598 replies to this topic

[Sweettuth]

Advertisement:

I wanted to find out everyone is reading? I am currently reading The Omnivore's Dilemma. So far it is a pretty interesting book.

[The Urban Spaceman]

Right now I am reading 2 books.  "Clapton: The Autobiography" by Eric Clapton and a book on MMJ Horticulture by Jorge Cervantes.  We can't talk about growing so I dunno if I can mention the title.
Good thread!
Peace & Love
TUS

[Au_Hunter]

Westering Man, The life of Joseph Walker by Bil Gilbert

Joseph Walker, (1798 -1876) was a frontiersman and while the book is about him, it does also explore the beginnings of westward expansion.

Good reading if you enjoy history.

Unfortunatly, I'm not an avid reader and when medicated, it is much more difficult to remain focused, but it is an easy read and educational. (Research)

[BabyBoomer]

"eat, pray, love" by Elizabeth Gilbert

.

[SubUrban Cowboy]

Sadly nothing.  I just haven't had time, or money for that to pick up a new book.  I did just finish reading some old issues of High Times and Skunk.  Time to find some new reading.

[majnougat]

i've been reading this intense book on relativity by Kogut.  Its kind of a smallish text book that's a tough read, but its interesting nonetheless.  anyone know the details of relativity?

[resipsa]

Just finished Steve Martin's Born Standing Up, which was great. Except for some reason he was working at Disneyland from the age of ten. Didn't know the happiest place on earth hired the littlest people on earth.

[AnyOtherIllness]

At the top of the pile is ANSI Common Lisp by Paul Graham.  Lisp is an old computer programming language, as old as FORTRAN (1958), but still in use, mainly with a reputation for artificial intelligence research.  If you are not a computer science geek, you will not love this book as much as I do.  The best book on Lisp however, has not yet been written.

[AnyOtherIllness]

majnougat said:

i've been reading this intense book on relativity by Kogut.  Its kind of a smallish text book that's a tough read, but its interesting nonetheless.  anyone know the details of relativity?

I know 2 jokes about relativity.

1. Einstein said, a minute sitting on a hot stove seems like an hour.  An hour sitting on a park bench with a pretty girl seems like a minute.  (true story)

2. A philosopher is praying to God and he asks, "God, is it true that to you, a million years seems like a second?"  And God says, "Yes, it is true.  To me a million years is like a second."  And so the philosopher asks, "And God, is it true that to you, a million dollars is like a penny?"  And God says yes, to Him a million dollars is like a penny.  So the philosopher asks, "God, can you give me a million dollars?"  And God says, "Yes I can.  Give me a second..."

[Au_Hunter]

harmreduction2001 said:

I know 2 jokes about relativity.

1. Einstein said, a minute sitting on a hot stove seems like an hour.  An hour sitting on a park bench with a pretty girl seems like a minute.  (true story)

2. A philosopher is praying to God and he asks, "God, is it true that to you, a million years seems like a second?"  And God says, "Yes, it is true.  To me a million years is like a second."  And so the philosopher asks, "And God, is it true that to you, a million dollars is like a penny?"  And God says yes, to Him a million dollars is like a penny.  So the philosopher asks, "God, can you give me a million dollars?"  And God says, "Yes I can.  Give me a second..."

Excellent...:hippie:

[freedom_yes]

I am now reading "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt.  I am about halfway through and it is a pretty good book.  I am home sick :sick: this week so I am able to read a little bit more.

:couch2:

[majnougat]

harmreduction2001 said:

I know 2 jokes about relativity.

1. Einstein said, a minute sitting on a hot stove seems like an hour.  An hour sitting on a park bench with a pretty girl seems like a minute.  (true story)

2. A philosopher is praying to God and he asks, "God, is it true that to you, a million years seems like a second?"  And God says, "Yes, it is true.  To me a million years is like a second."  And so the philosopher asks, "And God, is it true that to you, a million dollars is like a penny?"  And God says yes, to Him a million dollars is like a penny.  So the philosopher asks, "God, can you give me a million dollars?"  And God says, "Yes I can.  Give me a second..."

haha, how awesome.  loved that second one.  The book i was reading was more of a text book, showing how to mathematically solve relativity problems.  But now that it's over and done with i've decided to read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  :whoo:

[redway420]

Should be reading Jose Cervantes on MMJ Horticulture but have mislaid my copy
someplace around here.  These days I mainly scan the net, incessantly and compulsively.

My favorite book is "Millbrook" by Art Kleps. I knew the author and the book's online.

http://palimpsest.st...9/msg00030.html

V/H

[weedtracker]

i am reading a book.. but usally only when im on a plane, im just too busy at home.. ive been reading it for awhile.. not making much progress, like a chapter or two a year. but its a long book and its not a story its critical essay analysis of the city and its architecture so each chapter is pretty independant of the others. but anyway, its a classic, its jane jacobs 'life and death of great american cities'. its very interesting as the things she talks about as being inovative are things that have lead to many of todays cities problems as well as the cities of when it was written (it was written in 1958 i believe).

[redway420]

That's the sort of book I would have read at least a few chapters in had I run across it back then in the sixties, and in the past I've been an avid collector
of books from anywhere and everywhere, but due to lack of floorspace I've
donated much to Tiger Lily Books in Redway. More of a newshound these days
and scan the net for new items, the curse of the generalist.

V/H

[MistaUNGA]

Got Last Train to Memphis for Christmas. EXCELLENT biography of the early career of Elvis Presley.

And I'm still working on Tom Wolfe's "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test"
oooOoOOooo

[The Urban Spaceman]

The Prince by Machiavelli, i'm studying to become a mod!
just kidding guys!
much love
spacey:rapture:

[Historybuff]

I'm currently in the middle of a couple of books.

"Enemy of God" by Bernard Cornwell - This is the second volume of his three volume take on the Arthurian legends.  He is also the author of the long running "Sharpe's" series which was adapted into a television series airing originally on the BBC.  I've read a couple of those, and another trilogy of his focusing on an English Archer during the 100 Years War.  His style is sharp and cohesive, and his characters are both heroic and realistic at the same time.  Cornwell's Arthur is a English warlord, his Merlin is a Druid priest, and his Lancelot is a coward and a prick.  It's all told from the point of view of one of Arthur's best warriors, and the "round table" is treated like a joke.  It's one of the best revisionist takes on the legends that I've read, and yet it still seems familiar.

"Phule's Paradise" by Robert Asprin - I used to really enjoy funny fantasy novels, starting off with Piers Anthony's Xanth series when I was a pre-teenager.  I quickly moved to Asprin's Myth series, which is rife with pop-culture references and good puns.  In my 20's I stopped reading such tripe, but as I age I find that humor is much more important in my reading than I originally thought.  Asprin took several years off from writing due to tax issues, and has only recently begun to revisit his previous series, with very mixed results.  This one is only the second in the "Phule" series, but I have already spotted the tried and true "Asprin" formula, and I'm kind of tired of it already.  

The NEXT Book I'm going to read will be "Small Favor" by Jim Butcher when it arrives in book-stores April 1.  It's the 11th "Dresden Files" book.  After that there's a couple of similar modern day super-natural fantasy series I'd like to get to.

Right now I'm still reading a bunch of fluff, because I can.  Once I get into a teaching credential program I'm sure I'll have to go back to the classics if I want to be able to teach them to secondary school students.

Now I'd like to comment on a few things others have mentioned.

Fully Melted said:

I'm reading "Shibimi" and "Crazyladies of Pearl Street" by Trevanian, the guy who wrote "the eiger sanction". I ove spy and thriller books.

I LOVE Trevanian.  I FINALLY tracked down a copy of "The Eigher Sanction" last year and thoroughly enjoyed it.  I always appreciated the movie, but the book was actually only marginally better.  Trevanian's dry wit is just fantastic.  I've also read "Incident at Twenty-Mile" which I thought was just fantastic as a statement on the death of the Western genre.  Read that book after viewing Unforgiven and you've pretty much got the last word on the 20th Century's view of the Wild-West of the 19th Century.

I also have a great affinity for authors who are more than a bit mysterious or reclusive, ala Pynchon and Salinger.  Prior to his recent death Trevanian could also be viewed in that light, along with the late Jerzy Kosinski.

freedom_yes said:

I am now reading "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt.  I am about halfway through and it is a pretty good book.  I am home sick :sick: this week so I am able to read a little bit more.

:couch2:

Wow, there's a blast from the past, as I read that book when it was first published.  Tartt has a fantastic voice, and is one of the few authors to emerge from the auspices of Bret Easton Ellis and his ilk from the 80's (Ellis was somewhat of a mentor for Tartt).  I know she's got a second book out that I'd like to read at some point, and she's working on her third.

majnougat said:

haha, how awesome.  loved that second one.  The book i was reading was more of a text book, showing how to mathematically solve relativity problems.  But now that it's over and done with i've decided to read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  :whoo:

That's a fine decision, especially if you've never read any Thompson.  F&L should be required reading for everyone at some point.

[norcal_sourD]

Just finished "Songs of the doomed" by Hunter S. Thompson. That guy was a nut, but a brilliant nut! Very interesting take on the last few decades...