What book are you reading right now?

[notoppings]

I notice several threads about books and favorite authors and series. What I want to know is what are you reading now?

I just finished Andrew Piper's "lost girls" A lawyer who lives by "there are no such things as lies only misperceptions" His first murder trial with ghosts and a haunted lake. Nice read.

I just started Clive Cussler/Jack Du Brul's "Skeleton Coast" The Oregon Files series returns. Very fast paced thriller started it this morning around 8:00 am and will probably finish it tomorrow it's just that good.

[OddFactor]

Livy's Early History of Rome

[lordrrr]

Unstoppable: Global Warming.


Can't recall the author but it truly is an awesome book.

[merid]

I have just read Mark Gimenez' "The Perk" I actually thought it was pretty good. After his second book I wasn't too sure about how he would progress.

I'm not reading at the moment, too much coursework.

I'm gearing up to read "By Schism Rent Asunder" when it comes out.

[Anat]

Reading Consider Phlebas, a novel from Iain M. Banks. Great science fiction! I am actually reading this book a second time. When I dug in a few years ago I was so concentrated on the story line and dazzling plots and whatever, that I forgot to slow down a bit and enjoy Bank's superb command of language. It's a grim, but beautiful novel.

[yondyr]

Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow. Initially annoying flashbacks but totally understandable eventually - a rivetting science fiction....not for the squeamish.

[acrossthefourthwall]

I just finished David Lodge's Nice Work, a gently satirical British novel from the mid-eighties about the unlikely friendship between a middle-aged male managing director of an engineering firm and a youngish female English-professor. Slow-going at first, and the woman initially came across as a bit annoying, but it picked up partway through and turned out to contain a lot of interesting observations. The ending was too tidy, but overall the novel was a pretty good read. Worth singling out is Lodge's word-choice; it's often playful and affectionate, and you can tell he's a real word-lover. Which I appreciate, being one myself as well.

[Richard0612]

Currently:
Richard Dawkins - The God Delusion

I would like to read:
Sam Harris - Letter to a Christian Nation

[panda]

Currently: Man in the Shadows by Efraim Halevy.


it's about the mid. east war and much more, from the point of view of the (was) director of the Mossad through the prism of intelligence.

[notoppings]

Wonderful list so far can hardly wait to check them out. Won't be back in town till wed/thurs , keep posting so I can give the library a bigger list. Thanks.

[Rowan]

I recently finished reading The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon translated by Ivan Morris and I am now reading The Twelve Caesars by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus and translated by Robert Graves.

[merid]

If you are looking for a list of books to read, you could try some of these.

Sci-fi

Reality Dysfunction, Neutronium Alchemist, The Naked God by Peter F Hamilton (they make up the Night Dawn Trilogy)

Requiem for the Conquerer, Relic of Empire, Countermeasures by W M Gear (they make up the Forbidden Borders Trilogy)

Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber (The first in the Safehold series)

Crime

The Godfather by Puzo.
Colour of Law by Mark Gimenez.

A book that my girlfriend liked and I must admit I read on a sleepy afternoon is "After you'd gone" by Maggie O'Farrell

[geonerd]

I just finished a book on the Permian extinction called, well, Extinction by Douglas Erwin. Great stuff.

Will be reading Crichton's Next as soon as I get a chance.

[ElstonGunn]

I'm reading Moby Dick right now. It's not as boring as I thought it would be, in spite of the fact that it took 150 pages before the boat left the harbor.

I think I might read something by Simon Winchester next. I've heard good things about him.

[D0WNT0WN]

Recently Enjoyed:

Supreme Conflict by Jan Crawford Greenburg
The Birth Order Effect by Cliff Isaacson and Kris Radish

[Cuivienen]

The Mammoth Book of Golden Age Science Fiction, edited by Isaac Asimov, Charles G. Waugh and Martin H Greenberg

recently enjoyed;

Foundation, by Isaac Asimov (I admit, I`m in a SF-phase right now)
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoi

Reading Consider Phlebas, a novel from Iain M. Banks. Great science fiction! I am actually reading this book a second time. When I dug in a few years ago I was so concentrated on the story line and dazzling plots and whatever, that I forgot to slow down a bit and enjoy Bank's superb command of language. It's a grim, but beautiful novel.

I`ll have a look at that one, thanks for posting.


Yay! 100 posts at last! :)

[Jgib5328]

Human, All Too Human, by the great Nietzsche.

[Pinkie]

The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker.

[Americano]

The Skeptical Environmentalist-Bjorn Lomborg
*a must read for knowing the real state of the world*

Guns, Germs, and Steel-Jared Diamond
*great read about why the world developed the way it did*

The American Black Chamber-Herbert Yardley
*a fascinating account on the birth of SIGINT intelligence in the U.S.*

[sriv]

I repeatedly reread The Prince and The Art of War in hopes that I permenantly implant it into my mind.

Other than that, A Thousand Splendid Suns. Quite an empathetic book.

[notoppings]

I'm reading Moby Dick right now. It's not as boring as I thought it would be, in spite of the fact that it took 150 pages before the boat left the harbor.

I think I might read something by Simon Winchester next. I've heard good things about him.

I took on the task of reading Moby Dick I finished it but you're right about the lenghth of time it takes to get from one place to another, I think my favorite worst part was when he mention boats then went on to the history, yada yada yada. You could tell that this guy was paid by the word. Good story in the end.

Finished the Clive Cussler this morning. Have moved on to Sue Grafton, "O, is for outlaw" will try most of the books that the others are reading, thanks for the info.

[dandylion]

Ugh, I leave my bookshelf alone for a 2-3 seasons and there are already cobwebs all over. Anyway, even though I haven't touched these books for a while, I've been reading Biospheres by Dorion Sagan (it's more like an analysis involving 21st century technology and the creation of new living systems) and Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein. I'm not halfway through either of them, but I like them both.

[saphiric]

Just finished: James Baldwin's Go Tell It On the Mountain

Currently Reading: Golding's Lord of the Flies

[Victoria Silver]

Of all "classic" novels, Moby Dick is one of my favorites. I find all the endless digressions fascinating.

Like many INTJ's, I think, I'm a big reader of science fiction and fantasy. Recent works of SF I've read include:

Nebula Maker and Four Encounters by Olaf Stapledon. Two incomplete works by the master of mind-bending philosophical SF. The first is an early version of Star Maker, and the other, not SF at all, consists of philosophical dialogues with a Christian, a Scientist, a Mystic, and a Revolutionary. Stapledon, ever the agnostic, takes no sides. It's not surprising that I found myself mostly agreeing with the Scientist.

The Man Who Fell to Earth by Walter Tevis. If you only know the movie, this might be worth a look. It's a very low-key and calm book. Many little details in the book found their way into the movie, but they are still quite different in tone.

I'm currently working on Tales From the Great Turtle, edited by Piers Anthony and Richard Gilliam, a collection of fantasy stories with Native American themes. So far it's fair-to-middling.

[schwartzie]

The Skeptical Environmentalist-Bjorn Lomborg
*a must read for knowing the real state of the world*

Guns, Germs, and Steel-Jared Diamond
*great read about why the world developed the way it did*

The American Black Chamber-Herbert Yardley
*a fascinating account on the birth of SIGINT intelligence in the U.S.*

This sounds like the stuff I read. (parenthetical--I met a guy last week whose family member owns an enigma machine, and has it on display in his office.... It was so weird but classic NT. We were not more that half a dozen sentences into a conversation, when he told me this odd factoid out of the blue. (I, of course, think owning an enigma is pretty cool. Not a replica. The real deal.) This must be his rationalist screening device for Identifying Minimally Acceptable Women. sweet!)

My current list is kind of a mixed bag:

The Travels of a t-shirt in the Global Economy. Pietra Rivoli.
*extremely accessible narrative on globalization.

The Female Brain, Louann Brizendine.
*human physiology is amazing.

Shock Doctrine: the Rise of Disaster Capitalism, Naomi Klein
*well researched work on neoliberal economics

World War Z, Max Brooks
*Studs Terkel would have written this, if he'd lived through the Zombie Wars....

