What are you currently reading?

I usually read about five books at a time; just finished rereading (yet again!) all my fave Robert A. Heinlein novels newly repurchased on Kindle. Also just repurchased The Firm and The Pelican Brief in Kindle, already finished The Firm, just finished all three of the Hatchet series by Gary Paulsen (about a boy surviving a crash in the northern wilderness),

currently reading here and there (as the mood hits me) in Belle de Jour: the Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl, Sex in the City, My Fair Lazy, and several other books that don't hold my attention well enough for me to read straight through. I keep rereading all the John Scalzi books, though, because they are GREAT..almost as good as Robert A. Heinlein- because he imitates him.

 

Just finished the "Bourne" series by Robert Ludlum and really liked them. The movies would have been better if they followed the novels more closely.

I am currently reading "A Women in Berlin" by an anonymous author.

 

I'm like Birdpics in that I read several at at time. I'm reading two books that I just got.: Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World by Paul Stamets and The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide by James Fadiman. I'm also on a third rereading Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World, second reading if Steven Pinker's How the Mind Works and on a third reading of The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins.

 

:2thumbsup:

 

Over more than 100 written reports of eyewitnesses of medieval events :2thumbsup:

 

Interesting.

 

Yes, very interesting and also easy read (generally short stories or excerpts) Not sure who was first with this idea: there are quite a few similar historical eyewitnesses accounts books in the Netherlands now. The first I encountered was focussed on eyewitness accounts of dutch historical events compiled by a popular historian I really like (so i regard the other ones as (highly entertaining) rip offs). I've also read the one that foccused on eyewitness accounts of events in world history. It's just really fun and interesting to have a peak in the mind of a regular john that just happened to be there. Most often (in the case of medieval times for example) it appears not to be a too regular john of course since those people rarely could write. You can clearly notice more regular johns when you read accounts from the 18th century and later! So not so much in this particular edition. More clerics, historians, scribes, merchants, governing people etc. But only accounts of people who actually were there at the event.

 

which are your favorites?

the first one i read was The moon is a harsh mistress, that's a great one.

and off the top of my head - Orphans of the sky, Stranger in a strange land (of course), shit i read so many of his books, but i can't recall the names right now.

Time for the Stars - awesome.
i read Citizen of the galaxy, Tunnel in the sky, and i'm sure others.

reading The moon is a harsh mistress showed me that i liked science fiction. i never knew before like 2 years ago.


i'll have to check out that other author you mentioned. any recommendations by him?



i'm currently reading Judas Unchained by Peter Hamilton, the sequel to Pandora's star - both are really good.

 

Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison. Excellent, so far.

 

This sounds like something I'd like to read. I can't find an English version though.

 

Yeah, not sure if they're translated (yet). I really recommend the ones I read and mentioned though. I also saw some others too (eye witness accounts of WW2 events for example..). Once the the trick of strolling through all kinds of historical accounts and select them for the public (who loves it) is known I'm sure they will be released there as well I noticed the writers/compilers are different here on every book. But I guess since they're not really writing except sometimes adapting/translating the text for current readers it isn't the biggest deal. All original authors/sources are well credited too happily.

 

I found some similar stuff, but I think these are written for a younger audience (I'm not sure though, one of the books had a young age suggested reading remark), I would still find these interesting.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/s/ref=is_box_books?k=eyewitnesses+of+the+Middle+Ages"]Amazon.com: eyewitnesses of the Middle Ages

Edit:
Oh well, the link doesn't work. I guess because it is on my amazon login. I just searched for Eyewitnesses of the middle ages and several similar books came up.

 

That has to be a different one. The one on the middle ages that i am reading at the moment contains a few eyewitness accounts that are DEFINATELY not for a younger audience I was actually a bit flabbergasted what I was reading. You really get to know some bizarre traditions and customs as well.

 

Great Scott! You just discovered Heinlein??..you lucky dog, you! My dad kept a couple of shelves of sci-fi books next to their bed when I was growing up in the 1960s, and I constantly sneaked in to get addicted to everything he had (mostly Heinlein)..although I never liked Asimov as much.
ANYTHING by John Scalzi..it makes me shake and cry sometimes when I finish one of his series, for the sheer joy of good writing! Joe Haldeman is another Heinlein-ish writer, very good as well.

I even read the stuff his family had published after his death, then repurchased many of my favorites on Kindle while I'm here in Thailand. I just go on amazon's Kindle store and order online-instantly uploads to my Kindle app and I can read it on my Gpad, PC, laptop, or any other device, plus syncs between them. I usually keep up to seven books open at a time to jump between them as mood hits.
The faves I missed so much I had to order lately were most of the youth series, then all his long ones (I speed read-especially when excited- so try to get the longest books possible), and stuff like Doorway into Summer, Stranger in a Strange Land, Podkayne of Mars, The Puppet Masters, Tunnel in the Sky, Red Planet, but flashed through most of those in a matter of a few hours apiece.

Recently read, re-read and reread again and again since last year- John Scalzi: The Old Man's War series (VERY Heinlein, but almost better), Agent to the Stars, The Android's dream. I hate it when I finish the series again, but after a few weeks, I can do it again..they're that well written.

I can read Gone with the Wind every day of the week, and permanently leave that book open. Doesn't matter where I start reading or stop..PURE PLEASURE AND JOY in incredible writing skills and insight. Besides, Margaret Mitchell wrote the book last page first and then backwards. Wrote the first page last. I visited her home and saw the desk where she wrote it in secret.

BY THE WAY..LOVE THE BOURNE BOOK!!!

I had to write midterms for the Thailand school where I work, and have piles of stuff to grade for my online college classes, plus I have to open up the next semester's course shells, but had to stop and read my new book a few minutes...I promise only a few minutes..

 

The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/921359.The_Ragged_Trousered_Philanthropists

3.9 out of 5 from 2280 ratings, it's the classic that no one's heard of! :2thumbsup:

 

"Food Of The Gods" by Terrence McKenna. very informative and eye opening

 

I've been reading Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton. Halfway through it, after reading it for a month. I think I'm going to switch to City of Bones instead.

 

Never heard of it, but it seems very interesting. I will check my local Bol.com to see if it's in stock. :2thumbsup: