# What's on your bookshelf?



## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

I love to read. Just about anything in fact. Whenever I go to someone's house I gravitate toward the bookshelf and stand there with my head tilted sideways lookinga t the titles etc. 

I always try to mix the books on my shelf for a bit of a shock, surprise, whatever. My sister is a missionary and she and her hubby feel I need saving. Every year they give me some book in the hopes of converting me. 

For example: 'The complete Kama Sutra' is next to 'My guardian angel caught me' 

'Peace with God' is wedged between the graphic novel 'Sanctuary' and something by 'Anne Rice' 

I have a pretty wide variety of stuff. My most recent addition to my bookshelf is "The Long Goodbye - by Raymond Chandler". Got it at a used book store in Guelph for 4 bux. 

I LOVE a used book store.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Bopeep, I like your style of genre-mixing re your comment that "I always try to mix the books on my shelf for a bit of a shock, surprise...." I actually do the same. There are SO many books here in our house, but our "shock shelf" for public viewing has "The Grapes of Wrath", by Steinbeck, "Lost Horizon" by Hilton, "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis, "Lies, and the Lying Liars who tell them" by Al Franken, "Barney's Version" by Mordecai Richler, "Fatherhood" by Bill Cosby, "Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Attwood, "Das Kapital: A Critique of Political Economy" by Marx, Engels and Levitsky and, an autographed 1st edition version of "The World According to Macnutt", by our very own "Sage from Salt Spring". It's an eclectic mix to say the least. Bill Crosby alongside of Mordecai Richler, Macnutt next to Marx, Engels and Levitsky......strange bedfellows one and all.


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

brilliant.. absolutely brilliant. 
I have gone to homes where they have their university texts on the shelves, and not much else. 

I believe that one's bookshelf says much about the people/person. 

I guess the God books stuffed between erotica is just my personal eff ewe to my sister's belief system.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Wasn't Chandler's "The Long Goodbye" the last book Raymond Chandler wrote? 

Yes, just checked this fact. "The first time I laid eyes on Terry Lennox he was drunk in a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith outside the terrace of The Dancers" Marlowe explains in an extraordinary opening line. Who was in the 1973 film???


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

Elliott Gould. 

'Nothing says goodbye like a bullet' 

Yup, the last he ever wrote. Not a first edition or anything, probably a millionth printing. It was intended to be a gift for someone, but I guess we said our last goodbye before I could give him the book. 

No bullets involved though.


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## Mrs. Furley (Sep 1, 2004)

Well I can tell you that there's a lot of John Irving and Margaret Atwood on my bookshelf, along with some Carol Shields, Timothy Findley and Tom Robbins.

To give you an idea of my current reading situation, I'm juggling two books right now - The Sea, The Sea and Fast Food Nation. Needless to say, they don't complement each other very well...but I can't settle on one!

Bo Peep, I think I'm going to reorganize my books in a more interesting order!!


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## IronMac (Sep 22, 2003)

I don't normally buy books unless they are for work or as a resource but here is what I have out from the public library:

A History of the Modern Middle East
Salamandastron (a Tale of Redwall)
How Canon Got Its Flash Back
Mariel of Redwall
The Black Sea, A History
Land's End Business Attire
The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization
Rivers of Gold: The Beginnings of the Spanish Empire


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

BP - Good for you - the erotica does reside on the top shelf tho both kids are now of an age where sexual awakening occurs so I might put a few around more strategically sited so it's still a bit illicit but accessible.









I'm a voracious reader - my cleaning lady didn't understand I read 2 or 3 books at once often and gave me a funny look when I told her hands off the tidy up.









I try to keep some sanity in the bookshelves but it deteriorates into general chaos very quickly as friends lend and borrow and new stuff arrives.
My daughter's a big reader too so she contributes to the mix.
I have a few seminal books, Rand, The Outsider, Koestler, Goedel Escher etc in visual range as cues to thinking/writing.

Tend to love the non fiction tales - Bill Clinton's My LIfe is a terrific read so far and just about anything in the Pulitzer pantheon is attractive. Truman's biography, the Making of the Atom Bomb.......all terrific reads.
Seabiscuit, The Man who talks to Horses, I love real stories told well.
So so on CanLit tho some are marvelous. Heavy on SciFi and good fantasia. 
If you like erotica the Kushiel series is phenomenal - can she ever write a rousing tale.......in both aspects of the phrase.

Guy Gavriel Kaye is our Canadian Tolkien and his works almost defy a classification other than - good enough to make you cry. Talk about getting lost in a tale of adventure and heartbreak. When a tale starts on the U of T campus and ends in a war between good and evil every bit as good or better than LOTR.......my kind of writer.

I'd love to have an active readers thread but it never seems to "take". Even the movie thread is hard to keep current.
More please..........


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

The complete Kama Sutra is a MUST HAVE for any bookshelf. 

It is too much fun to see what people do with it. Almost everyone is afraid to pull it off the shelf and give it a look. 

CS Lewis can be found sharing space with Clive Barker on occasion.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Macdoc, loan you my "The World According to Macnutt" for your Bill Clinton's "My LIfe". We should put them in the same box for a day or so and let them "mellow".  Actually, I would like to read Clinton's books, but I think I am getting it as a Hanukkah present.


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## IronMac (Sep 22, 2003)

I have an old paperback copy of the KS but I don't recall the complete KS at all...getting it mixed up with the Joy of Sex one...grrrr...


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## skinnyman (Oct 25, 2003)

Err...anyone have any mac books?







I just got _Apple Confidential 2.0_. Pretty neat to read up on Apple's history.

I'm at U of G right now, so I have my fair share of textbooks too


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

No no no, the joy of sex is no good. 
There is something, I don't know, Mystical, about the Kama sutra that causes people to react. The joy of sex is just like a cookbook on your shelf. 

I have a nice hardcover version, sort of text book sized, making it hard to miss. partner that with 'What Wild Ecstasy' and people really start to wonder... 

FYI - what wild ecstacy is about the evolution of the porn industry in North America. Mediocre read at best, but fun for the bookshelf. Available at Chapters for no more than 5 bux - I think you can still get it.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

BP if you like the Kama Sutra exotic settings you'll love Kushiel's Dart.








It's a wonderful trilogy you never want to end.

I love talking books as well- wonderful for long drives. Lonesome Dove I enjoyed immensely as a book and Comanche Moon was 24 hours of magic - all the characters voiced by a single actor.

Larry McMurty is a superb story teller.


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

Never heard of the first one but mcmurty books have come HIGHLY recommended to me. Someone else told me they were like spaghetti westerns. 