[brooklyncs]

Plain Truth, Jodi Picoult

David, Beth Moore

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, again

[lagoon]

i am currently reading a game of thrones by George r.r. martin. DO NOT READ IT. its a terrible book but for some reason i can't stop reading it. I think i just want to know how bad it can get

[Phrixos]

"Aristotle - Constitution of Athens & related texts"

[yondyr]

lol lagoon, havent read that one of his, thanks for the warning, enjoyed others of his... try Tuf Voyaging instead.

[ElstonGunn]

Guns, Germs, and Steel-Jared Diamond
*great read about why the world developed the way it did*

This sounds good. I think I might eventually get it. Thanks for the indirect recommendation.

[Moriarty]

Just finished "Crimes Against Logic" by Jaime Whyte. It's a humorous look at, well, modern bullshit and why it is so effective.

Currently reading "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey. Just started it, but it has alot of very neat sketches throughout and so far the writing style has me hooked.

[SeaCzar]

Retribution, by Max Hastings. Its about Second World War in the Pacific. A must read, especially for those who thought dropping the A-bombs was either wrong or a mistake.

[notoppings]

Finished my Sue Grafton: "O" is for Outlaw, Great ending.


Started another James Grippando: When darkness falls, Miami attorney Jack Swyteck returns for another strange case.

[spittingvenom]

Shock Doctrine: the Rise of Disaster Capitalism, Naomi Klein - a more intense version of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.

Everyday Zen: Charlotte Joko Beck - a guide to understanding and living Zen in the western world

Charles Darwin: Voyaging - Janet Brown, a massive biography that only covers the first half of his life. Who knew Darwin was in inbred aristrocrat?

[searcher]

Great expectations -
The Da Vinci Code
Black holes - a travellers guide
mechanics of flight
Why paint cats
Picture Perfect
and The Great big treasury of Beatrix Potter.

I tend to read lots of books at the same time.

[schwartzie]

Shock Doctrine: the Rise of Disaster Capitalism, Naomi Klein - a more intense version of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man.

Spitting, I'm also reading this. I'm not a fast reader, but would be interested in your thoughts when you finish. Have you read her other book(s)?

Charles Darwin: Voyaging - Janet Brown, a massive biography that only covers the first half of his life. Who knew Darwin was in inbred aristrocrat?

fyi, one of the most beautiful, engaging books I've ever read is The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time by Jonathan Weiner. If you find evolutionary biology of interest, you may want to look this over. Weiner is a talented "science writer". Beak won him a pulitzer.

[spittingvenom]

Spitting, I'm also reading this. I'm not a fast reader, but would be interested in your thoughts when you finish. Have you read her other book(s)?



fyi, one of the most beautiful, engaging books I've ever read is The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time by Jonathan Weiner. If you find evolutionary biology of interest, you may want to look this over. Weiner is a talented "science writer". Beak won him a pulitzer.

Shock Doctrine is slow going (but thoroughly engaging). I try not to read it before I go to bed (night terrors and all) but would love to talk about it when finished. I noticed you were reading it as well...funny. Your posts often uncannily resonate with my own thoughts.

Also...I love reading about evolutionary biology (and science in general) and will take a look at The Beak of the Finch. I just re read Gould's the mismeasure of man. Classic.

[integratedvelocity]

The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth by Benjamin Friedman. But definitely not for fun.

[Reanne]

For a span of ten months i dig on Medical books but nothing interests me more than Nelson's Pediatrics.

Over the break I'm hooked with this russian detective novel Erast Fandorin by Boris Akunin, i'd been reading some of Gabriel Garcia Marquez novels as well

[IgnoranceIsKind]

Richard Dawkin's The God Delusion, Never have I felt so enamoured about my explicit atheistic faith. And he has a good humour to boost.

And also Stephen King's Song of Susannah as a thrashy side read. No offense to King's fans! But I read his books only for that mental theatrics that plays in my head - I don't really learn much from his books.

[iMiki]

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
I just started.

[Richard0612]

Now reading God is not Great - Christopher Hitchens

Seems good, only read Ch1; not as good as TGD though.

[ShaiGar]

Crossroads of Twilight.

[Vivid]

I don't read fiction.
Chemical Elements: From Carbon to Krypton volumes 1 through 3
That's such a great book. =)

[Fuchikoma]

I was reading "el eros electronico" by Roman Gubern but didnt finished it, had to take it back to the library :(

Im now reading:
"toward a psychology of being" by abraham maslow
"el informe broody" by jorge luis borges
"failed states" by noam chomsky

[Blendy]

The Moral Animal by Robert Wright (interesting read- evolutionary psychology)
Lying by Lauren Slater (one of my favorite authors)

[True Rune]

I'm just about to start C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters.

[Laughing Man]

About to start H.P. Lovecraft Necronomicon (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

[cdbrow1]

The new biography of Robert Oppenhiemer...good stuff. I listen to books mostly these days as I drive. I hate radio (it's for sheep).

[lordrrr]

Now I'm reading Physics of the Impossible and Mass Effect: Revelation

[Double Victory]

Currently:

The Prison Memoirs of a Japanese Woman by Kaneko Fumiko.

Star Wars: Outbound Flight by Timothy Zahn.

[Arcani]

I notice several threads about books and favorite authors and series. What I want to know is what are you reading now?

Currently I'm reading "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. I'm not very far into it and I have more questions than answers at the moment.
I just finished "Neuromancer" by William Gibson, a great story, but I'm not a fan of his writing style.

I just started Clive Cussler/Jack Du Brul's "Skeleton Coast" The Oregon Files series returns. Very fast paced thriller started it this morning around 8:00 am and will probably finish it tomorrow it's just that good.
Thats his new one right? He needs to write more in that series, I like Cabrillo and the Corporation.

[Rek]

I just finished reading Evolution and Healing: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine by Randolph Nesse and George Williams. It explains how natural selection has favoured some diseases, mental disorders and "negative" emotions. I found it very interesting. Parts of it might be a bit dated by now though.

[notoppings]

Currently I'm reading "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. I'm not very far into it and I have more questions than answers at the moment.
I just finished "Neuromancer" by William Gibson, a great story, but I'm not a fan of his writing style.

Thats his new one right? He needs to write more in that series, I like Cabrillo and the Corporation.

Yes it is his new one. So we share an interest in The corporation, you'll love this one great read with a dash of NUMA.

Now David Baldacci: "The collectors". Murder at the Library of Congress.

[yondyr]

I enjoyed Baldacci's 'Collectors'... the group against crime style writing, another similar is P.J.Tracy's 'Want To Play?" and subsequent ones.

[notoppings]

Noted, and thanks for not giving away the collectors ending.

[yondyr]

hmmm let's see.... :cheesy: Would I dare?
Just finished Harlan Cobens 'The Woods'... good enough but I miss his hero Myron Bolitar, the bright klutz that gave Coben free reign with some brilliant quoteable wit.

[Serket]

One Hundred and One Days by Asne Seierstad. About her time as a journalist in Iraq before and during the 2003 'intervention'.

[schwartzie]

One Hundred and One Days by Asne Seierstad. About her time as a journalist in Iraq before and during the 2003 'intervention'.

amazing woman!

[Serket]

I always wondered how journalists cover wars, how they get around without getting killed, how they relay info back home, how any invading army doesnt just wipe out everyone they see (how do you know who is civilian who is undercover?).

[Tenacious B]

Reading Atlas Shrugged right now, The Road to Serfdom (FA Hayek) up next.

[hongi]

On the go:

Orderly Chaos Chogyam Trungpa (Mandala Principle, Buddhist Philosophy)

A Civil Campaign Lois McMaster Bujold Science Fiction

Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon Jules Bass/Debbie Harter - bedtime story for 5 year old son . . . fun rereading the stories from when I was his age

[Freak]

Security Analysis ... Ben Graham

[SShack]

I'm reading The Terror in the Museum, a collection of Lovecraft stories. My INTJ bud and I are reading through four compilations of stories.

