# What are you currently reading and whats your favorite books?



## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

Hello all,

I assume a few of you out there like to read. I have been enjoying doing so for about a decade now. Hated it in school. Have you ever read "The Stone Angel"? Look up a summary, you might agree its a shitty ass book for a grade 11 or 12 male student to read.

Currently I am reading "The Strain Trilogy" by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan as well as "The Dark Tower" series by Stephen King. I really like Stephen kings novels.

I think my favorite books are "The Hobbit" and "The Green Mile".

Whats your favorites and what are you currently reading?


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I've been reading the same dog-eared copy of a P.G. Wodehouse book for near on 40 years. Another one that I read a lot was Life At The Limit by Graham Hill but I haven't read it for a few years now. The big take away from Hill's book which I first read in or about 1972 was that you will be one step up the ladder in life once you realize that no one is going to help you.


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Anything that has absolutely nothing to due with reality. Some recent Star Wars novels like Bloodline, The Aftermath Trilogy.


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I am finishing up Why You Love Music by John Powell--interesting read--not sure I agree with everything in it--but lots of food for thought. & lots of stuff I can relate to.
Also re-started Of Other Worlds by CS Lewis--which is a collection of essays on writing--with some short samples.
His stuff on children's literature is quite interesting
And I am also reading Authority by D. Martyn Lloyd Jones

Overall I read more non fiction--including-but not limited to-books on music, history, theology & biography.
In fiction I prefer thrillers & action stuff-or humour.


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I actually enjoyed "The Stone Angel" in grade 13, but largely because my grandmother was battling dementia at the time. Also, I had a male teacher, so that may have tempered my experience a bit...

Favourite books of all time is hard to nail down. Some that come to mind are "Anna Karenina", "The World According to Garp", and "A Tale of Two Cities".

These days, I mostly read non-fiction and I'm working my way through Bruce Cockburn's autobiography and David Byrne's "Bicycle Diaries". The Cockburn book has been very interesting so far. "Bicycle Diaries" not as much, but not bad - I keep it in my backpack for when I have a few minutes to kill. I recently really enjoyed "Quiet" and want to read "Outliers".

Best musical books, is an easier list: "Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy" by Robert Jourdain (thanks, @Mooh !); "How Music Works" by David Byrne; and "The Music Lesson" by Victor Wooten (not into the new-agey stuff, but the rest was gold!) are the three that come to mind right away.

Edit: "Who Has Seen the Wind" rocked my world too.


----------



## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

The classics!!
Dickens: Oliver Twist, Tale of Two Cities
Dostoyevski: Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamazov
Victor Hugo: (Hunchback of) Notre Dame de Paris, *LES* *MISERABLES* (best ever, disregard all bastardizations)
Mary Shelley (19-year-old): Frankenstein (SO different than what you may think)

Modern? 
Mervyn Peake: Titus Groan (1946), Gormenghast (1950), Titus Alone (1959) ["... more accomplished work than the contemporary and better known _Lord of the Rings." -- _Wikipedia] 
H.G. Wells: War of the Worlds 
Steinback: Travels with Charlie

I am getting ready to attempt Tolstoy: War and Peace

Contemporary? Sure, why not? Lots of good stuff out there.
Best living writer: Stephen King (he knows how to tell a... STORY!)


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I read Gormenghast when I was in HS. It wasn't on the reading list but then neither was Dylan Thomas and I read that too. Peake's description was such that I could actually see the places that he was writing about.


----------



## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

sci-fi and fantasy nut. I'm actually re-reading American Gods right now by Neal Gaiman

Favorites? Battlefield Earth for pure sci-fi. The Expanse is an amazing series as well. Anything from Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven, Asimov. L. Ron Hubbard's Mission earth is an excellent satire and sci fi rolled into 10 books.

For Fantasy, Katherine Kurtz's Deryni series is at the top of my list, as well as MargaretWeis/Tracy Hickman's Death gate cycle. Game of Throne's obviously, Zelazny's Amber series. 

I'm also into historical fiction, King Arthur, Knights Templar, especially anything by Jack Whyte. This guy has an amazing imagination. His take on the Lady of the Lake is just so different it blew me away.


----------



## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

Thanks for the replies guys! Lots of diversity out there. I am going to try the Gormenghast series. I hadn't heard of it before. I am a sucker for series of books for some reason. I've gotten through Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), Harry Potter, Saga of the First King and probably some others I can't recall.


----------



## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

Just finished Chrissie Hynde's book "_Reckless: My Life as a Pretender". Good read. Mostly about her life growing up in Akron and moving to London before starting the band.












_


----------



## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I am pretty much a voracious reader. I have gone through spells when I haven't read but they are few and far between. I like books on history, a good mystery with lots of twists and turns. I don't care for science fiction as I prefer reality. Any fiction books I read I prefer to be based on a historical base, so I learn something as I read. I've read the Bible a number of times and try to do a bit of that every day.

