What's Your Current Book, and What's Next on Your Reading List?

[Pyrrhus]

Soil Mechanics Vol I by Juarez Badillo and Rico Rodriguez

Meh, i only read books about Engineering (mainly civil).

Althought the last recreational read i did was "Nombre de Torero" by Luis Sepulveda. It was interesting, but historically inaccurate.

 

[scott1]

I'am currently reading books about physics.

 

[fourier jr]

working on
2 textbooks which are both outstanding/classic

just finished
how to achieve true greatness -- baldasarre castiglione (ho-hum)
the revolt of the masses -- jose ortega y gasset (somewhat elitist in tone but otherwise outstanding)
a pocket mirror for heroes -- baltasar gracian (good but not as good as the art of worldly wisdom)
he who thinks he can -- orison swett marden (excellent, as to be expected from marden)

just arrived/ordered/started
meditations -- marcus aurelius
the miracle of right thought -- orison marden
the rebel -- Albert camus
the art of living -- epictetus
another textbook

 

[mattmns]

Almost finished with How To Solve It by Polya.

 

[HMS]

Discovery of Subatomic particles - Steven Weinberg

 

[J77]

I have just finished:

Never Let Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Which, although I enjoyed it , I thought it lacked something...

There were some good ideas about society and ethics, but it only scratched the surface; nothing was explored in any real detail.

Worth the read, but if you're after a more modern twist on the likes of Golding and Orwell, I'd look to Atwood.

The Handmaid's Tale & Oryx and Crake both fit the genre of Never Let Go, but do it so much better!

 

[jimmy p]

I have just finished reading Sex and Drugs and Sausage Rolls by Robert Rankin.

Funny stuff.

 

[Andy]

Have been reading all of the tom clancy books, and as much michael crichton and frederick forsyth as possible. Love thos kinda stories.

 

[Danger]

I am currently reading my monitor, specifically this reply as I type it. By the time you see it, I'll be reading something else.

 

[arildno]

I am currently reading my monitor, specifically this reply as I type it. By the time you see it, I'll be reading something else.

Damn. I thought of a reply like that just 5 seconds ago. Thief.

 

[Evo]

I'm re-reading "In Search of the Dark Ages" by Michael Wood.

 

[Danger]

Thief.

Ya snooze, you lose.

 

[arildno]

Ya snooze, you lose.

If you want to preen and strut about, you're welcome.

 

[Danger]

Thank you. I believe that I will... right after I finish my lunch. (Well, after I finish my post-lunch smoke.)

 

[meteor]

Dan Brown's "Digital fortress", about an unbreakable code able to resist the so-called "brute force attack"

I took up this book after I finished "The Da vinci code". Great ending! Who was to imagine that the skeleton of Mary Magdalena was buried in the Louvre. Maybe I'll watch the film, though some countries are pressing to ban it, for example India and South Korea

 

[Hootenanny]

Dan Brown's "Digital fortress", about an unbreakable code able to resist the so-called "brute force attack"

I took up this book after I finished "The Da vinci code". Great ending! Who was to imagine that the skeleton of Mary Magdalena was buried in the Louvre. Maybe I'll watch the film, though some countries are pressing to ban it, for example India and South Korea

Just spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet . I'm going to see the movie on Friday, can't wait!

~H

 

[Geographer]

I'm waiting on a physical geography book I bought off eBay to arrive. I wish I was blessed with patience.

 

[mattmns]

Just finished How to Solve It. Next up is An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning.

 

[Astronuc]

Da Vinci Code is one of those books I will never read, nor will I read Dan Brown's other books.

I am currently reading "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" to my son, which is a re-read for myself.

Otherwise, I have a list of non-fiction and technical books that I am reading and a list of fiction books as well. I generally read books on history, human behavior, thought, philosophy and religion, as well as scientific and technical books.

 

[JamesU]

Why is everyone saying that they'll never read the Da Vinci Code...?

 

[heartless]

Why is everyone saying that they'll never read the Da Vinci Code...?

Because the movie is coming out, there is no reason to lose days reading 400 pages.

 

[fourier jr]

Because the movie is coming out, there is no reason to lose days reading 400 pages.

exactly what i was thinking. i'll only waste 2hrs rather than a few days which would be better spent on other stuff.

 

[Astronuc]

Why is everyone saying that they'll never read the Da Vinci Code...?

Several people recommended it, but after they described the plot, I decided that it was not a story I would care to read. But that's me.

Nor will I go see the movie.

 

[siddharth]

Just spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it yet . I'm going to see the movie on Friday, can't wait!

~H

Me and my friends were planning to watch this as well. Before the government came and banned it .

In fact, I've always wondered, if the government can ban films for hurting the sentiments of certain religions, why doesn't it ban religious films and documentaries for hurting the sentiments of the non-believers?

 

[jhe1984]

My current books

I'm currently reading PW Singer's "Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry".

---

Aside, did ya'll know that there are over 10,000 privately hired military contractors often engaged in armed combat with US air support assets in security positions across Iraq?

With 10,000 that makes them (the Private Military Corporations [or PMCs]) the second largest military force in Iraq behind the US 130,000 troops, but well above the even the British force in southern Iraq?​

I'm also reading "Empire of Debt" by Bill Bonner and Addison Wiggins (who, btw, write a great newsletter, entitled "www.dailyreckoning.com" discussing international economics and the US stock market).

The book makes two arguments: that the US is an empire (even though they concede that the US probably does not think it is an empire) and that the way the US empire has grown so expansive since WWII [or really since 1971 (when Nixon and the Federal Reserve took us off the gold standard in 1971) is that through unsubstantiated credit-driven purchases and deficit spending.

They argue that while the US is an empire, it is an awkward and perhaps unknowing role that is made possible because of the ridiculous monetary policies that are the basis of our international system (ie, our ability to print money at a whim, lose money out the asses to trade and budget deficits and through private mortgages and credit loans, and to profilegate the entire debacle through even more printing of money). They also argue that this system is ultimately incredibly absurd and clearly unsustainable. It's a pretty good book. They're dead on about the inherent problems of a non-gold standardized Federal Reserve, but I kinda find their coverage of history rather simplistic - which is intentional on their part.

 

[jhe1984]

Just an observation:

Every single one of Dan Brown's books involves a young intrepid professor being thrust into an adventure with a distressed and highly educated female.

All of them.

 

[J77]

Dan Brown's got a formula, his books are readable, doesn't mean they're any good, but they're readable...

Just started on The Flood by David Maine.

Pretty good - Yahweh tells Noe about the forthcoming flood, and Noe pisses himself

Nice adaptation of the old tale, so far...

 

[siddharth]

Me and my friends were planning to watch this as well. Before the government came and banned it .

In fact, I've always wondered, if the government can ban films for hurting the sentiments of certain religions, why doesn't it ban religious films and documentaries for hurting the sentiments of the non-believers?

I can watch it after all

Controversial Hollywood film The Da Vinci Code has been cleared for release in India after protests by Christians.

Censors gave it an adult rating but said disclaimers stating it was fiction were needed at the beginning and end.

What irony

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4995122.stm"

 

[arildno]

Why is everyone saying that they'll never read the Da Vinci Code...?

Hmm..because it is unoriginal and badly written?

 

[neutrino]

Just an observation:

Every single one of Dan Brown's books involves a young intrepid professor being thrust into an adventure with a distressed and highly educated female.

All of them.

And don't forget, they all start start with someone being murdered. And there is an (H)assassin who tries to kill the professor and/or the woman.

 

[arildno]

Badass assins are bad assassins.

 

[neutrino]

What was that you were saying, arildno?

 

[arildno]

Some half-assed joke, I think. Rather asinine, now that I review it.

 

[jasc15]

as soon as my GRE is over, I am going to resume my complete collection of sherlock holmes...
BTW, i enjoyed Dan Brown's books, although less so after each successive one because they were TERRIBLY formulaic.

 

[neutrino]

as soon as my GRE is over, I am going to resume my complete collection of sherlock holmes...
BTW, i enjoyed Dan Brown's books, although less so after each successive one because they were TERRIBLY formulaic.

Same here. I bought a two-volume set of the all the short stories and novels. I've read the first two novels and the first two short stories, and plan to continue after my exams are over, which, btw, starts in about 23hrs and 45 mts.

 

[JamesU]

Hmm..because it is unoriginal and badly written?

so it was unoriginal...SOMEWHAT poorly written...it was still interesting...and at the least entertaining

 

[Geographer]

Well, the physical geography book arrived today and I'm looking forward to reading through it; so far it looks good. However, it was published in 1976. Have there been any major breakthroughs in physical geography since then, or can I trust that the information in the book will be accurate?