I guess the only way to solve the dilemma is to read them myself. Where can I get my hands on them? 

an all time fave is Moby Dick. Trouble is, the thing should be read out loud it so uhmmm.. musical sounding.


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## Gerbill (Jul 1, 2003)

Just finishing _Iron Council_ by China Miéville.

On deck: _Going Postal_ by Terry Pratchett.

Recently finished: the entire Aubrey/Maturin canon by Patrick O'Brian (20 volumes, starting with _Master and Commander_ ). _Perdido Street Station_ and _The Scar_ by China Miéville, _The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents_ by Terry Pratchett.

Cheers :-> Bill


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## Cynical Critic (Sep 2, 2002)

I read a fantastic sci-fi series a few months back called _Hyperion_ by Dan Simmons. I read all four books in the series with a fervor.

Recently, I've been perusing through a collection of poetry by John Keats. And curiously enough, yesterday I began _Master and Commander_. I don't like hearing that there are 20 books in the canon because it seems very engrossing so far.


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## Gerbill (Jul 1, 2003)

> And curiously enough, yesterday I began Master and Commander. I don't like hearing that there are 20 books in the canon because it seems very engrossing so far.


Strictly speaking, there are 21 books - a fragment of the 21st in the series was left behind when O'Brian died. It's been published under the title "21" but I haven't seen a copy yet.

Every page of the 20+ books is well worth reading - in fact, I've already started _re-reading._ 

Cheers :-> Bill


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

I devoured the Harry Potter series. Nice easy reading, with enjoyable characters. 

I have a thing for comic books too. Good ones - like 'The Watchmen', or 'Sanctuary' or 'Bone'... 

My book shelf is a work in progress. There are often things that don't belong there, so I get rid of them and then peruse the used book stores for a new treasure to compliment the mix. I lend stuff out and some of it doesn't come back. Like my copy of Noir - but then I think I inherited that so I guess it was deemed not to come back to me.









What is everyone's favorite childhood series? 
I read Marcella - but the toys coming alive when she slept frightened me. I couldn't have been much older than 5 or 6 

A bit older, my favorite was the CS Lewis series: you know, the magician's nephew et al - my poor parents having to wrench books out of my sleeping hands.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

BP - "_spaghetti westerns_"  .....you need a different friend  

Lonesome Dove won the Pultizer prize......might tell you something. You'll love them. Gritty, poetic, enormous scale yet very very personal - good trick. - great writer.

•••
Gerbil
Iron Council - my least fav of the three Mielville but still terrific imagery. Peridido was my pick.

I was in withdrawal after finishing the Master and Commander series in a single run. He is SO good and I know so much more. What tour de force of writing. What a mind.

••••••

The Hyperion set is very good. Marvelous vision.

•••••

Kids stuff....hmmm....Tom Swift ( doesn't THAT date me  )

Can't recall others that stood out - used to read books by the library shelf as kid









••

Top book as a literary work and learning experience. *The Alexandria Quartet* by Lawrence Durrell.
I pride myself on a reasonable vocabulary - I'd guess 10-15 words per PAGE I had to guess at or lookup yet it in no way detracted from the marvelous writing.

Total tour de force of literature as you view the same set of events, slightly time shifted, from four separate view points.
If you savour language like a sumptuous feast then dig in........it's a long and rewarding read. 

Think Melville for the 20th century.

•••

IronMac just trudging through *Guns Germs and Steel*....sounds right up your alley. Unique and very very scholarly vision of human expansion on the planet 

THERE'S NOT ENOUGH TIME TO READ   

3 weeks in Cuba in March coming up.......couple hours snorkeling each day - the rest reading and sleeping.  = HappyDoc.


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## Vinnie Cappuccino (Aug 20, 2003)

Lots of those Boring university books on my shelf, I still refer to the accounting ones sometimes for work, lots of Anne Rice (I can't believe I read that flowery crap) Clive Barker, Stephen King, got a book on the Essance and history of Buddhism on my desk now... It's sitting beside a borrowed copy of the "story of O"... I'm half finished the one on Buddhism..... on the Bus in the morning right now I read "The Art of Happiness at Work" gahahahahahaha! Boy Howdy do I need it!! Lots of Taschen Art Books, I Sure do Love them Purdy Pictures, a Slew of comics, no Litrary value there, but they are all bagged and Borded, haha, I even Have "Meditation For Dummies" hahaha. I used to Have way more but I gave them away last time I moved... material posessions can be quite a burden, and books are great to share!


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Hmmmm I'd swear you'd been reading some Joyce and got hooked on "stream of consciousness" technique









A sentence/paragraph/thought break or two might help


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## Vinnie Cappuccino (Aug 20, 2003)

That was a stream, it was meant to be a stream.... and so, it is... I am a literary genious... haha


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Okay just checking


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## kermit (Oct 9, 2004)

bopeep, my childhood favorites were mostly by Enid Blyton; I read all the "Famous Five" and "Secret Seven" series.

I, too, can be hard to drag out of second hand bookshops; if the price is right I will buy any book that could possibly be of interest.  One afternoon this summer I picked up a beautiful guide to french wines for a couple of bucks, a Photoshop Bible complete with cd fo 10$ and some gardening and horticulture books..dirt cheap, of course  

I have had to move a couple of times with many heavy boxes of books; my best efforts to strip 'fat' from my collection met with little success. I will move them all again if I have to


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## MacNutt (Jan 16, 2002)

I've got two or three WALLS full of bookshelves. All crammed with books that I have read and saved. I've tossed away about three times that many (I am a voracious reader).

My latest read? Besides "How to create a killer website", "Illustrator 10 for Dummies", and "Final Cut Pro 4 for Dummies"?

The book I am just finishing right now is "Holy Blood and Holy Grail"....it's about the connection between the Knights Templar, the Masons, and Jesus Christ. (I'm finding it absolutely fascinating, BTW.)

This winter I should have the time to delve into several other books that I've been wanting to read.

I finished Pierre Bertons "Klondike" last winter...and I also read his "Niagara". Outstanding stuff!

Canadiana may have to wait, tho...

The "Photoshop 7 'WOW' book" beckons from my shelf...

Especially after seeing what Vacuvox can do, in record time, with that amazing app.


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## Brainstrained (Jan 15, 2002)

I'm almost halfway (Treason's Harbour) through O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin opus and loving every word of it.

As a Cub leader, I almost always have a scouting, camping or outdoors book on hand to glean ideas and tips. On that count I'm currently reviewing Baden-Powell's Wolf Cub Handbook.

