What are you reading?

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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,106
    edited September 2012
    Couple of suggestions: (1) The Hobbit is coming out in the theaters in several months and reading the book prior to seeing the movie will acquaint you with the characters as well as Tolkiens' genius. It is a very good book and a fairly quick read. (2) The Lord Of The Rings is pure genius. I read it in high school and thought it was one of the best books I'd ever read. Years later, before the movies came out, I read it again. Took six months. Couldn't believe how well it was written. (3) For more serious reading, try the 3-volume "The Secret Diaries of Harold Ickes," the Secretary of Interior under FDR. Ickes wrote notes every day about the inner workings of the government, totaling about four million words. Book was only published upon his death in the fifties. These books cover several years each. I'm reading volume three now, getting closer to our involvement in WWII. Frank discussions of how Ickes really sees things as they unfold in the inner circle. Can't wait to get closer to Pearl Harbor.
  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,106
    edited September 2012
    Forgot to mention that Keith Richards' autobiography is witty and its hard to believe all the stuff he remembers. You gotta put up with his ego, however. Bob Dylan's autobiography, "Chronicles" is one of the best I've read. Very witty. Rumored to be coming out with volume 2 one of these days.
  • Dawgfish
    Dawgfish Posts: 2,554
    edited September 2012
    I am reading "Wild Ducks Flying Backwards". It's a collection of short stories by Tom Robbins. Tom Robbins is my favorite author by a long shot, he's defienitely out there but that's precisely what I love about his writing! This one is pretty good, though I'm not enjoying it quite as much as his full fledged novels. It's still a good read though.
  • shadowlight
    shadowlight Posts: 327
    edited September 2012
    Not reading but listening to "The Innocent by David Baldacci"
  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,106
    edited September 2012
    Saw Tom Robbins give a reading at the University of Wisconsin around 1981(?) He was a cool looking dude, had a ring on every finger. Took classes in college where we studied Another Roadside Attraction and Even Cowgirls Get The Blues. Has a definite way with a phrase.
  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,106
    edited September 2012
    Another really good book I read recently was Patti Smith's "Just Kids."
  • dracoskeeper
    dracoskeeper Posts: 142
    edited September 2012
    Old editions of Great Sound. The collector that I purchased my Oracle TT's from gave me dozens of these.
  • Dawgfish
    Dawgfish Posts: 2,554
    edited September 2012
    dromunds wrote: »
    Saw Tom Robbins give a reading at the University of Wisconsin around 1981(?) He was a cool looking dude, had a ring on every finger. Took classes in college where we studied Another Roadside Attraction and Even Cowgirls Get The Blues. Has a definite way with a phrase.

    That is really cool. He is one of those folks that I would definitely like to share a cold beverage and if I was in my younger days, burn one with. That would be interesting!
  • Thorton
    Thorton Posts: 1,324
    edited September 2012
    Waiting for the new Dresden Files due in November.
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  • Saftgeek
    Saftgeek Posts: 114
    edited September 2012
    unnamed.jpg

    On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

    The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

    Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

    In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed in Seabiscuit. Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

    -Saftgeek
  • Dawgfish
    Dawgfish Posts: 2,554
    edited September 2012
    ^^That looks like it would be a really good one^^. I'm going to check that one out.
  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,106
    edited September 2012
    Dawgfish, I will look around and try to find a close-up photo of Tom that my cousin took at Robbins' reading at UW back in '81 or whenever it was (we were real close). I am going to have to do some digging but I remember seeing it not that awfully long ago. If I can find it I'll post it for you. He was my favorite writer and it was an absolute thrill to see him reading his stuff live. I still like his stuff, of course. His way with a phrase is unique in American literature. I still remember tabbing page 100 of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. Now, I'll have to go back and see specifically why, but his books are miles ahead of the times.
  • chumlie
    chumlie Posts: 8,658
    edited September 2012
    dromunds wrote: »
    Forgot to mention that Keith Richards' autobiography is witty and its hard to believe all the stuff he remembers. You gotta put up with his ego, however. Bob Dylan's autobiography, "Chronicles" is one of the best I've read. Very witty. Rumored to be coming out with volume 2 one of these days.
    Both of those are good books. I would also recomend:
    The Real Frank Zappa Book; Frank Zappa.
    I'll Sleep When I'm Dead; Chrystal Zevon.
    You Never Give Me Your Money; Peter Doggett.
    The first two are pretty self explanatory. Money is an interesting book explaining post Beatles. Albums, finances, bickering, lawsuit with Apple and getting together for Anthology. Good read for any Beatle fan. Looking forward to Neil Young's Waging Heavy Peace.
  • Dawgfish
    Dawgfish Posts: 2,554
    edited September 2012
    dromunds wrote: »
    Dawgfish, I will look around and try to find a close-up photo of Tom that my cousin took at Robbins' reading at UW back in '81 or whenever it was (we were real close). I am going to have to do some digging but I remember seeing it not that awfully long ago. If I can find it I'll post it for you. He was my favorite writer and it was an absolute thrill to see him reading his stuff live. I still like his stuff, of course. His way with a phrase is unique in American literature. I still remember tabbing page 100 of Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. Now, I'll have to go back and see specifically why, but his books are miles ahead of the times.

