I'm currently devouring Robert B. Parker's book: Melancholy Baby, a good p.i. story.

So what are you reading?

Recently finished Michael Connelly's latest work, The Lincoln Lawyer, which is his first novel from the other side of the aisle of the law (a defense attorney). His previous works have been about detectives/cops/feds, but he did a marvelous job jumping into the 'dark side'. I happen to prefer the defense side of the aisle myself, so I'd love it if Connelly made a series out of this new character.

I'm currently (finally) reading Wicked. I've had my eyes set on this book for about a year now and finally got myself a copy from my local library. It is very good so far (only about 30 pages in).

I have about a zillion books checked out from the library right now. I do have to finish up David Sedaris' Dress Your Family... as I've read both Naked and Me Talk Pretty... (my library doesn't carry Barrel Fever) and absolutely LOVED them. I have a few books by other crime/mystery writers (Crais, Hiaasen, Evanovich) as well as some classics I'd like to read (Hemingway, Hawthorne). My library allows you to renew 5 times, with 3 week long checkouts...so I have a 3.5 months to finish my slew of books before I have to return them.

I've been waiting for George RR Martin's next installment in A Song of Ice and Fire series. He's produced the best fiction I've read. Better than Tokein.

In the meantime I'm stuck with Kristen Britain's Green Rider: Book 2, First Rider's Call until I stop being a lazy and order Eric Hoffer's The True Believer and The Ordeal of Change.

The Flanders Panel, by Arturo Perez-Reverte currently has me sucked in. It's a pretty fast read, so I'm sort of pacing myself a few chapters every few days. I loved "Queen of the South" and am going back to his older stuff.

On the non-fiction front, The Progress Paradox : How Life Gets Better While People Feel Worse is very interesting. Reminds me of many debates here at AD - is the glass half full or half empty.

I've been reading Sailor song by Ken Kesey. His book Sometimes A Great notion is my favorite book ever and so I felt obliged to pick this one up. He did, of course, write One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest...a very gritty writer.

In reality I have been reading more young adult literature than anything...it's a hazard of the job. If anyone is interested in ideas for YAL books for themselves or their children give me a PM. It is a rather respectable genre now....some of it borders on canonical!

Dreamcatcher by Stephan King
and
Triss by Brian Jaques
and just ended
The Odyssey by Homer, Robert Fagles translation

Awesome books.

I've recently finished a few books.

Choke, by Chuck Palahniuk
Palahniuk is a very good writer, but you have to be prepared to enter his twisted worlds. This book is no exception. The title comes from the protagonist's unique scam to get money - he pretends to choke in restaurants, and takes advantage of the pity of the rescuing diners to get money from them. This guy also goes to sex addicts anonymous meetings to find sex partners. The book is full of Palahniuk's usual perversions and bizzare characters, but I found it enjoyable.

100 People Who Are Screwing Up America (And Al Franken Is #37) by Bernard Goldberg
After Bias, which was full of innacuracies, I was wary about this book. For the most part, however, he is fairly close to the mark. The problem with his list is that a lot of the people on it are on it for just being liberal, which isn't very convincing. Indeed, many of the liberals are cited for activities that are echoed (often even louder) on the right. That he can put Franken and Moore on the list, but leave off Coulter and O'Reilly is pretty sad. To his credit, he does include Michael Savage, and a few token Republicans, along with a few CEOs like Ken Lay. The cheapest shot in the book is that the number one position goes to Michael Moore, but there's not even any explanation - just a picture. As if it goes without saying that Moore is 'screwing up America.' His entry on Noam Chomsky is highly innacurate, and characterizes him as an "America hater," one of his more common, unsupported by fact, accusations. And where was Horowitz? God, that man needs to be in the top ten! Overall, though, this book isn't bad. I have read quite a few conservative polemic works, and I would rank this well above Coulter's Treason, Hannity's Let Freedom Ring (which is completely idiotic), or O'Reilly's Who's Looking Out For You?. I can't even put the Michael Savage book I read into the same sentence with those others - and Hannity and Coulter are pretty horrible as it is!

The Dark Tower by Steven King
I first read these as they came out, but recently went back and read them all in succession. Definitely King's masterwork. I loved the worlds he created here. Inserting himself into the story could have been a huge mistake, but King handled it very well, it was quite intriguing. I loved how this story brings together so many themes (and even characters) from his other work. Indeed, reading this series will give you a whole new level of insight into King's literary universe. Very, very well done.

The Republican Noise Machine by David Brock
Brock was originally a shill for the conservative movement. His first well-known book was The Real Anita Hill. After an epiphany of integrity, he switched gears and wrote Blinded by the Right : The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative,, detailing how he played a part in not only the destruction of Hill, but the larger attack on the Clintons. In this newer book, he exhaustively details the movement of the mass media toward the right. Very enlightening and full of verifiable references. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in media and bias.

Chain of Command : The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib by Seymour M. Hersh
Wow. Everyone should read this book. From the reporter who first broke the story about Abu Ghraib. Very detailed. Very scary.

Propaganda and the Public Mind by Noam Chomsky
An enlightening series of interviews. Business Week says it best: "Reading Chomsky is like standing in a wind tunnel. With relentless logic, Chomsky bids us to listen closely to what our leaders tell us--and to discern what they are leaving out...The questions Chomsky raises will eventually have to be answered. Agree with him or not, we lose out by not listening."

I've read a bunch more... but I'll leave you all with these, for now.

I just finished reading The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, a brilliant southern writer who focused on characters who are isolated in one way or another.

I'm also reading To Charles Fort, with Love by Caitlin R. Kiernan, The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft, and The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury. These are all fantastic collections of short fiction.

Edited to fix my BB Code.

This is normally the time of year where I pick up my illustrated copy of the Silmarilion and dive back in. Unfortunately I loaned it out before the summer and I'm not sure when I'll get it back. So instead I'm going to grab a copy of Beowulf and try and figure it out. Not for any scholarly interest or anything... just so I can see what all the fuss is about.

I'm currently reading The Devil's Disciples, by Anthony Read. It details the early years and rise of the Nazi Party in Germany, how the influences on WWI/Versailles/Great Depression factored into their popularity, and chronicles the relationships of Goring, Goebbels and Himmler.

It's not exactly spellbinding, but for anyone interested in WWII/ETO history and political science, it's pretty interesting. I'm fascinated with the political marriages of socialism and fascism with industrialists and aristocracy that took place in the Weimar years.

On the fiction side I just finished To The Last Man, by Jeff Shaara. The book tells the story of both key players and common soldiers during WWI. I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed his previous work.

It's good to know I'm not the only one who still reads Redwall. On that particular note I plan never to grow up.

Current reading is a little more substantial.

I finished reading The Two Koreas by Don Oberdorfer...

the last of the holdovers from the summer reading list and an excellent, readable book on the up and downs of US -Korea relations, it puts vital perspective on current events in the region.

I'm now into Wars of Imperial Conquest in Africa by Bruce Vandervort mostly a military history of the "Scramble for Africa".

I'm just about into the Anglo-Zulu War, very interesting and accessible so far.

Same here Lesly. I am also eagerly awaiting "A Feast for Crows" which is only about a year and half overdue...



The Dark Tower is a great series. I have read up to The Dark Tower IV -- Wizard and Glass which I read when I was in Italy many moons ago. I have not read the most recent books, which took years to come out. I must pick up these books (and the first four, which I no longer have...)

I am currently reading Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States 1492-Present, which was provided to me by Cyan. Thanks Cyan!!

I love history books and fiction, in general. I very rarely read political books (although I recently re-read The Prince and the Discourses by Machiavelli )

I also recently read a fascinating history of the Maya.

I don't read nearly as much as I used to. Bad behavior is so habit-forming, unfortunately...

East of Eden - John Steinbeck

Second Treatise of Government - John Lock

Liberty - John Mill (apparently I'm all about the John's)

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass - Douglass



The first is for pleasure, the last three are for class, but I have enjoyed them. Steinbeck is excellent and I enjoy (more or less) all his books. Though I think this one is better to me than some of the others I've read.

I would recommend everyone who has eyes read Douglass' autobiography. First off it's short (too short I thought) and it's very well written. It demonstrates quite concisely the horrors of slavery and the keys to breaking it. I would say this is a must read for every student at one point in their education.

Recently (ie. over the summer):

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson (excellent and entertaining)

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury (excellent and very well written, reminded me of Tolkien's writing style)

Slaughter-house Five - Kurt Vonnegut (I thoroughly disliked this book and got through it by sheer will alone, maybe I didn't "get" it, but I didn't enjoy it)

2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke (Loved it, Clarke is a great writer)

2010: Odyssey Two - Clarke (Not as good as 2001, but worth reading)

Diary - Chuck Palahniuk (Great, pessimistic, and negative. Just what I look for when I read Palahniuk though I liked Survivor and Fight Club more)

Invisable Monsters - Palahniuk (Also great and negative, not his best to me though)

I read quite a bit of Steinbeck when I was in my 20s. I think his three best and perhaps most important are: The Grapes of Wrath (One could make a case for it bbeing the American novel), East of Eden and one of his last, The Winter of Our Discontent.

Good choice.

I've got a loooong list of books I want to read and I'm currently enjoying Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market by Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation.

It's quite startling to realize that the underground economy of the nation means billions of dollars change hands. It definitely convinced me that marijuana should be decriminalized.

A fascinating, well-written and researched effort by Mr. Schlosser.

I am reading The Science of God: The Convergence of Scientific and Biblical Wisdom by Gerald Schroeder. Interestingly enough, I've come to realized that Kabalists (the old school ones probably not the Hollywood ones) have some of the same beliefs that I do. Go figure.

I'm also reading Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen.

I also have O'Reilly's Programming C# (not by choice), Perl Cookbook, and various XMLesq and PHP books that I'm referencing on and off as my day goes on.

Didn't we do this once before? In that other thread I posted many of the books I had read over the previous 14 months. See Reading List. I'm afraid my book reading remains focussed on the American and world existential crisis. Some of the books I have read since posting the above list include:

Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy by Matthew Simmons, an analysis of technical papers presented by Aramco to the Society of Petroleum Engineers which provides a second avenue of evidence for an imminent peak in world oil production

Steal this Vote by Andrew Gumbel, an detailed look at vote fraud throughout American history including 2000 and 2004.

