What are y'all reading now?

[rounder]

I read the news daily, Washington Post, NYT, WSJ, etc. The news has become so predictable, you know what it is going to be every day. I am going to read On the Road Again again and imagine what it would have been like being there then. Used to do a lot of hitchiking while in college.

[93legendti]

The Six Days of Yad-Mordechai- Margaret Larkin

[Fixed]

the affair -lee child
cheers

Originally Posted by AMH

I am currently reading "Gideon's Spies" the secret history of the Mossad by Gordon Thomas with a Reginald Hill novel and the new Einstein bio on the table. I have been surprised by some of the revelations (presuming a level of accuaracy exists) regarding Israel and the Mossad's approach to relations with the US.

While I followed the Pollard fiasco at the time, I was unaware that Mossad shared this intelligence with the Russians allowing them to roll up some of our spy networks. (I was also unaware they recorded Clinton's phone calls to Lewinsky) Disappointed to learn they had the truck under surveillance that hit the Marine barracks in Lebanon but didn't warn us to "teach us a lesson." There are other explosive type revelations such as the alleged execution of media magnate Robert Maxwell.

While I wasn't aware of all of this, it doesn't surprise me in the least. Remember, Israel is a sovereign nation whose goals are not always the same as ours. It is not the 51st state. Pre-1967, their main military suppliers were the UK and France. When they decided not to sell Israel any more military hardware, the Israelis were stuck. They decided then that they would always have alternate sources. That's why they kept open backchannel communications with South Africe and Iran, among others. With our turmoils and waffling now on the Mideast issues, I wouldn't be surprised if they are still spying on us, especially with the large influx of stubborn ex-Russian Jews that have emigrated.

[t. swartz]

Capone: The Life and World...(Kobler); next up: Boyd: The Fighter Pilot...(Coram), then The Philadelphia Experiment: Project Invisibility (Moore), followed by RFK: A Candid Biography (Heymann). In between: any/all 'net sites regarding Majestic 12, Disclosure Project, Zero Point Energy, Element 115.

[72gmc]

My most recent reads were "The Price of Power"--Seymour Hersh's account of Kissinger in the Nixon White House--and a book of Truman Capote's short stories.

Lately I'm leafing through New Yorkers and National G's and trying to decide on my next book.

The Nightmare Years (Shirer)
Flashman and the Redskins (MacDonald Fraser)
Native Seattle (Thrush)

[BoulderGeek]

"The Nasty Bits," Anthony Bourdain

"French Revolutions," Tim Moore

Lonely Planet Guide to France

Newsweek, Playboy, Outside

[jeffg]

Saving the World - Julia Alvarez

Das Recht der Gesellschaft - Niklas Luhmann

The Omnivore's Dilemma

[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.

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