    Thank you very much! I will definitely be looking forward to that and I couldn't agree with you more!
  • MaryG
    MaryG Posts: 3
    edited September 2012
    The last book I read was the novel of russian author Mikhail Bulgakov "Master and Margaret" and now I have Coelho's "Zahir" in the process.
  • zane77
    zane77 Posts: 1,696
    edited September 2012
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  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,106
    edited September 2012
    If anyone wants to see a remarkable list of books, check out Art Garfunkle's website ( just google him), where he lists every book he's read for the last several decades. That's right, every book and he read voraciously. Great list.
  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited November 2012
    shack wrote:
    This Sci-fi novel won several awards when published in the late 60s. It is considered a classic by many fans of the genre. I'm about a 3rd of the way through the nearly 600 pages and I'm still not sure if I agree or not.

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    I finally got through this one...while parts were ok...it was one of the most disappointing Sci-Fi novels I've read in quite a while. Maybe my expectations were too high.

    Next up:

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    "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

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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited November 2012
    Actually, rereading the Hobbit for the first time in a couple of decades. Interested in the children's story cadence of the writing because of something I am writing myself.

    I don't remember that book, Shack. But I do remember reading a few things by Brunner back in the day. Way back!

    cnh
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  • AlieSmith
    AlieSmith Posts: 4
    edited November 2012
    Gabriel Garcia Marquez "100 years of lonelyness"
  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited January 2013
    Just finsished: "The Stars My Destination" which has been described as a Sci-Fi Graphic Novel and is considered to be one of the best Sci-Fi novels of all time. It was a very good read.


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    Just started: "Walking the Gobi: 1,600-Mile Trek Across a Desert of Hope and Despair"


    41dt50yMsgL._SL500_AA300_.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
  • Souzad
    Souzad Posts: 10
    edited January 2013
    right now i am reading ODDESA FILE written by writer named Frederick forsyth...
    .
  • dromunds
    dromunds Posts: 10,106
    edited January 2013
    Just finishing "The Lives of John Lennon" by Albert Goldman I think. I had no idea. When Double Fantasy came out, I knew he was coming out of something, and it was a tragedy how he was taken. A musical genius. Pretty good read. Not at all sympathetic toward Yoko.
  • Tornado Red
    Tornado Red Posts: 939
    edited January 2013
    The Time Keeper - Mitch Albom
  • Souzad
    Souzad Posts: 10
    edited January 2013
    the broker by john grisham........
    .
  • cristo
    cristo Posts: 231
    edited January 2013
    Re-read "The Moon Coin" before reading "The Dragondain", the first two books in
    my brother's Moon Realm series. Pretty damn good for the juvenile fantasy genre.
    If that's not your cup of tea, maybe it would be for your kids if they like books that
    demand some attention on the part of the reader.
    cristo

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  • decal
    decal Posts: 3,205
    edited January 2013
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  • Jimbo18
    Jimbo18 Posts: 2,348
    edited January 2013
    Just finished book 4 of The Song of Fire and Ice/Game of Thrones and started on The Hobbit for the first time in about 20 years. First time I read it, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy back in the 70's, I couldn't put them down. Great storytelling, even if a bit long-winded in places.

    Dawgfish - Unbroken was a great book. Thaniks for the suggestion.
  • bikezappa
    bikezappa Posts: 2,463
    edited January 2013
    Jimbo18 wrote: »
    Just finished book 4 of The Song of Fire and Ice/Game of Thrones and started on The Hobbit for the first time in about 20 years.

    I listened to Game of Thrones on CD while driving to work, 28 cds. Just starting Clash of Kings, 31 cds.

    Great story telling.
  • Shizelbs
    Shizelbs Posts: 7,433
    edited January 2013
    When Money Dies - Adam Fergusson

    The nightmare of deficit spending, devaluation, and hyperinflation in Weimar Germany