»
Discussion
»
pipTalk Lounge
»
Um...whatcha readin'?
| pipTalk Lounge |
|
Um...whatcha readin'? |
|
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738
|
A funny thing happened when my modem fried last weekend. I actually picked up a couple of books and I read them. If you liked "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, I think you'll enjoy "Mirror, Mirror" as well. I loved it, but I suggest that you look up Lucrezia Borgia before reading. (My internet was down and I was...confused?) But Maguire is clever indeed, using that choice to put a very cool spin on the Snow White fairy tale. I just love what this guy does.  This is a must-read-twice book for me, because I felt like someone told me a joke all night long and I smiled and thought "cute" and then--THEN I got the joke when I looked up Lucrezia. *smacks head* A fascinating spin on an old favorite, lots groovy details to get lost in too. Now. Your turn. Whatcha readin'? |
||
| © Copyright 2008 serenity blaze - All Rights Reserved | |||
|
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
East of Eden...finally!!! Prior to that I finished The Alchemist and Ken Follard's "Pillars of the Earth"...both gifts from my stepdaughter over Christmas. Wonderful books, the both of them. |
||
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
Ooooooooooh... Pillar of The Earth is in my stack, too! and ahhhhhhhh...Glenn Miller is playing now, as the sun is setting. Niceeeeeeeeeeee This has been fun.  |
||
|
Susan Caldwell Member Rara Avis
since 2002-12-27
Posts 8348Florida |
At the risk of seeming quad-polar, I have ran around the house gathering all the books I am currently reading... "Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life" by James Hollis "Creative Visualization" by Shakti Gawain "Dreams, Evolution, and Value Fulfillment" (Vol One) by Jane Roberts (A Seth Book) A hard back that contains 4 complete books by Edgar Cayce. and last but not least, "Heart of the Sea" the third in a trilogy by Nora Roberts.  Blame Karen (not the Nora Roberts book though)....I do, and I love her for it! "too bad ignorance isn't painful" |
||
|
Susan Caldwell Member Rara Avis
since 2002-12-27
Posts 8348Florida |
Oh...forgot one! "The Spiral Dance," by Starhawk....yes, I am STILL reading it...it's to be savored. "too bad ignorance isn't painful" |
||
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
grins... I don't remember talking about James Hollis. (I love James Hollis, but I don't remember going there.) um...well, y'know what I mean.  I have a confession to make too. I just can't leave that Michael Baigent stuff alone. I'm halfway through The Jesus Papers.  |
||
|
Susan Caldwell Member Rara Avis
since 2002-12-27
Posts 8348Florida |
*groan* now I have to check that out too...I am in fear of confusing one book for another.... "why isn't Darcy centering better?" (oh and yes the Hollis stuff was your idea as well...*smile*) geezzzz..... "too bad ignorance isn't painful" ~Unknown~ |
||
|
Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
East of Eden, Kari?  Me? I"m hitting Vonnegut again. I felt the need to loosen hold of "the box" a bit and he's always good for that. |
||
|
Roniece Dawson-Bruce Member Ascendant
since 2000-01-29
Posts 5689Sydney, Australia |
ok I can join in again now... had a lot of work this morning to do in my ever so tidy office! no sign of Bob yet either Karen!! I'm reading...."Almost French" by Sarah Turnbull... I actually think she is writing about me... you know Australian chick who loves Paris with a passion and finds a tall good looking Frenchman to fall in love with.... ooh wait, I'm married and he's not French! oh well...maybe I'll find him anyway in September when I return... Be kind at heart....for everyone you meet has their own battle to fight......... |
||
Ringo 
since 2003-02-20
Posts 3684Saluting with misty eyes |
When I have a couple of minutes to not think about anything else (which is about an hour a day before I head to bed), I wade through one of three books: "Ron and Nancy", about the Reagans. "Worth The Fighting For", by John McCain. "Bootstrapping Your Business" (I'm trying to improve things a llittle). and "The Murderers" by W.E.B. Griffin (again)for something to "forget" the world to. Theya re all in various locations (the car, the nightstand, my desk, and beside the couch) and are read according to where I am. What would you attempt to do...if you knew you could not fail?. |
||
|
Mysteria
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada |
From another member of the quad-polar club  - The Appeal by John Grisham - You Staying Young - Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D. (it's funny and great advice too!) - The New Earth - Eckhart Tolle, and doing online class every Monday. I do whatever Oprah tells me to do. - Dreams From My Father - Barack Obama |
