What Are You Reading Now?

Fiction, non-fiction, what are you reading? I’d like some suggestions.

Right now I am starting on “Bird By Bird” by Anne Lamott.

errr, this thread.
You tell me, is it fiction or non-fiction, 'cos it kinda sounds made up to me.

It’s a non-fiction book, it’s about her trials ans tribulations on her way to her profession (writing). Sounds boring, but quite an interesting read.

Can’t I ever get a straight answer here?

You can get the straight dope, but not necessarily a straight answer.
Right now (well when I get home) I have about half a dozen books on the go, depending on which room I walk into and sit down.

Library - Asimov’s Nine Tomorrows (fiction)
Kitchen - Red Dwarf (fiction)
Bedroom - The Rainmaker - Grisham (fiction)
Dining Room - Lord of the Rings - JRRT (fiction)
TV Room - Bananas in Pyjamas (for the kids) (fiction)

Hmmmm, not much real happens in my world apparently, and I probably have too many rooms.

Ohhh, toilet - Readers Digest, 'cos it makes it easier to go …

I just finished Carl Sagan’s “Demon Haunted World.” Great book. Non-fiction. Now I’m returning to Hawking’s “Universe in a Nutshell,” which, so far, isn’t as readable as “A Brief History of Time.” I’ll let you know if the pace picks up a bit.

My Father’s Daughter by Tina Sinatra. It’s a very informative biography of Frank Sinatra written by his daughter.

After I finish that I will be starting on Trick Baby by Iceberg Slim

• Jan Morris’ new book on Wales

• A new book on the Hope Diamond (turns out all the “curse” stories were fake!)

• A corking good 1931 “lost generation” novel called “A Single Lady,” by John Monk Saunders

I’ve begun marathon of “going to the source”. I’ve read stuff that’s ripped off all of these books, but never the originals. I’m starting with War of the Worlds and will eventually hit:

The Time Machine
The Invisible Man
First Men in the Moon

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
From the Earth to the Moon
Around the World in 80 Days

Frankenstein
Dracula

Various Lovecraft stories

and some more I can’t think of at the moment.

I’ve been re reading all the Miss Manners books.

LolaBaby, I haven’t even bothered to read any of the responses yet, because I have to tell you that I love Bird by Bird*. It’s great for teaching, and kids love it when you ask them to read the “Shitty First Drafts” chapter out loud. :wink:

As for Anne Lamott’s fiction, I really enjoyed Rosie.

Oops, sorry about the formatting. I just got so excited…

Hey novacaine, have you read Pimp?

Right now I’m re-reading all of the novels I’m including in my Master’s Thesis (to which I am returning after a THREE YEAR hiatus).

At the moment I’m in the middle of James Baldwin’s Tell Me How Long the Train’s Been Gone.

Non-fiction; Cell and Molecular Biology. But that’s 'cause I have an exam next week. Were I left to my own devices, I’d be finishing off that pile of Dorothy Sayers books.

The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter.

I just finished Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood and Gregory Macdonald’s Fletch. I might re-read Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon next.

I just finished RIchard Matheson’s “I Am Legend,” and P.G. Wodehouse’s “Summer Moonshine,” and am now into Anthony Trollope’s “Can You Forgive Her?”

Right now, I’m reading The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson. It’s an alternate history novel based on the premise that the Black Plague wiped out all of Europe’s population, so that world history develops with the Chinese and the Muslims as the leading powers. It also has a heavily phosophical theme on how our destinies are shaped by our choices in life.

I’m also reading The Stone of Heaven : Unearthing the Secret History of Imperial Green Jade. It’s a history of the trade in jadeite and its influence on Southeast Asian politics.

Non-fiction:

A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Perpetual War For Perpetual Peace: How We Got to be So Hated by Gore Vidal

Fiction:

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

I have “Bird by Bird.” It’s a good thing to read when I’m struggling with my dissertation.

I’m reading a book I cannot even remember the name of, but my next book will be “Girls” by Frederick Busch, for my book club.

You know, the reason I can’t remember this book’s name or author is that it’s just like a half-dozen other books I’ve read this last year. Family history with some secrets, story told slightly out-of-order. Well-written, but ultimately forgettable because this theme has been overdone. I just read “Fall on Your Knees” which was just like it. I was absorbed at the time, but it felt a little too familiar and I’m starting to feel irritated by the whole business.

I’m reading Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. I’m about half way through and can hardly put it down!!

Don’t read much if any fiction these days.