Its back! Im reading Earth Abides by George R Stewart. Its a pretty standard end of the world book but its really interesting. Also, the last book I completed was Brave New World which was very good, yet very disturbing. Anyways, lets hear what everyone is reading. 
Earth Abides has always been my mother’s favorite book, and I have no idea why. Not only is it totally standard, it’s almost completely plot-free, the narrator and main character is a complete nincompoop (not to mention racist and misogynistic, but hey, it was written in the 50’s) who never gets tired of telling us how much smarter he is than all the other blockheads.
Sorry, I reread it recently and thought it sucked. How are you liking it, Solomon7t? Don’t mean to be a… what do they call it… Negative Nelson. Or something.
As for me, currently into:
The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Robert Heinlein
Other People, Martin Amis
Of Human Bondage, W. Somerset Maugham
Hamlet and Othello, William Shakespeare.
Aside from Othello, they are all re-reads. Love them all dearly.
Re-reading Small Gods by Pratchett. Still love it.
Just interupted my periodic re-reading of the Patrick O’Brien “canon” (ready for “Maurituis Command” because my pile of library reserves appeared.
Started “A Cooks Tour” by Anthony Bourdain last night. Notwithstanding the ‘as seen on Food Network’ sticker on the front cover, it is a hoot. (If you enjoy first person arrogance in large doses.)
“Kitchen Confidential” by Bourdain is just the companion for “Fast Food Nation”.
Preparing for a trip to the Big Easy end of the month, I just finished Walker Percy’s The Moviegoer, and am halfway through Harry Crews’ The Knockout Artist. Next up on the nightstand are Percy’s The Last Gentleman, and a widely acclaimed book I detested when I read it before but am willing to give another chance - any guesses?
So right now I am in the middle of a new book called Heartbreak, by Andrea Dworkin.
Little Altars Everywhere, by Rebecca Wells, companion novel to Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
and
Midnight Champagne, by A. Manette Ansay
In my waiting-to-be-read pile:
The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant
Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schloss (right name?)
Black and Blue, by Anna Quindlan
The Summons, by John Grisham
Pillars of The Almighty, by Ken Follett, a coffee table book of cathedrals, sort of a companion to Pillars of the Earth.
Can we lobby for a smilie reading a book? 
I’m reading The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen and I really can’t decide if I like it or not. The characters are certainly irritating, but, as billed, it’s got a sly wicked humor that I enjoy. I’m reading it because I was intrigued by his refusal to allow it to become an Oprah book – and I’ve just gotten hold of it from the library, where there was an interminable waiting list.
Next up is a Patricia Cornwell that I’m not overly excited about. The last one I read was way too mired in FBI politics and the poor niece’s difficulties. I really liked The Body Farm and keep waiting for her to recapture what I liked about that book.
I just re-read Sophie’s Choice for the first time since my initital reading, more than 15 years ago. This is a marvelous book! Surprisingly, I’ve never read anything else by Styron, but he’s entirely captivating in this work.
A friend just turned me on to Rudy Rucker. I read Software and Wetware last week and am now onto Spacetime Donuts. It’s good stuff assuming you like SF and don’t mind at least some of the more involved science stuff going over your head.
milo
It’s great, isn’t it? Man, I loved that book…and am SO pissed off that it’s out of print. I was lucky wnough to pick up a hardcover first printing (yeah, like there was a second) a year or so ago, for UNDER the original price.
Just finished a SF novel, James Blish’s 1958 A Case Of Conscience, which underwhelmed me. It was supposed to be a brilliant examination of Religion within an SF context…hero’s a biologist/Roman Catholic priest who encounters a planetful of perfectly moral yet areligious beings. Didn’t find it very thoughtful OR entertaining.
Next up is another short SF novel (get right back on the mule, y’know?): Fritz Leiber’s 1957 The Big Time, which won the Hugo Award the year before Blish’s book did. This one should be better, as it’s supposed to contain a nicely-turned locked-room mystery, which is right up my alley.
I just finished Neil Gaiman’s American Gods and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I’m about a 3rd of the way through Dan Simmons’ Endymion which is the 3rd book in his wonderfully imaginative science-fiction series Hyperion.
