What are you reading?

Me | 12/21/05 | Darkwolf377

[MarkL]

I think you just paid ERB the highest possible compliment.

My first crush was on Deja Thoris!

Mark

[lawnguy]

'Son of the Morning Star' -Evan Connell

'Good-Bye Darkness' -William Manchester

Man those are a couple of great books right there.

[lawnguy]

Who do you guys like in the political thriller genre?

Besides Vince Flynn, who else?

[farlander]

O, its a fantastic world Rawling has created. And, the further you go with the books less children's books the become. Last couple are very dark. But, never the less, extremely refreshing. I enjoyed the story so far very very much. I guess my main problem is that she might stop writing them - heck, Harry's got only one more year at Hogwarts, technically. Of course there's far more story left than just one more book. So I have to assume she'll be exploring the story far past Hogwarts. It's definitely taken a life of its own.

[Darkwolf377]

Thanks for contributing to the thread I posted! Many great selections.

If only we could have a "Freeper Reader" thread or something. But if anyone wants to post another such thread in a week or two, please ping! me.

[JasonC]

Recently finished, last few months

Philosophy

On Plato's Symposium by Strauss
Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle by Al-Farabi
Perpetual Peace and other essays by Kant
I and Thou, Martin Buber
The Philosophy of George Santayana (living philosophers series)
Science and the Modern World by Whitehead
Naming and Necessity by Kripke
Metamath - Quest for Omega by Gregory Chaitin
Lifebox, Seashell, and Soul by Rudy Rucker

History

Surprise, Security, and the American Experience by JL Gaddis
Roads to Modernity by Himmelfarb
Christian Faith and Interpretation of History by G.L. Keyes (Augustine monograph)
The Dawn of Conscience by Breasted

Military History (a hobby of mine)

Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield (Thermopylae, historical fiction)
The Generalship of Alexander the Great by JFC Fuller
Julius Caesar by JFC Fuller
Storm of Steel by Junger
Before Stalingrad by Glantz (Barbarossa)

Current

Philosophy

Philosophy, mystery, and magic (Empedocles and the Pythagorean tradition)
On the Pythagorean Life by Iamblichus
On Plato's Republic by Averroes
Averroes and the Metaphysics of Causation by Barry Kogan
Philosophical Writings of William of Ockham
Fear and Trembling by Kierkegaard
Sincerity and Authenticity by Lionel Trilling
Freedom Evolves by Dennett
The Road to Reality by Penrose

History

The Barbarian Conversion by Richard Fletcher
The Grand Strategy of Phillip the II by G. Parker
Special Providence by WR Mead
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics by Mearsheimer
The Battle of Kursk by Glantz

On deck

Philosophy

Montesquieu's Philosophy of Liberalism by Pangle
Philosophy of German Idealism: Fitche, Jacobi, Shelling (German library series)
Essays in the Philosophy of Science by CS Peirce
The Great Chain of Being by Lovejoy
The Main Currents of Marxism by Kolakowski

History

The Empire of Reason by HS Commager
An Empire of Wealth by JS Gordon
Gulag by Anne Appelbaum

And whatever I get for Christmas. No I am not making it up, that's what I'm reading.

[Darkwolf377]

So this is your slow period? ;) Thanks for the ideas.

[paulat]

All of Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus novels...Note: important to read them in chronological order....

An Inspector (with a great taste in music) working the dark side of Edinburgh:

"The Rebus novels have been universally praised for the strength of characterisation, particularly the figure of Rebus himself who has been described as 'the most compelling mind in modern crime fiction' (Independent) and 'a masterful creation' (Observer); and for the gritty realisation of Edinburgh, the dark heart of contemporary Scotland which lurks behind the elegant and historic buildings of the tourist trail."

[GretchenM]

"What are you reading?"

This thread.

[Darkwolf377]

Congrats, you're about the seventh person who came up with that one.

Somehow a couple hundred others managed to actually contribute something interesting, but there's always a couple a schmucks.

Very funny, very original, thanks for sharing....zzzz...

[Darkwolf377]

Let's hope they don't screw up the movie, though I don't feel very confident with the Sky Captain director in charge.

[Darkwolf377]

ERB still holds up beautifully. I was actually turned on by the covers when I was a kid and only got into the books late in life, in my thirties (I'm 40). What I love is what other modern readers probably dislike, the deliberate pacing. I really enjoy getting to know the world, the customs, the characters--ERB's writing is so VIVID. As Stephen King said of him, ERB could make himself disappear from the book and leave the reader completely lost in the story, something many more intellectual writers could never manage.

[Darkwolf377]

For me the negativity is about adults reading kids' books when they could be reading something a little more intellectual. Personally I don't care, but I checked out one of the books and couldn't go more than a few pages; they're not very original. I think Rowling is immensely talented, as do millions of others, but found the actual content very, very thin.

The negativity is just people bitching about something that's popular.

[Darkwolf377]

I love Kerouac's writing, though I expected by now I'd be sick of it. But like most great writers, Kerouac's material improves as I have aged--I can see more in it now that I've lived a little more.

One of my current reads is "Memory Babe," a Kerouac bio.

[Darkwolf377]

There's a good piece on Watchmen in Slate this month that pretty much sums up my feelings about it. I must say, though, that the big "surprise" about the villain's evil plot is absolutely masterful--and a great black joke on the old "evil villain telling his plot" moment in so many comics and movies.

[BamaAndy]

Oliver North's War Stories... very good. Before that I read Goldberg's, hundred people screwing up America, Coulter's How to Talk to a Liberal, and Levin's Men in Black--all great. Then of course, I would invite you to buy mine--and review it (see tag line).
Merry Christmas!

[Darkwolf377]

Reread Crusoe a year ago and was surprised at how bad the second half was. Friday pretty much just vanished and the story got routine.

[Darkwolf377]

Haven't read much modern SF, but am plowing through the oldies but goodies--Heinlein, Clarke, Simak (who's underrated and sadly unappreciated now).

[Darkwolf377]

Foundation is on my stack right across from where I'm sitting. Started it and enjoyed what I read.

Not into Potter, though I appreciate Rowling's talent. Same old same old to me.

[Darkwolf377]

I've got a few of the Travis McGee books but haven't read any of them--The Green Ripper was recommended to me.