What Are You Reading Now?

[filsdepac]

Just got Medium Raw by Bourdain in the mail. Should be a nice casual read.

[eldiente]

taking a cruise next week and planning on two dives

needed an adventure to read so I am appropriately nervous.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Diving-into-Darkness-Story-Survival/dp/0312383940/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1305916830&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Diving into Darkness: A True Story of Death and Survival (9780312383947): Phillip Finch: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41H0jx4zEIL.@@AMEPARAM@@41H0jx4zEIL[/ame]

[BigFatMeanie]

Tolstoy is one of my favorites, but I never finished W&P. I got more than half way through over a few months, but I finally just admitted that I wasn't enjoyed it and put it down. I love the prose, but at some point after the introduction of several hundred characters the reader is supposed to care about, it crosses the line from "epic" to "punishing". I still aim to read more of his stuff eventually.

I enjoyed it and read the whole thing, willingly. Dostoevsky made me see the matrix though - I couldn't finish Crime and Punishment.

[happyone]

This has taken a deep turn - FTR I've never been able to finish any of the great russian authors - I'll have to try again

I finished The Retreat - not bad. It is the story of Operation Typhoon and the Soviet counter attack. It is told mainly from the German POV, but the author does include some Soviet sources.

Jones used personal diaries as well as offical unit records from both the Soviets and Germans to good effect.

If you are interested in the Eastern front in WW II, I would recommend this book.

Some interesting (to me) facts

The German Generals were very aware of Napoleons problems in the retreat from Moscow. Several of them had histories of the the "Grand Armie" with them on the advance.

The German attitude about prisoners was split -some approved of the way they were treated, while others had serious personal reservations - if for no other reason than the effect it would have on Germans taken prisoner

By the end of February 1942 some german regiments were down to less than 100 men and in 16 panzer divisions in Russian there were less than 200 operating tanks. The German High Command rated 6 of the 162 divisions in Russia attack capable.

Currently reading

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Berlin-at-War-Roger-Moorhouse/dp/0465005330/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305985821&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Berlin at War (9780465005338): Roger Moorhouse: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41fpKYOnCCL.@@AMEPARAM@@41fpKYOnCCL[/ame]

[Mormon Red Death]

I am reading "the book of basketball" by bill simmons

I know everyone here thinks he is a hack but I like his writing and the stories from the nba are pretty cool. If you like the nba you will like this book

Sent from my T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide using Tapatalk

[LA Ute]

Still reading Moby Dick, and really enjoying it. I recall reading somewhere that William F. Buckley, after finishing the book as an adult, said he was frightened by the thought that he might have died without reading it. That's what piqued my interest. So far I have not been disappointed.

[Non Sequitur]

Halfway through it, but some of things I've learned so far:

- Chris Berman was a loud, obnoxious boob (that one shocked me. )
- The ESPN workplace was rife with Sexual harassment. Mike Tirico was a scumbag of the highest order.
- Dan Patrick came off as likeable, but insecure.
- Keith Olberman came off as a brilliant wunderind, who was the brains behind the Big Show.

Pretty interesting book if you're like me and was breastfed on SportsCenter the last quarter century.

[happyone]

I finished Berlin at War - interesting. It is a pretty good look at civilian life in Berlin during the war. It starts with the Hitler's Birthday celebration in April of 39 and ends with the Soviet capture of Berlin in May '45. It covers all sorts of things - how the rationing worked, how foriegn workers were treated and there were a lot of them, the removal of the Jews and how some Berliners reacted to that, reaction to the air raids, enterainment, etc. It was a fairly good narrative and a worthwhile read.

Some interesting facts

there were still about 1800 jews living in Berlin at the time of the Soviet capture, more than 55,000 were transported to the east

The author claims that probably only about 1/3 of the residents of Berlin knew what was happening to the Jews, he explains how he comes up with that number and it basically comes down to "I don't want to know".

There was only 1 major air raid on Berlin in 1942 and the major raids didn't start until November 1943, most residents sat the raids out in their cellers and didn't go to gov't provided bomb shelters, which there weren't enough of to go around

The meat ration actually improved in 1943 as the Germans were beaten back in Russia. The Germans killed all the livestock they could get there hands on in occupied Russia and shipped it back to Germany

Currently reading Jeff Shaara's latest novel

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Final-Storm-Novel-War-Pacific/dp/0345497945/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306712433&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: The Final Storm: A Novel of the War in the Pacific (9780345497949): Jeff Shaara: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513qKFRXB5L.@@AMEPARAM@@513qKFRXB5L[/ame]

This one is about Okinawa and the dropping of the atomic bombs.

[happyone]

Finished The Final Storm if you've read anything by Shaara, you won't be surprised at the way the book is put together. He really has his template down pat - looking at war from both a high command level and from the private/jr officer's eye view. That said I really enjoyed it.

This is the story of the invasion of Okinawa and the dropping of the Atomic Bombs. The general officers he gives the kindest treatment to are Nimitz and the Japanese commander on Okinawa - Ushijima. Nimitz comes across as a kindly grandfatherly type and Ushijima as one who is just trying to do his duty - bleed the Americans white and delay the Americans as long as possible. Many of his senior officers oppose his tactics. They want to go out in a glorious Banzai charge. He also paints a pretty kind portrait of Paul Tibbits. Gens LeMay and Buckner come across as egotistical jerks.