[Coraline]

John Constantine Hellblazer: Bloodlines - Garth Ennis - beside the bed
The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss - at work (lunchtimes)
Good Calories, Bad Calories - Gary Taubes - by the television
Magic in Names - Edward Clodd - at my desk
Little Brother - Cory Doctorow - on the computer
Project Management - Harold Kerzner - becasue I have to for a university paper





Coraline added to this post, 1 minutes and 0 seconds later...

I'm reading The Terror in the Museum, a collection of Lovecraft stories. My INTJ bud and I are reading through four compilations of stories.

I think Lovecraft's stories are great

[melon]

I finished reading Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card about a month ago, and it really is an incredible book. Currently, I'm reading both The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. All three of those books were recommended to me by different members of this forum.

[aok]

Doing Nothing/Handwriting Analysis

[nikewong]

I'm reading three books at the moment (depends on my mood, i switch books to read).

Robert W. Bly - The Copywriters Handbook
Donald A Norman - The Design of Everyday Things
H.G. Wells - The War od the Worlds

[radioactivez0r]

[I]
I think Lovecraft's stories are great

Seconded. I got a collection (mostly for the Call of Chtulu) and I am blown away by how seemingly simple scenarios can be imbued with such terror by the man.

Personally I just finished the His Dark Materials trilogy (Golden Compass et al) and am now without a book :[

[Myrak]

Walden by Henry Thoreau, at the moment. It attracts my interest quite well because living out in the wilderness has always been something I've contemplated doing myself. It's in a volume of works by Thoreau so I'll read a few other things of his afterwards as well.

Also about to read Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein. Looking forward to it too, even though it's a huge (220,000 words) book and I'm not that quick of a reader. Shall be a good challenge though.

[Serket]

I just read The Portrait of Lady by Henry James.
Isabel sounds rather INTJ, or perhaps ISTJ. Though I understand her choices, I would hate to be taken advantage of the way she is. I'd like to think I'd see through a man like Osmond.

[Beery Swine]

I hope its not restricted to fiction. I'm reading Darwin's Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett. Quite compelling.

[schwartzie]

Currently I'm reading "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. I just began reading The Road. It's stunning. What a pleasure to read!
The language is luminous. The word choices flawless. He has the rare ability to write like a god without demanding obeisance from the reader.

[cha071c0rd3r]

Started reading Red Dragon (by Thomas Harris; Hannibal Lecter-related) yesterday, finished today. Reading Silence of the Lambs tomorrow, will probably finish with that by the end of the week. Then I am onto Hannibal. All by the same author. I love that character.

[AmINot]

C++: An Introduction to Computing
Joel Adams , Larry Nyhoff

Each chapter re-read more than last.
It's a really good read, the ending was left wide open.

[Arcani]

[/b] I just began reading The Road. It's stunning. What a pleasure to read!
The language is luminous. The word choices flawless. He has the rare ability to write like a god without demanding obeisance from the reader.

His language truly is beautiful, the lack of quotation marks is beginning to bug me though... On the other hand that particular grammatical oversight seems to be quite fitting for this book. I guess because the book paints a desolate picture and spoken words would just break the mood,\. Looks like he managed to do both, maintain the atmosphere and add a dialog.

[tyrantofthought]

Just finished The Hitchhikers Guide To The Universe, so I'm going to go get the second book(The Restaurant at the End of the Universe). I must say, its pure fun reading it. If he wrote about a dull morning on an average day he could make it awesome somehow, and the books are about spectacularly awesome things.:thumbsup:

[eMachine]

I'm currently reading "Treasure Island" aloud to my 4 month-old son anytime we have a few minutes to just relax. Next is "The Mill on the Floss" by George Eliot.

[Moriarty]

Started reading Red Dragon (by Thomas Harris; Hannibal Lecter-related) yesterday, finished today. Reading Silence of the Lambs tomorrow, will probably finish with that by the end of the week. Then I am onto Hannibal. All by the same author. I love that character.


That makes the two of us. What an incredibly developed character.

I'm presently reading The Fortunate Fall by Raphael Carter. Not well enough into it to say one way or the other.

[leo]

Made In Japan - Akio Morita

[taoista]

The Tao te ching, by Lao Tse and Fables by La Fontaine, although this one is in french.

A tough language to learn by yourself, I´ll tell you.

[notoppings]

Just finished The Hitchhikers Guide To The Universe, so I'm going to go get the second book(The Restaurant at the End of the Universe). I must say, its pure fun reading it. If he wrote about a dull morning on an average day he could make it awesome somehow, and the books are about spectacularly awesome things.:thumbsup:

You're in for a great adventure. If you enjoy Adams try his Dirk Gently Holistic Detective series also. You will laugh whenever you think about Dirk.;D

[SongofSeptember]

So Yesterday, Scott Westerfield.
Very cool. It's kind of a cross between satire, mystery, and romance.

[anul]

Currently I'm reading Flying High, which is William F. Buckley's recollection of Barry Goldwater, and his '64 presidential bid. I'm also reading Cancel your own Goddam Subscription, which is another WFB read. As well as Dark Victory, which is a Batman TPB. I'm also reading The Lobotomist, which chronicles the life of Dr. Walter Freeman.

[curiousjane]

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen.

I also recently purchased a small copy of the United States' Constitution. I intend to read it shortly and refresh on some political basics before the election here in the States.

[Tenacious B]

The Road to Serfdom - FA Hayek

[Arcani]

I finished The Road , the ending was a little too... blatantly obvious for my liking, but as with all the aspects of that book, it was quite fitting and I admire the depth of the writing. Definitely not a book to be read at face value.

Now I'm reading Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson.

[yondyr]

Since I've four in the Rama series by Clarke I started reading them. On the second now and thinking it's getting a bit soapie rather than techie.

[azelismia]

Walden by Henry Thoreau, at the moment. It attracts my interest quite well because living out in the wilderness has always been something I've contemplated doing myself. It's in a volume of works by Thoreau so I'll read a few other things of his afterwards as well.

Also about to read Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein. Looking forward to it too, even though it's a huge (220,000 words) book and I'm not that quick of a reader. Shall be a good challenge though.

IN my ever so humble opinion stranger is an overrated piece of crap. :)

for years I wouldn't even try reading Heinlein because of that book. (i'd tried to read it a couple times and ended up putting it down in disgust every time. tripe!) then on vacation I came across a copy of "the moon is a harsh mistress" and wow, it's one of the best sci fi books of all time. Since then i've read all of his books except for stranger ( I think I made it to the last 25 pages once, but just couldn't bring myself to care enough to actually finish it) It's his worst book imho. it's just popular because of the cult status/circumstance behind it being written, not because it's actually a good story.

[schwartzie]

I finished The Road , the ending was a little too... blatantly obvious for my liking, but as with all the aspects of that book, it was quite fitting and I admire the depth of the writing. Definitely not a book to be read at face value.

I'm a painfully slow reader--just a few pages a day. Yesterday, however, saw McCarthy's No County for Old Men, directed by the Coen Brothers. Well done;highly recommended.
Now I'm reading Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson.

Very ambitious--there's what? maybe 8 or these now?

[Arcani]

I'm a painfully slow reader--just a few pages a day. Yesterday, however, saw McCarthy's No County for Old Men, directed by the Coen Brothers. Well done;highly recommended.

I've been meaning to see that, I heard it was excellent.

Very ambitious--there's what? maybe 8 or these now?
Something like that. Now that school's out for summer, I could probably finish all of them in a week or two if I don't find something else to occupy my time. I try to pace myself, it gets expensive if I don't.

[schwartzie]

Something like that. Now that school's out for summer, I could probably finish all of them in a week or two ....

:jealous:

[jesse]

Made In Japan - Akio Morita

Read that book a couple of years ago and it was a very enjoyable insight into Sony and the japanese corporate culture of the 1980s.

Currently reading Walter Mosley's Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned

[Bear Warp]

Juggling five at the moment.

"Number: The Language of Science" by Tobias Dantzig
"Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson
"The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" by Philip K. Dick
"A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by James Joyce
"The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories" it's an H.P. Lovecraft story collection.

[schwartzie]

...
"Cryptonomicon" by Neal Stephenson

It's so good!

[Bear Warp]

It's so good!

