View Full Version : Books I am reading or about to read
Ulysses
10-12-2005, 03:57 AM
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (David Sedaris)
Monster - The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member (Sanyika Shakur aka Monster Cody Scott)
The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
Stiff - The Curious Lives of Human Cadavars (Mary Roach)
tdarko
10-12-2005, 04:01 AM
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Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (David Sedaris)
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good stuff
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The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
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good stuff
just read the amazon.com write up on monster, this looks like an interesting read? is this an "i am reading" or "about to read?"
sexdrugsmoney
10-12-2005, 04:02 AM
A little Asimov currently, other that that mainly texts.
Skip Brutale
10-12-2005, 04:04 AM
im finishing the rum diaries
Claunchy
10-12-2005, 04:08 AM
Almost finished with Vernon God Little, as recommended by KKF. This book is pretty damn good.
A couple different existential/phenomenological philosophy texts for scholastic purposes.
Go_Blue88
10-12-2005, 04:20 AM
The Kite Runner is just average in terms of entertainment value in my opinion. While at first the plot-line intrigued me, the last third of the book gets a little tiresome, and the main character got on my nerves. I felt like he was too simplistic. However, the character development of a couple of the characters is nicely done.
However, the various cultural aspects make it worth reading for sure. After reading so many books that take place in the United States, The Kite Runner a great change of pace, and pretty interesting.
All I'm saying is if you're reading it just for entertainment value, you might be disappointed.
Ulysses
10-12-2005, 04:21 AM
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just read the amazon.com write up on monster, this looks like an interesting read? is this an "i am reading" or "about to read?"
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Just started last night. About 50/400 pages in and so far it's off to a really interesting start.
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Just started last night. About 50/400 pages in and so far it's off to a really interesting start.
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Read Monster a few years ago, I thought it was good but at points dragged (ok, I understand you killed people, can we move on?). All in all though, worthwhile.
I'm just finishing a book called "The Psycho Ex Game", Merrill Markoe and Andy Prieboy, it was fun.
Blarg
10-12-2005, 04:25 AM
Calvin and Hobbes Collection
Lost in Place: Growing Up Absurd in Suburbia, by Mark Salzman
Best Ghost Stories of Algernon Blackwood
The Mammoth Book of People Getting Eaten Alive or whatever its proper name is -- perfect toilet reading
Go_Blue88
10-12-2005, 04:28 AM
I just read Island of Dr. Monreau by H.G Wells
I definitely recommend it (although I bet a lot of you already have read it). There's some really cool stuff in it; I might re-read it.
irishpint
10-12-2005, 04:29 AM
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Monster - The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member (Sanyika Shakur aka Monster Cody Scott)
The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
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Both great. Monster was crazy but i really enjoyed it.
Blarg
10-12-2005, 04:30 AM
Check out the first movie of it they made, called Island of Lost Souls, with Charles Laughton. Really good stuff too.
I read The Time Machine and War of the Worlds by Wells, but don't remember if I've read anything else by him. I don't think I read Moreau.
Go_Blue88
10-12-2005, 04:44 AM
Ya, I'm for sure going to read War of the Worlds. I'm his new biggest fan.
diebitter
10-12-2005, 04:53 AM
yeah, HG Wells is the bollocks!
Given the bond stuff going on, I'd recommend 'Casino Royale'.
First of the series - a white-hot read for most of it, shows you how tough he is, and shows you why he's such a badass after this.
Blarg
10-12-2005, 04:56 AM
I read all of those. They were really pretty fun. It's easy to see from the books why Bond became such a sensation as a fictional character before he got into any movies.
NLSoldier
10-12-2005, 05:43 AM
The World is Flat. It might interest you diablo, if you havent already read it.
Ulysses
10-12-2005, 05:50 AM
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The World is Flat. It might interest you diablo, if you havent already read it.
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Haven't, just looked it up. Have you read his other books? If so, does this book build upon any concepts and should I read them first?
A friend has recommended China, Inc. - have you read that?
