The "what are you reading" thread:

Julian Delphiki · April 2, 2008, 04:19

I read Rendezvous with Rama by A.C Clarke yesterday, continued with Augustus: The Life of Romes first emperor by Anthony Everitt.

Dracon II · April 2, 2008, 07:42

Emile, by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

asleepathewheel · April 4, 2008, 22:05

I read The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt yesterday and a few pages today. Really quick read. Now I have to do a paper on it. I haven't written a term paper in years.

Overall-not a good piece of literature, but a good instructional tool, I suppose.

Anyone else read this? I had to read it for an Operations Management course.

Lord Avalon · April 12, 2008, 01:18

A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts, by Andrew Chaikin

Imran Siddiqui · April 12, 2008, 01:35

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. Before that it was World War Z by Max Brooks

phoenixcager · April 12, 2008, 03:13

Taproots: Underlying Principles of Milton Erickson's Therapy and Hypnosis by William Hudson O'Hanlon

Traianvs · April 12, 2008, 07:50

Het verdriet van België (The sorrow of Belgium) by the recently deceased Hugo Claus

b etor · April 12, 2008, 11:29

lie to me - david martin
i'm pretty sure this is the only book i've read that's freaked me out a bit. but i like it so much.

Verto · April 18, 2008, 15:00

For school, I just finished reading The Education of Cyrus by Xenophon, and have started The Prince by Machiavelli. I've also got an essay for my Russian History class, about Napoleon's invasion of Russia, so I've been thumbing through a couple different books on that.

I had been reading The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, but I gave up after Book 3. It's interesting at times, but not enough for me to commit for the whole series. So, I'm looking for something else to read. From my fellow Polytubbies as well as other research, I've compiled a list of potential authors/books: George R.R. Martin, Iain Banks, Masters of Rome, the Mars series by Kim Robinson, The God Delusion, What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, and more.

Anyone want to recommend where to start?

Lord Avalon · April 18, 2008, 15:39

Start with A Game of Thrones by GRRM.

I'm about to start Matter by Iain M. Banks

Nostromo · April 18, 2008, 16:03

Originally posted by Verto
I had been reading The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, but I gave up after Book 3. It's interesting at times, but not enough for me to commit for the whole series.

Man, you're patient... I read the first one and stopped there. It was really, really bad, IMO.

I'm halfway through Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell. Its very enjoyable so far.

hexagonian · April 18, 2008, 22:42

Recently reread Pillars of the Eath By Ken Follett, now reading World Without End by same, and then will read Ghengis, Lords of the Bow by Conn Iggulden.

snoopy369 · April 18, 2008, 22:45

Originally posted by Lord Avalon
Start with A Game of Thrones by GRRM.

I'm about to start Matter by Iain M. Banks

One of his better ones IMO

CrONoS · April 19, 2008, 00:03

Philippe Muray - Festivus, festivus (any cdn or french ever read him?)

Nostromo · April 27, 2008, 15:05

No I haven't read Murray. Is it any good?

I finished Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell. It was pretty good. I recommend it.

I just started Ferdydurke by Witold Gombrowicz. Its quite amazing so far.

And I'll probably also read The Right To Be Lazy by Paul Lafargues. I've been meaning to read that one for a while. Its fairly short and its available on the Internet. Here's the link for the English translation those of you who are interested:

http://www.marxists.org/archive/lafa...lazy/index.htm

Here's the link for the French version:

http://abu.cnam.fr/cgi-bin/donner?paresse3

Imran Siddiqui · April 27, 2008, 15:37

Originally posted by Nostromo
I finished Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell. It was pretty good. I recommend it.

Second the recommendation. One of my favorite books of the decade.

Aivo½so · April 27, 2008, 16:10

Da Vinci code : roman / Dan Brown ; traduit de l'anglais (États-unis) par Daniel Roche

Language acquisition is always a good excuse to read all kinds of low-brow stuff

Aivo½so · April 27, 2008, 16:23

BTW, I recommend to thriller-interested Poly Germans the works "Ewige Nacht", "Das Hiroshima-Tor" and "Höllensturz" by Finnish author Ilkka Remes

Nostromo · April 27, 2008, 18:06

Da Vinci code : roman / Dan Brown ; traduit de l'anglais (États-unis) par Daniel Roche

Language acquisition is always a good excuse to read all kinds of low-brow stuff

Learning the language of love

Da Vinci code

Aivo½so · April 28, 2008, 02:49

/me hocha la tête.

Koyaanisqatsi · April 28, 2008, 03:15

Just finished God's Demon by Wayne Barlowe. The premise is that a former seraph who fought alongside Lucifer is tired of handing out suffering in Hell and decides to start a holy war to return to Heaven. He recruits Hannibal Barca to lead the human souls in his rebellion and marches on Beelzebub (who's acting as regent since Lucifer is nowhere to be found). Pretty good, though somewhat light on plot in places. Barlowe is mostly known as a painter though (he's the artist that did most of the concept work on Discovery Channel's Alien Planet, if you saw that) and it comes through in some long, detailed descriptions of Hell that would make anyone from Hieronymus Bosch to Dave McKean squirm in their chair. For instance, this is his painting of the ex-seraph, only because it's in words instead of an image it's about a thousand times more vivid in the book:

Zkribbler · April 28, 2008, 11:19

I found a copy of the orginal "The Mark of Zorro," first published in 1909!

Lord Avalon · May 3, 2008, 15:11

Fatal Revenant: The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Book Two, by Stephen R. Donaldson.

jkp1187 · May 3, 2008, 18:37

Finished ''Born Standing Up" by Steve Martin. Very good.

CrONoS · May 23, 2008, 09:24

Finished:

The Noblest Triumph: Property and Prosperity Through the Ages by Tom Bethell

Excellent books; it made me thinks about several issue, was able to make link with course that I took during my B.A.!

I'm now reading(again) a book:
The Futurological Congress by Stanislaw Lem

One of the funniest book I've ever read and at the same time; very insightful.

Nostromo · May 23, 2008, 09:59

I'm now reading(again) a book:
The Futurological Congress by Stanislaw Lem

One of the funniest book I've ever read and at the same time and very insightful.

Never read that one. Maybe I'll check it out.

I finished A Canticle for Leibowitz. It was pretty good. And I'm now going back to Gombrowicz.

Tuberski · May 23, 2008, 10:00

Reading Memories of Ice by Steven Erickson

ACK!

-Jrabbit · May 23, 2008, 10:11

Making Money by Terry Pratchett

Got it for my wife last Christmas, never got around to it.

Julian Delphiki · May 23, 2008, 10:27

My local library is closed for another month because of renovation. I just might finally manage to finish my unread pile , now reading The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. Only 120 pages down, not much has happened yet.