What Books Are You Currently Reading?

[KiwiKid]

Currently reading Engines of Creation, by Eric Drexler.

And the MITECS. *smiles innocently*

 

[Lord_Sidious]

Fuzzy Thinking: The New Science of Fuzzy Logic by Bart Kosko

 

[rootX]

I am about to finish 1Q84, the first part.

It's an interesting novel keep you continue to read to see what will happen in the next chapter. However, nothing seems too deep.

 

[SpaceTiger]

Been working my way through some ancient literature. Currently in the middle of:

The Golden åss - Apuleius
Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
Chattering Courtesans - Lucian

This is all written around the 2nd century AD. Needless to say, conversations with people about what I've been reading lately tend not to last long.

 

[AnTiFreeze3]

Been working my way through some ancient literature. Currently in the middle of:

The Golden åss - Apuleius
Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
Chattering Courtesans - Lucian

This is all written around the 2nd century AD. Needless to say, conversations with people about what I've been reading lately tend not to last long.

I'm currently reading Friedrich Nieztsche's thoughts on religion and education. Two hundred years is already creating a barrier of difficulty with regards to the different syntax of the times. I couldn't imagine reading something from 200 A.D.

One thing that I have noticed from reading his works though, is that, even after the translation from German to English, the writing is far superior and intellectually stimulating than what I read today. Writing today seems bland, and today's writers seem to ignore the magnitude and power of the vocabulary that they have at their expense. There are obvious exceptions, but what I read today is nowhere near as elegant as what literature used to be.

When you say "working my way through" are you implying that you've learned both Latin and Greek and intend to "work" through the texts, or are you reading through a translated version of them?

 

[SpaceTiger]

When you say "working my way through" are you implying that you've learned both Latin and Greek and intend to "work" through the texts, or are you reading through a translated version of them?

I'm not quite that dedicated about it, I'm afraid, I'm just reading translations. I thought about teaching myself classical Latin, but decided the return probably wouldn't equal the effort required. By "working my way through," I meant that I'm reading the classics forward in time, starting with Homer (~850 BCE). I've read ~50 texts across a wide range of subjects, including history, poetry, philosophy, religion, and fiction.

The difficulty in reading them varies wildly, depending I think more on the translator than the original author. Some translators try to keep as closely as possible to the original text, while others just go for the general idea. Many ancient authors, particularly the historians, tended to write in very long sentences (would probably be called run-ons in modern English) and their prose tended to be less structured than in modern texts. But it's not too bad once you get used to it.

As for the poetry, that's another beast entirely. I stick primarily with the epic poems, famed as much for their story as their rhyming and meter. The latter can't truly be translated, only mimicked.

I'm currently reading Friedrich Nieztsche's thoughts on religion and education

Nieztsche was a fascinating thinker. He tended to be less abstract than many of the other great philosophers, so I found him very accessible as a student. He's not very close to my personal philosophy, of course, but he said a lot of things that needed to be said.

 

[OmCheeto]

Been working my way through some ancient literature. Currently in the middle of:

The Golden åss - Apuleius
Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
Chattering Courtesans - Lucian

This is all written around the 2nd century AD. Needless to say, conversations with people about what I've been reading lately tend not to last long.

wb ST.
Two years seems like a long time to read 3 books.
But I can relate.

The titles look interesting, and I'm tempted to ask you what the books are about. But, times being the way they are, I guess I'll jfgi...

 

[SpaceTiger]

wb ST.

Thanks! I probably won't be around very much (my 4-month old son keeps me very busy), but I thought I'd stop by and say hello.

The titles look interesting, and I'm tempted to ask you what the books are about. But, times being the way they are, I guess I'll jfgi...

Fiction, philosophy, and theater (in that order). The first one is my favorite -- it's about a guy that gets turned into a donkey and is dragged around from owner to owner, witnessing all manner of debauchery.

 

[OmCheeto]

Thanks! I probably won't be around very much (my 4-month old son keeps me very busy), but I thought I'd stop by and say hello.




Fiction, philosophy, and theater (in that order). The first one is my favorite -- it's about a guy that gets turned into a donkey and is dragged around from owner to owner, witnessing all manner of debauchery.

Ha ha! Sounds like the book I read last year; "Heart of a Dog"

Dog turned into a man, witnesses and attempts, all manner of debauchery.

The Golden "Donkey" is now on my A list. Thanks!

 

[AnTiFreeze3]

... He's not very close to my personal philosophy, of course, but he said a lot of things that needed to be said.

My thoughts as well. He does an excellent job of entirely neglecting emotions, and saying what needs to be done about something. His attitude while writing is also attractive, in that his superiority and sureness of his ideals are made apparent from the beginning, and he views anybody who takes a position against him as morons. It's somewhat arrogant, but I can't help but feel like his confidence was ultimately justified.

 

[Mkorr]

Currently reading the new edition of "An Introduction to Behavioral Ecology" (4th edition) by Davies, Krebs and West as well as "An Introduction to Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Skills and Applications" (2nd edition).

I am thinking of getting the Kindle version of "Dogmatism in Science and Medicine: How Dominant Theories Monopolize Research and Stifle the Search for Truth" by the pseudoscientist Henry Bauer (where he rejects everything from Big Bang to vaccines, but promotes a belief in the Loch Ness monster) and write a detailed point-by-point refutation online, but not sure I want to waste 14 dollars on... well, crap.

