What book(s) are you reading?

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

We have a what *** are you *** for lots of subjects but none for books. (Although, I did see a post "What books have you read?")

I'll start this off:

• Getting my first dose of Flannery O'Connor with "Everything that Rises must Converge"
• H.P Lovecraft's "The Call of Cthulu and Other Short Stories"

 

[ACamp1900]

Just stated Unbeatable: The Story of the 1988 Notre Dame Football team.

 

[ACamp1900]

I have "With the Old Breed" by Eugene Sledge up next, though I literally haven't read more than a couple pages of Unbeatable... so...

 

[Cackalacky]

"Their Finest Hour" By Winston Churchill. 1949 copyright.

 

[IrishLion]

I'm about half way through The Shining by Stephen King, and then I'll pick up A Game of Thrones once again to do a read-through before the next season starts on HBO.

 

[ACamp1900]

I'm about half way through The Shining by Stephen King, and then I'll pick up A Game of Thrones once again to do a read-through before the next season starts on HBO.

Let me know what you think? I have read two books where I actually thought the film versions were decidedly better, The Shining was one of them.

 

[IrishLion]

Let me know what you think? I have read two books where I actually thought the film versions were decidedly better, The Shining was one of them.

I've heard this a few times, though I haven't seen the film either. A friend said he liked the film better simply for Nicholson's acting. And this is also interesting to me because I've heard that Stephen King was not very happy with the film adaptation and some of the things that changed.

I guess I'll have to power through the last half of the book and then check out the film.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

Just ordered "Gates of Fire" about the battle of Themopylae and "Men in Green Faces" about Navy SEALs in Vietnam. I have been told both a pretty epic.

Finishing up Lone Survivor right now. Also just recently finished Killing Lincoln which I loved.

 

[connor_in]

Pete the Cat: Play Ball
amongst the rest of my son's Pete the Cat ouvre

 

[connor_in]

Also just recently finished Killing Lincoln which I loved.

CALL THE SECRET SERVICE!!!!!!

 

[ACamp1900]

CALL THE SECRET SERVICE!!!!!!

hah, I just gave him a nice rep comment for that one...

 

[ACamp1900]

I've heard this a few times, though I haven't seen the film either. A friend said he liked the film better simply for Nicholson's acting. And this is also interesting to me because I've heard that Stephen King was not very happy with the film adaptation and some of the things that changed.

I guess I'll have to power through the last half of the book and then check out the film.

The film is a classic, the book is just kind.... eh.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

I just finished The End of the Bronze Age by Robert Drews which has inspired me to circle back to Homer's Iliad. I'm also about halfway through Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror which is excellent but lengthy so I can't stay focused on it alone for the whole length. It's the first work of hers which I have read but she is well known for a number of books covering a variety of historical eras. I would definitely recommend her to any history fans.

 

[ACamp1900]

I just finished The End of the Bronze Age by Robert Drews which has inspired me to circle back to Homer's Iliad. I'm also about halfway through Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror which is excellent but lengthy so I can't stay focused on it alone for the whole length. It's the first work of hers which I have read but she is well known for a number of books covering a variety of historical eras. I would definitely recommend her to any history fans.

Love it, I have read that a few times, because of how difficult a read it can be at times I find you catch something completely new every time. I imagine most classic works are that way to the modern reader but The Iliad is the only one I've ever gone back and re read.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

Love it, I have read that a few times, because of how difficult a read it can be at times I find you catch something completely new every time. I imagine most classic works are that way to the modern reader but The Iliad is the only one I've ever gone back and re read.

Yeah it's amazing to think something that sophisticated and well crafted is over 2,500 years old. For my history and lit studies I had to read a fair amount of renaissance and early modern literature and it's palpably inferior. I was a history & philosophy major back in college and got a healthy does of Greek classics, as is standard. I didn't really appreciate those works at the time since I was mentally comparing them to the 18th, 19th and 20th century intellectual movements rather than really seeing them in the proper social context. It's like seeing a Marx Brothers movie and being bored because we've built on that for so many years the uniqueness isn't appreciated. But if you immersed yourself in the culture of their contemporaries it's easier to see it's virtues.