The third book "on the go" is Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, a very humbling book.

By the way Bopeep, Larry McMurtry is way better than a spaghetti western writer. He is as close to serious "literature" as a writer of dusters could be.

Secret Seven! Wow, now that brings back memories.


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## Cynical Critic (Sep 2, 2002)

Zeldman's _Designing with Web Standards_ is an excellent book on why and how we should approach web design with with HTML and CSS standards. The first few chapters are an argument for standards but I promise for those not interested in the politics of web design that the latter part is full of good information and design techniques.

Designing with Web Standards


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## MacNutt (Jan 16, 2002)

All of a sudden, you seem much dull and boring than I'd ever imagined, CC.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

I'm currently reading "Vietnam: A History" by Stanley Karnow.
I'm one of those odd Canadian folks who is fascinated by the French & American involvement there. My Dad was a WWII veteran, so that's where my interest in military history got started. 

But I also love fantasy, and am nearly finished Robin Hobb's Farseer saga.

-H


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## Cynical Critic (Sep 2, 2002)

MacNutt, I may have no personal standards (hence why I'm married to a goat and why I never shower with water) but the web needs standards. What are you reading then? Aside from your Playboy mags.

If you want something more interesting, read _Perfume_ by Patrick Suskind. Or if you know German get the original, untranslated version: _Das Parfum_.


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## PosterBoy (Jan 22, 2002)

At the moment, I am in the first 1/3 of "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Dumas, and near the end of "The Godfather" by Puzo.

After them, I will probably pick up where I left off in the Dune series.


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## Mrs. Furley (Sep 1, 2004)

Favourite childhood books...A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door and A Swiftly Tilting Planet. I must read them again someday...


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

Enid Blyton... total blast from the past ! I can't recall the stories, but I do remember the author's name.

I was a HUGE fan of the dune series. To this day I have not seen the movies. I refuse to have what I imagined ruined by someone else's imagination.

[ October 27, 2004, 09:53 AM: Message edited by: bopeep ]


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

"Robin Hobb's"  Terrific author. The Mad Ship series one of my favs. Could not wait for her to complete the trilogy - sent her a funny email begging for "More please".

•••

The first Dune is incredible - the remainder for the dedicated IMHO- I like the exploration of "in becoming a god you lose your humanity". Interesting take on the subject as he wrestles with the implications of his powers.

I liked the first movie tho others did not. The casting I thought was terrific as was the depiction of the Navigators.
I could see it not appealing if you had not read the book. Confusing I would think but much stayed true to my imagination. The Bene Gesserit came across dark and shivery - as was the whole movie.

The second attempt had different strengths - more action less intrigue but not as well cast in my mind. 

I want to see a movie maker do Peridido Street Station.


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## tedj (Sep 9, 2004)

Both for school AND interest, because school is my interest, I'm reading "The Political Philosophy of Hobbes: It's Basis and Its Genesis" by Leo Strauss, just because I love Strauss and that ilk. Also, the Great Instauration and the New Atlantis, again. Interesting, reading some of these books over again, what you never picked up on.

And, hey, macnutt: you'd enjoy reading up on Bacon. Legend has it he formed the Rosecrucians-- or cruxians-- or whatever, and that led to the masons, etc. All BS, but very entertaining conspiracy-theory BS.


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## MacNutt (Jan 16, 2002)

Usually, when I find that I'm reading BS, I toss it away in disgust. But I HAVE saved a few examples of BS in my personal library.

The works of Mao and Lenin and Che Guevara figure very prominently in this collection. As do almost all of the utterances of Fidel Castro.









I also retain a nice collection of NDP and Federal Liberal political pamphlets that I haul out, whenever I need a good chuckle. I file them along with the Marvel Comics...in my "Fantasy section" 























Oh yeah...I have a nice set of all the comedic works of Michael Moore, as well.

Both in print, and on video. 

But his stuff seems to be getting rather stale and shopworn, these days. Less funny than it was a few years back. In fact...it looks and sounds rather like childish nonsense that is driven by slavish devotion to a failed and completely discredited ideolgy, nowadays.

Hardly funny at all. Just silly. And totally bereft of any real provable facts. (Perhaps his "fifteen minutes" are finally up?)

Anyone else notice this?


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## tedj (Sep 9, 2004)

well said


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## Pamela (Feb 20, 2003)

kermit! I have heard that name since I was a kid! Enid Blyton!

My mom is from Glasgow and used to read her as a child...she started me reading it when I was a kid too....wow....memories...

Speaking of memories...


THINGS I WON'T FORGET by Enid Blyton

When I'm grown up I won't forget the things I think today-
I won't forget the sort of things I like to do and say;
I won't be like the folk I know, who seem so very old,
And quite forget the things they did and when they were eight years old.
There's lots of other things, of course, that I'll remember too;
And then when I'm grown up I'll know what children like to do.
I'll know the things they're frightened of, I'll know the things they hate-
And oh! I hope they love me, though they'll know I'm long past sight!


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## SkyHook (Jan 23, 2001)

.


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

Bookcase? What bookcase? I have 'em all over the place, including stored in boxes in the garage.

" ... I'm currently reading "Vietnam: A History" by Stanley Karnow. ..."

A great book; a companion to the 1980's PBS documentary mini-series. If you ever see the series listed, watch the program as well.

Most recent books:
The Fiend in Human, John MacLachlan Grey (fiction).
A history of Warfare, John Keegan (nonfiction).
Gates of Fire, Steven Pressfield (Battle of Thermopylae; historical fiction).
PhotoShop for Right-Brainers; Al Ward (non-fiction).


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## PosterBoy (Jan 22, 2002)

By "the first movie", I assume you meant the David Lynch version of Dune. It was schmaltzy, and they tried to make some things to literal (making the weirding way a physical weapon, for example) and changed the ending. I still liked it, mostly, but it was quite the departure from the book. 

The SciFi Channel mini series was good, but it was slow moving, though this was due mostly to the fact that they stuck very close to the book. The Children of Dune mini series (actually a conglomeration of Dune Messiah and Children of Dune) was ok, but they changed quite a bit to make it work on screen.

I have only read up to the end of Children of Dune, and plan to pick up God Emperor of Dune after the books I am already reading.

Oh, and if you want to read a book that actually makes you laugh out loud, be sure to pick up a book by David Sedaris. Specifically check out "Naked", "Me Talk Pretty One Day" or "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim." Seriously, laugh out loud funny. I read in bed, and my lady friend makes me leave the room when I pick up these books.