When I was growing up we never had a library in our small village so getting books to read was difficult as we never had much extra money to buy books. My Mother got me a subscription to Reader's Digest and that was finished the same day. Our "reader" book that we got in school was finished in a few days and I have read three novels in one day many times. It has been one of life's pleasures for me from the time I could read.


----------



## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

Think about how good of a guitar player you would be if the time you spend reading was used to practice guitar. I'm pretty sure Stevie Ray didn't read.^)@#


----------



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

I'm just finishing up Robbie Robertson's autobiography, and about to start Myles Goodwyn's.

My favorite books are the entire Middle Earth series from Tolkien. LOTR, Hobbit, Silmarillion, etc.


----------



## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

In the past 10 years it's been anything by John Sandford, Robert B Parker, Robert Crais, Bernard Cornwell, and Lawrence Block.


----------



## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

I am currently reading "Le voyage de l'éléphant" bu José Saramago. I am a big fan of his works.

My favorite book of all time? What a hard question!
One of the most prominent book I've read in my youth was "Les particules élémentaires" by Michel Houellebecq.
This book opened my eyes so much.


----------



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

I only read non-fiction, never fiction. But I do read constantly and currently have the following on the go (less than ten pages to go on the first one and, once that is done, something else will replace it unless I decide to pare down the current reading list a bit):

_Modernity Britain: Opening the Box, 1957-59
Arnhem: The Battle for Survival
London in the 18th Century: A Great and Monstrous Thing
London in the 19th Century: 'A Human Awful Wonder of God'
Never Had it So Good: A History of Britain from Suez to the Beatles
Tower: An Epic History of the Tower of London
The Royal Stuarts: A History of the Family that Shaped Britain
The Oxford History of Britain

_
Some of these books are on my desk, or close to it, but others are in various rooms around the house so that I always have one close at hand.


----------



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

dcole said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I assume a few of you out there like to read. I have been enjoying doing so for about a decade now. Hated it in school. Have you ever read "The Stone Angel"? Look up a summary, you might agree its a shitty ass book for a grade 11 or 12 male student to read.



_The Stone Angel_? Ugh. Thanks for the flashback.....the only thing worse would have been had you mentioned any of the Margaret Atwood tripe we were forced to read in high school.


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

colchar said:


> _The Stone Angel_? Ugh. Thanks for the flashback.....the only thing worse would have been had you mentioned any of the Margaret Atwood tripe we were forced to read in high school.


I had an assignment in Grade 11 that involved reading three Margaret Laurence books--three...


----------



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

zontar said:


> I had an assignment in Grade 11 that involved reading three Margaret Laurence books--three...



You poor bastard.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I pretty much exclusively read non-fiction and biographies. 

Recently read one about Ian Fleming's time on Jamaica and his house there (Goldeneye: Where Bond was Born). Also one about a spinster heiress who died at over 100 years old - and no one in her family even new about her, but they all crawled out of the woodwork to get a piece of her fortune (Huguette Clark - The Phantom of Fifth Avenue). Years ago, I read Titan: The Life of JD Rockefeller and it stuck with me for years after. I will reread it some day.

I also like physics books and Brian Greene's 'The Elegent Universe' keeps blowing me away every time I read it. I learn something new on each read. Sagan's Cosmos, too. 

I am gradually reading the Bond books over time and hope to try more fiction when I retire. I've always wanted to read a few of the 'classics' I've heard about for years, like something by Hemingway. And who knows, if I have the time, maybe I'll try the Game of Thrones set. Or I'll just reread Titan and The Elegant Universe.


----------



## luker0 (Apr 18, 2017)

zontar said:


> I had an assignment in Grade 11 that involved reading three Margaret Laurence books--three...


How has your therapy been going since then? 

Stone angel is probably one of the worst books I was ever forced to read. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Damn, I'm embarrassed. I forgot the best fantasy writer. Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion, series especially, Elric of Melnibone, John Daker, Oswald Bastable and Cornelius and Una and the prince in the scarlet robe This guy has a great premise bot not the best writer. 
If you like big words then another fantasy classic is The Chronicles of Thomas's Covenant, by Stephen R Donaldson
And can't forget Tolkien's Lord of the rings


----------



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

colchar said:


> _The Stone Angel_? Ugh. Thanks for the flashback.....the only thing worse would have been had you mentioned any of the Margaret Atwood tripe we were forced to read in high school.


I don't know about that. I had to read a book from each of the Bronte sisters in University.


----------



## johnnyshaka (Nov 2, 2014)

I'm not a huge reader but definitely go through spurts and in the last couple of years I've really enjoyed "Ready Player One" and a sci-fi, dystopian series by Hugh Howey essentially called the Silo Series...it's three books, "Wool", "Shift" and "Dust".

