The What Are You Reading? Thread

[hypehat]

From what I've gathered, some of the members of this board are keen readers, soI thought it would be nice to have a literature thread of some sorts. So what are you reading? What's your favourite book? and so on.

at the moment, I have been wading through Lorca's 'Poet In New York'. Wonderful, if the images take a fair bit of unpacking. Which is why it's taking me so long.

Also picked up some Oscar Wilde plays the other day, as I'm about to be in The Importance Of Being Earnest and thought I'd give some more of his drama a whirl. Earnest is, of course, wonderful. Bad plot twists and everything 

[pancakerecords]

Harvard University Press just released an illustrated, uncensored edition of "The Picture of Dorian Gray".  I haven't read it yet, but I am looking forward to it.

I am currently reading Bob Mould's memoir "See A Little Light"

[A Million Units In Jan!]

Has anybody read 'The Godfather'? Even though it was done before the movie, I have to say, the movie is much better. One of the few instances where the movie is actually better than the book.
Right now, I'm reading 'Wicked'. I saw the musical a couple years back, and loved it. The book is much different, but it's still pretty good. If anyone here gets a chance to see it, you should. It's incredible!

[rab2591]

The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. Red Mars and Green Mars are incredible books. I'm on Blue Mars now and am having a tough time getting through it.....Too much politics in this one I'm afraid. But hopefully it will get better.

I just finished 'Childhood's End' by Arthur C Clarke and it is one of the finest science fiction books I have ever read.

After this I'll probably pick up some Hemingway's 'To Have And Have Not' - anyone here know if that's a good read?

[All Golden 74]

I'm re-reading (3rd time) 'The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch' by Philip K. Dick.  It's my favorite PDK novel (so far).  I can't believe I still haven't read 'The Divine Invasion'!  Geez, I'm a dork! 

[Mike's Beard]

Has anybody read 'The Godfather'? Even though it was done before the movie, I have to say, the movie is much better. One of the few instances where the movie is actually better than the book.
Right now, I'm reading 'Wicked'. I saw the musical a couple years back, and loved it. The book is much different, but it's still pretty good. If anyone here gets a chance to see it, you should. It's incredible!

The novel spends far too much time with a pointless sub plot about Johnny Fontania. It's telling that as famous as the Godfather movies are, most people would be hard put to name another Mario Puzo book.

BTW I'm reading the memoirs of B movie stunt man and bit part actor Gary Kent. Quite an interesting read esp his involvement with some of the biker and hippie movies of the 1960's.

[A Million Units In Jan!]

The novel spends far too much time with a pointless sub plot about Johnny Fontania. It's telling that as famous as the Godfather movies are, most people would be hard put to name another Mario Puzo book.

And a pointless sub plot about Sonny's girlfriend Lucy. Basically these were just tossed in there so there was an excuse to talk about sex.

[Jonas]

Smiley Smile Message Board

[Andrew G. Doe]

Smiley Smile Message Board

 

Just finished an exhaustive biography of Bruce Chatwin. Rather wish I'd not read it now as, although fascinating and minutely researched, the man was basically a complete asshole who treated other people like crap and wasn't above plagiarising other's work. Still like his style, but it's a bit tarnished now.

Also reading an equally exhaustive biography of John Donne. Cracking stuff.

[bgas]

I'm happy for now reading multiple issues of Esquire magazine

[Jonas]

Like a proper gentleman.

[A Million Units In Jan!]

Smiley Smile Message Board

You poor child 

[SloopJohnB]

I've just finished "Juliet, Naked" by Nick Hornby - a bestseller, and understandably so. It's quite funny, and the way internet message boards dedicated to a single artist are described is particularly accurate 

I'm currently reading Charles Webb's "The Graduate". It's about time, as the movie based on the book is my favorite movie ever. So far the novel is good too, but I fear I'm too much in love with the movie to fully appreciate the book... I find myself comparing the two a bit too often. It was the same with "Memoirs of a Geisha", but in that case the book was far better than the movie.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I've just finished "Juliet, Naked" by Nick Hornby - a bestseller, and understandably so. It's quite funny, and the way internet message boards dedicated to a single artist are described is particularly accurate 

Oh, hell, yes - parts of that book are painfully close to home. Hornby is an excellent writer.

[hypehat]

I need a good biography in my life. The question is, of whom. What was the Donne one you read, AGD?  Also, if there are any good ones of romantic authors, I should extremely like to know them. Although maybe not Coleridge, I've tried Biografia Literatura a couple of times and it's been too heavily psychological, in an unconvincing way.

[Andrew G. Doe]

It's called Donne: The Reformed Soul by John Stubbs.

[hypehat]

Thanks, I'll pick it up and put it on the pile of 'stuff i'll be able to read when my degree's over' 

I guess this is the place for this, so I'll mention I also saw All's Well That Ends Well at the Globe last night (which was amazing, and I heartily recommend it), and am going to see Macbeth in a disused prison tonight! Am so excited.

[grillo]

Currently reading:
A Life Wild and Perilous about fur trappers in the 19th century
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Wild-Perilous-Mountain-Pacific/dp/080505989X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304259656&sr=1-1

Merchants Money and Power about the early history of Portland Or
http://www.amazon.com/Merchants-Money-Power-Establishment-1843-1913/dp/0960340831/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304259715&sr=1-1,
Precious Dust about the world around goldrushes
http://www.amazon.com/Precious-Dust-Saga-Western-Rushes/dp/0803282478/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1304259746&sr=1-2,

Preston Falls
http://www.amazon.com/Preston-Falls-Novel-David-Gates/dp/0679756434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304259789&sr=1-1, reading it for the millionth time, and the only funnier book I've read was the same author's Jernigan http://www.amazon.com/Jernigan-David-Gates/dp/0679737138/ref=pd_sim_b_2.

[rogerlancelot]

The Biography of the Bible on Sacred Texts website:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/biob/index.htm

Fascinating read on a 6000 year old subject. 

[the captain]

Why Nations Go to War, John Stoessinger.

[OBLiO]

The Biography of the Bible on Sacred Texts website:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/biob/index.htm

Fascinating read on a 6000 year old subject.  

wow. yeah that Sacred Texts site has everything. Been going there on and off for about 5 years or so.

Favorite Book: Harpo Speaks! by Harpo Marx and Rowland Barber.
Atlas Shrugged has been staring at me for about a month, but I've been distracted.

[Dunderhead]

Goethe - Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre

[punkinhead]

The Lost Beach Boy

V-the Novel, based on the first two mini-series.

[Vega-Table Man]

Oh, hell, yes - parts of that book are painfully close to home. Hornby is an excellent writer.

Absolutely. And Juliet, Naked in particular is a fine book. When it came out, I attended a reading/signing he did in NYC and got a chance to chat with him briefly ... He's a very gracious guy.

[hypehat]

Today, I am focussing heavily on Ezra Pound for my essays so not reading as such. But got delightfully sidetracked by The Cantos. Wonderful stuff.

Also read Beckett's Endgame again and had to take myself out for lunch afterwards to cheer myself up