Rick Nebiolo
10-12-2005, 05:55 AM
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Monster - The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member (Sanyika Shakur aka Monster Cody Scott)
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Read this when it first came out. Well done but perhaps a bit dated.
GF and I have recently enjoyed Tortilla Curtain and East is East by TC Boyle.
~ Rick
NLSoldier
10-12-2005, 06:11 AM
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The World is Flat. It might interest you diablo, if you havent already read it.
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Haven't, just looked it up. Have you read his other books? If so, does this book build upon any concepts and should I read them first?
A friend has recommended China, Inc. - have you read that?
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I have not read any of his other books, but this one is fine on its own I think.
No, I have not read China, Inc.
spamuell
10-12-2005, 09:31 AM
I enjoyed The Kite Runner a lot and would recommend it to others.
TheWorstPlayer
10-12-2005, 09:38 AM
My Traitor's Heart - Rian Malan
Some real monster [censored].
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Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (David Sedaris)
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A couple of his essays are some of the best he's written. It's a different kind of funny from his prior books.
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The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
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This is the current book that everyone is reading on the subway. Two years ago it was The Life of Pi.
spamuell
10-12-2005, 09:43 AM
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The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
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This is the current book that everyone is reading on the subway. Two years ago it was The Life of Pi.
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Yeah, but this one is good.
And I read it months ago so I'm not just a subway-riding trend-follower.
Paluka
10-12-2005, 09:57 AM
What I'm reading:
The Known World by Edward P Jones. Fiction about slavery, I'm only 55 pages into it.
What I'll read next:
A Feast for Crows, by our Lord and Savior George RR Martin
ChipWrecked
10-12-2005, 10:41 AM
Confederates in the Attic. Study of the Civil War reenactors. Hilarious.
Paluka
10-12-2005, 10:45 AM
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Confederates in the Attic. Study of the Civil War reenactors. Hilarious.
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This sounds awesome.
RacersEdge
10-12-2005, 10:46 AM
I am reading Freakonomics almost done. Great book that looks at cause and effect in society.
I also am halfway through Guns, Germs , and Steel. Also good.
vulturesrow
10-12-2005, 10:46 AM
The Catholic Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
The Family Trade
Patriots History of the United States
Probably going to pick up Strategy of Conflict soon too, in honor of the newest winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics.
MonkeeMan
10-12-2005, 11:05 AM
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Monster - The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member (Sanyika Shakur aka Monster Cody Scott)
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That was a good read about a genuine OG.
Lately been on a WWII jag. Two I can recommend:
Ghost Soldiers
Flyboys
Currently:
In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors - has promise, only 50 pages into it.
The Tipping Point - re-reading segments of this thought provoking best seller.
B Dids
10-12-2005, 11:35 AM
Books I bought for my last vacation and have sitting around the house unread in hopes that someday I read them:
The latest Harry Potter
Moneyball
Asimov's "Foundation"
one of the other books from that series
Xelent
10-12-2005, 12:08 PM
A very good book which I recently read was Freakonomics. It makes you look at everything with a different perspective.
StevieG
10-12-2005, 12:27 PM
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Confederates in the Attic. Study of the Civil War reenactors. Hilarious.
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This sounds awesome.
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Yeah it does.
Right now I am stuck in the middle of "Disney Wars" about the rise and fall of Eisner at Disney. Too much minutiae from the operations at the various Disney divisions with respect to the people operating there.
Fundamentals of Industrial Hygiene (studying for a cert test)
thinking about re-reading Dubliners.
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What I'll read next:
A Feast for Crows, by our Lord and Savior George RR Martin
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Touché. Hopefully he manages to keep them good, unlike Mr. Rigney.
~D
those grrm books are really poorly written -- the story is so good though that once i started i couldn't put them down.
vulturesrow
10-12-2005, 12:39 PM
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What I'll read next:
A Feast for Crows, by our Lord and Savior George RR Martin
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Touché. Hopefully he manages to keep them good, unlike Mr. Rigney.
~D
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I am looking forward to this one as well, it has taken way too long.
