsessed with the legend of the colorful adventurer and his baffling disappearance. Grann, a lifelong New Yorker with an admitted aversion to camping and mountain climbing, a lousy sense of direction, and an affinity for take-out food and air conditioning, soon found himself in the jungles of the Amazon. What he found there, some 80 years after Fawcett’s disappearance, is a startling conclusion to this absorbing narrative.

The Lost City of Z is a riveting, exciting and thoroughly compelling tale of adventure.

I'm about halfway through it and I must say it is quite interesting and very well written.

[Said1]

Jacob the Liar - Jurek Becker

That book really sucked; I didn't finish it, and I can't remember what it was about.

[hjmick]

206 Bones by Kathy Reichs.

I'm a big fan of the TV show Bones and have been meaning to pick up one of Reichs' books for sometime only just now getting around to doing so. The book is very good, but resembles the TV show only barely.

[revelarts]

Indian Givers:
How the Indians of the Americas Transformed the World
by Jack Weatherford

Fascinating info, 1st chapters are about how Gold and Silver from the Americas changed the world economies, How whole mountains have been nearly hollowed out and the many south Americans are still bound in poverty to the old mines that are still being worked. Now for less precious ores. But the most amazing chapters to me so far are the chapters on agriculture. i had no idea that so many vegetable that many countries today consider staples and "native" actually came from the Americas and had been studiously cultivated by many native American people long before Europeans ever landed. The Potato and sweet potatoes, (the Irish and Russians had no potatoes) Hot peppers ( the Shezan Chinese didn't have them until they came form the Americas) corns, jerky, varieties of beans, kidney, string, snap bean, butter bean, navy beans and more. peanuts, sunflower, chocolate, tapioca, the author estimates 3/5 of todays food crops were 1st native to the Americas and cultivated by the early native Americans.
and that's just a taste.
Very cool book, I'm a really enjoying this.

Also reading a comic book Called "Annihilation". A Creature from a another dimension and his army have begun to attack and destroy the intelligent life forms civilizations on the outskirts of our galaxy and the space bound superheroes both alien and human are trying to stop them. Even some of the villains are trying to defeat the evil Annihilus and his horde.

fun.

[Abbey Marie]

About to start this one: George Washington's Sacred Fire by Peter Lillback

Description/reviews from Amazon.com:

An enlightening, engaging, and long overdue correction of the falsehood that Washington lacked faith. --Rodney Stark, Baylor University

. . . . Dr. Lillback burries the myth that Washington was an unbeliever - at most a "deist" - under an avalanche of facts . . . . --Robert P. George, Princeton University

Secular historians ignore George Washington's ward Nelly Custis, who wrote that doubting his Christian faith was as absurd as doubting his patriotism. But they cannot ignore this mountain of evidence suggesting Washington's religion was not Deism, but just the sort of low-church Anglicanism one would expect in an 18th century Virginia gentleman. His "sacred fire" lit America's path toward civil and religious liberty. --Walter A. McDougall, Pulitzer Prize Winning

Product Description
What sets "George Washington's Sacred Fire" apart from all previous works on this man for the ages, is the exhaustive fifteen years of Dr. Peter Lillback's research, revealing a unique icon driven by the highest of ideals. Only do George Washington's own writings, journals, letters, manuscripts, and those of his closest family and confidants reveal the truth of this awe-inspiring role model for all generations. Dr. Lillback paints a picture of a man, who, faced with unprecedented challenges and circumstances, ultimately drew upon his persistent qualities of character - honesty, justice, equity, perseverence, piety, forgiveness, humility, and servant leadership, to become one of the most revered figures in world history. George Washington set the cornerstone for what would become one of the most prosperous, free nations in the history of civilization. Through this book, Dr. Lillback, assisted by Jerry Newcombe, will reveal to the reader a newly inspirational image of General and President George Washington.

[Nukeman]

Currently - The Selfish Gene By R. Dawkins.

http://i.biblio.com/z/151/291/9780199291151.jpg

I wish Jonathan was still around I found a great book for him...

"Signature in the Cell" by Stephen Meyer...

Might shed a little light for him!!!!