By the way, allow me to take the liberty of linking to Cranky’s SDMB Book Swap Thread in case any of my fellow book addicts missed it.
I’ve been reading The Closing Of The American Mind on and off for weeks now, and really enjoying it- it almost makes me want to read Nietzche. I’m reading a bunch of Annie Dillard- Holy The Firm, Living By Fiction, For The Time Being.
cheers!
I’m planning on reading one of Eugene O’Neill’s plays next… either The Iceman Cometh or Long Days Journey into Night. I’ve heard a lot about Fast Food Nation as well so I might give that a try soon.
I just picked up Mind Hunter ( I know-like 6 years late!) I am not much of a fiction reader, and I’m in a crime stage, but geez, this book sucks so far. I thought there would be more info about FBI
profiling, which I find really fascinating, and less info about the author’s personal life, which I’m not so much interested in.
Maybe it gets better?
I’m just about to start in on Playback, by Raymond Chandler. After that I’ve got The Postman Always Rings Twice on the shelf.
I can’t help gush, even though none of you know me, and vice versa, I LOVE YOU GUYS.
It gives me chills to sit here at work and see that other people out there:[list=1]
[li]read[/li][li]care about reading[/li][li]share the love[/li][/list=1]
In almost every reply, I see an author or book I know and love, or one I’ve been meaning to check out. Thanks again!!
Oh, right now I’m reading Annie Dillard’s An American Childhood and Roy Blount, Jr’s Be Sweet.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggars.
I’m almost halfway through and I can’t decide whether I care or not. But he is definitely a very talented writer.
So, anyone going to hazard a guess as to the book I referred to above? Set in NO. To call it a “cult classic” would be understatement. Probably in the top ten titles mentioned on these boards. I read it many many years ago, and found it boring. Come on, folks - this is EASY!
Uke - I remember discussing Crews with you before.
I recently turned a friend on to Feast of Snakes - he now has new respect for my depths of depravity for that to be among my favorite books. He since read the Gospel Singer, and says he will next go to my fave - the Gypsy’s Curse.
The KO Artist is incredible. I just realized a mistake I had made last time I read it - I had assumed the protagonist was black. Not sure why other that early on they referred to him as “dark.” And I assumed the cover photo was black - reminded me of a young Joe Louis.
I told my wife she might be interested in reading these books before our trip. But I did not tell her about the Crews. Don’t want her realizing quite what a sick fuck she is married to.
I think HC’s author photo in this book is my favorite of all of his. Second fav is the one where he is standing in a doorway.
You ever check out the prices Crews’ books go for on ebay and other book sites? Where did you steal your copy? Outta sight! Gotta figure if it is in any kind of condition at all you could get at least a couple of hundred for it - not that you would want to sell it.
Well, how do you like that? Hannahw, welcome to the SDMB and know this: sitting by my bed right now is my ruffled copy of Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. It’s one of those books that I never really stop reading.
Right now, I’m struggling–struggling! to complete one Mr. Tom Clancy’s novel, Rainbow Six. When I finish it I’m either going to sit down, channel the spirit of Alistair MacLean, and write a techno-thriller that doesn’t suck, or I’m going to walk across the river and chase Tom around his estate with his own T-72 main battle tank.
I’ve also just cracked into the memoirs of Heinz Guderian, Panzer Leader, and for comparison I’m re-reading von Mellenthin’s Panzer Battles.
This weekend I scored a monstrous compilation of Arthur C. Clarke’s short stories, but haven’t yet waded into it.
I’m also trying to read Jose Saramango’s History of the Seige of Lisbon, but I just haven’t cozied up to it yet. If someone would care to give me a word of encouragement it might help.
I’m rather busy with schoolwork, but I did just finish Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters. I have a few writery complaints about foreshadowing and such, but it was mostly a very lovely and fascinating story of lesbian culture in Victorian England.
I’ve also been halfheartedly reading the Tao Te Ching.
Next up is The Days of Henry Thoreau.
PS to Sofa King, hannahw, and Lissla Lissar: Oooohhhhh… I ADORE Annie Dillard. I’ve only read Pilgram at Tinker Creek, An American Childhood, and Tickets for a Prayer Wheel, but I think that Annie Dillard is, without a doubt, the most perfect writer, EVER. I’m absolutely in love with her.