I'm currently making my way through the "Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy" series and it's been a fun read so far.


----------



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

cboutilier said:


> I don't know about that. I had to read a book from each of the Bronte sisters in University.



I don't mind the Bronte sisters. Margaret Atwood on the other hand.............


----------



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

colchar said:


> I don't mind the Bronte sisters. Margaret Atwood on the other hand.............


Not all forms of torture are banned


----------



## SaucyJack (Mar 8, 2017)

I read a lot of non-fiction books on WW1 and WW2 along with some biographies. I really liked a book by Toby Harnden called Bandit Country, I've read it several times now. Books on Newfoundland, Canadian and Irish history are also stacked on my book shelf.


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

luker0 said:


> How has your therapy been going since then?
> 
> Stone angel is probably one of the worst books I was ever forced to read.
> 
> ...


I forget which other two--but if I heard the titles--I would remember them.
I do remember I got a high mark on the assignment, then moved on...


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

Another 'Stone Angel In High School' victim here, we should start a class action. Oooooh, I didn't mean to make that pun.

I love mid 20th century American Fiction, starting with Fitzgerald and Hemingway. Have read most of the big name well known stuff by now, some of it many times.

Currently reading Go Down Moses by Wm Faulkner. Am not loving it (like it enough to continue), but then it took me 4 tries to finally work through The Sound And The Fury. That one has a trick though, I won't spoil it but if you find it hard to read at first look up a plot summary.

Am also working through American Gods, maybe halfway through and not digging it that much.

Read most of the Stephen King stuff as it comes out in paperback. Same with the 'Jack Ryan' Tom Clancy (of course now written by others) stuff, though the latest Jack Ryan Jr book was terrible.

One of my all time favourite books was about the Toronto banker who ripped off CIBC for $15 million or whatever it was in the early 80's. It's EXTREMELY well written, you go right along for the ride as he starts small and relatively benignly, and a few months later he's millions deep, keeping everyone fooled, and all the while intending to pay it back with that one big win at the tables. The book is Stung, and I just remembered they made a movie out of it called Owning Mahowny with some pretty big names. The movie was pretty good but the book is just excellent.


----------



## luker0 (Apr 18, 2017)

Currently reading:
- Prog Rock FAQ by Will Romano
- invisible by James Patterson & David Ellis

Huge science fiction and fantasy fan but forcing myself to read 1 non-fiction for every 3 fiction books. Aiming for 40 books this year three up from last year. 

Picking a favourite is not possible, here is a picture of our hard cover book collection. 










Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## Captn Platypus (May 27, 2017)

Never been huge in to fiction, but I did love the whole Hannibal series. So good. 
Stephen King also has some good stuff. I was always a big fan of Hearts in Atlantis. 

I recently just finished a book called How to Murder Your Life. Can't imagine it would be too relatable to a lot of men, but it was pretty entertaining.


----------



## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

keto said:


> Am also working through American Gods, maybe halfway through and not digging it that much.


I enjoyed Coraline & Neverwhere by Gaiman but I could not get into American Gods at all. Stardust was okay and in retrospect I think the premise was very good but I find the story was way to fast for the situations going on. It could have been twice the size to obtain greater depth out of the story.


----------



## NorlinNorm (Dec 31, 2016)

dcole said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I assume a few of you out there like to read. I have been enjoying doing so for about a decade now. Hated it in school. Have you ever read "The Stone Angel"? Look up a summary, you might agree its a shitty ass book for a grade 11 or 12 male student to read.
> 
> ...


Myles Goodwyn memoir "Just between you and me"
Don Felder "Heaven and Hell"

both are excellent reads...I am big "Fingers" Felder fan and a huge April Wine admirer...highly recommend both my kids bought them as gifts in my case books..thanks guys!!!


----------



## Kenmac (Jan 24, 2007)

NorlinNorm said:


> Myles Goodwyn memoir "Just between you and me"
> Don Felder "Heaven and Hell"
> 
> both are excellent reads...I am big "Fingers" Felder fan and a huge April Wine admirer...highly recommend both my kids bought them as gifts in my case books..thanks guys!!!


I also read that Don Felder book. A co-worker friend of mine is a big Eagles fan and he loaned the book to me back when it first came out. It was a pretty good read.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I just downloaded the complete James Bond collection on my iPad - for $5.99. Twelve novels and two sets of short stories. 

And to think I've been trying to get them through the library system - that's a lot of averted frustration for the price of two or three cups of coffee.


----------



## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Currently:


----------



## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Robert1950 said:


> Anything that has absolutely nothing to due with reality. Some recent Star Wars novels like Bloodline, The Aftermath Trilogy.