Sure is. I especially like the Lawrence Waterhouse storyline. I can definitely relate to that character (minus the genius aspect). I enjoy the book's humor (even if it is sometimes immature) and the apparently authentic (so I've read) technical bits Stephenson incorporated into it. It's interesting, and for a 1000+ page work a relatively quick read.

This book, for some reason, sparked in me an interest in mathematics that I've never really had. But, I don't feel like devoting time to, and I'm not entirely sure that I have the capacity for, learning higher or creative mathematics. So, I settle for mathematical literature that a layman can read and understand and comprehend and enjoy and etc. A happy medium.

[schwartzie]

Sure is. I especially like the Lawrence Waterhouse storyline. I can definitely relate to that character (minus the genius aspect). I enjoy the book's humor (even if it is sometimes immature) and the apparently authentic (so I've read) technical bits Stephenson incorporated into it. It's interesting, and for a 1000+ page work a relatively quick read. This book, for some reason, sparked in me an interest in mathematics that I've never really had....

I started reading Stephenson with this one, then Snow Crash, (a complete hoot w/ the Deliverator, YT and Fido-sweet poochie!!) then the Baroque Cycle-- heavy but engaging historical lifting, (with the Waterhouse ancestor, Daniel Waterhouse)--and most recently, A Young Ladies Illustrated Primer, another endearing easy read. He's one of my favorite authors.

[rahdam]

Ben Carson - Take the Risk.

[Octavianus Caesar]

Essence of Christianity by Ludwig Fuerbach

[fictionsmosaic]

Even though I started reading The Inferno the other day, I'll have to reread it, I can't recall it completely, been a little absentminded lately.

The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Inferno - Dante Alighieri

[EsoteriEccentri]

Nobody True - James Herbert

[rwyatt365]

Leading Change - John Kotter

[Mafiaangel180]

Next up for me is "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk. I have never read his stuff before. And "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who is one of my favorites.

[lollardy2000]

I am reading a lot of psychology, therapy, self-help, religious ethics, meditation, etc.
It's amazing how much I used to hate this stuff and saw it as fluffy and about emotions - but the good stuff really works! It is rational to be happy and content; sometimes you just have to learn HOW to do it. The Road Less Travelled is esp. good.

[Minerva]

I Ching or the Book of Changes

[zief]

Next up for me is "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk. I have never read his stuff before.

You should either read Fight Club or see the movie. It is amazing.

I just finished Improbable by Adam Fawer.

[Mafiaangel180]

You should either read Fight Club or see the movie. It is amazing.

I just finished Improbable by Adam Fawer.

I saw the movie, it was great. I should read the book. :)

[pensivemuse7]

I'm reading 5 books at once (bad idea?)

Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
Death by Black Hole (Neil DeGrasse Tyson)
The Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe
Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology (Nolan and Lenski)
and sadly
Shopaholic Ties the Knot (Sophie Kinsella)

[notoppings]

Next by Michael Crichton

"Welcome to our genetic world. Fast, furious, and out of control. This is not the world of the future--it's the world right now."

A great read so far fast and chilling.

[Mafiaangel180]

I'm reading 5 books at once (bad idea?)

Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
Death by Black Hole (Neil DeGrasse Tyson)
The Essential Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe
Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology (Nolan and Lenski)
and sadly
Shopaholic Ties the Knot (Sophie Kinsella)

Lol...five books at once? Pretty soon you will be confusing them. Mr. Darcy kills Becky Bloomwood and hides her body beneath the floorboards. Hehehe.

[ElstonGunn]

I Ching or the Book of Changes

What a coincidence. I threw the I-Ching yesterday. It said there might be some thunder at the well. ;)

I just finished Kafka's "Metamorphosis." I think I'll probably read Bukowski's Ham on Rye next.

[Mafiaangel180]

What a coincidence. I threw the I-Ching yesterday. It said there might be some thunder at the well. ;)

I just finished Kafka's "Metamorphosis." I think I'll probably read Bukowski's Ham on Rye next.

Oh man, I love Bukowski. Never read Ham on Rye though. Tell me how you like it.

[schwartzie]

Next up for me is "Survivor" by Chuck Palahniuk. I have never read his stuff before. And "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who is one of my favorites.

meaty stuff. Fight Club is wonderfully twisty. And GGMarquez is a perfect summer read.

[kubrickfan]

I notice several threads about books and favorite authors and series. What I want to know is what are you reading now?

I just finished Andrew Piper's "lost girls" A lawyer who lives by "there are no such things as lies only misperceptions" His first murder trial with ghosts and a haunted lake. Nice read.

I just started Clive Cussler/Jack Du Brul's "Skeleton Coast" The Oregon Files series returns. Very fast paced thriller started it this morning around 8:00 am and will probably finish it tomorrow it's just that good.

My favorite book ever, is House of Leaves because of its complexity! But the book I am reading now, is Sun Tzu: the Art of War and how to better myself as a commander and as a leader.

[enfpchick]

Don't laugh but Connie Mason's The Last Rogue

[ssrprotege]

The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoevsky


Dostoyevsky is very tough to go through, but the storyline and the underlying lesson are powerful.

I tried to read Crime and Punishment when I was 17, but gave it up. I loved Brothers Karamazov. :thumbsup: Did you read the Karamazov?

My current reading list:
"Music and Mathematics"
"Perfume: the Story of a Murderer" by Patrick Süskind
"The Equations: Icons of Knowledge" by Sander Bais (reading the second time)
"The Civilization and Its Discontent" by Sigmund Freud

Quite an ambitious plan: I am thinking of three of the four (all except Freud) by mid-June and Freud by the end of June.

[Grizzly]

If you are looking for a list of books to read, you could try some of these.

Sci-fi

Reality Dysfunction, Neutronium Alchemist, The Naked God by Peter F Hamilton (they make up the Night Dawn Trilogy)



A bloody fantastic series!

Has anyone else developed a taste for it?
I'm trying like mad to find similar series.

Right now I'm working through the Saga of Seven Suns Series by Kevin J. Anderson. But the writing and character developement are nowhere near on par with Hamilton.

But the serious stuff I'm reading is:

How Wars are Won
by Bevin Alexander

And rereading

Guns Germs and Steel
by Jared Diamond

[ShadowX26]

Physics of the Impossible - Michio Kaku

[Dil]

Accelerando By: Charles Stross

To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

You can read the entire thing here. It's an impressive science fiction book. It's hilarious, but a bit pretentious. It makes many "obscure" references, but if you have a large enough general knowledge base, you will like this book alot. It drops technical AI terms, philosophy conundrums, and scientific jargon without explaining anything. I probably understood about half the references.

Oh, and there's some major kinky sex in there, if you're into that stuff. Lol.

[comet]

Normally I don't read fiction, however I recently came across the Canadian author Robert J Sawyer, so I've been indulging in a little SF in the form of his trilogy, The Neanderthal Parallax. I enjoyed this series as it's set in the not so distant future, it's all quite believable. I love the fact that he draws on subjects such as quantum physics, anthropology, paleontology and genetics in his writing.

[the human iPod]

I just finished Kafka's "Metamorphosis.".

How is Kafka? I've been hearing his name alot recently, and I've been interested in picking up "Metamorphosis". Would you recommend it?

Anywho, the books that I'm reading at the moment (and loving) are:

"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick (Novel Blade Runner is based on.)

The novel (naturally) has a substantial bit more depth and different elements (Pennfield mood organ, fusion with Mercer, and electric animals). There's so much metaphor that I'm picking up on, I love it. Highly recommended.

"The Varieties of the Scientific Experience" by Carl Sagan.

This book is actually a series of lectures from Mr. Sagan about the relationship between religion and science. Unfortunately, so far the book has mainly been "God is dead, science is all we need". However there are some interesting scientific arguments that I've never heard of that I've been enjoying following along. But I wish he would elaborate a bit more on his personal search for God in addition to his scientific research instead of just trying to make a "science vs. God" case.

[Marcus]

How is Kafka? I've been hearing his name alot recently, and I've been interested in picking up "Metamorphosis". Would you recommend it?