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## vacuvox (Sep 5, 2003)

Tintin - The Complete Companion 

(it was a present! - and it is very cool)

Oh - I picked up an Edward Burke book because of recommendations from ehmac'ers (looks very promising from an initial skim)- but just finished SALT and currently working through Why Things Break - and then an Andy MacNab book (due to my brother's insistence). Hey MacNutt - I'm sure you would like MacNab - like you he's spent a fair bit of his life working abroad. And MacNutt - I don't have the PS-7 book either - I'm only using Photoshop Elements. But I do have a whopping big LOGIC PRO 7 reference manual staring down at me.

Here is another interesting-looking volume I found in the local used book store:


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## Max (Sep 26, 2002)

Science fiction: Larry Niven, John Varley, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Ian M. Banks, Andre Norton, James Herbert, Bruce Sterling, Spider Robinson, William Gibson, James Tiptree Jr. (Alice B. Sheldon), Philip K. Dick, Ursula K. Leguin, Robert Silverberg.

Crime, whodunnits: Ian Rankin, Agatha Christie, Minette Walters. Michael Connelly, John Grisham.

Other: Joe Heller, John Irving, Norman Mailer, Henry Miller, Anais Nin, John Steinbeck, Margaret Atwood, Robertson Davies, Mordechai Richler, Leonard Cohen, Kurt Vonnegut, James Joyce, (JP) Donleavy, J.D. Salinger, James Baldwin, Gabriel García Márquez, Jean Genet.

Non-fiction: A fair bit of 20th century military history, especially naval warfare and the 2nd World War... Japanese, American, German and British accounts. One stellar example: "Surgeon on Iwo Jima," by James S. Vedder. Another great one: Japanese Destroyer Captain", by Tameichi Hara. Finally, and a gripping one this was: "Sink The Tirpitz,' by Bruce Buckham. 

Also, Vietnam: "Dispatches" by Michael Herr, and A Bright Shining Lie : John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam," by Neil Sheehan.

Books... where would we be without 'em?


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Great mix. Some familiar many new.

Your war books reminded me of "Bodyguard of Lies"....sure changed my view of WWII.  Highly recommended 
Tolands "Rising Sun" I also enjoyed for it's dual views from Japan and the US.

Iain Banks is in a class of his own tho Gene Wolfe has some similarities. I like their language transformations.

David Brins "Uplift" series was very enjoyable as well as the "Final Encyclopedia"..can't recall the author..........Dorsai rule. Selective breeding AND genetic engineering


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## Max (Sep 26, 2002)

I forgot about "Bodyguard"... a good one, too. And yes, I'm a fan of Banks, both his earlier, creepy/gothic stuff from nearly 20 years ago and his modern incarnation as an intelligent, if somewhat uneven, SF writer.

And _- slaps forehead -_ I forgot Gene Wolfe! One of my favourite short stories of all time was his classic "The fifth head of Cerberus." A creepy but mesmerizing meditation on cloning well before cloning became something of a household word. Speaking of creepy, I forgot to mention the eldritch charms of one H.P. Lovecraft... stuff like "The shuttered room" kept me in goosebumps for hours at a time.

Anyway, I first encountered many of my fave SF authors via anthologist Terry Carr, whose annual Best SF paperback tomes I bought from around 1971 through to '84 or so... wonderful stories and a very high calibre of writing over all.

Cheers!


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## Griller (Jan 17, 2002)

A Baby Chocobo


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Goth/Lovecraft.......oh yeah Storm Constantine  ..........strange worlds.
With your tastes you gotta get China Mielville if you haven't already.


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

We have an incredible array of books. I have shelves of history / military history, and fiction of all sorts.

I have a deep need to read and simply cannot get enough of it.

Currently on my bedside table
Europe since Napoleon, David Thomson
The Brand Gap, Marty Neumeir
How to Practice the way to a meaningful life, Dalai Lama
OS X Missing Manual, Panther
A volume of Neruda
The Screwtape Letters, CS Lewis

Currently I am short on fiction and this weekend will visit the library for something new or plunge into our own collection for a re-read.


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

Delve into the shelves for a re read. 

I will buy books for their 'presence' and not read them for a long time. Then, in those times of need, I can go to my bookshelf and find something that I haven't read, or pick something I have read. My choice. 

I love bargain book stores. I can buy TONS of interesting books and stick 'em on the shelf only to be found weeks, months, years later. Like a treasure trove. 

There was a used book store that went out of business recently and they were selling everything for a quarter. Load em up! 
I can't even remember what I got. Then I strategically placed them on my shelves, and next time I am looking for soemthing different to read, I'll find something new.


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

> Also, Vietnam: "Dispatches" by Michael Herr


Max, I'm glad you mentioned that book. I'm so fond of Dispatches that I pick it up and reread it constantly. It's a fairly short read, but so unique. I've finally found a hardcover version to treasure.

-H


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

I just have to mention a book about New York homicide detectives named "Close Pursuit" written by Canadian author, Carsten Stroud.
I've never read any other non-fiction law enforcement writing as good as this book, and I highly recommend it. Not for the squeamish though... Carsten was allowed access into the NYPD homicide division, and he paints quite a picture with his excellent writing style.

-H


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## Max (Sep 26, 2002)

Gwillikers: yeah, "Dispatches" was the first and only book I've read that came from the grunts on the ground. These were people who had visions seared into their memories, folks who weren't inclined to sugar-coat or abstract things. It really shook me up and I too have picked it up from time to time to read a few passages. Some are quite harrowing. I can never forget the unit that ran across the Vietnamese peasant and his daughter. Mind-blowing stuff.

Thanks for the tip on Carsten Stroud. I was reading somewhere else about this writer and his books... must go looking for a few. I was a real Joe Wambaugh fan back in the seventies and early 80s... stuff like "The Choirboys" and "The Onion Field" were excellent windows into a world I personally know precious little about. It wasn't literature by any means, but it was almost always very entertaining. 

Uh-oh! Better haul my @ss off to work. Great thread going here... see ya!


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

bopeep

Have to laugh: your entire post, beginning



> Delve into the shelves for a re read.


..is exactly what I do. I often buy books because I know I will want to read them and the bargain is too good to pass up. I love the look and feel of books parked on the shelves, or piles in corners, waiting their turn.


