What Are You Reading Now?

[8BR]

Per the "Sir" and "Ma'ma/Ma'am" thread, I read No Country for Old Men last week. Good, quick read. I've watched the movie at least five times, but had never read the book. I really enjoyed the Sheriff's musings in the final chapters and the reveal of his secret, that were not part of the movie. The final monologue set up the imagery for The Road – his father carrying the fire up ahead in the dark night.

On to Inherent Vice.

[dabrockster]

I am 300 pages in on 1776. WOW. What a great book. George Washington seems all alone on an island.. Even those who he trusted must betrayed him in some form or another.. Yet he was confident enough to realize his own mistakes and still entrusted those individuals who bickered about him behind his back....


After this book, it is on to "The Road"..

[woot]

I am 300 pages in on 1776. WOW. What a great book. George Washington seems all alone on an island.. Even those who he trusted must betrayed him in some form or another.. Yet he was confident enough to realize his own mistakes and still entrusted those individuals who bickered about him behind his back....


After this book, it is on to "The Road"..

1776 was just ok for me. He retells the events well, but doesn't bother to provide any framework or sense of the importance of the events. The book basically starts at Jan 1 and "ready go" without giving the reader anything to hang his hat on. I seem like the minority here so maybe I just missed something.

[Art Vandelay]

1776 was just ok for me. He retells the events well, but doesn't bother to provide any framework or sense of the importance of the events. The book basically starts at Jan 1 and "ready go" without giving the reader anything to hang his hat on. I seem like the minority here so maybe I just missed something.

I enjoyed 1776 but agree with Woot, it is more a snapshot than a typical historical account. Interestingly I stumbled across this small primer just this morning.

[dabrockster]

1776 was just ok for me. He retells the events well, but doesn't bother to provide any framework or sense of the importance of the events. The book basically starts at Jan 1 and "ready go" without giving the reader anything to hang his hat on. I seem like the minority here so maybe I just missed something.

I love history and this has been a great learning experience for me.. I will be honest. I am not having a hard time putting the book down, or anxious to begin reading again due to suspense, but over all I am enjoying the historical information and how bad it was looking for the Americans.. Not something I really took the time to read about as a youth..

[Eddie]

I am 300 pages in on 1776. WOW. What a great book. George Washington seems all alone on an island.. Even those who he trusted must betrayed him in some form or another.. Yet he was confident enough to realize his own mistakes and still entrusted those individuals who bickered about him behind his back....


After this book, it is on to "The Road"..

I must admit - I am particularly interested in learning more about Washington. We hear about what an incredible thing it is that there is a peaceful transfer of power after elections in the US. And it is great.

I can't even begin to imagine what that was like the first time - prior to the first election. The British have surrendered and are leaving; George Washington has just won the war for independence. He's got the army with him and everyone seems to love him - and he humbly submits to the Continental Congress. He could've ruled the world, had he wanted to. They convince him to run for President and it seems he couldn't have been happier than to give it up when it was over.

I get the feeling that not many men would've been willing to do that.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I must admit - I am particularly interested in learning more about Washington. We hear about what an incredible thing it is that there is a peaceful transfer of power after elections in the US. And it is great.

I can't even begin to imagine what that was like the first time - prior to the first election. The British have surrendered and are leaving; George Washington has just won the war for independence. He's got the army with him and everyone seems to love him - and he humbly submits to the Continental Congress. He could've ruled the world, had he wanted to. They convince him to run for President and it seems he couldn't have been happier than to give it up when it was over.

I get the feeling that not many men would've been willing to do that.

I enjoyed this bio:

http://www.amazon.com/His-Excellency...5149193&sr=8-1

[Art Vandelay]

I just finished "All the Pretty Horses", unlike "The Road" which I devoured in a single day it took me a couple weeks to meander through. It was ok, but I think I had unrealistic expectations after The Road. Should I read "The Crossing" and the rest of the Border Triology or just skip to "No Country" or "Blood Meridian"?