[hjmick]

I read a lot of books. Different authors, different genres, fiction, nonfiction. I love to read. One of my favorite books is The Stand by Stephen King. I've read it three times. The original 1978 publication, the 1990 uncut version, then the 1978 version again. It stood, for me, as an unparallelled epic novel, perhaps King's best work and a modern American classic. While I've enjoyed to no end a great many books since, it has stood the test of time in my mind, with nothing in fiction coming close to it's level of story telling.

Until now...

I just finished The Passage by Justin Cronin. An author I had never heard of with just two other books to his name. This book may very well have usurped The Stand as my favorite. I'll know for sure after I sleep on it, but it doesn't look good for King.

Viral vampires, post apocalyptic America, perilous journey, great story telling...

This is definitely the best book I've read this year.

And the best thing? It's the first book of a trilogy.

Amazon: The Passage (http://www.amazon.com/Passage-Justin-Cronin/dp/0345504968/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281500343&sr=1-1)

Enter the Passage (http://enterthepassage.com/)

[SassyLady]

I read a lot of books. Different authors, different genres, fiction, nonfiction. I love to read. One of my favorite books is The Stand by Stephen King. I've read it three times. The original 1978 publication, the 1990 uncut version, then the 1978 version again. It stood, for me, as an unparallelled epic novel, perhaps King's best work and a modern American classic. While I've enjoyed to no end a great many books since, it has stood the test of time in my mind, with nothing in fiction coming close to it's level of story telling.

Until now...

I just finished The Passage by Justin Cronin. An author I had never heard of with just two other books to his name. This book may very well have usurped The Stand as my favorite. I'll know for sure after I sleep on it, but it doesn't look good for King.

Viral vampires, post apocalyptic America, perilous journey, great story telling...

This is definitely the best book I've read this year.

And the best thing? It's the first book of a trilogy.

Amazon: The Passage (http://www.amazon.com/Passage-Justin-Cronin/dp/0345504968/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1281500343&sr=1-1)

Enter the Passage (http://enterthepassage.com/)



Loved The Stand .... did you see the movie?

Will look into The Passage.

Did you read Eragon? Wonderful trilogy and written by a very young author.....along the lines of Lord of the Rings

[Agnapostate]

Along those lines because he lifted ideas and not very cleverly disguised names from the series, as well as from Star Wars. Still a good trilogy, though the film was awful.

[Trigg]

Loved The Stand .... did you see the movie?

Will look into The Passage.

Did you read Eragon? Wonderful trilogy and written by a very young author.....along the lines of Lord of the Rings

I liked The Stand until the very end, when it seemed King had no idea how to end the story so he just blew up the bad guys. Personally it was disappointing.

I enjoyed The Red Tent. It's about the Women in the bible, a group mostly ignored. It's about their hardships and what they endured, I had a hard time putting it down.

[Gaffer]

I liked The Stand until the very end, when it seemed King had no idea how to end the story so he just blew up the bad guys. Personally it was disappointing.

I enjoyed The Red Tent. It's about the Women in the bible, a group mostly ignored. It's about their hardships and what they endured, I had a hard time putting it down.

I liked the Stand and feel the same way you do. He rushed the ending. And his hero's appeared to be religious liberals.

I have read the first two Eragon books but haven't found the third yet. The movie sucked.

[SassyLady]

I liked the Stand and feel the same way you do. He rushed the ending. And his hero's appeared to be religious liberals.

I have read the first two Eragon books but haven't found the third yet. The movie sucked.

I've read the third, and in it he said there was too many threads to close, so there would be a 4th.

[SassyLady]

Reading Andy Andrews "The Traveler's Gift". Saw him speak at an event and wanted to read some of his stuff. I'll let you know if I like it or not.

Also reading Trump and Kiyoski's "Why We Want You To Be Rich".

and

some trashy romantic suspense novels in between!!!

[Agnapostate]

I took the profile pic of me with Guns, Germs, and Steel to piss off some white supremacists, but then I actually started reading it.

[Trigg]

Reading Andy Andrews "The Traveler's Gift". Saw him speak at an event and wanted to read some of his stuff. I'll let you know if I like it or not.

Also reading Trump and Kiyoski's "Why We Want You To Be Rich".

and

some trashy romantic suspense novels in between!!!

hey if you can't enjoy a trashy romance novel every now and then what's the point in reading??:laugh:

[pete311]

Loved The Stand .... did you see the movie?