It's not bad. BTW, it's quick read, only a novella. I had it in school as mandatory reading, so I can't comment objectively on its entertainment value.

Once I've tried reading The Castle. The main theme was frustration but the book progressed so slowly that I got frustrated after some 50 pages and abandoned it. Maybe that was the point.

[PHS Philip]

I just got (and read) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

It seems like the book could have been much better in some way. It didn't really go after the question implied by the title as much as it seems like it could and should have.

The other two I got are Childhood's End (by Arthur C. Clarke) and Anansi Boys (by Neil Gaiman). I think I'll read the Clarke one first.

[ElstonGunn]

How is Kafka? I've been hearing his name alot recently, and I've been interested in picking up "Metamorphosis". Would you recommend it?

It is a quick read. I got it off that Project Gutenberg website, and it was something like 30 pages in MS Word. The writing style wasn't needlessly dense, either, so it goes by quickly. I didn't really get the point of the story. I'm not sure if there is one. I like it that way, though. I guess that's what people mean when they say "Kafkaesque"-- anything that's so weird that it could be interpreted to mean anything. Or something like that.

I just started You Can't Win, by Jack Black (no, not that fat oaf by the same name). It's an autobiography about a hobo turned criminal who reformed himself, I guess.

[the human iPod]

I just got (and read) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

It seems like the book could have been much better in some way. It didn't really go after the question implied by the title as much as it seems like it could and should have.

I think it was to make a more interesting title, not necessarily have that be the prime focus of the book. o_o Unless you meant that they should have explored the android's psyche. In that, I agree with you, but nonetheless I think it's a quality story.

[PHS Philip]

I think it was to make a more interesting title, not necessarily have that be the prime focus of the book. o_o Unless you meant that they should have explored the android's psyche. In that, I agree with you, but nonetheless I think it's a quality story.

Yeah, I meant that it should have gone more into the androids' thoughts. I agree that it's a good story, I just think that it would have been better if it had.

[png1977]

Reading nonfiction presently - "Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely and "Fictional Feminism" by Kim Loudermilk.

As far as dependable fictional entertainment in general:
Big fan of David Lodge's novels.
Permanent fan of Patricia Highsmith.
Last summer saw an Italo Calvino kick which isn't quite over yet.
Skimmed a few Lynn Truss columns and novels last month and then got sick of it - will not go back to her, unfortunately.

As far as navel gazing:
Pretended to read a tiny volume of Montaigne's essays on friendship last month - kept it in my bag and peeked at it randomly, then threw it back into the library. I would approve of my self very much if I became a regular reader of the classics, but just cant bring myself to actually do it.

[Marcus]

I didn't really get the point of the story.

The story is supposed to be about alienation.

[the human iPod]

Yeah, I meant that it should have gone more into the androids' thoughts. I agree that it's a good story, I just think that it would have been better if it had.

I see your point though. The androids seemed very one dimensional, though I would imagine it would be the biggest pain in the ass to program an android with conflicting emotions and all of that. I wish they had set a chapter or two aside from how things were in Roy Baty's perspective.

I thought J. R. Isidore was a fantastic side-character. The way he was written about, you could tell that the author was sympathetic and favoured Isidore versus most of the other characters.

[Grizzly]

I think it was to make a more interesting title, not necessarily have that be the prime focus of the book. o_o Unless you meant that they should have explored the android's psyche. In that, I agree with you, but nonetheless I think it's a quality story.

It hinted at so much but didnt quite make it on most. But the tone of P.K. Dick's stories set my compass for SciFi. Much like WH40K or Necormunda.

There havent been many scifi authors to effectively match the grimy quality of his worlds.
A close second, I think at least....
Altered Carbon - By Richard Morgan

Anyone here taken a gander at:
Heroes Die - by Matthew Stover
?????
A combination of....
Gritty Corporate Cyberpunk Dystopia + Fantasy realm with Orcs, Elfs, and self made gods.

[Americano]

William P. Young's The Shack.

[Dazu]

i am currently reading a game of thrones by George r.r. martin. DO NOT READ IT. its a terrible book but for some reason i can't stop reading it. I think i just want to know how bad it can get

I felt exactly the same way when I read that. The author invests much time creating characters and then knocks them off. So I read the next three of his and he continued. I have told myself enough of this.

[yondyr]

I felt the same way too...kept hoping subsequent volumes would retain the thread, but a whole host of new people and scenarios...I lost interest. Though please, don't discount Martin, do try Tuf Voyaging.
Now started the first volume of Asimov's Foundation series, since I have the others, finally.

[konec]

I am currently reading 'the Story of Art' by EH Gombrich:
First published in 1950, it is widely regarded both as a seminal work of criticism, and as one of the most accessible introductions to the visual arts. It was originally intended for younger readers. It has sold over seven million copies to become the best selling art book of all time.

And I can hardly wait to start my next book which will be 'the Fall of Public Man' by R Sennett. I've already had to read two chapters of it for an essay and it is thrilling to read. As I write this I am actually getting excited again about it:
Are we now so self-absorbed that we take little interest in the world beyond our own lives? Or has public life left no place for individuals to participate?

The Fall of Public Man examines the imbalance between private and public experience, and the decline of involvement in political life in recent decades. Tracing the changing nature of urban society from the eighteenth century to the world we now live in, Richard Sennett discusses the causes of our social withdrawal and asks what can bring us to reconnect with our communities. His landmark study of the imbalance of modern civilization provides a fascinating perspective on the relationship between public life and the cult of the individual.

I've also read 'Respect: The Formation of Character in an Age of Inequality' by Sennett but that wasn't as brilliant as this one is (going to be). And another one by Sennett is waiting: Flesh and Stone.

Very interesting fellow.

[einnelsate]

A Briefer History of Time, Stephen Hawking (:

[MysString]

I thought I'd try out a work of classic fiction: Don Quixote/Quijote, by Cervantes. I must admit, I'm having a hard time. It's not a total snooze-fest, but I'm thinking that I may be wasting brain-space by reading it. I'm not very far in though, so I'm not sure what to do. :undecided:

Dostoyevsky is very tough to go through, but the storyline and the underlying lesson are powerful.

I tried to read Crime and Punishment when I was 17, but gave it up. I loved Brothers Karamazov. :thumbsup: Did you read the Karamazov?

My current reading list:
"Music and Mathematics"
"Perfume: the Story of a Murderer" by Patrick Süskind
"The Equations: Icons of Knowledge" by Sander Bais (reading the second time)
"The Civilization and Its Discontent" by Sigmund Freud

Quite an ambitious plan: I am thinking of three of the four (all except Freud) by mid-June and Freud by the end of June.

I've read some excerpts from "Civilization and Its Discontents," there's some good stuff in there. Freud was a genius, that's for certain.

I saw the movie "Perfume." Definitely an original idea, though I found it quite comical. I'm not sure if my reaction was appropriate...

[Havoc]

Busy with summer classes, but I did pick up David Sedaris's new collection 'When You Are Engulfed in Flames.' Only had time to read two chapters. I like Sedaris for voicing those "evil" little thoughts we all have -- but are taboo -- and find the humor in it. I'm also trying find time to reread some Joyce, but it's hard with summer classes moving so quickly. I have to study for a midterm this weekend, and I just had my first classes last week. Ugh.

[Valentyne]

I am currently rereading The Bonehunters by Steven Erikson.

[Arcani]

Decided to reread the His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman

[athenian200]

"Poverty of Conventionalism" by Alexsey Bashtavenko.

[Tenacious B]

Failure is not an option - Gene Kranz

[kubrickfan]

I am currently reading, "Mad Money" by Jim Cramer, and "Deep Survival" by Laurence Gonzales.

[Homini Lupus]

The book of 36 stratagems - various authors with comments organised by Milvia Faccia.
I just finished:
Mary and the giant - P.K. Dick

[Seppuku Savant]

Wizard's First Rule - Terry Goodkind

[Rishki]

Glass by Ellen Hopkins eventhough I didn't finish the first book Crank

[aaakiii]

right now i'm considering a few books to read. i'm one of those people who goes into book stores (especially when they have sales) and buys a bunch of books and never gets to reading them (damn you school!).

anyway, i was thinking about digging into some mark z. danielewski. i don't know if any of you have heard of him, but his work is pretty avant-garde. he tends to play a lot with form (so you have to look not only at what you are reading but how it is presented) and stuff like that. probably his first book "house of leaves" or i might read something non-fiction like "a primer of visual literacy" by donis a. dondis (weird name, i know).

any recommendations?

