What are you reading?

[James Brown]

Up From Slavery, by Booker T. Washington. I wish I had half the self-motivation and industry that he did.

The Sins of the Father, by Lawrence Block. I've read this a couple of times, and each time I'm surprised by the ending. I enjoy Block's hard-boiled mysteries--I enjoy most of Block's writings--but for some reason the plot evaporates in my mind after a couple of days. Still, When the Sacred Ginmill Closes is my favorite of the Scudder novels.

 

[Wiploc]

I enjoy Block's hard-boiled mysteries--I enjoy most of Block's writings--but for some reason the plot evaporates in my mind after a couple of days.

He writes fast. He doesn't revise. And he doesn't worry about who dun it, saying, "I'll find out when the reader does."

 

[Torin]

A World Lit Only By Fire by William Manchester.

It's basically a book about how awful the Middle Ages were and how we got out of them.

 

[Torin]

A World Lit Only By Fire by William Manchester.

It's basically a book about how awful the Middle Ages were and how we got out of them.

I finished this a few days ago (fantastic book), and now I'm reading Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel (also a good book).

 

[DBT]

First footsteps in East Africa - Richard Francis Burton.

Fascinating times.

 

[rousseau]

First footsteps in East Africa - Richard Francis Burton.

Fascinating times.

Let me know how you like this one, I downloaded a bunch of these and was reading an Expedition to the Zambezi a few months ago.

 

[rousseau]

The Structure of Freedom: Correlations, Causes, and Cautions - a series of essays on how life/liberty/freedom comes into existence in communities. Nice essay by Peter Berger in here that I wanted to read again.

Indigenous Peoples of North America: A Concise Anthropological Overview - as it sounds, believe I pulled this one from the Goodreads account of Politesse.

The Politics of Cultural Pluralism - Went ahead and bought this one because I couldn't pull it out of the library. By Crawford Young.

 

[Tharmas]

1947: Where Now Begins by Elizabeth Asbrink (translated from the Swedish).

My brother sent me this book a few months ago and it’s finally made it to the top of the stack by my bedside. Wow! I’m blown away. History, but not “first this happened, then this happened,” but beautifully written, emphasizing the “story.” 1947 set the ball rolling for the post WWII world we still live in.

 

[WAB]

*deleted silly post*

 

[IanSYK]

The Woodlanders - Thomas Hardy

 

[DBT]

First footsteps in East Africa - Richard Francis Burton.

Fascinating times.

Let me know how you like this one, I downloaded a bunch of these and was reading an Expedition to the Zambezi a few months ago.

It's more a diary with footnotes after each entry. The interest lies in the times and attitudes of the period, which are, ahem, not exactly politically correct.

Burton was a fascinating character, mastered something like 20 languages and numerous dialects, translator, explorer, master swordsman....like something out of a fictional novel.

 

[WAB]

First footsteps in East Africa - Richard Francis Burton.

Fascinating times.

Let me know how you like this one, I downloaded a bunch of these and was reading an Expedition to the Zambezi a few months ago.

It's more a diary with footnotes after each entry. The interest lies in the times and attitudes of the period, which are, ahem, not exactly politically correct.

Burton was a fascinating character, mastered something like 20 languages and numerous dialects, translator, explorer, master swordsman....like something out of a fictional novel.

Fine poet, too.

 

[Politesse]

The Structure of Freedom: Correlations, Causes, and Cautions - a series of essays on how life/liberty/freedom comes into existence in communities. Nice essay by Peter Berger in here that I wanted to read again.

Indigenous Peoples of North America: A Concise Anthropological Overview - as it sounds, believe I pulled this one from the Goodreads account of Politesse.

The Politics of Cultural Pluralism - Went ahead and bought this one because I couldn't pull it out of the library. By Crawford Young.

Bob Muckle's book! I know the author, he's a hoot and a half.

 

[rousseau]

The Structure of Freedom: Correlations, Causes, and Cautions - a series of essays on how life/liberty/freedom comes into existence in communities. Nice essay by Peter Berger in here that I wanted to read again.

Indigenous Peoples of North America: A Concise Anthropological Overview - as it sounds, believe I pulled this one from the Goodreads account of Politesse.

The Politics of Cultural Pluralism - Went ahead and bought this one because I couldn't pull it out of the library. By Crawford Young.

Bob Muckle's book! I know the author, he's a hoot and a half.

Well let him know that his one page summary of North American indigenous religion is what I've been looking for for a few years. Now if only I could get a comparative summary from different regions..

 

[rousseau]

First footsteps in East Africa - Richard Francis Burton.

Fascinating times.

Let me know how you like this one, I downloaded a bunch of these and was reading an Expedition to the Zambezi a few months ago.

It's more a diary with footnotes after each entry. The interest lies in the times and attitudes of the period, which are, ahem, not exactly politically correct.

Burton was a fascinating character, mastered something like 20 languages and numerous dialects, translator, explorer, master swordsman....like something out of a fictional novel.

When I was reading Livingstone briefly I wanted to get a glimpse of some of the tribes at the time, which it offered. Also some of the engravings were worth the cost of admission.

Actually, I've been reading about Africa in various forms for about a year and a half now - prehistory, history, explorations, travel writing, anthropology, modern politics.The more one reads the more one realizes the severity of Europe's destruction of the continent. It's a shame when there were formerly such beautiful and interesting cultures across the continent.

 

[James Brown]

Stillness is the Key, by Ryan Holliday

 

[Fentoine Lum]

It's more a diary with footnotes after each entry. The interest lies in the times and attitudes of the period, which are, ahem, not exactly politically correct.

Burton was a fascinating character, mastered something like 20 languages and numerous dialects, translator, explorer, master swordsman....like something out of a fictional novel.

When I was reading Livingstone briefly I wanted to get a glimpse of some of the tribes at the time, which it offered. Also some of the engravings were worth the cost of admission.

Actually, I've been reading about Africa in various forms for about a year and a half now - prehistory, history, explorations, travel writing, anthropology, modern politics.The more one reads the more one realizes the severity of Europe's destruction of the continent. It's a shame when there were formerly such beautiful and interesting cultures across the continent.

Europe's destruction of that continent, as it did with others.

 

[rousseau]

Economy and Society by Max Weber. The internet tells me this was the most influential work of sociology of the twentieth century. I like it a lot so far.

The Agrarian History of Western Europe: 500 - 1850. I bought the original Dutch version of this for my father-in-law for Christmas (finally pulled him in secret santa), and have been browsing through it (browsing through an English version from the library, not the Dutch version).

 

[Rhea]

Sometimes my kids give me books I "have to read." Most of them are excellent. This last one surprised me a bit, but it was indeed excellent for its genre. So, yeah, my 17yo daughter told me I needed to read a YA gay love story with semi-explicit sex. Well, all right. The girl has good taste, so...


OMG it was so cute. And well written. Obviously not intended to be erudite or intellectual, but a damn fun read. And of course I get to talk frankly with my daughter about sex and relationships, so, parenting win, I guess, too.

Red, White and Royal Blue

...tells the story of the 22yo son of the president of the US (the first female one) and how the 24yo second grandson of the Queen of England falls in love with him. During her (The US President’s) re-election campaign. And of course what that does to the campaign, and how the elderly Queen reacts to such a thing.

Some favorite lines, "How did I ever convince myself I was straight?" and "dear thisbe, i wish there wasn't a wall. love, pyramus" and "100% probability that question is not hypothetical," and "Sexual Exploration: Healthy, But Does it Have to be the Prince of England?"

Chuckle lines; "who would expect a campaign to hinge on a private e-mail server, anyway." Also, "You're kind of short for a Storm Trooper, aren't you?"

I liked how the American, Alex, is written as confident, outgoing, public-oriented. He's not angsty or self-hating, he's just a smart, ambitious, bubbly good kid. And so his "sexual crisis" is not unhealthy or destructive. Meanwhile the English Prince is polished, excruciatingly trained for public and pretty much resolved that being gay is not something he ever gets to be because of "duty." In other words, both are believable characters for their positions in life.


Anyway, if you like YA books, if you like love stories, if you like a little political setting and if you like a little Royals-watching, you may enjoy this book.

 

[rousseau]

The Fourth World: An Indian Reality. Another I saw on the Goodreads account of Politesse. I delved into the first chapter which was a bit painful, but there was some substance there.

A History of Business in Medieval Europe: 1200 - 1550. I picked this one up as a kind of throwaway read, but it's actually quite good so far.