||
|
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Yes, Christopherson...East of Eden. What's wrong with it? It was one of those books I always wanted to get to, life got in the way, and until a friend gave me her copy, I hadn't had the opportunity. What about it don't you care for? Maybe I'm liking it simply because I'm a native Californian... Susan, like you, I normally have a book in the kitchen, in the bedroom, bathrooms, and car. I've tried to "clean up my act" and not read more than two books at one time. [But when I did have all of those books laying around, it drove my husband nuts...hmmmmmm] |
||
|
Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
For one, I've enver been a Steinbeck fan, though I have read a couple of his novels (East of Eden being one of them). I think his writing is stodgy, self-indulgent, and over-analytical. I can't help but feel the pulse of preaching behind most of the character interaction. But that's just me. |
||
|
Mysteria
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada |
Oh I forgot my absolute favorite Serenity  Some have seen my shoe collection |
||
|
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Well, I'm not getting the "preachy" part, but have enjoyed the substance of the characters, their edges, their softness, even their duplicity. Of course, given our own ages, my Christopherson, it could be that we're looking at the same book with fairly differing viewpoints. Which is a good thing. |
||
|
c_fuller Member
since 2008-03-10
Posts 52california |
i typically read five to six books a week. reading "the god delusion" by richard dawkins, "mount dragon" by preston and child, the terror by dan simmons (again), "double cross" by james patterson, and "jumper" by i forget who. usually, whatever room i am in is the book i am reading. |
||
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
Heyyyyyyyy....Sharon? Those glasses look suspiciously familiar. (even without my glasses!) And C? I'm embarrassed. I had to google Vonnegut to see if I'd read him. (whew..I forgot. I have.) But I'm gonna need more shelves...grin. And c.fuller? You also reminded me of one that I might have some where...in here. Dawkins is fascinating, and somewhere in philosophy there's a thread that inspired me to look further into his ideas. The thread was based on his essay "viruses of the mind." I brake for books.  (I would if I drove, anyhow.) YAY BOOKWORMS!!! |
||
|
Essorant Member Elite
since 2002-08-10
Posts 4769Regina, Saskatchewan; Canada |
Letter Perfect by David Sacks. I enjoy David Sacks' insightfulness into the Alphabet. He shows how it is traced back to Egypt, where Phoenicians used some hieroglyphics as an Alphabet. The Greeks copied the alphabet from the Phoenicians, then the Etruscans copied the alphabet from the Greeks, the Romans copied it from the Etruscans and then English speakers copied it from the Romans. All of these people had very different languages, but the alphabet was able to be flexible enough to work for them all. He also gives a "biography" for each letter, with some cultural lore as well. Some interesting points are how the letter A originally meant "ox" and was shaped as an ox-head. If you look at the letter A up-side-down it still shows a likeness to an ox's head. Letter B meant "house". The name of the letter B in Hebrew is Beth and shows this meaning in the word Bethlehem meaning "house of bread". You will also see how the third letter was originally a G-sound, until the Etruscans turned into a C-sound, for they did not have a G-sound in their language. When the Romans copied the Alphabet, they kept the third letter as a c-sound, but needed a G for their language. They then improvized and changed the seventh letter (the letter Z, corresponding with zeta in Greek) into a G. Afterward they also wished to have the Z itself and then added it to the very end of the alphabet. |
||
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
Yanno Ess, this is the kind of thing that I can obsess over a while. And I can get a used copy for under ten bucks? Hmmm. Niceeeeeeeeee... I think that one is a must-have! Thanks. |
||
|
Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolano. No it's not a mystery but a novel about poets! The Good Guy by Dean Koontz Duma Key by Stephen King |
||
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
ah...tch! Duma Key is another on my wish list! I've been wanting that one since I read Christopher's poem--loved the quotes he used. and hey-- It's good to see you too--even if we're both sleepless this morning. Love you lady. |
||
|
Bob K Member Elite
since 2007-11-03
Posts 4208 |
