What are you all reading?

[Wish]

Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49
et
Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass (or Northern Lights; I'm not quite sure)

 

[Audentia]

Journey Into The Past by Stefan Zweig

 

[zxc]

Finished Body Language by Allan Pease. Begun reading Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. Still reading The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford, The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, and Thought Manipulation by Sapir Hendelman.

 

[sroro]

About to finish Testimony: Death of a Guatemalan Village by Montejo and thinking about reading HGttG or some random neurolit.

 

[Admirable Complexities]

Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders

 

[Melllvar]

I just went to the public library and managed a pretty good score:

Spoiler

Of course I won't be reading all of those, I mainly just got them for exploration purposes and to familiarize myself with it all, but it should keep me plenty busy for the next month.

 

[Anchorite]

Right now I'm reading "This I believe" for school. It's a collection of short (2 page) essays by various people about (of all things) what they believe. It's okay, except it isn't just famous/interesting people. Most of the book is by ordinary people, the problem with that being that ordinary people are fucking boring. That's why their ordinary.
They drone on about the same old things about God, the human spirit, general goodness. I've heard that all before, I want unique perspectives and new ideas.
Relating to that, I think the limited size of the essays hurts the book. If people could go into deeper explanations and had more freedom to explore their thoughts for the book, I'm sure it would be far more interesting.

 

[jarred]

Last weekend, I read Logicomix by Apostolos Doxiadis and the UC-Berkeley computer scientist Christos Papadimitriou. It's a comic book, so it's a relatively quick read. I think I read it cover to cover in a little under 3 hours total.

It's an incredible piece of art, and I can't recommend it enough. It's probably the most unique thing I've read in the past year. While being a comic book, it's rather unusual in the sense that its protagonist is Bertrand Russell, the 20th century logician famous for trying to establish the foundations of mathematical logic. You might think that a comic book that revolves around a logician would be boring and dry, but it's actually quite the opposite.

 

[Nocturne]

I am currently reading and finishing up "Beatrice and Virgil" by Yann Martel. It's rather psychological and pointless. But the ideas suggested in this book is worth reading and acknoledging. P.S.- Don't be fooled by the cover of this book. lol.

 

[warryer]

I just started Atlas Shrugged because people on here say its a great book so, I figured I'd see what all the fuss is about.

 

[CoryJames]

I am currently reading Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. Great book. Possibly my favorite.

 

[JarNew]

I've been reading the 7 habits of highly effective people for the past 3 months..

I've read the important part but I like reading them over and over again whenever I don't feel motivated

Library fine is currently 14$ dollars.

 

[CoryJames]

Great book, I learned a lot from it. If you are into...I don't want to say self help....self improvement books I suggest "who moved my cheese". I bought it in an airport and was through it in under an hour, and it is the type of book you can read over and over and have it apply in different ways. Great read.

 

[JarNew]

I'm obsessed with self help, self-improvement, self-growth. It's quite empowering.

Thanks for the recommendation. That seems like a book worthy of buying.

 

[Anchorite]

^ YouTube - Self-Help Books - George Carlin

I don't think you ought to be killed though. . .

 

[Meer]

I just finished Crime and Punishment, 15 seconds ago.

I was surprised by the strangely optimistic ending, but that's okay.

 

[snafupants]

Dostoevsky is strangely optimistic.

 

[Döden]

The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. Currently on the 7th volume of Preludes and Nocturnes.

 

[RubberDucky451]

I just finished Crime and Punishment, 15 seconds ago.

I was surprised by the strangely optimistic ending, but that's okay.

Haha, I was just about to post that I've started that. I'm about 40 pages in and it's brilliant.

 

[indigofireflies]

I've been reading the 7 habits of highly effective people for the past 3 months..

I've read the important part but I like reading them over and over again whenever I don't feel motivated

Library fine is currently 14$ dollars.

That book = Agh. My best friend wants me to read it, but I keep telling him it's a waste of time.

I really can't see how it's so great.

Reading currently:
'Night' for the fourth time for my English class. I love it.
'The Life of Pi',
and 'Through the Looking Glass'.

