What Are You Reading Now?

[PaloAltoCougar]

The Butchering Art. A history of Joseph Lister and his quest to find the cause and cure for surgical infections and then convince the world of the efficacy of his antiseptic methods.

A quick read and interesting to me from a professional perspective. There are so many things that are accepted as routine now that were routinely criticized.

I may put that book in the queue. It's sad that if American physicians had been quicker to adopt Lister's discoveries and recommendations, President Garfield would have survived his assassination attempt and been spared an agonizing death from sepsis due to multiple doctors feeling around his innards with their fingers.

[happyone]

[QUOTE=hostile;1392455]The Butchering Art. A history of Joseph Lister and his quest to find the cause and cure for surgical infections and then convince the world of the efficacy of his antiseptic methods.

A quick read and interesting to me from a professional perspective. There are so many things that are accepted as routine now that were routinely criticized.[/QUOTE

I found the post operative death rate in the London Hospitals astounding - over 90% in some hospitals. I makes my grandparents fear of them a bit more understandable. They truely were somewhere you went to die.

[happyone]

I just started book three of Ken Follett's Century Trilogy, Edge of Eternity

This one opens in 1961 with the Berlin Crisis and supposedly ends with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

[Babs]

My reading group chooses all its books for each year in the preceding December. Next year’s list includes something called “A journey to the heart and soul of the Lone Star State.” I’m not sure what the heart and soul of Texas are, but I don’t want to spend 350 pages reading about it.

[smokymountainrain]

My reading group chooses all its books for each year in the preceding December. Next year’s list includes something called “A journey to the heart and soul of the Lone Star State.” I’m not sure what the heart and soul of Texas are, but I don’t want to spend 350 pages reading about it.

i take two major steps to avoid such issues:

1) don't belong to reading groups

2) don't read books

works with 100% efficacy.

smart people. smh.

[clackamascoug]

I've churned about twenty books this past year.
My top three:

• Bad Blood
• Where the Crawdads Sing
• Tiger Woods

Bad Blood was so outrageous - it's got to be made into a movie.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I decided to try one of the Longmire books by Craig Johnson. The Cold Dish (first one in the series). Dang it, I might be hooked now. I am halfway through book 2 (Death Without Company).

I had low expectations because I tried the TV series and didn't like it much - I thought the acting was terrible. But the dialogue and characters in the book are really well done. And the audible narrator is great.

[SteelBlue]

My reading group chooses all its books for each year in the preceding December. Next year’s list includes something called “A journey to the heart and soul of the Lone Star State.” I’m not sure what the heart and soul of Texas are, but I don’t want to spend 350 pages reading about it.

I hope your journey to that heart and soul of Texas is more interesting than it sounds. We each get 2 picks/year and you announce your choice at the discussion of the book that precedes your month. I really enjoy doing it this way because each pick becomes almost suspenseful. We've had a great 3 year run and are going strong.

[falafel]

I was a reading a Lucas Davenport novel and Lucas mentioned reading a book in the Parker series by Richard Stark. So I thought it would give it a shot. Started The Hunter, which I believe is the first one in the series. Couldn't finish it. Just not that interesting.

[Pelado]

I was a reading a Lucas Davenport novel and Lucas mentioned reading a book in the Parker series by Richard Stark. So I thought it would give it a shot. Started The Hunter, which I believe is the first one in the series. Couldn't finish it. Just not that interesting.

I read your post in the voice of an oldtimer... "I was a readin'..."

[falafel]

I read your post in the voice of an oldtimer... "I was a readin'..."

Makes sense. That's what I was a-doin'.

[happyone]

I just started book three of Ken Follett's Century Trilogy, Edge of Eternity

This one opens in 1961 with the Berlin Crisis and supposedly ends with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

I'm about 150 page in and Mr. Follett hits all the events of 1961 - the first character he introduces is an African-American Harvard trained lawyer about to embark on the Freedom Bus Rides in the Segregated South and gets his arm broken in Alabama during the riots. He later joins Bobby Kennedy's Justice Dept. Another character catches the attention of the STASI and is caught on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall when it goes up just as she is about to defect. A third character is a possible love interest of the first, but catches JFK's eye and becomes one of his many lovers, in Jackie's bed no less - real soap opera stuff.

The US' racial problems seem to be one of the major themes of the novel or at least in the US portions I've read so far. Viet Nam has been mentioned, but it is still aways off.

[LiveCoug]

I'm about 150 page in...

How does it compare to the Kingsbridge books? Similar style?

[falafel]

How does it compare to the Kingsbridge books? Similar style?

I'm reading Kingsbridge book 1 right now, thanks to you. Really like it.

[BigPiney]

I'm reading Kingsbridge book 1 right now, thanks to you. Really like it.

Really liked that book.