[old_gregg]

if you didn't atph, you probably won't like the rest of the trilogy so i would skip it. no country is an extremely short read, but prepare to devote a bit of time to really enjoy blood meridian. after reading blood meridian several times, there are still parts that give me the chills to read.

[Flattop]

I must admit - I am particularly interested in learning more about Washington. We hear about what an incredible thing it is that there is a peaceful transfer of power after elections in the US. And it is great.

I can't even begin to imagine what that was like the first time - prior to the first election. The British have surrendered and are leaving; George Washington has just won the war for independence. He's got the army with him and everyone seems to love him - and he humbly submits to the Continental Congress. He could've ruled the world, had he wanted to. They convince him to run for President and it seems he couldn't have been happier than to give it up when it was over.

I get the feeling that not many men would've been willing to do that.

Another biography of Washington:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Washington-Indispensable-James-Thomas-Flexner/dp/0316286168"]Amazon.com: Washington: The Indispensable Man (9780316286169): James Thomas Flexner: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51aDp8CxPaL.@@AMEPARAM@@51aDp8CxPaL[/ame]

[dabrockster]

Finished 1776 (felt like it ended abruptly) last night and started "The Road" this morning on the bus to work..

It already has given me this feeling of dread..

[happyone]

I just finished The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boylen by Alison Weir.

This is book tells the reasons behind the fall of Anne Boylen, Henry VIII's second wife. Weir's contention is that her execution was not at the request of Henry, but was instigated and directed by Thomas Cromwell, the King's first secretary. She agrees that Henry wanted to get rid of her and marry Jane Seymour, but her thesis is that he was looking more at a divorce or annulment ala Catherine of Aragon. Cromwell saw an opportunity to rid himself of a rival and fabricated the adultery and incest charges.

This is a story of power politics medieval style - you lose you die.

A few facts I didn't know before reading this:
- Anne was still offically the Queen when she was beheaded and was the first Queen of England to be executed
- Her purported lovers were all sentenced to drawn, quartered and castrated. That sentence wasn't carried out. It was commuted to beheading.
- Her father and uncle were on the jury that convicted her and voted both voted to convict.

I like Weir's style and find her very readable. If you are interested in English history I would recommend any of her books.

The next book up is David Poyer's new Dan Lenson novel, The Crisis

[Flattop]

Phantom Over Vietnam by John Trotti

A friend asked Trotti one day what it was like to fly the F-4 Phantom in combat. He found himself trying to answer the question the easiest way possible, looking for some way to haul his friend up into the cockpit and take him out on a few missions. The reaction was surprising, and Trotti came to the realization that to many people, the entity in the cockpit is faceless and lifeless -- "some sort of automaton issued at the factory for the purpose of caring for the needs of the machine."

In his book, Trotti puts you in the cockpit and takes you over North Vietnam. But he also gives you a veritable flight manual for the F-4 (he spends 4 chapters and 80 pages on one mission while including a plethora of details about flying a Phantom in combat). He holds your interest as he discusses the political climate and the way it changed from his first tour to his second.

Good book for those interested in aviation.

[happyone]

I finished The Crisis by Poyer. It was average. It is a fictional account of US military in a humanitarian mission in a fictional East African country ala Mozambique(SP).

Next up is Bernard Cornwell's next book in the Saxon Tales series The Burning Land

[dabrockster]

Just finished The Road (Balled like a baby, as a father of an only child, "A Boy", that was heart wrenching... I should not of imagined the story as if it was myself and my son.. BAD IDEA.. I am still trying to digest and overcome the saddness it has given me. I read the last two pages over a few times. Heart breaking to an Nth degree..) Now starting "Day of Infamy".



Question about The Road for those who have read it.

At the end, the writer seemed to put an emphasis on what the other man was wearing. Was there some sort of significance to that? And is he leading you to believe that the little boy he had saw was in fact the same little boy and girl this new man speaks about?


What was your impression of the ending. Did it give you hope to the boy and humanity?