What are you reading now?

[Shoobydoo]

I'm listening to David Copperfield. I'm almost done with it and I'm a little sad because I've enjoyed it quite a lot. I really appreciate his sense of humor. I think Mr. Dick is one of my favorite literary characters, really.

My current "bathroom book" is the Earthsea quartet. Got a new copy for Christmas. I'm managed to read a whopping 60 pages since then, so it'll be in there for a while. :lol:

[Anne Tudor]

"Wild Swans" by Jung Chang I had read it in paperback a few years ago and added it to my kindle when it became available recently.

I would participate in a book club here, but I probably wouldn't read every book. I'm rubbish that way.

[JesusFightClub]

I am reading The Rape of Nanking.

Fuck, you'll regret that. Expect nightmares. (I read it.)

I have two books on the go. One's about the Provisional IRA. One's about North Korea.

[Artemis]

The book I'm currently sleeping with (literally) is Dominique de Villepin's commentary on the fall of Napoleon:

'La Chute, ou l'Empire de la solitude'

It's really fascinating, and shows how Napoleon's attacks on the German principalities led to the rise of Prussian militarism, German unification, and ultimately to the First World War.

It's also bloody difficult and is stretching my French :( De Villepin is a bit of an academic and he uses LONG words . . . .

Also tucked under my pillow is 'Guns, Germs and Steel' by Jared Diamond, which is fantastic. When I can wrest it off my husband I'll be reading 'Why the West rules the world - for now' which is the book he's sleeping with. Both of these are discussions of the biological, ecological and geological reasons for the rise of the West, as opposed to e.g. Africa.

In the bathroom (well you know how it is: any excuse to pick up a book) I'm reading Edouard de Pomiane's Cooking in Ten Minutes. My downstairs book while I'm waiting for pages to load is 'Tulips' by Anna Pavord.

[crazyforkate]

Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon. It's about the relationships between parents and children when the children have a different identity (Deaf culture, trans*, autism, and others) and explores how said identity categories form. Could not recommend highly enough.

[DrPusey]

A quick reply to say that I'd be up for some sort of a book club!

[Boogalou]

I'd be up for a book club, depending on the book.

Artemis, I really enjoy Jared Diamond's books. Collapse and The Third Chimpanzee are good as well. Pretty interesting stuff. I see now he has two new books out in 2010 and 2012 which I will have to take a look at.

[treemom]

I am finishing up "The Good Girls Revolt". It is very good

[SouthCarolinaGirl79]

I'm taking a break from nonfiction and enjoying some books by Mary Kay Andrews and Dorthea Benton Frank.

[MamaJunebug]

A friend just sent me two Roman Catholic think-tank journals, which I've been putting off, but catching up with all the great stuff you-all are mentioning, I'm gonna crack 'em open and give them a read. Then I'll go back to some history or non-fiction. The one by Andrew Solomon sounds particularly tempting.

[Megan]

Fuck, you'll regret that. Expect nightmares. (I read it.)

I have two books on the go. One's about the Provisional IRA. One's about North Korea.

Which North Korea book are you reading and how do you like it? I've been looking at several NK books lately and can't decide which to read

[Trynn]

They Mysterious affair at Styles, by Agatha Christie. Really good so far, except for a few continuity errors. But it was free on my brand new kindle.

[StacyW]

I'd be up for a book club, depending on the book.

What do you think would be the best way to go about this? Have nominations and then a poll to decide?

[JesusFightClub]

Which North Korea book are you reading and how do you like it? I've been looking at several NK books lately and can't decide which to read

It is called Aquariums of Pyongyang but so far I can't recommend it. The prose is all rambly like Taryn, it's politically fairly dodgy and I don't think the narrator is always telling the truth. By which I do not mean he is lying. It's a bit like when five people see a car accident and none of their stories add up to a coherent picture.

Also by dodgy, there's a huge great mad foreword going on about how George W Bush is a colossus striding the world and giving hope to all North Koreans etc (It was published in 2005). A lot of the politics in the text so far have been worrying. I'm no supporter of North Korea, don't get me wrong. But I do know some little facts about other things he mentioned and they don't seem to always add up.