Will look into The Passage.

Did you read Eragon? Wonderful trilogy and written by a very young author.....along the lines of Lord of the Rings

If you liked the Stand, look into Swan Song

[Abbey Marie]

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes.

Novel by a highly-decorated vet that describes the Viet Nam war in gritty and realistic detail. It's a great read.

[Nukeman]

Just finished "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell"

ACtaully pretty funny, if you like sophomore humor!!!!!

[hjmick]

Just finished Heat Lightning by John Sandford. I beginning to like his Virgil Flowers character more than Lucas Davenport, who is the primary character in his other series of books.

Prior to that, it was The Templar Salvation by Raymond Khoury, before that it was The Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry, and before that it was American Assassin by Vince Flynn.

All very good books.

Currently I am reading Fever Dream by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

Normally I stay away from co-authored books, but Preston and Child, accomplished authors both, write very well together. Their co-authored books are seamless. Many authors who attempt to write together do not pull this off. I also stay away from books "written" by authors that include "with so-and-so" on the cover. After reading a few, I have determined that the book is usually written by "so-and-so" and the big name author slaps his or her name on the cover for sales.

[SassyLady]

Tips for a Military Divorce.

Very helpful...has already given me information that wasn't forthcoming before.

[Trigg]

Trashy romance novels, with a little mystery thrown in.

I can't help myself :laugh:

[Missileman]

I'm into the 5th book of Jim Butcher's Codex Alera. They won't change your life, but for those of you who read for entertainment, I highly recommend them.

[Abbey Marie]

The Anatomy of Ghosts - Andrew Taylor

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Set in England in 1786, this masterful thriller from British author Taylor (Bleeding Heart Square) opens on a tragic note. In the months since London bookseller John Holdsworth's little son, Georgie, slipped into the Thames and hit his head against a coal barge with fatal results, Holdsworth's grief-stricken wife, Maria, has repeatedly visited the site of the boy's death. Until her own untimely death, Maria spends most of her days with a woman who relays messages from Georgie from the beyond. At loose ends, Holdsworth, who's written a treatise debunking ghost sightings, accepts an assignment from Lady Anne Oldershaw in Cambridge to prove to her son, a Jerusalem College student who claims to have seen a ghost, that he's suffering from a delusion. Fans of Michael Cox and Charles Palliser will relish this sophisticated period puzzle, which takes an intriguing look at the age-old question of the reality of ghosts.

[revelarts]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0307587592/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link

Knockout: Interviews with Doctors Who Are Curing Cancer--And How to Prevent Getting It in the First Place


In Knockout, Suzanne Somers interviews doctors who are successfully using the most innovative cancer treatments—treatments that build up the body rather than tear it down. Somers herself has stared cancer in the face, and a decade later she has conquered her fear and has emerged confident with the path she's chosen.
Now she shares her personal choices and outlines an array of options from doctors across the country:

EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE TREATMENTS
•without chemotherapy
•without radiation
•sometimes, even without surgery

INTEGRATIVE PROTOCOLS
•combining standard treatments with therapies that build up the immune system

METHODS FOR MANAGING CANCER
•outlining ways to truly live with the diease

Since prevention is the best course, Somers' experts provide nutrition, lifestyle, and dietary supplementation options to help protect you from getting the disease in the first place. Whichever path you choose, Knockout is a must-have resource to navigate the life-and-death world of cancer and increase your odds of survival. After reading stunning testimonials from inspirational survivors using alternative treatments, you'll be left with a feeling of empowerment and something every person who is touched by this disease needs…HOPE.

very interesting book

[Kathianne]

Reading a book suggested by my oldest son, it's good:

"A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers

Fictionalized autobiography

[hjmick]

Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill.

[Nukeman]

"Legacy of Ashes" history of the CIA

kind of disturbing!!! and pathetic

[revelarts]

Younger Next Year
Tells you most of the things you know you should be doing then a bit more and Why. In a interesting and sometimes alarming or surprising way. It's amazing how dramatic the changes can be.


from amazon

From Publishers Weekly
Believing they have a unique approach for improving men's lives, Crowley, a former litigator, and Lodge, a board-certified internist, collaborated to write this "evolutionary" health program. The authors base their plan on the idea that instead of looking forward to decades of pain as the body slowly deteriorates, it's possible to live as if you were 50, maybe even younger, for the rest of your life. Yet with the exception of "Harry's First Rule"—exercise at least six days a week—there isn't much that's new or groundbreaking in their agenda. Most recommendations fall under the "common sense" umbrella, though these suggestions may be news to many men, who aren't as steeped in the world of health and fitness as most women are (they may find the chapters dealing with nutrition and biology particularly informative). The authors' method of proffering their philosophy is rather trite, however, and their cavalier demeanor belies the significance of what they have to say. More than one-third of the book is devoted to how and why they came up with this program based on their own lives, with special attention to 70-year-old Crowley's impressive abilities (he says he can ski better now than he could 20 years ago). All told, this manual for healthy living offers sound, if unoriginal, advice with some hackneyed padding.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“An extraordinary book . . . it is easy to read, the science is right, and if one follows Henry Lodge’s and Chris Crowley’s recommendations, both mental and physical aging can be delayed. I wish my patients would follow their advice.”
— K. Craig Kent, M.D., chief of vascular surgery, New York–Presbyterian Hospital

“One long, exuberant New Year’s resolution.”
— The New York Times (The New York Times )

"Brain-rattling, irresistible, hilarious. If you're up for it...[this book] could change your life."
—The Washington Post (The Washington Post )

“One of our highest recommendations so far on growing old gracefully . . . Dr. Lodge, a prominent M.D., focuses on developments in cellular and evolutionary biology. Crowley, his guinea pig, is a firm believer in Dr. Lodge’s science and very good at convincing the reader that, if you’re a fifty-year-old man, you’d be an idiot not to start following the rules as soon as possible. . . . Should be read avidly by anyone growing older as well as forward-thinking youngsters.”
— Kirkus Reports (Kirkus Reviews ) -

[hjmick]

Just finished Brad Thor's The Apostle, prior to that it was Gideon's Sword by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child, before that it was Brad Thor's The Athena Project, currently I am reading Buried Prey by John Sandford.

Next up, Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer.

[DragonStryk72]

I am rereading my way through the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind, which basically, if you read into it a bit, you find out that there is a huge run against socialism and communism.

The basic moral of the series is that being great does not make you owe those who are not, for whatever reason, and that greatness is something to be aspired to, not frowned upon. All conservatives should read that series, it is really a great read. The first book is Wizard's First Rule, and the Rule is "People are stupid. They will believe a lie either because they think it's true, or fear it might be." (Look at our own media for evidence of this)

[Abbey Marie]

An Echo in the Bone (from the Outlander series) by Diana Gabaldon.

[LuLu]

I plan on buying the Sookie Stakehouse book this week. I haven't had time to read, and it is hard when I home with my three year old.

[revelarts]

Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade--and How We Can Fight It
by David B. Batstone

names sums it up.
infuriating ,inspiring and challenging.

[Shadow]

Water for Elephants~ Sara Gruen


Just bought it today...and then found out they have also made it into a Movie. So, I may have to do both (read and watch)


http://www.amazon.com/Water-Elephants-Novel-Sara-Gruen/dp/1565125606/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321646384&sr=8-2 (http://www.amazon.com/Water-Elephants-Novel-Sara-Gruen/dp/1565125606/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321646384&sr=8-2)

[Thunderknuckles]

Water for Elephants~ Sara Gruen


Just bought it today...and then found out they have also made it into a Movie. So, I may have to do both (read and watch)


http://www.amazon.com/Water-Elephants-Novel-Sara-Gruen/dp/1565125606/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321646384&sr=8-2 (http://www.amazon.com/Water-Elephants-Novel-Sara-Gruen/dp/1565125606/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321646384&sr=8-2)
My wife suckered me into reading that book. It turned out to be pretty good for a chick novel :p
I can't remember the title of the last book I recently read. It was that forgettable.

I'm currently sitting in a holding pattern till something sparks my interest....

I gotta be honest, I'm just spending too much time playing Skyrim to read anything right now :D

[Shadow]

My wife suckered me into reading that book. It turned out to be pretty good for a chick novel :p
I can't remember the title of the last book I recently read. It was that forgettable.

I'm currently sitting in a holding pattern till something sparks my interest....

I gotta be honest, I'm just spending too much time playing Skyrim to read anything right now :D

Well, I'm glad you liked it...hopefully it will hold my attention. It looked pretty interesting,though. The last book I was reading I bought around Halloween,but after reading it for awhile I lost interest. Maybe I will pick it up again next Halloween :)

Real Ghosts,Restless Spirits and Haunted Places ~ Brad Steiger


http://www.amazon.com/Ghosts-Restless-Spirits-Haunted-Places/dp/1578591465/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1321658432&sr=8-3


I'm also in the middle of another book too. A Jesse Stone Mystery~ Strangers In Paradise ~Robert B Parker.

http://www.bing.com/shopping/stranger-in-paradisepaperback/p/9D73158A9CBBE6C68DE3?q=stanger+in+paradise&lpf=0&lpq=stanger%2bin%2bparadise&FORM=EGCA&lppc=16


Guess we will soon see which one I finish first. What is Skyrim?

[Abbey Marie]

Fire and Rain: The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, CSNY, and the Lost Story of 1970

So far, a fascinating blend of music history and the culture and politics of what the author describes as a pivotal year.

[Noir]

Currently reading my way through two series alternately.

The second book (of 6) in 'A Song of Ice and Fire' by George R R Martian called 'A Clash of Kings' tis a fantastic series and currently being adapted into an HBO series (under the name of the first book: Game of Thrones)

Then my next book lined up is the 3rd in the trilogy of four (in five books) by Douglas Adams; Life the Universe and everything.

[Jess]

Currently reading my way through two series alternately.

The second book (of 6) in 'A Song of Ice and Fire' by George R R Martian called 'A Clash of Kings' tis a fantastic series and currently being adapted into an HBO series (under the name of the first book: Game of Thrones)

Then my next book lined up is the 3rd in the trilogy of four (in five books) by Douglas Adams; Life the Universe and everything.

I have the entire series in one large volume and have read the whole thing at least five times. Used to listen to it on public radio when I was younger.

Douglas Adams rocks!
2618

[Jess]

Packing Inferno: The Unmaking of a Marine by Tyler E. Boudreau.

http://www.amazon.com/Packing-Inferno-Unmaking-Tyler-Boudreau/dp/1932595325

[Wind Song]

This Sweet Sickness by Patricia Highsmith. She's the author of the "Talented Mr Ripley" novels.

[Gaffer]

Currently reading my way through two series alternately.

The second book (of 6) in 'A Song of Ice and Fire' by George R R Martian called 'A Clash of Kings' tis a fantastic series and currently being adapted into an HBO series (under the name of the first book: Game of Thrones)

Then my next book lined up is the 3rd in the trilogy of four (in five books) by Douglas Adams; Life the Universe and everything.

I have read all 6 of the Fire and Ice series so far. There's still two more that have not been released yet. It's a long and complex story line with more characters than Lord of the Ring. He does a great job of describing medieval life. It's a wild and rocky ride. I can't wait for the next one to come out.

[Shadow]

I have read all 6 of the Fire and Ice series so far. There's still two more that have not been released yet. It's a long and complex story line with more characters than Lord of the Ring. He does a great job of describing medieval life. It's a wild and rocky ride. I can't wait for the next one to come out.

This sounds exactly like something both my daughter and I would be interested in (and luckily I still have $40.00 worth of book credits). What is the name of the first book in the series? I would like to check it out.

[Gaffer]

This sounds exactly like something both my daughter and I would be interested in (and luckily I still have $40.00 worth of book credits). What is the name of the first book in the series? I would like to check it out.

The first book is called Game of Thrones. It's part of the Fire and Ice Series. All of the books are from 900 to 1400 pages. Once you start on it you will be hooked.

[Shadow]

The first book is called Game of Thrones. It's part of the Fire and Ice Series. All of the books are from 900 to 1400 pages. Once you start on it you will be hooked.

Holy Cow! Well...that should keep me out of trouble for awhile. I'm going to go check and see right now if they offer it on my book club site. :thumb:

[Jess]

[/B]Holy Cow! Well...that should keep me out of trouble for awhile. I'm going to go check and see right now if they offer it on my book club site. :thumb:

Failing that, read The Count of Monte Cristo in its entirety. Couple thousand pages to keep you busy and out of trouble. ;)

[Shadow]

The first book is called Game of Thrones. It's part of the Fire and Ice Series. All of the books are from 900 to 1400 pages. Once you start on it you will be hooked.