I'm with you on this. I've read most of the Star Wars expanded universe books, as well as a ton of RA Salvatore, Tolkien and others. Terry Brooks is also pretty good. Sci-fi and fantasy are my favourites, although I also really enjoyed some of WEB Griffin's stuff on the US military. Lately, I've been reading some comic books again for the first time since I was a teenager, including Batman and some Wolverine stuff. I read them on my phone or iPad. I'll also intersperse some work stuff, as well as some historical fiction. Really, anything that gets me interested, I'll read it.


----------



## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

I'm currently reading this. 

The Open Mic (Non Music Related)


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

I was just about to say the same thing... lol


----------



## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

butterknucket said:


> I'm currently reading this.
> 
> The Open Mic (Non Music Related)


Har, har! I have a buddy that when I asked him if he reads, he replied that he reads Reddit. Not quite what I meant there bud!


----------



## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

dcole said:


> Har, har! I have a buddy that when I asked him if he reads, he replied that he reads Reddit. Not quite what I meant there bud!


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

I am going to reread the Vampire Chronicles by Ann Rice! I was fascinated by the book. It's actually 3 books in one. I remember it only taking me about a week to read. I couldn't put it down. 

but maybe not! I think I would rather play my guitar. I know I should read more. I used to be a voracious reader before guitar came into my life. Oh well!


----------



## Guest (Jun 4, 2017)

I'm starting to read this;












Lola said:


> I used to be a voracious reader ..


Most of my life, so was I.
My problem was that I couldn't close a book until I was finished.
It would take me about 8 hrs for the average paperback.
Some nights, I'd be awake till 4am.
Always had to know what happens in the next chapter.
The worst were trilogies.


----------



## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

Lola said:


> I am going to reread the Vampire Chronicles by Ann Rice! I was fascinated by the book. It's actually 3 books in one. I remember it only taking me about a week to read. I couldn't put it down.
> 
> but maybe not! I think I would rather play my guitar. I know I should read more. I used to be a voracious reader before guitar came into my life. Oh well!


I've tried a couple Ann Rice books but can't get into them. I think they are maybe to cleanly written for my taste, I don't know.


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

dcole said:


> I've tried a couple Ann Rice books but can't get into them. I think they are maybe to cleanly written for my taste, I don't know.


The Vampire Chronicles is I think the only one of her books that I have read! 

I have read Margaret Attwood's books. Her books weren't what I expected from her! They're better actually! What a brilliant writer. So outside the norm. 

I actually try to read when we go to the cottage but the problem is I take my guitar wherever I travel with me. I have a Vox DA5 busking amp! You can guess the scenario for yourself.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

butterknucket said:


>


I haven't read the book, but if you're eating corn, I suspect it's telling you: "Chew your food better."


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

High/Deaf said:


> I haven't read the book, but if you're eating corn, I suspect it's telling you: "Chew your food better."


Corn is only a rental at best!


----------



## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

High/Deaf said:


> I haven't read the book, but if you're eating corn, I suspect it's telling you: "Chew your food better."


I actually saw that book in the bathroom at a relative's. I didn't ask any questions. 

I'm not really reading anything at the moment, but I really should be doing more reading.


----------



## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

I just finished up the second book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series, The Drawing of the Three. Next I am moving on to Louis L'amour's Down the Long Hills.

Stephen King and Louis L'Amour are the author's I have read the most.


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

"9000 Years of Wine ... A World History" by Rod Phillips

I read books on many varied topics...primarily non fiction.

My wife's friends started a book club many years ago and they read about one book per month for the club. They also go to the annual writer's festival at Eden Mills and have me many Canadian authors. Consequently, we always have a many, many books in the house.


----------



## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

dcole said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I assume a few of you out there like to read.
> 
> Whats your favorites and what are you currently reading?


well, up to today i was reading the driver's manual for the state of delaware. been a little too busy to read here lately, but looking forward to hitting the bookstore once things calm down some. 
fav books? it's like picking a fav album. my answer today might be different than tomorrow.

