What books are you currently reading?

[Ava]

Yesterday I read Machiavelli's "The Prince" and today I read about half of "The Stranger." I've got several books I'm planning to read within the next few weeks so that I can buff up on literature before I start taking a few classes at the college here.

so what books are ya'll reading? :hi:

[ZombieNixon]

1. Nietzsche.

The Geneology of Morals, The Birth of Tragedy. I'll probably hit The Anti-Christ over the summer if I feel like it.

[Harley Quinn]

7. I just got a great book...

Nietzsche and the Feminine. A collection of essays, some by Nietzsche, some by scholars of his work, describing the nature of women in Nietzsche's world view.

Neat read, but half is in French.

[ZombieNixon]

12. Damn it! I can't speak French.

Well, not enough to read a philosophical tome, anyhow. x(

I've found Nietzche very interesting. I think I'm a quite a nihilist at heart. :shrug:

[Harley Quinn]

17. I don't think Nietzsche made up his mind completely!

Some works, very nihilist. Others, describes the infinite possibility of mankind. Always interesting...I'm getting an itching to break out some Beyond Good and Evil!

[ZombieNixon]

20. And then of course that fact that he went insane and comatose

doesn't make things any easier. And then his sister totally distored the arrangement of his work to make him look more appealing to certain friends named Adolf...thus adding to the...erm...confusion. :crazy:

[Harley Quinn]

23. Wheee!

It does make a worthwhile subject matter!

[ZombieNixon]

31. It certainly does.

I'm finding it coming out in my own writing (even though what I write is typically fiction, and perhaps expository and underpinnings of said fiction).

The funny thing is, when I read what I've written, I come away thinking that nihilism doesn't necessarily have to be so harsh and depressing. On one hand, human existence is without objective meaning, meaning that each of us has to find our own way, but Nietzsche was influenced strongly by Rousseau, who believed that human nature was basically good, so if individualistic "good" is in accordance with societal "good" (for the most part, hence the rise of society in the first place), then each person seeking his or her own truth shouldn't preclude the formation of a constructive and positive society among humans.

OK, I'm now bookmarking this thread for when I write my paper. :)

[Harley Quinn]

34. Good plan!

Have you read Zaranthustra? Excellent concepts regarding societal good and evils. Interesting ideas reagrding women's place in civilization, as well.

[ZombieNixon]

36. I haven't read any yet besides "Morals" and "Tragedy."

Before college, I was kind of anti-Nietzsche (never having read any, of course :eyes:). I'll be reading a lot of him over the summer.

We'll see if philosophy class changes my attitude toward Freud, too. :)

[LostInAnomie]

61. I've read quite a bit of Nietzsche.

You should give "Human, All Too Human" a read. It is by far my favorite. It will give you a great idea about what Nietzsche thought about individuality and overcoming Nihilism. It is a very inspirational read for free thinkers.

[Hardrada]

92. The Port Huron Statement by Tom Hayden

Founding document of the SDS also am working on Chomsky on Anarchism.

[yellowdogintexas]

2. "The Codex" a fun adventure romp through the jungles of

Honduras, looking for an old man and all of his lifetime hoard of treasure, which he took to the jungle to bury and be buried with it...and left a video instructing his 3 sons that if they expected to inherit any of it they had to work together and find him.

Of course they didn't work together and then the fun began.

[djeseru]

3. "The Enchanted April"

By Elizabeth von Arnim. I finished up Homer's "The Odessey" over the weekend, and I'm getting a little behind on my reading list still.

[Ava]

6. ooh... "The Odessey"

i'm going to have to be forced to read that one! :rofl:

[Zomby Woof]

60. It's comic relief

After the heaviness of The Iliad, Homer knew how to lighten the mood.

Or you could just rent "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?" to get the gist. ;-)

[djeseru]

68. It may be funnier than you think!

I'd take Zomby's advice and see "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" first to get the idea of the story. Then, definitely stick with the Robert Fagles translations, they flow very nicely and are really easy to keep up with.

