What Are You Reading Now? - My Quarterly Inquiry

1/08/08 | MplsSteve

[MplsSteve]

It's time again for my quarterly "What Are You Reading Now?" inquiry.

I'm always curious as to what Freepers are reading and what they're recommending to others.

It can be anything...a classic novel, a scientific journal, a magazine, a cheap pulp novel...anything.

Do not deface this thread with a smart-ass answer like "I'm Reading this Thread". It became very un-original a long time ago.

I'll start. I'm reading "The Great Deluge: Hurrican Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast" by Douglas Brinkley.

This is a full account of Katrina striking the Gulf Coast. The book starts 48 hours before landfall and finishes one week after landfall. It a very good book.

Trust me, no one comes out of this looking good. Ray Nagin doesn't. FEMA doesn't, etc.

Well, what are YOU reading now?

[Chickensoup]

My reading list for the past couple of years. I wish I could find someone who would be interested in talking about these books instead of the latest American Idol.

I am now reading The black swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb and The death of the grown-up, Diana West

2006-2007

Age of Kali, William Dalrymple
Asylum, Enoch Calloway
Deer hunting with Jesus, Joe Bageant
Minutemen, Jim Gilchrist
Lone Survivor, Marcus Luttrell
Money-driven machine, Maggie Mahar
Human accomplishments, Charles Murray
Mugged by reality, John Agresto
If Democrats had brains, Ann Coulter
Until proven innocent, Stuart Taylor
Affirmative action around the world, Thomas Sowell
The secret servant, Daniel Silva
Unprotected, Miriam Grossman

The abolition of Britain, Peter Hitchens
Women who make the world worse, Kate O’Beirne
The economic decline of empire, Carlo Cipolla
Our culture, whats left of it, Theodore Dalrymple
Romancing opiates, Theodore Dalrymple
Strategery, Bill Sammoas
Walking to Valdieri, Albert Sharon
So little done, Theodore Dalrymple
America alone, Mary Steyn
Not a suicide pact, Posner
Bankrupt, David Limbaugh
Millionaire republican, Wayne Root
Marketing of evil, David Kupelian
Your money or your life, Neil Cavulo
In defense of hypocrisy, Jeremy Lott
Bear’s guide to earning a college degree, John Bear
One year to a college degree, Loretta Long
Yes you can still retire comfortably, Ben Stein
The shadow party, Richard Poe
The global war on guns, Wayne Lapierce
Myths, lies and stupidity, John Strossel
Countdown to crisis, Kenneth Timmerman
Renewing American culture, Theodore Malloch
The politics of disaster, Marvin Olasky
The shadow party, David Horowitz
In defense of the religeous right, Patrick Hynes
The official handbook of the vast right-winge conspiracy,
Mark Smith
Absolutely American, David Lipsky
Political zoo, Michael Savage
How the Catholic church... , Thomas Woods
How successful people win, Ben Stein
Minutemen, Jim Gilchrist
The party of death, Ramesh Ponnuru
Start late, finish rich, David Bach
The caged virgin, Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Hoodwinked, Jack Cashill
Getting America right, Doug Wilson
Buck wild, Stephen Silinski
Who really cares, Arthur Brooks
Friendship, Joseph Epstein
Whatever it takes, JD Hayworth
Painting the map red, Hugh Hewitt
Size matters, Joel Miller
Leaving the left, Keith Thompson
Attention deficit Democracy, James Bovard
It takes a family, Rick Santorum
Hollywood nation, James Hirsen
Running on empty, Peter Peterson
Unprotected, MD Anonymous
Effective handgun defense, James Frank
An academic question, Barbara Pym
Excellent question, Barbara Pym
The face of the tiger, Mark Steyn

more later......
2005-2006

The truth about Hilary, Klien
100 people who are screwing up America, Goldberg
I am Charlotte Simmons, Wolfe
They think you are stupid, Cain
Black rednecks and white liberals, Sowell
Exodus, Shiflett
Unholy alliance, Horowitz
The rantings of a single male, Ellis
The Ezekiel option, Rosenberg
Rather dumb, Walker
The hypomanic edge, Gartner
Three billion new capitalists, Prestowitz
Destructive trends in mental health, Wright
Gray lady down, McGoean
Between two worlds, Marquandt
Christian slaves, Muslim masters, Davis
White gold, Milton
Exposing liberals gone wild, Malkin
Decadance, Anderson
Getting in, Paul
The debt free graduate, Baker
The A’s and B;s of acedemic success, Leider
Paying for college without going broke, Chany
The college admissions mystique, Mayher
Choosing the right college 2005, Beer
Visiting college campuses 7th ed
The college board of majors
Looking beyond the Ivy league, Pope
Spying on the college of your choice, Oppenheimer
Member of the club, Graham
Between two worlds, Marquardt
Camp of the saints, Raspail
Unhinged, Malkins
Do as I say, Schweizer
The undercover economist, Harford
Children of men, James
The mind has mountains, McHugh
Walking to Valdieri, Sharon
Dave Barry does Japan, Barry
Wome who make the world worse, O’Beirne
Scalia dissents, Ring
Condi vs Hillary, Morris
The politically inccorect guide to American history, Moser
The politically incorrect guide to science, Bethell
The professors, Horowitz
Disinformation, Miniter
Whatever it takes, Hayworth
Strategy, Sammons
The emergency teacher, Asquith
An army of David’s, Reynolds
Crunchy cons, Dreher
How to pay for college, Tanabe
Our culture, whats left of it, Dalrymple
So little done, Dalrymple
The abolition of Britain, Hitchens
Ramancing opiates, Dalrymple

