Thread: What are You Reading?

I just reread my Puff The Magic Dragon pop up book. My grandson loves it but I have to be careful he doesn't wreck it. It is signed by Peter Yarrow. I have a shelf for signed books and it sits next to The Enola Gay by Paul W. Tibbets. I laugh every time I see them. I wonder if I should move one or both. They might spontaneously combust being in that close of proximity.

Great read leadduck. I know Jack.

This is a great read too. Check it out.

Amazon.com: Conquered into Liberty: Two Centuries of Battles along the Great Warpath that Made the American Way of War (9780743249904): Eliot A. Cohen: Books

Originally Posted by leadduck

Revolutionaries by Jack Rackove. Great insight into our founding fathers and what eventually led to their founding of the United States.

Read that,Great book,an also must read is revoluntionary summer,all about the peace efforts that went on prior to the actual war

Adam Carolla, In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks Great observational humor with a hint of curmudegonly anti-PC political commentary (without being overtly political) A great light read.

This weekend I'm reading Nick Hornby's Slam.
I like this writer,he keeps it light and humorous, but still has something to say about society today.

Some time ago I read Richard Mason's "The Drowning People". I guess it will be the best and scariest book I read this year. Scary not in the sense of murderers behind each corner, but human behaviour and how jealousy can drive you to manipulate others. I would recommend it to anyone!

The Incorporation of America: Culture and Society in the Gilded Age by Alan Trachtenberg.

Just started the latest Harry Turtledove series, The War That Came Early. This one titled Two Fronts. An interesting take on alternate history, detailed by following a number of individuals from all sides of the conflict while detailing alternate paths of WW II. Slow reading, a lot of characters to keep track of but still riveting in my mind.

"When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty" by Joni Eareckson Tada.
Highly recommended!

Very sad to hear of the death of Seamus Heaney today. First and foremost of course he was a poet - one of the greatest of his generation. But as a mediaevalist, my thoughts upon hearing this news turned immediately to Beowulf. Before his, all translations of Beowulf (that I'm aware of) were either slaves to the translator's notion of poetry that disregarded the beauty of the language, or slaves to the idea of literally translating the language, that sacrificed the wonder of the poem. He found a beautiful balance. If you have never read Beowulf, you really should as it is a fantastic story (not to mention a foundational text of the English language and all that...). And if you want to read it in translation, read Heaney's version.

All of this to say: I'll be re-reading Beowulf today.