books: what are you currently reading?

[Turbodog]

I must admit I'm a newbie here and didn't take the time to read this whole thread. With that in mind please forgive me when I ask this question.

Any other WWII buffs here? If so have you read any good books lately?

[jeremy3220]

I just finished Dylan's Chronicles. I liked it but it wasn't great. I'm so tired of hearing about how important the 60's were and Dylan's part in it, real or inflated, and him going electric, etc.

[sayheyjeff]

I had a bit of hard time reading through Dylan's Chronicles but was given the book on cd and found that a good listen.  Sean Penn was the reader and he was a perfect choice.  Made a good listen during drive time.

Reading Doctorow's The March.  So far its great and as expected, it fits right in with the fiddle tunes and old time music I am working on. 

[Caleb]

I never got into Dylan, so I probably wouldn't connect all that well with the book.  I've tried his music, but I just don't connect well with it. I got Blonde On Blonde and sort of shrugged. 

I'm in the middle of Clapton's book right now.  Good stuff.

[poki]

"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing.  the telling of Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 expedition to cross Antarctica.

[Queequeg]

Somebody gave me the Dylan book, but I couldn't finish it. 
poki , I also read "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing a while ago and thought it was a great book.
If you like that, and for anyone who got all the way through Moby Dick, I'm now reading LEVIATHAN: The History of Whaling in America by Eric Jay Dolin. (I did read Moby Dick, although it wasn't until my third attempt and I happened to be living in the West Indies on an island in the Eastern Caribbean at the time, spending my weekends diving and whale watching, so that may have helped). Watched the movie on TV again last night.
What would you expect from one named "Queequeg"?

edit:
Welcome Turbodog. 
And I admit I haven't read the whole thread either- all 18 pages of it. Someone (not me, of course) might wonder about you, if you had... 

[Sandro]

I just finished Terry Pratchett's "Lord and Ladies". 
Another brilliant and funny episode in the Discworld saga.

[Caleb]

I just finished Clapton's autobiography and I though it was great.  I did think it was a bit longer than it needed to be, and I wish he'd have talked a bit more about his gear.  Surely he knew that tons of guitar players were going to read the book. Anyway, I really did like it and I thought he was brutally honest about himself.  I particularly liked reading about he and George Harrison's relationship.  I never knew how or when George wrote "Here Comes the Sun" and there's a great story behind it.  I thought it was strange that Clapton completely skipped over his country music faze when he played "Lay Down Sally" and was always wearing the cowboy hat with the feathers. I highly recommend the book though.  I found it to be very good. 

[jeremy3220]

I liked what Dylan said in Chronicles about 'On the Road'...

"Within the first few months that I was in New York I'd lost my interest in
the 'hungry for kicks' hipster vision that Kerouac illustrates so well in
his book 'On The Road'. That book had been like a bible to me. Not anymore,
though. I still loved the breathless, dynamic bop poetry phrases that flowed
from Jack's pen, but now that character Moriarty seemed out of place,
purposeless - seemed like a character who inspired idiocy. He goes through
life bumping and grinding with a bull on top of him."

I liked the book but didn't get all the hype about it being a profound revelation or whatever.

[Caleb]

Hell, I've never even heard of the book till this thread.   

[poki]

poki , I also read "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing a while ago and thought it was a great book.
If you like that, and for anyone who got all the way through Moby Dick, I'm now reading LEVIATHAN: The History of Whaling in America by Eric Jay Dolin. (I did read Moby Dick, although it wasn't until my third attempt and I happened to be living in the West Indies on an island in the Eastern Caribbean at the time, spending my weekends diving and whale watching, so that may have helped). Watched the movie on TV again last night.
What would you expect from one named "Queequeg"?

Queequeg thanks for the info.  there was also a movies titled Shackleton made in 2002 which i'm going to rent. 

i only recently found out that Moby Dick was based on an actual huge white bull sperm whale name Mocha Dick.

[Fredmando]

I just finished "The Giant's House" which I would describe as a romance novel! It was pretty good and it held a lot of hidden messages about life for me.
Now, I am almost afraid to admit this to the group, but I am starting "A New Earth--Awakeing To Your Life's Purpose." I am still packing around Willie Nelson's book--"The Tao of Willie Nelson--A Guide To Happiness In Your Heart"--because I actually found myself highlighting parts of the book with a marker!! It really made an impact on me. I keep it by my bed and I almost have all of his jokes memorized. Again, I used to change the radio channel when Willie would come on--well, except The Highway Men stuff--because I didn't really buy into him. But, that changed with age.
On my "to read" shelf is "The Winds of War" and the Parsons bio "20,000 Roads" which I learned about on this thread.
As for Dylan, I will only say "never say never." I seem to late at everything in life and I am a slow learner! I used to shelve most of the Dylan albums people would give me and I even hated his voice when I was younger. It was the interview on "60 Minutes" that brought me around to Dylan. Then, the documentary on PBS really made me pick up "Chronicles." I don't think I idolize Bob Dylan. Rather, I see this section of music history through his eyes and try to learn from it. I do much the same with David Crosby's two biographies. That guy is lucky to be alive.
Lastly, if you haven't read Neil Young's biography, you are missing a lot. It's not so much Neil as it is the time, the places and the people he describes.
This is a great thread...