*on wings of eagles* - ken follett's true tale of how ross perot hired a bunch of commandos to bring back several of his employees who were kidnapped in iran during the 70's. the whitehouse did nothing. the un did nothing. kissinger did nothing. ross perot got it done, as a private citizen.
*micro* - by michael crichton. one of my fav authors. a story involving nano technology. 
*geisha, a life* - the real story that _memoirs of a geisha_ would have told you, if any at all of it was true. it's about mineko iwasaki, the most famous geisha of all time. it can be a very moving book at times.
*the hot zone* - richard prestons true retelling of how an airborn strain of ebola made it's way into the united states in the early 80's and could potentially have wiped out most of n. america. reading this book will teach you more about ebola/marburg than you ever knew you didn't know. 
*samurai!* - the story of saburo sakai, japan's #1 ace from ww2, a really interesting guy with an incredible story. below is just one little piece from his wiki page:
_Although in agony from his injuries from a bullet that had passed through his skull and the right side of his brain, leaving the entire left side of his body paralyzed, and was left blind in one eye.) (The wound is described elsewhere as having destroyed the metal frame of his goggles, and "creased" his skull, meaning a glancing blow that breaks the skin and makes a furrow in, or even cracks the skull, but does not actually penetrate it.) Sakai managed to fly his damaged Zero in a four-hour, 47-minute flight over 560 nmi (1,040 km; 640 mi) back to his base on Rabaul, using familiar volcanic peaks as guides. When he attempted to land at the airfield he nearly crashed into a line of parked Zeros but, after circling four times, and with the fuel gauge reading empty, he put his Zero down on the runway on his second attempt. After landing, he insisted on making his mission report to his superior officer before collapsing. His squadron mate Hiroyoshi Nishizawa drove him to a surgeon. Sakai was evacuated to Japan on 12 August, where he endured a long surgery without anesthesia. The surgery repaired some of the damage to his head, but was unable to restore full vision to his right eye. Nishizawa visited Sakai while he recuperated in the Yokosuka hospital in Japan. _after his recovery, he returned to being a fighter pilot. that's persistence right there.
*i am ozzy* - ozzy's autobiography. i'm not a big ozzy fan, much as i do love black sabbath. however, this book is without hesitation, the absolute funniest book i've ever read in my life so far.


----------



## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

cheezyridr said:


> *micro* - by michael crichton. one of my fav authors. a story involving nano technology.


I enjoy Michael Crichton as well but have not read this one. I liked *Pirate Latitudes* and *Timeline* but found *Jurassic Park* (my most favorite movie of all time) hard to read and couldn't get into *The Great Train Robbery* at all.


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

cheezyridr said:


> *on wings of eagles* - ken follett's true tale of how ross perot hired a bunch of commandos to bring back several of his employees who were kidnapped in iran during the 70's. the whitehouse did nothing. the un did nothing. kissinger did nothing. ross perot got it done, as a private citizen.


*"The Pillars of the Earth" *by Ken Follet. I finished this a few months ago. It was somewhat interesting from a historical perspective.


----------



## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

dcole said:


> I enjoy Michael Crichton as well but have not read this one. I liked *Pirate Latitudes* and *Timeline* but found *Jurassic Park* (my most favorite movie of all time) hard to read and couldn't get into *The Great Train Robbery* at all.


i would agree with the above. i also liked _airframe_, and _congo_, and _rising sun_. 
_sphere_ was ok. 
_prey_ wasn't bad either. 
_next_ was pretty good. 
he did one about global warming, i cant remember the name of it but i liked it.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

zontar said:


> I had an assignment in Grade 11 that involved reading three Margaret Laurence books--three...


HS English for those of us of a certain age pretty well just meant the Margarets (atwood /Lawrence- I could never keep the 2 of them straight) and Shakespeare and very little else.

I'm not really reading anything now, but my all time fave would probably be, coincidentally, a high school gem....The Great Gatsby. I was so looking forward to the movie, but it just wasn't something they could boil down to 3hrs, and I wasn't crazy about the casting either. The Simpsons Phatsby episode was about as good


----------



## luker0 (Apr 18, 2017)

I think I may have gotten lucky in HS in the middle of the 80s. I had one english teacher for three of the grades and one of the best teachers I've ever had for Grade 13 English. We read some really great books and some not so good.
Loved:
- The Shakespeares which included Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and Merchant of Venice.
- Classics like the Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, Death of a Salesman (saw as a play as well) and To Kill a Mockingbird
- Canadiana like Lost in the Barrens, Never Cry Wolf, and Fifth Business
- Science Fiction like Farhenheit 451 (very little of this genre in high school and likely why I spent the next several decades focuses on it)

Hated:
- Stone Angel, Of Mice and Men, The Red Pony, Who Has Seen the Wind, The Grapes of Wrath, Lord of the Flies, and others I cannot remember.


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

luker0 said:


> Fifth Business


We have somewhat similar likes/dislikes in books in general.

I am presently reading this:


----------



## keto (May 23, 2006)

luker0 said:


> I think I may have gotten lucky in HS in the middle of the 80s. I had one english teacher for three of the grades and one of the best teachers I've ever had for Grade 13 English. We read some really great books and some not so good.
> Loved:
> - The Shakespeares which included Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and Merchant of Venice.
> - Classics like the Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, Death of a Salesman (saw as a play as well) and To Kill a Mockingbird
> ...