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## K_OS (Dec 13, 2002)

Currrently on my bookshelf

JRR Tolkien: Lord Of The Rings
JRR Tolkien: The Hobbit
Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho: By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept
Paulo Coelho: Veronika Decides to Die
Paulo Coelho: The Devil and Miss Prym
Paulo Coelho: Fathers, Sons and Grandsons(this one is in Portuguese only there is no english version yet)
Mark Twain: Mark Twain Unabridged Leatherbound (Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Connecticut Yankee In King Arthurs Court)
Herman Melville: Moby Dick
Miguel Cervantes: Don Quixote
Isaac Asimov: Gold
Isaac Asimov: Nightfall
Isaac Asimov: Caves of Steel
Isaac Asimov: The Naked Sun
Isaac Asimov: The Robots of Dawn
Isaac Asimov: I, Robot

but a few that I can remember right now off the top of my head.


----------



## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

K OS, if you like sci fi a cool book is Neal Stephenson's 'Snow Crash' 
or KW Jeter's 'Noir' 

oooo... I just found George Orwell's '1984'. Forgot I had that. 

My little treasure trove









Just finishing Everville by Clive Barker. I think I'll leave him for a while. Kind of a strange read his stuff is. Lots of characters and strangely named places [translate - hard to pronounce/read]. Need to give my imagination a break. Perhaps an Agatha Christie or something simple.


----------



## james_squared (May 3, 2002)

Hello,

Let's see hear. At work I have two large bookshelves full of economics textbooks - micro theory, macro theory, environmental, labour, and mathematical economics. I also have a bunch of books about management science, decision analysis, statistics, algebra, calculus, and more. Those damn publishers just keep sending me books. Some of them are still shrink wrapped.

At home there are lots of textbooks about geography and environmental studies. These are mostly my wife's books.

My leisure reading includes mostly the National Geographic magazine. I have a few Simpsons books, a Tick book, and a few other 'animated adventure' books.

A neat book at home is Eats, Shoots and Leaves, which is an amusing book about punctuation. Another one is Santa's Twin by Dean Koontz. It's perfect for the Holidays.

I have a few other noteworthy books, but I cannot remember them at right now. I'm at work. I'm not working, but I'm at work.

James


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## vacuvox (Sep 5, 2003)

Eats Shoots and Leaves - unputdownable!

gwillikers - another book I read a while ago along the same lines, "Victims" or "the Victims" - about the murder of a white woman and prosecution of a black man that resulted in suspects' rights legislation being introduced in the US. Can't remember the author though.


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## tedj (Sep 9, 2004)

okay, I've already read it, but... who out there is reading "Kitchen Confidential"? That has to be an all-time favorite for anyone who has worked "in the industry"...


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## MBD (Sep 1, 2003)

Because I don't have enough time to read, I also listen to audiobooks. I'm listening to Hilary Clinton's _Living History_ (read by the author) - I love Audible but I'm also reading a book called the _Nuremberg Interviews_ where an American psychologist interviewed Nazis imprisoned at Nuremberg during their trials. It's very interesting. Also shocking that I had the same taste in music, art and philosophy as one of the Nazis sentenced to hang (I'm sure we would have differed on his misogynist views not to mention his anti-semitic views, though he claimed not to be an anti-semite).

At the same time, I'm also reading _The Art Of Happiness At Work_ by the Dalai Lama, Madeline Albright's Autobiography, a book about trilobites called _Trilobite!_ (I think I bought it because the exclamation point was priceless - as if there is a sense of urgency to the trilobite: Trilobite! Move On! The Permian is coming!







That goes out to all the paleontologists in the house!









AND I'm also reading about Augustus and re-reading Al Franken's book _Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them_


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

> Eats Shoots and Leaves - unputdownable!


Damn vacuvox, that's a book about punctuation! Is that a hint, or am I missing something?









I did a search for "Victims" on Amazon.ca, but there were a million hits. Let me know if you remember the author.

-H


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## gwillikers (Jun 19, 2003)

> Thanks for the tip on Carsten Stroud.


He's got some novels that are good (ie: Snipers Moon) but not nearly as good as his non-fiction. Close Pursuit is his very best IMHO. He even wrote a book on the Canadian justice system, a good read now that I think of it. He also spent time with various Canadian police forces, which he spun into the book, The Blue Wall.

I guess I'm a fan.  

-H


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

I had never haeard of 'Eats shoots and leaves' so i clicked the link and read the excerpt. Excellent stuff. I have always thought that a poor grammar sticker would be cool. Sort of like the Mr. Yuck sticker we had as kids [ Imight be dating myself a bit there]. 

Fodder for those of you who care: 
I got an instant message from my friend's 15 year old son. He is home schooled. 
The message said: 
'I hope your reddy for haloween' [sic]

ARRRGGGHHHH.... 

I'm not the biggest fan of the public school system, but that's really bad. 

Oh, her 16 year old son JUST started Real school this year and I am now going to be tutoring him in Music theory. 

Thumbed through a cool reference book on livestock guardian dogs yesterday. Very enlightening, and nice to see that the authors leaned toward my breed of choice. The Akbash. Has anyone seen livestock guardian dogs at work? It's really very cool. It seems like they are the laziest employees of all time, but amazingly the death due to predation has gone from 15 lambs last year [with a llama on duty] to 0 this year [with llama and Akbash on duty] 

There was a whole chapter dedicated to this phenomenon. I think it was called 'My Dog isn't working' or something like that. 

Cheers
Bo


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

My reading, usually a book a week or more, has taken on the form of "recreational reading" lately.

To that end I am a huge fan of Elmore Leonard with books like Get Shorty, Fletch and Maximum Bob.

I also am a sucker for Robert B. Parker's series of "Spenser"books. 

Both writers have a fast pace and use humour to the point that my giggle meter is "off the dial".

Cheers


----------



## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Sinc, if you want to have your recalibrated "giggle meter" go totally "off the dial", try reading Bill Cosby's "Fatherhood".


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Dr. G., that is one book I have read and found very amusing, even though I was never a Cosby fan per se.

Give me Art Linkletter any day over Cosby as host of "Kids Say The Darndest Things". 

Cosby's style of humour did not work that well with kids, save a few. Linkletter on the other hand never used that arrogant style of comedy Cosby used as a trademark all too often.

Cheers


----------



## SkyHook (Jan 23, 2001)

.


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

If any of you enjoy history I happily recommend a volume I have just finished reading:
"The Bounty: The true story of the mutiny on the Bounty" by Caroline Alexander.

The author went back to original documents and eye witness accounts. She also delves into some of the political and social influences that shaped the common view of what happened.

A real adventure and well written. 
Bounty


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

A question for you all, which is a slight diversion from the main topic:

When do you read?

This interests me as I have a need to read, yet with a demanding career, (I form and manage teams to assist companies that are struggling) family & home to manage my reading has suffered a bit in recent years. I read constantly for work, but here I am referring to reading for pleasure and interest.