Okay,well I now have the first three...wish me luck I may be reading this for quite awhile.

Oh... and if anyone is interested they have the large size paperbacks of this series at Barnes and Noble...buy two get 1 free.

[CSM]

Just started book 3 in the Fire and Ice series. talk about a love hate relationship! I get so disgusted and mad at some of the plot twists; never really hated a character in a book before but this one has me making lists!

[Thunderknuckles]

Okay,well I now have the first three...wish me luck I may be reading this for quite awhile.

Oh... and if anyone is interested they have the large size paperbacks of this series at Barnes and Noble...buy two get 1 free.
Fair Warning:
These books will suck you in. Unfortunately after the first two books plot progression begins to slow dramatically with a slew of sub plots that take a while to wrap up. If anyone is familiar with Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series you'll start to see some similarities which is scary. Martin has said there only two books left but after reading A Dance with Dragons I don't see how he is going to pull it off without rushing it. My bet is he will announce he can't complete the series in two books and will have to stretch it out even more then croak before finishing it just like Jordan.

Sorry to be such a pessimist but you'll understand after A Dance with Dragons.

[ConHog]

Just finished the December issue of Playboy. Great articles.

[fj1200]

^Most of us don't live in Arkansas where Playboy is considered a book. Good on 'ya for "reading" though. :thumb:

[ConHog]

^Most of us don't live in Arkansas where Playboy is considered a book. Good on 'ya for "reading" though. :thumb:

:laugh:

As I always say, please tell everyone you know how much Arkansas sucks. The fewer who know the truth, the better.

[fj1200]

:laugh:

As I always say, please tell everyone you know how much Arkansas sucks. The fewer who know the truth, the better.

I hear there are some good motorcycle roads, the Ozarks iirc. May have to try them when I can get away for that long... 2025 should be about right... FML :(

[Gaffer]

Just started book 3 in the Fire and Ice series. talk about a love hate relationship! I get so disgusted and mad at some of the plot twists; never really hated a character in a book before but this one has me making lists!

You are all in for some shocks as you continue through the books. I don't want to spoil anything but the end of book six left me going... WHAT?

[Noir]

Just started book 3 in the Fire and Ice series. talk about a love hate relationship! I get so disgusted and mad at some of the plot twists; never really hated a character in a book before but this one has me making lists!

I know exactly what you mean! and like my gf and I were reading book one at the same time and she sent me a text saying "I'm so angry, hurry up and get to page xxx so i can rant at you about it" :laugh:

[CSM]

I know exactly what you mean! and like my gf and I were reading book one at the same time and she sent me a text saying "I'm so angry, hurry up and get to page xxx so i can rant at you about it" :laugh:
Yep. One of my sons has read all of them so far and another is just a bit behind me. The one who read them all just smiles cryptically as I rant and the one behind me rants on and on while I smile cryptically!

[Gaffer]

Yep. One of my sons has read all of them so far and another is just a bit behind me. The one who read them all just smiles cryptically as I rant and the one behind me rants on and on while I smile cryptically!

The only one I can rant to right now would be your son that has read all 6 so far. If you think you want to rant now wait until you get through book six. Any ranting I did now would spoil it for you. So all I can do is smile cryptically. :rolleyes:

[Abbey Marie]

The first book is called Game of Thrones. It's part of the Fire and Ice Series. All of the books are from 900 to 1400 pages. Once you start on it you will be hooked.

Is this the same story as the HBO series of the same name?

[fj1200]

Economic Sophisms by Bastiat via Kindle Fire.




Thanks to rev for the Bastiat tip. ;)

[Noir]

Is this the same story as the HBO series of the same name?

It is!
And a fair few of the scenes were shot in Norn Iron (:
They're starting the filming of the new series here in January

[Jess]

Taming the Spirited Child (Strategies for Parenting Challenging Children Without Breaking Their Spirits) by Michael Popkin, Ph.D.

*sigh* 'nuff said.

[ConHog]

I just finished Game of Thrones. Pretty good book. Haven't started a new one yet.