Funny but of course well known how we all see things differently. I hated and still cannot relate to Shakespeare, though I completely recognized how classic his works and themes are. Death of a Salesman and Arthur Miller (we also did The Crucible), and drama/plays in general, did nothing for me. We didn't get much Canadiana, a couple Farley Mowat short stories but not novels. I would have loved Of Mice and Men, Grapes of Wrath, I love and can read them again and again now. OK, Stone Angel not so much. My class didn't get Lord of the Flies, though other kids in the same grade as me did (same thing with Romeo, Catcher, Never Cry Wolf). 

Our class did Brave New World but not 1984, other classes did the opposite. I think I'd have rather 1984.

I did a big spree of Robertson Davies reading, probably 8-10 of his novels, but that was well after high school.


----------



## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I don't have time to read at the moment, but my wife is a big reader. Right now she's into James Patterson novels. He has quite a few, so that should keep her busy for a while.


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

keto said:


> Funny but of course well known how we all see things differently. I hated and still cannot relate to Shakespeare, though I completely recognized how classic his works and themes are. Death of a Salesman and Arthur Miller (we also did The Crucible), and drama/plays in general, did nothing for me. We didn't get much Canadiana, a couple Farley Mowat short stories but not novels. I would have loved Of Mice and Men, Grapes of Wrath, I love and can read them again and again now. OK, Stone Angel not so much. My class didn't get Lord of the Flies, though other kids in the same grade as me did (same thing with Romeo, Catcher, Never Cry Wolf).
> 
> Our class did Brave New World but not 1984, other classes did the opposite. I think I'd have rather 1984.
> 
> I did a big spree of Robertson Davies reading, probably 8-10 of his novels, but that was well after high school.


Shakespeare was a miss for me as well. contrary to most, I liked the themes of the tragedies, hated / never understood the comedies.
Salesman was great. as was lord of the Flies. Cant remember a dam thing about Fifth Business.

In university I got big into Socrates, and Noel Coward, like most pretentious know-it-all kids did.


----------



## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

About the only think I understood of Shakespeare was when one of the characters said "Ophelia drowned!" Otherwise, I found the old English style of writing very difficult to decipher and I enjoy reading for the fun of it, not to analyze and tear a book apart. To me that completely ruins a book.


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I'm going to the library to pick up Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. My favourite from the 70s. I read it four times, but that was well over 30 years ago. Time to give it another go. Ah yes, Dwayne Hoover and Kilgore Trout.


----------



## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

Not much of a book reader, mostly biographies and guitar forums.... My favorite books are "The rise and fall of the Third Reich" by Shirer and "Fall on your knees" by Ann-Marie MacDonald.


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

luker0 said:


> I think I may have gotten lucky in HS in the middle of the 80s. I had one english teacher for three of the grades and one of the best teachers I've ever had for Grade 13 English. We read some really great books and some not so good.
> Loved:
> - The Shakespeares which included Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and Merchant of Venice.
> - Classics like the Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, Death of a Salesman (saw as a play as well) and To Kill a Mockingbird
> ...


I never did Shakespeare in High School--but I have read hamlet as well as Romeo & Juliet.
I was skeptical of Lord of the Flies when I was in high school--but during my 20s I started to appreciate it & see it as more realistic--and the older I get the more I see the truths in it.


----------



## StratCat (Dec 30, 2013)

Old thread, but...I’m currently reading this:










So far, a very interesting read and it’s making me dive into Dylan’s music way more than I ever have. The author of the book teaches a University sanctioned seminar on Bob Dylan at Harvard University. If this was offered online with real time skype attendance, I would take it.

If you like Dylan, I think you will like this book (along with his autobiography Chronicles, which is excellent).


----------



## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

In grade 6 our teacher used to read from a book for about a half hour or so once per week. The one book he read stuck with me and turned my into a pure sci fi /fantasy fan. The Hero from Otherwhere. 

Because of that book, I only read old Sci fi and Fantasy. Anything Heinlein including his "juvenile" stuff, Asimov's Foundation series(20 times by now) , Hubbard's Battlefield Earth or the Mission Earth series, Moorcock and anything to do with the Eternal Champion nd the multiverse, Vonnegut, Zelazny's Amber series, Gaiman, Kurtz's Camber of Culdi series. I could go on and on. 

Recently I have been blown away by Jack Whyte's historical fictions. The King Arthur Skystone series and the Knights Templar stuff are hard to put down. He's also working on his version of Braveheart (William Wallace). Frank Whyte's version of the lady of the Lake blew my mind. Mostly because I beleive Dennis was correct when he said , "I mean, if I went around saying, "I was an emperor just because some moistened bink had lobbed a scimitar at me" they'd put me away!"

I'm just about to start rereading the Expanse series in preparation for the next season coming up on TV


----------



## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

I'm reading a book (and I hesitate to write the title), _The Scientific Proof of God: Unified Field Theory _

It essentially attempts to complete the work of Einstein's Unified Field Theory where Albert (may I call him Albert?) tries to connect consciousness (the mind, or the "I") to Physics. This book works with the information discovered using the Hadron Collider and primarily the identification of the Higgs Boson particle. The Author, Dr. Fredrick Honig, irons out an equation for the Golden Rule (do unto others) that ties in nicely. It is essentially about Karma.