Pindar: The Odes, translated by C.m.Bowra The Ode Less Travelled by Stephen Fry The Analects: Confucius, translated by David Hinton Ringo's reminded me of the fun in some of the old W.E.B. Griffin novels. I may go back and look at some of the old "Corps" series, which were special favorites of mine. Piranesi by Giovanni Battista The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil by Philip Zimbardo Fiasco: The American Military Adventure In Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks I'm always finishing one up and tossing two more on the pile, so I go back and forth a couple of times a day between different threads of information and fascination. They all seem to fuel each other, and they all seem to organize themselves around whatever seem to be my obsessional concerns de decade. The most recent poetry is Dog Star Delicatessen by Mekeel McBride, who is wonderful, delicate, sad and funny all at once. Nice thread. |
||
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
OW. Now that list made my head throb a bit. Very impressive, but I was happy to see one that I have on the wish list: The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil by Philip Zimbardo But, alas, I told me that I am punished from purchasing until I actually read at least half the stack on my headboard over there. And yep--half the stack, because I'm a comapnion reader too. And a lot of what I leave out is reference.tsk...I should go finish "The Jesus Papers". The storms made me edgy tonight though, and I'm finding the distraction of little conversation comforting--and this explains how Karen's modem gets fried. *chuckling* So...thanks! |
||
|
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
The Letter Perfect also has a companion book that looks very interesting. Seems that Amazon is going to get some of my $$$ today. |
||
|
Edward Grim Senior Member
since 2005-12-18
Posts 1154Greenville, South Carolina |
What am I reading? Well, I've had the Karma Sutra on my coffee table for a couple of months but I'm afraid to look at it. Hahaha... But seriously, I've been re-reading a lot of Ginsberg lately. He's my happy food. But as far as novels go, I just picked up The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson. Another little toothsome delight. "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Albert E. |
||
|
Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
Duma Key is probably one of King's better-written works. The story isn't truly unique or exciting, though it's not drab either. His writing skills have certainly grown, however, and I found a huge trove of literary gems intertwined throughout. And, as always, his depiction of people is dead-on believable. Kari - *shrug*. I don't know how much age has to do with it, but I hope you enjoy it. |
||
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
C? I have much "catch-up" reading to do, and I probably would have let Duma Key slip by my priority list if not for your outstanding poem. And Ed Grimm--you have excellent taste, btw. Be sure to pick up Ginsberg's biography too--I'd tell you which one I found helpful when I can find it. But the extent Ginsberg goes to when he delves into his own subconscious is, whew...I wouldn't call it admirable, but it is certainly something? (brain fog--it still happens!  ) |
||
|
The Shadow in Blue Member
since 2006-05-18
Posts 493EL, Michigan |
The Russians have piqued my interest as of late, especially Fyodor Dosteovsky Recently I've read "Crime and Punishment" and have just started "Notes from the Underground" Basically I'm started to get hooked on the stream of conscious (sorta) existentialist genre as a whole. And I must say it is pretty damn fascinating. Oh, and of course you can't forget the new Harry Potter series, aka: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse. What can I say it's addictive. ~Jill |
||
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
"Crime and Punishment" was required reading, but it was one of those deals where I just skimmed it to take the test. (Um, I passed.) I think I need to start a "re-read" list though.) And yanno? All this fuss about Harry Potter? Well, you'd think what with me being me I'd have read 'em, but nope. People keep telling me that I should read the entire series just to appreciate the craft. I really am going to have to get my head into this century! (I don't think the Michael Baigent counts.) Sheesh. |
||
|
The Shadow in Blue Member
since 2006-05-18
Posts 493EL, Michigan |
I should too but my AP English class has stuck me in this 19th-20th century limbo. By the way I understand your issues with Crime and Punishment because I had to read "The Light in August"-Ughhh I hate William Faulkner's writing style sometimes-actually a lot. It's just like with "The Heart of Darkness". And I sorta, kinda get your scpeel with Harry Potter, all things considered-it gets old sometimes. But I was referring to Stephanie Meyer and the Twilight series-You know, the vampire boyfriend and the werewolves,etc. I really should join the literature of the 20th-21st century too, but I'll have to wait until May (after my dreaded AP exams)-ughh... |
