What have you been reading lately?

[Mark Twain]

Peter C. Vollhardt's "Organic Chemistry: Structure and Function"


... Cure for insomnia

If you need a cure, read some Middle English text. And if you are really desperate, try some Old English. Guaranteed a sleeper for most.

college....English lit....pure HELL....

Its not THAT bad. I've taken more English Literature classes than I care to remember. One time I was taking a special course on Chaucer/Shakespeare/Milton. It was an experimental class the University of Nebraska at Lincoln was trying out. We was reading The Canterbury Tales. I was reading it in Middle English and I wondered why everyone was so far into it than I was so I asked my buddy how the hell did you breeze through it. He told me he was reading the Modern version of it. Cheating bastards!!! I kept to my guns and read it in Middle English. When I was done, it was a pretty rewarding experience. :thumbs: But its definitely not for everyone. :laugh:

I’m fascinated by Middle and old English. I wish I had the patience to learn it and read Beowulf in the original text. I went to a reading in Middle English and thought it sounded awesome when it was read aloud.

I’ve been re-reading a lot of stuff lately from McTeague to most of Hemingway and all of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories along with a healthy dose of Chekhov.

They say Joseph Conrad could speak six languages and write in four when he wrote Heart of Darkness. I might be lucky if I learn one in my life :laugh: . One of Conrad’s tricks to learning a new language was to find a good translation of a well known book and then studing it alongside the original. It might help you learn Russian if you look at a translation of Chekhov’s short stories next to a copy printed in Russian.

 

[Devil Doc]

I had an English Prof.,a frustrated thespian, who read Beowulf and Chaucer to us. It's the only way to go.

Doc.

 

[Smitty]

just finished "Under and Alone"

 

[Lopaka]

I'm a history nut so currently I'm reading "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William Shirer

 

[Mr Peat]

I have two Russian sites I buy stuff from thats imported into the USA and luckily they have an option on the website to switch between a Russian-English translation on everything that they have written. Its surprising the words you start to recognize. But alas, the grammar side makes figuring out certain words very entertaining as their alphabet has 33 letters and 10 vowels. This is before you have to know the stresses that is used in Russian. Needless to say, its pretting interesting in learning on your own. :thumbs:

 

[Nice_Ashh]

I tend to read just about anything that sounds interesting to me. These are my reads from the last six weeks:

Plum Island by Nelson Demille
A Very Strange Trip by L. Ron Hubbard and Dave Wolverton
The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
Pure Drivel by Steve Martin
Demon of the Waters by Gregory Gibson
Tuxedo Park by Jennet Conan
He Sleeps by Reginald Mcnight
The Color of Water by James McBride
Fire by Sebastien Junger
The Jewel in the Crown by Frank SImon
And If You Play Golf, Your're My Friend by Harvey Penick
On the Night Plain by J. RObert Lennon
Burden by Toy Walters
Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way by Pope John Paul II
The Godfather, Omerta, The Family, The Last Don, and The Sicilian by Mario Puzo

 

[Zeebra]

I'm a history nut so currently I'm reading "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William Shirer

Hey I started reading that recently as well!

 

[Saxjazzman]

Nothing as nearly exciting as most here. I have been reading a book on particle physics and another on Quantum physics. Those real nature mysteries really get to me. :blush:

 

[Poronico]

I just finished the second book of the " God Slayer Chronicles " by James Clemens fantasy author; very good book, I also finished re - reading the Drizzt books by R. A. Salvatore... along with a few other spin offs with other characters from him. 35 books all together... I need to find some other way to fall asleep at night lol

If anyone loves great storylines and extremely detailed fight sequences i highly recommend these books

 

[wtrfwler1]

I didn't read the Da Vinci Code because I saw the movie, but Deception Point and Angles and Demons were both good reads IMO

Gonz, I'm going to have to get off my ass and get Neil books after what you said about them. By the way, they just finished an album and is supposed to be released May 1 with a tour starting in Nashville on June 13

I love Rush. What is the new album? The only one that I see on www.rush.com is the Rush Replay which is a DVD of their concerts.

The Name of the album is Snakes & Arrows, rush.com is the official site, but this site is better IMO http://www.2112.net/powerwindows/index.html

Also rush.com has sound clip form the single Far Cry

 

[fenian'98]

I actually just finished re-reading Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code after watching the movie. Now I'm waiting on Godfather's - Revenge by Mark Winegardner. Huge Godfather fan here. Just picked one up on ebay and should be here any day now.

I here Dan Brown is coming out with another in '07. I look forward to that as well.

I'm a huge Godfather fan as well -- did you actually enjoy Godfather Returns? I was so disappointed.

I didn't finish it Zeebra. I was somewhat dissappointed from what I read. I may have read a 100pages a few months back and never got around to it again. It just didn't do much for me. That's why I'm hoping 'Revenge' is better but I do plan on giving 'Returns' another try. I thought maybe it was because I didn't read the original Godfather so more than likely that will be my next book after Revenge. Kind of working backwards here.

