What BOOK(s) are you reading?

Strangers in Paradise was one of my favorites. I read the first 40 or 50 issues and loved it, but I felt the story began to bog down. I have been considering going back and picking up where I left off, because I like Terry Moore's work so much. Hope you enjoy Vol. 1.

Reading "The Book of Life," a encylopedia type thing on evolution edited by Stephen J. Gould. It is really interesting that not only must an adaption have an eventual useful use (long term advantage), but you always have to imagine how some particular adaption would have been useful on its way to where it was going.

Ska_baron wrote: I'm currently a third through Truman by McCullough and he's just assumed the presedency. Great, great stuff so far. This guy is the history teacher every kid should have as he makes it stories about people, not just dates. Looking forward to Truman's turmoil as he decides to drop the bomb and I know just about 0 details of the Korean War, so I'm stoked about that too. Also, FDR was kind of a douche. Just sayin.

Yeah, FDR was such a colossal prick to Truman.

Gary Sax wrote:

Ska_baron wrote: I'm currently a third through Truman by McCullough and he's just assumed the presedency. Great, great stuff so far. This guy is the history teacher every kid should have as he makes it stories about people, not just dates. Looking forward to Truman's turmoil as he decides to drop the bomb and I know just about 0 details of the Korean War, so I'm stoked about that too. Also, FDR was kind of a douche. Just sayin.

Yeah, FDR was such a colossal prick to Truman.

He really was quite the pawn for FDR as a VP pick, but there's something a little maddening that they only had 2 meetings after the election where nothing of consequence regarding the war was mentioned. LET ALONE THE ATOMIC BOMB WE WERE WORKING ON. And no written guidance from FDR either and with his health as obviously bad as it was, that strikes me as grossly irrensponsible.

Digging Truman though! Except it's crazy how many times he was just "the guy" that people moved up the ladder. Granted, he worked like crazy once he found himself in a new position, but he usually only earned his place/power and the respect to go with it AFTER getting to the Senate/White House. Can't wait for the last 2/3rds!

Also, this is my first Kindle book. Likin it so far.

I'm currently reading "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" by Robert A. Heinlein. While I'm an avid sci-fi reader, I've actually not read much by him aside from "Starship Troopers," which while I completely disagreed with, I certainly never forgot it. So it's been a sort of goal of mine this year to read more Heinlein, and I'm not sure where I read it, but I heard this was a good one to start with.

Heinlein is good stuff -- I enjoyed "Time Enough for Love"

jeb: There're animals a lot weirder out there!

Gary Sax: Gould's Wonderful Life is pretty good too, it's about the Burgess Shale life forms.

Currently reading the M.A.R Barker Tekumel novels again.

Space Ghost wrote: Heinlein is good stuff -- I enjoyed "Time Enough for Love"

Cut my sci-fi teeth on Heinlein growing up with that book and "Stranger in a Strange Land", "the Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Farnham's Freehold." Great writer of early sf.

Josh Look wrote: I'm currently reading "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" by Robert A. Heinlein.

I think that this was my first Heinlein book. It's one of his "Jr." books, meaning intended for younger (adolescent) readers, but still a fun read. Actually some of his "Jr." books can be quite sophisticated, but certainly not on the level of Starship Troopers and others. I think my favorite Heinlein is "The Past Through Tomorrow" a collection of his "Future History" stories. SO INCREDIBLY GREAT! I'm pretty sure I have a copy kicking around that I would be happy to lend you.

engineer Al wrote:

Josh Look wrote: I'm currently reading "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" by Robert A. Heinlein.

I think that this was my first Heinlein book. It's one of his "Jr." books, meaning intended for younger (adolescent) readers, but still a fun read. Actually some of his "Jr." books can be quite sophisticated, but certainly not on the level of Starship Troopers and others. I think my favorite Heinlein is "The Past Through Tomorrow" a collection of his "Future History" stories. SO INCREDIBLY GREAT! I'm pretty sure I have a copy kicking around that I would be happy to lend you.

Awesome, thanks, Al. Yeah, even though "Spacesuit" is clearly geared towards younger readers, it's still entertaining enough for adults and there's a fair amount of hard science in there (how the spacesuit works, how to calculate lightyears, etc) that really elevates it above the standard YA reading, regardless of what generation you're talking about. I'm really loving it so far.

Currently plowing through Steven Brust's Vlad Taltos novels, which are great. Here's another fantasy author who was (and still is) fucking the conventions and coming of age stories up their collective asses from the early 80s on.

Most books use a different narrative style and I especially enjoyed the first one featuring a reverse whodunit or a howtodoit (Vlad's an assassin). Bits and pieces of the author's Hungarian origins are also sprinkled here and there and add a nice touch. Lots of story crammed in pretty lean novels here.

Having a Kindle for the daily commute to work lets me hammer though books, so, since xmas

At Home - Bill Bryson
Lord Darcy (collection of the magician books) - Randall Garret
The Etymologicon - Mark Forsyth
God is not great - Christopher Hitchins
Feersum Endjinn - Iain M. Banks
Herodotus History - Vol 1.

I started reading a collected edition of all the Conan stuff. It starts with some interminable "Hyperborian Age" pseudo history thing which is brutal.

Gary Sax wrote: I started reading a collected edition of all the Conan stuff. It starts with some interminable "Hyperborian Age" pseudo history thing which is brutal.

SKIP THAT PART! You can always go back to it later if you need/want to once you find you can't get enough. That's the same part that made my wife put down Conan forever and it is not important. Just enjoy the stories.

I read Russia's War by Richard Overy. A really good general overview of war on the Eastern Front. It also takes time to look at Soviet Russian before the war, and how the conflict affected society, with a separate chapter on partisans, the Holocaust and displaced persons. My full review is under the link.

And I just finished Bruce Schneier's Liars & Outliers . A nice read on why society works as well as it does (trust), and on why it doesn't work in many cases (no, not just because there are bad people. Most people stick to most of teh rules most of the time. More of a framework than a roadmap. My full review is under the link.