What are you reading?

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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited November 2011
    A book written by a couple of local guys.

    51mhAbVtMPL._SS500_.jpg
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

    "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase

    "Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited November 2011
    Deep China: The Moral Life of the Person

    An edited scholarly work that examines the moral and emotional life of the Chinese people as they respond to all the 'changes' that their society is experiencing as they rocket into 'modernity'. There are some very readable essays in this collection that one can learn a lot from. I'll be using a few for my undergrads! And recommend them!

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 33,069
    edited November 2011
    Tour2ma wrote: »
    I have a pretty extensive list built up, but some visits to the library it just pays to roam the stacks for a while... like when you forget your password and can't access your list. :smile:

    The other day I roamed across...

    Dangerously Funny : The Uncensored Story of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour by David Bianculli

    I had, and still have, three of their LP's. I'm old enough to remember the series, but was young enough to not fully understand what they were up to.

    The book started kinda slow (early-life, bio stuff), but has gotten really good through Season 1.


    Man I loved those guys. Something sinister behind the comedy ?? C'mon Bruce, spill it.
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited November 2011
    tonyb wrote: »
    Man I loved those guys. Something sinister behind the comedy ?? C'mon Bruce, spill it.
    What? You never played "The Foxes" backwards?
    The lyric, "Foxy went to his own den. There were the little ones 8,9,10...",
    becomes, "Kill your teachers. Trust no one over 30."

    Those of us that found that little tidbit and more (Oh yes! There was plenty more.) during our anachronistic
    search for the truth about Paul (Was he really dead?) realize the show was just more of the same old, run-of-the-mill, liberal, pinko-commie, Hollyweird elite stuff...

    You know...
    Anti-war sentiments...
    Thinnly veiled drug references ("Share a Little Tea with Goldie")...
    Godless rock'n'roll (The Who, Cream)...
    Godless rock'n'roll with anti-war sentiments (Buffalo Springfield, The Beatles - albeit on tape)...
    Godless rock'n'roll with drug references (Jefferson Airplane, Donovan)...
    Godless folk music with anti-war sentiments and/ or drug references (Peter, Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, Pete Seger)...

    And to boot the show knocked Bonanza off of its #1 Nielsen's perch... a couple times anyway... with new Smo-Bros vs. Cartwright summer reruns...

    How much more anti-American could one show get? :wink:
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited November 2011
    #126 reported....

    Very topical post, but spam link in sig...
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • decal
    decal Posts: 3,205
    edited November 2011
    Just finished Grishams new book "The Litagators". Same old same old from him, you can see the ending about halfway through the book.
    If you can't hear a difference, don't waste your money.
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited December 2011
    Finished the SMO Bro's read... As reported earlier the book started slow (first 100 pages), but really picked up steam and became a decent read. One sizable quibble with the editor if not the author, it felt "padded".

    Once a fact is mentioned it doesn't have to be repeated ad naseum every single time it comes into play in the subsequent story. I swear by the book could have been 50 pages shorter if these repeats were eliminated.

    Anyway, up next Michael Lewis' very short, Coach - Lessons on the Game of Life and Sheila Weller's - Girls Like Us... listed in post #40 by SCompRacer.
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited December 2011
    Finished Michael Lewis' very short, Coach - Lessons on the Game of Life. Only took about an hour (and I savored it) and it's one of the best hours I have spent reading in a long, long time.

    Bittersweet and heartwarming are not adjectives I would normally associate with good reads (or at least admit to in public), but they apply here to this beautiful little book.
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • Rivrrat
    Rivrrat Posts: 2,101
    edited December 2011
    "Cross Fire" by James Patterson
    My equipment sig felt inadequate and deleted itself.
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  • Strong Bad
    Strong Bad Posts: 4,278
    edited December 2011
    Just had Stephen King's "11/22/63" come in. Gonna crack it open this weekend.
    No excuses!
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  • Hockeylifer
    Hockeylifer Posts: 12
    edited January 2012
    Hey all:
    I'm new here and this is only my 2nd post. Besides a ton of posts here, I recently finished reading, "After the Prophet" by Lesley Hazleton and moved onto Alex Bellos' "Here's Looking at Euclid: A Surprising Excursion Through the Astonishing World of Math." I look forward to reading more posts here, especially in the context of helping me decide what receiver and speakers to upgrade to. That will be a topic for another moment though. Have a great day!
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  • obieone
    obieone Posts: 5,077
    edited January 2012
    Just finished Brian Haig's 'The Capitol Game'. Friggin unbelievably good book. Right up there with Vince Flynn, and James Huston.
    I refuse to argue with idiots, because people can't tell the DIFFERENCE!
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  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited January 2012
    Lone Survivor - Marcus Luttrell
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  • drumminman
    drumminman Posts: 3,396
    edited January 2012
    A Dance With Dragons, by George R. R. Martin.