Motivation_Success - Napoleon Hill - Think and Grow Rich
geez, poker and spam in one post. you suck at OOT
PoBoy321
10-12-2005, 12:44 PM
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Monster - The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member (Sanyika Shakur aka Monster Cody Scott)
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My gf had to read this for a criminal justice class last year and couldn't get a copy of it in her library so I got her a copy from mine. While I had it and was waiting for her to pick it up, I started reading through it and got about a quarter of the way through. After that, every time I saw her, I'd just pick it up, read it and basically ignore her until she tore it out of my hands. I never got to finish it but it's a very interesting book, a good read and high up on my must-read list.
Right now, I'm rereading Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce and will probably read The Dubliners right after that. When I'm done with Joyce, I'll probably read the Hobbit and finish LOTR. I went home last weekend and we cleaned our basement which has basically turned into a graveyard for old books and I found some really great books that I either never read or want to reread, so I've got a pretty long "must-read" list.
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those grrm books are really poorly written -- the story is so good though that once i started i couldn't put them down.
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If by "really poorly written" you mean written better than only 99% of fiction in existence, then I agree.
~D
Dominic
10-12-2005, 12:50 PM
I'd be curious to know what you thought of The Kite Runner...I'm interested in reading it.
you gotta read some more books if you think those are well written. they read like crappy sci/fi/fantasy/romance novels. it's just that the story is awesome. i love these books and have been dying for the new one to come out, but come on, they are not masterpieces of fiction:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/519626/ref%3Damb%5Fright-2%5F62034/002-4046455-8152811
Chobohoya
10-12-2005, 01:03 PM
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A very good book which I recently read was Freakonomics. It makes you look at everything with a different perspective.
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I wonder how many people this is true for in general. I would think that the percentage is lower on these boards, but maybe not in OOT...
As for the general population, I bet it would be somewhere higher than 95%. Even many of the people with the capacity to think mathematically and critically about things just never do.
Paluka
10-12-2005, 01:07 PM
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you gotta read some more books if you think those are well written. they read like crappy sci/fi/fantasy/romance novels. it's just that the story is awesome. i love these books and have been dying for the new one to come out, but come on, they are not masterpieces of fiction:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/519626/ref%3Damb%5Fright-2%5F62034/002-4046455-8152811
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GRRM writes well enough to tell his story. He is a storyteller, not a writer. I think he does write better than most of the other writers out there, but obviously he isn't going to be remembered for his prose.
MonkeeMan
10-12-2005, 01:29 PM
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Books I bought for my last vacation and have sitting around the house unread in hopes that someday I read them:
The latest Harry Potter
Moneyball
Asimov's "Foundation"
one of the other books from that series
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I was a little disappointed in the latest Potter, but it's still a page turner and must read if you've read the others.
jason_t
10-12-2005, 01:31 PM
Analytic Capacity and Measure - John Garnett (current)
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon (about to)
War Trash - Ha Jin (about to)
The Peloponnesian War - Donald Kagan (current)
The Double - Jose Saramago (current)
just returned from borders with;
Tom Robbins "Still Life With Woodpecker" on the advice of my daughter, the scholar.
A. J. Jacobs "The Know-It-All" because Jonn Stewart wrote the cover reccomendation.
imported_anacardo
10-12-2005, 02:03 PM
My Traitor's Heart - Rian Malan
Read this as an undergrad. Remains one of the best / most haunting segments of my education.
Apartheid = not a good idea.
Confederates in the Attic - funny, inspired, a welcome reality check for me. Turns out I'm not obsessed with the Civil War after all; not compared to these people, anyway.
Guns, Germs & Steel
Freakonomics - Mandatory readings for everybody.
Patriot's History of the United States - Like the book that inspired it, an abomination before the Lord. History with a stated, unapologetic contemporary political axe to grind makes me want to kill somebody.
As for me, I will finish Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/ Maturin novels ("Master and Commander," etc.), and then get started on - gulp - Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall.
dibbs
10-12-2005, 02:10 PM
Stiff was an interesting/enjoyable read.
Il_Mostro
10-12-2005, 02:17 PM
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monster, this looks like an interesting read?
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It is. At least I thought it very well worth the read.