[Peas n carrots]

The book I'm currently sleeping with (literally) is Dominique de Villepin's commentary on the fall of Napoleon:

'La Chute, ou l'Empire de la solitude'

It's really fascinating, and shows how Napoleon's attacks on the German principalities led to the rise of Prussian militarism, German unification, and ultimately to the First World War.

It's also bloody difficult and is stretching my French :( De Villepin is a bit of an academic and he uses LONG words . . . .

Also tucked under my pillow is 'Guns, Germs and Steel' by Jared Diamond, which is fantastic. When I can wrest it off my husband I'll be reading 'Why the West rules the world - for now' which is the book he's sleeping with. Both of these are discussions of the biological, ecological and geological reasons for the rise of the West, as opposed to e.g. Africa.

In the bathroom (well you know how it is: any excuse to pick up a book) I'm reading Edouard de Pomiane's Cooking in Ten Minutes. My downstairs book while I'm waiting for pages to load is 'Tulips' by Anna Pavord.

I've been wanting to read Guns, Germs and Steel.

I'm terrible, I don't read a whole lot :-( I've been playing far too much Angry Birds on the iPad in the evenings. The last book I read was The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

If there is an author I am a fan of it is Erik Larson. I loved Devil InThe White City and In The Garden of the Beasts. Devil was about the Columbia Exposition of 1893 in Chicago and how a serial killer used all the strangers in town to his advantage in picking victims. Beasts was about the US ambassador to Germany during the 1930's and how him and his family dealt with living in Nazi Germany.

[Bethella]

What do you think would be the best way to go about this? Have nominations and then a poll to decide?

That's sort of what I was thinking. Maybe do a 24-hour nomination window. Any books that are recommended by more than one person gets put on the poll. Books that get more than x number of votes from the poll (10?15? depends on how many people get involved) can be put on a list to read. Probably do one book a month, with the list of books out a couple of months in advance so people can find copies and have enough time to read them.

Does anyone know how to do a poll or is that something that you need special permission/access to do, like being an admin?

[Megan]

It is called Aquariums of Pyongyang but so far I can't recommend it. The prose is all rambly like Taryn, it's politically fairly dodgy and I don't think the narrator is always telling the truth. By which I do not mean he is lying. It's a bit like when five people see a car accident and none of their stories add up to a coherent picture.

Also by dodgy, there's a huge great mad foreword going on about how George W Bush is a colossus striding the world and giving hope to all North Koreans etc (It was published in 2005). A lot of the politics in the text so far have been worrying. I'm no supporter of North Korea, don't get me wrong. But I do know some little facts about other things he mentioned and they don't seem to always add up.

Shame. I'll note to ignore that one. I've been looking at Escape from Camp 14 and Nothing to Envy

[treemom]

Which North Korea book are you reading and how do you like it? I've been looking at several NK books lately and can't decide which to read

I have read "nothing to envy" and like it.

[treemom]

Shame. I'll note to ignore that one. I've been looking at Escape from Camp 14 and Nothing to Envy

Well damn, I had that on my list to read. I can't read a whole book of taryn prose.

I have read nothing to envy and liked it. As much as you can like a book about lives being destroyed. I do admit it was hard for me to read it, because I couldn't take an action at the end of the day and those types of books make me want to give money or do something.

[treemom]

Now I am reading "Life After Death" by Damien Echols.

[MamaJunebug]

Fixing to read "Welcome, Silence" by Carol North, MD, about her experience with schizophrenia - she had it, was cured by a form of dialysis. Intriguing, no?

[StacyW]

I checked out "In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture" from the library because it was about to be tossed for lack of anyone ever checking it out.

[Maggie Mae]

I am reading Free Jinger.

[StacyW]

I am reading Free Jinger.

Well, that's a given. But we have to tear ourselves away sometimes.

[Gertie]

I checked out "In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture" from the library because it was about to be tossed for lack of anyone ever checking it out.

Sounds potentially interesting... how is it?