What are you reading now?

[Sweetstop]

i see that oprah just made freedom her book club pic, and mr. franzen will be coming on her show.

[Roy Tucker]

Originally Posted by Roy Tucker

Reading "Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War" by Karl Marlantes.

Excellent Vietnam war book. I highly recommend it.

Not to bludgeon this thread about this book, but I stayed up till 4 am finishing it last night. I cannot praise it high enough and I expect to see it on a lot of Top 10 books of 2010. From the NYT review:

Reading his account of the bloody folly surrounding the Matterhorn outpost, you get the feeling Marlantes is not overly worried about the attention span of his readers; you get the feeling he was not desperate or impatient to be published. Rather, he seems like a man whose life was radically altered by war, and who now wants to pass along the favor. And with a desperate fury, he does. Chapter after chapter, battle after battle, Marlantes pushes you through what may be one of the most profound and devastating novels ever to come out of Vietnam — or any war. It’s not a book so much as a deployment, and you will not return unaltered.

[medford]

Originally Posted by VR

Just finished Pillars of the Earth. Picked it up thinking I would never have time...finished it in 3 days.

One of my favorites, enjoyed the series as well that was just on starz. You have to figure its good when both Oprah and Pres Bush credit it as one of their favorite fiction books ever. I've heard the sequal is pretty bad though, so beware should you decide to read that as well.

Recently read 3 day road, which was about canadian-indian snipers in WW1, very good, easy read.

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm struggling thru Infinet Jest right now. Been reading it for over a year off & on. It got a lot of praise, a long forward by David Eggers who's semi-true memoir I foud really good (A heart breaking work of staggering genius) for its 10th anniversary, but I just can't get into it for the life of me. Its starting to pick up a bit now that I'm on page 640. However with paragraphs that stretch on for 3-4 or more pages at times, its not an easy read for a fiction book. perhaps I just don't 'get it', but I've committed to finishing it at some point even if I'm not really enjoying. About 300 pages to go, which I guess I could put away soon enough if I really committed to it.

[BillDoran]

Originally Posted by medford

As I mentioned in another thread, I'm struggling thru Infinet Jest right now. Been reading it for over a year off & on. It got a lot of praise, a long forward by David Eggers who's semi-true memoir I foud really good (A heart breaking work of staggering genius) for its 10th anniversary, but I just can't get into it for the life of me. Its starting to pick up a bit now that I'm on page 640. However with paragraphs that stretch on for 3-4 or more pages at times, its not an easy read for a fiction book. perhaps I just don't 'get it', but I've committed to finishing it at some point even if I'm not really enjoying. About 300 pages to go, which I guess I could put away soon enough if I really committed to it.

I can totally relate. I did manage to get through it, but more than anything I was motivated to finish the book and place it on my totem pole.

Obviously, DFW was an incredibly gifted and cerebral writer, but Infinite Jest, to me, is just him showing off. Yes, David we know you're prolific and you have a thing for footnotes. I suppose to truly enjoy the work, you better find appreciation in his voice, because the plot is methodical and restrained. I won't ruin the book for you, but if you're expecting fireworks in the denouement, I'd temper my enthusiasm.

For my money, his essays are the real ammunition of his canon.

[Hillsdale87]

Originally Posted by Jack Burton

Just stopped reading "Atlas Shrugged", tortured myself for 3 weeks trying to plow through that dreck. Wow, it has to be the worst book I've ever had the displeasure of opening. Beginner prose. Complete garbage. I did minimal research online and saw it was the favorite book of quite a lot of individuals. Poor fools. It was flat pathetic.

I haven't read Atlas Shrugged, but I did read "The Fountainhead" and enjoyed that quite a bit. While I don't subscribe to Rand's objectivist views, I found the book quite interesting. I was planning to start "Atlas Shrugged" soon. Right now I am reading the Brothers K. I just started a couple days ago, but I have pretty high hopes for it.

[marcshoe]

Originally Posted by Hillsdale87

I haven't read Atlas Shrugged, but I did read "The Fountainhead" and enjoyed that quite a bit. While I don't subscribe to Rand's objectivist views, I found the book quite interesting. I was planning to start "Atlas Shrugged" soon. Right now I am reading the Brothers K. I just started a couple days ago, but I have pretty high hopes for it.

You hit on something for me. I've had tons of people I respect recommend Rand, but everything I've read about Objectivism turns me off. Sooner or later, though, I'll read her.

Still reading too many books at once. I've been reading "The Hemings of Monticello" forever, and, as compelling as it is, I keep putting it down for weeks at a time. There's a lot to absorb. I feel as if I understand more about the situation slaves, even relatively well-treated ones, found themselves in than I have before. The book highlights the Hemings family's human dignity.

