A B.S. degree perhaps?
Currently reading The Barbarians by Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame; also a serious history buff). Very interesting stuff, giving a history of the Roman Empire from the point of view of the “barbarians” surrounding it.
I had to give up on Our Dumb World : the Onion’s atlas of the planet Earth, by Scott Dikkers. It was really funny and enjoyable, so much so that I showed it to my daughter and she booknapped it until it was way overdue at the library. I probably won’t get it out again, because it was so packed with tiny writing it made for a slow read, and it’s just jokes, after all. I felt that it was keeping me from my “real” reading, deep stuff like:
How Not to Look Old : fast and effortless ways to look 10 years younger, 10 pounds lighter, 10 times better, by Charla Krupp. This was pretty interesting. I found out I’m doing a lot of things wrong, such as wearing gym shoes with jeans, having long hair with a part down the middle, having gold-rimmed glasses, and wearing nude pantyhose. I will now go right on doing those things, but at least I’ll do them willfully instead of cluelessly. Of course, I disagreed with a lot of stuff in this book, but maybe I’m just not old enough for it yet. 
I’m also still reading Wastelands. I’m about halfway through and very pleased with it.
Finished *Louise de la Valliere * and so have now read all of Alexandre Dumas’s Three Musketeers saga, albeit slightly out of order. Very good, especially if you’re a fan of 17th-century France.
Actually, now I’ll be spending some time reading through sections of our Lonely Planet Thailand guide, as we’ll be travelling around the North come May.
Prepping for the spring, last time at the library I picked up several books on bird behavior and song. I see/hear birds so frequently, I really feel I should know more about them. I’ve read a couple of this type of book before, and found them fascinating, but they didn’t stick with me. Hoping to do a little more careful reading this time.
Started off with Private Lives of Garden Birds by Calvin Simonds. A quick read, but a good start on the subject.
I’m done with Jane Eyre. It was a marvellous read, though I would have much prefered it no to end on a deus ex machina happy-family-all-together note, which I thought was patently unnecessary (yes, yes, the conventions of the genre at the time…), and odd Jane-hears-Edward-in-her-dreams part. But a big thumbs-up from this chick-lit hater :-).
Currently on my desk: Gordon S. Wood’s The Creation of the American Republic, Robert Johnson’s The Early American Republic, still Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy (which I wrote an essay on despite not having completely read it yet and got an A for…), and, because I need something for relaxation, short stories through American literary history.
I’m reading Player of Games, my first Culture book. It’s so fun! I’d forgotten that reading is supposed to be like this, something I wake up looking forward to.
There’s a very detailed book called The Singing Life of Birds – it comes with a CD so you can listen to what the book describes. The author did some manipulating of bird songs and came up with some really cool stuff.
I love Iain M Banks and POG is possibly my favourite of his works (it’s certainly the one I recommend to people when they want to start reading his works). If you’re enjoying it I recommend Excession and Look to Windward as follow up Culture novels, or the Algebraist (which I reckon is his best non-Culture sci-fi novel). I didn’t like Consider Phlebas at all and tend not to recommend it.
Just read (in a day) Storm Front by Jim Butcher. It’s a detective novel where the protagonist is a wizard. It was okay - an interesting idea but I found the writing style to be very pulpy. It’s the first of a long series but I’m not sure I’ll pick up any of the others.
Now - do I go back to Q or read something else? Hmmm…
Read “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair. (Hint: Don’t read this if you’re extremely depressed. It won’t help.)
Also finished Buster Keaton: Tempest in a Flat Hat by by Edward McPherson - I’m a HUGE Keaton fan and really liked the focus on the films & the techniques he used for some of the special effects.
A member of my book group felt the same way but was informed by another member that the series improves with the next book (then fails again later on in the series) and he seemed to agree when he kept on with it. YMMV of course. I’ve yet to test this theory myself as I’ve vowed to STOP starting new series until I’ve wrapped up the ones I already have left dangling.
Thanks Gulo gulo, I’ll bear that in mind for future trips to the bookstore. As I said it wasn’t bad, just not great (I give it a 3/5).
I decided to keep of Q and am having an Iain Banks-tastic time reading The steep approach to Gardable. Man that guy can write. After I’ve finished that I have ready and waiting the next Iain M Banks novel too, the M always makes them that bit better.
Finished Steep approach to Garbadale in three days, very good reading and I heartily recommend to anyone (not just Iain Banks fans). As I received Letter to a Christian Nation in the post today I’m going to read that next, as it’s short and pithy. Looks like Q isn’t being picked up again any time soon.
Just started The Sweet Potato Queens’ Guide to Raising Children for Fun and Profit, by Jill Conner Browne. It’s humor for women. If you’ve read one Sweet Potato Queens book you’ve read 'em all, but I go on reading them just the same.
I’m reading Mr. Darcy’s Diary right now, and it’s not any good.
For the weekend I have two more Steven Saylor books lined up: A Murder on the Appian Way and Rubicon.
And I’m reading The Iliad, one book per night: the Fagles translation. Saylor’s mysteries set in ancient Rome have put me in the mood for some mythology. Besides, when I’m finished I want to re-read Dan Simmons’ *Ilium *while The Iliad is fresh in my memory.
I’m about 3/4 of the way through *Pillars Of The Earth * by Ken Follet. Wow. Just wow. It’s an amazing read. I never imagined that I’d enjoy it this much. I read his *Eye Of The Needle * a few months ago and thought that was pretty good but P.O.T.E is enthralling.
After I finish this I’m on to Leon Uris’ Trinity.
I’m reading Royal Flash by George Fraser MacDonald. Book #2 of the Flashman series.
It.is.awesomely.done. I cannot wait to pick it up each night and see what the hell Flashy has gotten himself into and out of.
I’ve just started The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall. It’s about a hard luck kid who is run over (his head, no less!) by a jeep when he’s seven.
I like it so far. It’s not sappy. Some writers would have gone for sappy. Only they wouldn’t call it sappy, they’d call it “heartfelt” or “a triumph of the spirit” or some such garbage.
I have started Lost in the Funhouse by John Barth. I have no idea why, but the guy just fascinates me. I have read The Sot-weed Factor and Chimera, and he simply has a great ability to pull me in.
I unfortunately put aside Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. It never really grabbed me. I will try again in the future because it was highly recommended by someone I trust.
I am reading Finding Iris Chang, by her friend Paula Kamen. Paula wanted to figure out what had happened to Iris…was it really a suicide? If so, why? If not, what else might have gone down? Really interesting character study.