What are you reading?

[rusty h]

Samdooby
how do you like 90 minutes in heaven?
my wife is reading it with a few friends.

im reading alaska wolfman

peace

[missydog1]

Not a recent publication ...
finally decided to read Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.

Reread the Bad Twin because it's the last of LOST.

Every so often I sit down and read a whole book at Borders where I don't have a lot of "things I should be doing" pulling at me.
A very interesting book I picked up and read cover to cover there was "Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas" by John S. Burnett. It's mostly about piracy in the busiest shipping lane in the world - the Malacca Straits, but it's also about the threat of pirates and terrorism to supertankers. The author was a victim of piracy himself and then took a voyage on a supertanker and observed the concern with piracy first hand - mixed with information on the topic. A good read.
Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Waters-M...0525946799

I also read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown at Borders - but it took me a second sitting to finish it. His books are better than the movies. Probably my favorite of the three I've read.

For lightweight reading, I read "Smile When You're Lying" by Chuck Thompson. It's an expose of the travel writing industry peppered with good stories, is very irreverent, and is one of those books you can pick at a chapter at a time.

Speaking of travel lit, anyone who hasn't read Maarten J. Troost, you are missing some good laughs.
"Sex Lives of Cannibals (Kiribati)" "Getting Stoned with Savages" (Vanuatu and Fiji) are my favorites.

[David Shaw]

-Every night I lay down and read the T-H; dependent upon how much energy is left and/or what symphony is playing on KANO I go to the book. Just finished "A Trip to the Stars" by Nicholas Christopher. Lots of astronomy threads throughout the story, albeit not science but star connections. Still in process: "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers, and "The Lost Teachings of Atlantis" by Jon Peniel which are essentially to encourage one to lead a more spiritual life.

-dwajs

[Samdooby]

quote:

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Originally posted by rusty h

Samdooby
how do you like 90 minutes in heaven?
my wife is reading it with a few friends.

im reading alaska wolfman

peace

---

Good book. Can relate well since someone dear to me suffers from chronic pain from a recent accident. Its a nice spiritual read also...

[Jay Bondesen]

I just finished 1491 by Charles Mann. A real eye-opener on what was going on before Columbus opened the door to North America. It's a great read of a sad story about what a few European germs did to thousands of years of culture in America.

Jay

[Rob Tucker]

I read an excerpt of 1491 in Atlantic Monthly and thought it was a fascinating look at North America before contact. I'd like to read the full book for sure.

[Susan]

Just finished The Dragons of Eden:Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence by Carl Sagan. As a teenager I was facintated by his TV show Cosmos and have been a fan ever since. He is someone I would have liked to have met in person.

[Frankie Stapleton]

Just got in from amazon.com The Shadow Elite: How the World's New Power Brokers Undermine Democracy, Government and the Free Market, a HuffingtonPost pic written by anthropologist Janine Wedel and can't wait to get the time to read it. Also checked out Howard Zinn's People's History of the U.S.

Just finished reading The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed, a deeply researched (and pondorous read at times) of Thomas Jefferson's slave family. It was compelling in spite of often being quite tedious (at least to me) because you want to find out what happened to them all when Jefferson died. He was quite in debt all through his adult life so his slaves were part of his estate upon his death and could be sold off to settle his debts. It was a difficult subject to research because, during the 19th century, his white family tried to eradicate as much as possible about his black family. Interestingly, the author lays out a case for the 18th century in American society as being much less white supremist/religious fundamentalist than the 19th century which allowed Jefferson's black family options black people in America couldn't exercise during the 19th century.

I like this posting topic. Kung hee fat choy, everyone!

[Erlinda]

I haven’t quite finished it yet, but right now I’m reading Fierce Heart: The Story of Makaha and the Soul of Hawaiian Surfing by Stuart Coleman. It’s a really interesting, detailed history of the place and people of O#8242;ahu’s westside. People like Buffalo Keaulana and his family; Rell Sunn; Iz and the Makaha Sons of Ni#8242;ihau, and the early surfers from the mainland, among others. Some of the history I’ve heard before, but Coleman really brings it to life with many interviews and quotes from the people who were there at the beginning, when M#257;kaha was known only to locals. Coleman, who also wrote Eddie Would Go, is Hawai#8242;i Regional Coordinator of the Surfrider Foundation. He also included a great index and bibliography, which makes my librarian heart happy.

[Erlinda]

Please excuse the funny marks in my post above. I always forget that the software doesn't like 'okinas and kahakos [] Hope it's readable.

Erlinda