    The fifth, and latest, book in the "Song of Ice and Fire" series. HBO made the first book into a miniseries, Game of Thrones. The second season starts in April.

    Brilliant series, fun books. They complement each other incredibly well.
    "Science is suppose to explain observations not dismiss them as impossible" - Norm on AA; 2.3TL's w/sonicaps/mills/jantzen inductors, Gimpod's boards, Lg Solen SDA inductors, RD-0198's, MW's dynamatted, Armaflex speaker gaskets, H-nuts, brass spikes, Cardas CCGR BP's, upgraded IC Cable, Black Hole Damping Sheet strips, interior of cabinets sealed with Loctite Power Grab, AI-1 interface with 1000VA A-L transformer
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2012
    obieone wrote: »
    Just finished Brian Haig's 'The Capitol Game'. Friggin unbelievably good book.
    Hockey book? :cheesygrin:
    Hockeylifer wrote: »
    Hey all:
    I'm new here and this is only my 2nd post. Besides a ton of posts here, I recently finished reading, "After the Prophet" by Lesley Hazleton and moved onto Alex Bellos' "Here's Looking at Euclid: A Surprising Excursion Through the Astonishing World of Math." I look forward to reading more posts here, especially in the context of helping me decide what receiver and speakers to upgrade to. That will be a topic for another moment though. Have a great day!
    Welcome to the Clubs... both Club Polk and our little book club. Are you a Cap's fan? Flyers here...

    Finished the Joni Mitchell chapters in Sheila Weller's - Girls Like Us. More interested in her story vs. Carol King's and Carly Simon's. Good read... Will check it back out again someday and read the rest.

    Now halfway through Niall Ferguson's The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World. While I thought I might like it, I did not expect it to be this good. Traces "money" through seven innovations from Coin thru Bonds then Bond Trading/ Markets and on... It's an absolutely fascinating read.

    Have a couple other library books on deck, including Moneyball, which I am really looking forward to reading, but will likely take them back in favor of some Christmas gifts...
    Howard Finneman's The Thirteen American Arguments: Enduring Debates That Define and Inspire Our Country
    Asa Razlan's No god but God (Updated Edition): The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam

    Plus I can spend some more time perusing my great, new "throne" book....

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    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • outlander
    outlander Posts: 218
    edited January 2012
    Final Journeys (Maggie Callanan), it covers the subject of dying. It’s funny everyone dies yet it is almost impossible for people to talk or even think about it honestly.
    O
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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,590
    edited January 2012
    Jules Verne's Journey to the center of the earth.

    Read it this week and it wasn't very much like the movie from 59. Hans has red hair... no duck and the wife of the deceased scientist wasn't even mentioned. Neither was the grandson of the late Saccnussen coming into the picture later in the journey to claim to finding the riches. Again, there were no gems, only bones. And some live cave man type giants that I don't think were in the movie.

    What an adaptation to a book. They took a journey downward and kind of made their own story line instead of sticking to the book closer. The real story from the book wouldn't have made a very good movie I know but at least keep the guides hair color the same... weird.

    I'm going to read 20 thousand leagues under the sea next. I faintly remember the movie but I have an idea of what it was.

    I do love Vernes' use of some strange words I've never heard of before. These reads might broaden my vocabulary a little more than expected.
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.

    “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”
    --Mark Twain.

    “If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.” - Steven Wright
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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited January 2012
    Jules Verne and H.G. Wells...the fathers of science fiction. Great classics...if you enjoy the sci-fi genre you should try to read all of their books.
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

    "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase

    "Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson
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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,590
    edited January 2012
    I think I'm going to try that.

    My wife before we knew each other subscribed to Readers digest and amassed a great collection of classics. I find reading is relaxing me again. It also has taken my mind off other BS matters.
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.

    “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”
    --Mark Twain.

    “If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.” - Steven Wright
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  • PreCd
    PreCd Posts: 786
    edited January 2012
    The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
    SDA2BTL
    Marantz CD5004
    Adcom GFA-545
    Bottlehead Quickie Tube Preamp
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  • George Grand
    George Grand Posts: 12,258
    edited January 2012
    The Quotable Einstein/Phase II
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  • PerfectCreature
    PerfectCreature Posts: 1,456
    edited January 2012
    Winch: The idea of a social science and its relation to philosophy.
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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited January 2012
    99835262.JPG
    On August 5, 1949, a crew of fifteen of the United States Forest Service's elite airborne firefighters, the Smokejumpers, stepped into the sky above a remote forest fire in the Montana wilderness. Two hours after their jump, all but three of these men were dead or mortally burned. Haunted by these deaths for forty years, Norman Maclean puts back together the scattered pieces of the Mann Gulch tragedy.

