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VAHoney
08-19-2008, 10:55 AM
The Modern Girl's Guide to Life and Med School Confidential

anomar
08-19-2008, 10:59 AM
haruki murakami - sputnik sweetheart


I read that a while ago. Good book -- not his best, but he's a very prolific writer -- but short, sweet, and very evocative!

Yekhefah
08-19-2008, 01:41 PM
I just finished A Confederacy of Dunces and already I can't wait to read it again. Glad there are so many other ladies in this thread who love it too! I'm sure you'll all have proper sympathy when I tell you I really did grow up with Ignatius Reilly for a father. I love my dad but that was him all over again. Lordy. What a great book!

Next I'm going to read Ready When You Are, Mr. Coppola, Mr. Spielberg, Mr. Crowe. It's a nonfiction memoir about a first assistant director and how he got into the industry. K says it's just okay, but what the heck, you never see anything about AD's and it's a fascinating job. I think K just didn't like it because he's a 1st AD too so none of it was news to him.

PaigeDWinter
08-19-2008, 02:44 PM
I'm just starting Split Second by Alex Kava (http://www.amazon.com/Split-Second-Alex-Kava/dp/0778326004/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219182234&sr=1-5).

Candice
08-19-2008, 03:01 PM
I've promised myself, that each month,along with one self help book "The How of Happiness"
That I will read one classic and one fun fiction .

So th classic I chose is, "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger and the fun book I chose is, "The Nanny Diaries" by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

UtahMike
08-19-2008, 10:49 PM
Inspired by this thread, I have begun rereading Les Miserables (translated by Charles E. Wilbour, abridged by James K. Robinson.

After reading the first chapter, I can't help thinking about the local homeless shelters, which are turning people away for lack of room, and the people who are writing letters to the editor complaining about seeing them standing on the street near the shelters.

Ava Jadore
08-20-2008, 08:48 PM
I finally bought Fight Club today. I have been meaning to read that book for years now so I am pretty excited.

My local book store is starting a Chuck Palahniuk book club. How nerdy would it make me if I joined said book club LOL :D

charlie61
08-20-2008, 08:51 PM
Just finished Steinbeck's East of Eden, and I've moved on to the more light-hearted (but allusion-filled) Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins.

zippyelf
08-20-2008, 08:52 PM
I've promised myself, that each month,along with one self help book "The How of Happiness"
That I will read one classic and one fun fiction .

So th classic I chose is, "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger and the fun book I chose is, "The Nanny Diaries" by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Ooo. I LOVED Catcher in the Rye. I read it in HS.

I'm reading The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Sophia_Ashley
08-20-2008, 08:55 PM
I am TRYING to get through "The science of Self realization" A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Proabhupada ...I'm having a hard ass time following it. Which sucks because I truly want to absorb something. Nothing I hate more than reading a chapter and then going "huh?" and having to re-read it again....and again. It's taken me 2 weeks to get through 3 fucking chapters.

I read "What is Scientology" by L.Ron Hubbard in a matter of days on tour. I breezed through it and actually enjoyed it. (throw rocks later at me)

currently besides the first book I'm reading "Think and Grow Rich"...so far so good.

UtahMike
08-20-2008, 09:53 PM
I'm reading The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Fantastic book, but it will make you want to read the sequel, and then the sequel, and then ... I've lost track of how many sequels.

jessica_rabbit
08-20-2008, 10:04 PM
I'm in the middle of The Omnivore's Dilemma: A natural history of four meals. It's really very good, and it's helping me become more aware of what I'm eating.

anomar
08-20-2008, 10:19 PM
^^I LOVE that book. Michael POllan is great -- check out the Botany of Desire, too. 'In Defense of Food' is pretty essential reading as well -- it answers a lot of the questions he raises in Dilemma about how to re-connect w/ the food cycle instead of being estranged from it and he does it in very solid and realistic ways (he doesn't say eat only organic food, but appeals to simple awareness of your relationship to food etc).

