What are you reading?

[livius drusus]

It's a great story and I found it profoundly engaging, but I really love history. There's a lot of historical detail, a lot to keep track of. I know several people who started the series but just couldn't get into it.

eldar, beyelzu and I are big fans, though.

[Sweetie]

I've always wanted to go to Australia to find out if Drogheda was a real place. No, no, don't tell me, it probably isn't, but I'd still like to go where it was supposed to be anyhoo, maybe one day.

[xyza]

I'm about to start reading at last a book Peaches sent me, this may be the wrong time though from what she says seeing as I'm on forced celibacy.

The Bride Stripped Bare - Anonymous

[Clutch Munny]

Freakonomics (Levitt and Dubner)

The Psychology of Rumor (Allport and Postman)

The Code of the Woosters (Wodehouse) for the 10th time...

The Lords of Discipline (Conroy) after first reading it about 15 years ago...

Assorted articles on naming, homeopathy, birth control, statistical errors in meta-analyses, and the epistemology of testimony.

[godfry n. glad]

I just finished Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World, by Jack Weatherford, 2004. An excellent revision and very positive review of not only Genghis (Timujin), but the Pax Mongolica he brought to the greater portion of Eurasia in the 13th century, and his legacy into the 14th century. A tempting introduction to the military tactics of nomadic herders and the challenges of holding together a polity of nomads and sedintary peoples.

He has an excellent description of one of the Mongols' favorite pastimes, engaging in theological debate between the teachers of the various religious traditions over which they ruled. This included Islam, Chrisitianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Manicheaism, and the various tribal religious traditions of the steppe peoples of Asia and Europe. The christianities to which the Mongols came in contact were several and many of the Mongol women were practicing christians, mostly gnostic in nature. As Weatherford describes it, Jesus was considered to be a top-rate shaman, as he had conquered death. William of Rubruk was one of the Great Khan's tent guests and had the honor of partaking in a disputation with an Islamic teacher and a Buddhist monk.

Now I have to find a new book...

[Ymir's blood]

Originally Posted by Ymir's blood

Currently, I am reading Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott, The Wordsworth Book of Horror Stories (various authors) and The Good the bad and the Mad: Some Weird People In American History by E. Randal Floyd.

Finished two of them at work today and started on the stack of National Geographics left by coworkers. Not sure what book to start next, though there is a stack of used paperbacks found during my trip to Raleigh this past weekend.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by Ymir's blood

Finished two of them at work today and started on the stack of National Geographics left by coworkers.

! Sound all right

What job allows you to do this?

[Ymir's blood]

I work as an inspector for the North Carolina Dept. of Transportation. Even during 'busy' times, there is almost always time to read. Right now, due to a budget crunch, there isn't much of anything else to do.

[livius drusus]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

Now I have to find a new book...

Have you read I.F. Stone's The Trial of Socrates? I stumbled on this interview link hopping yesterday and I thought the combination of Stone and Socrates was just so perfect for you.

[TomJoe]

This thread got me thinking that I needed to acquire some new reading material, so lunchtime at B&N resulted in the acquisition of : We Were Soldiers Once And Young : Ia Drang - the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam by Harold Moore.

I also earmarked : Saboteurs : The Nazi Raid on America as future reading material as well.

[godfry n. glad]

Originally Posted by livius drusus

Have you read I.F. Stone's The Trial of Socrates? I stumbled on this interview link hopping yesterday and I thought the combination of Stone and Socrates was just so perfect for you.

I have read it, and it was superlative. I loved every page of it, and it changed my perspective of Socrates considerably, while providing an adequate understanding of the actions of the citizens of Athens in his regard.

[Johnny Pneumatic]

I finished the first Fable book, Fables: Legends in Exile, a few days ago.

I'm a few pages into Eric Drexler's Engines of Creation

Also I'm about 3/7-3/8ths through Life, The Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams.

[Ymir's blood]

Currently, I've started reading Dead Until Dark by Charlene Harris, which is ok. Finished up Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison the other day. It was great, Noir-esque detective story set in an alternate world with witches, vampires, etc...

[Veritas]

I'm reading After Elizabeth, by Leanda de Lisle. It's about the transition of the throne of England from Elizabeth I to James VI/I.

[ms_ann_thrope]

Originally Posted by TomJoe

This thread got me thinking that I needed to acquire some new reading material, so lunchtime at B&N resulted in the acquisition of : We Were Soldiers Once And Young : Ia Drang - the Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam by Harold Moore.

Good book. Great movie.

I have several books going at the moment: On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Dave Grossman; Zen at Work, by Les Kaye; and The Federalist Papers, by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.

What I am so far avoiding reading this weekend is what I actually need to be reading; namely, big sections of the Federal Rules of Evidence and its associated advisory committee notes.

[Waluigi]

I just finished reading iCon, a book about Steve Jobs. Now I'm going to read a book I borrowed from the library about being able to remember things better. I don't remember the name of the book, though.

[Ymir's blood]

Finished Dead Until Dark by Charlene Harris yesterday. I got a lot more into it part of the way through. I suppose the earlier trouble was trying to get past the fact it was set in rural American South. That isn't exactly my usual escapist fare.

Today I started reading White As Snow by Tanith Lee. This book is a retelling of Snow White with a much darker flavor. I like it a lot, which is usual for all of Tanith Lee's works. I 'discovered' her two years ago while reading an old fantasy anthology and have been looking for her work since.

[Veritas]

Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill.

I'm still awaiting my first million quid. (I'd settle for a hefty royalties cheque).

[wei yau]

I've completed Caesar's Women and have just started Caesar (Let the Dice Fly). I'm a bit concerned about Roman overkill, what with reading Masters of Rome and watching HBO: Rome.

[livius drusus]

Unless you're talking about Crassus lining the Appian way with 5000 crucified slaves, there's no such thing as Roman overkill.

[wei yau]

Well, less than a hundred pages into Caesar, I'm beginning to suspect that Labeinus is gonna have a "Roman overkill" of his own. Does not seem like a nice guy.

Oh and I giggled like a little girl when Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus showed up in the book.

[freemonkey]

Originally Posted by eldar

I've completed Caesar's Women and have just started Caesar (Let the Dice Fly). I'm a bit concerned about Roman overkill, what with reading Masters of Rome and watching HBO: Rome.

OMG, I'm still on The First Man In Rome. Every time I think I should just put it down and move on to something else, something interesting happens.

I do think I'll take breaks between each book, though, as I have quite the pile of books growing. And the library sale tomorrow........

[NietzscheCat]

Reading Neuromancer by William Gibson. Rather good, the imagery is astounding. But Gibson throws you into a new world without direction, so it's hard to follow.

[curses]

Currently reading...the script to Bells off of Monty Python's The Final Ripoff

Man: Did I 'it it?
Wife: Yes, right up the aisle.
Man: Well I've always said, There's nothing an agnostic can't do if he really doesn't know whether he believes in anything or not.

I think next I'll move onto season one's scripts.

[Ymir's blood]

Finished White As Snow, now to find something else.