What are you reading?

[Randimus Maximus]

thirteen-ish years will do that to a guy.

I just wish a few others in the organization would get with the program.

[AJ]

Finished earlier this year - "The big short"  by Micheal Lewis.  Good book about the financial crisis and CDO etc.

+1  Recently read that too. Michael Lewis explains the absurdity of the subprime mortgage frenzy in an entertaining way.

Just finished "My Family and Other Animals" by Gerald Durrell.  It's an adorable short book about Gerald's life as a boy in Corfu in the mid 1930s filled with funny stories about his wacky family, the quirky Greek neighbors, and his escapades capturing all sorts of animals in his quest to be a naturalist (e.g. a mother scorpion with a back full of babies that somehow ends up in the middle of the dining room table)

Also recently read the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy.   They're beach-reading suspense books - over the top at times, much darker than I expected, but fast reads.  The author said he wanted to create a modern Pippi Longstocking (main female character kicks butt).  And for good measure the author wrote himself in as the dashing investigative journalist whom all the ladies love (I'm not kidding, it's ridiculous).  Oh and there's a reason the first one was originally titled "Men Who Hate Women"

And "The Red Queen" by Matt Ridley.  It's an interesting book about genes competing to make it into the next generation, how different species have evolved very different ways to compete for mates, why humans reproduce sexually versus asexually, and why we've evolved such gigantic brains compared to our ape cousins.  YMMV - I used to be biologist so I like this kinda stuff.

Currently 12 pages into Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon.  Seems to be about WWII and rockets.

[Mike_D]

Just finished Ken Follet's World Without End which is the sequel to Pillars of the Earth.  I highly recommend them both.

Just started Gretchen Morgenson's and Joshua Rosner's book "Reckless Endangerment about the recent economic meltdown. 

Another excellent book on the financial crisis is Andrew Ross Sorkin's Too Big To Fail. 

[redxblack]

I just finished "They are all Red Out Here": Socialist Politics in the Pacific Northwest, 1895-1925 by Jeffrey Johnson. I'm now reading In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson. It's good so far.

I have a list of about 20 books I plan on reading this summer, but I haven't started any of them (except the one I'm re-reading - Killing for Coal: America's Deadliest Labor War  by Thomas G. Andrews.

[akmnstr]

I've been reading Darwin's Origin of the Species for months now.  Being a biologist I should have read this years ago but I'm finally getting around to it.  What I am finding awesome about the book is that Darwin was not aware of genetics or the extensive fossil record that we take for granted, yet he was able to put together his theory of Natural Selection.  It is also interesting to see the minor errors that he made.  I also enjoyed the passionate sex scenes, the car chases, gun fights and explosions. 

So, I'll admit to being a Geek.

[Dragsterhund]

alternating between "Taliban" by Ahmed Rashid and "The Hot Shoe Diaries" by Joe McNally. Both nonfiction; the first being a history of the Taliban movement and the second being a photography book about speedlights 

[Jaman]

Endgame: The End of the Debt Supercycle and How it Changes Everything - John Mauldin

Down the River - Edward Abbey

Life - Keith Richards

[Speedbag]

Life - Keith Richards

How is this one?

[akmnstr]

Down the River - Edward Abbey

I loved that book.  Abbey was a left wing, crusty, environmentalist that I really identified with. 

[Jaman]

How is this one?

really good so far, just started, only a few chapters into it, I like his writing style, kinda rambling, funny anectdotes, still on his childhood, so he hasn't gotten too crazed yet 

I loved that book.  Abbey was a left wing, crusty, environmentalist that I really identified with. 

I really like Abbey as well, more the crusty environmentalist part, left wing not so much, having a hard time with this one, as I bought some weird printing where the type is smaller than normal, read at night before bed, and eyes get tired/puts me to sleep!  (especially after reading "Goodnight Moon for the 100th time to my daughter b4 putting her down )  I am really enjoying his commentary/insight/views on Thoreau & more, fascinating stuff, and of course love Mr Abby's sense of humor/biting wit!  wish we had more like him!

[DRKWNG]

"Taliban" by Ahmed Rashid

How do you like this one so far?

[spolic]

All right, I'm not afraid to say it.  I just finished all seven Harry Potter books.

[Dragsterhund]

How do you like this one so far?

It's good. Very comprehensive. The first section is all about the history and rise of the taliban. I haven't gotten to the meaty part yet. The same author wrote a book called Jihad thats supposed to be good, but I haven't read it yet.

[RAT900]

The End of Faith   

Author: Sam Harris

[duccarlos]

All right, I'm not afraid to say it.  I just finished all seven Harry Potter books.

Funny cause I'm reading it in spanish. I was trying to figure out how I was going to go back to work in Latinamerica. It's the best way to get my mind wrapped around reading my work crap.