The Culture of Make Believe by Derrick Jensen, a disturbing book that really tries to get inside the skin of abusers and committers of atrocities

War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges, a former war correspondent, that tries to understand what attracts soldiers, correspondents, and the general public to war

Losing Moses on the Freeway also by Chris Hedges, which is more of a religious book that tries to interpret that 10 commandments in a way that makes them a real shield for living and not a list of dos and don'ts

Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib by Seymour Hersh, an account of the War on Terror through 2004 from the perspective of America's preeminent investigative reporter. I had previously read all of Hersh's New Yorker articles and a portion of this book so much of the material was familiar. However, I found myself putting together a number of things I had overlooked before reading this book carefully.

I am currently reading Torture and Truth: America, Abu Ghraib and the War on Terror by Mark Danner which is an account with the key documentation of the torture and mistreatment of WOT prisoners and the failure of the American democracy to find an appropriate response.

The Bourne Trilogy (Identity, Supremecy, Ultimatium) by Robert Ludlum

Not my usual cup of tea, but very interesting. I normally stick to history and fantasy novels.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers. I've got a paying gig to write a summary/analysis on this award-winning novel. Sweet deal, eh? It's an ongoing thing too, so I get to read and learn how others write, and make a few bucks doing it.

This story is an easy read, which means it's a bitch to analyze. Myers packs a lot of meaning into a few words. The plot is simple: 16-year-old black kid is up for murder. The story covers his prison and courtroom experiences, plus flashbacks to incidents that happened before the murder, all from the kid's point of view. Myers uses an interesting blend of narrative and screenplay for the book's structure.

I'm on my third reading. It's a work that needs serious digestion and would be a good choice for a reading club, where folks get together and discuss something that everyone has read. I'm sure it's in many literature classrooms. Myers wrote this one for young readers, so it ought to be in early high school studies. The American justice system can grab your butt before you know it, and that's going to change your life no matter what the verdict.

Scary stuff, especially when you consider the high percentage of our population that is in prison or has been. Don't think it can happen to you? Well, be careful out there.

Just finished Bill Maher's latest, "New Rules: Polite Musings from a Timid Observer," and found it hilarious and thought-provoking.

Just picked up "Surrounded by Idiots: Fighting Liberal Lunacy in America" by Mike Gallagher at the library, but haven't started it yet. I love poli sci and sociology books, read every one I can find from every possible viewpoint. I don't agree with a lot of them, but it gives me a window on other people's perceptions.

I also picked up a hilarious one called "The Jerk With the Cell Phone: A Survival Guide for the Rest of Us" by Barbara Pachter. I want to make sure I don't act like a jerk! LOL

I finished reading SHOGUN about three months ago, that book took forever because of my schedule but I can honestly say it was the best book I've ever read and am considering reading it again. It wasn't such a stretch from the usual history books I read anyway...right now I am reading Sekigahara 1600AD and Ninja 1460-1650 ....they are great history books if you like mideviel Japan.

Long time no see, johnlocke. How's the cigar business?

Shogun is a great book. Have you read the Musashi books by Eiji Yoshikawa? They are great fun.

I just finished Hour Game by David Baldacci. Good story, but in my opinion, not of the author's usual quality (for example, Wish You Well). I just started Jonathan Kellerman's Twisted, and though it is starting slow, Kellerman's books are always great fun...well, in a dark and twisted sort of way.

Nothing like a good serial killer novel to while away the hours.

Daffy, I'm reading Twisted right now. I must admit I am an Alex Delaware junkie, but Billy Strait, Kellerman's other book about Petra Connor, was very good. I am enjoying this one as well. That said, I can't wait for the next adventure involving Alex and Milo!

Hi everyone!

I am currently tackling Dante. On the lighter side I am reading a young reader’s book called Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. I started reading it to a 6th grade class. It was so good I had to finish it. It is very similar to the movie Osama. Before that I read Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini; which was excellent. I wonder if I am on an Afghani kick.

After you finish Dante DPE, you should try The Dante Club by Pearl. Or read it to take a break from the real deal. It's one of the better historical fiction books I've read.

I recently re-read Hamlet and Oedipus the King. They are
extraordinary pieces of writing. I'm about to embark on Death of A Salesman.
It's been years since I've read it, and I love re-visiting books, poems,
plays, and stories. I learn something new every time.

"The Law", by Bastiat. Just got it.

Aha! The difference between chewing gum and great literature. Mind if I borrow the idea?



And on edit, the difference between pop and great music too.

Anthem by Ayn Rand

A gift from Cyan. This is Rand's anti-collectivist version of 1984 or Brave New World (although it most closely resembles Yevgeny Zamyatin's We.) It's really a prose-poem, a sort of hymn to the Great Individual found in all of Rand's work. Without getting into her philosophy, Rand is, at best, an adequate writer of fiction, but she seems to lack any wit or sense of humor at all, which is a weakness when you are writing a satire.

The Proud Tower by Barbara W. Tuchman

Sort of a prequel to The Guns of August, the author's famous, Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the beginning of World War One. This book gives us a broad overview of Western Europe and the United States from 1890 to 1914, dealing with such subjects as anarchism, the Dreyfus Affair, socialism, failed peace conferences, the Spanish-American War, and much more. Episodic, but always interesting.

Searoad: Chronicles of Klatsand by Ursula K. LeGuin

LeGuin is best known for science fiction and fantasy, but this is a collection of mainstream short stories set in the fictional small town of Klatsand, on the seacoast of Oregon. Most were published in places like The New Yorker, but the shortest piece and the longest piece are new.