    Only 3 books by Norman McLean have been published...2 after his death. "A River Runs Through It and Other Stories", "Young Men and Fire" and "The Norman McLean Reader". I can recommend them all.
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

    "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase

    "Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson
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  • Tour2ma
    Tour2ma Posts: 10,177
    edited January 2012
    ^ Looks interesting, shack... also reminded me of the storyline of an old movie starring Richard Widmark, Red Skies of Montana.

    Sure enough the movie was based upon Young Men and Fire...
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045074/reviews
    More later,
    Tour...
    Vox Copuli
    Better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. - Old English Proverb

    "Death doesn't come with a Uhaul." - Dennis Gardner
    "It's easy to get lost in price vs performance vs ego vs illusion." - doro
    "There is a certain entertainment value in ripping the occaisonal (sic) buttmunch..." - TroyD
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  • obieone
    obieone Posts: 5,077
    edited January 2012
    Finished "Marine One" by James W. Huston last week, GREAT book. It's an espionage novel, with a lot of military-legal, and DOD contracts backgorund.
    Friggin page turner! I was up all night, reading the last 200+ pages.

    Right now I'm reading "The Threat" by David Poyer. It's a Dan Lenson novel. The 1st half of the book jumps around too much, but it's finally getting interesting. I'm curious to see where it leads.
    I refuse to argue with idiots, because people can't tell the DIFFERENCE!
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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited January 2012
    Tour2ma wrote: »
    ^ Looks interesting, shack... also reminded me of the storyline of an old movie starring Richard Widmark, Red Skies of Montana.

    Sure enough the movie was based upon Young Men and Fire...
    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045074/reviews

    It may be the other way around. "Red Skies of Montana" was filmed in 1952 and "Young Men and Fire" was published in 1993. Of course trhey both are based on the same event. When I read your post I was thinking Richard Widmark would have been too old to play a fire jumper post 1993. However he was only 33 in 1952.
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

    "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." - Stuart Chase

    "Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago." - Bernard Berenson
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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,590
    edited January 2012
    George Grand wrote: »
    The Quotable Einstein/Phase II

    That should be some great reading with humor throughout.

    I have a calendar with a quote a day from him. He was a genius with a sense of humor for sure!!!

    "I have never obtained any ethical values from my scientific work" ..Einstein



    PS. I'm half way through "20k leagues ...." already. I've sailed or been around the world on and under the water the past few days now. Pretty funny at times also. I just escaped savages and attended an underwater funeral with the prof. and his aid and the harpoonist .

    I've learned that my library in my man cave resembles that of the Nautilus. Science, art and alot of other topics and NO POLITICAL BS.
    If I was only as beyond wealthy and inteligent as the Capt. Nemo was.
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.

    “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”
    --Mark Twain.

    “If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.” - Steven Wright
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  • jflail2
    jflail2 Posts: 2,868
    edited January 2012
    American Sniper. Very good read.
    2007 Club Polk Football Pool Champ

    2010 Club Polk Fantasy Football Champ

    2011 Club Polk Football Pool Champ


    "It's like a koala bear crapped a rainbow in my brain!"
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  • chumlie
    chumlie Posts: 8,658
    edited January 2012
    /\ reported /\
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  • Tony M
    Tony M Posts: 11,590
    edited January 2012
    Finished 20k leagues under the sea and went to find another by Verne but don't have one in this big collection.

    But I found some Mark Twain classics and read some comments about him in the additional literature put into the Verne stories. Twain was highly reguarded after his "Innocents abroad" novel and my wife just happened to have it along with a couple other Twain novels. I started the "Innocents abroad" book and it sure reads alot slower than the Verne's books because the words are smaller on each page. Still, I'm touring the world on top of the water and going onto land at alot of ports. Going on land where the "Nautilus" only passed is quite the perfect book to follow the "20K leagues..." tale.

    The two authors even write very similar and it's like the same narator is telling the new story now. Very cool.
    This book has funny moments written into it also. Just like the former two by Verne.

    I do want to read "To the moon and back" by Verne this year or next and also "The Time Machine" and the recommended H.G.Wells books.
    Most people just listen to music and watch movies. I EXPERIENCE them.

    “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.”
    --Mark Twain.

    “If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.” - Steven Wright
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