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OK everyone, it's time again for my quarterly "What Are You Reading Now?" survey. I always ask this because I consider most Freepers to be extremely well-read, possibly some of the more well-read groups on the Web. What you are currently reading can be anything - a technical journal, an NY Times bestseller, a classic novel, in short anything. Please do not defile this thread by replying "I'm reading this thread". It became un-funny a long time ago. I'll start. I'm reading "The Approaching Fury: Voices Of The Storm (1820-1861) by Stephen Oates. This book covers the major controversies and...

THE literary works of Katie Price, Barack Obama and Dawn French are the most readily discarded reads in UK hotel rooms in 2009 a new report reveals today. Topping this year’s Travelodge’s “books left behind index” is Jordan’s third autobiography, Pushed to the Limit, In which she reveals the tough times she has faced in the last couple of years concerning marriage, children and turning from glamour model to businesswoman. In second place is Dreams from My Father, Barack Obama’s moving account of his journey towards understanding both his father's life and his own cultural inheritance. British actress, writer, comedienne...

HINGHAM, Mass. -- A summer reading assignment for high school students in Hingham has caused some controversy with some parents. President Obama's "Dreams from My Father," was listed on the Hingham High School's summer reading list.

Need recommendations for a Reading List for a Liberal to learn about Conservative values and positions on issues.

Nope, sorry, I don’t believe it. Barack Obama’s choice of holiday reading has been concocted by a spin-doctor. I mean, look at it: a heavyweight (and brilliant) biography of John Adams by David McCullough is set off by a goody-goody eco-book and three novels. All bases covered, then: brainy, but still a regular guy. Yeah, right. It’s a pity, because when Obama gave his all-time favourite reading list during the campaign, it rang true. He even admitted to being inspired by Shakespeare’s tragedies (it would have been slightly creepy if a man of his intelligence didn’t revere our national poet...

The US president arrived with his family on Sunday for a week-long break on the picturesque Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard in which he hopes to devote his time to golf and his family. However, he may also have his head down in a book for much of the time after the White House revealed he had taken five titles to read at the secluded private estate where they are staying. It was not clear who had chosen the books but they cover the gamut of worthier tomes on history and the environment to crime novels. In total, the five...

(CNN) — The White House has said President Obama plans to play golf and spend time with his family during his week away from Washington. But it appears the president also wants to get some reading in: a lot of it. White House spokesman Bill Burton told reporters Monday Obama's vacation reading list comprises five books, including tomes from New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and historian David McCullough.

Well, it's time again for my quarterly "What Are You Reading Now?" thread. I do this thread to gauge what other Freepers are reading. As all of you know, Freepers are probably some of the more well-read individuals on the Internet and I'm always curious as to what we're reading. It can be anything, a classic work of fiction, a NY Times bestseller, a technical journal, a trashy pulp novel...in short anything. Please do not ruin this thread by replying "I'm reading this thread". It become un-funny a long time ago. I'll start. I'm about halfway thru "The Horrid Pit:...

I haven't seen a good summer reading thread, so I thought I'd start one. What books have you read so far this summer, what are you currently reading, and what is in your book stack? I just started reading The Doomsday Key by James Rollins. So far it has an interesting premise, genetically altered foods, but I am only about 1/8 of the way through. I will probably read Glenn Beck's Common Sense and maybe Dred Scott's Revenge by Judge Napolitano. I love hearing what everyone else is reading!

A nephew of mine is doing some project/study work on the Great Depression. I have tons of history books, but very little on economical history and the Great Depression. I'd like him to avoid Roosevelt adulating propaganda. What do you consider the authorative and most relevant books on the Great Depression and the (etatist) measures certain States (particularily US and Europeans) have taken against it? Thanks for your help.

... A mountain of research points to a central lesson: Pry your kids away from the keyboard and the television this summer, and get them reading. Let me help by offering my list of the Best Children’s Books — Ever! So here they are, in ascending order of difficulty, and I can vouch that these are also great to read aloud. 1. “Charlotte’s Web.” The story of the spider who saves her friend, the pig, is the kindest representation of an arthropod in literary history. 2. The Hardy Boys series. Yes, I hear the snickers. But I devoured them myself...

