Posted on 07/29/2009 7:23:00 AM PDT by MplsSteve
Well, it's time again for my quarterly "What Are You Reading Now?" thread.
I do this thread to gauge what other Freepers are reading. As all of you know, Freepers are probably some of the more well-read individuals on the Internet and I'm always curious as to what we're reading.
It can be anything, a classic work of fiction, a NY Times bestseller, a technical journal, a trashy pulp novel...in short anything.
Please do not ruin this thread by replying "I'm reading this thread". It become un-funny a long time ago.
I'll start. I'm about halfway thru "The Horrid Pit: The Battle Of The Crater" by Alan Axelrod. It's a great book that concentrates on one of the more controversial and bloody battles of the Civil War.
Well, what are YOU reading now?
I'm half way through Moby Dick. I read to about page 70 and then got interrupted, so I just started it over. The description of Ishmael bunking with Queequeg was worth a second read anyway.
Check out Post 50 here re: swordsmithing!
Hmmm. Never read “The Name of the Rose”, but enjoyed the movie.
I love all of the Mitch Rapp books. The new one is supposed to be out in the Fall.
Oh, I LOVE books about the late Medieval period! I’ll have to see if my library has that one!
I would guess your library has it, but your neighborhood Border’s could have it for 8 bucks if it does not. The 14th Century is particularly interesting (as the author explains) since the Black Death hit in 1348, so it divides up rather neatly into before and after the BD.
I just went online and ordered it up through our library’s regional system. It should be at my local library early next week.
Do you have any info about to whom Flynn sold the rights?
Quite right...that is a most hilarious chapter or two!
Would you agree, MD is something of a masterpiece? Not necessarily accessible to a broad audience, but for those willing to devour it over time in small bits, it is a pretty amazing work, don’t you think?
I’m in the middle of reading “LIBERAL FASCISM” by Jonah Goldberg. He does an outstanding job of outlineing the history of Fascism, (what it actually is, what the Modern Fascists goals are)... starting with Mussoulini, going on to Hitler, continueing with Woodrow Wilson, then Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then looking at the foolish, foolish radicals in the ‘60s, who really wanted nothing more than to destroy everything in sight; but were propeled by the deceitful Socialist Professors in the Universities..these foolish radicals are now in Governnment, continueing to destroy everything that is of any value. (guess which Party?)
Now, I’m not finished with the book yet..but Goldberg continues with a discussion of the left’s obsession with Race, then goes on to explore the Liberal Fascists Economic goals, then he has a few chapters on Hillary Clinton, who, I assume, since she is included in this book on Liberal Fascism, is Fascist in her own right. (this book was written 2 years ago..when it was thought that Clinton would be the Liberal’s Presidential Candidate in 2008.)
All in all, it’s one of the finest books I’ve read recently, quite informative, and if you want to truly understand what Obama is doing to The United States, this is a MUST read. (many things that Obama is advocating has been Liberal Fascism’s goals for decades.)
http://www.reclaimingtheblade.com
I would add a vote. It’s a nicely done DVD and it does deal well with a number of misconceptions about swords. A part two would be nice, to get even deeper into the topic.
I’m pretty sure I did a review of it here on FR a while back. I’ll look...
Thanks SuziQ for the ping!
I just finished Sowell’s “The Housing Boom and Bust”. It’s awesome, as you’d expect and lays things out in his usual clarity. If we can get enough people to read it we could fill the capitol mall with torches and pitchforks by the weekend.
Now I’m starting in on “Heart of Darkness” by Conrad.
The History by Herododus the parts on Eypt
The Broker by John Grishm (on CD while traveling)
Ancient Pueblo Peoples by Linda S. Cordell
The Meaning of Everything the story of the Oxford English Dictionary by simon Winchester (on CD while traveling, more interesting than you would think)
Dimensions, by Jacques Vallee; interesting and balanced examination of unexplained aerial phenomena, and very well written by level-headed physicist. Good stuff.
I took this off www.vinceflynn.com official website under frequently asked questions:
Are they making a movie based on your books? Yes. Lorenzo di Bonaventura (”Transformers”) and Nick Wechsler (“We Own The Night”) will be producing the moviesfor CBS Films who has optioned the rights for Flynn’s Mitch Rapp character with the intention of creating a character-based, action-thriller movie franchise.
It's a classic for a reason, of course. I'm just getting into the chapters that educate the reader concerning the details of the whaling industry. That is interesting.
A couple of years ago I read an account of the sinking of the Essex, a whaling ship, by a whale. Moby Dick is based on that event, at least in part. Some of the crew of the Essex survived and spent some time marooned on an island, as I recall.
I read that account of the Essex while on an Alaskan cruise. I ended up reading through half a shelf of books on various ship sinkings. My wife thought it a tad strange to be entertained by such stories while actually on the water.
For many years I preferred non-fiction over fiction, but my tastes are just now changing, so I am reading or re-reading some of the classics. I love library fund-raising book sales. I probably picked up my copy of Moby Dick as part of a $1 per bag purchase during the last hour of such a sale.
As a matter of fact, if you visit the website of Galatia Films, you can see that there is a part 2 in the works!!!
So your hope will likely come true!
If you could re-post your review, that would be great. More freepers need to know about the history of the blade, its contribution to our liberty and to our history!
nice reading list by the way....hey, does that history of the OED include Tolkien’s contributions? I know he was only there a few years, but still....
I ended up reading through half a shelf of books on various ship sinkings. My wife thought it a tad strange to be entertained by such stories while actually on the water.”
That is sort of literary right there....I agree with your wife!!!!
“For many years I preferred non-fiction over fiction, but my tastes are just now changing, so I am reading or re-reading some of the classics.”
I hear ya. I have long neglected fiction and my default tastes always fall to non-fiction. But I agree entirely. Fiction is vitally important and is perhaps the ultimate vehicle to seek truth with...perhaps...
I have not made it through yet but the work took 71 years and there were lots of people involved at various levels including working on specific letters.
It was a combination of academics and bureaucrats at both their best and worst
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.