What Are You Reading

[Tiller]

The Clocks: by Agatha Christie.

 

[Hemingway Jones]

"The Fires of Vesuvius," by Mary Beard; a fascinating portrait of life in the city of Pompei in 79 AD. I highly recommend it.

 

[The Lonely Navigator]

Rereading "Fair Winds and Foul" by Heinrich Hauser - translated from the German (the book is from 1932).

I found another wonderful book on German Cape Horn ships, while not vintage, it is sure to have some good info in it: "Rund Kap Hoorn". Hope to purchase it sometime soon.

 

[pigeon toe]

I just bought Among the Bohemians: Experiments in Living 1900-1939 by Virginia Nicholson.

I'm excited to start reading it, it looks fantastic!

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"50 People Who Buggered up Britain"

"Harold Wilson?, Yes, Ted Heath & His Orchestra, Yes, But Lady Dianna and Sir Jimmy( how about that then?) Saville?"

 

[PADDY]

Clark Gable biography.

"Tormented Star," by David Bret. A real eye-opener for me [huh] and a great read.

 

[Jack R.]

I'm reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen for the first time. It's spectacular.

 

[RBH]

Just got this in from E-Bay.

Should make for a good summer read.

 

[Fletch]

This Is Your Brain on Music, by Dr. Daniel J. Levitin. A neuroscientist with a background in rock guitar explores the mind's musical functions. Very interesting so far, altho I can see points where he seems to be humoring the music education field, whose cooperation he needed to write the book.

 

[Widebrim]

I just finished Farewell, My Lovely by Raymnd Chandler. I found it very interesting, not just for Chandler's writing style, the plot, and the character of Philip Marlowe, but due to the fact that it takes place in L.A., and that I've seen the 1944 film version with Dick Powell. Hate to say it, but I actually like the film version ("Murder My Sweet") better, although the novel fleshes out the characters (and somewhat different plot) quite well.

 

[Harp]

Right now I'm reading Peter Pan. The book isn't with me, so I don't know the author's name, sorry. The original, though.

James Barrie; whose captivating protagonist possessed a darkness
quite antithetical to subsequent modern interpretation.
If you haven't seen Finding Neverland, with Johnny Depp as Barrie,
this tear-jerker:cry: caps a great book.

 

[ladybrettashley]

I'm reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen for the first time. It's spectacular.

I've lost count of how many times i've read it. Austen is absolutely amazing. I recently finished Persuasion, which was great, but Pride and Prejudice is still my favorite.

 

[Antje]

I'm halfway Nicholas Nickleby, by charles dickens

 

[Darhling]

I recently finished Immodesty Blaze's Tease which was good fun and I just started on Paul Theroux's The Mosquito Coast which I can't put down!! The writing is greatly portrayed through a young boy..

 

[carebear]

Just started on "The Reluctant fundamentalist". I had it on my "pick up when you get a chance" list based on the NYT review but pulled the trigger on it after a recommendation by a friend.

 

[Cricket]

Almost done with Life in Early America. I was wanted to read something like this close to the Fourth of July. Hopefully, I will be done before the fireworks and grill light up.

 

[anon`]

Just finished up Worlds to Explore, edited by Mark Jenkins. Subtitled "Classic Tales of Travel & Adventure From National Geographic", it's a collection of excepts of 54 articles published in NG during, roughly, the first half of the 20th century. Great fun to read, but at the same time somewhat saddening: the world has moved so far on from those heady days of modern adventure and exploration. Still, highly recommended, at least for anyone crazy enough to have sat down to read "The Adventurer's Gear Thread" from stem to stern!

Having finished off this week's edition of The Economist, I've now started on Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories And Other Disasters by the incomparable Jean Shepherd.

 

[JackMcN]

Just started Nicholas Rankin's Churchill's Wizards: THe British Genius for Deception 1914-1945. Fascinating stuff.

 

[Slate Shannon]

I recently finished Lost Oasis by Robert Twigger, which was pretty good.

Now I'm a good ways into Mystery Big Cats by Merrily Harpur, which I am really enjoying. A bit of a different approach to the mystery animals enigma.

 

[John Boyer]

The Zimmermann Telegram (1958) by Barbara Tuchman. As one can expect from Ms. Tuchman, a well researched and documented history. In this case, on the events surrounding the interception, decoding and strategic release of the Zimmermann Telegram by the British cryptographers during WWI (1917). The Zimmerman Telegram announced a potential alliance of Mexico with Germany should the then neutral USA enter WWI. The strategic release of the telegram by the British created a public outcry in the USA and contributed greatly to its ultimate involvement in WWI, perhaps, surpassing in importance the bombing of Lusitania.

War Progress and the End of History (1899) by Vladimir Solovyov. In this prophetic work, written in dialogue form, at the end of the tumultuous 19th Century, the author addresses the great task facing humanity: the question of evil. As one works through the philosophical discourse outlined in “three conversations” and a concluding Mythos, one cannot help but see parallels to the 21st Century and conclude, as Czeslaw Milosz did, “We read Solovyov’s testament today as a message to us, one still of actuality…”

John