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[Star Power]

I just (as in a few minutes ago) finished reading :

The City and the Pillar Gore Vidal

I thought it was beautifully written, and an abolsute joy to read (despite the somewhat drab tone)... witty, insightful, and at certain points very sombre. The contrast between the way Vidal described Bob and Jim's first encounter by the lake, and their last encounter in the seedy hotel room was brilliant. Rolly's parties, Maria Verlaine, the breakfast table section in the begining... it's was all so well written. I like how (deceptively) simple the prose was... I'm no literary critic but I'd really recommend it.

Next up is:

The Thief's Journal Jean Genet

 

[Triumph]

For quieting down my inner asshole:

This is a book on insight meditation, specifically using the Anapanasati Sutra and the breath as a focus to aid in meditation. A damn fine book for anyone interested in that sort of thing.

For shits n' giggles:

Bluebeard focuses on what was apparently a throwaway character in one of Vonnegut's earlier novels (abstract impressionist painter Rabo Karabekian from Breakfast of Champions). Rabo has always been one of my favorite literary characters, and this tale of his life, told in the characters voice as he writes his autobiography in his later years, is very rewarding reading. I'm re-reading it for the first time, and it's a pretty wonderful tale of a guy who was famous for making paintings that fell apart and how the act of painting was a balm to his soul.

Haven't actually started this one yet, but I figure you can't go wrong with some Umberto Eco- at least I haven't yet. Here's what amazon says: The Island of the Day Before is an ingenious tale that begins with a shipwreck in 1643. Roberta della Griva survives and boards another ship only to find himself trapped. Flashbacks give us Renaissance battles, the French court, spies, intriguing love affairs, and the attempt to solve the problem of longitude. It's a world of metaphors and paradoxes created by an entertaining scholar.

 

[The Take Out Bandit]

Comic books.

Spider-Man Venomous - Frank Cho fill-in art is not enough to save this poop. I want my $5 back.

Dr. Slump #4 - oh ho ho! Poo humor.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - in queue.

Bambi and Her Pink Gun - in queue.

The Quitter - in queue

And that Steve Jobs: iCon book. I figure I read The Journey is the Reward, may as well read this one to see why Apple refused to stock it in their stores and pulled all the rest of the publishers titles.

Sorry, I'm a failure at life.

 

[ThirstyFly]

Just started:

Probably gonna read tomorrow:

Last read:

 

[FlameOfCallandor]

 

[rubso]

-Beginning C++ Game Programming (Game Development Series) by Michael Dawson.
-Game Programming Gems (Game Development Series) by Mike Dickheiser
-Programming Game AI by Example by Mat Buckland
i ordered 3 other books Game Development Related
other Books i like to read are Politics Books, (Old Books)

 

[Memles]

Currently biding my time until I can get to a bookstore to pick up a copy of The Amber Spyglass, the final novel in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. I just read Subtle Knife on the bus last week, and Pullman's cliffhangers are frustrating in their combination of suspense and dead stoppage of multiple plotlines, leaving me wanting both a continuation and a whole new start.

 

[littlewig]

Wheel of Time: Path of Daggers

Read the first book(Eye of the World) during christmas break, since then I have been reading the rest of the books in the series.

Great stuff.

 

[Incognito]

 

[Star Power]

Could you guys give a little description of each book?

 

[Space Age Playboy]

Still halfway through Dune 3 months after I started it.

 

[MomoPufflet]

Nothing right now, but I plan on starting the first Gunslinger book next.

 

[White Man]

The first one is really good; the second one, not so much, but I still had a blast reading it. It's just got a flimsier thesis than the first book. While Diamond isn't really presenting the full picture in either books, it's more clear in collapse that he's only displaying the evidence that supports his theories.

Like I said, still entertaining, but it made me think of Diamond as something of a weasel.

 

[Duderz]

It's a cute novel, but at times a little too "stupid funny" for me.

 

[ronito]

Cliche I know. But I figured it bears repeating in today's political climate.

 

[Star Power]

Cliche I know. But I figured it bears repeating in today's political climate.

I read this book a few years ago, it's sort of a "companion piece"/sequel to Animal Farm that sort of makes allusions to 9/11 and such:

I remeber it being pretty okay.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

And

while not currently reading this, its one of my favorite books. Completly blew my mind when I read it, and continues to spur discussion in my family. One of the first times my dad and brothers all bought a book of mine after looking at it. Great read, I highly recommend it to anyone if they want to study human history.

 

[SpoonyBard]

I'm reading Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams. Still one third to go, some pretty good stuff in there.

 

[Nostrildamus]

 

[PhlegmMaster]

Sand. Geez. You're a brave man, he puts me to sleep.

Right now I'm reading:

 

[Tamanon]

Two oldie but goodies. Good times there

 

[CajoleJuice]

Have heard so much about "moneyball" and Billy Beane...figured I'd actually read the book. Fun read. I fucking love baseball though.