Here’s a small but revealing sliver of news concerning our cool, hard-to-fathom president: According to his closest advisor, David Axelrod, Barack Obama really likes the novel he’s reading right now. In fact, he likes it “a lot.” The First Novel for the First Reader (revealed by David Leonhardt in The New York Times) is “Netherland,” by Joseph O’Neill — an Irishman schooled in Holland and Britain and now living in New York City. It’s a much-praised, elegantly written, alternately inspiring, and grim portrait of present-day Gotham. O’Neill sees New York as an anything-goes metropolis, teeming with immigrants of color who...

From time to time, readers ask me what books have made the biggest difference in my life. I am not sure how to answer that question because the books that happened to set me off in a particular direction at a particular time may have no profound or valuable message for others— and can even be books I no longer believe in today. The first book that got me interested in political issues was Actions and Passions by Max Lerner, which I read at age 19. It was a collection of his newspaper columns, none of which I remember today...

OK everyone, it's time for my quarterly "What Are You Reading Now" survey. I do this to gauge what Freepers are reading these days. Amongst many Internet sites, I find Freepers to be some of the most well-read. It can be anything...an old classic, a trashy pulp novel, a technical journal, etc. Please do not defile this thread by replying "I'm reading this post". It became extraordinarily un-funny a long time ago. I'll start. I'm two pages into "Inside Gitmo: The True Story Behind the Myths of Guantanmo Bay" by Gordon Cucullu. It looks to be quite interesting. Barack Obama...

About a year ago, a writer for one of the town's less-than-every-day papers infamously reported with regret that the Reading Room bookstore at Mandalay Place inside the Mandalay Bay was closing, leaving Las Vegas without any independent booksellers. Las Vegas was not and still is not without independent booksellers, needless to say, and I'm not merely talking about the Philadelphia-based (and markedly upscale) Bauman's Rare Books, which moved into Sheldon Adelson's Palazzo last year. Check out www.usedbookslasvegas.com/Open_Shops.html.

We are going on a long car trip, with kids in the back. There will be a long stretch of desert without much radio. We adults would like to listen to something interesting on the trip. We have already purchased the audio to Mark Levin's Liberty and Tyranny for the way there. On the way back, we'd love a mystery or something really gripping. Here is where you come in. Those of you who listen to audiobooks, or read mysteries, can you think of one that you loved, not too feminine please, got to please the guys, that does NOT...

Obama, last night on Leno: When you buy a toaster, if it explodes in your face there's a law that says your toasters need to be safe. But when you get a credit card, or you get a mortgage, there's no law on the books that says if that explodes in your face financially, somehow you're going to be protected.

Barack Obama: Born in Hawai`i Barack Obama: Red Diaper Baby What Barack Obama learned from the Communist Party The Frank Marshall Davis network in Hawaii (Obama and the “revolution of 1954”) Obama’s Sex Rebel Communist mentor Frank Marshall Davis (Honolulu Record columnist) Sex Rebel: Black (memoirs of a gash gourmet) by Obama mentor Frank Marshall Davis -- full text in pdf Obama’s Hawaii Democrat Party Connections Lehman Bros: Obama’s Rezko-Auchi Conflict of Interest Obama’s Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac connection Obama Tries to stall Iraq withdrawal Ayers: Obama’s ghostwriter? Obama’s War Obama's War on Black America Iraqi Billionaire threatens reporters investigating Obama-Rezko...

Over the past few weeks, Ayn Rand’s classic, Atlas Shrugged, has been mentioned in articles in the Wall Street Journal and among conservative and libertarian bloggers. Two questions are being debated by those who have read the book. Are we living in a time line that follows the book? What chapter are we in? Besides those who have read the book, there are FReepers with little awareness of Rand and her work. Some are turned off by the length of her works of fiction. Some of a more religious bent have problems with Rand’s atheism. Some wish she had left...