"Foam Women, Rain Women" -- Less than a page long, this is a prose poem which compares seafoam and rain to women.

"The Ship Ahoy" -- A character study of a woman who runs a rundown motel in the town. Her daydreams of meeting an alien energy being who needs her help point to LeGuin's roots in SF.

"Hand, Cup, Shell" -- Multiple character studies in this account of the widow of a great educator, her family, and the graduate student who comes to interview her.

"Geezers" -- A tale of a businessman, fifty-two years of age, who takes a vacation in the town. Everybody he meets keeps assuming he's part of a group of touring "senior citizens."

"In and Out" -- An encounter between an eccentric potter and a woman who wants to learns how to make tiny clay houses.

"Bill Weisler" -- A character study of the potter in the previous story.

"True Love" -- Narrated by a book-loving librarian who has an affair with the owner of the new bookstore in town.

"Sleepwalkers" -- Told from multiple viewpoints, this eventually reveals that a character who seems very ordinary has lived through a terrible experience.

"Quoits" -- Deals with the aftermath of a woman's death, as seen through the eyes of her adult children and her female lover.

"Crossroads" -- Narrated by a waitress, this story deals with memories of her abused mother. Borderline fantasy, as there may be a ghost at the end.

"Texts" -- A brief, surreal story in which a woman sees words in everything from seafoam to lace.

"Hernes" -- The longest piece in the book, this novella deals with four generations of women. It jumps back and forth in time from 1898 to 1979, and includes interior monologues, straight narration, and prose poems.

This is not the book for you if you demand a lot of plot. Instead, it offers poetic writing and deep characterization. The "easiest" pieces in the collection are probably "Geezers" and "True Love," which are semi-comic and written in a somewhat simpler style than others in the book. The most demanding is "Hernes," which is as complex as a novel. The most unusual is probably "Texts."

The Telling by Ursula K. LeGuin

This novel is set in the same universe as many of the author's previous books, including such famous works as The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. They are not really a series, however, and you don't have to be familiar with her other writings. All you have to know is that, in the remote past, a species called the Hain "seeded" a large number of planets with life. This allows the author to create multiple "alien" worlds which are inhabited by human beings. Her purpose in these books seems to be to explore various kinds of societies, from the planet where everyone is, at different times, a woman and a man (The Left Hand of Darkness) to the planet where a group of utopian anarchists have tried to create a society without the concept of property (The Dispossessed.)

The Telling takes place on Aka, a planet where the dominant "superpower" on the world's one major continent has undertaken a project to eliminate the traditions of the past, in an attempt to emulate the technologically advanced "aliens" with whom they have recently come into contact. (The closest analogy to this might be the Cultural Revolution in China, although the society in the novel is a capitalist one.)

The protagonist is Sutty, an Earth woman of Hindu background who serves as an "Observer" for the interstellar organization of planets known as the Ekumen. She is assigned to Aka, but is not allowed to go anywhere outside the capital city of the dominant superpower. After many requests from the Ekumen, she is finally allowed to take a trip into a remote area of the continent where the old ways survive.

Most of the novel consists of Sutty learning about "the Telling" from the people in this region. "The Telling" is not really a religion (although the "modern" dominant power has banned it as "superstition") but a way of life and a philosophy. The closest analogy might be Taoism. The most important aspect of "the Telling" is the communication of traditions -- everything from legends to practical advice -- in writing and speaking.

The Telling is a quiet novel, although many of the characters have lived through violent events. Much of the novel consists of conversation, both between Sutty and those who teach her of the old ways, and between Sutty and the "Monitor" sent by the dominant government to observe her. The dramatic climax of the book occurs when Sutty and the Monitor share their pasts with each other. The writing style is both spare and poetic, simple in language yet heavy with metaphor.

Recommended if you are in the mood for a thoughtful novel.


Why Do Birds by Damon Knight

A fellow shows up out of nowhere in the year 2002, claiming to be from the year 1931. He says that aliens brought him to the future in order to begin the building of a cube big enough to hold the entire human race in suspended animation, so that they can be sent to another planet when the world is destroyed in a few years. Naturally, he is sent to a mental institution. Our story might end here, except that the fellow happens to have a ring which makes everyone he shakes hands with like him, and want to help him in any way possible.

Thus begins this offbeat, darkly comic and satiric novel. Most of the book deals with the immense, worldwide project to build the gigantic box which will contain every human being on Earth. The rest of the book deals with certain parties (who have not shaken hands with our hero) who do not want the box to be built. Is the alien threat real, or is it just an elaborate hoax? You'll have to read the entire book to find out.

Knight's 1991 version of the year 2002 is very different from the way things really turned out. Businesses use sophisticated holographic programs to deal with customers, and a ham sandwich costs fifty bucks. I suspect that the author knew that his imagined future was unlikely, and was making a little fun of science fiction's predictions.

The novel's odd title is never explained. I can only speculate. Why is the Earth going to be destroyed? Well, why do birds fly?