[Noir]

Taking a break from the Ice and Fire Series as books 3 & 4 together are like 1,600 pages and as its a part 1, part 2 deal I wana read them one after another.

Luckily one of my bookstores was doing a range of classics for £2 per book so I picked up a load of bargains -
Alice's adventures in wonderland (Carrol) - read.
The happy prince and other short stories (Wilde) - read.
Journey to the centre of the earth (Verne) - reading
Candide (Voltaire) - Reading.
Phantom of the Opera (Laroux) - Not started yet.
Pride and Prejudice (Austin) - Not started yet.

[DragonStryk72]

I'm rereading Wizard's First Rule. Actually, I can recommend this series to anyone who is of a conservative bent.

[Nukeman]

I'm rereading Wizard's First Rule. Actually, I can recommend this series to anyone who is of a conservative bent.Read that whole series. terry Goodkind is a pretty good writer, sometimes he gets a little distracted, not sure I fully liked the ending.. Oh well such is life.

I am currently rereading the Towers of Midnight by robert Jordan/Branden Sanderson. Its book 13 in a LONG series. I started reading it in 1990 and have been patiently waiting for all the books to be completed. I will say it is a GREAT series and if you like fantasy/fiction you will really like these books. The final book comes out this fall, so after 22 years of waiting reading and actaully having the author die it is coming to an end. I have mixed feelings but will be nice to have EVERYTHING resolved....

[Shadow]

Angels and Heros: True Stories From The Front Line.

http://www.amazon.com/Angels-Heroes-True-Stories-Front/dp/0736937757

[Wind Song]

Death Must Die by Ram Alexander

The diaries of a disciple who studied with Hindu Saint Anandamayi Ma

[gabosaurus]

Fenway 1912, a book about the design, building and opening season of Fenway Park in Boston.
I *heart* baseball history.

[SassyLady]

77 Shadow Street by Koontz.

A movie is being made about his Odd Thomas series...can't wait to see it.

[Wind Song]

I just finished True Evil by Greg Iles.

[cadet]

The malazan book of the fallen, series.

[Wind Song]

EDGE by Jeffrey Deaver

[Wind Song]

When She Woke, by Hillary Jordan.

A woman awakens to find herself in prison and her every movement in her cell is broadcast to millions of viewer. Her skin has been genetically altered to match the class of her crime, red--murder--of her unborn child.

It's a re-imagining of the Scarlet Letter. In the not too distant future, the line between church and state has been completely eradicated.

[ConHog]

Hunger Games. LOVED the movie. The book is even better.

[Abbey Marie]

As an introvert myself, I am really enjoying this book. We truly are a country, perhaps world, that can't stop for a minute to reflect, to self-examine. I've long hated how we worship "performers". This book explains a lot of it, and why it isn't always the best thing.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talkingby Susan Cain

From the Amazon synopsis:

At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled "quiet," it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society--from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.

Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie’s birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical megachurch, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools. She questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation, and where the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. And she draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the surprising differences between extroverts and introverts.
...

[Noir]

@Abbry, I do believe I saw tha author of that book giving a TEDtalk recently, will keep an eye out or the book.

I'm currently mixing between 3 books. For light reading I have 'Kafka on the shore' By Haruki Murakami. An awesome novel that deals with surreal aspects of ancient and modern philosophy. Though being a Japanese book there are some weird-Japanese bits that do their job at making you feel uncomfortable.
And also reading (after a small break) the third Book in 'A Song Of Ice And Fire' by George Martin.

And for heavier, more boring lol, reading 'A Vindictaion of the rights of woman' by Mary Wollstonecraft. Which I was able to pick up for only £2!

[Gaffer]

@Abbry, I do believe I saw tha author of that book giving a TEDtalk recently, will keep an eye out or the book.

I'm currently mixing between 3 books. For light reading I have 'Kafka on the shore' By Haruki Murakami. An awesome novel that deals with surreal aspects of ancient and modern philosophy. Though being a Japanese book there are some weird-Japanese bits that do their job at making you feel uncomfortable.
And also reading (after a small break) the third Book in 'A Song Of Ice And Fire' by George Martin.

And for heavier, more boring lol, reading 'A Vindictaion of the rights of woman' by Mary Wollstonecraft. Which I was able to pick up for only £2!

I'm sure your teeth are grinding about now. By the end of book five you will have nubs.

[Thunderknuckles]

I'm sure your teeth are grinding about now. By the end of book five you will have nubs.
Affirmative. The last 3 books kept giving me Wheel of Time flashbacks. Can we please move the story forward an inch and at least kill off 50 or so secondary characters and their sub plots. You killed Ned Stark for god's sake in the first book!

[Noir]

I'm sure your teeth are grinding about now. By the end of book five you will have nubs.

Yeah my girlfriend says its hilarious to be around me when I'm reading them cus im constantly sighing, moaning and cursing myself lol.

[Trigg]

Just finished the Hunger Games, haven't seen the movie. The book was a quick read, but I enjoyed it.

Also just finished Stick Figure, it's a biography about a women who dealt with anorexia as a child. Serious subject, and well written

[Wind Song]

As an introvert myself, I am really enjoying this book. We truly are a country, perhaps world, that can't stop for a minute to reflect, to self-examine. I've long hated how we worship "performers". This book explains a lot of it, and why it isn't always the best thing.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

by Susan Cain

From the Amazon synopsis:

At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking, reading to partying; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over brainstorming in teams. Although they are often labeled "quiet," it is to introverts that we owe many of the great contributions to society--from van Gogh’s sunflowers to the invention of the personal computer.

Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. Taking the reader on a journey from Dale Carnegie’s birthplace to Harvard Business School, from a Tony Robbins seminar to an evangelical megachurch, Susan Cain charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal in the twentieth century and explores its far-reaching effects. She talks to Asian-American students who feel alienated from the brash, backslapping atmosphere of American schools. She questions the dominant values of American business culture, where forced collaboration can stand in the way of innovation, and where the leadership potential of introverts is often overlooked. And she draws on cutting-edge research in psychology and neuroscience to reveal the surprising differences between extroverts and introverts.
...

It sounds interesting. Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert?

[Thunderknuckles]

Abbey said in the first line:
As an introvert myself, I am really enjoying this book.

[Peach]

Absalom, Absalom.

[SassyLady]

One of James Rollings' Sigma Force novels - The Devil Colony

Just finished The Underside of Joy, by Sere' Prince Halverson - a book set in my home county, Sonoma, CA

[Abbey Marie]

It sounds interesting. Do you consider yourself an introvert or an extrovert?

Not only do I consider myself an Introvert, but have tested to be one more than once.

3417

[hjmick]

One of James Rollings' Sigma Force novels - The Devil Colony

Just finished The Underside of Joy, by Sere' Prince Halverson - a book set in my home county, Sonoma, CA

I like Rollings. Good author. I also enjoy that some of the Sigma characters cross over to the books of another author I read and vice versa. Can't remember the name this second...


Just finished 11/22/63. Probably the best thing King has written since before Gerald's Game. That book sucked.

Currently reading The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry.

[SassyLady]

I like Rollings. Good author. I also enjoy that some of the Sigma characters cross over to the books of another author I read and vice versa. Can't remember the name this second...


Just finished 11/22/63. Probably the best thing King has written since before Gerald's Game. That book sucked.

Currently reading The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry.

I like Rollins because his Sigma stories always have an element of truth...no matter how outlandish the premise is. I like to read the "What's True, What's Not" in the back first, so than when I'm reading the book I can say to myself "wow, this is the part this seems fictional, but it's not!!!!"
:unsure:

[hjmick]

I like Rollins because his Sigma stories always have an element of truth...no matter how outlandish the premise is. I like to read the "What's True, What's Not" in the back first, so than when I'm reading the book I can say to myself "wow, this is the part this seems fictional, but it's not!!!!"
:unsure:

I went to one of his book signings a couple of years ago, very interesting speaker, told some pretty funny stories. Nice guy.

[Wind Song]

Not only do I consider myself an Introvert, but have tested to be one more than once.

3417

Why did you have to be tested more than once?

I'm an introvert.

[Abbey Marie]

Why did you have to be tested more than once?

I'm an introvert.

One before and once after a corporate merger. New regimes usually don't care what was done in the past. I didn't mind- I find this stuff fascinating.

I would bet that message boards are lousy with introverts. :cool:

[libertine]

"Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA" by Tim Weiner