What are you reading? (The CC Book Club)

edited May 2019 in General

Greetings, fellow cuddlers. As you might have surmised from the title, this thread is for sharing and discussing whatever you might be reading at the moment.

This isn’t limited to novels. Perhaps you’re deeply invested in a historical work, some poetry, or a paper on the medical applications of nanomachines; if words on a page (or on a screen) have your attention and you’d like to talk about it, this is the place!

Maybe you’ve read an old favorite again, and have gained new insight into the piece that you’d like to share? Or, it could be that you’re looking for opinions on a book that you’re considering checking out. Those are entirely fine, too.

As for myself, I’m currently re-reading Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music, by S. Alexander Reed. While I enjoy the subject matter very much, Reed’s style leaves much to be desired; the book drags on and on for ages, at times. In between chapters, I’ve been reading some poetry by Clark Ashton Smith.

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Comments

  • edited May 2019

    I am re-reading Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future Of Humanity by Jamie Metzl. It is a very prescient book that everyone should read and consider the many questions it poses.

  • edited May 2019

    Tue, 14 May 2019..#20..13:28:05 PDT

    Currently reading:
    Off The Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done
    by Laura Vanderkam

  • [Deleted User]checkingthings (deleted user)

    I find it soothing.

  • Just finished “ Prisoner of the Swiss” a story of an ww2 Air Force Pow...... eh. Three out of possible five stars I’ll give it

    Also finishing Steven Coontz aerial odyssey across America “ The Cannibal Queen”
    2.5 stars

  • Annah Anti-Palindrome "DNA Hymn"
    Michelle Tea "Against Memoir"

  • Back of the cereal boxes...the TV listings magazine.

    Darn I am going to finish those two...eventually.

  • “The Appeal” by John Grisham

  • Work email

  • [Deleted User]iamkimmyp (deleted user)

    @HappinessHenry too funny ???

  • [Deleted User]DarrenWalker (deleted user)

    I typically have at least two books going at once: whatever I'm reading at home, and whatever book I've found that's beat up enough I don't feel bad about taking it to work (where it will inevitably get ink-smudged, and probably grease-stained too).

    At work I'm reading "The Birth of God" by James Kavanaugh. I've just started it, but based on the introduction it seems like an easy read.

    At home I'm slowly working my way through a collection of mathematical essays ("The Best Writing on Mathematics 2010"). I don't think I've studied enough math to appreciate these things properly. They're fascinating, but it takes me ages to get through a single one. I keep having to look stuff up and read outside articles and so on. I guess I'm kind of using it as a home gym? Mostly I only touch it when I feel like a mental workout.

    Also at home I've been reading the Fate/Zero light novels. So much fun! Seven two-person teams fighting a magical battle for an incredibly powerful wish-granting Grail? Yes, please. This is exactly the kind of cynical fantasy story I like the best. I'm finally on the last book: "煉獄の炎" ("Flames of Purgatory").

    It's the prequel to Fate/Stay night, and frankly I like the prequel much better than the main story. It's just so good.

    On the side, I just finished "Acorna," "Jurassic Park," and "斉木楠雄のΨ難:Extra Story of Psychics 2." These are all really quick reads, and pretty fun, too—at least if you like sci-fi, people getting eaten by dinosaurs, and kids with superpowers they don't want. It's nice to have some light stuff on the side to snack on in between the longer reads. Kind of like potato chips!

  • THANKS @iamkimmyp You read me like a book!

  • Love this thread! Miss novels.
    Hi Kabocha -would u recommend the book?

  • @Sideon beautiful and beautifully recounted OP in "Mass Transit Cuddle" Discusdion. Live is good.

  • @DarrenWalker I loved Acorna! I've wanted to read the rest of the series, but never been able to find them in Braille.
    As for what I'm reading now, I'm currently fascinated by books about polygamy. Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall right now.

  • [Deleted User]checkingthings (deleted user)

    @HappinessHenry Do the backs of cereal boxes reveal the future to you? (Lady in the Water 2006)

  • [Deleted User]DarrenWalker (deleted user)
    edited May 2019

    @Brailleangel: Googling it, it seems like it's nearly impossible to find. For a minute I thought I'd found an audiobook version of "Acorna's Quest" on cassette at the R.T. Jones Memorial Library, but no.