Thats all folks!

[Intolerant in NJ]

Well into Jack Cashill's Hoodwinked: How Intellectual Hucksters Have Hijacked American Culture - so far a good account of how the leftwing establishment including much of the press hid the truth about the USSR and communist infiltration of the US from the country, including the usual suspects such as Duranty, Hiss, and Lillian Hellman.......

[Marie2]

Wow, dark stuff.

[Marie2]

Man, when do you sleep?

[TradicalRC]

The only book I ever read that challenged my assumptions was Atlas Shrugged. It’s not that I haven’t read any other left leaning books but the assumptions they make are usually a.)Obvious and b.)Wrong.

[G Larry]

“Sabotage” by Rowan Scarborough
‘America’s enemies within the CIA’

It is amazing to have read that on the heels of reading
“The Looming Tower” by Lawrence Wright
‘The path to 9/11’

[Tanniker Smith]

That's quite a long and varied list. I'd love to talk about any of them, but I haven't read any of those (it was a quick scan, but I'm pretty sure that I haven't).

I'll have my list for 2007 up tomorrow. Unfortunately, my PC is still in the shop and that's when my list is.

I read several Sue Grafton books, Category 7 (disappointing), and, of course, Harry Potter, along with a couple of math-related books and other things.

"The Knights of Dark Renown" by Dave Gemmel was the best fantasy novel I read last year.

[Brasil]

Finished Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn and T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton. Now I'm working through two Daniel Silva Books; Secret Servant and Mark of the Assassin.

[rwrcpa1]

Well, 20 years ago it could have been Bruce Willis. 30 years ago Clint Eastwood. Daniel Craig (007)would be good but he’s British. Keifer Sutherland might be good but there’s that whole Jack Bauer thing.

[winstonwolf33]

FICTION--As my tagline suggests, I'm currently reading The Bonfire of the Vanities. This is my first Tom Wolfe book and, even though this sounds like a cliche, it truly is LAUGH-OUT-LOUD FUNNY!

NONFICTION--Currently reading Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D. A must-read for anyone in the mortgage collections racket like me.

Just finished two Stephen King novels, 'Salem's Lot and The TommyKnockers. I highly recommend 'Salem's Lot. It will give you nightmares and is one of his best books. I also enjoyed The TommyKnockers which surprisingly had a sci-fi storyline, not King's usual horror stuff. And I don't know if I saw something that wasn't there, but the plot actually came across to me as a satire of liberalism.

[Tanniker Smith]

T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton.

I'm only up to "F", but I've listened to some of the later ones ("N" or "P", maybe) in my car years ago. I needed a break from the series. Probably February break or early summer.

[Puppage]

It’s very good. Took a few chapters to get the feel of it so to speak, but it’s very enjoyable. Glad I wasn’t around back then. LOL.

[Dysart]

The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature --Steven Pinker

[a real Sheila]

Koontz is my favorite author when I’m reading for entertainment purposes.
He has written some great stories (and a few crappy ones).
I’ve read a LOT (but not all) of his books and “Intensity” is the best IMO. Very scary.
I love that he usually puts a dog in every story.
I really liked “The Face” also because of the little boy in the story.

[FroedrickVonFreepenstein]

I have not. The War Against the Weak is the first Edwin Black book I’ve read. Is it good?

[Krankor]

I own it, but haven’t read it yet. It’s also deals with the Nazis among other things

[TradicalRC]

I read Dark Rivers of the Heart and thought it very good. I happened to see the movie Enemy of the State right after that, talk about a correlation!

[a real Sheila]

Yes, Dark Rivers of the Heart was also a very good one.
I’ve enjoyed most of his books.
THey always have really good, edge-of-your-seat chase scenes.

[Chickensoup]

Man, when do you sleep?

Takes me a couple to a few hours to fall asleep. Multiply it by 365 and you have quite a few hours of reading. No telvision either.

[Citizen Soldier]

I just started “The Bookseller of Kabul”, and “Why Do They Hate Us?”, both very good so far. Next I have “Three Cups of Tea” and then “The Pillars of the Earth”. I like historical books rather than fiction, also political ones (hey, I am a long time freeper!)