I grab some reading early in the morning. Some years back I started getting up an hour earlier to gain some "me" time. This helped me focus on my family the rest of the day. So I exercise and read.

At work I take about 30 minutes of my lunch time to read stuff not related to work.

Then some evenings I grab a bit of time. It's at the weekends that I have the most opportunity to steal a whole clean hour of reading pleasure.

[ October 31, 2004, 08:44 AM: Message edited by: Pelao ]


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

I set aside an hour each evening before bed to read.

I also read for a half hour right after lunch. 

There are also a collection of magazines and books in my bathroom.  

Cheers


----------



## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

Maybe we need a sub-thread: What''s on your bathroom bookshelf?

Yesterday my kid had some poetry homework. I dug out one of the poetry compilations that was part of my high school years: "A Choice of Poets". Haven't touched it in years. Sat on the floor and managed to get lost in some poetry and associated memories.

For me, many books contain experience and expression and memory well beyond the words within.

[ November 01, 2004, 08:50 PM: Message edited by: Pelao ]


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

I'm not a bathroom reader. I tend not to ahem... uh... 
linger.... in the bathroom. 
Pelao, 

Sitting on the floor lost in reverie. I can picture it.. it has happened to me on several occasions.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Read  Anywhere, anytime, every spare minute.
Nothing better than a leisurely meal with a good book.

Bathroom tends to be mags - Discover etc.

Before bed is almost 100% as I don't sleep that well if I don't fall asleep reading.
I have a book or mag generally with me always - pick up my kids - read a few minutes.  
Love it love it love it


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

Another childhood favorite: "The little prince" 

Something I saw reminded me of it the other day. Can't remember what though.


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## SkyHook (Jan 23, 2001)

.


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

Just picked up "A perfect Spy, by John le Carre" yesterday and am firmly entrenched in it. 

I've heard good and bad about it, but decided to give it a go and make my own decision, though, no one has told me it's like a spaghetti western. Well, not yet anyway. 

Cheers
Bo


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## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

Here is one for you. Just picked up Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. I'll let you know how it ends in a couple of weeks. 

Love reading about evolution and natural selection so I thought it was about time to get to the base of the pyramid.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Carex, I think that man wins, Nature loses, and giraffes, dachshunds and manatees are still considered freaks of nature.


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## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

Ahh, but the process of arriving at the daschund and the giraffe/manatee are different. 

I agree though, man wins unfortunately. WE have modified the planet at the expense of other animals.


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## MBD (Sep 1, 2003)

> and giraffes, dachshunds and manatees are still considered freaks of nature.


Along with Pangolins (so cute)

EDIT: Oh! and pretty much everything from the cambrian explosion!


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Carex, re your comment that "WE have modified the planet at the expense of other animals", the use of the word "modified" puts it very mildly, as in "a doxie bite might modify your ankle". I recall reading "Silent Spring" when it first came out and being shocked at the damage we had done back then to parts of the earth. Today.................


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

> Just picked up Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. I'll let you know how it ends in a couple of weeks.


Carex, I don't want to spoil the ending for you, so please don't look in the mirror for a couple of weeks!

Cheers


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Sinc, are you calling Carex a "bird brain".......or something else "bird-like"???    

"However this may be, I have given in my Descent of Man instances of closely-allied birds inhabiting distinct countries, of which the young and the females cannot be distinguished, whilst the adult males differ considerably, and this may be attributed with much probability to the action of sexual selection."

THE END .


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## MrVermin (Jul 26, 2002)

Just a small sampling of what I have on my bookshelf...

Jack Chalker:
- Midnight at the Well of Souls
- Exiles at the Well of Souls
- Quest for the Well of Souls
- The Return of Nathan Brazil
- Twilight at the Well of Souls
- The Sea is Full of Stars
- Ghost of the Well of Souls
- Echoes of the Well of Souls
- Shadow of the Well of Souls
- Gods of the Well of Souls
- Lilith: A Snake in the Grass
- Cerberus: A Wolf in the Fold
- Charon: A Dragon at the Gate
- Medusa: A Tiger by the Tail

Alan Dean Foster:
- Nor Crystal Tears
- For Love of Mother Not
- The Tar-Aiym-Krang
- Orphan Star
- The end of the Matter
- Bloodhype
- Flinx in Flux
- Mid-Flinx
- Reunion
- Flinx's Folly
- Icerigger
- Mission to Moulokin
- The Deluge Drivers
- Midworld
- Cachalot
- The Howling Stones
- Sentences to Prism
- Darkstar
- Phylogenesis
- Dirge
- Diuturnity's Dawn
- Drowning World
- Book One: A Call to Arms
- Book Two: The False Mirror
- Book Three: The Spoils of War

Harry Turtledove:
- Worldwar: In the Balance
- Worldwar: Tilting the Balance
- Worldwar: Upsetting the Balance
- Worldwar: Striking the Balance
- Colonization: Second Contact
- Colonization: Down to Earth
- Colonization: Aftershocks

S. Andrew Swan:
- Forests of the Night
- Emperors of the Twilight
- Specters of the Dawn
- Fearfull Symmetries

Brian Jacques:
- Redwall
- Mossflower
- Mattimeo
- Mariel of Redwall
- Salamandastron
- Martin the Warrior
- The Bellmaker
- Outcasts of Redwall
- Pearls of Lutra
- The Long Patrol
- Marlfox
- The Legend of Luke
- Lord Brocktree
- Taggerung
- Triss
- Loamhedge

If I have more time I'll post the rest...









MrVermin


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

Touching on evolution this months Nat'l Geo is just terrific.

I'm still in Clinton's bio and and learning a hell of a lot about American politics.
Excellent book, highly recommended. You sure as hell can see the current split coming a ways back.


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## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

Dr.G. Yes modified is a euphemism but what to use in its place... f***ed up?? 

If dinosaurs became birds I'll take bird brain. Perhaps we descended from toads.

Just picked up another David Guterson novel "Our Lady of the Forest".


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## Cynical Critic (Sep 2, 2002)

While in New Zealand I read Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Nearly Everything" and found it fascinating. He surveys the process of scientific discovery through different fields from past to present through the people who made discoveries (or nearly did).

It still surprises me how bumbling and random the process of human science and discovery can be. I think groping in the dark is be an apt metaphor.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

"Groping in the dark"







.....hmm can't say I've heard that applied to SCIENCE before........other pleasurable activities perhaps.









Bryson is indeed a funny writer - read his Australian travelogue learned and laughed a lot.