That was the hardest part to me in my literature classes - reading books I had absolutely zero interest in reading! Gah! Dickens was the worst!

[Zomby Woof]

56. Which Homer translation?

I highly recommend the Robert Fagles translation of The Odyssey, the best contemporary translation since Alexander Pope.

I always considered The Odyssey the best example of a what-happens-when-you-piss-off-the-wrong-god-and-don't-stop-to-ask-for-directions-story. ;-)

[djeseru]

67. I've read both Fagles translations...

...The Iliad in 2004 and just now The Odyssey, since finding a decent copy at Half-Price Books. To illustrate the the difference between translators, I also read Sophocles' Electra, a 1906 version. Bleah. I'll be picking up more Fagles when reading anything Greek from now on.

I was impressed with all the "sound and fury" in The Iliad but kind of had to giggle a little with The Odyssey: he and his men sure did a lot of crying in the first several books...huh? "There's no crying in baseball!"

[Placebo]

4. "The Case for Hillary Clinton"

and also "Our Lady of the Flowers" :)

[Aristus]

5. I'm currently reading "Secrets of a Confederate Submarine", which

is about the H.L. Hunley submarine of the Civil War. It was the first submarine in history to score a confirmed kill on an enemy ship. This book is a fairly simple primer with lots of photographs and illustrations of the recovery and restoration process. I read a much more detailed book on the subject last year.

I'm also reading "Post Captain", the second novel in Patrick O'Brian's "Master and Commander" series.

[khashka]

8. Rihgt now?

Gareth Roberts "Only Human"

John Varley "Red Lightening"

Erice Jong "How to save your own life"


Khash.

[two gun sid]

9. "The Troubles" Tim Pat Coogan

I'll be finishing it tonight.

[YankeyMCC]

10. A Walk in the Woods

by Bill Bryson

[skygazer]

11. Several

Tragedy & Farce by John Nichols and Robert W. McChesney about the decline of the American media.

The Bounty by Caroline Alexander about the famous mutiny.

Fast Girls by Emily White, subtitled "Teenage Tribes and the Myth of the Slut" - thought provoking.

I too am reading a Patrick O'Brian, Desolation Island which is part of the Master and Commander series.

Oh, and a friend just lent me a book called The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, about a girl in Germany during WWII.

[Sisaruus]

46. When you're done with Fast Girls, try Slut!

Slut! Growing Up Female with a Bad Reputation -- by Leora Tanenbaum. One of my office colleagues borrowed my copy. Her 15 year old daughter then read it and did a class project based on it.

[Robb]

13. Still marching on through "Mason and Dixon" n/t

[deadparrot]

14. I just finished The Poisonwood Bible.

It was amazing.

I'm trying to figure out what I should try next. :shrug:

[Ravenseye]

15. Marked for Death - The Lost Mark Book 1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/078693610X/102-3363466-5166548?v=glance&n=283155



I've already read all that poop like the Prince and the Stranger. Everything deserving to be read I have. :sarcasm:

So i've moved onto cut rate D&D fantasy. Me likely some swords and sorcery.

[Ava]

18. i didn't like "the prince"

but i see why it would be a must read. i do like "the stranger" so far. i plan on finishing it up tonight. :hi:

[Xipe Totec]

16. So, what are your thoughts

regarding Niccolo Machiavelli?

Seriously; I like to hear other people's take on The Prince, after they read it first hand.

[NewJeffCT]

19. "A Feast for Crows"

A fantasy novel by George R.R. Martin, a good liberal writer. Just started it, though I got the book last year.

[deadparrot]

29. I'm still waiting until I can find the paperback version.

:bounce:

Can't wait for it. :D

[NewJeffCT]

65. I couldn't wait when it came out last year...

I rushed out & bought it... and then it collected dust for 6 months.

[yellowdogintexas]

72. well, are you liking it? I enjoyed it immensely...now can't wait

for Dance With Dragons......

[NewJeffCT]

80. Unfortunately...

with work and a rambunctious 3 year old running around, I haven't gotten past chapter 3.