[Seppuku Savant]

I'm about to start Kushiel's Mercy.

[Myrak]

Reading Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" right now. I'm sure I saw it mentioned on this or some other forum multiple times, so when I saw it on the shelf at the library I picked it up.

I'm only like 5 chapters in, and I can see how members of this forum would connect with it (myself included)!

[kubrickfan]

anyway, i was thinking about digging into some mark z. danielewski. i don't know if any of you have heard of him, but his work is pretty avant-garde.


Yes, I loved house of leaves! I read that book seven times in a row, and then crazy stuff started happening So I refuse to touch that book again for fear of losing sanity. Did you like Only Revolutions?

[aaakiii]

Yes, I loved house of leaves! I read that book seven times in a row, and then crazy stuff started happening So I refuse to touch that book again for fear of losing sanity. Did you like Only Revolutions?

is "house of leaves" really that intense? i've looked up reviews on it on goodreads.com, and most of them were horror stories about how the book f'd people up or how they noticed "small changes" or something. now i'm excited to crack it open and read it.

i was supposed to read only revolutions for this one english class i took last winter quarter (it was called "remix culture" and we did a lot of stuff based on lev manovich's ideas about new language media). anyway, i opened "only revolutions" and i read the first two pages and was like "i didn't understand any of that" so i feel like it is one of those books you probably have to REALLY dig into. do you think it'd be better to just read it super in-depth once? or just read it over and over? i guess what i'm really asking is how the hell do you tackle it?

are you aware of any other authors who are like danielewski? in that class, our reading list was pretty diverse. we had to read paul auster's new york trilogy, and this one other book (that i didn't get to) which was on cd-rom called "patchwork girl" (i can't remember who it's by). in retrospect i wish i hadn't dropped that class, but there's really nothing i can do about it now. i just refused to sell the books back and kept them for later. =)

[rewhu]

Just finished Lying Awake by Mark Salzman. I bought it on a whim because it was only $1.50 at Savers and because I've read two of his books before. The characters and dialogue seemed very natural, a simple story told in a simple manner. Quick read, only about 150 pages, but it gave me something to think about, a bit of insight into a world I would otherwise have no interest in. I'll be keeping this book and rereading at some point.

[Evil Eye]

I'm going through some Philip K Dick stuff atm. Easily one of my favourite authors.


Has anyone read Stand on Zanzibar?

[MysString]

Reading Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" right now. I'm sure I saw it mentioned on this or some other forum multiple times, so when I saw it on the shelf at the library I picked it up.

I'm only like 5 chapters in, and I can see how members of this forum would connect with it (myself included)!

Ender's Game is definitely a great read. My INTJ brother was very adamant that I read it, and I was thoroughly impressed after doing so.

It was a little strange for me though, because I perceived many similarities between the Wiggin children and my two brothers and I.

[stone22383]

currently reading

me talk pretty one day - david sedaris

it is hilarious!

[Shakyamuni]

I will be reading: The Heart of the World by Ian Baker when I get some spare time this summer. Its about the guy that travels to an isolated part of tibet, the fabled Shangri-la I believe.

[JessicaHavenLea]

*sobbing* not currently reading anything but have a wish list... I need City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare...and books 2 and 3 of the Bartimaeus Trilogy

[ssrprotege]

I'm reading IQ: a Smart History of a Failed Idea by Stephen Murdoch. Next reading is likely to be Sacks's Musicophilia.

[notoppings]

*sobbing* not currently reading anything but have a wish list... I need City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare...and books 2 and 3 of the Bartimaeus Trilogy

I just finished the first Bartimaeus book about two weeks ago, enjoyed it and would love to read the next book. I have a strange outlook on books, I don't actively seek them out, they come to me when they are ready to be read, and then I am usually ready to read them, it seems better for me that way. Makes for eclectic reading but the journey is fun.

[Homini Lupus]

I just finished a book about mind tricks. Very interesting but the author is italian and probably there's no translation. I'm going to grab Burning Chrome.

[ChrisM]

"Treatise on the Emendation of the Intellect" by Spinoza.

It's pretty slow. There is some useful insight so far, but for the most part it is pretty wordy. I'm reading a volume of his complete works, and I'm actually looking forward to his later stuff.

[Minerva]

The River Below by Francios Cheng.

Almost done and will be moving on to Cloud Mountain by Aimee E. Liu.

[Nightelf]

Hans Kelsen: Pure Theory of Law (As a law student, naturally I am curious of his writings. My first meeting with legal positivism.)

Chesterton: Father Brown Stories (I wish to brush up my English a bit. Like Chesterton's humour.)

[Shaz]

The River Below by Francios Cheng.

Almost done and will be moving on to Cloud Mountain by Aimee E. Liu.

I just read, by François Cheng too "cinq méditations sur la beauté" (five meditations on beauty). Amazing book. Probably my favourite ever. I read a novel by him which I didn't like as much.
Is this one any good? Do you know if it was written in English or translated from French?

[Neuro]

Trying to read The Iliad again, but getting mighty distracted with non-fiction audiobooks (love my new mp3 player), the last one being "The Clash of Civilizations" which is one of the most important book I've ever 'read' I think.

[yossarianlives]

I'm currently reading Godel, Escher, Bach. Just curious: Any other INTJs reading this book? I'm only about 100 pgs in (it's a long read), but it's really grabbed my attention and I think almost any INTJ would be at least intrigued by it. Themes include logic, musical form, math, art, systems, AI, the mind, intelligence, free will... this list goes on... I'm convinced the author himself is an INTJ.

[Homini Lupus]

In the last times I read "confessions of a crap artist", "the universe in a nutshell" and now I'm reading "the anti-asshole method". I'm on vacation after all.

[Americano]

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman

[ScurvyRose]

3/4 way through The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World, by Alan Greenspan

[Radamisto]

"How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World" by Harry Browne. Definitely the best book I have ever read!

[Antisocialite]

Machiavelli's The Prince

[Shaz]

Anais Nin's diary from 1939-1944

Also, a collection of texts on nature by Herman Hesse

[universalis]

The Skeptical Environmentalist-Bjorn Lomborg
*a must read for knowing the real state of the world*

Guns, Germs, and Steel-Jared Diamond
*great read about why the world developed the way it did*

The American Black Chamber-Herbert Yardley
*a fascinating account on the birth of SIGINT intelligence in the U.S.*

Good list. I really enjoyed GGS.

I would recommend Freakonomics. I suspect you will like it.

* Chapter 1: Discovering cheating as applied to teachers and sumo wrestlers (See below)
* Chapter 2: Information control as applied to the Ku Klux Klan and real-estate agents
* Chapter 3: The economics of drug dealing, including the surprisingly low earnings and abject working conditions of crack cocaine dealers
* Chapter 4: The controversial role legalized abortion has played in reducing crime. (Levitt explored this topic in an earlier paper entitled "The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime.")
* Chapter 5: The negligible effects of good parenting on education
* Chapter 6: The socioeconomic patterns of naming children

[Americano]

Good list. I really enjoyed GGS.

I would recommend Freakonomics. I suspect you will like it.

* Chapter 1: Discovering cheating as applied to teachers and sumo wrestlers (See below)
* Chapter 2: Information control as applied to the Ku Klux Klan and real-estate agents
* Chapter 3: The economics of drug dealing, including the surprisingly low earnings and abject working conditions of crack cocaine dealers
* Chapter 4: The controversial role legalized abortion has played in reducing crime. (Levitt explored this topic in an earlier paper entitled "The Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime.")
* Chapter 5: The negligible effects of good parenting on education
* Chapter 6: The socioeconomic patterns of naming children

lol, I'm 1/2 way through it. Look 5 posts up. I'm also on David McCullough's John Adams. He's certainly one of my favorite non-fiction historical authors.

