Whatcha Reading Now? Thread v3
In the tradition of the "Whatcha Listening To? Thread(s)", I thought I'd start this and see how it goes.
I picked up a few books over the holiday as gifts from the future Father-In-Law, and the one I'm in the middle of now is:
"The Pleasure of My Company" ? Steve Martin
I've never been a huge fan of Mr. Martin's TV and film work, but I have to say this book is absolute genius. It's a quick little 200 page or so ditty about the human condition...from a 1st person viewpoint...and almost entirely viewed from the main character's 'condition'. It's great fun.
So what are all the other brainiacs in AO page-deep into? A brief synopsis sans spoilers would be appropriate.
I picked up a few books over the holiday as gifts from the future Father-In-Law, and the one I'm in the middle of now is:
"The Pleasure of My Company" ? Steve Martin
I've never been a huge fan of Mr. Martin's TV and film work, but I have to say this book is absolute genius. It's a quick little 200 page or so ditty about the human condition...from a 1st person viewpoint...and almost entirely viewed from the main character's 'condition'. It's great fun.
So what are all the other brainiacs in AO page-deep into? A brief synopsis sans spoilers would be appropriate.
Comments
Tonight I'm taking home Cryptography's Role in Securing the Information Society. I doubt I will read it straight through considering it's a National Research Council study, in other words: BORING.
I also have the Psychology of Graphic Images that I will probably skim as well.
However, the big book I'm looking excited about reading this weekend (in between deathmatch and the new years gathering at my place) is The Problem of Freedom: Race, Labor, and Politics in Jamaica and Britain, 1832-1938. I've been told about this book time and time again from poli sci folks and it's about time I get down to it.
I also just beat max payne 2 in about 9 hours on saturday. Does that count as reading?
Originally posted by 709
"The Pleasure of My Company" ? Steve Martin
I've never been a huge fan of Mr. Martin's TV and film work, but I have to say this book is absolute genius. It's a quick little 200 page or so ditty about the human condition...from a 1st person viewpoint...and almost entirely viewed from the main character's 'condition'. It's great fun.
Oh wow! He has a new book? Shopgirl was absolutely great. I gave a bunch of them as presents last year or the year before. He really is an amazing writer. Have you seen the little things he's written for the New Yorker?
I'm going to amazon to order that now. Oh, screw it. I'll just stop by Borders on the way home. Thanks for posting that.
BIG LIES by Joe Conason
THE GREAT UNRAVELING by Paul Krugman
BUSHWACKED by Molly Ivens
Originally posted by giant
Oh wow! He has a new book? Shopgirl was absolutely great.
I'm picking up Shopgirl tomorrow at B&N.
Tough, Tough Toys for Tough, Tough Boys ? Will Self
I love Mr. Self's work, and this one got through my radar somehow.
Bradbury Stories : 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales
Originally posted by ShawnJ
heh. 709, this is actually Whatcha Reading Thread v3. (Version's 1 and 2.)
Well, crap.
Would the powers above be so kind as to change my thread title?
Damn my ADD.
I've also got 9 Orwell books piled in front of me as I had recently read his essay Politics and the English Language (reproduced in full if you follow the link) and thought it was simply amazing.
I'd somehow managed to avoid reading his big hits (1984, Animal Farm) while growing up and felt it was a bit late to bother but someone mentioned here in AppleOutsider that Orwell and Umberto Eco were their favourite authors and that pushed me over the edge and so I thought it time to catch up with him. I've started with "Burmese Days" and it looks like I'm in for a series of treats.
I've also got Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs the autobiography of John Lydon, which a colleague lent me. He gives it rave reviews. This is the latest in a long line of musical (auto-)biographies I've read including Johnny Cash (auto), Brain Wilson (auto), Andrew Loog Oldham (auto) and Phil Spector. All very interesting.
first i have copy # 496 (out of 750) of the 1st edition of cruel shoes.
which are new yorker pieces.
then i have the follow up to cruel shoes, "pure drivel" also 1st edition, but autographed.
if you like his little vignette pieces, you'll also like woody allen's collections, "without feathers" & "side effects" they are very similar.
steve martin has also goaded johnny carson into contributing pieces to the new yorker that are like this.
the book i'm reading now, (i was so excited at getting it for christmas that i set aside da vinci code) is "the storyteller's daughter" by saira shah.
a nonfiction account of a british born afghan, who became a reporter for the bbc, and went back into afghanistan to record the taliban's atrocities to women. (among others) i heard her on the radio and asked for it for christmas.
saira shah's "The Storyteller's Daughter"
By Matthew Scully---very nearly a PETA treatise from a conservative, but fairly good all the same.
Call me shallow.
Originally posted by Barto
Rainbow Six (Tom Clancy).
Call me shallow.
Huh? A mulitnational force tracking down international terrorists bent on killing thousands?
....Written 7-8 years ago?
Clancy's right far too often on some things.
Originally posted by dmz
Clancy's right far too often on some things.
<glib remark>
He sure is.
</glib remark>
SPJ: Are you reading The Spirit Catches You... for fun or for a reason? My fiancee read that last year while she was on internship in Chicago. Not pleasurable reading....
Originally posted by torifile
Ghostwritten, by David Mitchell. A book about serendipity but not cheesy. Engrossing.
SPJ: Are you reading The Spirit Catches You... for fun or for a reason? My fiancee read that last year while she was on internship in Chicago. Not pleasurable reading....
It's next on my "for-fun" reading list, but thanks for the heads-up.