 

[Danger]

Have there been any major breakthroughs in physical geography since then

Mount Fuji has been torn down to make way for a Starbuck's. Other than that, not much.

 

[JamesU]

I got To Kill A Mockingbird today from the school...they make us read too much...

Anyway, I'm not that far into it as to comment yet...

 

[Gale]

i never really liked to kill a mockingbired. i know a lot of people who did though. i found it a bit boring.

 

[meteor]

"Angels and demons", or what would occur if the Illuminati tried to blow up Vatican City with an antimatter bomb.

 

[arunbg]

I have heard that "Angels and Demons" is also being made into a movie .
I bet my last nickel that they won't allow shooting at the Vatican .
They'll have to make do with a virtual Vatican perhaps .

Ah .. Sherlock fever ... I am hooked to the intrepid genius .
Currently reading volume 2 .

 

[JasonRox]

I have heard that "Angels and Demons" is also being made into a movie .
I bet my last nickel that they won't allow shooting at the Vatican .
They'll have to make do with a virtual Vatican perhaps .

Ah .. Sherlock fever ... I am hooked to the intrepid genius .
Currently reading volume 2 .

Um... I say they will shoot it at Vatican. For the money, they certainly will.

 

[Moonbear]

Just an observation:

Every single one of Dan Brown's books involves a young intrepid professor being thrust into an adventure with a distressed and highly educated female.

All of them.

Does that make it any less fun to read? I'm curious, of those who are criticizing Dan Brown's books so vehemently, do you also generally dislike action movies, or spend time criticizing those too with comments like, "you couldn't really do that?" I enjoyed Dan Brown's books, but then I can also watch an action movie with no plot just for the sake of entertainment without getting all tied in a knot over gaps in the story line.

Then again, I've read books that are supposed to be by great writers, that get lots of praise, and I just don't see what's so great about their writing. I just read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, because I've heard over and again people praising her writing. I had read one of her books when in college, and didn't like it at all, but then that was for a class and I was under pressure to read it in a limited time, so thought I could have just missed something, so gave her a second chance. Most of the sentences are short and choppy, and often are not even complete sentences! It was frustrating and confusing, if not downright annoying, and this is an author whose books are assigned for college level English courses, so English departments seem to be endorsing her writing as "good." So, why does she get praised as a great writer and Dan Brown, whose book I don't recall being riddled with grammatical errors, knocked down as a bad writer? Maybe it's just those who like the particular type of story vs. those who don't? Some might argue it's about how well the book is planned and how well the plot lines are tied together, but then I still don't see that in Margaret Atwood's writing. The book ended abruptly, in my opinion, without any effort at tying in the plot lines she started. It seemed like she wrote herself into a corner, didn't know how to resolve them, or wasn't creative enough to think of a good ending, so ended with a very unsatisfying, cop-out ending. In contrast, I think Dan Brown did a decent job of wrapping up all his plot lines. Yes, his stories are somewhat formulaic, but then I've seen very few modern writers who really do write novels with drastically different plots in each one. They often follow a common theme. Having only read two of Atwood's books, I can say they too had quite a bit in common; they basically take political views that are anti-feminist and exaggerate them beyond all credibility.

So, can someone tell me what makes a book worthy of being labeled literature and being taught in English courses vs being relegated to the "light reading for the beach" type category, other than the personal tastes of the instructor?

 

[Moonbear]

i never really liked to kill a mockingbired. i know a lot of people who did though. i found it a bit boring.

I didn't like it much either. Not that I can remember much of it. I had to read it in high school, and that was when the focus of English classes was dissecting books to find all the "symbolism" hidden in them. I was pretty darn good at BSing my way through that stuff, though remain unconvinced any of it really meant anything to the author, especially since I would just make up crap as I went along and was always praised highly for it. My favorite one to make fun of is the Great Gatsby. There's that part where they notice the optometrist's billboard with the big eyes on it, and both times I had to read it for courses (once in high school, once in college), that was discussed as symbolizing God watching over them...I guess Cliff's Notes must have made up that one. I read it as just the sort of goofy, weird thing someone notices and finds hilarious when they're drunk, which was the state of most of the characters throughout most of the book.