 

[tziporah]

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie, The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide (of course), A Wrinkle in Time, Catcher in the Rye, the writing style of which i strangely dislike, the Bible, Shadow Puppets, by Orson Scott Card (so good).

I just looked through you guys' suggestions and found them in my library, and as soon as i get a car, i'm going to fetch 'em.

 

[Magnetosphere]

Nothing now... I'd prefer to change that.

Anybody know of any good books on Soviet politics/history/economics?

 

[snafupants]

Binged on "Cell" and "Insomnia" last week (see signature). This week "Outliers" and "Collected Poems of Octavio Paz" appear on library account, thank you Joe Taxpayer. Finally, picked up Jorge Luis Borges' "Collected Fictions" because ElderToadstool urged forum folk to give him a shot; basically, ET can expect thanks or damnation pretty soon.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I'm trying to commit myself to some various poems and short stories. Though, I don't know where to begin.

 

[EvilScientist Trainee]

I finally got my hands on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I'll have some reading material for the next 2 months. Then, i'll start reading the Hitchhiker guide's to the galaxy series.

By the time I finish that series, I really hope that Clash of Kings, by George R.R Martin gets released in my country. If it doesn't, I'll have to plan on learning french to get the french version.

 

[Mary]

The Blind Assassin, again. Love Margaret Atwood~

Edit: Oh, and the Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy series.
(Again)

 

[Polaris]

Of Love and Asthma by Ferdinand Mount. His descriptions of characters and situations are uniquely quirky and innovative without becoming forced or pretentious. It is an exercise in the English language, rather useful if you are a non-native speaker going vocabulary-stagnant.

Just finished Roseanna, a Swedish crime novel by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö. There's a whole series of these. The books were written as a sort of social commentary back in the 70's, so this has to be taken into account when reading them, although the themes are still current. They are intriguing books featuring a rather unusual writing style, perhaps due to Maj Sjöwal's background as a poet. The sparse dialogue, effective and precise use of words and severe restriction of "flowery" language only aids in conjuring up rather vivid imagery of the darker side to "bright Sweden". Stieg Larsson would certainly have found some inspiration in these books.

 

[Mary]

The Scarlet Letter, again. (This time for school)

An anthology of my friend's writing.. She's actually ridiculously good. I'm making her give me another set for Christmas, actually.

 

[Holy shit this makes sens]

Let the great world spin, Great book READD ITT!

 

[Linsejko]

@ RyanJF--One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich. Enjoyed that one 6 years ago, still remember it.

Otherwise, I've read these in the last two months:

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Sophie's World
The Go Master
The Last Question
The Great God Success (A book that has nothing to do with God or Religion, btw)

L

 

[Chasm]

I'm reading the last part (Leviathan) of the Illuminatus! trilogy. Great stuff

 

[zxc]

I'm reading the last part (Leviathan) of the Illuminatus! trilogy. Great stuff

Ah I'm still on the first book. It's great though fnord.

 

[Kassie]

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
The Hex series by Rhiannon Lassiter

 

[Cogwulf]

Necronomicon - the best weird tales of H.P. Lovecraft

I started it months ago

 

[Yet]

At the moment reading:

How the mind works
Pinker

The open society and his enemies
Popper

Will take me quite a while ... big books and you can't read too much in a go.

I've enjoyed Darwin, his daughter and human evolution a lot, Keynes wrote it.
And The mating mind from Miller was also oké.

 

[Dr. Manhattan]

Michel Foucault, 'Madness and Civilization'.

Noam Chomsky, 'Hopes and Prospects' (newest book)

 

[gruesomebrat]

Arthur C. Clarke's Space Odyssey Tetralogy. I've made it through 2001 and 2010 already. Reading 2061 now... it's not bad, but I find it doesn't grip me quite the same way that 2001 did.

 

[Chasm]

Ah I'm still on the first book. It's great though fnord.

Indeed - by the way, did you notice that your post id is 226511, and 2+2+6+5+1+1=17. Also your post is the 132nd in this thread, and the two last numbers of 132 backwards are 23. All hail Discordia

 

[kantor1003]

Having recently finished a game of thrones, I'm now starting on the illuminati trilogy (I love you kindle.). I have always liked robert anton wilson, but haven't read any of his books except quantum psychology, a book I borrowed from my brother in my early teens, so I figured it was about time to give it a try.
In addition I'm reading, whenever I can get myself to it, a bunch of school related papers; doctoral dissertations on different music related subjects among other things.

 

[Chasm]

Having recently finished a game of thrones, I'm now starting on the illuminati trilogy (I love you kindle.). I have always liked robert anton wilson, but haven't read any of his books except quantum psychology, a book I borrowed from my brother in my early teens, so I figured it was about time to give it a try.

If you liked Quantum Psychology, do also consider giving Prometheus Rising a try, so long as you keep in mind that the map is not the territory (but worry not, the book will constantly remind you of that )

In addition I'm reading, whenever I can get myself to it, a bunch of school related papers

Same here, a sort of constant pressure exerted on me to read something I didn't choose to read myself.

 

[kantor1003]

If you liked Quantum Psychology, do also consider giving Prometheus Rising a try, so long as you keep in mind that the map is not the territory (but worry not, the book will constantly remind you of that )

I really enjoyed that book, so I'll give Prometheus a try as well I'll add it to my "to read" list. The map is not the territory almost sound like a cliche to me now, so I think it will be kept "in mind" However, I'm open for reading new creative ways to portray, or illuminate that statement.

Same here, a sort of constant pressure exerted on me to read something I didn't choose to read myself.

Recently I've surprised myself, in that I have managed to shift my mental approach from that of "I need to read this, this sucks." to something a little more optimistic, making me able to enjoy it more. Perhaps pretending that it is of my choosing. Many of those things I'm "forced" to read would be something I'd read with some fascination if it wasn't school related.

 

[Chasm]

Recently I've surprised myself, in that I have managed to shift my mental approach from that of "I need to read this, this sucks." to something a little more optimistic, making me able to enjoy it more. Perhaps pretending that it is of my choosing. Many of those things I'm "forced" to read would be something I'd read with some fascination if it wasn't school related.

The degree I'm studying for requires everyone to take courses from all the available majors in the degree before you choose the major at the end of the first academic year, so until next year I'm forced to read and study a lot of stuff I'm not especially interested in. Thankfully the first year is soon over and I can begin to steer myself towards a similar attitude.

 

[Dr. Freeman]

I'm reading Brighter than a Thousand Suns. It is beyond awesome. Reading it almost makes me want to be a physicist rather than an engineer.

 

[Gather_Wanderer]

I'm reading Brighter than a Thousand Suns. It is beyond awesome. Reading it almost makes me want to be a physicist rather than an engineer.

Checked it out on Amazon. General comments seem to be that it is a bit outdated and has mostly the opinions of people with 30 + less years of information and history (we have more from being around today), but still an essential read. I just ordered it for 4 bucks.

 

[Yet]

Michel Foucault, 'Madness and Civilization'.

Noam Chomsky, 'Hopes and Prospects' (newest book)

I read about Foucault ... in a philosophy of science / psychology context.
He makes sense.

Chomsky wrote one of our study books on language science.

I do not know it, but you might be interested in this one I bumped into:
Chomsky, Noam (2006): The Chomsky-Foucault Debate: On Human Nature (with Michel Foucault), New York: The New Press, distributed by W.W. Norton.

 

[dark]

Working in 3 books at the moment:

"Being and Time"

"Alice's Adventure in Wonderland"

"Brave New World"

 

[ReadCentral]

hi Gudevening
reading up The Seven Secrets by William Le Queux

 

[Jesse]

Name of the Wind in preparation of the next one. Great book but I haven't got to the collage part which I disliked when I first read it.

 

[James Black]

97 Things Every Programmer Should Know

 

[Cavallier]

Wise Man's Fear! Eep! It's finally out.

I'm also casually reading The Historian by Kostovo and a collection of poetry by Verlaine.