What books are you reading?

[K-mom]

Prior to reading the Pynchon book I mentioned above, Infinite Jest was both the most difficult and the most rewarding book I'd ever finished. Talk about a work of art that can be studied ... I spent a few months reading the book itself and even longer reading various essays and interpretations of it.

It's a wonderful experience but be prepared to get extremely extremely frustrated. There's also a couple hundred pages of footnotes at the end of it .... I still remember the day I was reading it on my lunch break, flipped the page, thought I'd hit the end of a chapter only to realize the book itself was finished ... I felt robbed, but it makes much more sense in retrospect, or a re-read.

[Simon of the Playa]

short stories by Borges.

[Ranger Genius]

I really enjoyed it, Fishie. It was kind of an indictment of the arbitrary concept of national boundaries. He manages to be subtle and ham-fisted about arguing for global government at the same time. It took me a while to understand what was going on, exactly, but I really like how the concept unfolded. I enjoyed Perdido Street Station so much, I had to pick it up when I saw it.

For me it fell that little bit flat; you got more out of it than I did. I tried Perdido Street Station and swore I'd never touch Mieville again, but earlier this year I found Un Lun Dun at the library. I like what he did to prophesy. So I read Kraken too, and that was pretty good. Now Iron Council is on my tbr shelf. If I take to it, I'll give Station another chance.

What did you find objectionable in Perdido? Prose too convoluted? I kind of like his style of avoiding exposition for the most part (especially early in the book), so the reader has to figure it out. So it's like a book from the world it describes, rather than about it.

[theCryptofishist]

I really enjoyed it, Fishie. It was kind of an indictment of the arbitrary concept of national boundaries. He manages to be subtle and ham-fisted about arguing for global government at the same time. It took me a while to understand what was going on, exactly, but I really like how the concept unfolded. I enjoyed Perdido Street Station so much, I had to pick it up when I saw it.

For me it fell that little bit flat; you got more out of it than I did. I tried Perdido Street Station and swore I'd never touch Mieville again, but earlier this year I found Un Lun Dun at the library. I like what he did to prophesy. So I read Kraken too, and that was pretty good. Now Iron Council is on my tbr shelf. If I take to it, I'll give Station another chance.

What did you find objectionable in Perdido? Prose too convoluted? I kind of like his style of avoiding exposition for the most part (especially early in the book), so the reader has to figure it out. So it's like a book from the world it describes, rather than about it.

Thsi was several years ago. And it might have been in 06, too, when my brain didn't really work after Scott died. I don't remember.

[goathead]

being forced to read
Process Safety Management
PSM for short
for review and revision
along with all of the
P&ID drawings
and
"What If" tables
sometimes a bullet does sound good.

[theCryptofishist]

*bump*

So, I've been wondering if there is such a thing as "a burner bookshelf".
Number of ways it could go.
* Things like "This is Burning Man" and "The Burning Book."
* DIY: How to Spot Weld (In the Desert, During a Dust Storm) and Generation T.
* Fiction, so far two known examples, The Man Burns Tonight, and a cameo in Ilios.
* Surrealism: Surrealist Games and My Last Sigh being what I own.

I'm sure there's more; what would you include?

[Neutrality]

My old textbooks from college and grad school. I'm doing a refresher on my old coursework. Think it was long overdue.

But after that, I've got a thick stack of cookbooks to play with, which will be a nice break from Physics.

[BAS]

Ugh. I haven't made any real progress in any of the books I am supposedly reading. Things have been too hectic (but mostly in a good way.)

I ordered a couple books from Lindsay Publishing-- one on building generators and inverters, and another (by the same guy) on processing waste oil to be used in the generators. (I don't know when I will ever get a chance to actually DO and of those projects, but reading about them seems interesting.)

I'm planing on reading Bill Phillips "Transform" and/or "Body for Life" while spending hours on one plane or another Saturday. I also have "String Theory for Dummies" and "The Scroll of Thoth" (a short story collection), which I might read instead of/along with the others. Of course, I might wind up sleeping most of the way instead.

[lucky420]

Just finished Jeffrey Archers "Paths to Glory" novel. Based on the life of George Leigh Mallory early English explorer of Mt. Everest. Nice easy read

[theCryptofishist]

Hm. I'm not such an ace at German history. I like history that makes me think.
Argh. I'm not sure I want to start a to be read list. On the other hand...

and barring unforseen circumstances, I'll finish Saragossa tonight.

I should add that Germania is one of the snarkiest history books I've ever read as well.

History snark! I am so there! (It's coming out in paperback, or just did, I forget.)