Brain Child by George Turner

This novel takes place in Australia in the middle of the 21st century. The narrator is a young man who was raised in an orphanage. He finds out that his father is one of a group of people who are the result of an experiment in genetic manipulation during the early 21st century. The experiment resulted in three groups, each containing four individuals, genetically identical within each group except for the fact that half are male and half are female. Group A, including the narrator's father, turned out to be extremely gifted in logical thinking, and became great scientists. Group B turned out to be extremely gifted in intuitive thinking, and became great artists. Group C turned out to be truly super-intelligent, beyond anything that we can imagine. They also all killed themselves, apparently by a simple act of will.

The rest of the book deals with the narrator's quest to find the rumoured "legacy" left behind by one of the members of group C, which may be a scientific secret which would revolutionize humanity. Some of the events of the book read like something out of a spy thriller -- corrupt government agents, shoot-outs, car chases, and so on. However, this is a much more sophisticated novel than that.

Apparently the author had a successful career as a writer of mainstream novels before he turned to science fiction. Unlike many who try to do this, he was also a reader and critic of SF, so he knew what he was doing. The result is a novel with the deep characterization of a mainstream novel, and the intriguing ideas of an SF novel. Well worth a read.

The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark by Carl Sagan

This collection of essays deals with the ways in which the scientific method (which the author defines here mostly by the two intellectual skills of skepticism and wonder) can combat superstition and pseduo-science. The mood of the book is bittersweet, as Sagan soars with the sheer joy of science, or despairs over the poor system of science education in the United States. If you are a scientifically literate skeptic, there may not be much new here; but Sagan is always worth reading.

I hope you'll let us know what you think when you finish this, Amlord. While I don't expect you'll agree with Zinn's perspective a lot of the time (especially once he gets to the twentieth century) and will no doubt find a lot of his history fairly selective (as was his stated intent), I'm curious to hear your assessment of his level of research - and to see whether you feel he is the demon that so many on the right make him out to be.

Cyan, I don't know whether or not you've read any Flannery O'Connor, but if you enjoyed McCullers, O'Connor is definitely worth a look. Her stuff is even more gothic than McCullers - and she was born in Savannah. Sean and I visited her birthplace when we were last there. I'd particularly recommend the collection of stories, A Good man Is Hard To Find and the novel Wise Blood (which was adapted into a brilliant film by John Huston).


I'm usually in the midst of about half a dozen books (some of which often remain unfinished, especially fiction) and now is no different. I've recently finished Bill Maher's New Rules, which is diverting if not very deep; Caleb Carr's The Italian Secretary, a pastiche in which the Holmes and Watson characters are very successfully revived; David Rakoff's very funny collection of essays on American vanity, shallowness, and greed, Don't Get Too Comfortable; and the best poli-sci book I've read in ages, Joseph Trento's Prelude to Terror, very aptly subtitled The Rogue CIA and the Legacy of America's Private Intelligence Network, which details the the compromising of American intelligence over the past several decades. It is the best account of (and accounting for) the events leading up to the September 11 attack that has yet been written - and it is exhaustively researched. It should be required reading for everyone with an interest in American history and politics.

In progress:

The Egyptologist by Arthur Phillips. This a relatively entertaining novel centering on conflicting narratives regarding an archaeological dig and a couple of murders. I doubt I'll finish it. I get it - historians are unreliable - and the writing is otherwise not compelling enough to sustain my interest.

Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by Stephen Coll. I doubt I'll finish this one either. It is extraordinarily well-researched (and extremely long), but I already know most of what's in here. It's well indexed, though, so it'll probably come in handy as a research and reference tool.

Gilligan's Wake by Tom Carson. This is a fairly amusing assessment of late twentieth century science, politics, and pop culture told through the back stories of the characters stranded on Gilligan's Island - and mixing dozens of fictional and historical characters (The Skipper, Richard Nixon, and McHale, for example, are all stationed in the Solomon Islands when PT 109 disappears). I'll probably make my way through the rest of this eventually.

Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. So far, so good. This is a sort of latter-day Canterbury Tales - in the gut-wrenching Palahniuk style (though I find, as often as not, that the author is transgressive for transgression's sake - with no real point). The stories are variously good, but I'm not sure where he's going with the linking narrative. I may give up on it - or just read the stories themselves.

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. A moving, amusing, and passionate odyssey through minimum-wage America. This is a pretty riveting indictment of the plight of our working poor (it's been a while since a book had my eyes well up with tears in one paragraph while making me chuckle aloud in the next), but was interrupted by the release of...

The Truth with jokes by Al Franken. I've just started this really, but so far it's pretty funny, well researched, and damned depressing. It's familiar territory, but worth revisiting.

Trace by Patricia Cornwell. Cornwell's crime novels are one of my guilty pleasures. After being fairly disappointed in her last effort, Blowfly (which just seemed like an excuse to resolve a few difficult character issues and correct a few narrative errors from previous novels), this one has Cornwell (and Kay Scarpetta) back in top forensic form.

Alexander the Great Fabulous: The Man Who Brought the World To Its Knees by Michael Alvear. I'm not sure why I put this hilarious biography of the world's greatest conqueror down - I was thoroughly enjoying it. Alvear restores a lot to this brief bio that other historians have traditionally left out - his outrageous vanity, his obsession with fashion, his alcoholism, his incredible temper, and, of course, the whole question of his sexuality:
I've also been dipping into 50 Facts That Should Change the World, a great resource from the Disinformation people with loads of stats like

• A third of the world's population is at war
• There are 300,000 prisoners of conscience in the world
• More than 150 countries use torture
• Landmines kill or main at least one person every hour
• There are 27 million slaves in the world today

and so on. Sobering stuff.


