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What are You Reading?

EvilAmericanMan

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Nov 27, 2005
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Not sure how successful this thread will be but figured its worth having. This is the thread where we share what, if any, books we are reading and whether or not they're recommended. I admit I pretty much only read during break time at work. I'll start with my list that I am going through starting with what I just finished and I'm reading right now:

Decision Points by George W. Bush - Just finished this one. Its pretty fascinating to read the memoirs of a former President in my opinion. I plan on reading every US president's memoir from now on at least, and may try some presidents before my time. Bush was my 'first' president so to speak.

A Time To Betray by "Reza Khalili"
- What I'm reading now. Pseudoname of a former Iranian Revolutionary Guard member who spied for the CIA. I hear some of his previous accounts, and this one, have been met with some 'skepticism'..but I'm sure at least some of it has truth to it as that's usually how things go.

Called to Coach by Bobby Bowden - I'm a Florida Gator fan all the way but I have a deep respect for Bobby Bowden, and used to for FSU before they forced him out the door. This will be my next read.

Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell - Started this before but kind of stopped, but I'll get back into it later. This one is pretty well known, about a Navy SEAL and his experience in Afghanistan being the..lone survivor..of a battle he was involved in with ST 10.

Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity by Bill O'Reilly - Another one I started but stopped, in favor of other books. Just plain not as interesting as some of the other ones! But one day I suppose I'll finish it.

Playing With Purpose by Mike Yorkey - A kind of look back at the college football careers of Sam Bradford, Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow. The triumvirate didn't agree to any interviews or anything so there's not much official stuff, but its still an interesting read to anyone who watches college football or is a fan of one or all of the 3 QBs.

So lets see guys...which one of you old guys is going to be first to list about 20 books they've enjoyed throughout their lifetime, eh? :D
 
I'm currently in the process of reading all my old books. They're all originals printed in the late 20's and 30's.

Last month I read:

"Batterie" 4 by Robert Mimra (1928)
Account of his combat experience in the Austro-Hungarian army as an artillery cpl and later lieutenant, from later 1914 all the way to the collaps of Austria. Mainly set on the easter front, although he was present on the Western-front during the German "Spring Offensive" in 1918 and in southern Tyrol after that.

"Skagerrak" by Konteradmiral Friedrich von K
 
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"Mister Slaughter" by Robert McGammon (Description borrowed from Amazon)

The world of Colonial America comes vibrantly to life in this masterful new historical thriller by Robert McCammon. The latest entry in the popular Matthew Corbett series, which began with Speaks the Nightbird and continued in The Queen of Bedlam, Mister Slaughter opens in the emerging metropolis of New York City in 1702, and proceeds to take both Matthew and the reader on an unforgettable journey of horror, violence, and personal discovery.

The journey begins when Matthew, now an apprentice problem solver for the London-based Herrald Agency, accepts an unusual and hazardous commission. Together with his colleague, Hudson Greathouse, he agrees to escort the notorious mass murderer Tyranthus Slaughter from an asylum outside Philadelphia to the docks of New York. Along the way, Slaughter makes his captors a surprising--and extremely tempting--offer. Their response to this offer will alter the course of the novel, setting in motion a series of astonishing, ultimately catastrophic events.

Mister Slaughter is at once a classic portrait of an archetypal serial killer and an exquisitely detailed account of a fledgling nation still in the process of inventing itself. Suspenseful, illuminating, never less than compulsively readable, it is, by any measure, an extraordinary achievement, the largest accomplishment to date from one of our most gifted--and necessary--writers
 
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Recently I read Mass Effect Vol. 1 and some german books, currently reading the Godfather followed by Mass Effect Vol. 2+3, Revolutionary Road and more german books.

How could I forget! I've read all 3 Mass Effect books as well. Excellent read for big fans of the series.

Jimmy Carter's is fantastic.

May need some help on this one...seems hes written 23 books. I assume you mean Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a US President? Man, this one is expensive as hell. Or maybe I just don't have enough book purchasing experience, lol.
 
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I'm working my way through Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturing series... great reading, especially if you like naval warfare stuff, or history.

I'm also reading Napoleon's Buttons for MatSci...
From amazon: "Napoleon's Buttons is the fascinating account of seventeen groups of molecules that have greatly influenced the course of history. These molecules provided the impetus for early exploration, and made possible the voyages of discovery that ensued. The molecules resulted in grand feats of engineering and spurred advances in medicine and law; they determined what we now eat, drink, and wear. A change as small as the position of an atom can lead to enormous alterations in the properties of a substance-which, in turn, can result in great historical shifts."

It's pretty darn neat getting to see how these various molecules evolved and were discovered/improved, etc... and how tremendous an effect they have had (and are having) on world history.
 
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Moby Dick, by one Herman Melville. Iunno, some period homo-erotic literature (sleeping two in one bed, naked, sharing a tomahawk-pipe, you know the metaphors). 'Tis good, however. It has polysyllabic words.

Space Marine by Ian Watson. Set in the Warhammer 40.000 universe, this 1993 (IIRC) book details the extremely homoerotic exploits of three "brothers" induced into the Imperial Fists chapter of the Space Marines. You think I'm flaunting the homoerotic aspect too much? Just look at the chapter detailling the Karkassonne Invasion, or the later one on a different invasion (not to spoil anything; here follows one of many choice quotes): "[He] clung to one of the serpentine wall grips as the vessel vibrated. Its hull wailed and its engine whined as the upper atmosphere of Karkason roughly and frustratedly caressed this plasteel intruder which was penetrating it. The world’s airy hands were burning with friction. Within that craft were seeds of destruction that would soon burst forth."

Hell, maybe I should look into doing a PhD on this whole homoerotic spin. Yeah.

Also, just finished The decline of English murder and other Essays by George Orwell. A few interesting essays there.

Lastly, finishing up on Sociolinguistics by Peter Trudgill. I suppose some of it is dated research (the book's auld, to be frank), but interesting nevertheless.
 
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