# BOOKS! We read BOOKS! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763 "2003-12-03T19:52:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/1 "2003-12-03T19:52:24Z")
Apropos [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newthread.php?s=&action=newthread&forumid=12) thread, where folks are suggesting that the numbers of avid readers of books has declined, I think it’s time for another listing of books Dopers have read recently, enjoyed, and want to recommend. Some people still like to read books, and I am one fo them! To get started: I much enjoyed Jared Diamond’s _Guns, Germs, and Steel_, W.W. Norton, 1999. This books was awarded a Pulitzer Prize, among other honors. From Amazon’s website: > [@](#): > > “Explaining what William McNeill called ‘The Rise of the West’ has become the central problem in the study of global history. In _Guns, Germs, and Steel_ Jared Diamond presents the biologist’s answer: geography, demography, and ecological happenstance.” It is a thoroughly researched and very entertaining read. Much recommended. Presently, I am re-reading Tolkien’s _The Hobbit_, _Simarillion_, _The Lord of the Rings_ and whatever Tolkien-related paraphenalia I can get my hands on, in an attempt address my mounting excitement of anticipation for the last of Peter Jackson’s movies adaptations of LOTR. I’ve been a fan of Tolkien for about 25 years, since I was 8 or so. Frodo lives! Next! Knorf ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/2 "2003-12-03T19:57:33Z")
Alfred _A_. Knorf . . . Is that you? ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/3 "2003-12-03T20:44:05Z")
Nope. But BOOKS. What about BOOKS. Don’t you read BOOKS??? Knorf ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/4 "2003-12-03T22:32:28Z")
I’m currently reading the **Guardians of the Flame** by Joel Rosenberg. The first 3/4 books in one big hardcover. Before that, I read **Interesting Times** by Terry Pratchett. And before that, it was **Guards, Guards!** and **Men At Arms** , also by Pratchett. And before that, it was **Issola** by Stephen Brust. I’m liking the Rosenberg so far, I’d suggest Pratchett to anyone, and Brust rules. ---
**Author:** ![aaslatten](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@aaslatten](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaslatten)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/5 "2003-12-03T22:37:24Z")
Just read Jack London’s \* Tales of Hawaii.\* Just started _Kon-Tiki_. Amazing book. ---
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/6 "2003-12-03T22:43:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Knorf \* > \*\*Nope. > > But BOOKS. What about BOOKS. Don’t you read BOOKS??? > > Knorf \*\* Better than that, **Eve** [writes](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-author=Golden%2C%20Eve/103-4644195-6911853) books. As for me, I adore books. I’m in the final pages of _The Blind Assassin_ by Margaret Atwood. I love this book. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/7 "2003-12-03T22:50:34Z")
I’ve been lucky enough to be able to read a lot of books recently, but the one I’ll mention is called Chasing the sea, by Ted Bissell. The complete title is “Chasing the Sea: being a narrative of a journey through Uzbekistan, including descriptions of life therein, culminating with an arrival at the Aral Sea, the world’s worst man-made ecological catastrophe, in one volume.” Boy was this a wonderful book. If you only read one book about Uzbekistan, this should be it. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/8 "2003-12-03T23:08:34Z")
I am currently reading \* The Wastelands\*, the third installment of King’s **Dark Tower series**. I’m pretty into it and will definitely spend oodles of time not only finishing the series proper but tracking down all the related short stories and such. I stopped reading King entirely after _Insomnia_, but I guess I’m back in the fold now. **Slainte** I also loved _The Blind Assassin_. In fact, there isn’t really a Margaret Atwood book I haven’t liked, though _Oryx & Crake_ ended far too abruptly for my tastes. Next! ---
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/9 "2003-12-03T23:18:10Z")
**Rubystreak** , I agree with you about _Oryx and Crake_; and I hate it when she ends a book ambiguously. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/10 "2003-12-03T23:20:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Slainte \* > \*\*As for me, I adore books. I’m in the final pages of _The Blind Assassin_ by Margaret Atwood. I love this book. \*\* I just finished slogging my way through that, and I didn’t care for it. I loved _The Handmaid’s Tale_, and I’d like to try _Oryx And Crake_, though. I got a very generous gift card to B&N for my birthday last month. I picked up a nice little stash. I’m halfway through _Girl In Hyacinth Blue_ by Susan Vreeland, and also picked up _The DaVinci Code_ (and and have read about 12 pages; loving it so far), _The Virgin Blue_, by Tracey Chevalier (she also wrote _Girl With A Pearl Earring_) and _Resistance_, and older one by Anita Shreve. For Christmas, I’ve asked for _To The Nines_, by Janet Evanovich and two Bill Brysons; the newest one, _A Short History of Nearly Everything_ and _In A Sunburned Country._ ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/11 "2003-12-04T00:00:31Z")
I just finished a potboiler from about ten years ago called **Semitar** , mindless, but fun, have started **Zen and the Art of Murder**. About a month ago I finished the **Kings and Queens of England**. My wife and I are reading **Menkin** and **The World of Musical Theater** to each other whenever we drive around together. And oh yes, I recently finished **My Life in Three Acts** by Helen Hayes. TV ---
**Author:** ![Beltane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@Beltane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beltane)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/12 "2003-12-04T00:01:02Z")
I am reading the _Sten_ Series, recently re-released after being out of print for way too long (I originally read a friends copies of all 8 books, about 5 years ago, and they were out of print for some time before that). I am also reading \* Guns, Germs and Steel\* and it is very interesting, as \*\*knorf \*\* indicated, but I am afraid I am not very into i t. I tend to read fiction much faster than non-fiction. I just finished reading the first two books in Laurell K. Hamilton’s series about the fey that began with \* A Kiss of Shadows \*. I am really enjoying this series and am looking forward to the next one. My boyfriend is reading her Anita Blake series, which I also loved. I think I actually like her new series better though. I do hope she writes more Anita Blake Novels, however. (These two series occur in very similar, but not identical modern worlds- one where vampires exist and have recently “came out of the coffin” and the other where Fey -Sidhe, brownie, leprechauns, etc exist both are very much multi-genre books with very strong female protagonists) I have \* A Brief history of time \* on order from Amazon (to reread) and \* Black Holes and Baby universes \* to read for the first time. Obviously I’ve been reading a lot lately. My internet connection at home is down due to a computer that is in need of replacing.☹ ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/13 "2003-12-04T00:07:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BiblioCat \* > \*\*I just finished slogging my way through that, and I didn’t care for it. \*\* I really wanted to like it (_The Blind Assassin_), too, but just couldn’t. I closed it after about four chapters and said, “I don’t know where you are going and really don’t care!” ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/14 "2003-12-04T00:39:39Z")
Lessee… I just finished Evelyn Waugh’s third novel, _Black Mischief_, from 1931. I’ve started this one a half dozen times since I was a teenager, but never finished it before. No idea why. It turned out to be pretty damned good; saved from a dated imperialist racist taint by the fact that the white characters are every bit as stupid and venal as the African ones. Also finished Thomas Bernhard’s novel The Loser, an odd little piece about virtuoso pianists who commit suicide and other acts of dispair upon comparing their musicianship with Glenn Gould’s. I was in a rare bookshop in Chicago last week, and cam across the publications of Charles H. Kerr Books, who specializes in Socialist and unionist volumes. I bought a book of the selected writings of T-Bone Slim, the featured columnist for the Industrial Workers of the World newspaper during the 1920s and '30s, and a biography of Joe Hill, subtitled “The IWW & the Making of a Revolutionary Workingclass Counterculture.” Sounds pretty nifty, eh? ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/15 "2003-12-04T01:48:08Z")
sudden sea, dark tide, and key of knowledge were the last ones i read. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/16 "2003-12-04T01:51:53Z")
Just finished rereading Phil Farmer’s “Riverworld” novels (ultimately a bit disappointing). Currently reading _A Mist of Prophecies_, Stephen Saylor’s latest in his _Roma sub Rosa_ historical/mystery novels. After that, possibly _The Pickwick Papers_, or _Rise to Rebellion_ (novel about the American Revolution). Christ, I acquire books so much faster than I can read them, I’ll die with many unread books. I’ve got the new biography of Ben Franklin, and a book about FDR and Churchill, and all sorts of stuff. Plus, I’m supposed to be getting my own first novel ready. I love movies, but if I had to choose one or the other, I’d take books in a heartbeat. My idea of an ideal day off is a cold winter day, a comfortable armchair and a good book. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/17 "2003-12-04T01:55:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Knorf \* > I much enjoyed Jared Diamond’s _Guns, Germs, and Steel_ I did too, though I felt he could have made his points is about a third of the space he took. My vote would be for _Cicero_ by Anthony Everitt - astonishingly good. A biography of a notable man who lived in the first century BC, with a level of detail that would not disgrace a book about someone who lived 200 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Gadfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/aeb1de/32.png) [@Gadfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadfly)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/18 "2003-12-04T02:28:49Z")
I just finished House Of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, and enjoyed it immensely. ---
**Author:** ![Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krisfer_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/19 "2003-12-04T02:29:55Z")
I am reading: **Lullaby** by Chuck Palahnuick **The Jewish - Japanese Sex and Cook Book and How to Raise Wolves** by Jack Douglas **Bloodsucking Fiends** by Christopher Moore **Guns, Germs, and Steel** by Jared Diamond **The Sexuality of Christ in Renaissance Art and Modern Oblivion** by Leo Steinberg I finished today: **The Message and the Kingdom: How Jesus and PaulIgnited a Revolution and Transformed the World** by Richard Horsley & Neil Silberman ---
**Author:** ![Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Krisfer\_the\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krisfer_the_Cat)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763/20 "2003-12-04T02:39:01Z")
I really like **Guardians of the Flame Series** as well. \*\*Kon-Tiki \*\* was good but I liked **The Ra Expeditions** and **Aku-Aku** lots more. I have a book called **Kings and Queens of England: A Tourist Guide** is that the same one TVTime? Gosh, I havent read \*\*Evelyn Waugh \*\* since I was a teen. I should revisit him soon. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-we-read-books/216763.md?page=2)