Next up:

Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market by Eric Schlosser. This is the book on the black economy in the US mentioned by nighttimer above. It looks good (and has comprehensive notes), but I don't know if I'll get through it. The paperback edition has one of those irritating die-cut covers. Note to publishers and authors: If you want me to actually read your book, don't make it damned annoying to hold in my hands for a few days.

and

Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil by Michael C. Ruppert. Sean finished this not too long ago and claims it is brilliant. He has our copy in New York - and had better be getting it into the mail today.

I recently reread Caesars Gallic War (De Bello Gallico) ........ for the 50th time .... aaah wish I finished my thesis ....

I read that last year Renger. It was sooo boring! I much prefer Tacitus. Caesar was such a show off!


Right now I am finally finishing Neal Stephenson's 'Baroque Cycle'. This is a series of eight books (sold as a trilogy) which tells a tale set around the beginning of the 1700's.
The story is a great rambling affair which is cleverly written, though some what unrealistic with the main characters being completely larger than life. Its a good read despite this, but not as good (in my opinion) as the post-story-prequel 'Cryptonomicon'. The latter having more story crammed into one third the space.

Stephenson is a brilliant writer, its obvious that he has a serious head muscle, but he doesn't quite catch the period. His characters are a little too 'contemporary' to the author in my opinion. I also find his humour difficult to identify and I suspect a lot of people will read these books and not 'get' a lot of whats going on.

Don't be put off by my scepticism though. I'd recommend these books to any one who has about five weeks to spare...

Well as you can see from my signatures I have read/am rereading the Terry Pratchett Discworld series. Granted they aren't "War and Peace" or something you are likely to find on a University reading list but that's kind of the point.

Most books on those lists bore me to tears. The interesting thing is Pratchett is a very good social commentator if you read behind the lines. Now by that I don't mean the whole "Great Gatsby" yellow car means jealousy symbolism garbage. (Had to read GG in high school. Seriously bad stuff.) It seems to me that too many people think that for something to be great literature it must be full of angst and tragedy and such.

Personally I find Pratchetts "fantasy" novels more realistic in that they have more to say about real life and people than most so called "literature"

I've been reading The New Testament, translated by Richmond Lattimore. Highly recommended.

Lattimore approached the work as a language scholar - and sought to simply render the text in a way that he thought ancient "street Greek" would sound like if it were in English.

After reading several translations, and now this one, I'm convinced that this is the version of the NT to read in English.

Sounds interesting, but I prefer non-fiction.

If there are any Hemingway fans around, I recommend his collection of
short stories. Ernest Hemingway: The Short Stories It's his first forty-nine
of them and there are some gems among them. If you haven't picked him up
yet, it's a good one to take on a trip because each story can be read in one sitting.

Also, on the subject of short stories, Anton Chekhov's collection of short
stories is wonderful. He was quite a profound writer and very astute in his
observations of people.

Over the past couple of months, I've read more books than I have in the last couple of years -- owing to my new train commute...
Sleeping Beauty by Donald Barthleme
Really odd vignette-style postmodern take on seven men "living" with a sex goddess, and all the charming men in her life. The word narrative does not apply to this book.

The Passion Artist by John Hawkes
A weird ride with a volunteer prison guard during a women's prison riot.

John's Wife by Robert Coover
Not quite as provocative or enjoyable as Gerald's Party, which I read a couple of years ago. But still a wacky & quasi-mythic romp through small-town politics.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Aherm...

The Dying Animal by Philip Roth
Neurotic older academic has an affair with a much younger woman. Hmmm.

I'm currently reading Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
I have no idea what's going on in this book. Maybe the accompanying essays will clear it all up?

And I hope this is not against the rules, but a novel of my own will be published shortly. I've read it at least fifty times over the last six months.

I'm about half way through "First In". Gary Schroen was the CIA person in charge of the 1st team in to Afghanistan, literally within days of 9-11. It's a 1st person account by a someone who had been an operative in the region most of his career. He was within days of retirement before he was tapped for the mission.
Almost written like a diary, but with insight into the personalities of the "players". Somewhat candid about the infighting between CIA and DoD when we were scrambling to do something. Also a clear picture of the intricacies of the diplomacy dealing with all the many factions in the NA.
I'd recommend it to anyone for a good (but fairly fast) read...

I'm currently reading $30 Film School, by Keith Gordon 2004

Description:

"We're entering a new era. Mini-DV filmmaking is the new folk, the new punk rock, the new medium where anyone can tell his story. "$30 Film School" is an alternative to spending four years and a hundred thousand dollars to learn the trade. It is influenced by punk rock?s Do-It-Yourself spirit of just learning the basics and then jumping up on a stage and making a point, and by the American work ethic back when it was pure, before it became all about corporations crushing the little guy. Throw in the hacker idea that information wants to be free (or at least very cheap) and you?ve got our deal. Inside you?ll find many interviews from insightful independent filmmakers and artists, as well as a host of practical advice, knowledge, and resources. "
I'm currently working on my first independent film, Boi the Movie.

Great book for anyone wanting to learn the business!