[MiniMandaRuth]

21. Not reading, but writing.

My newest book is a rough draft for a new idea.

It's about a girl, aged 15, named Shelby 'Stan' Everment, who is the sole percussionist of her school band. She goes to sleep one night and wakes up in an army tent, way back in the American Civil war... As a boy! She is one of the drummers for her unit. I'm only getting started. oy!

[Xipe Totec]

22. Great premise!

I look forward to reading it! :thumbsup:

[MiniMandaRuth]

25. As much as I love feminmisim,

I am beginning to tire of 'Girl hates being around home. Cuts hair, joins army'

Not only does this girl NOT want to be in a war (This takes place three weeks before Gettysburg, and she's on the Southern side, mind you), but she's a dude! Poor her!

[Xipe Totec]

35. I was Thinking of Tolstoy,

and how difficult it must have been for him to write Anna Karenina from a feminine point of view.

I imagine the challenge will be equal for you, perhaps harder, writing about a woman trapped in a man's body in a different world.

How exciting! Best of luck! :thumbsup:

[Ava]

that sounds really cool!

:hi:

[MiniMandaRuth]

52. Thanks!

:hi:

[mdmc]

30. sounds good

i'm working on a book about a 15 year old girl that runs away from home after dropping out of h.s. and using a fake id to enter college.

[MiniMandaRuth]

53. Cool!

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

24. Oh, let's see...

Things I've yet to finish:

Collapse by Jared Diamond

The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loanna by Umberto Eco

London: A Biography by Peter Ackroyd

a collection of short stories by William Hope Hodgson

I should hurry up and read.

[mdmc]

26. the power of myth

moyer . campbell.

[Sanity Claws]

27. Collection of short stories by Katherine Anne Porter

I haven't read her since high school. (A long time ago). I really enjoy her writing and would recommend her.

[Mutley]

28. I'm willing to take recommendations.

I just finished out the semester so I have time to read for pleasure. What do you all think I should read?

[Xipe Totec]

32. The Master and Margarita

Mikhail Bulgakov, For fiction.

The Conquest of Mexico - Bernal Diaz del Castillo, for history.

Brocca's Brain - Carl Sagan, for science.

[Mutley]

33. Already read the Carl Sagan.

Look at my sigline, Xipe. :D

Everything else is on my list.

[Xipe Totec]

37. I saw the sig line

Didn't know if you had read all of him yet or no.

Then let me suggest the Ascent of Man by Jacob Bronowski. It was, to me, a fascinating book. I read it, cover to cover, in one night. Finished it just in time for breakfast. Good thing I was living on campus at the time.

If you loved Sagan, Bronowski is in many ways his equal.

[Mutley]

40. Most people don't notice the sigline.

;)

Bronowski is also on my list. Thank you very much.

[khashka]

38. Reccomdations... Ok

Dorothy Allison.. Bastard Out of Carolina

That book made me so angry I threw it across the room and swore I wouldn't read another page. But damn that girl can write!

Khash.

[Mutley]

41. Sounds like a good time.

:D

She's on my list. Thanks! :hi:

[Ava]

39. "Four Trials" by John Edwards

it's a great book!

http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?isbn=0743244974

[Mutley]

42. That is not a good picture of him...

but the book is on my list. Thanks, Ava. :hi:

[Ava]

43. not a good photo, but a good book!

:hi:

[SnohoDem]

44. Devil in the White City

Buddhism Explained
Southeast Asia (Lonely Planet)

[Sisaruus]

45. sex, patriotism and impatience

The Sex Life of Food: When Body and Soul Meet to Eat by Bunny Crumpacker
The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell
and
William Sloane Coffin, Jr.: A Holy Impatience by Warren Goldstein

[serryjw]

47. Finishing Joe Wilson's book

Finally bought Confessions of an Economic Hitman

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

48. "Cowboys For Christ" by Robin Hardy (director of 'The Wicker Man')

http://www.cowboysforchrist.info

Also part way through Frank Skinner's autobiography, Harry Thompson's biography of Peter Cook and still yet to finish Molly Ivins Who Let The Dogs In?

