What Are You Reading

[AmateisGal]

Let's see...Antony Beever's massive The Second World War (I'm digesting it a bit at a time). Just finished Kristina McMorris's Bridges of Scarlet Leaves, a novel about the Japanese-American internment during WW2. Pretty great historical details on this one.

 

[Touchofevil]

Blood on the Moon by James Ellroy. Incidently, Ellroy dedicated this book to the underappreciated Kenneth Millar (A.K.A. Ross Macdonald)!

 

[Miss Golightly]

Marilyn in Fashion: The Enduring Influence of Marilyn Monroe by Christopher Nickens & George Zeno

 

[Chasseur]

On a Gaston Leroux kick at the moment, Phantom of the Opera the other week and Mystery of the Yellow Room this week. I watched L'Hermier's 1930 film adaptation of the Yellow Room a little while back and that got me re-interested in the author.

 

[Flicka]

Scoop by Evelyn Waugh, When God Made Hell about the WWI campaign in Mesopotamia and a biography on Mortimer Wheeler.

 

[Widebrim]

Just finished the slim autobiography, "A Colored Man's Journey Through 20th Century Segregated America," by Earl Hutchinson, Sr.

 

[DNO]

Nicholas Jennings' fascinating look at the music scene in Toronto in the 1960's: Before the Gold Rush. What a time...Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Lightfoot, Rick James, Ronnie Hawkins, Robbie Robertson, Denny Doherty, Leon Helms, etc. Wow.
Oh, and Dean Koontz's 77 Shadow Street.

 

[Tomasso]

Kafka on the Shore

 

[Touchofevil]

Philip Kerr's Berlin Noir.

 

[Lord Henry]

Gulag Archipelago Volume 1...

 

[Smithy]

Suetonius - "The Twelve Caesars".

Read bits and bobs of this in 7th Form for Classics but dug it out and am thoroughly enjoying this. A wonderful look at the lives of the empire's first rulers. Very readable, humorous, scandalous and deliciously salacious!

 

[AmateisGal]

Just finished an excellent thriller by debut novelist David John called Flight from Berlin. Takes place in Berlin during the 1936 Olympics.

 

[Derek Cavin]

What to Listen for in Music - Aaron Copland

 

[Miss Golightly]

Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder by John Gilmore

 

[Widebrim]

Moving the Mountain, by Feisal Abdul Rauf, in which the author advocates a kinder, softer (American) version of Islam, one that he posits is true to the pure teachings of Islam. His goals seem to be noble, including creating an atmosphere of peace between Muslims and non-Muslims, and one can perceive sincerity in his tone. So far, though, he has downplayed (misrepresented) Sharia Law, attributed to the Koran certain positive adages which are actually found in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, and implied that Muslim, Jews, and Christians can worship together. In addition, his assertion that the "overwhelming" majority of Muslims "disagree profoundly with the extremist, narrow, parochial interpretations of Islam" seems untenable considering what has recently occurred in many Muslim-majority countries in Africa and Asia. Let's see how he does with Islamic history...

 

[ButteMT61]

Bringing Up Bébé.
Pamela Druckerman
Pretty interesting and entertaining - for the subject matter. We're reading it to better our grand-parenting skills

 

[jamespowers]

Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician by Anthony Everitt

He was a man of many talents and many common phrases and sayings we use today originate with a this man over 2000 years ago. His wit was really quite hilarious and we think the politics of today is mean, personal and over the top. At least we don't try to kill our politcal opponents. lol lol

 

[camjr]

Walden

 

[Widebrim]

Cicero: The Life and Times of Rome's Greatest Politician by Anthony Everitt

He was a man of many talents and many common phrases and sayings we use today originate with a this man over 2000 years ago. His wit was really quite hilarious and we think the politics of today is mean, personal and over the top. At least we don't try to kill our politcal opponents. lol lol

And the funny thing is, his name really should be pronounced Ki'-kero...

 

[jamespowers]

And the funny thing is, his name really should be pronounced Ki'-kero...

Even funnier is what it means in Latin.