What are you reading?

Me | 12/21/05 | Darkwolf377

[Darkwolf377]

Anyone reading anything good?

[djf]

Voyage of The Beagle

[Darkwolf377]

Thanks, good stuff. Read some of your suggestions already. Love Kipling, Wolfe, Heinlein. Stoker was not bad but a bit stiff, while Frankenstein was a nice surprise. (Some people have the opposite opinion of both books.)

[Prost1]

When everything fails, The Bible, Shakespeare or Atlas of World History...
Chaucer is pretty good too! Grimms Fairy tales. Till Eulenspiegel.

[Larry Lucido]

Listening to it, actually.

[AntiGuv]

His other book I've read was even better:

Sex, Drugs, Einstein, and Elves : Sushi, Psychedelics, Parallel Universes, and the Quest for Transcendence

[Citizen Soldier]

I just recently read "Hoodwinked" and it was excellent. I just started "Mao" ands it is extremely interesting and the writers make it flow well.

[woofie]

A fun book

[the lone wolf]

1491, by Charles C. Mann--America before Columbus

The Great Mortality, by Jack Kelly--the Black Death

South Park Conservatives, by Brian C. Anderson--the End of the Liberal Media

Accelerando, by Charles Stross--Science Fiction, should be good but haven't started it yet

All from the local library

[farlander]

Fair enough. I will say if you ever feel adventurous, the first book was "The Eye of the World" - sucks you in real quick, tho. It's not quite endless - one book left, by all accounts. And he better not die before he's done, I've got way too much reading and book awaiting time invested.

Actually, have you read Harry Potter ? I recently got suckered into reading the series, and found it a refreshing fare from the old-fashioned fantasy series.

Of course, I'll read just about any SciFi stuff, the Foundation series from Isaac Asimov is very entertaining.

[meadsjn]

Here, try this:

---

The Christmas Guest


It happened one day near December's end
Two neighbors called on an old friend
And they found his shop so meager and lame
Made gay with a thousand bows of green
And Conrad was sittin' with face ashined
When he suddenly stopped as he stiched a twine
And he said "Oh friends at dawn today
When the cock was crowin' the night away
The Lord appeared in a dream to me
And said 'I'm comin' your guest to be.'

So I've been busy with feet astir
And strewin' my shop with branches of fir
The table is spread and the kettle is shined
And over the rafters the holly is twined
Now I'll wait for my Lord to appear
And listen closely so I will hear
His step as He nears my humble place
And I'll open the door and look on His face"


So his friends went home and left Conrad alone
For this was the happiest day he'd known
For long since his family had passed away
And Conrad had spent many a sad Christmas day
But he knew with the Lord as his Christmas guest
This Christmas would be the dearest and best
So he listened with only joy in his heart
And with every sound he would rise with a start
And look for the Lord to be at his door
Like the vision he'd had a few hours before

So he ran to the window after hearin' a sound
But all he could see on the snow-covered ground
Was a shabby begger who's shoes were torn
And all of his clothes were ragged and worn
But Conrad was touched and he went to the door
And he said "You know, your feet must be frozen and sore
I have some shoes in my shop for you
And a coat that'll keep you warmer too"
So with grateful heart, the man went away
But Conrad noticed the time of day
And wondered what made the Lord so late
And how much longer he'd have to wait

When he heard a knock he ran to the door
But it was only a stranger once more
A bent ol' lady with a shawl of black
With a bundle of kindlin' piled on her back
She asked for only a place to rest
But that was reserved for Conrad's great guest
But her voice seemed to plead "Don't send me away
Let me rest for awhile on Christmas day"
So Conrad brewed her a steamin' cup
And told her to sit at the table and sup
But after she left he was filled with dismay
For he saw that the hours were slippin' away
And the Lord hadn't come as He said He would
And Conrad felt sure he'd misunderstood

When out of the stillness he heard a cry
"Please help me, and tell me where am I!"
So again he opened his friendly door
And stood disappointed as twice before
It was only a child who'd wandered away
And was lost from her family on Christmas day
Again, Conrad's heart was heavy and sad
But he knew he should make the little girl glad
So he called her in and he wiped her tears
And quieted all her childish fears
Then he led her back to her home once more
But as he entered his own darkened door
He knew the Lord was not comin' today
For the hours of Christmas had passed away


So he went to his room and he knelt down to pray
And he said "Dear Lord, Why did You delay?
What kept You from comin' to call on me?
For I wanted so much Your Face to see"


When soft in the silence, a voice he heard
"Lift up your head, for I kept my word
Three times my shadow crossed your floor
And three times I came to your lonely door

I was the begger with bruised, cold feet
And I was the woman you gave somethin' to eat
I was the child on the homeless street.
Three times I knocked and three times I came in
And each time I found the warmth of a friend

Of all the gifts, love is the best
And I was honored to be your Christmas guest."

[Brad’s Gramma]

Free Republic!

What else?

:)

Merry Christmas, Darkwolf377!!!

[truemiester]

MARS by Ben Bova. I like his quote "The meek will inherit the earth wild the bold conquer the stars."

[Brad’s Gramma]

Seriously....have you read Travis McGee's book?

Go to my homepage for a linkydink...

[Cronos]

Have completed the Bartimeus Trilogy -- quite fascinating and a nice read. Back to re-reading Moby Dick again after that.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Go to Wikipedia.com and just start typing in random things. You'll be there for hours. After that, go to howstuffworks.com and do the same thing.

I've done that on a few occasions myself.

[Darth_Azrael]

The Wheel of Time series is great but Jordan should have ended it long ago. I think the series peaked around book 4.

I agree about the Harry Potter books. They are surprisingly fun to read.

[John Valentine]

Try "Warriors of the Steppe: A Military History of Central Asia, 500 B.C. to A.D. 1700".

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0306810654/qid=1135150831/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-2469063-9097466?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

[Triggerhippie]

Granted, these are all historical and/or nautical in nature but they are each GREAT books!


1759: The Year Britain Became Master of the World by Frank McLynn

"Bounty" Trilogy: Mutiny on the "Bounty", Men Against the Sea and Pitcairn's Island by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall

The Wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy by N.A.M. Rodger

[cgk]

Bump for later... responding :)

[Northern Alliance]

W.E.B. Griffin, The CORPS. I never get tired of any of his books about the military.

Also, and a bit heavier, The Fabric of the Cosmos : Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality, Brian Greene. I am still struggling with concepts like curved space.