What book is everyone reading at the moment?

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CP489 said:
Finished "Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris

Halfway through "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins
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Just curious what you thought of "Letters". I thought it was great, there is one or two sentences where I think overdid it.
 
Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie. I had picked this up at a book sale for 20c and it has been in storage for a while, so I thought it was time to read it.

Rushdie's style is interesting. He uses a combination of first person narrative and third person observation, with comments included from a companion as he reads aloud his work. He sculpts his own words, and scatters hints and clues to the direction the story might take.

What is it about? Two children born on the stroke of midnight as India gains independence, one the son of a poor accordion player, the other from a wealthy family, who are swapped at birth by a midwife hoping to impress her boyfriend . . . and that's as far as I have got.
 
qayak said:
What do you think of this one? I passed up an opportunity to get a copy. Should I change my mind?
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I think it is a pretty entertaining memoir. If you like Robert Smith's writings, judo, and t'ai chi, you'll like it. If you like Bruce Lee, the Gracie family, and Ultimate Fighting, you'll probably hate it.
 
Online books held at the British Library.
http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/ttp/ttpbooks.html
I find it very fascinating, reading these old texts.

Currently I am enjoying this book.
A LANDMARK IN MEDICAL HISTORY
Vesalius's stunning 16th century anatomy



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Just finished David Mitchell's "Cloud Atlas" and I must say it is one of the best books I've read this far! :)

The storyline seemed incoherent at first, but oh no... Six reasoning strands are weaved together over time and space in a very complex way, and that is quite a feat for an author to make believable! I got more and more impressed by the details and the forming of the characters as the book went on. Sometimes it seemed like the language itself became a character! Beautifully written!

It is an amazing look at humanity and our civilization from the perspective of random (or maybe not?) persons lives. I cannot describe it properly (I do not want to destroy the plot!), it has to be read to be propely comprehended! I really recommend it!
 
T'ai Chi said:
I think it is a pretty entertaining memoir. If you like Robert Smith's writings, judo, and t'ai chi, you'll like it. If you like Bruce Lee, the Gracie family, and Ultimate Fighting, you'll probably hate it.
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I have about 70 martial arts books, most of them older.

As for Lee, Gracie and UFC, I like them all for what they are. Lee had some interesting thoughts on a lot of issues, he also had some silly ideas. I really like Royce Gracie's explanation of why he doesn't like time limits in fights but other than that, I don't know too much about the Gracies. Having done some BJJ and with 10 years in karate, I can appreciate the training, dedication and steroids required to be a top contender in NHB fighting. It is fun to watch.

Next time I am in the used book store, I will see if Martial Musings is still there. Thanks for the reply.
 
The Whether Man said:
Midnight's Children, by Salman Rushdie. I had picked this up at a book sale for 20c and it has been in storage for a while, so I thought it was time to read it.

Rushdie's style is interesting. He uses a combination of first person narrative and third person observation, with comments included from a companion as he reads aloud his work. He sculpts his own words, and scatters hints and clues to the direction the story might take.

What is it about? Two children born on the stroke of midnight as India gains independence, one the son of a poor accordion player, the other from a wealthy family, who are swapped at birth by a midwife hoping to impress her boyfriend . . . and that's as far as I have got.
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Ever read Puddinhead Wilson by Mark Twain? "Black" and white kids get switched at birth. An interesting speculation about the question of nature vs nurture. Especially at the time he wrote it.
 
Just finished The Zahir, by Paulo Coelho which was recommended by a student in my class who happens to be from El Salvador. She originally recommended Veronika Decides To Die, by the same author and I liked it enough to buy the second recommendation.

They are both interesting books about life.
 
Read The DaVinci Code and am almost through Freakonomics...I was getting behind on controversial books. Dan Brown's was about what I expected, though the ending left me thinking that all the controversy was a tempest in a teapot by folks that hadn't read the book (typical) and I know better than to trust a work of fiction to define large groups. It has a good pace, but there are too many coincidences, so it felt contrived.

And Freakonomics is...interesting. There are methods of interpreting data that remind me of Asimov's "Foundation". Lots of food for thought on the hazards of swimming pools to the safety of abortion...I'm 3/4 of the way through and will probably check into other's opinions, particularly informed ones.
 
"Comrade Rockstar" an exploration of the life and death of Dean Reed...practically unknown in this country but a "rock-star" ex-pat American behind the Iron Curtain where he was the official face of Rockn'roll in the communist block. A very strange man....
 
Terry Pratchett

Today, I started reading "A Hat Full Of Sky" by Terry Pratchett. My Beloved and I enjoy his books. Hubby loves them so much, we need to buy new copies of his favorites.
 
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