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My friend and neighbor Jack Kerley wrote a book, The Hundredth Man and it will be in the NYTimes book review tomorrow, YAY! Read it, read it, read it!

[/blatant pitching]

Aside from that, let's have another reading list thread, since the last one was so good. (and since I can't find it anymore)

I've been reading Mian Mian's "Candy", about a twentysomething Chinese girl's life in the underworld of Shenzen. And sorta off-and-on picking up Leonard Cohen's "Beautiful Losers", but to be honest not really giving it the attention it deserves. Miguel might take issue with me saying this, but as a novelist, L.C.'s a helluva poet. Fantastic use of language, but not much as far as plot development goes.

I'm probably gonna pick up the new Bruce Sterling when it comes out in paperback, too.

Ack! I'vce been reading like a fiend. On the nightstand: "Brothers in Arms," by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (!), a history of the 761st Armored, the first all African-American tank division in WWII. In my briefcase: just finished A. J. Liebling's "Chicago: The Second City." Switching it out for Iain Pears' "The Dream of Scipio" (Pears wrote the simply awesome "An Instance Of The Fingerpost," about a 17th century murder told from the perspectives of four of the different people involved). On my desk at work, Shakespeare's "Sonnets", a gift from someone with dark hair and dark eyes who knows of my appreciation for the Bard (I read 'em when I essen aus dem kube). In the interim, I recently spent 8000 Delta frequent flier miles to get year subscriptions to BusinessWeek, The Economist, Food and Wine and (heh) TV Guide (this is in addition to my normal monthly take of a lot of friggin periodicals).

Arto, I have that Sterling (uh, if it's The Zenith Angle you're referring to) on my stack a'waiting, I'll let you know how it is. But what I'm really looking forward to is "Confusion," the second installment in Neil Stephenson's latest Götterdämmerung, The Baroque Cycle." What else is there, you ask? William Grieder's "Secrets of the Temple," about the Federal Reserve Bank; "Blood, Class and Empire" by Christopher Hitchens; "A Conspiracy of Paper" by David Liss (historical fiction of similar theme to the Pears book); "Why Things Bite Back" by Edward Tenner, and EB White's extended essay "Here Is New York."

And, of course, the latest Hustler. Duh.

About a hundred years ago before the bun was born, I was reading The Bounty and Over the Edge of the World (it's been a shippy year) but the bun has made it pert near impossible to read anything too intense (i.e. something I haven't read before) so I've been re-visiting the LeCarre novels.

Because I love spy stories.

Loooooove them.

Maybe I only love LeCarre spy stories, which in the end are all about how love will get your ass burned every single time, even when you're supposed to be above all that. Actually, in that same vein if you have the chance and don't mind getting unbelievably depressed, watch BBC's series MI-5 on DVD. It's gripping, better than 24, and absolutely not afraid to be cruel to its viewers. I like that.

War and Peace is sitting next to my bed, although standing in at well over 800 pages with a new baby? I'm thinking not so much.

Before the bun, I also went through a swashbuckling period when I read "The Three Mustketeers" and "Count of Monte Cristo."

Does this make me sound like an adolescent boy?

I've been rereading Dashiell Hammet lately... just finished The Continental Op and Maltese Falcon for about the billionth time.

hmm, recently finished:

I finally read Word Freak, which, Scrabble dork that I am, I loved.

Death Comes to the Archbishop, by Willa Cather: Major disappointment after reading the treasure that is My Antonia.

Atonement by Ian MacEwan, which was a fun read.

I'm trying to catch up on some moderns right now, which is hit/miss. I generally prefer to let time weed them out.

And, appropos of nothing, I spent $5 going to the Rangers/Cardinals game tonight and witnessed my first grand slam. That was pretty cool.

