books: what are you currently reading?

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

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No Greater Love  Mother Teresa
Grace   Max Lucado
Adulterio    Paolo Coelho

About to start Just Around Midnight.  It deals with the mix of race and pop music in America in the 60s.   I get the impression (based on my wife's cursory description) it deals with that (sometimes) fine line between appropriation and tribute.

Ed

The Essential Wood Book, edited by Tim Snyder
Traditional Woodworking Hand Tools, A Manual for the Woodworker, by Graham Blackburn
The New Complete Guide to the Band Saw, by Mark Duginske
"Badges?  We don't need no stinkin' badges."

Became a Shooting Star when I got my 1st guitar.
Back in '66, I was 13 and that was my fix.
Still shooting for stardom after all this time.
If I never make it, I'll still be fine.


:guitar

Just finished "All The Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr.  400+ pages of great character building and story line entwining that I will be reading him again from one of his other books.

Let me give a once-a-year endorsement to the Goodreads site and app.  Those of you that like this thread and how it rolls, would love using Goodreads.  Same concept in a site/app that is designed to be a more complete version of this thread; complete with barcode scanning of ISBNs.

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Quote from: rockstar_not on January 02, 2017, 10:20:46 AM
Just finished "All The Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr.  400+ pages of great character building and story line entwining that I will be reading him again from one of his other books.

Let me give a once-a-year endorsement to the Goodreads site and app.  Those of you that like this thread and how it rolls, would love using Goodreads.  Same concept in a site/app that is designed to be a more complete version of this thread; complete with barcode scanning of ISBNs.


I've heard a lot about this one and have been thinking of checking it out.

I've just started the Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis for the umpteenth time.

Just finished "To Kill A Mockingbird" for the first time.
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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

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Quote from: rockstar_not on January 04, 2017, 11:33:13 AM
Just finished "To Kill A Mockingbird" for the first time.
I was supposed to have read this in Grade 10 English but never did.  I do remember when we watched the film in class though.  A black and white film to me back then was about as lame as anything could get.  I did, however, read this book a few years ago (probably referenced somewhere in this gigantic thread).  I admit it was on my list of books to read that it seems like everyone is supposed to read at some point.  I did enjoy it, though the pace was very slow, and this is coming from a man who actually enjoys Victorian novels which are known for their slowness.  

I didn't like the fact that the children called their father by his first name.  Stuff like that always seems like it's trying to tear something down that needs to stay put.  The book is a wonderful example of how ignorance works in a society and how none of the characters were immune from it.  The bit where Scout cuts down the grumpy old lady's flowers and has to come sit with her later sticks out to me probably more than anything.  Scout thought she knew the old lady but there was a whole other story there.  A great lesson for all.  

The rest of the book has the flavor of one big social commentary.  Things like that can rub me wrong sometimes because I prefer stories for their own sake more than anything else.  I don't know the motives of Harper Lee in writing this, and maybe she just had a story in her head to tell and told it, and maybe the society that read it decided it would become the commentary it has become.  I'm probably a bit hipster or snobby here, but it's my nature to shy away from the works that the masses are raving about.  But sometimes I cave in to see what all the fuss is about and end up learning something - another one of those examples of how ignorance works.

Quote from: Caleb on January 06, 2017, 10:52:54 AM

The rest of the book has the flavor of one big social commentary.  Things like that can rub me wrong sometimes because I prefer stories for their own sake more than anything else.  I don't know the motives of Harper Lee in writing this, and maybe she just had a story in her head to tell and told it, and maybe the society that read it decided it would become the commentary it has become.  I'm probably a bit hipster or snobby here, but it's my nature to shy away from the works that the masses are raving about.  But sometimes I cave in to see what all the fuss is about and end up learning something - another one of those examples of how ignorance works.


Well said, and I agree...my experience often as well.

Currently reading a book by United Methodist theologian Thomas Oden (who just died a couple weeks ago), The Rebirth of Orthodoxy. He has been a proponent of Orthodoxy for 40 years in a denomination (where I currently serve) which has lost its theological moorings, and soul, IMHO.

Oden is a prolific writer, and the General Editor of an important series of biblical commentaries* that have dug deep into the ancient church fathers to create a set of modern commentaries that share the early church's wisdom on the scriptures.

*Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
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Larrivee owner since 1992

Quote from: Caleb on January 06, 2017, 10:52:54 AM
I was supposed to have read this in Grade 10 English but never did.  I do remember when we watched the film in class though.  A black and white film to me back then was about as lame as anything could get.  I did, however, read this book a few years ago (probably referenced somewhere in this gigantic thread).  I admit it was on my list of books to read that it seems like everyone is supposed to read at some point.  I did enjoy it, though the pace was very slow, and this is coming from a man who actually enjoys Victorian novels which are known for their slowness.  

I didn't like the fact that the children called their father by his first name.  Stuff like that always seems like it's trying to tear something down that needs to stay put.  The book is a wonderful example of how ignorance works in a society and how none of the characters were immune from it.  The bit where Scout cuts down the grumpy old lady's flowers and has to come sit with her later sticks out to me probably more than anything.  Scout thought she knew the old lady but there was a whole other story there.  A great lesson for all.  

The rest of the book has the flavor of one big social commentary.  Things like that can rub me wrong sometimes because I prefer stories for their own sake more than anything else.  I don't know the motives of Harper Lee in writing this, and maybe she just had a story in her head to tell and told it, and maybe the society that read it decided it would become the commentary it has become.  I'm probably a bit hipster or snobby here, but it's my nature to shy away from the works that the masses are raving about.  But sometimes I cave in to see what all the fuss is about and end up learning something - another one of those examples of how ignorance works.

I generally agree with your review.  What I can say though, is that Harper Lee probably should be recognized for cracking open this social commentary mode of writing.  It's definitely heavy-handed; or so reads that way TODAY.  I think folks have learned nuance on how to broach topics over the decades since this book was released. 

What bothered me the most was the hurry up ending that just seemed out of touch with the slowness of the rest of the book.
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Currently reading "A Full Life" by Jimmy Carter.  I have used a devotional also written by Jimmy Carter that I picked up at Dollar Tree.  It is a collection of the Sunday School lessons he taught over the decades intermixed with some of the challenges he faced as President and what it meant to him to try to lead the country from his Christian perspective.

I was an under 10-year-old kid when he was elected President.  After reading the devotional, and now reading this memoir, I wish I could have experienced his Presidency (should that be capitalized?) as an adult, to form my own opinions about him, rather than have my ears filled with all kinds of talk from my uncles.  I feel the same about other Presidents that intrigue me in particular like Dwight Eisenhower and John Adams.

-Scott

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???? Mitchell MDJ-10 3/4 scale dread
???? Squier Danocaster

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Jimmy Carter was/is a good man; I have a great deal of respect for him and his character and faith.

He has redeemed himself somewhat in his work for Habitat for Humanity and other charities.

:donut :coffee
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Larrivee owner since 1992

I just started reading The Double Life of Fidel Castro: My 17 Years As Personal Bodyguard to El Lider Maximo by Juan Reinaldo Sanchez with Axel Gylden.

As it says, he was one of Castro's elite inner circle bodyguards, so he saw Castro and his inner workings (and his illegitimate children, his affairs, and his incredible wealth) up close. When he wanted to retire, he went to prison for a couple years, finally escaping Cuba to end up in Miami where many other Cuban refugees have settled. It's an eye opening book, and yet not surprising at all - Castro is a typical dictator who lives in great comfort while his people suffer incredibly.

This is all the more interesting to me because two members of my church just returned from a mission trip to Cuba, and shared how bad it is for most Cuban's today... I trust it is very warm where Castro is - now that he's finally dead and buried...
2021 C-03R TE left-handed
Larrivee owner since 1992

At the moment i am reading - alchemist by paulo coelho

I decided to read through Louis L'Amour's SACKETT'S books, so I'm currently in vol. one, SACKETT'S LAND.  There are 14 in the set.

The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough (reading it on a pre-loaded NYT bestseller e-reader)
In the Name of Jesus, by Henri Nouwen (our worship pastor leads us through a chapter each week as part of rehearsal)


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2016 Ibanez SR655BBF
???? Mitchell MDJ-10 3/4 scale dread
???? Squier Danocaster

My Sound Cloud

Finished 'Capital in the 21st Century' by Piketty a few months ago -  also read 'Hillbilly Elegy ',  'The Divide',  'Liar's Poker', and a couple others lately. Currently just starting 'Digital Gold' - about the rise of Bitcoin.
"May your number of practice hours always exceed your number of posts."

Quote from: rockstar_not on February 19, 2017, 10:35:07 PM

In the Name of Jesus, by Henri Nouwen (our worship pastor leads us through a chapter each week as part of rehearsal)


It's a profound, yet simple book.
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Larrivee owner since 1992

Quote from: Capefear on March 03, 2017, 07:56:56 AM
Finished 'Capital in the 21st Century' by Piketty a few months ago -  also read 'Hillbilly Elegy ',  'The Divide',  'Liar's Poker', and a couple others lately. Currently just starting 'Digital Gold' - about the rise of Bitcoin.

Quite a list!

Did you find "Hillbilly Elegy" believable?

Quote from: skyline on March 06, 2017, 03:46:04 PM
Quite a list!

Did you find "Hillbilly Elegy" believable?

Hi, yeah, I like to try and gain some insight where I can....

I guess Hillbilly Elegy is believable enough, sometimes a little heavy-handed  towards the end with its 'pull yourself up by bootstrap' treatise, but interesting nonetheless.  Believability is a relative term I guess.  Having grown up in the South, I can attest that this culture does exist to varying degrees all over the country - not just in the rust belt - folks who have just sort of been left behind (for whatever reason).  Funny, when I was a kid of about 19 or so, I read a great book called 'Futureshock' (Alvin Toffler) followed by 'The Third Wave'. These books and others eerily foretold the transition from what was called a 'post-industrial' culture to a 'Technocratic' society - predicting the changing roles of the working class, the need to shift emphasis to more tech-based pursuits, the need for educational redesign, even industrial outsourcing.  Many folks just didn't get a chance (or chose not) to grab the groundswell as it happened.  Then, too, the Gov't hasn't helped at all by keeping blue-collar wages stagnant and manipulating the public with tales of boogeymen behind every tree.....(remember, the American wage earner has been losing economic ground since mid-60's - true fact)....Jeez, I could talk about this for hours - bet you're sorry you asked!

Anyway, all the books were good reads.  The Piketty book (Capital) was a tough but enlightening read (if you like 600 pages of economic charts and graphs, that is). Others - The Divide is a great read albeit a bit of a rant (but that's Taibbi - a very bright Rolling Stone writer a who throws the 'BS' flag pretty quickly).....

This month I am taking a (needed) break and reading a David Baldacci mystery. ....  Thanks!


"May your number of practice hours always exceed your number of posts."

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