I am almost finished with this, and I have to say, Eric lead me to wonderful read. He's (the author) got a giddy love for Germany that makes me want to travel there and see all these wacky museums and I don't know what. It's a very idiosyncratic view of history, and I love it. I understand that there is a reason for having a "objective" view of history, but it's lovely to read something where you have to admit the author had fun writing (or at least researching) it.

two small edits for clarification.

[MisaBlue]

Robert Kiyosaki

[lonestoner916]

Just spent several hours finishing Stephen King's Under The Dome It's a great read, fast paced for being a thousand plus page behemoth. Next up is Strong Motion, and early Jonathan Franzen novel, then Cormac McCarthy's The Road, one of those "I can't believe I've never read that!" books.

[Elorrum]

Longitude by Dava Sorbel

[jkisha]

Broken Government, by John W. Dean

and

The Conservative Assault on the Constitution, by Erwin Chemerinsky

[gaminwench]

The Secret History of the World, Mark Booth
Bridge of Waves, W.A. Mathieu
Eleanor of Aquitaine, Alison Weir

[theCryptofishist]

And how is Eleanor?

[gaminwench]

...well, she's dead.
But when she lived, she was powerful, beleaguered, wealthy, intelligent...

it's a fascinating account, written by a serious historian...

[theCryptofishist]

Okay, the basic Eleanor story. Nice to know, I might not rush out and buy it, but if I come across it, I might pick it up.

[gaminwench]

I'd be happy to pass it along to you when I've finished it...

[theCryptofishist]

Thank you.

[ygmir]

a friend just sent me her first short novel/book, "The Witch of Pittenweem".........and, says one of the characters is based on me.........haha, but, won't say which.

So, I suppose I'll be reading that, at least soon.

[theCryptofishist]

This weekend I finished A Renegade History of the United States, which was an interesting book. However, parts of it were not really fleshed out. With these sorts of books, I can't help but wonder if the idea is a gimmick or if there's an agenda involved. The first two parts--about the how the founding fathers tried to force new citizens into good ideas of citizenship to compensate for the loss of a king to provide order, and about how successive waves of immigrants in the 19th century at first identified with african americans but later but were later seen as white, both by themselves and people at large--were the most interesting, and well-argued. The chapter on the freedom of slavery is interesting, and given the longevity of the institution and how many people were involved it has to have a very complicated mess. So, some of that should go back into our understanding of the experience, but I have to question the idea that slaves were such valuable property that masters wouldn't punish them hard. I mean, think of the shit that people do to their children, and tell me that "value" whether commercial or emotional is a sure deterrent. Also the sources he uses (the WPA interviews and runaway slave advertisements) are very open to interpretation. I kept thinking of that slave cemetery that was excavated in New York City, and how the skeletons showed the result of hard work from a very young age. I know, physical evidence is also subject to interpretation, but I think exploration of more lines of evidence would have probably changed the analysis.
Some of the stuff was pretty poorly explored. For instance, the contention that we owe a debt to mobsters for providing gay bars, is a little bit of an eye roll for me. Yeah, I get it, there were no other available public spaces, but these bars were run exploitatively, (from what I've read) and I think that takes some of the bloom off that rose.
Still, it's worth reading for the different perspective it offers.

[knowmad]

*bump*

So, I've been wondering if there is such a thing as "a burner bookshelf".
Number of ways it could go.
* Things like "This is Burning Man" and "The Burning Book."
* DIY: How to Spot Weld (In the Desert, During a Dust Storm) and Generation T.
* Fiction, so far two known examples, The Man Burns Tonight, and a cameo in Ilios.
* Surrealism: Surrealist Games and My Last Sigh being what I own.

I'm sure there's more; what would you include?

There are a few Playa Cook books out there I have a few but cant remember their names or associated camps./...


oh Reading Alvin Toffler's Future Shock (1970) Bantam Books as research material on a piece I'm writing about modular homes. really creepy ironic that there was real knowledge of how and what would happen to the future of Fiance back in 1970. profits are creapy.

[geospyder]

Just started "1776" by David McCullough.

[M_FULL_OF_GRACE]

Water for Elephants

[lucky420]

The Night Circus

Not sure how well I'm liking it but I am more than half way through it so will finish it

[theCryptofishist]

*bump*

So, I've been wondering if there is such a thing as "a burner bookshelf".
Number of ways it could go.
* Things like "This is Burning Man" and "The Burning Book."
* DIY: How to Spot Weld (In the Desert, During a Dust Storm) and Generation T.
* Fiction, so far two known examples, The Man Burns Tonight, and a cameo in Ilios.
* Surrealism: Surrealist Games and My Last Sigh being what I own.

I'm sure there's more; what would you include?

There are a few Playa Cook books out there I have a few but cant remember their names or associated camps./...

I've only noted its existence at a bookstore during my lunch half hour...