Books: What are you reading tonight? - Page 16

Thomas Newton · #**151** 10-21-2007, 08:07 PM

Cardshark - Darwin Ortiz
Classic card handling, brilliant effects.

Prism - Max Maven
Mentalism. Simulating paranormal phenomenon for entertainment purposes.

jetfish · #**152** 10-22-2007, 04:12 AM

"The Black Swan" and "Blink" got very cursory mentions earlier in the thread, but I think they're worth mentioning again.

Taleb moved me when he wrote "Fooled by Randomness" but I can't imagine it having a profound impact for most people. With "The Black Swan," he's really written a book that can change how people think, and how they reason.

"Blink" I think is noteworthy is a similar fashion, that it can give people a perspective much outside themselves. Gladwell has done a nice job of providing a look 'behind the closed door' of rapid cognition.

Neither book really counts as light reading, but they're both well-worth it for people who pride themselves on being thinkers.

I'll stop before this sounds too much like a sales pitch.

-jet

Danastasio1 · #**153** 10-22-2007, 05:46 AM

Those are terrific and incredibly unique reads Jet, I'd recommend both as well. As for myself, I'm moving on to Zen and the Art of Poker: Timeless Secrets to Transform Your Game. Cardplayer had a writeup on it a few months back and it just arrived in the mail.

govman6767 · #**154** 10-22-2007, 02:34 PM

World War Z- Book about a world wide zombie war.

This is the best book I've read in a loooonnng time.

SoloAJ · #**155** 10-22-2007, 10:25 PM

I finished Freedom Writers Diary finally. I feel a little weird saying this, but for the casual reader, I would honestly say "just see the movie." I think that the movie got a lot of the essence of the book. Obviously the book is incredibly invaluable because you get the students' writing firsthand, but the movie is worth seeing if you can only do one and have a couple hours.

I'm starting Midsummer Night's Dream for class. I've read it a couple times before, but it's nice to get going into Shakespeare again.

govman,

What makes WWZ so good? I have it on my list of things to read, love zombie flicks, and am in the Halloween scare mood. Can you give me a few lines on why I should bump it up my list of books to read?

Danastasio1 · #**156** 10-28-2007, 07:58 PM

Going to try and get through a few Supreme Court books the next few days; Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court by Jan Crawford Greenburg, The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin, The Supreme Court: An Essential History by Peter Charles Hoffer, and Scalia Dissents by Kevin A. Ring.

AJW · #**157** 10-28-2007, 08:38 PM

Tonight and judging by the size of it for many nights to come I will be reading Dune.
Hopefully having seen the so-so movie won’t taint it too much for me.

SoloAJ · #**158** 10-28-2007, 11:39 PM

I finished Midsummer Night's Dream last week. In class we talked a lot about love and how it is played out both in real life and in the play. It made a great segue for watching Before Sunrise tonight. Fantastic play and movie. Yay.

I also have "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" due for Tuesday. I read that today in one sitting. I really only thought it was "okay" but it was enjoyable on enough of a level that I kept reading. It was really interesting to see the narration from such a different tone (the kid is autistic).

Keep reading gents and ladies.

Enrique · #**159** 10-28-2007, 11:57 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Tonight and judging by the size of it for many nights to come I will be reading Dune.
Hopefully having seen the so-so movie won’t taint it too much for me.

[/ QUOTE ]

Dune is awesome. I don't think watching the so-so movie will taint it.

Enrique · #**160** 10-29-2007, 12:00 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Going to try and get through a few Supreme Court books the next few days; Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court by Jan Crawford Greenburg, The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin, The Supreme Court: An Essential History by Peter Charles Hoffer, and Scalia Dissents by Kevin A. Ring.

[/ QUOTE ]

Is this for your own curiosity or for a class?
The other day while procrastinating, I was reading about famous trials. Trials can be very interesting.

Last year I went to a talk given by Sandra Day O'Connor. It was surprising how much work the Justices have to do on a daily basis.