What are you reading?

[NoahLutz]

The Old Man and the Sea.  It's ok, so far (75% in).  

[JohnRogers]

[NoahLutz]

On 9/28/2023 at 12:50 AM, NoahLutz said:

The Old Man and the Sea.  It's ok, so far (75% in).  

Just finished it.  It was good, but a little heavy-handed.  

[BastillePark]

[NoahLutz]

The Little Prince

[Bahamas]

8 hours ago, NoahLutz said:

The Little Prince

Ahhhhhhhh! Sweet. What a treasure. My copy is very old and tattered. I was completely taken when I was being read to, of a boy who asked adults if his drawing scared them, but they thought it was a hat when it was actually an elephant inside a snake! (Not exactly, it's been a while but something like that). As I got older I could read it for myself and contemplate more of the details and have done so many times.

 

It seems presented as a children's book but it most certainly is a very mature story with so many philosophical considerations. Thanks for presenting it here, it's been a while and I will have to read it again soon    

[Bahamas]

A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson.

I watched the movie a few years ago and a friend is planning on doing most of the Appalachian Trail next year so I was inspired to read the book. The author includes a lot of local history along the route.

[NoahLutz]

1 hour ago, Bahamas said:

Ahhhhhhhh! Sweet. What a treasure. My copy is very old and tattered. I was completely taken when I was being read to, of a boy who asked adults if his drawing scared them, but they thought it was a hat when it was actually an elephant inside a snake! (Not exactly, it's been a while but something like that). As I got older I could read it for myself and contemplate more of the details and have done so many times.

 

It seems presented as a children's book but it most certainly is a very mature story with so many philosophical considerations. Thanks for presenting it here, it's been a while and I will have to read it again soon    

So many children’s books are this way.  I read with my kids every night even though they are getting too old for it.  We’ve recently read The Wind in the Willows, Where the Red Fern Grows, Old Yeller, Charlotte’s Web, and the Chronicles of Narnia.  Each is presented in a simple and easy-to-engage way, and each holds much more to think about than just what’s on the surface.  

[Tony R]

On 9/30/2023 at 4:48 PM, NoahLutz said:

The Little Prince

I did the French version for “O level” French. I usually hate the books I’ve had to “study” but this one endures.
“Les grandes personnes ne comprennent jamais rien toutes seules, et c'est fatigant, pour les enfants, de toujours leur donner des explications.”

[NoahLutz]

25 minutes ago, Tony R said:

I did the French version for “O level” French. I usually hate the books I’ve had to “study” but this one endures.
“Les grandes personnes ne comprennent jamais rien toutes seules, et c'est fatigant, pour les enfants, de toujours leur donner des explications.”

I meant the one in Italian dialect by Machiavelli.  My bad.

[Tony R]

The Prince? Thats not a children’s book, it’s a political essay.

[Turbine Freight]

[Sun & Moon]

On 10/1/2023 at 5:20 AM, NoahLutz said:

So many children’s books are this way.  I read with my kids every night even though they are getting too old for it.  We’ve recently read The Wind in the Willows, Where the Red Fern Grows, Old Yeller, Charlotte’s Web, and the Chronicles of Narnia.  Each is presented in a simple and easy-to-engage way, and each holds much more to think about than just what’s on the surface.  

You will never be too old to read with your kids. I'd love to hear my parents read to me again. I've read many children's books recently, the illustration in many of them are gorgeous, and I find the stories comforting.

[condemned2bfree]

The Next Million Years. Charles Galton Darwin.

[NoahLutz]

On 10/7/2023 at 2:02 AM, Tony R said:

The Prince? Thats not a children’s book, it’s a political essay.

Yeah, that was the joke.  

[NoahLutz]

I'm reading the newer Thrawn Trilogy with the kids, Wings of Fire with my daughter, and I started Dracula for myself.  

[TheAccountant]

On 9/26/2023 at 3:56 AM, NoahLutz said:

Moby Dick: it is a bit frustrating that a book can be so brilliant and so boring at the same time.  The use of language is often beautiful, but there are long sections about cetology which are boring.  It’s also a slow read as virtually every page requires me to look something up, but I rather enjoy that aspect of it.  

Exactly my reaction when I read it a number of years ago!!!

Edited October 23, 2023 by TheAccountant

[TheAccountant]

On 9/24/2023 at 7:47 PM, TheAccountant said:

Justice is Coming by Cenk Uygur.

 

Very good book but that should not be a shock - I watch the Young Turks for news as much as I can and he is the host of the show.  His views most align with mine.  Mostly.

At the time I posted this I was only part of the way through hits.  Now that i have finished it and thought about it for a while I am less positive.  The general point he is making I mostly agree with but I have several significant criticism's.  They are:

 

1.  Much of the material in chapter1 should have been in chapter 2 and much of chapter 2 should have been in chapter 1.  That would have made the book flow better.

2.  Chapter 4 is very good however Kurt Anderson in his book "Evil Genius's" does it much better.  Both talk about the Lewis Powell memo.  I don't recall if Kurt talks about some of the 1970 court decision involving money and politics but Cenk does and does it well.  However, in her brilliant book "On Corruption in America and What is at Stake" Sarah Chase does it way better.  Cenk does not explicitly talk about the Freedmen doctrine while Kurt does.  Advantage Kurt.  But Kurt just does  much better job putting it together & Sarah Chase is way, way better than either of them.

3.   Chapter 5 which deals with the media is good - but I felt it lacked something.

 

Finally, his theory about justice coming - I will believe it when I see it.

 

So I have to revise my original reaction.  Not very good.  Ok, decent.  Did I get something from it?  Yes.  But others have gone over the same sound and done it much better.

Edited October 23, 2023 by TheAccountant

[Dweezil]

After That Night~Karen Slaughter

snd

Where Demons Dare~ Kim Harrison

[NoahLutz]

I finished Dracula and loved it.  It was much better than what I expected.  Now I'm on to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.  

[NoahLutz]

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was very interesting, especially for its view on morality and how to (not) exercise it.  I know it's over a hundred years old, but the fact that it's such an ingrained part of culture and I knew the twist, much of the first half of the novella loses its appeal.  Still, a great read.   

[NoahLutz]

I have now started The Picture of Dorian Gray, Yeonmi Park's While Time Remains, and 24 Hours in Ancient Rome.  The last has not been as interesting as I expected being a lover of ancient history, but I'm still very early in all three.  

[GeddyRulz]

What am I reading?  Geddy's autobiography, of course!   

 

 

[NoahLutz]

On 11/12/2023 at 11:10 PM, NoahLutz said:

I have now started The Picture of Dorian Gray, Yeonmi Park's While Time Remains, and 24 Hours in Ancient Rome.  The last has not been as interesting as I expected being a lover of ancient history, but I'm still very early in all three.  

24 Hours in Ancient Rome turned out to be surprisingly good.  It's not really a narrative, though the author kind of tries to cobble together a loose one.  It's basically letting you into the lives of 24 different people from different classes, wealth, and professions and, using lots of ancient sources (which are often quoted extensively), creating a narrative for them.  It's almost like 24 History Channel documentary-dramas, but you don't have to worry about the bad acting and bad set design, and bad special effects.  

[Principled Man]

My Effin' Life