Ok for the high brow crowd what books you are reading

[big nasty kcnut]

I'm reading The New American Revolution by tammy bruce. She is a great thinker and funny.

[Sam Hall]

"Ball Four" by Jim Bouton never gets old.

[pikesome]

I picked up:

The Politics of Hunger by C Paul Vincent about the WWI Allied blockade of Germany after the Armistice was signed.

King David's Spaceship by Jerry Pournelle I've read a good number of his books but never this one.

[TrickyNicky]

Currently reading a few books:

Death By Black Hole by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
Reefer Madness by Eric Schlossler.
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.

Finished Year Zero by Jeff Long. He has a great writing style, and it was interesting enough, just the end was a little disappointing.

[keg in kc]

I don't remember if I mentioned it on this thread or not, I think only on the thread for the show itself, but I've recently become a fan of the Dresden Files books, by Jim Butcher. I just finished the fourth, Summer Knight, in about two days. I'm not sure how to describe them, they're not exactly literature, but they are pretty smart, and I really like the so-called 'urban fantasy' vibe they set. They're fun books, quick, easy reads, and have become one of my favorite series.

[Reaper16]

The Collected Gastronomical Works of M.F.K. Fisher. She's such an inspiration to my writing.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

With the caveat that I'm only a little over halfway through the series, I'd say that I think it's 'okay'. It's occasionally pretty mature in content, which I like, but at the same time, some of the writing can be pretty poor, particularly when dealing with relationships (usually Kahlan and Richard talking or thinking). There've been parts that made me grimace with the bad dime-store romance kind of content.

I'd probably put it on par with what I've read of Terry Brooks' Shannara series. Not bad, but not my favorite, either. Not on the level of Wheel of Time or Song of Ice and Fire, in my opinion, but good enough to recommend.

Yeah, the romance between Richard and Kahlan can be tiresome, but I find it to be less tiresome than Robert Jordan's anal attention to detail right down to the very last scratch on a chair leg on a set of unmatched chairs in a sparse tent.

That is why I find "The Sword of Truth" series to be a bit better than "The Wheel of Time"

Jordan spends what seems like pages on minutiae.

[Adept Havelock]

Originally Posted by pikesome

I picked up:

The Politics of Hunger by C Paul Vincent about the WWI Allied blockade of Germany after the Armistice was signed.

King David's Spaceship by Jerry Pournelle I've read a good number of his books but never this one.

If you haven't read them (or want to read them again), all of the Falkenberg's Legions novels (And Prince of Sparta/Go Tell the Spartans) have been released in a hardbound edition titles "The Prince".

[NewChief]

I'm reading a bunch of high interest stuff suitable for high school students over the summer in an effort to be able to better recommend books to my students. In the last week, I've hit a bunch of non fiction:

Hole in my Life by Jack Gantos: story of a young kid who basically screws up his life by getting involved in drug smugglings. He goes to the pen and truly discovers himself as a person and author there. Jack Gantos goes on to become a well known children/juvenile author of fiction.

Living At The Edge Of the World : A Teenager's Survival In The Tunnels Of Grand Central Station by Tina S. and Jamie Pastor Bolnick: story of a teen runaway who lives as a crack addict in Grand Central Station for many years but eventually finds her way to a normal life.

Generation Kill by Evan Wright. Story of 1st Marine Recon during the first few weeks of the invasion of Iraq. If you haven't checked this book out, I think every American should read it, regardless of where you stand on the war. It's a frank, honest portrayal of war in all its aspects.

[pikesome]

Originally Posted by Adept Havelock

If you haven't read them (or want to read them again), all of the Falkenberg's Legions novels (And Prince of Sparta/Go Tell the Spartans) have been released in a hardbound edition titles "The Prince".

Good to know, I've got most of the Falkenberg related novels except Go Tell... I even bought a used copy off Amazon only to end up with some POS book with the right title but not by Pournelle.

[GoHuge]

I'm on the last book of the Left Behind series. Whether your a Christian or not it is pretty intense stuff. I'm not much of a book reader but these books really grab a hold of you.

[Adept Havelock]

Originally Posted by GoHuge39

I'm on the last book of the Left Behind series. Whether your a Christian or not it is pretty intense stuff. I'm not much of a book reader but these books really grab a hold of you.

My biggest criticism with that series was that Jenkins/LaHaye pitched it is a 3 book trilogy. The publisher talked them into stetching into a dozen-plus book monstrosity. Heck, the last few books were double-spaced, with margins larger than most high school students term papers.

[NewChief]

Oh, I forgot.

I'm also reading A Mind at a Time by Mel Levine as "light" (haha) reading. It's an absolutely fascinating examination of the way people learn. If you have school age kids or are interested in the way the human brain processes information, this is a wonderful book. It's somewhat dense reading interspersed with lots of very readable case studies, but it's not hugely scientific and boring. I can't tell you how many times, as I'm reading this book, I'm thinking, "Man, I wish soandso's parents would read this book. It would help them understand and help him so much."

[pikesome]

Originally Posted by Adept Havelock

My biggest criticism with that series was that Jenkins/LaHaye pitched it is a 3 book trilogy. The publisher talked them into stetching into a dozen-plus book monstrosity. Heck, the last few books were double-spaced, with margins larger than most high school students term papers.

So they were ghost written by Robert Jordan?

[Delano]

Originally Posted by pikesome

So they were ghost written by Robert Jordan?

You know that Robert Jordan is not his real name? The Wheel of Time is ghost written.

[WARPARTY70]

Public Enemies By Bryan Burrough
It's a astonishing true story of America's first and greatest crime wave and the birth of FBI.
A crime wave that started with the Kansas City Massacre on June 17th 1933
Real interesting stuff!!!!!!