My favorite part of the Omnivore's Dilemma is the final chapter... before that he makes you feel so troubled and perturbed by food, and then he totally brings it all home. Oh yeah

Jayde81
08-21-2008, 07:01 PM
^That sounds pretty cool. Hey, we could start our own SW book club, hehehe.

a SW book club sounds like a great idea, i would be hell keen!

anyone else interested? lets do it :D

Kabukicho
08-21-2008, 07:05 PM
I finally started 9 1/2 Years Behind the Green Door by Simone Corday. It's about the O'Farrell Theater in San Francisco.

99baloons
08-21-2008, 07:11 PM
I am half way thru Eat, Pray Love, It's great! I just finished a little novel by Ethan Hawke (yes the actor) called Ash Wednesday, I was pleasantly suprised. He has a real knack for character development.

ultra_manic
08-21-2008, 07:21 PM
7 habits of highly effective ppl and how to win friends and influence ppl. Trying to be better at stripping lol

glitzy
08-21-2008, 07:38 PM
I read that a while ago. Good book -- not his best, but he's a very prolific writer -- but short, sweet, and very evocative!

i think my favorite murakami book is "south of the border, west of the sun" & i love "norweigian wood" too. i forget the name of his most recent collection of short stories, but i remember liking it.


today i re-read some of miranda july's short stories. the book is called "no one belongs here more than you." i like her writing style & how she turns the most mundane stories into interesting fables. overall the tone is kind of pessimistic & exposes how pointless & disappointing life is & can be, but at the same time you feel so much for these characters...i guess what i'm trying to say is that this book has helped me be more compassionate towards the people i meet in everyday situations.

holiday
08-21-2008, 07:46 PM
I really like Miranda July's short stories as well. ^ She's an ex-Portland girl too, so I'm a fan.

I'm actually impressed with myself, I don't think of myself as much of a reader, but I've read a surprising number of books that have been mentioned here. Go me.

Right now I'm having book club with my ATF customer. We're reading The Black Hole War by Leonard Susskind. It's appeasing the Physics dork in me.

Yekhefah
08-21-2008, 07:55 PM
I really ought to read Miranda July's book. I loved her movie and she's a fascinating person. Thanks for the reminder! I'll add it to my library queue ASAP.

Lexi
08-21-2008, 08:18 PM
......

All Good Things
08-21-2008, 08:59 PM
I keep books strewn all over the house -- I read a couple dozen at a time - I really can't sit idle without a book in my hand. It's just one of my many obscure genetic defects.

Yes, there are a few in all the bathrooms. }:D

Anyway, here's what I collected walking around the house tonight:

Why is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality (Jared Diamond)

If I'd Known Then: Women in their 20s and 30s Write Letters to their Younger Selves (Ellyn Spragins)

I :heartbeat Female Orgasm (Solot & Miller)

Strip City - Lily Burana

Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bordain

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig

Essential Manners for Men - Peter Post

My Secret Garden - Nancy Friday

Gonzo: The Life of Hunter S. Thompson

Le Ton beau de Marot - In Praise of the Music of Language - Douglas Hofstadter

The Stuff of Thought - Steven Pinker

The Varieties of Scientific Experience - Carl Sagan

A Million Little Pieces - James Frey

Lincoln: Speeches and Writing: 1859-1865

A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France and the Birth of America - Stacy Schiff

Yekhefah
08-21-2008, 09:37 PM
TOO, I own several of those! I love Anthony Bourdain and Jared Diamond. I thought Why Is Sex Fun? was excellent; it answered so many questions I'd always had!

glitzy
08-21-2008, 10:35 PM
I really ought to read Miranda July's book. I loved her movie and she's a fascinating person. Thanks for the reminder! I'll add it to my library queue ASAP.

i am watching "me and you and everyone we know" for the first time right now!

whoever did the set & costume design is a genius.

iambonbon05
08-21-2008, 10:58 PM
I'm reading The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.
My fave :) Didn't care for other books in the series though.