[Neuro]

I'm currently reading Godel, Escher, Bach. Just curious: Any other INTJs reading this book? I'm only about 100 pgs in (it's a long read), but it's really grabbed my attention and I think almost any INTJ would be at least intrigued by it. Themes include logic, musical form, math, art, systems, AI, the mind, intelligence, free will... this list goes on... I'm convinced the author himself is an INTJ.

Ahh yeah I really want to read that. A friend recommended me his latest 'I am a Strange Loop' which is like a sequel to GEB. Researched it a little and yeah sounds lovely. Glad to see an INTJ confirmation hehe. The math guys on here should check it out.

[Myrak]

Trying to finish Stranger In A Strange Land. I love it, I'm just a painfully slow reader.

I have Fight Club and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas lined up next, when the library gets them back in.

Also, we're being forced to read/watch Jane Eyre for english class, it's horrible. I hate it.

[hum]

Niebla (mist) by Miguel de Unamuno.
The protagonist's existentialism makes me laugh.

[Deadgod]

Ahh yeah I really want to read that. A friend recommended me his latest 'I am a Strange Loop' which is like a sequel to GEB. Researched it a little and yeah sounds lovely. Glad to see an INTJ confirmation hehe. The math guys on here should check it out.

GEB and Douglas Hostadter are geniuses. I glimpsed through the book two years ago and my musicology professor did a whole semester based on the book. Really mind-opening and bending. I spent the rest of the two years looking for the book. Never found it until a few months ago where it came to me via Borders.

I also glimpsed through I am a Strange Loop and am rather fascinated. It goes into the personal life of Dr. Hofstadter and the intricacies of consciousness and "I".

I'm thinking of posting the MU puzzle on the forum but am having trouble putting it under philosophy or science. Either way, be sure to look forward to it.

[PHS Philip]

Hyperion

Not exactly a happy book. The first bit's about a priest who goes into exile and goes to live with a small, mostly forgotten tribe. Long story short, he gets a parasite-cross-tissue mass-thing attached to him. It brings back to life anyone with it who dies, and it won't allow them to leave the area of the village. It seems to start to pull out of a body if it experiences too much pain. There's a forest nearby where for 9 months of the year the tries build up enormous amounts of electricity, and spend the other 3 dumping it. So what he does is crucify himself on one of these trees with the stakes between bones so that when his corpse rots before he's forced back to life (it accelerates rot so they rot away in a matter of days), and spends 700 years cycling between being crucified and electrocuted, crucified and dehydrated, and crucified and starving.

I'm only 100 pages in, but I think I can guess what the rest is like...


I'm also wrapping up The Selfish Gene. I don't know why I had never read it before, but it's been awesome. I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in genetics, biology, evolution, or even just science in general. It's a little oversimplified so that it would be accessible to a non-scientist, but you can still get the gist of the full ideas.

[universalis]

lol, I'm 1/2 way through it. Look 5 posts up. I'm also on David McCullough's John Adams. He's certainly one of my favorite non-fiction historical authors.

Haha classic! I'll check those out as well. Haven't read much lately cos I find books hard to read because they too slow moving. wikipedia is chewing heavily into my non-fiction time nowadays.

[Chaos]

Mt Misery by Samuel Shem

[Reon]

In Cold Blood

[replicant]

Just A Geek - Wil Wheaton
Readungs in the Western Humanities Vol. II - Matthews/Platt
All New Square Foot Gardening

[Metaphor]

The Brothers Karamazov.

[Tenacious B]

The Virtue of Selfishness - Ayn Rand
Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki

[NHere]

Just finished The Echo Maker by Richard Powers. Not quite a psychological thriller, but will both challenge and mess with your mind. Gave it 4.5 stars - and my stars don't come easily.

On to The Memory Keeper's Daughter - been on my shelf for waaaay too long.

[HeterodoxRobot]

The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins.

It is soooooooooooooooooo fucking good!!!!

[Micropsia]

The Bald Soprano and other plays by Eugène Ionesco

Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre

[hum]

Plato's Dialogues

[JessicaHavenLea]

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

[AutisticCuckoo]

Terry Pratchett's latest: Making Money.

[NephilimAzrael]

Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman

[Theonymic]

Just finished The Silmarillion by Tolkien. About to start Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.

[Merle]

Tau Zero by Poul Anderson - it's getting on my nerves, it's very badly written...
and The Sorrows of an American by Siri Hustvedt.

Just finished Mockingbird by Walter Tevis which was SUPERB... a dystopian SF novel, brilliantly written and with a gorgeous ending!

[bmallerd]

The Plausibility of life by Kirschner and Gerhart - A book trying to fill in the third pillar of evolution.

1 - Natural Selection
2 - Random Variation through genetic mutation
3 - Phenotype variation due to genetic factors <-- this is what the book focusses on

[Neuro]

Just picked up the People's History of the United States this morning. History from the victim's point of view. There's no way I can read this the whole way through though. I think it would be useful as a companion to other research on the specific events however (even if only for the sake of conversation)

[ssrprotege]

The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki as a college summer reading. I feel so painful (and sleepy) whenever I read it...so boring.

[xeeeej]

I'm wading through Atlas Shrugged. It's taking me a while, as I have don't have much time to read between work & grad school.

Really good book, though.

[Allie]

Just finished re-reading The Fall of Berlin.

[rewhu]

Boulevard, Vol. 23

Boulevard is a literary magazine consisting entirely of short stories and poetry. There are no ads or promos for subscriptions. If it didn’t have a bar code on the front you’d think it was just a regular old paperback.

[Tenacious B]

I'm wading through Atlas Shrugged. It's taking me a while, as I have don't have much time to read between work & grad school.

Really good book, though.
I hear you...I read it during my last semester while I was interviewing for jobs and finishing up my defense/thesis. Well worth it! Check out her other books as well if you haven't already.

[notoppings]

The Sinner written by Tess Green. A great read so far - A homicide takes place in a convent two nuns are found with their skulls crushed.... lots of plot twist and intrigue I am enjoying.

I think I've found myself a new (for me) author I'll have to check out more of her books.

[ElstonGunn]

I just started reading Don Quixote recently. In spite of how thick and old it is, it's actually moving along pretty quickly (unlike Moby Dick, which I've been taking a break from). I must have a good translation.

[Caramel]

I'm currently reading PowerPlay, a roman from 1979, and The Goldilocks Enigma, a book on the physics of the universe.

[Synamon]

Jeffery Deaver's The Sleeping Doll

Interestingly, his new character Kathryn Dance is an interrogation expert and she types her subjects using Myers-Briggs in order to tailor her approach to them.

[ssrprotege]

Jeffery Deaver's The Sleeping Doll

Interestingly, his new character Kathryn Dance is an interrogation expert and she types her subjects using Myers-Briggs in order to tailor her approach to them.

Interesting. I should look into that book...once I finish with the Wisdom of Crowds....I wonder if anyone finished the book. How did you find it?

[Nolia]

Currently, I'm reading (off and on) The White House Years by Henry Kissinger. It's not the most entertaining book I've ever read, and to be honest, I'm only reading it because I love the way Kissinger uses the language. Well, maybe that's not the only reason. I guess it's also interesting to read about what was going on behind the scenes during those years, since I was a young adult then, wondering what in the hell was going on with the government. Henry clearly doesn't want to leave anything out of the explanation. :cheesy:

[Karamazov]

Libra by Don Delillo

[NephilimAzrael]

Watchmen - Alan Moore

[searcheagle]

I recently finished reading "The Black Swan: The impact of the Highly Improbable" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. This book discusses how we view highly improbable events by both underestimating their likelihood or overestimating their likelihood. He also argues against many of the conventional statistical controls that are used to predict the future because they are flawed. I highly recommend this book but do not agree with all of its conclusions.

I am currently reading "The Assassins: A Novel" by Oliver North and Joe Musser, which is a near future realistic future novel. This 24 in book form. I'm half-way through and I recommend this book.

[methionine]

The Way We Live Now by Trollope. It's not really my kind of book, but I need to read it for an assignment.