 

[Alex Teh Lerge]

 

[Incognito]

Have heard so much about "moneyball" and Billy Beane...figured I'd actually read the book. Fun read. I fucking love baseball though.

Yeah, a great read. Another baseball book I tore through in a span of few days was Jim Bouton's "Ball Four."

Even had it personally autographed.

 

[SyNapSe]

I've been almost done with book two for a week+.. i just haven't felt like reading for a bit. Then I'll hafta pick something new to read.

 

[CajoleJuice]

Yeah, a great read. Another baseball book I tore through in a span of few days was Jim Bouton's "Ball Four."

Even had it personally autographed.

That was the next book on my list to read, I am not shitting you. Yea, I'm already 2/3 through Moneyball and I've had it for 2 days. I think I'm going to pick up Bill Simmons book as well, if only to pay him back for the his plethora of stuff on espn.com that has thoroughly entertained me.

I'm going to go finish Moneyball right now.

 

[thomaser]

"The Red and the Black" by Stendhal. Engaging story from the early nineteenth century's small-town France about a young, low-ranking man who gets a job with a noble family, falls in love and starts an affair with the woman in the house, and... that's as far as I've got. It's always on the brink of spiraling into catastrophe and despair, but always pretty humouristic too. Reminds me of Dostoyevsky.

"I Have Heard a Shooting-Star" by Carsten Jensen. Just started it. It's a follow-up to his previous travel-novel, "I Have Seen the World Begin", and completes his around-the-world journey around 1998. This book is about Papua New-Guinea, the Pacific Islands, Chile, and a few other South-American countries before he goes home to Denmark by way of Paris. Great storytelling and observations throughout by an intelligent and inquisitive author who doesn't shy away from describing anything with the utmost honesty, not even his amorous affairs with various women he meets on the way.

"The Master Key System" by Charles F. Haanel. About learning to think correctly in order to achieve your goals. Supposed to be really effective, and probably is if you make an effort in studying it, and do the (few) exercises. It presupposes a few views that I don't necessarily agree with, but I'll just pretend that I do, and see how it goes.

 

[SpoonyBard]

Right now I'm reading:

I'm probably going to read that next. Douglas Adams said good things about it in Salmon of Doubt. I have also always wanted to read The Selfish Gene, but have never got around doing it.

 

[Baker]

and

 

[MikeHaggar]

i'm reading "The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists". a buddy of mine lent it to me. it's pretty entertaining and it is the first book i've read in years (most of my reading is newspapers, magazines, and the web). also, the book talks about david deangelo, the inventor of 'cocky and funny'... hahaha

 

[CajoleJuice]

a buddy of mine lent it to me.

Cubsfan?

 

[Ford Prefect]

Just finished:

Despite what was said in a discussion in some other GAF book thread, I liked it and am not turned off of Camus because of it. Now I need to read The Fall and The Plague, which are apparently a lot better.

Currently reading:

I'm smack in the middle of the Hell sermon. Cheery folks, those Catholics.

First Vonnegut novel I've read since Player Piano and Slaughterhouse-5. I love the way it's made up of a ton of 1-3 page chapters. So far, I think I like it better than the other two I've read.

Am going to continue reading:

I stopped reading this halfway through some 3 months ago (had to return it to highschool library upon leaving early) and am going to resume soon.

 

[Nostrildamus]

Sand. Geez. You're a brave man, he puts me to sleep.

Well to be fair, I don't really like most of Sand's later works, starting with "Francois le Champi" (The Country Waif). "Lelia" is really good however, although a bit didactic and maudlin.

Btw, Sand is a she.

 

[bluemax]

Just picked up

Because my bookstore didn't have the other book by him I wanted.

 

[Ghengis Cohen]

Also the people who are reading Suite Francaise and If on a Winter's Night a Traveler have excellent taste.

 

[way more]

Blink - Malcolm Gladwell
An easy read on an interesting topic. I kept waiting for him to tie everything together, though; this seemed at times more like a collection of related articles than a cohesive book, and I'm not sure what to take away from it since the advice and findings were sometimes contradictory.

Thanks for your review. The idea sounds interesting but without sufficient evidence I wouldn't want to read a book about it.


I finished this great book.

And the latest Sherman Alexie.

It's not as powerful as his other books and I can't recommend it.





I've also read several other books while plodding through the first quarter of this.

I figure you've got to read Rand sometime but I don't know how much more I can take. I've underlined passages that I find especially annoying. That was the first couple of pages too.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

I was going to start a new topic, but I just missed this one.

Just started this. Fascinating topic, though I have some qualms about the writing style. Still, I love unusual histories, especially about belief, and this certainly qualifies.

This is fantastic. I didn't appreciate it as much when I was younger. Thoreau is America's Marx!

The Scar is very compelling. I'm actually connecting with this far better than any other Mieville I've tried. The world he builds (the world the pirates build!) is fascinating.

 

[Odysseus]

i went out and finally picked up ghosts of onyx this afternoon. starting it right now.

 

[Flynn]

Just finishing:

Probably reading Alan Moore's Lost Girls next.