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## Cynical Critic (Sep 2, 2002)

Suggestive word choice intended, MacDoc. I wanted to go for a sort of blindness with a purpose. Plus having other connotations is good too.


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## Gretchen (Aug 16, 2004)

'nough said...  It's hilarious.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

My wife gave me "Guns, Germs and Steel -- The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared Diamond. It covers 13,000 years of human history, and how civilizations rose and fell.


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## SINC (Feb 16, 2001)

Sounds like it could be just a touch longer than reading the entire "Shang" thread?

Cheers


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## Chipper (Aug 31, 2004)

Just finished Angels & Demons by Dan Brown and am about to indulge in the illustrated hardcover version of The Da Vinci Code. I read Digital Fortress awhile back.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

I'm part way through it as well Dr. G tho the Clinton book is top drawer at the moment.
GGS is fascinating - what an overview and what an eclectic mind to pull it all together.  
Highly recommended to anyone interested in the deep roots of human culture and conflict


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Macdoc, I would find it difficult to read both of those books at the same time. Complex books, for me, require my undivided attention.

Sinc, The Shang thread is light reading compared to this book.


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## Rob (Sep 14, 2002)

Just finished "Bucking the Sarge" by Christopher Paul Curtis. He's from Flint Michigan, but has called Windsor home for several years now. I enjoyed it, but I liked his first book "The Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963" better.

His stories are full of humour, but there is a dark undercurrent always lurking below the surface.

The Watsons.. was terrific since it is a story everyone can relate to. The details may be different but the human condition is the same.

Bucking the Sarge has some of the same appeal, but a few of the characters are just too over the top. It's a good read nonetheless.


----------



## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

My light reading right now is "The secret life of Dogs' I know I know, but one of my hobbies is animal behaviour, better than TV watching the animules. 

Anyway, the author, NOT a dog trainer but does sled racing with her huskies, decided to document the behaviours of her pack of dogs. Very interesting to find someone else who has observed love [ monogamous love], rape, hate and a variety of emotions in canids. 
She tells the stories well, and the book is far from boring. 

Some of the stuff she lets her dogs get away with really offends me as a trainer, but who am I to judge?









Cheers
Bo


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## Fink-Nottle (Feb 25, 2001)

Hi Dr G.,

'Guns, Germs & Steel' is an excellent book. Although it covers some complex topics it is not a tough read and it's very thought provoking.

My own bookshelf: I just finished 'The Grapes of Wrath' and as a pick me up, I'm now on 'Summer Lightning', one of the Blandings books by PG Wodehouse. It's very funny.

Cheers!


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

FN, I agree with your analysis pertaining to "Guns, Germs & Steel" in that it "...is an excellent book. Although it covers some complex topics it is not a tough read and it's very thought provoking."

As for "The Grapes of Wrath", Steinbeck is my favorite author and this is my favorite Steinbeck book.


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

I loved 'Grapes' when I was young. I haven't read it in years. 

Thanks for the flashback!


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

Try reading it again through the eyes/experiences of an adult, and you will experience a totally different perspective and interpretation.


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

That sounds like a challenge to me Doc. 

I just might do that. There is a cool used bookstore in Guelph, or is it Kitchener - no matter - I will go there one day and spend a few hours. 

Cheers
Bo


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

The two books actually compliment each other GGG is an underpinning for Clinton's tome.
His is quite a remarkable story of a rise from "so poor you don't know you're poor" to highest office and worldwide academic success and acclaim.
The support of the other state governors and his successes in Arkansas with education and medical clinics are microsms of the current battle going on at the federal level.
More than ever I'm convinced it will be up to the individual states to offset the current federal policies.
It also clearly points out that with populatin demographics the Dems real strategy likely must be a popular souther candidate with a good track record at the state level.
Edwards was far too light weight and Kerry far too Yankee yet the latter was good enough to make it close.

How about Arnie's "radical centrism" with Colin Powell as a running mate in 2008.
How much more "American" could you get.
Immigrant success and a talent that rises above the racism that still exists.
Even I could live with that ticket.








Why am I NOT hopeful.


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## MBD (Sep 1, 2003)

Dr G - thanks for reminding me about _Guns, Germs and Steel_. This will make a good Xmas present (and I'm out of ideas so every little bit counts ). I have heard it is very very good.

My insane ecclectic reading continues: _The Nuremburg Interviews_ - these are interviews by Goldensohn, an American psychologist who interviewed the Nazis imprisoned in Nuremburg during the trials. It's very interesting. I'm also re-reading (well the first time was an Audible book) _Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them_ - I'm a big Al Franken fan since the Stuart days.







. I'm also still reading Madeline Albright's biography, _Eats, Shoots and Leaves_ (on and off), a work by the Dalai Lama and I hope to get to my book called _Trilobite!_ - I really just bought it for the exclamation point because it just cracks me up when used with the word _trilobite_. I'd like to get to finish Stephen Jay Gould's _Wonderful Life_ which I keep reading on & off (Gould is my favourite non-Canadian who I still miss). Also reading a really well written and quite accurate book on Caesar Augustus (my favourite emperor).

I think I have issues with just reading one thing at a time. Also, looking at that list I think I'm a bit of a freak (except for the trilobite book because, come on - an exclamation point! That's just funny).  

Let's see where I am with the books the next time this topic comes up. I bet I'll still be reading the same ones except I'll have a new tacked on. Yeah. Issues.


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## MacDoc (Nov 3, 2001)

MBD - have you read *Bodyguard of Lies*.
Awesome WWII book and would be a reall good twofer with Nuremburg.


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## MBD (Sep 1, 2003)

MacDoc - no I haven't read that - I'll have to check it out!


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## Willem (Oct 4, 2004)

Thanks to Sergio Leone, indirectly, I am 160 pages deep into this book: fascinating reading.










The fact that I know how it's all going to end doesn't really make it less suspenseful. If anything (and that is what good history writing does), it makes me understand better what is happening in the world today. Comforting, in a way, to know that today's government-organised deception, military invasions, oppression, genocide and bloodshed etc etc are merely the continuation of a centuries old tradition. And here I was, thinking it all came out of the blue just like that, on a quiet morning in August 1945.

Can anyone recommend a book that has a similar approach to Canadian history, i.e. going beyond official and received textbook versions of history? Thanks!


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## Rob (Sep 14, 2002)

Willem,

If you're looking for the "behind the scenes" stories from Canadian History, you can't do much better than Pierre Berton. 