Candice
08-22-2008, 06:56 AM
I thought Why Is Sex Fun? was excellent; it answered so many questions I'd always had!

That looks interesting. I think I'll read that soon.

Yekhefah
08-22-2008, 11:31 AM
i am watching "me and you and everyone we know" for the first time right now!

whoever did the set & costume design is a genius.

The production designer was Michael Mann's daughter Aran Mann. She did do a terrific job, but how could you not when your father is Michael Mann?

Mily
08-22-2008, 01:34 PM
I haven't had a chance to read my book the last few days because I've been so busy, whew! I finally have some time today, though. It's also supposed to be dark and stormy all day today and tomorrow. I love curling up with a book on my lap when the weather is like this. ;D

DarkMoon08
08-23-2008, 03:18 PM
'Heal Thyself for Health and Longevity' by Queen Afua

'Moonlighting on the Internet' by Yanik Silver

'Make your first million in Network Marketing' by Mary Chirstensen

hardkandee
08-23-2008, 05:15 PM
Just finished "She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb.
I'm not so impressed.

Candice
08-24-2008, 06:22 PM
Just finished "She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb.
I'm not so impressed.

I read that book several years ago and liked it. What didn't you like about it??

CKXXX
08-24-2008, 06:42 PM
I'm just starting Split Second by Alex Kava (http://www.amazon.com/Split-Second-Alex-Kava/dp/0778326004/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219182234&sr=1-5).

I read that..its fantastic! I love Alex Kava!


I finally bought Fight Club today. I have been meaning to read that book for years now so I am pretty excited.

My local book store is starting a Chuck Palahniuk book club. How nerdy would it make me if I joined said book club LOL

I'd totally join that book club!! I'd actually really like to join a book club but I dont know of any around here.

and I liked "She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb....interested to know what you didnt like about it too.

TOO....I've read a lot of those myself...and I'm the same way...I cant ever NOT have a book(or at LEAST a magazine) nearby. Made for an easy time for my parents when I was little...I started reading when I was 2 and after that all they had to do was put a book in my hand wherever we were and they knew I'd be nice and quiet for awhile! Makes my suicases extra heavy though because I never travel anywhere without at least 4 books with me!

hardkandee
08-24-2008, 06:57 PM
I read that book several years ago and liked it. What didn't you like about it??

I guess I'm just a little put off by so many books that think that the only way for a woman to be happy is to be married and have kids. Had it ended about 20 pages earlier I think I would have been more contented, I guess.
I'm probably biased because it was written by a man. Sometimes coming-of-age/womanhood stories written by men bug me. Which is my own issue.
His writing style irked me in the beginning. There was something grammatically off about it. Like an over use or restrictive relative clauses or something. (Again - more of my own neuroses.)

There were elements that I did appreciate though. And I can see why it is part of Oprah's book club.

Started Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions this afternoon.

scarlett_vancouver
08-25-2008, 02:51 AM
Just finished "She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb.
I'm not so impressed.

Ha, righto. I never got the Wally Lamb thing. That one, and the one about the twins...I was just like "...eh...". My copy (from 2002 when I was a 4th year Lit major lol) is filled with sarcastic margin-musings.

I did really like the idea of what she did with Dante though (tracking him down etc)...sooooo fucking creepy, lol.

Candice
08-25-2008, 08:23 AM
[quote=scarlett_vancouver;1678870]Ha, righto. I never got the Wally Lamb thing. That one, and the one about the twins...I was just like "...eh...". My copy quote]

Yea I hear what your saying. I read the sister one a while back too and liked it, I even gave it to my younger sister to read.

I guess I was just fascinated by a male author that was able to understand the woman mind so well.

Candice
08-25-2008, 08:28 AM
I guess I'm just a little put off by so many books that think that the only way for a woman to be happy is to be married and have kids. .

I get what you mean. I'm embarassed to admitt I enjoy chick lit:-[ lol and that stuff is all about boy meets girl and they live happily ever after.