Hi everyone! And a Happy New Year as well! ity's time for my quarterly "What Are You Reading Now?" thread. I do this to gauge what Freepers (who by the way, are a very well-read group) are reading right now. It can be anything...a best seller, a technical journal, an old classic, even a trashy pulp novel. Please do not defile this thread by replying "I'm Reading This Thread". It became very unfunny a long time ago. Serious replies only, please. I'll start. I'm about 5 pages into "One Day In September" by Simon Reeve. It's about the disaster involving...

Karl Rove's recent revelation of President George W. Bush's passion for books wasn't a surprise to me. In a Wall Street Journal column last week, Rove explained that for the last three years, he and the president have had a friendly rivalry to see who could finish more books during the year. Rove won each year -- but the president was no piker. In the three years of the competition, the president read 186 books to Rove's 250. Much of the intelligentsia no doubt will be shocked to learn George W. Bush is an avid reader of serious books, but...

In a WSJ column, Karl Rove reports that President Bush has read an astounding 186 books in the last three years. That translates to well over one book per week. I don't read nearly as much, and just in case you didn't know, I am not President. Rove's column concludes with the following: In the 35 years I've known George W. Bush, he's always had a book nearby. He plays up being a good ol' boy from Midland, Texas, but he was a history major at Yale and graduated from Harvard Business School. You don't make it through either unless...

After a review of the Free Home page, I noticed the various links to allied groups, media groups and other interests. Perhaps I didn't look as completely as I should have but conspicuous by it's absence was a Free Republic library or reading list. Long time Conservatives and libertarians may be familiar with the classic works of authors and film-makers but those newer to the movement, may not be. Even those died-in-the-wool may be looking for additional background or may be missing a volume or two from their own personal library.

Recommended lists of ‘essential’ reading are the most pernicious ‘to do’ lists of all. Lists of physical achievements or magical holiday destinations or wonderful restaurants or fabulous hotels make you feel like your life has been wasted; a list of great books you should have read makes you feel like your brain has been wasted. Most people embarking on a journey into a new book will feel they have to hack through a hundred pages of dense undergrowth before their conscience will allow them to give it up as a lost cause. But how many people feel secure enough in...

Autumn is coming on and it feels like Halloween in southwest Missouri. My wife and I were thinking of some seasonal reading. So what do YOU recommend? Scare me!

WASHINGTON -- It is vacation time, and this summer millions of Americans are going to take breaks from their daily toils. Many will seek out quiet spots to relax with family members. They will head to the beach or to campsites, and some will defy gas prices and head for the open road. The summer vacation is a perfect time to read a book, possibly two books. There are all kinds of books available: personal improvement books, how-to books, bad books, very bad books. For some reason, the books I have been reading this summer have been mostly history books....

(My first thread, hope I'm doing this right!)

FReeps have such great taste! So, I thought I would put this out there. One of my favorite things to do during the summer months is read to my children before they go to sleep. Actually, I do this year round, but particularly enjoy reading to them during the summer months. At times we get carried away with some of the great children’s lit available ~ with Mom finally coming up tho the bedrooms at 10:30 to shut down the evening's activities. At which point we may have to get real quiet and me straining my eyes. It’s great to...

My niece has been assigned a list of books for her summer reading. If you are wondering, she attends a private school. Because I haven't read any of the books on the list I need the help and insight from freepers. The list is below and I'd greatly appreciate any and all commentary. Thanks again. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly And Then There Were Non by Agatha Christie Bread and Roses Too by Katherine Paterson Leonardo's Shadow by Christopher Grey      

Now that it's June, it's officially summer reading time. Those who have the luxury curl up by the beach engrossed in the latest faddish novel. This summer, publisher W.W. Norton is pushing "The Garden of Last Days," by Andre Dubus III, an Oprah Book Club fave. The book sympathizes with the 9/11 terrorists. As I've written before, Dubus' "House of Sand and Fog"--an Oprah selection--was a hideously anti-American tale, where the Americans are losers and evil-doers, and Iranian Muslim immigrants are the good, hard-working people, done wrong and caused to lose everything including their lives, thanks to these loser and...