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The Catholic Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
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I had to read that at least a half dozen times in college.
EDIT: Errr, you mean Protestant Ethic, right?
vulturesrow
10-12-2005, 02:25 PM
</font><blockquote><font class="small">En respuesta a:</font><hr />
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The Catholic Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
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I had to read that at least a half dozen times in college.
EDIT: Errr, you mean Protestant Ethic, right?
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Its a response (in part) to the Protestant Ethic, by Max Weber. If you dont mind my asking, where did you go to college? What classes required you to read that book?
imported_anacardo
10-12-2005, 02:30 PM
I think you would do well to read fewer "angry rebuttal" type books.
vulturesrow
10-12-2005, 02:41 PM
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I think you would do well to read fewer "angry rebuttal" type books.
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Have you read it? If not, dont be so quick to classify it as an angry rebuttal book. I may have pigeonholed it somewhat incorrectly as a response to Weber's 'The Protestant Ethic'. At any rate, its pretty funny that on the basis of 3 books posted you feel that you have enough information to tell me to stop reading so many angry rebuttal books.
imported_anacardo
10-12-2005, 02:46 PM
Sorry. You mention two out of three (well, one out of three, I guess) and red flags start going up. One is really too many, IMO. But then, I slogged through "People's" and "Patriot's," back to back, feeling slightly ill by the end.
vulturesrow
10-12-2005, 03:08 PM
I read People's as well. I dont completely disagree with you either. But the Catholic Ethic one is definitely not an 'angry rebuttal piece'.
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The Catholic Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
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I had to read that at least a half dozen times in college.
EDIT: Errr, you mean Protestant Ethic, right?
[/ QUOTE ]
Its a response (in part) to the Protestant Ethic, by Max Weber. If you dont mind my asking, where did you go to college? What classes required you to read that book?
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Berkeley. History, Economic History, Political Science, all of that stuff. I read de Tocqueville maybe 4 times and The Federalist #10 at least 5 times.
TheBlueMonster
10-12-2005, 03:17 PM
America Pastoral by Phillip Roth
Jurollo
10-12-2005, 03:33 PM
House of Leaves
bernie
10-12-2005, 03:58 PM
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Monster - The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member (Sanyika Shakur aka Monster Cody Scott)
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Great book.
If you like it, I'd also suggest "Do or Die" by Leon Bing.
Then if you need/crave even more LA gang stuff, rent 'Gang Tapes'.
b
phage
10-12-2005, 04:07 PM
I am just finishing up The World is Flat. This is the first book I have read on the topic and was wondering what you think of his theories.
ElSapo
10-12-2005, 04:17 PM
The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana, by Eco.
Name of the Rose, Focault's Pendulum and Island of the Day Before were all amazing. I read Five Moral Pieces, but honestly it was over my head. This book is odd so far (150 pages in) but I have hope...
rmarotti
10-12-2005, 05:00 PM
Everything is Illuminated
The Idiot (Dostoevsky)
PoBoy321
10-12-2005, 05:05 PM
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The Idiot (Dostoevsky)
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If you like russian literature, I highly recommend The Master and Margarita, and basically anything by Gogol.
edtost
10-12-2005, 05:18 PM
Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives - Hull
Investment Science - Luenberger
Credit Risk Modeling - Lando
Bankruptcy, Credit Risk, and High-Yield Junk Bonds - Altman
No, these aren't the textbooks for my classes.
rmarotti
10-12-2005, 05:22 PM
Thanks for teh suggestion. I read "Dead Souls" and loved it. When people see you laughing out loud at a book with that title they tend to raise an eyebrow.
HtotheNootch
10-12-2005, 05:29 PM
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Lately been on a WWII jag. Two I can recommend:
Ghost Soldiers
Flyboys
Currently:
In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors - has promise, only 50 pages into it.
The Tipping Point - re-reading segments of this thought provoking best seller.
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Those two were both good. An Army at Dawn was a good read as well.
I'd also reccomend "Lightning War" and "The Longest Winter".