From what I can remember about "She's come Undone", is her love for food was very similar to mine:P

Candice
08-25-2008, 08:30 AM
. Sometimes coming-of-age/womanhood stories written by men bug me. Which is my own issue.
.

Speaking of coming-of-age books, I loved, "Prep".

SexyJess
08-25-2008, 10:09 AM
I must have different tastes than everyone. I absolutely loved Eat, Pray, Love. I highlighted some parts, even. :)

I am currently reading "The Travel Writer's Guidebook" and "The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008."

rozz
08-25-2008, 12:12 PM
I'm catching up on old issues of Bitch. I *heart* the sex issue.

lazydaisy
08-25-2008, 12:49 PM
Ooo. I LOVED Catcher in the Rye. I read it in HS.




I just re-read The Collector by John Fowles. It was one of those classic HS books but it really struck a cord with me and I re-read it every couple of years. I love this book, his story is just so eerie, it gives me shivers and her story just adds more despair to the whole book.

Now I'm moving on to something more light hearted. :)

Danielle_
08-25-2008, 01:55 PM
I'm currently reading Blue Moon by Laurel K. Hamilton. I love her books. I've been trying to read Death Can Get You Sober but it's been hard to get into it.

Mily
08-25-2008, 02:01 PM
I am currently reading "The Travel Writer's Guidebook" and "The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008."

OOOOoooo... those sound interesting. I've been thinking about writing my own travel memoirs someday. ;D

moll_flanders
08-26-2008, 11:19 AM
I'm in the middle of two books currently: War and Peace by Tolstoy and Lie Down In Darkness by William Styron. Lie Down In Darkness is ok, but not nearly as page-turning as Sophie's Choice, which is the first thing I ever read by Styron.

I also have to recommend Moll Flanders, which I read a month ago and obviously enjoyed as it is my username. This is a book by Daniel Defoe about a seventeenth-century prostitute/thief who hops back and forth between Britain and America. Colorful story, but my favorite part is the fact that she is so clever, plucky and resourceful - in stark contrast to other heroines like the ones in the first three books I listed, who seem to wait around the entire book for a man to fall in love and rescue them.

And I just read Superflirt by Tracey Cox. Really good book and useful for work too!

UtahMike
08-26-2008, 11:29 AM
I just re-read The Collector by John Fowles. It was one of those classic HS books but it really struck a cord with me and I re-read it every couple of years. I love this book, his story is just so eerie, it gives me shivers and her story just adds more despair to the whole book.

Now I'm moving on to something more light hearted. :)

Is that the book where the guy kidnaps a girl and keeps her in a secret room in the cellar, and then halfway through the book it starts over again telling the same story but from her POV?

rozz
08-26-2008, 05:38 PM
World War Z. ZOMBEEEZ.

winterrose
08-26-2008, 09:33 PM
World War Z. ZOMBEEEZ.

kick ass book.

Jeska
08-26-2008, 09:40 PM
An Inconvenient Book by Glenn Beck. It's funny and informative.

fancygirl
08-26-2008, 09:43 PM
The Third Reich in Power by Richard J. Evans

just finished Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (doesn't count though-- school.)

Just saw that Terry Eagleton has a memoir out-- I have a tiny itch to get my hands on that.

fancygirl
08-26-2008, 09:44 PM
Is that the book where the guy kidnaps a girl and keeps her in a secret room in the cellar, and then halfway through the book it starts over again telling the same story but from her POV?

and then she dies and he starts it all over with a woman who looks just like her?

yup.

I liked the book, and as far as disturbing books go-- I could see reading it one more time-- but it's not one that I would read over and over again.

Perhaps because I all too easily see this shit happening in the world today and I like to stay away from ugliness.


and yet I'm reading a book about nazis..... blame eddie izzard.

LuckyOne
08-27-2008, 07:09 PM
Lincoln: Speeches and Writing: 1859-1865
[I]


I would like to read this. If I could travel back in time to meet one person, it would be Abraham Lincoln. He was truly a great writer, a great speaker, and a great man.