books: what are you currently reading?

Started by Caleb, June 21, 2006, 11:58:08 PM

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Quote from: rockstar_not on December 03, 2011, 06:42:13 PM
Just finished 'The 39 Steps' by John Buchan.  Also finished a very light 'Corduroy Mansions' by Alexander McCall-Smith (this is the guy who wrote the very popular #1 Ladies Detective Agency series).  Also recently finished 'The Club of Queer Trades' by G.K. Chesterton.

Right now reading 'The Girl Who Married A Lion' by Alexander McCall-Smith. 

I've read the whole series of #1 Ladies Detective Agency books and all the rest of his series as well.   I love his style.   


But at the moment I'm reading Stephen King's "11-22-63".    I'm not normally a Stephen King fan but this one was recommended to me and it's excellent.

Just recently finished "The Art of Fielding"  and "Freedom"

   I just finished ''Brothers in Battle*Best of Friends" by William "Wild Bill" Guarnere and Edward "Babe" Heffron. Two young men from South Philly who served together in Easy company, 101st Paratroopers. After reading Citizen Soldier, Band of Brothers, Major Winters book and others on the European Theater this is an excellent personal account of WW II in Europe. And the aftermath.

   The forward is by Tom Hanks.

I've started "Up Front" by Bill Mauldin, the G.I. cartoonist who was so well loved by the dog faces and depicted them so well in "Willy and Joe".

Then I'll read "The Soldier from Independence" re: Harry Truman's military biography. Then "The Victors" by Stephen E. Ambrose re: Eisenhower & his boys: The Men of WW II.

   Along with several other books not about physical war, but never the less about the "fight of my life". nuff said.

I have not been reading as much as I once did.  But, I do love books.

Has anyone tried a Kindle or Nook?  If yes, has this increased your reading?

Quote from: Strings4Him on December 22, 2011, 05:11:33 PM
I have not been reading as much as I once did.  But, I do love books.

Has anyone tried a Kindle or Nook?  If yes, has this increased your reading?
I like real books myself. I find really great deals at Goodwill, and we have "Half Priced Books" here in Texas. I also use the 40% off coupons when they come out from Barnes and Noble.

  My wife loves to read as well, so we have many books from browsing around the resale shops in small towns while there for a stay at a B&B. I have found some really old and interesting books that way, for next to nothing.

Quote from: Strings4Him on December 22, 2011, 05:11:33 PMHas anyone tried a Kindle or Nook?  If yes, has this increased your reading?

I've had a Kindle for a couple of years. I wouldn't say I read more now but it is very nice when traveling. It took a little getting used to but I really like it now. My library has Kindle-compatible e-books that are available, which is a nice way to use the Kindle without buying all the titles. Ask to borrow one to test out if you know someone near you that has one.
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I'm just back from some Christmas shopping and came upon a great gift for myself:

Birkhead, T, The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology

It's a hardcover with many beautiful plates and was being sold off for eight bucks!  I also have William Trevor's "A bit on the Side" and Stephen Mitchell's translation of Homer's Iliad to take me through to 2012. :beer
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I am reading A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon.  Maybe I already mentioned it.  Now that I'm working full time again, it's taking forever to finish books.

Currently:

Why Does E=mc2?: (And Why Should We Care?) by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw

"Troubled Transplants: Unconventional Strategies for Helping Disturbed Foster and Adopted Children" -- by Richard J. Delaney.

Also "Weapons of Chess" by Bruce Pandolfini.

My adopted son has a real talent for chess ... hence the reading on the outside to keep up ...
"Soulshine is better than sunshine, better than moonshine, damn sure better than rain."

I put Kindle on my Blackberry to see if I'd use it.  It's a small screen and all, which is a disadvantage, but I can tell I'll never really get into it.  I love real books too much.  I also have trained myself to love audiobooks, which I've been enjoying for the last five years or so.  I've got a bro-in-law that got rid of ALL his books and went exclusively to Kindle.  He's sold on it and loves it.  Seems to fit his lifestyle well.  I do like them, but they're just not for me.  But if they get some folks reading again, which I'm sure they have, I say more power to 'em. 

I'm also a fan of Half-Price books (started in Dallas back in the day).  B&N is a fun stop, though I don't make it there very often.  I'm mainly a fan of the library system.  I use it for most of my reading.  I also find many books in thrift stores.  I found a HB edition of Black Beauty the other day in a thrift store (along with about twenty other books that the saleswoman gave me for free since it was my first time there) that's selling on Amazon for almost $50.  I'm keeping it for my little daughter though. 

I have a Nook Color.  I have yet to buy a book for it since there are so many free titles available at Project Gutenberg, as well as using the lendable ebooks from the library.  I like it because when I travel (about 1 week every couple months) I don't have my back-pack weighed down so much with a laptop (I can use the Nook Color to read my e-mail) and a pile of books.  I also use the Nook Color to browse the web and post here at the forum now and then.  A little more tedious but still convenient.  I don't read any more or less with it, just differently.