Oh man, do yourself a favour and go read the original Godfather! Then read The Sicilian by Puzo and then you can read The Last Don and Omerta if you're into mafia books

I love Puzo. I started Fools Die a long time ago. I got about half way through and misplaced the book. I'll get back to it one of these days when I get around to finding the book. I am currently reading Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore.

I loved Fools Die! Go find that book again.

 

[fenian'98]

I'm a history nut so currently I'm reading "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William Shirer

This is probably the best book on the subject available, IMHO. I'm a bit of a history nut as well.

I just started Wherever Green is Worn by Tim Pat Coogan. It's about the history of the Irish diaspora.

 

[Gonz]

I've just started reading an incredibly uplifting book:

Dying Well - Peace and Possibilities at the End of Life

by Ira Byock, MD

My wife has read this several times, since she often gets to let folks know that they're going to die, and found it to be a great read and perspective on how to deal with the subject. And since we have a good friend that has terminal cancer and is going to die in the next month I decided I ought to read it as well. I think the author put it very well in the introduction when he states that as Americans we do so much to be healthy, and we make jokes about death to hide from reality, but when we're finally faced with it for real we're completely unprepared to deal with it, and don't even know what to say.

So for anyone that has a relative or friend that might be facing a terminal illness, this is a great read to help you deal with end of life issues.

 

[Saxjazzman]

I've just started reading an incredibly uplifting book:

Dying Well - Peace and Possibilities at the End of Life

by Ira Byock, MD

My wife has read this several times, since she often gets to let folks know that they're going to die, and found it to be a great read and perspective on how to deal with the subject. And since we have a good friend that has terminal cancer and is going to die in the next month I decided I ought to read it as well. I think the author put it very well in the introduction when he states that as Americans we do so much to be healthy, and we make jokes about death to hide from reality, but when we're finally faced with it for real we're completely unprepared to deal with it, and don't even know what to say.

So for anyone that has a relative or friend that might be facing a terminal illness, this is a great read to help you deal with end of life issues.

Not to beat a dead horse here but this is something that soldiers on the battlefield deal with everyday. There is no lying there. Death is real, you can smell it, taste it, see it. You wear it on your uniform, it is in your head and your buddy's eyes every time you go on a mission over the wire. Then there are those back here that have to knock on doors and tell people that someone they love and cherish will be coming home to them in a body bag. Unfortunately, death is a real part of todays military, imbedded in it. I only wish that the young soldiers we bury could live old enough to die of terminal cancer. It is probably a good book, but I don't think there is such a thing as dying well. Death generally sucks. Sorry for the soap box.

ed: for soldiers, read soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors, etc.

 

[Fatken]

Just finished The Bancroft Strategy by Ludlum, not bad but far from his best work.

 

[SteveA]

Not too long ago finished "What Is The What" by Dave Eggers. It's the "fictional" story of one of the Lost Boys that made it from Sudan to the U.S. An amazing story!

Currently finishing up the 2nd volume of "The Civil War" by Shelby Foote. I've been working on this 3 volume set for several years now. Great history but dry if you're not a history nut, which I am. I can, however, only get through about half a volume at a time without moving onto something else a little lighter.

Somebody earlier mentioned "The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich". It's probably been ten years since I read it but one of the most incredible books I ever read. It made be a believer in the phrase "truth is stranger than fiction".

 

[Putz Mulligan]

For light reading, Clive Cussler or Wilbur Smith. For historical fiction, James Clavell or James A. Michener. For fantasy George R.R. Martin (I highly recomend the A Song of Ice and Fire series) and Stephen R. Donaldson (Thomas Covenant series). The list could go on and on.

George R.R. Martin and James A. Michener novels are meaty to say the least. Last summer I spent the evenings outside smoking my cigars and reading A Sing of Fire and Ice series. Damn fine life IMHO!

I must say that I will take many of these authors down for future reference as I tend to read books over and over again without really exploring.

 

[gandolf565]

I've been reading "Comstock" by Louis Lamour.

This is the first LL book I have read, not too bad so far...

 

[kramer0622]

"How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life" by Peter Robinson...a former Reagan speechwriter.

A great read with lots of personal accounts of Reagan dating back to his life as an actor up through his life after The White House.

 

[gandolf565]

For light reading, Clive Cussler or Wilbur Smith. For historical fiction, James Clavell or James A. Michener. For fantasy George R.R. Martin (I highly recomend the A Song of Ice and Fire series) and Stephen R. Donaldson (Thomas Covenant series). The list could go on and on.

The Thomas Covenant series got me started in the fantasy genre. I was simply not able to put the books down! I found myself reading late into the night, and anytime I could squeeze in a few pages during the day.
Quite the series... I may have to revisit them.

edit: I just visited his website and guess what?! There is another series call "The Last Chronicles"! I will definitely be revisiting this series.