November What are You Reading?

[locke]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (hard to get into this one, unlike 3-6) a reread, natrually

The Story of Freginald yeah so I found these gorgeous hardcover reissues of a goofy book series from childhood on a super deep 75%+ discount. But man the writing is, well it's very forties children's bookish. It's not quite Bobbsey Twins, several steps above it, and a sort of not quite charming gentle humor reminescent of the original Mickey Mouse Club in tone. Anyway the Series is Freddy the Pig by Walter R Brooks but this book is nowhere near as good as my favorite, Freddy the Politician (predates Animal Farm and hits on a lot of the same themes)

Left Back - Diane Ravitch - Still trudging through, but it's a great history of American Education system. Bound to drive you nuts in election season though becuase we keep repeating the same mistakes three previous generations have already made--identical fvck ups.

RRetrospective - George RR Martin - it's sitting on my books by bed shelf so I must be reading it.

All Creatures Great and Small - James Herriot - as always I can pick up these book, flip to any page at random and disappear into a fantastically written wonderful familiar world. Plus they almost always put a smile on my face or a thought in my brain (not all the parts are funny bits, but they are still superb).

The Four Loves - CS Lewis
Also on my by bed shelf so I've been flipping through it and reading passages when the mood strikes. I agree with 95% of what Lewis has to say about loves, sex, friendship, relationships, spiritual health and so on and so forth. Highest recommendation (he does have some quaint ideas about the impossibility of genuine friendship (and nothing else) between men and women, but I chalk that up to the limitations of the culture and mindset he belonged to).

[AnthonyByakko]

The Marriage of the Sun and Moon by Andrew Weil, M.D. (author of The Natural Mind and seen on TV). Andrew Weil continues to report from the frontiers of consciousness. A group of essays that examines solar eclipses, laughter, marijuana, chillies, mushrooms, South American rituals, coffee, yagé, cocaine and more. A specialist in natural and preventative medicine as well as an expert on aging, Dr. Weil's an interesting guy. If you watch the National Geographic Channel or the Discovery Channel for more than an hour a day, you'll enjoy this book.

[hive_king]

I am reading "Bluebeard" by Kurt Vonnegut. I'll figure out what else i'll read this month when i'm done with this book and need a new one.

[Jayelle]

The Four Loves - CS Lewis
Also on my by bed shelf so I've been flipping through it and reading passages when the mood strikes. I agree with 95% of what Lewis has to say about loves, sex, friendship, relationships, spiritual health and so on and so forth. Highest recommendation (he does have some quaint ideas about the impossibility of genuine friendship (and nothing else) between men and women, but I chalk that up to the limitations of the culture and mindset he belonged to).

Alot of his views on women changed after he met and married Joy Greshem. He was a confirmed bachelor beforehand, and then he fell in love and realized "oh..."


Currently I'm Reading:

Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman

[starlooker]

How to Fail as a Therapist: 50 Ways to Lose or Damage Your Clients -- nice practical supplement to a methods class. Helpful tips.

Cognitive Therapy of Substance Abuse -- now that I'm CBT, I'm trying to learn something about it.

What I will be reading in the very near future:

Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman.

[wizzard]

I just finished "Doing Our Own Thing", by John McWhorter. It's a really interesting look at the decline of the English language since the 60's, but it doesn't come off as preachy or proscriptivist.

I'm also in the middle of "In Praise of Folly" by Desiderius Erasmus. It was assigned for a history course, but I'm enjoying in its own right.

[Luet]

Just finished Birth: The Surprising History of How We are Born a nonfiction book about the history of childbirth practices. I first heard about it in OSC's column and thought it sounded good. It was incredibly enlightening and interesting even though I never plan on having kids!

Now starting Running with Scissors...

[LilBee91]

X-Men: The Last Stand by Chris Claremont
I've never read a novelization before, so it is a new experience. It seems so slow-paced though, when I start thinking about the movie.

Next, I'm rereading all of the Enderverse books (and for the first time, reading First Meetings).