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BTW - currently reading the first in the Isabel Dalhousie series by Alexander McCall-Smith, as well as a book written by a woman from our church small group, unpublished so far.  That's one great thing about the Nook - she sent me the .pdf and I converted it into an epub document and boom - it reads and flows on the page just as well as any of the other ePub books I've read.
2000 L-03-E
2012 Epiphone Nighthawk Custom Reissue
1985 Peavey Milestone
2004 SX SPJ-62 Bass
2008 Valencia Solid Cedar Top Classical
2015 Taylor 414ce - won in drawing
2016 Ibanez SR655BBF
???? Mitchell MDJ-10 3/4 scale dread
???? Squier Danocaster

My Sound Cloud

I'm currently reading a very funny book entitled "The Last Testament/A Memoir By God" by David Javerbaum.  A talented and funny writer, much akin to Donald Jack, winner of the Stephen Leacock award and author of a series called "The Bandy Papers".

"The Last Testament" is only funny if you've a working understanding of the Bible, as most of the humour will be lost on those without.
I was brought up Baptist but converted to Agnosticism 36 years ago.  Still read religious stuff in my constant search for a truth that fits.

Other favourites are the many books written by Nevil Shute.
Also very partial to all of Donald Jack's stuff.
Unfortunately, both of these men went west years ago.

Waiting with bated breath for more of Javerbaum's stuff. 
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Quote from: tuffythepug on December 22, 2011, 04:47:39 PM
I've read the whole series of #1 Ladies Detective Agency books and all the rest of his series as well.   I love his style.   


But at the moment I'm reading Stephen King's "11-22-63".    I'm not normally a Stephen King fan but this one was recommended to me and it's excellent.

Just recently finished "The Art of Fielding"  and "Freedom"

I've read almost everything by King, but I don't have that one yet. I loved the Dark Tower series. I really hope they do get the movie out.
As far as what I'm reading now, Stephen King's "Buick 8".

Quote from: Dru Edwards on December 23, 2011, 09:27:03 AM
I've read almost everything by King, but I don't have that one yet. I loved the Dark Tower series. I really hope they do get the movie out.
As far as what I'm reading now, Stephen King's "Buick 8".


Have you heard the synopsis of the latest King novel, 11-22-63 ?  it involves time-travel and an attempt to prevent the shooting of JFK.

Quote from: tuffythepug on December 23, 2011, 10:07:34 AM

Have you heard the synopsis of the latest King novel, 11-22-63 ?  it involves time-travel and an attempt to prevent the shooting of JFK.

That's going to have to be a Christmas gift for myself. I knew the book was about JFK but not about the time travel part. Sounds intriguing.

I scored big at Christmas on books (a dozen new ones)!  Won't have to go to the library for a long time. 

Currently reading:
CARING FOR WORDS IN A CULTURE OF LIES by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre 

This is a book based on her lectures on the subject of caring for language.  I'm still early into it but am enjoying it a lot.  To think of language as a gift and something to take care of or to be a steward of is a concept one hears little of in everyday life. 

Quote from: the creature on December 27, 2011, 08:57:29 AM
I scored big at Christmas on books (a dozen new ones)!  Won't have to go to the library for a long time. 

Currently reading:
CARING FOR WORDS IN A CULTURE OF LIES by Marilyn Chandler McEntyre 

This is a book based on her lectures on the subject of caring for language.  I'm still early into it but am enjoying it a lot.  To think of language as a gift and something to take care of or to be a steward of is a concept one hears little of in everyday life. 
This sounds interesting. I have been writing quite a bit lately. Partially because I can't play guitar right now and also because I just need to let some things weave there way up and out of my inner being. I was looking at a clipboard with a few pages of recent writing. And I just was intrigued by the "words" them selves. Not what the words meant. Just the wonderful fact that God gave us the ability to write and it expresses our soul and sometimes even deeper, our spirit.

    I just finished "Up Front" by Bill Mauldin and started "Out of Control" (finding peace for the Physically Exhausted and Spiritually Strung Out) by Ben Young and Dr. Samuel Adams. I know Sam Adams so this makes an already interesting book even more intriguing.
    Also have a few more military history books to get into later.

Quote from: dependan on December 27, 2011, 09:17:58 AM
     This sounds interesting. I have been writing quite a bit lately. Partially because I can't play guitar right now and also because I just need to let some things weave there way up and out of my inner being. I was looking at a clipboard with a few pages of recent writing. And I just was intrigued by the "words" them selves. Not what the words meant. Just the wonderful fact that God gave us the ability to write and it expresses our soul and sometimes even deeper, our spirit.

Well said, Danny.  I have been thinking about language and the use of words a lot of late. I've been writing a lot myself and have become fascinated with the entire subject.  Language is a gift and the abuse of it is everywhere.  This is one of the reasons I gave up on the news.  I can barely stomach all the drivel found on news, talk shows, and especially "round table discussions" where political matters are dissected by the thinkers of the day.  So this book found me at just the right time.  It will help me better iron out my thoughts on the matter and make better sense of it all.  

  Well, as you gain a little insight, be sure to share with us.

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