 

[GO IRISH!!!]

CALL THE SECRET SERVICE!!!!!!

hah, I just gave him a nice rep comment for that one...

Yeah, cause I wasn't already on their radar after starting the I.E. Bunker.

The black helicopters can't be too far away...

 

[#1rish]

I should have read this book a few years ago, but Lone Survivor. I'm a little over halfway through and it's getting pretty intense. Great so far.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Just ordered "Gates of Fire" about the battle of Themopylae and "Men in Green Faces" about Navy SEALs in Vietnam. I have been told both a pretty epic.

Finishing up Lone Survivor right now. Also just recently finished Killing Lincoln which I loved.

Really good book. One of the most intriguing battles to read about because of it's storyline and the effects of it's outcome.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

Yeah it's amazing to think something that sophisticated and well crafted is over 2,500 years old. For my history and lit studies I had to read a fair amount of renaissance and early modern literature and it's palpably inferior. I was a history & philosophy major back in college and got a healthy does of Greek classics, as is standard. I didn't really appreciate those works at the time since I was mentally comparing them to the 18th, 19th and 20th century intellectual movements rather than really seeing them in the proper social context. It's like seeing a Marx Brothers movie and being bored because we've built on that for so many years the uniqueness isn't appreciated. But if you immersed yourself in the culture of their contemporaries it's easier to see it's virtues.

Kind of like Mel Brooks' movies. In hindsight, he doesn't seem very original but when placed in his historical context, his jokes were edgy and hilarious. I can still veg out to a good dose of Mel every now and again.

 

[Fitzy20]

I'm on my 5th run through of About Face by David Hackworth, one of my favorite books of all time just for his thoughts on the Korean War and Vietnam War. Killer Elite is another one of those books I have read multiple times its about a special ops group that helped in the Iranian hostage situation and was in Mogadishu when that went down. Both are excellent books I would recommend reading them.

 

[Rack Em]

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

 

[twig21]

I'm working on two completely different biographies. The Kid, the immortal life of Ted Williams, by Ben Bradlee jr. The other is because I hate to say it, but I'm a big fan of American classical music. Aaron Copland The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man. Copland's music epitozed the struggle of the average American, hard, honest work in order to reach their dreams. Everytime I hear Copland I think of my late father who was a farmer in Indiana then later a machinist here in SoCal. Worked his ass off. Never heard him complain. Anybody ever heard Paul Harveys poem about a farmer? That was my dad.

 

[Bluto]

Read World War Z. Entertaining and easy read. Took me a bit more than a day to finish while on vacation. A must for Zombie fans and had pretty much nothing to do with the movie.

Also reading 100 Years of Solitude. I like Marquez's work.

 

[phillyirish]

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Excellent piece of literature. Really intriguing how author Laura Numeroff really emphasis the metaphors and allegory to really highlight how government social well-fare programs create a nation of free-loading bums. The circular pattern of being systematically subservient to the system is really strong theme through out this epic novel.

 

[Bluto]

If you like crime, noir type stuff check out anything by Kem Nunn (he throws in some surf culture for good measure) James Elroy and Walter Mosely. All great writers.

 

[ACamp1900]

Have the following lined up for the summer, maybe even for the year depending on how they read:

-Unbeatable: 1988 ND (Just starting)
-With the Old Breed
-Killing Mister Watson (Heard good things)
-The Pillars of the Earth
-Planning on re reading Dance with Dragons just because I really flew through that one as I grew tired of Martin and I think I’ll give it a more fair shot.

If anyone has read the books in italics, I'd be interested to know your thoughts... I'm reading both off word of mouth.

 

[NDALA]

It wasn't in italics but With The Old Breed is great I've read it twice!

 

[ACamp1900]

It wasn't in italics but With The Old Breed is great I've read it twice!

Good to hear... thanks!!

 

[Ndaccountant]

Thinking Fast and Slow

Great read if you are interested in how your mind is programmed to think and how biases impact our decision making.

 

[zelezo vlk]

The Divine Comedy. Figured I would pick it up for Lent