Also while it's not exactly a WWII book, I cannot reccomend "Shadow Divers" enough.
brassnuts
10-12-2005, 06:52 PM
I just started A Game of Thrones, and so far, I'm loving it.
Ulysses
10-12-2005, 07:50 PM
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The Known World by Edward P Jones. Fiction about slavery, I'm only 55 pages into it.
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I have that, but haven't started reading it yet. Looks very heavy.
gumpzilla
10-12-2005, 07:55 PM
currently reading: A People's History of the Supreme Court
up next: David Copperfield, Shalimar the Clown (Rushdie's newest book), The System of the World (had this for a while, still haven't gotten around to it)
goofball
10-12-2005, 08:52 PM
I'm currently reading Catch-22.
Books in the queue are a biography of Isaac Newton, and A Confederacy Of Dunces. I'm looking for another good non-fiction current book too. The world is flat just doens't interest me for whatever reason.
jason_t
10-12-2005, 09:34 PM
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I'm currently reading Catch-22.
Books in the queue are a biography of Isaac Newton, and A Confederacy Of Dunces. I'm looking for another good non-fiction current book too. The world is flat just doens't interest me for whatever reason.
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Are you about to read James Gleick's biography of Isaac Newton? It's lovely.
For another non-fiction book, may I suggest Empire by Niall Ferguson? It's about the rise and demise of the British Empire and is told lucidly.
Cancuk
10-12-2005, 09:51 PM
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The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
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This is the current book that everyone is reading on the subway. Two years ago it was The Life of Pi.
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Yeah, but this one is good.
And I read it months ago so I'm not just a subway-riding trend-follower.
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Life of Pi wasn't bad...it was a quick, entertaing read.
Anyone who hasnt read Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole should pick it up
wall_st
10-12-2005, 10:57 PM
Bob Dylan chronicles vol 1
The tipping point
The corrections
Dylan autobiography is pretty good, but is weird because it jumps around so much, he just kind of writes about whatever he feels like.
goofball
10-13-2005, 12:42 AM
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I'm currently reading Catch-22.
Books in the queue are a biography of Isaac Newton, and A Confederacy Of Dunces. I'm looking for another good non-fiction current book too. The world is flat just doens't interest me for whatever reason.
[/ QUOTE ]
Are you about to read James Gleick's biography of Isaac Newton? It's lovely.
For another non-fiction book, may I suggest Empire by Niall Ferguson? It's about the rise and demise of the British Empire and is told lucidly.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, that one. Good to hear you liked it. The non-fiction reccomendation is interesting but I'm looking for a subject that's relatively current, politics or science or economics or something. I'm not interested in physics books (i have a physics degree), I've read freakonomics and those books by Gladwell, so I'm just looking for a new intersting one. Maybe I'll go back and finish 'the selfish gene'
Jdanz
10-13-2005, 01:38 AM
Forgotten Soldier by Sajer
It's the memoirs of a french kid conscripted to the german army in 1941. Goes through pretty much every major battle in Russia and then the fall back towards germany.
Wild stuff.
vulturesrow
10-15-2005, 11:15 PM
Picked up Thomas Aquinas:Selected Writings, today.
Slow Play Ray
10-16-2005, 07:30 PM
Currently: The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
Next: The Last Kingdom, Bernard Cornwell
After that: A Feast for Crows, George R.R. Martin
Eric Draven
11-01-2005, 11:48 PM
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Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (David Sedaris)
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A couple of his essays are some of the best he's written. It's a different kind of funny from his prior books.
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I agree. Sedaris is possibly my favorite writer.
JaBlue
11-01-2005, 11:53 PM
I just finished No Exit and am two acts through Dirty Hands. I'm getting credit for this. self study rules
KaneKungFu123
11-02-2005, 12:30 AM
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Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (David Sedaris)
Monster - The Autobiography of an LA Gang Member (Sanyika Shakur aka Monster Cody Scott)
The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
Stiff - The Curious Lives of Human Cadavars (Mary Roach)
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Diablo, read vernon god little, youll like it.
Jonny
11-02-2005, 03:12 AM
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The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
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I read this book and its awesome. Highly recommended.
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