I am trying to read the Alexandria Quartet, which is a bit heavy for mildly-dislexic little me but I'm enjoying it and it gives me really lush dreams. In contrast, I'm listening to romance novels on tape (I've exhasted all the other titles at the library) while I drywall the master bedroom. I play them quite loud, so I can hear them over the drill, and inevitably I'm holding a heavy slab over my head when the sex senes come around and ineveitably that's when my housemate's boyfriend or mother drops by to see how the work is going.

I just finished the first of the three books that make up Samuel Delany's The Fall of the Towers. I'm debating on reading the other three. Wasn't so good.

Next will either be Battle Royale by Koshoun Takami or Fiasco by Stanislaw Lem.

Between books, I've been reading stories from Stories from Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang. Good sci-fi, better than any novels I've been reading lately.

Also patiently waiting for two books: Iron Council and A Feast of Crows.

To those I promised cds. They are finished and will go out soon, I've been a bit busy lately. Sorry.

I need more stuff to read as well. I keep starting stuff and then moving onto something else. Maybe my ADD is acting up again.

Fittingly, I've been reading this.

Did anybody besides me love Bel Canto? I couldn't put it down and never wanted it to end.

Let's see...I read this month's issues of Maxim and Stuff, I read three old Reader's Digest issues my mom dropped off, and I read the Salt Lake Tribune and the Ogden Standard-Examiner.

No books, though. I haven't got the time.

:P

Currently reading "True Believers: The Tragic Inner Life of Sports Fans" by Joe Queenan. Have also recently read "Feeding A Yen" by Calvin Trillin, one of my favorite, favorite writers (mainly about food and travel, but really about all sorts of things), "Absolutely American: Four Years At West Point" by David Lipsky, the current issue of McSweeney's, "Reefer Madness" by Eric Schlosser, "Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer: The Beauty Supply District" by Ben Katchor (the only cartoonist I'm aware of that got a MacArthur genius grant), "It Must've Been Something I Ate" by Jeffrey Steingarten (Vogue food columnist and another excellent food writer), "Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life" by Steven Johnson, "Blue Blood" by Edward Conlon (the memoirs of a Harvard-educated NYPD cop), "Candyfreak" by Steve Almond (a candy obsessive speaks out), "Subwayland" by Randy Kennedy, "Beyond Fear" by security expert Bruce Schneier, and a bunch more.

I'm currently gearing up for Stephenson's "Quicksilver" and "Gilligan's Wake" by Tom Carson.

Other books I've really enjoyed recently were "Big If" and "Bag Men" by Mark Costello, "The Colombo Bay" by Richard Pollak (around the world on a container ship) and "The Emperor of Scent" by Chandler Burr.

More-complete descriptions of all of the above supplied upon request.

Have at 'em, pardners.

Looks like my to-read list is gonna grow exponentially from this thread. Groovy.

I need more stuff to read as well. I keep starting stuff and then moving onto something else. Maybe my ADD is acting up again.

I feel your pain, Adam. I've done that with more books than I care to mention over the past year or two. On the plus side, though, most of 'em were really impressive sounding ones. (Well, not Tolstoy or Camus impressive, but Henry Miller impressive at any rate...)

Is this reading something you'd need a book to know about, because I don't own a book.

Actually I've been rereading Serpico. Before that I read vidiot's aforementioned Candyfreak and Tom Perrotta's Little Children.

I am embarrassed to admit that I have not picked up a book since my Memorial Day vacation. While away, however, I did manage to read No Touch Monkey!, which was hilarious and made me realize that I seriously need to get out and travel more.

Also, I started Against All Enemies, but have only gotten to page 46. (NB: Not to be confused with Against All Enemas.)

My pool side book this summer:A Pirate of Exquisite Mind

Oh what “I've been reading”, usually read during the summer months - last read, too broring to title, my work's course manuals.

Read in the last couple of months:

We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda
by Philip Gourevitch

King Leopold's Ghost
by Adam Hochschild

Sputnik Sweetheart: A Novel
by Haruki Murakami

Currently reading:

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
by Brian Greene

Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda
by Romeo Dallaire

Not exactly the most spiritually upllifting stuff, but that's where my head's at right now. The Dallaire book is enthralling.