[Caspian]

Beowulf, Gawaine and the Green Knight, The Cantebury Tales, Adam Bede by George Eliot, Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee, and dozens and dozens of books about mythology.

But alas, it is all for class.

[Eaquae Legit]

If you've gotta do class reading, those aren't bad. I'm kind of jealous.

[Virlomi]

Not yet reading but will be in the very near future: A Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin. Anyone heard of it? It came with a "read this under penalty of death" recommendation by a writer friend of mine, and I've been meaning to for ages and finally getting around to it.

[Young Val]

rereading Arcadia by Tom Stoppard.

it is life-changing.

[Dr. Mobius]

The internet, or at least parts of it anyways.

[DEK]

Dante's Inferno, Catch-22, and Vampire Hunter D.

[Virlomi]

Everytime I see mention of that name I do a double take and have to remind myself you're not talking about an old Pwebber.

[zeroguy]

I must agree with EL, Caspian. Gawaine and Cantebury were among my favorites as far as school-related reading goes. (Although The Tao of Pooh I think is my favorite.)

Edit: Vampire Hunter D is a book? I didn't know he got that name from anywhere...

[Jayelle]

Heehee. It's also a popular Anime.

[Craig]

I'm rereading A Game of Thrones, the first book in the Song of Fire and Ice saga by the terrific fantasy author George R.R. Martin.

EDIT: I'm also reading the screenplay to Goodfellas, and Kaufman's screenplays to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Adaptation.

Salaam

[Eaquae Legit]

Henry of Harclay's question concerning the immortality of the soul, and associated research. Also included is the Condemnations of 1277 and related research.

[Petra456]

Next on my reading list is Catch-22. I'm hoping to get enough time to actually get to it this month. Then, who knows.

[zeroguy]

Heehee. It's also a popular Anime.

Evidently not that popular.

[Jayelle]

Results 1 - 10 of about 3,540,000 for Vampire Hunter D.

[zeroguy]

Sorry if some of us aren't defined by Google. Expand your mind, man!

(And anyway, "Vampire Hunter D" with quotes is beaten by "Rurouni Kenshin", "Death Note", and "Read or Die", among others. And wikipedia says it is an anime movie or two; not a series, which I first thought, which kind of helps explain that.)

[Eaquae Legit]

Read or Die is awesome. I've been told Death Note is good, but I need to wait till my sister comes home at Christmas.

[AnthonyByakko]

You might like Elfen Lied. It's a little hard to sit through some of the shocking violence, but it's quite enjoyably sad (if that's possible.)

Also, if you haven't seen Grave of the Fireflies......

[locke]

Read or Die rocks, but I'm glad I discovered the series on G4 at episode six because the first five eps are kind of pfft. But everything after that is pretty much golden.

[locke]

A Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin. Anyone heard of it?

I've seen it reccommended on a A Song of Ice and Fire forum many a time as worthwhile to check out (ie not Jordon or Goodkind or Brooks crap)

[Eaquae Legit]

Well, there's the OVA and the manga, too, locke. I've found that only with all three do I understand what's happening in each of the others, especially the TV, because it comes last, chronologically.

[Oliver Dale]

I'm reading:

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb
and, The Exquisite by Laird Hunt.

I have to stop starting new books and finish one or more of these. They're all quite good so far, for vastly different reasons.

[Ela]

I re-read Shadow of the Giant over the weekend.

Mostly, I am reading the newspaper, the internet, professional literature, and an article I am editing.

[wigginboy]

Finishing Xenocide, then I suppose I shall take a bit of a break before finishing the series and read Angels and Demons. My fiancee keeps telling me its a fabulous books and that book is now decorating the top of my bookshelf, so I guess I'll have to read it. Not that a change of pace Isn't in order. I reread the Shadow series in Sept, and EG and the Speaker series last month, but its exam time and I haven't been able to finish Xenocide, in all its 592 page glory. I am on the fourth last chapter so once I am done, a change of pace will definitely be lauded.