What Books Have You Read Recently?

[kerowo]

Have you read anything by Christopher Buckley? He wrote Little Green Men and Thank You for Smoking, both of which are excellent. If you want to step back in time there is always The Hacker Crackdown by Bruce Sterling.

[TheDudeAbides]

I haven't read anything by him - which book do you recommend I read first?

[kerowo]

I don't remember which one I bought first but I bought the second one as soon as I finished the first one. You really can't go wrong with either.

[Triumph36]

[ QUOTE ]
Crime and Punishment was a great read.

P.S. Portnoy's Complaint was gut-bustingly funny. I wonder how well it has aged, though, because at the time it was extremely sexually daring and outrageous. Most of the shock value is probably long gone by now.

[/ QUOTE ]

i don't think so - it's still pretty shocking to read those things in the context of a novel. a narrative like that is difficult to find anywhere.

just finished graham greene's 'the comedians' - i recommend greene highly to anyone who saw and liked 'the third man'.

[Jay.]

Just finished Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer about the everest disaster in 1996.

I had never read any outdoor adventure or climbing books before and thought this book was completely amazing. Probably the best book i've read this year.

[ChipStorm]

They Call Me Naughty Lola: Personal Ads From The London Review Of Books

An absolute gut-splitter. You will die laughing. Examples (Copyright 2006 London Review of Books, just to be safe):

Eager-to-please woman, 36, seeks domineering man to take advantage of her flagging confidence. Tell me I'm pretty, then watch me cling.

Bald, fat, short, and ugly male, 53, seeks short-sighted woman with tremendous sexual appetite.

Mature gentleman, 62, aged well, noble grey looks, fit and active, sound mind and unfazed by the fickle demands of modern society … Damn it, I have to pee again.

Unashamed triumphalist male for the past 46 years. Will I bore you? Probably. Do I care? Probably not.

Bastard. Complete and utter. Whatever you do, don't reply -- you'll only regret it.

I like my women the way I like my kebab. Found by surprise after a drunken night out, and covered in too much tahini. Before long I'll have discarded you on the pavement of life, but until then you're the perfect complement to a perfect evening. Man, 32. Rarely produces winning metaphors.

Romance is dead. So is my mother. Man, 42, inherited wealth.

Save it. Anything you've got to say can be said to my lawyer. But if you're not my ex-wife, why not write to box no. 5377? I enjoy vodka, canasta, evenings in, and cold, cold revenge.

To some, I am a world of temptation. To others, I'm just another cross-dressing pharmacist. Male, 41.

This ad may not be the best lonely heart in the world, nor its author the best-smelling. That's all I have to say. Man, 37.

My finger on the pulse of culture, my ear to the ground of philosophy, my hip in the medical waste bin of Glasgow Royal Infirmary. 14% plastic and counting -- geriatric brainiac and compulsive NHS malingering fool (M, 81), looking for richer, older sex-starved woman on the brink of death to exploit and ruin every replacement operation I've had since 1974. Box no. 7648 (quickly, the clock's ticking, and so is this pacemaker).

7 million is good for me. Most days though I plateau at around 3 million. Any advances? Man with low sperm count (35 -- that's my age) seeks woman in no hurry to see the zygotes divide.

Sinister-looking man with a face that only a mother would love: think of an ageing Portillo with a beard and you have my better-looking twin. Sweetie at heart, though. Nice conversation, great for dimly-lit romantic meals. Better in those Welsh villages where the electricity supply can't be guaranteed. Charitable women to 50 appreciated. Box no. 0364.

My other car is a bike. Eco-friendly bio-diverse M (29). Smells a bit like soil and eats too much soup, but otherwise friendly (you're not seriously going to put that burger in your mouth, are you?).

You're a brunette, 6', long legs, 25-30, intelligent, articulate and drop-dead gorgeous. I, on the other hand, am 4'10", have the looks of Herve Villechaize and carry an odour of wheat. No returns and no refunds at box no. 3321.

Blah blah, whatever. Indifferent woman. Go ahead and write. Box no. 3253. Like I care.

Your stars for today: A pretty Cancerian, 35, will cook you a lovely meal, caress your hair softly, then squeeze every damn penny from your adulterous bank account before slashing the tyres of your Beamer. Let that serve as a warning. Now then, risotto?

Attention male London Review of Books readers: 'Greetings, earthling -- I have come to infest your puny body with legions of my spawn' is no way to begin a reply. Female, 36 -- suspicious of any men declaring themselves to be in possession of a 'great sense of humor.'

I'm just a girl who can't say 'no' (or 'anaesthetist'). Lisping Rodgers and Hammerstein fan, female lecturer in politics (37) WLTM man to 40 for thome enthanted eveningth.

Love is strange -- wait 'til you see my feet. F, 34, wide-fitting Scholl's.

[DJ Sensei]

Currently finishing up A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn.

Its a pretty astounding book, albeit quite long and a bit of a chore to get through. Has caused me to rethink many things about my country, most of them unfortunately negative. Now all I have to do is find a way to fix it, or at least do what I can.

I've had Infinite Jest recommended to me as well, so thats on the docket for sometime soon. I'd also like to read something about the history/current state of Islam, since I don't really know anything about it other than some basic high-school education and current media stereotypes, and I feel like its a pretty important thing to know about at this point. Any recommendations for that?

[RobertJohn]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd also like to read something about the history/current state of Islam

[/ QUOTE ]

You might want to check out professor Bernard Lewis' work on Islamic history (particularly his emphasis on the impact/relationship Islam has had with the West), his book What Went Wrong? is a pretty good primer.

[Shadowrun]

Has anyone read any works by Toni Morrison? I hear very good things about her and would like more input before i decide whether or not to read her books.

[Enrique]

The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl
I got this book as a gift in my birthday back in July. I read the first 300 pages and then stopped because I started reading Freakonomics. Continued reading some other books and I never got back to reading this book. Last week, I found out the author, Matthew Pearl, was coming to my school to give a talk. I decided to read it. This morning I was 110 pages from the end but I didn't have any class, so I finished up before his talk.

The talk was conversational and fun. Learned a lot of the process of publishing and the thoughts of a writer who didn't set up to be a writer (he was studying law when he wrote Dante's Club). I enjoyed the talk a lot and at the end I got an autograph.

The book:
The book was a very fun read. I love Edgar Allan Poe, and I had read some things concerning his death, so a book about this topic seemed a really nice thing to read. The characters were lovely, I specifically liked "Bonjour" (I always seem to like the independent, intelligent, beautiful women in books). I enjoyed the parallels of the story with Poe stories. Really nice read.