When I have been able to stop crying over England's loss to France in Euro 2004:

Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Bryson

Perdido Street Station
China Mieville
for which I must thank Monsieur L'enfant de l'Oueil

Complete Short Fiction of Borges

rereading

Iain M. Banks' The Player of Games and Against a Dark Background

and I'm currently thinking about reading the two meditation books that are sitting so meditatively on my nightstand.

and I inexplicably bought a huge volume of the writings of Thomas Aquinas that I haven't even tried yet. Maybe while I'm lying on the beach in Hawaii in a couple of days.

Oh, yes.

Hawaii?? Sheesh. Smell you.

Hey, I'm going to Lebowskifest. Nyah nyah.

Maybe while I'm lying on the beach in Hawaii in a couple of days.

I hate you.

Kaf: Player of Games is my favorite Banks, you're going to like it a lot.

Crikey, lupo, I've read King Leopold's Ghost and was depressed for months. I can't imagine how you're keeping your head out of the oven with the rest on the list.

More power to you, and to your health. You are a stronger man than I.

I'm working my way through the 20 or so volumes of the Complete Mark Twain.

Damn, he is good!

I'm on holiday and popped into this awful "Internet Café" - I'm left-handed and really resent the way the fookin' tourists leave the mouse on the right-hand side, with no consideration and, if I leave it on the left-hand side, as I will, they give me a look. And I go: "So? So? Now you know how it feels, you German nazi wanker!" ;)

Upon review: rereading, duh.

martinis = stupid

Martinis also = snoozing on the train and missing one's stop.

You are a stronger man than I.

Pssst. Readymade. Look down.

Crap! Right you are! Yesterday's incident walking out of my house with my top unzipped should have been proof enough, but now I take your point and see that you are on to something here.

In a day or so, I'll have three shiny gmail invites. Any of you need one still? Or is it already passe? (write me if you do. Replace "g00ber" with "g")

You're on holiday in Germany, Migs? Where?

I'll take one of them gmails if still available.

I recently enjoyed Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre.

Also Stomp and Swerve: American Music Gets Hot by my friend Dave Wondrich is a good time.

Re: The Elegant Universe. I had to spend about an hour trying to understand each page. It took me a year to finish. Among many wonderful things I learned is that my brain is very small and better suited to calculating what to tip a bartender than comprehending the nature of everything big and small. Definitely recommended for amateur eggheads though.

Gmail invite on its way, liam.

I'm on holiday in deepest Portugal, Sam - you know, to escape the Euro 2004 invasion. Well, not only is it impossible to escape but the Germans (who are playing the Dutch in a few minutes) got here first.

Don't mention the Greeks! Don't even mention the Poulos guy!

And could I please have a Gmail account to drown my sorrows? :)

I have one to give away, Miguel my love! Consider your wish granted.

My, what a giving bunch we all are!

(You know you can sell gmail accts on Ebay, don't you? Heh)

And Gmailswap...

"Miguel my love" - after all the wanton treachery of the last few days!

*astoundingly brief sulk*

I'll take it, dearest Tizzie! I forgive Fes! (It's part of the Latin Lover Checklist to always blame the man). We were friends, Fes and I, before he started hitting on you in his own irresistible way.

A Gmail account may help assuage the pain. :)

the Germans (who are playing the Dutch in a few minutes)

which those of you in a similiar boat to me can watch play by play of here. Well, when it starts anyways (should be about 10 minutes).

Invitation sent, Migs! Please advise if you do not receive promptly.

*got him back in my arms again,
right by my side,
got him back in my arms again,
so satisfied, woooooo!*

Well, before I started studying for the bar exam I was reading Linked: The New Science of Networks by Albert-László Barabási. Oh well.

ana, don't you have a wedding coming up soon?

I got it! Thank you dearest Tizzie!

All is forgiven!

Unlock the orchestra!

:)

Yup, that too. August 14.

Mazel tov and monkey blessings upon you, son!

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