[mvd]

49. I'm still on Temple Grandin's Animals In Translation

But I tend to draw out books, especially when they are non-fiction. It's fascinating stuff.

[donco6]

50. The French Don't Diet.

It's pretty good and interesting. Makes a lot of sense.

[janx]

51. Until I Find You by John Irving n/t

[Zomby Woof]

54. A masterwork of American history...

History of the United States during the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) by Henry Adams.

Adams could lay it down. The combination of detail, insight, vividness, and irony in his writing are unrivalled in almost any genre.

[BigMcLargehuge]

55. Factories of Death -

Japanese Biological Warfare. 1932-1945 and the American Cover-up (revised edition). Sheldon H. Harris

[frogmarch]

57. Ireland: A Novel

by Frank Delaney. It's wonderful. :thumbsup:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4532548

[retrospective66]

87. Sounds Great!

Is he the guy who wrote the story about "the last storyteller"? That may not be the title as it was about 30 books ago (last year) But I very much enjoyed it if we are speaking of the same thing.

[frogmarch]

93. The Last Storyteller

The only book that I found mentioned on the internet called The Last Storyteller is by Diane Noble, but Frank Delaney's novel could easily have been named that, because that's essentially what the novel is about.

By the way, if you click "Listen" at the link in my last post, you can hear an interview of Delaney, in which he reads an excerpt from Ireland.

I love the book and plan to read it again someday.

[Arkham House]

58. "The Greatest Traitor"...

...a biography of Sir Roger Mortimer, who ruled England from 1327-1330...a fascinating look at the Middle Ages, and incidentally a genuinely revisionist work, in that it pretty conclusively proves that despite 700 years of believing otherwise, Edward II *wasn't* murdered in Berkeley Castle in 1327...a good read...

[jane_pippin]

59. I'm juggling a couple:

Europe Central by William T. Vollmann

My Uncle Napoleon by Iraj Pezeshkzad

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (I read this one in between other books which is why it's taking me close to 9 months to finish it.)

I'm at the beginning of 3 out of 4 of those and I haven't decided which one I want to sit down and read through yet, hence the momentary juggling.

[LostInAnomie]

62. I have a few started.

I'm almost through "Ten Days That Shook the World". I have "In Cold Blood" started (Yes, I know. I'm a sheep). I also just started "Assassination Vacation".

I have a ton of books I need to finish, but I just keep buying more.

[hyphenate]

63. Several

Bertrand Russell's "Why I Am Not a Christian" (collection of essays)

Darwin Sator "Criss Cross Double Cross" (a book about how 1500 years ago, the Bible was completely white-washed and reconstructed to suit those in power at the time)

Ed Gorman (editor-anthology) Cat Crimes I, II, III

[Neoma]

64. *ahem*

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=5189790&mesg_id=5189790

[GumboYaYa]

66. "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson.....

I just started it, but it is very engaging already. It looks like a good read.

[noonwitch]

69. Still reading "The Cost of Discipleship" by Bonhoeffer

I've been busy, so I haven't been reading a lot.

[huskerlaw]

70. Middlesex

by Jeffrey Eugenides.

It's a really interesting book, but I'm almost finished...no clue what's up next. I've got a huge "hey, I should read that" list.

[ceile]

71. 2 PD James at the moment

Death in Holy Orders and THe Murder Room.

[ikojo]

73. I'm reading Sweet and Low by Rich Cohen

It's about the guy who invented the artificial sweetener, Sweet and Low, and how all of that money affected the family.

I am also reading a book about the Chabad Lubavitch movement.

I read several books at once.

[edwin]

74. Thanks you for smoking.

Have not seen the movie yet.

[Fox Mulder]

75. The Vampire Chronicles

Interview with the Vampire
The Vampire Lestat
Queen of the Damned

I'm also going to re-read Dracula after that.

[SaveElmer]

76. "Realistic Visionary:...bio of George Washington

By a former professor of mine in grad school...Peter Henriques

Has a chapter on Washington's religious beliefs that the righties will not like!