[Caleb]

I am still packing around Willie Nelson's book--"The Tao of Willie Nelson--A Guide To Happiness In Your Heart"--because I actually found myself highlighting parts of the book with a marker!!

I'm in the middle of this one right now myself.  I'm finding it pretty boring, and I don't enjoy the Eastern philosophy at all, but the jokes are funny.  I'll finish it, but I'm not getting much out of it. 

[ducktrapper]

I just got a three CD set of Jack Kerouac's readings and poetry with jazz backgrounds. Cool sh*t! Zoot Simms and Al Cohn back him up on saxophone on one CD, Steve Allen on piano on another and Jack alone reads on the third. If you liked On The Road, dig Kerouac or beatnik jazz at all, if you'd like some perspective on Tom Waits or even Bob Dylan this stuff will do the trick.
As for "not-getting" Dylan, there's hope for all of you yet. Since he's merely the most important singer and songwriter of the second half of the 20th century, into the 21st and running, his work will stick around for further review.           

[Caleb]

I realize how important Dylan is, but I still don't get it.  I'm not saying he's not good, but it just doesn't connect with me.

[Danny]

I only read this last page (18) but I enjoy Dylan's early stuff, THE BAND and The Birds covered his stuff the best to my taste The Birds version of "Wheels on Fire" was great.... As far as books I just read Psalm 91 and really enjoyed it so I wrote a song and melody...kind of a Psalm 91.redo I guess. Danny

[ducktrapper]

I only read this last page (18) but I enjoy Dylan's early stuff, THE BAND and The Birds covered his stuff the best to my taste The Birds version of "Wheels on Fire" was great.... As far as books I just read Psalm 91 and really enjoyed it so I wrote a song and melody...kind of a Psalm 91.redo I guess. Danny

Speaking of Dylan covers, I've also recently picked up 'Dylanesque' by Bryan Ferry and 'Lo and Behold' by Coulson Dean McGuiness Flint. The latter was first released in 1972, contains 13 songs that at that time had never seen release and is simply the best CD of Dylan covers ever, imo. These guys were part of Manfred Mann and after recording The Mighty Quinn, a hit for that band, went off and did this little gem. The Ferry CD is damn good too although I think Dylan's a better singer.  ;)
Dylan? What's to get? Brilliant songs, consistently leads great bands, often assisted by the who's who of the music business, revered by almost anyone who's tried to do the same thing.

[blued03r]

Just finished "The Problem of Pain" last week.  FINALLY!      My Dostoevsky books haven't come in yet, (we've got an ebay seller issue  ), so perusing my shelves, I found "Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, an American Slave".  Even though I'm sure it's required reading in most high schools, I'd never read it, until a few days ago.  Talk about a compelling read!  My goodness, as cultured as I may have thought that I was, this book has put the experience of slavery in America into a whole new perspective for me!
I don't see color when I look at someone (I'm white, btw), but at the same time, I've only had a really superficial understanding of slavery, and honestly, I've not thought much about it.  Wow, this book is so well done, it's changed the way that I look at life--it's not often you can say that about any book!  Considering the author and his background, he wrote so well and so eloquently, you could almost say it was divinely inspired.  Very compelling.  $8.00 for the hardcover @ Barnes @ Noble.  Buy it, it takes a couple of days to read, and keep it.  Good stuff.

[mudshark]

Nonfiction:
Cracking the Code - Thom Hartmann

Short Stories:
Demonology - Rick Moody

Novel:
William Kennedy - Roscoe

[jwb]

Somebody gave me the Dylan book, but I couldn't finish it. 
poki , I also read "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage" by Alfred Lansing a while ago and thought it was a great book.
If you like that, and for anyone who got all the way through Moby Dick, I'm now reading LEVIATHAN: The History of Whaling in America by Eric Jay Dolin. (I did read Moby Dick, although it wasn't until my third attempt and I happened to be living in the West Indies on an island in the Eastern Caribbean at the time, spending my weekends diving and whale watching, so that may have helped). Watched the movie on TV again last night.
What would you expect from one named "Queequeg"?

I am about 1/4 through Moby Dick and I love it.  I never would have picked it up again if it was not for you, Queequeg.  It is very good.  I tried to read it years ago and I guess I wasn't ready for it.  So far so good...

Justin