Some parents who are concerned about their children receiving a steady diet of liberal-left indoctrination in schools and colleges regard the summer vacation as a time to show these young people a different way of looking at things, with readings presenting viewpoints that are unlikely to be heard in classrooms that have become indoctrination centers. Fortunately, there is a growing body of literature— both books and articles— presenting a very different viewpoint in readable language. The academic year often ends with commencement speakers who have been in government, academia, foundations or various crusading movements, who tell the graduates how much...

I was wondering if anyone else might be interested in discussing books. FR could have a separate forum section where people could post the name of a book they've been reading and their thoughts on it, then others could respond if they would like to. I think this could be very interesting. Does anybody agree with me? (I posted this as an open vanity, so don't hurt me.)

OK everyone, it's time for my quarterly "What Are You Reading Now" post. I like to get a feel for what Freepers are reading these days. It can be anything...a best seller, a literary classic, a trashy pulp novel, a scientific journal, etc. Do not demean this thread with posts like "I'm reading this Thread right now". It became un-funny a long time ago. I'll start. I've just started "One Square Mile Of Hell: The Battle For Tarawa" by John Wukovitz. Rather than a minute by minute account of the battle, it takes a more personalized view of the battle...

Sorry for the vanity - but I can't think of a better resource than FR regarding this topic. I don't trust Amazonian recommendations. Please, if you can, recommend the best book/s detailing the American Revolution. Not just the battles, but the politics leading up to the war, the writing of the Declaration of Ind., who the signers were ...etc. I'd appreciate any input. Thanks for your time.

Looking for FR book recommendations.

What was your favorite book in 2007. It didn't have to be published in 2007, as long as that's when you read it. Was there anything that you were looking forward to that turned out to be disappointing? My apologies for not pinging the list in a long time. I've been waiting to get my computer back from being fixed and I've been waiting ... anyway ...

Merry Christmas, all! I already have in my possession gift cards to bookstores given to me by students of mine. After tomorrow, others will no doubt have bookstore giftcards burning holes in their pockets, as well. I thought this might be a good time and reason to solicit advice as to what good books you have read this year. Please post books you would recommend. Thanks!

December 12, 2007 Books are good gifts to receive and even better gifts to give because you can get books without half the hassles involved in buying many other kinds of gifts. You can easily buy books from the Internet and avoid the mob scenes at the shopping malls. This has been a good year for books that shoot down false and nonsensical notions on major issues of our time. "The Immigration Solution" is an excellent new book that discusses illegal immigration without the political rhetoric, spin, demagoguery, and unsubstantiated claims that have become all too common in the media...

It's time again for my quarterly "What Are You Reading Now?" thread! It can be anything...a NY Times bestseller, a technical journal, a trashy pulp novel...in short, anything! DO NOT answer by saying "I'm Reading This Thread". It stopped being funny a long time ago. Here's what I'm reading. I'm just about finished with "Street Without Joy" by Bernard Fall. It's about France's war in Vietnam from 1946-1954. Very interesting and tragic. So, tell me. What are you reading now?

Ladies and Gentelmen, I'm writing in hopes that some of you could make a recommendation on books that deal with courage and adventure. Nonfiction books only please. I'm stationed out in the middle of nowhere and reading is my only real R&R. I'm especially interested in nautical adventures or adventures relating to the exploration of Africa or the Middle East. I've searched amazon for hours trying to find that sort of a book, but I have yet to find something worthwhile. By the way, I recently read In the Heart of the Sea, the story about the whaleship Essex, and...

Best Books for an MBA As the New York Times recently highlighted, a business student (or CEO’s) best friend is a well-constructed library. The following are the books that I highly recommend to any current, aspiring, or “damn, why did I go to law school!” MBA student. Certain titles may be a bit ‘atypical’ at first glance; indeed they are anything but. [Note: each title links to the listing on Amazon.com] The Power of ProductivityAtlas ShruggedAgainst the GodsThe Little PrinceWSJ Guide to Understanding Money & InvestingWikinomicsThe Art of WarThe Long Tail George Soros on GlobalizationWhen Genius FailedGuns Germs & SteelBeating...