Also, I'm reading Leonard Sweet's AquaChurch 2.0. At first I thought it was going to be a long, labored sea metaphor, but having gotten into it, I find it moving and relevant. For those who read Christian non-fiction, I'd highly recommend this as well as "So Beautiful". It doesn't hurt that Sweet has West Virginia roots. I won't say any more as to not get into forbidden territory.

[code]

I just started "The Winners Manual: For the Game of Life " by Jim Tressel. So far, so good!

[Todd Gack]

Originally Posted by tixe

You hit on something for me. I've had tons of people I respect recommend Rand, but everything I've read about Objectivism turns me off. Sooner or later, though, I'll read her.

Still reading too many books at once. I've been reading "The Hemings of Monticello" forever, and, as compelling as it is, I keep putting it down for weeks at a time. There's a lot to absorb. I feel as if I understand more about the situation slaves, even relatively well-treated ones, found themselves in than I have before. The book highlights the Hemings family's human dignity.

Also, I'm reading Leonard Sweet's AquaChurch 2.0. At first I thought it was going to be a long, labored sea metaphor, but having gotten into it, I find it moving and relevant. For those who read Christian non-fiction, I'd highly recommend this as well as "So Beautiful". It doesn't hurt that Sweet has West Virginia roots. I won't say any more as to not get into forbidden territory.

Rand's books are certainly a different breed. I'm of the same line of thinking with Rand and although I don't agree with her on every subject, I loved her books. And even though I loved her books, I had to plug through Atlas Shrugged. I bought The Fountainhead and plan on reading it sometime this winter and I imagine I'll somehow plug through that book too.

As for right now, I'm reading The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. At first, this book was tough to read. It's a deep book, but it's picking up quite fast and I'll occassionally read chapter summaries off the internet to better understand it, but it's been considered one of the best books of the 20th century. I wanted to read more classics and some of the best acclaimed books and I just randomly picked it. It's a pretty neat book on religious satire and atheist culture of pre-WW2 Russia. I think if you're a political or religious junkie, you'd enjoy this. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who enjoys the lighter reads because it isn't easy.

[Todd Gack]

BTW, I pre-ordered Mark Twain's autobiography. He wrote his memoirs shortly before he died and in his will, he stated he didn't want them published until 100 years after he died and the 1st volume is being released next Monday.

If you know anything about Clemens, you know he was quite an intruiging person and I think his autobiography would be a wonderful read for those who love auto-biographies.

[edabbs44]

I've been on another financial book spree lately. In the past month I have read the following:

The Monster: How a Gang of Predatory Lenders and Wall Street Bankers Fleeced America--and Spawned a Global Crisis

http://www.amazon.com/Monster-Predat.../dp/0805090460

Very cool book. Recommended as it is different than all the Wall Street ones out there, most of the focus is on the mortgage sales side.


Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System--and Themselves

http://www.amazon.com/Too-Big-Fail-W...1211833&sr=1-1

Finally got around to reading this one. Good overall view of the crisis from 2 years ago.


Crash of the Titans: Greed, Hubris, the Fall of Merrill Lynch, and the Near-Collapse of Bank of America

http://www.amazon.com/Crash-Titans-M...9&sr=1-1-spell

Liked this one as well, probably because I hadn't read a lot on the ML and BofA marriage previously.

[Roy Tucker]

Originally Posted by tixe

This is strange to say, but Under the Dome, coming in at apx. 424,515 pages, needed to be longer. Stephen King seemed to give up on bringing the thing to a logical conclusion and just burned it all down.

Just finished this book and I agree. Loved the first 900+ pages. King is great at painting a picture of a cast of characters and pulls off the improbable concept of a dome getting lowered over a town and the ensuing social and political problems with an unhealthy dose of weirdness and the ultimate mayhem.

But the resolution of it all, I was disappointed. It was all fuzzy brained and disjointed and basically... dumb. Like his publisher said "you have to finish this book *today*". I said "bah".

[pedro]

Keith Richards - Life

I'm about a third of the way through. Fantastic so far.

[RichRed]

Originally Posted by Roy Tucker

But the resolution of it all, I was disappointed. It was all fuzzy brained and disjointed and basically... dumb. Like his publisher said "you have to finish this book *today*". I said "bah".

Don't most of King's books end that way?

[SunDeck]

Founding Fathers Reconsidered

[RANDY IN INDY]

"The Glass Castle," and "Half Broke Horses," by Jeannette Walls. Also read, "The Help," about a month ago.