 

[hypatia]

Tuesdays with Morrie. I know the author, and had to confess{shame faced} to him that I had not read it. He sent me my own copy

 

[PNGeng]

Imperial Hubris - Michael Scheuer
Manufacturing Consent - Edward Herman/Noam Chomsky

 

[nonequilibrium]

Way too much, since I'm going abroad in a month and there are all these books at home that I want to finish before leaving! But two that I'm trying to focus on atm are
The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose
The Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics by Max Jammer

 

[Evo]

I was given a box of old paperbacks by a friend that didn't want them. I understand why. I've put them in the bathroom and have been reading them there.

DO NOT READ

Prince of Chaos or The Hand of Oberon by Roger Zelazny unless you are desperate.

Yendi by Steven Brust, don't even read it if you are desperate.

The Stars are also Fire by Poul Anderson. I thought I liked Poul Anderson. Unlikeable characters, not enough character building, disjointed story, no appeal, empty. You look at the book and wonder if he had to write it to meet a contractual obligation.

 

[nei14]

Currently three-quarters of W.W. Chua's "Harvesting in Famine". I'll be starting soon on C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters"

 

[AnTiFreeze3]

... I'll be starting soon on C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters"

A book that essentially claims that losing faith in religion is the work of demons. It's still popular nonetheless, and the format of it sounds unique.

________

Along with my previously mentioned books, I'm now going through the most recent addition of The TIME's Complete History of the World. It's a massive book, but the pages are large enough to comfortably fit pictures, diagrams, charts, etc. along with the text. I would like to think that I'm well versed with Europe's history (and the U.S's ridiculously brief history), but I am almost entirely ignorant of Asia's extensive history, along with the rest of the world. I personally feel like we have so much to learn from our past, and that understanding what brought us into the situations that we are currently in ultimately gives us a better comprehension of what's going on in this chaotic mess.

 

[Infinitum]

I finally proceeded to SoIF 3... Liked Game of thrones better than the second, hoping this one is good.

As for non-fiction I'm reading Hitler's biography, by Kershaw. This is the first time I have gone for a biography, and its quite interesting.

 

[rolerbe]

Fiction: 'Ready Player One' by Ernest Cline -- fun 80's tech noir for those old enough to remember.

Have to differ with Evo on Zelazny. I have really enjoyed most of his writing, including the whole Amber series. He is best in short story form tho.

 

[AnTiFreeze3]

A book that essentially claims that losing faith in religion is the work of demons ...

I guess that the summary that I read earlier was wrong. I now know that it's a piece of satire, and not meant to be taken literally.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I finally proceeded to SoIF 3... Liked Game of thrones better than the second, hoping this one is good.

I enjoy the series but it is hard going at times. I'm onto book 5 but haven't picked it up in over a month. IMO one of the best things about the series is also a failing, it paints an epic and believable fantasy land but because of that new characters and factions are constantly being introduced and old ones either dying or their story ending (or even worse just fading into the background). As such the story arc feels quite frayed, better to be treated as an anthology of stories taking place in the same world at roughly the same time rather than an interlocking set of journeys.

 

[Borek]

The Red Queen by Matt Ridley. Pretty interesting thing, but for some reason I find it difficult to read. Either I am slightly incompatible with his English/line of thinking, or I am not as sharp as I pretend to be. I feel like I will need to read it more than once.

 

[coordinates]

A short history of the world by H.G.Wells. I finished half of it and it guided me from time immemorial to the Middle Ages.

 

[katasroffa]

Martin Rivas - Kinematical Theory of Spinning Particles

 

[Evo]

Have to differ with Evo on Zelazny. I have really enjoyed most of his writing, including the whole Amber series. He is best in short story form tho.

I guess I've just read so many great fantasy novels (Jordan, Feist, Eddings, Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman ...) that his work wasn't what I was used to.

I just started Ender's Game, now that is what I'm used to, having trouble putting it down.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I just started Ender's Game, now that is what I'm used to, having trouble putting it down.

One of my favorites!

I'm reading Marching Powder, a book about the infamous Bolivian prison San Pedro

 

[rolerbe]

I guess I've just read so many great fantasy novels (Jordan, Feist, Eddings, Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman ...) that his work wasn't what I was used to.

I just started Ender's Game, now that is what I'm used to, having trouble putting it down.

I think sometimes when (age, context, etc.) one encounters a work can seriously color the reception. If one is game to give Zelazny another try, look at his short story collections: Unicorn Variations, Last Defender of Camelot. If you don't like anything in either of them, give up on RZ.

Ender's Game is a treasure. I've given it as a gift at least a dozen times to nieces, nephews, random kids off the street, etc. Always comes back a winner. That said, I'm fairly lukewarm on the subsequent beating-to-death in sequels, etc. given it by the author.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Just finished A Beautiful Mind by Silvia Nasar.

The Ron Howard film of the book is about 80% fiction it turns out. The things he included were so heavily altered they're misleading, and, more importantly, discovering the very dark things he completely left out significantly change your view of Nash. I feel, after having read the book, it should have been filmed by Quentin Tarantino or Stanley Kubrick or David Lynch. Someone who can do weird and dark from the inside. Ron Howard is just too upbeat a person to tackle this material without having to grossly alter it.

 

[kended]

Currently reading: Why E=MC^2 and why should we care? by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw

 

[zoobyshoe]

Just finished Impact by Douglas Preston. Bizarre object from the sky lands in Maine causing global upset. Hit men are hired, secret agents are dispatched to the jungles of Cambodia, and a Princeton Astronomy student must run for her life. Very entertaining! I really like this writer.