I want to read The Black Swan!

[Homini Lupus]

Human, too human. And documenting about England with a lonely planet book.

[searcher]

Great Expectations.
Again.

[JonD]

Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William L. Shirer
Haunted - Chuck Palahniuk

[abudevauhnne]

I'm currently reading The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe, and just finished The Setting Sun by Osamu Dazai.

[cncracer]

Just finished “Letter to a Christian Nation” by Sam Harris, and started “The Portable Atheist” by Christopher Hitchens.

[ScurvyRose]

"Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar" by Thomas Cathcart.

[notoppings]

Jeffery Deaver's The Sleeping Doll

Interestingly, his new character Kathryn Dance is an interrogation expert and she types her subjects using Myers-Briggs in order to tailor her approach to them.

I love Deavers. Thanks for the recommendation sounds like a novel approach (Did you see how I slipped that in?).

I'm currently reading "Northern Lights" by Nora Roberts. A Lower 48 cop takes a job as Sheriff in Lunatic Alaska and the troubles begin. Typical Nora Roberts great plot and fast paced it was the name of the town that made me choose it.

[misgolasrapax]

I am reading:
1. the equation that couldn't be solved <Mario Livio>
2. Germ warfare < Alan G . Baxter>
3. Microbe hunters , then and now <koprowski and oldstone>
4. Magical alphabets <Nigel Pennick>
5. Perfume <patrick suskind>
I am disapointed by perfume, the author is childish and represents his characters in a two dimensional format.

[chegra]

Statistical Natural Language Processing - Christoper Manning

[Tenacious B]

I just started reading War and Peace, and I hope it gets better...

[ThaiGreenTea]

I read... [within the last week]

Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
American Pastoral - Philip Roth


and I'm reading right now All the Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy. 10 pages to go.

[srn]

I just started reading Alan Greenspan's memoir, The Age of Turbulence.

[metamagnet]

Currently:
"Question Quest" - Piers Anthony
"2010: Odyssey Two" - Arthur C Clarke
"Dune" - Frank Herbert
"The Illustrated Man" - Ray Bradbury
"What is Mathematics, Really?" - Reuben Hursh

[Ijz]

2061 Odyssey three - Arthur C Clarke
The grand chessboard - Zbigniew Brzezinski

[estwald]

Day of The Triffids - by John Wyndham

Details HERE (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

a story about a "soft" apocalypse, a very interesting read , it had 400 pages but i couldn`t put it down untill i finished it. (in one day)

[Josephine1012]

The Godfather by Puzo.


One of the books that's highly under appreciated is The Family by Puzo. This was his brain child of over 30 years, while he was working on it he supported himself with all the mafia novels. This one is about the original mafia family: Pope Alexander II, its extremely twisted (just a warning, it isn't for the weak of heart)

[PHS Philip]

Cosmos - Sagan

[Merle]

Day of The Triffids - by John Wyndham

Details HERE (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.)

a story about a "soft" apocalypse, a very interesting read , it had 400 pages but i couldn`t put it down untill i finished it. (in one day)

Yay! - John Wyndham! I love him... if you haven't read The Chrysalids I'd recommend it heartily, I think it's his best book... that, and The Trouble With Lichen.

[theJarrett]

The wealth of nations by Adam Smith - I was expecting a dry economic treatise but it's actually pretty funny - like "The Federalist". And I never get far from "Please Understand me II", David Keirsey's very perceptive thesis on he MBTI data and type organization.

Recently read "Emblems of Mind", another excellent offering on the rich topic of mathematics and music.

Kudos to all those reading Rand and Lewis. And Don Quixote - if you like him, I recommend Cyrano de Bergerac. I myself recently finished Plato and a Platypus, which was brilliant.

[rewhu]

Just finished reading Einstein's Dream, which I also mentioned here (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.), and now I’m about halfway through Silverlock (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.).

One chapter in I almost put Silverlock into my "donate" pile because I can't stand reading books whose protagonist is a pompous jerk. However, I decided to give the book a chance and so far I'm glad I did. By the third chapter the title character has mostly abandoned his selfish attitude. There's nothing really thought provoking about the book, basically the reader just tags along for one small adventure after another.

[searcher]

again several...
- Artemis Fowl and the time paradox - Eion Colfer
- The Terrible Hours - Peter Maas
- Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
- history textbooks on the topics of Black civil rights in the US, the causes of world war two and New Zealand's seach for security after world war two

[reb]

jeff shaara, 'the rising tide'

[Colette]

The Age of the Warrior - Robert Fisk

[Reanne]

for the past 4 months I've been into russian classics. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Dostoevsky heavy as it is ended up with a lot of essentials! The main character "Raskolnikov" is definitely INTJ! maybe a lot of you guys can relate with this novel :mellow:

[Colette]

for the past 4 months I've been into russian classics. CRIME AND PUNISHMENT by Dostoevsky heavy as it is ended up with a lot of essentials! The main character "Raskolnikov" is definitely INTJ! maybe a lot of you guys can relate with this novel :mellow:

Yeah, and I have Dostoevsky himself marked as an INTP or INFP. What do others think?

I think Natasha in War & Peace is an INTJ too :)

[faedra]

His Dark Materials series - Philip Pullman
The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature - Matt Ridley
and other evolution books, mostly Richard Dawkins, for Biology
The Appeal - John Grisham

Yeah, and I have Dostoevsky himself marked as an INTP or INFP. What do others think?

I was actually thinking INFP or INFJ, but then again I'm not good with the J/P.

again several...
- Artemis Fowl and the time paradox - Eion Colfer
- The Terrible Hours - Peter Maas
- Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
- history textbooks on the topics of Black civil rights in the US, the causes of world war two and New Zealand's seach for security after world war two

Will you be reading And Another Thing too? I can't wait, haha.

[Neuro]

The main character "Raskolnikov" is definitely INTJ! maybe a lot of you guys can relate with this novel :mellow:

I sure did!

Currently reading:

Warrior Politics - Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos
The Conversations - Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film

Just finished Plato - The Republic as well and was pretty blown away by that. Definitely a keeper!

[nat]

Billy-(I forget the name of the writer)

About multiple personality disorder. I'm interested in the topic, but actually the way this book was written isn't really enjoyable to read.

[CaptainA]

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie.

Set in China after the cultural revolution. A story of illegal western literature during a period of re-education.

[tzu]

Just finished A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy(again). Now reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

[groundzero]

Currently reading

Rollback

Just finished reading Fleet of World's, Hunters of Dune

[CaptainA]

Just finished A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy(again). Now reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

I love Dorian Gray. In many ways I am Dorian Gray. However I am reaching the stage of catching up with the picture earlier than the book. :cry:

[BlueberryMint]

The Burning Court (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) by John Dickson Carr - One of the greatest mystery novels of all-time.
Reasons and Persons (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) by Derek Parfit - One of the greatest works in contemporary philosophy.

[Fireath]

The 48 Laws of Power (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) - Robert Greene

It's an amazing read, if even only for its many historical snippets.

[Autoptic]

Great book of Amber by Roger Zelazny, kind of on a break though

[just a user]

SF fiction: The "Eclipse (A Song Called Youth)" series by John Shirley.

Link: To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Good plot, although a bit too idealistic for me. The characters are well-written, so I think I'll stick to the end.

Regards,
just a user

[gadjitfreek]

Consent To Kill - Vince Flynn

I read books between rereads of Stephen King's Dark Tower series...but I always seem to come back to Midworld.

[theunstrungharp]

After Dark by Murakami

[Reanne]

Yeah, and I have Dostoevsky himself marked as an INTP or INFP. What do others think?

I think Natasha in War & Peace is an INTJ too :)


Yeah I think Dostoevsky is an INTP..a book review says he characterizes "Porfiry" in the book. I cant' wait to read "notes from underground" they say it's even more idiosyncratic! :thumbsup:

[schwartzie]

Yeah, and I have Dostoevsky himself marked as an INTP or INFP.

I have a friend who is very INTP, who fell "INtp love with" (as they are wont...) with Dostoevsky, and read everything he wrote. This was during my friend's dostoevsky years, of course....

:blank: