EXCELLENT book. I read it a couple weeks ago.
Also read Atkinson’s book about his embedding with the 101st in the Iraq War: In the Company of Soldiers. He inserts his personal politics a bit too much into the narrative, and it shows, but he tells some fascinating stories along the way.
I am in the process of reading his earlier book on the Gulf War, “Crusade,” which is, so far, a very interesting read.
I also just finished “The March Up” by Bing West and Ray Smith, two retired Marine officers who travelled with the IMEF (1st Marine Expeditionary Force) during the war. That is the best book I’ve read on the subject so far.
An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Making of America
Washington was one of the only slave-holding Founding Fathers who emancipated his slaves upon his death. He seems to have had a rather enlightened view of the institution for his time, but not so enlightened as to have ruined himself economically by freeing his slaves during his life-time.
Washington is depicted as a much more complex character than is generally presented, and I’ve enjoyed the references and depictions of the many places we have in common (Northern Neck, Stafford, Fredericksburg, Alexandria, New Kent).
I am currently reading the introductions to Being and Nothingness by Sartre (as my daytime reading) and Twilight of Idols/The Anti-Christ by Nietzche. Since I have barely started both I can’t give any recommendations.
I am also perusing Evolution by Carl Zimmer. It is an accompaniment to the PBS special, which I did not watch. It is a nice read, a basic overview of evolutionary theory from the history of the early pioneers to genetics and beyond. It will be a great book to lend to my Fundie friends and family.
My nightstand book right now is Geoffrey Miller’s *The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature *, which I’m enjoying but am not making progress in as quickly as I’d like. My “in-the-car-so-it’s-handy-when-I’m eating-lunch-by-myself” book is A Pitcher’s Story: Innings with David Cone, by Roger Angell. I love Angell’s books on baseball, and Cone’s really an interesting subject. I’m between airplane/hotel room books right now, but I just finished Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael’s Penance, the twentieth and last of the Cadfael novels, and one of the few I’d never gotten round to before.
I’ve just finished Terry Goodkind’s ‘Sword of Truth’ series. The best way I can describe it is “Robert Jordan meets Ayn Rand, and the main character uses the power of ridiculously implausible coincidence to save the world. And then save the world some more. Then, just for completeness, he saves the world again.”
Ok, I’m exagerating a bit. The first book is actually quite good, and books 2 - 4 are pretty decent if you can ignore the implausibility of a lot of it. After that… ugh. I kept reading it mostly out of morbid curiousity.
Also been reading Gene Wolfe’s “The Book of the New Sun” (actually four books; I’ve read the first two). It’s interesting, in a slightly morbid sort of way. I find his writing style rather hard to follow, but otherwise the books are decent enough. I wouldn’t recommend it wholeheartedly, but it’s not bad.
I’ve been rereading Saving the Queen by William Buckley. I’ve read two or three of his Blackford Oakes books before, but I plan on working my way through the whole series this time.
I’m also a few chapters into some bookclub books I got this week; Blind Lake by Robert Charles Wilson, The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene, and God Against the Gods by Jonathan Kirsch.
But I plan on hitting some bookstores tomorrow, which will probably throw off my current reading plans.
In the Presence of Mine Enemies – Harry Turtledove.
I haven’t enjoyed his one and done novels as much as I have his series (both of which I am a huge fan of), but this one is pretty good. I’m about 2/3 done.
It came out last year and it took almost a year for my reserved library copy to come to me… ironically even the DaVinci Code made it sooner (tho I am sure that was more a function of them having many multiple copies of the DC)
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. The title tells you about as much as I knew going in – it’s about a time traveler (who travels back and forth in his own life, he doesn’t visit other eras or anything) and, well, his wife, who he first meets when she’s six.
I’m about 200 pages into it (it’s about 500 pages long), and am enjoying the hell out of it. I’m pretty sure there was a thread on it a while ago; I look forward to resurrecting it when I’m done.
Next up: Five People You Meet in Heaven, which one of my suitors lent me with an extremely enthusiastic recommendation. I’m a little apprehensive about reading it, because it’s not something I would read under ordinary circumstances.