I have read some Flannery O'Connor, and I love her work. She's actually part of the reason why I decided to read McCullers. I'm exploring the southern gothic genre (not to be confused with the traditional gothic novel which I love as well.)

And speaking of gothic novels...

I'm now about halfway through Vathek by William Thomas Beckford, a story that follows a Caliph who renounces Islam and tries to gain favour with a demon.

not cool.

Note: I am in the process of moving, a chore that will probably take the better part of my time for the next couple of weeks. I just finished reading David McCullough’s John Adams and thought I take a little time to write a brief review.

John Adams
By David McCullough
New York
Simon and Schuster, 2001
651 pages, plus extensive notes

I just finished reading David McCullough’s Pulitzer Prize winning biography of John Adams. I suppose it inevitable that books on John Adams and John Quincy Adams would be popular in that recent and current presidents George. H. W. Bush and George W. Bush are the only father and san teams besides the two Adams to serve. Still McCullough paint Adams with such relish, that one knows there is more to it than that. McCullough thinks that Adams is an underrated president and the Alien and Sedition acts excepted, I tend to agree.

McCullough traces Adams from his birth in Braintree, Massachusetts through his 90 years of life. Included are service in the Continental Congress, support for the Declaration of Independence, ambassadorships to France and England, time spent in Amsterdam arranging Dutch loans for the fledgling republic and service as George Washington’s vice president and his own tenure as the nation’s 2nd president.

More than that, however, McCullough portrays Adams as a serious, conscientious public, but illustrates his humanity and humor, especially with excerpts from letters exchanged with Abigail, Thomas Jefferson and others.

There are numerous incidents of Adams humor. One involved his fishing an iron spoon out of a dish in which it had been inadvertently baked into a pudding.

In all, Adams was a remarkable man. He was versed in Greek and Latin an man of books and letters and one who walked sometimes as much as five miles a day for his health. Even more remarkable was the fact that he still rode horseback at the age of 85.

It’s interesting to note John Quincy Adams’ qualifications to serve as the first son of a president to become a president.



So as not to be accused of bashing the current son of a president, I’ll let you compare and contrast the second Adams with the second Bush.

Recommendation

David McCullough has written a thorough though readable account of Adams. The book succeeds in placing Adams within the context of his times. I would suggest it as a good read in and of itself and to fill in background before reading McCullough’s new book, 1776.

Five weeks? It took me a year and a half. Then again, I was reading each volume (Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World) as it was published. I agree that not many will appreciate all of the humor - especially as a fair amount of it is based on topical references pertinent to the period and it certainly helps to know a little bit about seventeenth century European history, but there's also quite a lot of word play, situational humor, and character comedy as well. I'm afraid I found a lot of it hilarious.

I'd disagree slightly with your minor cavil about how "contemporary" the sensibilities of the characters are, though. I think most of that was deliberate - and, indeed, felt that Stephenson got a bit of comedic mileage out of some of the more anachronistic elements.

While I'd also agree that the action of Cryptonomicon is much more compressed (and is a totally excellent novel itself), I actually liked the fact the Baroque Cycle was as lengthy as it was. It gave me more time to enjoy Stephenson's language, story-telling, and erudition. It is a major commitment of time, but I would definitely second your recommendation. As a whole, I feel that the Baroque Cycle remains the best novel of the 21st century - and one of the top three or four American novels ever. Or should that be three of the top six or seven novels? Or eight of the top eleven or twelve?

Wertz

My biggest problems with the book were the two 'lovers', Eliza and Jack. Eliza just seemed way to good to be true. How on Earth any one could go from being at the very bottom of the pile to the very top so fast seemed completely at odds with the static social structure of the period (and I'm not exactly a stranger to European history)
Comparing her to (for example) Enoch Root, Root has the advantage of being beyond a normal human being. An explanation is provided as to why he is so omnipotent as he is.

With Eliza, no explanation is provided. She just is a beautiful genius on every level who just happens to meet all the right people at just the right time.

And the same is true for Jack Shaftoe who is essentially a clone of his own descendent (the 'Cryptonomicon's' Bobby Shaftoe, I suspect that Stephenson just couldn't let go of this character). The man is also just too good to be true. In one short life he reaches every part of the globe in a time when sea travel was extremely dangerous, manages to outwit every political power he meets and seems to have an omnipotence that is usually reserved for shlock horror vampyres, mafia bosses or angels.

I could accept it if this was a tongue in cheek look at history or a fantasy novel, but it isn't, this is a work that takes itself very seriously and in such an undertaking the whole Shaftoe family is completely at odds with the rest of the novel (the Waterhouse parts)

Reading the books felt like I was watching two different works that had collided and become tangled together in my head. On the one hand was a serious BBC style documentary about the birth of science, alchemy and the rise of mathematics and on the other was an Italian opera complete with rouge, gas lamps and a fat lady who just wouldn't sing.

These are really good books, but they are no where near the best books I've read in the last five years...

Since finishing 'The system of the world' I've been reading a book called 'Shadow divers' which some one here recommended (I forget who it was). By contrast this is an account of several divers who discovered a German U Boat on the sea bed off the east coast of the USA.
I have not been able to put the book down and sat up until 5 am last night in a state of excitment as the people in the book strove to identify the mystery sub. Compared to 'The Baroque Cycle', this book may not have the depth and scope, but its a far more entertaining read.