Today I've heard author Stephen Hayes on a few radio shows discussing his new book on Vice President Cheney called "Cheney." I'm looking forward to reading it and I was thinking, since there are so many Cheney fans on FR, maybe we could have a "book club" type discussion thread about it after we all read it.

BreakPoint Commentaries Books Summer Treat By Chuck Colson 7/3/2007 BreakPoint Book Recommendations Here at BreakPoint, summer usually means one thing. No, I don’t mean it’s time to go to the beach. I mean it’s time for us to start talking about books for summer reading and sharing our recommendations. After all, what better companion could you have at the beach than a good book? Joking aside, we know that this is the time of year when kids, and we adults as well, often have a little extra free time and are in the market for something good to read. That’s...

Freeper Book Club Thanks to all who gave me some great ideas for conservative novels to read this summer. I compiled a list of the ones mentioned most and some I checked on Amazon.com. I read the Amazon.com reviews and they seem worthwhile. I ranked them purely by what I think would be good. It is totally arbitrary. I have only read a couple ( which I noted). The rest are Freeper recommendations: 1- Everything by W.E.B. Griffin ( He wrote several series of books "Brotherhood of War"; "The Corps" – I read "Semper Fi"; "Badge of Honor" – this...

Need some ammunition for the culture war. Anybody have any suggestions?

These are the first three of five excerpts from America Alone: The End of the World as We Know it, by Mark Steyn. Published by Regnery Publishing, Inc. Copyright © 2006 by Mark Steyn. America Alone: The End of the World (part 1) Mark Steyn, National Post Published: Tuesday, November 14, 2006 John O’Sullivan, a former editor of National Review, once observed that postwar Canadian history is summed up by an old Monty Python song. I’m a Lumberjack and I’m Okay begins as a robust paean to the manly virtues of a rugged life in the north woods but ends...

Table of Contents Authors’ Foreword PrologueDramatis Personae The SceneThe Dialogue The so-called “Cartesian Split” What is “all that there is?” Pure, blind chance? First reality and second realities What is knowledge? Does science “have it in” for God? Is Intelligent Design science? What is matter? What lies at the beginning of “all that there is?” Aristotle’s Four Causes What is “randomness?” First Adam, Second Adam Is science “killing the soul?” The Public Square: a “values-neutral zone?” What is science? What is the universe? What is life? What is reality? Endnotes Appendix Nuts and Bolts Numbers Big and Small Combinatorics,...

OK everyone, it's time for my quarterly "What Are You Reading Now?" thread. I'm posting this a few days early because of the Labor Day weekend. I like to get as many responses as possible. Well...? What are you reading now? It can be a technical journal. It can be a trashy pulp novel. It can be a a best-seller or a travel guide. I'll start. Right now, I'm finishing "One Soldier's Story: A Memoir" by Bob Dole. What a great book. I encourage everyone to read it - even if you felt Bob Dole was a sell-out to conservative...

George W. Bush a bookworm? White House aides say it's so. The born-again president's literary interests start with the predictable, such as his daily readings from the Bible. But he also enjoys books about Abraham Lincoln, his political hero, and, of course, yarns about baseball-in a past life, he was, after all, the managing partner of the Texas Rangers. Staffers say the president is actually engaged in an informal contest with White House senior adviser Karl Rove to see who can read more books this year. The latest score card has Bush ahead 60-50.A sampling of the president's reading list...

I was reviewing my libray and was wondering what the best, all time favorite, must have books I should get to complete my Conservative Collection. Here's what I've got: God & Man at Yale, All PJ O'Rourke Books (He converted me in 1996), Witness, First Things by Hadley Arkes (Must read for Pro-lifers!) Any thoughts, Freepers?