||
|
Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
I just finished Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and A Thousand Splendid suns by Khaled hosseini. They were both terrific...I've just started Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert...it's not as as good as I hoped, but I'm still reading. |
||
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
Well hey--congrats on the AP thing--that's awesome! And I just popped back in to say that the William Faulkner might be something you'd enjoy later on. When I have trouble with a book, I'll put it aside and try again later. I really didn't appreciate Faulkner until I tried writing. (I'm very partial to first-person narrative, and I thought he handled that beautifully in As I Lay Dying.) It also helps if you think you may be dying while you read it. heh? You'd fit right in around here! (My kids are doing the AP thing too--and my daughter is on her way to state finals in the Literary Field.) I like to read with them so we can talk about stuff--it really helps with the studying... much luck to you! Sounds like you're doing the hard work part on your own, so with that good head on your shoulders and a little luck, you're gonna go far. tsk..you could probably teach me already! |
||
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
and I just missed you mah sweet Marite! (You guys are gonna have me googling all night--and I was watching Raging Bull, but I've seen it a million times. I think I just watch it for that Joe Pesci scene now.) I haven't read any of those either. I am starting to feel really...dumb.  Love ya lady! |
||
|
Mysteria
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada |
It rained all day here, so I read "Twilight", by William Gay never thinking I will now quite possibly be awake all night to avoid nightmares Strangely, I watched a movie yesterday called, "No Country For Old Men," and it's amazing how many things I found were similar in this book to that movie, and both left me freaked out!  That is a very good thing by the way, usually only Stephen King can do that so it was a great book! |
||
|
Paul Wilson
since 2002-07-07
Posts 4711United States |
Karen...Call me a Red Neck or whatever, but I am reading the latest issues of Popular Mechanics and Buck Masters. Lets hear it for the Red Necks....Hell Yah...Paul ~~To share my poems with you is to share my heart with you~~ |
||
|
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Timshel, Christopherson. Timshel.  |
||
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
cracking up @ Paullie  I just love ya! |
||
|
latearrival Member Ascendant
since 2003-03-21
Posts 5499Florida |
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled hosseini also The Kite Runner, both excellent Marti. Now reading The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad I am 3/4 of the way through.I guess I sort of stick to a theme when I read so I could better retain the all of it. I went to the library the other day to listen to a group read Poe. The very last reading was a male and female reading Bells with such fevor that I later stopped the man and suggested they go on tour. I would have paid to see and hear just them had I know they were reading anywhere. While there, I stopped in the book sales room and for a quarter each I bought two books. Groans,sounded from the bedroom and den floors and cries of pity; "Please Enough" One of particular interest was Spandau The Secret Diaries by Albert Speer. Notes and letters he wrote during his twenty years in jail. Starting with the Nuremberg trials. I am sure I will really enjoy this book as I like to read diariess and journals and this will be enlightening to me. What I have read so far is excellent. Happy reading,"late" |
||
|
NeonKnight Junior Member
since 2008-04-12
Posts 36New South Wales, Australia |
I'm currently reading Blood & Gold by Anne Rice, she would have to be a favorite, she is a very engaging author. |
||
|
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Letter Perfect, by David Sacks. |
||
|
serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
 |
||
|
Jaki H Member
since 2008-01-19
Posts 232NJ, USA |
"Discovering Tarot" and "Reflections In The Nile" |
||
|
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
...while multitasking with an old Grisham book, "The Testament". |
||
|
|
⇧ top of page ⇧ |
|
| All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format. | ||
