As a part of Enriching Shirley’s Mind Program, I’m trying to do a little self assigned reading of realbooks.
(Not the usual mental bubble gum pulp fiction crap I read.)
I am half way through The Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography.
I’m not really into military history, but it condenses famous military leaders lives into nice little one by one paragraphs ( for the lesser figures of history, and an entire page for the Churchills and MacArthurs) and is perfect for the short attention span that I have lately. Besides, I know that something I read from this book will come in handy in trivia one day.
That what does not kill me, postpones the inevitable.
Woohoo! A book thread. Have I ever mentioned that I like the book threads?
Anyway, I am currently reading:
Quantum Leap: Mirror’s Edge, Carol Davis
Clear and Present Danger, Tom Clancy
Urban Nightmares, edited by Josepha Sherman & Keith R. A. DeCandido
Everyday Life in Colonial America, Dale Taylor
Our Hearts Fell to the Ground: Plains Indian Views of How the West Was Lost, edited by Colin G. Calloway
Funny, that appears to be all of them… I’ve been such a slacker lately.
Your Official Cat Goddess since 10/20/99.
I just washed my cat. It’ll take me hours to get the hairs off my tongue.
                                        --100% certified genuine WallyM7™ sig
I love books! Haven’t been reading a lot lately though, too busy with other people, I mean things. Here’s my current list:
The Greatest Miracle in the World, Og Mandino
The Quixtar Revolution, Coy Barefoot
How to Win Friends & Influence People, Dale Carnegie
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Douglas Adams
Guess that’s all for now. Gee, short list for me.
You sing in my consciousness like a counterpoint to my life.
L.L.
That’s my name, not a description. I am neither purple nor a bear. Okay, so I’m purple.<a true Wally original!>
Shirley, in my opinion, if you’re getting into a new subject, the last thing you should be reading is a reference work. They’re usually written for someone who already has a basic knowledge of the subject and rarely succeed as a general introduction. If you have a Sam’s Club in your area, look for The Mammoth Book of True War Stories or The Mammoth Book of Battles. I picked up both of them for $6.99 each. They’re part of a British series; each volume is a collection of military history, biography, and/or journalism.
David B, I love Posner’s work. I’m hoping he someday decides to turn his investigative skills on one of the most controversial cases in American criminal history: Sacco and Vanzetti. I like to see him clear though the accusations and counter-accusations that have accumulated in this case and shed some light on what really happened.
Personally, I got a new DVD player this week, so my reading has been limited. I reread Eyes of the Fleet, a history of the Georgian-era British Navy, and Mirror Dance, a science fiction novel that’s part of a series I’ve been rereading. The only new work I’ve gotten into is Michael Romkey’s I, Vampire, a horror novel which isn’t as good as I hoped it would be.
Empire Express: Building the First Transcontinental Railroad, David Haward Bain History of Malden, Mass., 1633-1785, Deloraine Corey (but I’m skipping some parts) Highway 50: Ain’t That America, Jim Lilliefors
and Kat-- I think the Colonial America book you mentioned is one I found at the local library last fall and started to read just before going on the road for work-- I really better get back to it! What I read of it was pretty interesting.
I’m re-reading the collected works of Jan Harold Brunvand. Love his stuff. But I can’t seem to score a copy of The Baby Train.
Just picked up a big ol’ book today, about Barbies. It’s called The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Barbie Doll Exclusives, and More. Lots of pictures.
I haven’t done much really heavy reading lately. Having a three-year-old and a six-month-old has left my brain a bit crispy. I need a little break. So, I’ll just look at some Barbie pictures, bone up on the UL’s, and then I’ll get started on The History of God, which I’ve been trying to read for approximately two years.
This is my new sig. Thank Wally. It was his idea.
“I made my husband join a bridge club. He jumps next Tuesday.”
Just picked up Kathe Koja’s latest, Extremities, so I need to start reading it. Other than that, I bought an Atlas of the 20th Century world which I enjoy leafing through.
“I guess one person can make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn’t.”
I’m still trying to read Anna Karenina. It’s not that it’s a difficult read or that I’m not enjoying it thoroughly. It’s just that I keep getting distracted, leaving it lay for a week or two and then having to start pretty much all over again. sigh
And when that’s done I still have The Grapes of Wrath waiting in the wings. That one will probably take me forever to finish!
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” - Anne Frank
“Mom, he’s a neo Nazi! He’s a doctor also? Well…” - WallyM7
I just finished re-reading Dave Duncan’s swordsman trilogy (“The Reluctant Swordsman”, “Coming of Wisdom”, “Destiny of the Sword”). Great series. Quite original.
I just finished With the Old Breed, which is E. B. Sledge’s memoirs of his time as a Marine at Peleliu and Okinawa and just started tonight Operation Iceberg by Gerald Astor, which is a more global oral history of the Okinawa invasion.
John Keegan has written a series of books that are quite interesting and do not rely on the reader having an extensive knowledge of military history; his (I hope I’m getting the name right) The Face of Battle is probably the best.
I’ve been slowly, off and on, plodding my way through The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway. I like the book, but I keep having other things get in the way. Worst part of college. When I’m on vacation, I read voraciously, absolutely poring over a book until done.
Here’s my current list: