Posted on 01/11/2006 12:04:15 PM PST by MplsSteve
I'm gonna start doing this thread on a quarterly basis.
The last time I did it, I got some very interesting answers from Freepers.
What are you reading? It can be anything. A classic. A technical journal. A trashy pulp novel. Soldier of Fortune magazine. Anything.
I'll start. I'm reading: "The Campaign of the Century: Upton Sinclair's race for Governor of California and the birth of media politics".
So far, it's not a bad read. But what did you expect? I'm a Pol Sci major.
Well, what are you reading?
Three Billion New Capitalists: The Great Shift of Wealth and Power to the East
by Clyde Prestowitz
Fascinating! Scary!
BTTT
Depending on time of day, either some Regency novel or "Spanish for Gringos".
Right now, I'm listening to Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People."
I'm reading "Not a Good Day to Die," all about Operation Anaconda in Afghanistan.
Great book, Guerilla Marketing. If I may, I'd also recommend:
"Selling the Invisible" by Beckwith
"How to Be a Rainmaker" by Fox
What kind of business do you have, if I may ask?
My apologies to the Weekly Digest folks for the off-schedule ping, and to all for the off-list nature of this topic, but I'm guessing there are number of avid readers, and figured it would be nice to hear from you, since you hear from me nearly every day. :')
I'm reading a couple of books right now. The one that is farthest along is Eberhard Zannger's "The Future of the Past", but I've lost track of the book itself. Has to be around here somewhere, or lost in the car.
I'm loving Ann Rynd.
The Virtue of Selfishness!
Is she anything like Ayn Rand? ;-)
I just finishted John Lutz' The Night Spider, and started The Night Watcher.
If I spelled it right, then I'd be 100% perfect instead of 99% almost there to nirvana ;-)
I bought that in the fall too. I was amazed to see Paine recommend a progressive estate tax in "The Rights of Man."
The Italian Boy- Sarah Wise- Body snatching in 1830’s London
Life in a Medieval Village by Frances and Joseph Gies
The Battle of Maldon: Fiction and Fact- Janet Cooper
The Balkan Wars: Conquest, Revolution, and Retribution from the Ottoman Era to the Twentieth Century and Beyond- Andre Gerolymatos
I am switching off between The Cambridge History of Ancient China and Dean Koonz' "Shadow Fires". I just finished "Mao : The Unknown Story" by Jung Chang, Jon Halliday, I would recomend it to any with an interest in modern China.
Saudi Arabia In The Nineteenth Century, by R. Bayly Winder. Published in 1965.
It commences with the Tree of the families of Saud and al-Wahhab. One long killing spree. Towns and cities razed, wells poisoned, date palms cut down, women and children taken captive, kidnappings, assassinations; just arabs being arabs...tribe against tribe.
Betrayal, revolt, cholera, famine, extortion, wars with Egypt, occupation by the Ottoman Turks, jihad, theft of livestock and chattels, nothing was safe or sacred...
There are two entries on the flyleaf;
(1)I did not finish this book, finding it very tedious to read.
(2)I found it FASCINATING!
Both comments are dated prior 9/11.
"The Olmec World: Ritual and Rulership" by a group of archaeologists (Richard Coe, Linda Schele, et al) is an ongoing study project. It always delights with its amazing photographs of Olmec art and essays that help put it all into context. Finally I'm studying several texts on new research regarding ideal diamond cuts by the Gemological Institute of America and the American Gem Society. The search for the "best" cut seems unending but I find the optical challenges very interesting. Dull, huh?
1776
Compartmentalized by theme, I am reading:
Faith:
The Bible, English Standard Version: God. Haven't read the entire Bible since the first Gulf War. I am taking my family through it over the next year. We do the Law on Sunday, The Gospels on Monday, The Epistles on Tuesday, Wisdom Books on Wednesday..... 3-4 chapters a night
The Institutes of The Christian Religion: John Calvin. Not in an organized manner, just picking it up, opening it, and reading a few random pages a day.
Leisure
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference: Malcolm Gladwell. An interesting little book. Not sure how much I agree with, but still a good read.
Italy 2006: by Rick Steves. Planning for a trip late next month and Steves is my favorite travel writer. A bit geeky, a bit sarcastic, a lot of fun.
Professional
Armies of Pestilence; The Impact Of Disease On History: R.S. Bray. A high-spirited romp through cholera, typhus, the plague.....
Preparedness & Community Response to Pandemics: School of Public Health, The University of Albany. Some light reading on Bird Flu. Need to read such things to keep my license current.
Waiting in the wings:
Foundations of the Christian Faith: James Montgomery Boice
The Origin of Paul's Religion: J. Gresham Machen
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.