# What book are you reading now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 3, 2000, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872 "2000-04-03T02:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/1 "2000-04-03T02:20:00Z")
As a part of _Enriching Shirley’s Mind Program_, I’m _trying_ to do a little self assigned reading of _real_books. (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. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/2 "2000-04-03T02:26:00Z")
Currently reading, Ethics for the new Millenium, by H.H.the Dalai Lama The Barmaid’s Brain by Jay Ingram * * * Wisdom is the boobie prize,they give you when you’ve been --unwise! ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/3 "2000-04-03T02:29:00Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/4 "2000-04-03T02:29:00Z")
Just finished reading Octavia Butler’s _Parable of the Talents_. Next will probably be Terry Pratchett’s _The Fifth Elephant_, though duty may require me to read George R. R. Martin’s _A Clash of Kings_ first. * * * “What we have here is failure to communicate.” – Strother Martin, anticipating the Internet. [www.sff.net/people/rothman](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman) ---
**Author:** ![bedboy4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@bedboy4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bedboy4)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/5 "2000-04-03T02:35:00Z")
The Cedar Birch by Maeve Binchy ---
**Author:** ![purrplebear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/90ced4/32.png) [@purrplebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purrplebear)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/6 "2000-04-03T02:38:00Z")
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.\ ---
**Author:** ![Sterra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Sterra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sterra)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/7 "2000-04-03T02:39:00Z")
The wheel of time 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![David\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@David\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_B)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/8 "2000-04-03T02:40:00Z")
First, the "just finished"s: _Here Be Dragons: The Scientific Question for Extraterrestrial Life_, by David Koerner and Simon LeVay _Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History_, by Philip Jenkins _Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK_, by Gerald Posner (on tape) _Killing the Dream: James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr._, by Gerald Posner (on tape) Currently: - Close Encounters With the Religious Right: Journeys into the Twilight Zone of Religion and Politics\*, by Rob Boston _Myth Directions_, by Robert Aspirin (on tape) ---
**Author:** ![Seraphim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Seraphim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seraphim)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/9 "2000-04-03T03:39:00Z")
You’re not going to believe the title of the book I’m reading right now: _Strangest Sex Acts and Modes of Love of All Races of Mankind–Illustrated_, by Dr. Iwan Bloch, 1935 Sorry, but it’s not available for lending… (heh-heh) ---
**Author:** ![TheUnforgiven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TheUnforgiven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheUnforgiven)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/10 "2000-04-03T03:46:00Z")
Kaplan MCAT review notes: General Chemistry Kaplan MCAT review notes: Organic Chemistry I hate chemistry. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/11 "2000-04-03T03:51:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![malden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@malden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malden)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/12 "2000-04-03T04:11:00Z")
_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. malden ---
**Author:** ![Persephone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@Persephone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Persephone)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/13 "2000-04-03T04:33:00Z")
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.” ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/14 "2000-04-03T04:55:00Z")
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.” ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/15 "2000-04-03T04:59:00Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![meara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@meara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meara)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/16 "2000-04-03T05:23:00Z")
I just finished re-reading Dave Duncan’s swordsman trilogy (“The Reluctant Swordsman”, “Coming of Wisdom”, “Destiny of the Sword”). Great series. Quite original. Now I’m on to Stephen King’s “The Stand”. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/17 "2000-04-03T05:27:00Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![bedboy4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dc4da7/32.png) [@bedboy4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bedboy4)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/18 "2000-04-03T06:16:00Z")
you guys read boring shit ---
**Author:** ![mega\_the\_roo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mega\_the\_roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mega_the_roo)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/19 "2000-04-03T06:22:00Z")
i’m currently reading _Welcome to the Monkey House_ by the almighty Kurt Vonnegut. * * * “Organs gross me out. That’s _organs_, not orgasms.” -the wallster ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872/20 "2000-04-03T06:38:00Z")
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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-book-are-you-reading-now/15872.md?page=2)