His Marine's eyeview character is a marine infantryman in one of the 6th Marine Division's regiments. I think Shaara paints him in a realistic and fascinating way.

Shaara tells the story of Hiroshima is through the eyes of a local doctor who survives the blast on the Japanese side and on the American side, Paul Tibbets.

I whole heartedly recommend this to anyone interested in WW II or just a good read.

I am taking a break from WW II for at least a couple of books. Currently reading Margaret George's new novel on Elizabeth I

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Elizabeth-I-Novel-Margaret-George/dp/0670022535/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1307121796&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Elizabeth I: A Novel (9780670022533): Margaret George: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51gRo3Zm53L.@@AMEPARAM@@51gRo3Zm53L[/ame]

[Northwestcoug]

I enjoyed it and read the whole thing, willingly. Dostoevsky made me see the matrix though - I couldn't finish Crime and Punishment.

I couldn't finish it either. Got about a third of the way through.

Right now I'm reading "Creatures of Light and Darkness" by Roger Zelazny. I'm a HUGE Zelazny homer. I've read a lot of his stuff, mostly his fantasy side. He was a great storyteller. A lot of his works dealt with the perception of reality. I swear "Inception" was influenced by his "Dream Master" book. He also had a knack for adding on several cultural myths.

Not sure if anyone here would pick up one of his books after my recommendation. But if you like fantasy, you can't go wrong with the Amber series. A little dated (the series spanned 70-80s), but it's an engaging read.

[Flattop]

This Hallowed Ground by Bruce Catton.

My mass market paperback copy does not have a subtitle, but a google search reveals that the hardcover edition had the subtitle "The Story of the Union Side of the Civil War." That would be an apt subtitle as this book tells primarily the northern experience of the war.

First published in the mid 1950s, the book was labeled the best single volume history of the American Civil War. Perhaps it was, back then, but with the southern experience untold it cannot be comprehensive. Additionally, at 448 pages in hardcover (495 pages in mass market paperback), it seems to be more of a sketch of the war than a detailed history.

On the other had, Catton might be better in a single volume than in three. An issue I have had in the past with Catton is that he often spends time on what, at least to me, appears to be peripheral issues and events, thus detracting from the primary issues and events. I sometimes have found myself asking "Why is he telling me about this?" Soon enough, however, Catton arrives at the primary stuff and wows you with his treatment of them. In particular, Catton's descriptions of the battles in his Army of the Potomac trilogy are fantastic. With the space limitations of the single volume, the battle descriptions are less detailed but still very good.

Those who read a lot of books about the Civil War may find This Hallowed Ground to be worth reading. Those who only read one or just a few books on the ACW would probably be better served by reading McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom.

[eldiente]

The Bricklayer

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/The-Bricklayer-A-Novel/dp/B00362DVTG/ref=tmm_aud_title_0?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&qid=13 07470683&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: The Bricklayer: A Novel (Audible Audio Edition): Noah Boyd, Michael McConnohie: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mQu%2BfIExL.@@AMEPARAM@@51mQu%2BfIExL[/ame]

Just listened to this over the weekend. An FBI mystery / thriller using a main character who uses brains over braun to solve the problems. I guessed early on who the real culprit might be, then wondered if I might be wrong towards the very end.

Pleasant suprised to have encountered no lewd or vulgar language even though the plot involves murder and romance.

[Donuthole]

Halfway through it, but some of things I've learned so far:

- Chris Berman was a loud, obnoxious boob (that one shocked me. )
- The ESPN workplace was rife with Sexual harassment. Mike Tirico was a scumbag of the highest order.
- Dan Patrick came off as likeable, but insecure.
- Keith Olberman came off as a brilliant wunderind, who was the brains behind the Big Show.

Pretty interesting book if you're like me and was breastfed on SportsCenter the last quarter century.

This is on my shortlist. I just listened to the Bill Simmons postcast with Miller and I'm excited to read this.

[Colly Wolly]

I'm finishing up Too Big Too Fail, which has been very good so far, and I'm getting ready to start Ayn Rand and the World She Made.

Has anyone read this book? My dad got this for me for Christmas, and there is a little bit of significance behind this. My dad is the one who recommended The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged - two books that have contributed to some of what I would call my moderate disenfranchisement with the Church.

My dad read Rand before joining the Church, and cites those books as two of the most important and influential books that he read as a college student in shaping his socio-economic views. He was an undergrad at Oregon in the late 60's, and his negative experiences with some of his professors at that time helped plant the seeds of libertarianism and conservatism. He found Rand in his search for the arguments to counter what he was surrounded with on campus. He joined the Church in the Air Force after college.

Anyway, I think he is now grappling with the fact that two of his book recommendations have contributed to my increasing skepticism of the Church, so he got me this book in the hopes that it would swing the pendelum the other way. It is supposed to be a fair depiction of Rand as a brilliant thinker with a troubled and unusual personal life. Someone ultimately unable in reality to surround herself with the heroes she depicted in her works and unable to fully live up to the ideals she set for society.

Has anyone read this biography? Just curious if anyone had any thoughts on it.

[wuapinmon]

I read William Kennedy's Ironweed this week. I hated it, but couldn't put it down, and now I can't stop thinking about it, but I really didn't care for any of the characters.

Odd little book. It won the Pulitzer, but I can't figure out why, but part of me knows why but can't explain it.

Read it for yourselves to see what I mean.