What are y'all reading now?

[jeffg]

Saving the World - Julia Alvarez

Das Recht der Gesellschaft - Niklas Luhmann

The Omnivore's Dilemma

I'm suprised no one mentioned Cormac McCarthy's new one. Grim, grim, grim but good, good, good.

[rounder]

Originally Posted by aLexis

The Omnivore's Dilemma

read that...i thought it was a lot like y. berra's book...when you come to the fork in the road...take it

[39cross]

The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. A fascinating story of how Islamic terrorism came into being, and of course the progression of events leading to 9/11. Great stuff. I wonder if the Prez ever heard of this book? Or is he too busy reading biographies of Geo. Washington (or as he refers to him, "1").

[t. swartz]

Originally Posted by 39cross

The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. A fascinating story of how Islamic terrorism came into being, and of course the progression of events leading to 9/11. Great stuff. I wonder if the Prez ever heard of this book? Or is he too busy reading biographies of Geo. Washington (or as he refers to him, "1").

naw-he's too busy doing damage control for karl rove, gonzo, richard c., etc.

[vaxn8r]

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson.

True story about the building of one of the Chicago Columbia Exposition in 1892 and the famous names behind the scenes foretelling their later works. Burnam, the chief architect of the fair also invented the technology which enabled sky scrapers, especially in Chicago which is a city built on sand and mud! It's amazing to ponder what came of that exposition: the Ferris wheel (the US response to the Eiffel tower from the Paris exposition in 1888), AC electric power on a mass scale, massive water purification systems (until then most cities pulled water directly out of the the same river they dumped their sewage), air conditioning (sort of), Shredded wheat, Cracker Jack, Juicy Fruit. The original Ferris wheel was 264 feet tall with 36 cars that carried 60 of people each. 2 -1000 hp engines powered it. No one thought it could withstand the forces let alone the first big windstorm. It did.

At the same time it tells the story of Herman Mudgett aka HH Holmes, one of the US' most deadly serial killers, who lured mostly women into his death trap hotel, with rooms that were literally gas chambers and an incinerator in the basement to clean up the mess. He killed dozens, if not more, no one knows. But he did it in conjunction with the huge draw that was one of the greatest world expositions.

[Erik.Lazdins]

Originally Posted by Lincoln

Three Cups of Tea.

So far, I highly recommend it.

I picked the book up Saturday and have about 10 pages left. A very inspiring and moving book.

[BURCH]

"The Dangerous Book for Boys"

You will learn a bunch of stuff that you have wondered about at one point in your life. More of a reference or coffee table book, but worth a look.

[davids]

"Coming Into the Country" by John McPhee



I'm starting a two-year program surveying the history of Jewish though, beginning in October. I think my reading is going to be a bit monomaniacal for a while...

[tab123]

Finished in the last few weeks:

An English Murder by Cyril Hare (classic country house mystery by a wonderful, not-so-well known writer from the 40s/50s)

I Claudius by Robert Graves (outstanding historical fiction; a real page turner)

A Spy by Nature by Charles Cumming (a real disappointment; what a lousy incompetent anti-hero)

Right now:

The Annotated Pride and Prejudice (I'm a nerd)

Up next:

Black Bodies and Quantum Cats (a guide to physics)

Bleak House (nothing like 19th Century literature during the fall)

Perhaps re-reading Patrick O'Brian

[jthurow]

I just finished "The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring," which I really enjoyed. If you're afraid of heights, you might not like it. If you look close at the image, you can see a couple of people climbing the redwood.

I have a friend that loves Cormac McCarthy suggested I read "Blood Meridian." I muddled my way through that thing waiting for something to happen... and it never did. I think the most succinct way to put it would be that I enjoyed the writing but not the story. It was so dark that I haven't gotten the courage up to try another one.



jimi

[Tom]

Central Asia theme right now, for obvious reasons...

Recently finished: "Eastward to Tartary: Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucasus" Robert D. Kaplan. Pretty good.

Right now, "The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia" Peter Hopkirk. Very interesting.

JohnS: Have you read "Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia", Rebecca West? Truly a remarkable account and perspective on a lot of things, especially the start of the first world war.

[Richard]

Finished "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy -- Everything by him is somewhat dark. This is true to form. His books are somewhat relentless and he seems to have very limited faith in humanity. His heroes are flawed and often times the characters with the most defined and consistent codes are the harbingers of the worst acts. This book, relentless in its post apocolyptic vision did provide some sense of relief, albeit brief, in its ending.

Finishing "Absurdistan" by Gary Shteyngart -- A farcical look at post Soviet Russia and its satellites, that captures some the folly and silliness of Americas contracting for its defense services.

[Neves]

I'm not a huge book reader, but i really enjoy Jack Whyte. In addition to that I'm a audible.com slut. Curse the friend who turn me on to this site. I have pretty much given up music at work for books.