I'm not so sure that any of the Baroque Cycle was meant to be a serious documentary. To me, it was just a ridiculously well-researched comic novel. In fact, I found Waterhouse to be just as outlandish as Eliza or Jack. I mean, here's a guy descended from Roundhead revolutionaries who ends up at the bedside of royalty during the birth of one monarch and the death of another; a man whose college roommate is Isaac Newton, who befriends Liebniz, consorts with both Tories and Whigs at the highest level - all the while being the son of a traitor - and brokers deals with Peter the Great; a character who dies on the operating table, is miraculously resurrected through esoteric means, and survives to be instrumental in the invention of the both the computer and the steam engine, crosses the Atlantic three times (once beset by Blackbeard), founding MIT and taking the young Ben Franklin on as an apprentice. And that just touches on the high points of his bio. I thought the whole thing was a bit of an Italian opera.

In my opinion a must-read for everybody:

Norbert Elias: "The Civilizing Process". (original title "Über den Prozess der Zivilisation", published in 1939)

This book decribes in a remarkable way the meaning and process of civilization of societies. It gives beautiful and interesting anecdotes about how for example table manners evolved in Europe startiing from the Middle Ages. (Spitting across the table was acceptable in the fourthteen century, but in later times is was considered rude, while takening a dump in the corner of the diningchamber was still normal for a long time. , ever wondered how our forefathers reacted when they were confronted the very first time with a fork? Hilarious. )

My pleasure reading has been super-fluff as of late. This is likely due to having to read leases, contracts, and legal code at work. By the time I get home, I want simple mindless fiction.

My vacation book was Runaway Jury by John Grisham. Oh boy, was that a silly book. Completely unbelievable. Fortunately, Grisham makes even the most impossible scenario easy to read. Perfect for vacation freetime.

After vacation, I finished Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson. This is one of those books that the 'regular' kids in high school were all made to read (I was an 'honors' nerd so we had a different book list). I had recalled other students saying they actually liked the book; so, eleven years later, I finally got around to reading it. Winesburg was quaint and a rather enjoyable read. I really admire authors who can develop believable characters. Anderson did a superb job of defining the 'grotesque' in human behavior.

Since then, I have moved on to The Road to Wellville by T. Coraghessan Boyle. This book somehow made it onto my bookshelf years ago and I'm finally getting around to reading it now. Funny thing is, this book, like Runaway Jury, was made into a movie, each starring John Cusack. While I am fan of Cusack's (Chicago boy and all), I swear I am not doing this on purpose. Although, come to think of it, I've also read John Behrendt's Midnight in the Garden of Good in Evil which also became a movie starring Cusack.

Anyway, The Road to Wellville so far, isn't all that great but isn't all that bad either. I've been using it to put me to sleep this week and so I'm not moving very fast through it. I'm hoping to get to more interesting parts soon...assuming I can stay awake.

I have Gore Vidal's Dreaming War: Blood For Oil sitting at home wondering if I will ever read it. Has anyone here read it? Is it worth my time? I'd also appreciate any fluff-fiction recommendations, preferrably public domain, if you have any.

I went to the library recently and loaded up.

1. Big Lies: The Right-Wing Propaganda Machine and How It Distorts the Truth by Joe Conason

2. The Lies of George W. Bush by David Corn

3. Radicals in Robes: Why Extreme Right-Wing Courts are Wrong for America by Cass Sunstein

4. How Much Are You Making On the War, Daddy? by William Hartung

5. The Next Attack: The Failure of the War on Terror and a Strategy for Getting It Right by Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon

6. Promises Betrayed: Waking Up From the American Dream by Bob Herbert

7. The I Hate Republicans Reader: Why the GOP is Totally Wrong About Everything edited by Clint Willis

and just for fun...

8. In Black and White: The Lives and Times of Sammy Davis Jr. by Wil Haygood.

Looks like I won't have to rot my brain on television for the next few weeks or so.

I have two going right now:

The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam by Robert Spencer, very readable and most educational.

and

The Dreaming Tree by C.J. Cherryh, a fantasy, very Celtic with a lot of Sidhe lore.

I've read Dreaming War and, in all honesty, I doubt you'd get that much out of it - especially the first half. Vidal is, as always, well-researched, well-reasoned, and insightful, but his essays on the Bush administration will be very familiar territory to you - and you will have heard most of his opinions here from people like me.

You might find the second section of interest, particularly his couple of essays on "the Japanese-American War of 1941-45" (starting on page 69 in the Thunder's Mouth Press/Nation Books edition).

Don't get me wrong, Vidal is a brilliant mind, but his positions often set the agenda for much of the left and, as you tend to keep up with political opinion, you will have heard most of his arguments on our current state of affairs many times over (though not, perhaps, as articulately put). If you're going to read Vidal, I'd recommend his historical novels - both the American Chronicle (especially Burr, Lincoln, and 1876 - though they're all quite informative and entertaining) and his more "ancient" historical novels, Julian and Creation.

If you're looking for something a bit removed from politics, I'd again recommend Flannery O'Connor. While she's not exactly "fluffy", you might get a bit of a hoot out of her dark, twisted sense of humor. Plus she's a Savannah gal (and I suspect her place of birth had something to do with setting the tone of her stories). Any collection of her short stories will have a few grotesque gems and her novel Wise Blood is good, unsettling fun. I don't think it's public domain, though.