[Kathryn STone]

77. "the Prince" is a great read-did a presentation on it as an undergrad

now? I am miserable about starting one then another:
1. Frank Rich: Ghost Light
2. Dr. Frank: Bush on the Couch (sorry can't remember his 1st name he's a shrink)
3.1984 by George Orwell a must
4. Les Miserables Victor Hugo

Am really reading these books at once, I promise! :-)

[SlavesandBulldozers]

78. Russian Fairy Tales - a collection

Gentleman Junkie - THe Life and Legacy of WIlliam S Burroughs
The Tao of Jeet Kune Do - Bruce Lee
Faith No More: King For a Day Fool For A Lifetime (sheet music)

[HEyHEY]

79. The journeys of Captain cook

STILL.
I really gotta finish that book.

[bridgit]

81. well, let's see: Lilian Jackson Braun...

The Cat Who Went Bananas ~

- snip -

'There is a lot happening in Pickax City, the town that is four hundred miles north of everywhere. Jim Qwilleran, the columnist for the local paper, is covering the opening night production of The Importance of Being Earnest starring newcomer Alden Wade. The lead actor moved from Lockmaster where his wife was murdered by a sniper. Another Lockmaster resident Ronnie Dickson is also in the cast, commuting every day because he loves acting. Jim gives the play a good review.

While Qwill plays with his Siamese cats Kate and Yum-Yum, Koko meows, which means someone has died under suspicious circumstances. Ronnie dies in a car accident with pills and alcohol in his system. Rumors circulate that Alden gave the pills to Ronnie saying everyone in the theatre does it. Qwill decides to keep an eye on him since he married wealthy Mrs. Hibbard two decades older than him who dies shortly thereafter. Qwill is on a story about the Hibbards and their valuable home; after listening to Alden’s step-son’s story, he wonders if the man played a hand in the two deaths.

The title of THE CAT WHO WENT BANANAS refers to the Siamese cats, who steal banana peels and leave them lying around so Alden can trip on it as neither cat likes Alden, especially Yum-Yum. One has to feel sorry for Qwill who is deserted by his lady love Polly, who is too busy opening her new bookstore to pay much attention to his needs. Lillian Jackson Braun has written another delightful story starring two adorable felines and a hero who wants to know if the two people who died were murdered.' ~ Harriet Klausner



- so stop snipping already - x(

oh, and i read some dumb stuff too :dunce:

[NYdemocrat089]

82. "Resurrection Blues" and "In Cold Blood"

I'm reading "Resurrection Blues" by Arthur Miller and "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. We just finished "Antigone" by Sophocles and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in English.

[Blue_In_AK]

83. "Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs

with Film or Digital Camera" and "Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color and Composition in Photography," both by Bryan Peterson.

[swag]

84. That one with all the words in it. I forget what it's about.

No really, reading Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs, which was an airport purchase. Not as good as his two previous books, though I like it and I like his authorial and public personae. Also still trying to finish, hopping around inside it, Adam Gopnick's Paris to the MOon, a collection of his writings during his family's recent time living in Paris (I'd go in a second, me). And Susan Blackmore's The Meme Machine which is fun.

I liked both The Prince and The Stranger, though obviously for different reasons with each.

Happy reading, Ava.

[aaronbees]

85. Jackie Robinson's autobiography...

It's good. Interesting account of what he went through getting into the big leagues.

[allalone]

86. The March by EL Doctorow

[amitten]

88. All of them. Oh wait...

actually, just the latest Vanity Fair.

(I've been busy and lazy.)

[Neoma]

89. Tales of Mystery and Imagination by Edgar Allan Poe.

[NMMNG]

90. "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden"

by Joanne Greenberg

I just finished The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury yesterday evening, and am about to begin The Fall by Camus, and the audiobook of Notes From the Underground by Dostoevsky.

[Heidi]

91. "The Truth, With Jokes," by Al Franken,

and "The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality," by Dalai Lama XIV.

[The2ndWheel]

94. The Culture of Make Believe, nt