Right now, I'm reading The Eleventh Commandment by Jeffrey Archer. So far, I'm enjoying it. It's about a CIA assassin who, at least so far as I've read, is unknowingly caught up in an attempt by the CIA director to undermine the President by framing him as responsible for ordering the assassination of political candidates in other countries who would threaten his political position in the US. I'm about 1/3 of the way through the book, so don't know how well the set-up will be followed through.

 

[big man]

I have to say I can't stand Dan Brown's books. Well I've only read two, and they were Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. They were readable, but all in all it was some of the worst writing I've ever come across.

At the moment I've started re-reading Nevil Shute's 'So Disdained' and after that I'm going to read Clive Cussler's 'Inca Gold' 'cause I still haven't read that one.

 

[Moonbear]

They were readable, but all in all it was some of the worst writing I've ever come across.

Can you, or anybody claiming it was bad writing, please clarify what you mean by that? Does that mean you didn't like the plot, or it was too outlandish to believe, or it rambled on without a clear plot, or it was riddled with grammatical errors, or it just didn't hold your interest, or as a mystery the ending was too predictable, or it just wasn't original enough, or what? What do you consider an example of good writing, and why? Maybe this is why I was never interested in being an English major, but I've never been offered an explanation of what makes something a bad book, a good book, or a great book, other than the personal preferences/tastes of the reader.

I mean, sure, I can judge textbooks: Is the information presented accurate and fairly up-to-date? Are there sufficient examples and sample problems for the students to practice, and does the solutions manual, if available, present clear explanations of the solutions? Is the order of presentation of the material consistent with my pedagogical needs? Is the level of presentation appropriate to the background of the students in my course?

But when it comes to novels, especially fiction, is it just a matter of personal opinion, in which case one should simply seek the opinions of those with similar tastes when looking for recommendations of reading material, or is there some more objective criterion for what makes a book better or worse written than another? I gave contrasting examples above of a book that folks here are claiming is poorly written (The DaVinci Code) and one that gets the endorsement of English professors (The Handmaid's Tale), and to me, the former is the better written of the two, based on grammar, word-choice, plot development and resolution, and sheer entertainment value. I should note that in terms of plots, both books actually have something in common, that they take bits of real events in history or modern society, and stretch them into a conspiracy theory, completely exaggerated level of prediction of future events, particularly revolving around extremist religious views associated with Catholicism/Christianity.

Does a book have to be a chore to read to make it worthy of literary acclaim? I'm really trying to understand how this distinction is made. If it's all chalked up to personal preference, I'd love to know that too, because then it makes it much easier to realize others just have different tastes than me, thus our difference of opinion in books we choose to read, rather than the seemingly more prevalent attitude I've run into that certain books are "must-reads" by anyone who is educated, while others are just the cheap, dimestore novels to be read by the ignorant masses (in which case, I'll join the ignorant masses any day, and keep reading what I enjoy ). Sometimes I wonder if the attitude of elitism (I'm not referring specifically to anyone here, just a general attitude I run into when discussing books in "educated circles") surrounding the reading of certain works of "literature" is more of a badge of honor that you persevered and survived reading the book to the end rather than that the book is really worthy of reading. But, if there really is something that defines the difference other than personal taste, I'd like to know what it is.

 

[franznietzsche]

Maybe this is why I was never interested in being an English major, but I've never been offered an explanation of what makes something a bad book, a good book, or a great book, other than the personal preferences/tastes of the reader.

Depth, metaphor, commentary. These things make a good book. Compare something by Kafka or Dostoevsky to 'The Da Vinci Code'. Its not even remotely comparable. As my english teacher explained to us 'It's not about what you interpret the book to mean. Its about whether there's actually anything there to interpret'.

 

[arildno]

And why should "interpretability" be a criterion for good literature?
What about the story being just a good yarn?
(And have no doubt: Masters like Shakespeare, Dostoyevsky DID spin great tales!)

I found the movie better than my expectations (admittedly nil); perhaps I'll pick up Dan Brown's book at some time and read it.

By the way, Moonbear, I quite enjoyed "A handmaid's tale"..

 

[Gokul43201]

I couldn't stand book XYZ by author ABC; it is some of the worst writing I've come across. And then, I decided to read book X1Y1Z1, also by author ABC. Did I mention he's an atrocious writer?