What Are You Reading Now?

1/11/06 | Me

[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?

[WHATNEXT?]

It does get anti American. I stopped going to a book club because they love her books.

[P H Lewis]

I'm currently reading "The Conquest of Morocco" by Douglas Porch after finishing "The Conquest of the Sahara" by the same author. They're really wonderful books; well written with a compelling style that really draws you into the history. They're probably the best "popular history" books I've read in a very long time. Next up is Douglas Porch's history of the French Foreign Legion and I'll finish the classic "Beau Geste" by P.C. Wren very soon. (Can you see a theme to all this?)

After these, I have a non-fiction book about the Rifle units in Wellington's army that looks pretty good (a Christmas gift from a friend.) Eventually, I'd like to get back to finishing the Aubrey/Maturin series by O'Brian. (So many books, so little time!)

Regards,

Patrick

[WHATNEXT?]

I reread the L & C Journals every 3 or 4 years. Went to the Portland Historical Society exhibit of over 400 artifacts pertaining to the journey. Amazing history and sad ending to many on the expedition.

[porkchops 4 mahound]

"Pacific War Diary" (1942-1945 The secret diary of an American Sailor), James J. Fahey, Zebra Books 1963.

The Pacific War from the view point of an enlisted sailor aboard the USS Montpelier, a light cruiser, who fought in the Solomons, the Marianas, Leyte Gulf, Mindoro, Palawn, Borneo, and who was there for the final acts at Okinawa, and Japan.

Stand GQ at a .50 cal mount on the f'ocsle in the shadow of turret #1.

Tell me again how sailors had it "easy".

A very RARE view point.

[GiovannaNicoletta]

Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions" by Lisa Randall.

[ThanhPhero]

Twin Powers- Thomas Molnar

A History of Christianity in Asia- Samuel Moffett.

[shuckmaster]

The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins.
An excellent book!

[xcamel]

"The Digital Book Of Infinity"

and Uriel's Machine

[commonguymd]

Who moved the cheese is a good book. Wonderful metaphor for employees. 'Now Discover your Strengths' is what I just got done reading and it is the best business book for managing people that I have ever read.

[75thOVI]

Right now I'm reading the latest volume in David Weber's Honor Harrington series. If you've not read it, it's been described as Star Wars meets C.S.Forrester. It's an excellent series, but it's up to about 9 or 10 books now. Plus several short story collections and a couple of related threads. But, somehow Weber keeps it all together. I tried to read Michell Malkin's "Unhinged", it was a very good book for the non-Freepish, but to me it read like a long "Dems Gone Wild" thread here. It didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, just seeing it all in one place did bad things to my blood pressure.

[Physicist]

The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand

and

The Portable Faulkner by William Faulkner

[wildehunt]

Sun Dancing by Geoffrey Moorhouse:
The monks of Skellig Michael on the coast of medieval Ireland.

Academic Equitation by General DeCarpentry:
Who knew there was such a thing, eh?
Definitely a Pilgrim's Progress.

Free Republic
Everything I need to know.

[Renfield]

"...This...."

Me too!!

Shortly, I will be reading a book about the creation of our Constitution, and another about a giant asteroid that hit the earth 35 million years ago, near the mouth of what is now the Chesapeake Bay.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

For study - "For Americans Only" By Pettengill. If you can get your hands on this out of print book I highly recommend it. You DON'T know as much about what was going on on the home front during WWII as you think.

For fun - "With Friends Like These..." by Foster. "Why Johnny Can't Speed" is the best one so far.

[WhiteGuy]

Thanks for the info, I'll look nto it!

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

I was amazed to see Paine recommend a progressive estate tax in "The Rights of Man."

I Haven't gotten that far yet, though from what I've read so far that is amazing!

[ovrtaxt]

'Breaking Christian Curses' by Dennis Cramer.

[Varda]

I'm slowly reading two text books ,
"Introduction to Logic" Copi & Cohen (recommended by freepers, very good),
"Reason and Responsibility" custom edition for Prof. Ramsey (finished section on Theodicy which gives the impression Theodicy is a section of philosophy based on poor scholarship)
and just finished "The Limits of a Limitless Science" Jaki, which was excellent.
Just starting, "The Savior of Science" Jaki, which so far isn't the quality of his other book.

[colorcountry]

Barnard DeVoto....a kindred soul. Wasn't he an outsider, born in Mormon Country?

Good author though.

[SE Mom]

Yankee from Olympus (biography of Oliver Wendell Holmes and his family).

Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis (first read about 20 years ago)

And for my junk food for the brain- Two Dollar Bill (Stuart Woods)