    California State Library has what looks like the whole series as a set of downloadable audiobooks [this is a link]. Maybe you could give them a call and set up an online account? Of course it's always possible that (like me) you're not a fan of audiobooks. I always lose track of the story when I'm trying to listen to it. Sometimes it's much easier to just read it yourself, isn't it?

    I can't seem to find the series in Braille at all... which makes sense, since I don't even know which sites to search. Oh well.

    Edit: It's a shame, because I really enjoyed the first book and I bet the others are good, too!

  • @checkingthings They somtimes reveal the immediate future of what I am going to eat next.

  • [Deleted User]checkingthings (deleted user)

    @HappinessHenry lol you’re a hoot ‘n a half

  • @DarrenWalker Thanks for your help and the info.
    I'm actually a member of the Georgia state library for the blind. However, I'm a bit picky about what I download from there. Some of there narrators and the quality of their books leave much to be desired unfortunately, though they are slowly, but surely improving.
    I did some looking around on bookshare, another book web site for the blind and visually impaired, and found what looks like most of the series there. I look forward to continuing. Thanks again. today

  • I prob lose intellectual brownie points for this, but I honestly don't really read too many books at all. I find I don't have the patience for it. It is hard for me to concentrate my attention on one thing, and plus since I hit 40 my eyesight is not very good at all. I have a lifetime subscription to Rolling Stone magazine, and haven't even read those is a while due to the strain on my eyes from having to squint. I do have reading glasses, but they tend to hurt my eyes when looking at anything other than the printed words.

  • @pmvines Have you considered audiobooks?

  • edited May 2019

    Fri, 17 May 2019..#20..20:45:28 PDT

    @4cuddles: Lucky break I Just happen to be reading this thread. When I notice my name on your comment/post here..
    ( You need to type @ before you type username to tag the person)
    The book more recommended for busy parents with kids. I enjoy trying improve my own time management so worth it for me to read it. To me it was short read for a book meaning wasn’t “.Time consuming”. (Lol do see what I did there?) I wouldn’t recommend it to most people.

    Hello back to you.

    =====

    I would start out with:

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:
    Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
    by Stephen R. Covey, Jim Collins

    Or

    Brain Rules:
    12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School
    by John Medina
    (Personal read Updated and Expanded version)

    @Brailleangel: +1
    I do enjoy audiobooks when going out for walks or doing light chores around my home.

  • @Brailleangel I have. That is a good thought. I can see where it may be hard to focus on it, kind of like having the tv on or radio, like background noise. But it is definitely a thought.

  • Freedom by Jonathon Franzen. It seemed appropriate with moving to the Midwest!

  • Currently in the middle of "The Way of Kings" - Brandon Sanderson. Big fan of his. I read through his mistborn trilogy and i really vibed with Elantris

  • [Deleted User]DarrenWalker (deleted user)

    @Brailleangel: Awesome. Glad you found them! As a night person, I get most of my books from the free libraries around town (one is a metal cabinet, the other looks something like a tiny house on a stilt). As a result, my selection is... kinda limited. I hope to someday stumble across the rest of the Acorna series.

    @senam1081: Brandon Sanderson is my exception to this. I'll order his books online without ever having read them, because let's face it—it doesn't matter what they're about, they're going to be awesome!

    I liked Warbreaker. It has Nightblood! (Totally my favorite character.)

  • @pmvines You do not lose intellectual brownie points, but you do win respect for your honesty. Not everyone enjoys everything everyone else enjoys. I love art museums but I have not a wit of patience or desire to paint or sculpt. Not reading is not a blight on you, but your honesty is refreshing in these times. You are wise beyond the printed word and that is more commendable.

  • “Who Goes There?”, by John W. Campbell. The Thing From Another World was based upon this novella, as was John Carpenter’s vastly superior adaption, The Thing.

    “Who Goes There?” is set at a quick pace, but still manages an underlying sense of dread—which is impressive, given how short the story is.

  • edited May 2019

    "Don't Make Me Pull Over" by Richard Ratay,
    Part history and part whimsical memoir in the spirit of "National Lampoon's Vacation":

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