I’m taking a breather from the Brother Cadfael mysteries – just polished off about the fifth one since I discovered the series. Currently getting started in Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl. Impatiently waiting for the latest from Steven Brust and Robin Hobbs to complete trilogies they have going. In both cases, I can’t start the first book till I have all three so I can blitz straight through.
Hmmmmmm… Actually, for Steven Brust I’ll have to start all the way back with The Phoenix Guard, then 500 Years After, and only then can I pick up the Morrovan trilogy. Curse this need to read in order!
Fiction: Grisham’s “The Last Juror”, havn’t read enough of it to recommend it… seems like a classic Grisham, nothing out of the ordinary like “A Painted House” or anything.
Nonfiction: Huberman’s “The Bush-Hater’s Handbook”, not something that reads well from cover to cover, good for skipping around.
Bill McKibben’s “Enough”… Great book. I recommend it.
For school:
“No Fixed Address” by Aritha van Herk. Great Canadian fiction… I recommend it.
I’m reading Schindler’s List.
Just finished Lamb : The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore. One of the funniest books I have ever read… I highly recommend it if you are interested in a humorous look at the missing 30 year gap in Christ’s life.
Next on my list is A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson.
The Speckled Monster: A Historical Tale of Battling Smallpox by Jennifer Ledd Carrell. I recommend it. It is quite intriguing, about a couple of parents, one English and one American, who had small pox and determined to try a practice from the Middle East, the Caucasus and Africa of putting a small bit of small pox pus on small cuts in the arm to “inoculate” their children.
Also reading Spiritual Lightening By M. Catherine Thomas. It’s a book by an LDS author. It’s not light reading but thoughtfully written, fresh perspectives on how through more informed faith our burdens can be lightened and our joy can be increased while dealing with life trials… She uses quotes from the scriptures and church authorities to support. I recommend it for LDS readers.
Do you have an advanced copy or something? I didn’t think this had been released yet. (I’m about 20 pages from finishing Quicksilver and I haven’t decided whether I want to continue or not. I definitely like it, but the investment in time is serious.) Are you far enough in for an impression yet?
(I suppose that should have been “advance copy”)
I just finished The Cider House Rules by John Irving. Pretty sure most of you have either read it/seen the movie so theres no need to get into the details but it was a good read.
Im currently reading Salems Lot because I was told it would terrify me, so far, its not.
Delly
Jackson Pollock: Energy Made Visible - a biography of his life, influences, art, technique, etc. Very interesting.
Before that I just finished Quicksilver: Part 1 of The Baroque Cycle - by Neal Stephenson. It was interesting but could have used an editor. If you’re not heavuily into science or History i wouldn’t reccomend this one.
I also recently finished Demonology - by Rick Moody. This is a collection of short stories from the man who wrote The Ice Storm. Very interesting stuff. Only one or two I didn;t carfe for in the collection.
After this I have on deck:
Mouse Tales - A Behind the Ears look at Disneyland
Devils’ Knot - A book about the West Memphis 3 case
Smile, You’re Traveling - A book of obervations on traveling and life by Henry Rollins
A book on the Holocaust
A book on the Killing Fields and Pol Pot
Currently reading the First Chronicles of Amber (it’s actually 5 books compiled in one big book) by Roger Zelazny. This will be something like the 5th time through, it’s an awesome story, and Zelazny’s style is outstanding.
I am currently reading Space, and I must say that I find it rather dry. It’s a “realistic fiction” on the development of the space program . . . not really my type of book, but my grandfather sent it to me for my birthday. I’m about 300 pages into it right now.
I’ve got a book at work, I’m reading The Fourth Hand, by John Irving.
I’m also reading a most wonderful story. The Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides. They’re both good reads but my gosh, Middlesex is truly a well-crafted novel.
I have the latest Stephen King awaiting me as well, but I’m pacing myself. I want it to be my only novel when I start it. Immersion is the best recourse when reading The Gunslinger series…
Also, since it is a book, I bought the King James Bible this week. I couldn’t find one in the house, incredibly, and I wanted to re-read the Gospels, having seen The Passion of Christ in the theatre.
Cartooniverse