Link to Some Canadian History by Pierre Berton


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## Willem (Oct 4, 2004)

Thanks, Rob, for the suggestion. I'll have a look at the titles on the page you linked.
I think I need to read a general history of Canada first, though, not having been through school here. So far, I have only read Canadian History for Dummies by Will Ferguson. OK for a quick overview, but not very deep.


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## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

Just picked up a copy of "Our Lady of the Forest" by David Guterson, one of my favorite authors.


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## sketch (Sep 10, 2004)

You all may like this site, Bookcrossing. It's all about people leaving books behind for strangers to pick up. The books' travels are traced online!

I'm a hardcore Harry Potter fan and always coming up with theories of what can happen in the upcoming books.

Another book I read and re-read way too many times is "The Cuckoo's Egg" by Cliff Stoll. It's a true story about how the author tracked a spy on the Internet back in 1987. It's incredibly gripping!

My bookshelf contains a variety of subjects which I think don't normally go together: Abba (I can't help it, their music is really catchy), weightlifting (I'm also a gym nut), Calvin & Hobbes collections, Bloon County/Outland collections, a few science books, some french books (to improve my French), even an Italian version of one of Adamski's books, and Web/print/cartoon design and PHP and Java books up the ying yang. There's a book I found called "Camp X" which is about an uber-secret army base in Oshawa from World War II where they trained spies.

I also like used book stores and came across an intersting paperback called "What if the Moon Did Not Exist?". Each chapter is a question like "What if we had 2 suns?" or "What if the Earth rotated slower or faster?" answered by the author (well, his own theories).


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

Just started "The Western Lands" by William S Burroughs. Excellent.

Cover & first few pages.


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## bopeep (Jun 7, 2004)

I am thoroughly enjoying 'A Perfect Spy' . It took a bit of getting used to though. The narratore refers to himself in the first person and the third person. If he is discussing things in the present he uses first person, in the past third person. 

Bo


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## ErnstNL (Apr 12, 2003)

Just finished reading "Fast Food Nation". FASCINATING analysis of the industry. It won't stop me from eating at McD's and Wendy's though. 
mmmmBeef

My next book is Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them"

On my bedside table is Tom Clancy's non-fiction:
"Submarine", "Armored Cav" and "Flying Wing" I like his no-nonsense style.


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## Dr.G. (Aug 4, 2001)

ErnstNL, you might want to watch "Super Size Me" if you want to reconsider your fast food menu.

You should love Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them". It makes one stop and think.


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## gordguide (Jan 13, 2001)

Dr G:
" ... You should love Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them". It makes one stop and think. ..."

Have you read his previous book; "Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Liar" ?


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

I am re-reading William Shirer's Rise & Fall of the Third Reich.

I decided to read it again because my kid is studying extremism, totalitarian regimes etc. We have been discussing how easily rights and freedoms can slip away. If some forces try to take them away there will often be a fight. But gradual, determined undermining of rights can happen anywhere, anytime.

An excellent read, and useful for me at this time as a reminder of the freedoms we have, and how quickly they can slip away.

Rise & Fall of the 3rd Reich


----------



## The Doug (Jun 14, 2003)

Why Cats Paint: A Theory Of Feline Aesthetics  

Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine


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## robert (Sep 26, 2002)

Wow, what a lot of back reading I have to do.
My problem isn't what is on the bookshelf, rather that I need some new ones! Anybody have any recommendations for a large bookshelf to hold paperbacks? 6"-8" deep would be perfect.
I am stuck in a rut of reading 19th and early 20th century art magazines and how to books, Napoleonic battles stuff, computer how to books and childrens board books too my daughter. (she likes hearing about panther  )
The last fiction I read was Barney's Version.
It was painful to read. I am not a great fan of reading about self distructive people. (Maybe because I was one?)
Anyway, an excellent book that I whole heartily recommend.
Robert


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## ErnstNL (Apr 12, 2003)

Dr G., 
Supersize Me is on my list to watch in the coming weeks. 
I've liked Al Franken since he was a regular on SNL.
Al Franken is great. Very dry. Now I want to read Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Liar. 

We only eat junk foods once every 2 weeks. On payday we go for whatever is on the way home, McD, Wendy's, A&W, Ches's, Extreme Pita, Subway.... Even Dominion store made Sushi! It varies.


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## Pelao (Oct 2, 2003)

Some nice reading over the holidays from O'Brian's Aubrey / Maturin novels. I had forgotton the wonderful language and detail of these tales. I received the complete set as a gift:

http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/AS...90443/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_3_1/701-7794173-3238710


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

Currently reading two dry but interesting history books. "A Brief History of the Moghuls" and "A Brief History of India".

As the tsunami hit it came to mind from my reading that besides the loss of human life we may also be loosing some significant historical cultures. The societies in place on some of these islands can be dated back to the earliest of human civilization.


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## Carex (Mar 1, 2004)

Just finished reading Barney's Version by Mordecai Richler. Enjoyable and somewhat auto-biographical perhaps?'

In the midst of reading The Canada Chronicles: A Four Year Hitchhiking Odyssey by Matt Jackson. So far I wouldn't recommend it. Not a very good writer IMHO.


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## autopilot (Dec 2, 2004)

just today finished "paradise news" by david lodge. i highly recommend this author. funny, but not hysterical, very british, entertaining reads.

i've read the david lodge trilogy through a few times. he's got a great style and his characters recur in different books.


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

Finished a Stuart McLean Vinyl Café book while travelling. Nice light read if you like shmarmy, family stuff. I listen to Stuart on the CBC when I can and every time I read him I hear his voice.

The piano teachers in my wife's home town were the topic of one of his stories and a teacher friend of mine got a mention in another. Only one of the mentions was in the latest book.


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## Pamela (Feb 20, 2003)

I love the Vinyl Cafe series Macified. I have only read the Christmas one so far, but I loved it. I think I got through it in two nights...lol. Can you recommend the next best one to get? Is in necessary to read them in order?

Might as well add another book or two to the pile beside my bed....I've got lots of time on my hands now


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## Macified (Sep 18, 2003)

Sorry Pamela, but I don't really know the order of the books. I have two here. One was a Christmas gift years ago and the other was picked up to read while travelling. I don't think it really matters if you read them in order since they really are just a series of vignettes. In the latest book, all of the chapters have been grouped by family member so that you get a bit of a picture of that particular person, but even in this scenario you could read the book out of order and it would still be okay (you loose some pregression but still just independant items).

I have managed to find some mp3s of various "Dave" stories that you can have if you like. Since they are broadcast freely on the CBC I don't mind sharing them. The kids like to listen to them from time to time.


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