Ci (m)2 = E 

'Ci' ( "c sub i") is conscious intent. If thought is an electromagnetic wave (which, scientifically, it is), then it has a magnetic field around it. This magnetic field is the Ci. How much mass you can manipulate into action via Ci (squared) is equal to energy. This energy is Einstein's energy. It makes perfect sense, but you have to put a lot of faith into a connection between the higgs boson and emotion - and how it ties into the Big Bang Theory.

It's pretty interesting. Not for all, but definitely a nice explanation that ties a lot of things together that Einstein, Newton, and Lise Meitner (discovered Nuclear Fission) were also working on. 

I'm a believer in the true definition in Karma that has been understood for thousands of years. It's one of the main reasons I don't participate in the forum. I can be such an asshole.

Anyway, hope some of you find it interesting enough to download from amazon.


----------



## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Ruth Rendall surprised me. Smart writer.


----------



## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Adcandour said:


> I'm reading a book (and I hesitate to write the title), _The Scientific Proof of God: Unified Field Theory _
> 
> It essentially attempts to complete the work of Einstein's Unified Field Theory where Albert (may I call him Albert?) tries to connect consciousness (the mind, or the "I") to Physics. This book works with the information discovered using the Hadron Collider and primarily the identification of the Higgs Boson particle. The Author, Dr. Fredrick Honig, irons out an equation for the Golden Rule (do unto others) that ties in nicely. It is essentially about Karma.
> 
> ...


You're talking about tapping into the Akashic records? The notion that all knowledge past present and future can be accessed if in the right state of mind? There are some who think people like Einstein, Tesla, DaVinci had the knowledge required to put their minds into the perfect state to access it.


----------



## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

knight_yyz said:


> You're talking about tapping into the Akashic records? The notion that all knowledge past present and future can be accessed if in the right state of mind? There are some who think people like Einstein, Tesla, DaVinci had the knowledge required to put their minds into the perfect state to access it.


I don't think this has much to do with the records, but I like the idea of them. My only argument against the above gents accessing the records is that they were consumed by the work and "the figuring out " of it all. Someone who has access wouldn't be so consumed in figuring out the answers (I would think). Who knows though...


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Currently reading two music books:

"Gods of the Hammer - The Teenage Head Story" - poorly written, but interesting. Only 127 pages.
"The Practice of Practice" - which is about optimizing your practice time. Not nearly as dry as you might think. Pretty much trashes the notion of "natural talent" but also has harsh words for the "10,000 hour" theory. Pretty sure that this one will be the next addition to my list of "essential musical reading"


----------



## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

The Akashic Record is something along the lines of Bhuddism taken to the next level. I'm sure I have read that both Einsein and DaVinci used meditiation, and although I never wtched the entire TV series, I'm sure was at least one episode where DaVinci went to a cave and had visions. In real life there is a time when DaVinci disappeared for a while. they think he was tapping the record.


Quote from Einstein
Still there are moments when one feels free from one’s own identification with human limitations and inadequacies. At such moments, one imagines that one stands on some spot of a small planet, gazing in amazement at the cold yet profoundly moving beauty of the eternal, the unfathomable: life and death flow into one, and there is neither evolution nor destiny; only being.nor destiny; only being.
The finest emotion of which we are capable is the mystic emotion. Herein lies the germ of all art and all true science. Anyone to whom this feeling is alien, who is no longer capable of wonderment and lives in a state of fear is a dead man. To know that what is impenetrable for us really exists and manifests itself as the highest wisdom and the most radiant beauty, whose gross forms alone are intelligible to our poor faculties — this knowledge, this feeling . . . that is the core of the true religious sentiment. In this sense, and in this sense alone, I rank myself among profoundly religious men.
There is more, but I truly beleive that he was able to access something (whether it was another part of his brain or the Akashic record I don't know)

I partially remember a DaVinci quote, something to the effect that meditation is best performed in violet light shining through stained glass.


----------



## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

knight_yyz said:


> The Akashic Record is something along the lines of Bhuddism taken to the next level. I'm sure I have read that both Einsein and DaVinci used meditiation, and although I never wtched the entire TV series, I'm sure was at least one episode where DaVinci went to a cave and had visions. In real life there is a time when DaVinci disappeared for a while. they think he was tapping the record.
> 
> 
> Quote from Einstein
> ...


There are approximately 6000 people currently on this planet who understand the above fully. The number that _want_ to understand it is unknown, but they are next in line. If this makes any sense to you.


----------



## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

Most days I read medical reports and various clinical notes and records; when I get home I don’t feel like readin too much more about anything.


----------



## 10409 (Dec 11, 2011)

I just read whatever story the kids are having at bedtime. It’s been the Harry Potter series for a while now, hard to get through a novel 15 minutes at a time. The movies didn’t really interest me all that much, but the novels are actually a lot deeper. Caught me off guard a few times. Im being the annoying parent that makes them talk about the morals, philosophical ponderings and life lessons that are packed into the stories, there’s a good deal to take away from them for a youth novel. But then again I consider “oh the places you’ll go” the most inspiring literature of our time, and that’s dr Seuss.


----------



## StratCat (Dec 30, 2013)

mike_oxbig said:


> I just read whatever story the kids are having at bedtime. It’s been the Harry Potter series for a while now, hard to get through a novel 15 minutes at a time. The movies didn’t really interest me all that much, but the novels are actually a lot deeper. Caught me off guard a few times. Im being the annoying parent that makes them talk about the morals, philosophical ponderings and life lessons that are packed into the stories, there’s a good deal to take away from them for a youth novel. But then again I consider “oh the places you’ll go” the most inspiring literature of our time, and that’s dr Seuss.


Been there, done that and it’s wonderful time spent that one day will be gone. Enjoy every single moment of it. I miss those moments, but at the same time, I’m now attending and enjoying concerts with my young adult kids. Good times!


----------



## rhh7 (Mar 14, 2008)

In My Own Way, an autobiography by Alan Watts.

I live to read, 5 or 6 books per week.

This means early in the morning, and late at night. Give up sleep, and most tv.


----------



## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

rhh7 said:


> I live to read, 5 or 6 books per week.
> 
> This means early in the morning, and late at night. Give up sleep, and most tv.


Nothing on TV anyway. 
I can't read when I go to bed. If the book is good, I will stay awake all night and read, never fall asleep.


----------



## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

mike_oxbig said:


> I just read whatever story the kids are having at bedtime. It’s been the Harry Potter series for a while now, hard to get through a novel 15 minutes at a time. The movies didn’t really interest me all that much, but the novels are actually a lot deeper. Caught me off guard a few times. Im being the annoying parent that makes them talk about the morals, philosophical ponderings and life lessons that are packed into the stories, there’s a good deal to take away from them for a youth novel. But then again I consider “oh the places you’ll go” the most inspiring literature of our time, and that’s dr Seuss.


"A novel 15 minutes at a time"? I've been reading Thoreau's Walden pond and I'm about 1/2 way thru. I started in '65.


----------



## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Robert1950 said:


> I'm going to the library to pick up Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. My favourite from the 70s. I read it four times, but that was well over 30 years ago. Time to give it another go. Ah yes, Dwayne Hoover and Kilgore Trout.


In '67 I found copies of Seacoast of Bohemia and On The Road at a campground near the summit of the Roger Pass. I read them every couple of years. Vonnegut isn't that bad but Kerouac and Wolfe are better.


----------



## Guest (Apr 30, 2019)

Was mostly into sci-fi fantasy.
David Eddings, L. Ron ..
A lot of Piers Anthony. This one's pretty humorous;










Anyone out there want to buy a pile in the Scarborough area?
I need to empty my mother's house and there's ~ 1000+ paperback/hard cover to unload.

(the boxes are full and spread throughout the basement)


----------



## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I loved Piers Anthony's series that started with on a Pale horse. Incarnations of Imortallity. Hilarious, Dude accidentally kills The Grimm Reaper and and has to take his place... LOL

One of the funniest scifi/fantasy books ever written was A night in the Lonesome October. Roger Zelazny. The story is told from the perspective of jack the rippers dog.


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

I am not a very spiritual person but one if my customers bought this book for me. It’s a book about enjoying and living right now, forget about tomorrow or the future.


----------



## Guest (Apr 30, 2019)

knight_yyz said:


> on a Pale horse


His whole series on the Incarnations was a good read.


----------



## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Not reading anything currently but here's a few I liked..by author.

Steven King: The Stand is my favorite. Read it 2x. Have read most everything from him, including all Richard Bachmans
David Eddings: Belgariad, Elenium, etc.... series and all the others. Including all with Leigh his wife as co author
Michael Slade (aka: Jay Clarke): Headhunter, Ghoul and Ripper. Canadian author who really gets into the Forensics of things with these ones. Gets pretty gruesome!
JRR Tolkien of course
Brian Lumley: Necroscope series
A lot of books on serial killers and such. Favorite of all was Hunting Humans by Elliot Leyton
Music bios, auto bios etc.
Anton Zandor LaVey's Satanic Bible and Rituals when I was 17. Before it got banned. Fabulous insight into that way of thinking and our deep seated carnal lust and instinct. 

I'm more of a favorite author and genre reader than anything. Apparently Fantasy, Horror, Music and true crime are my go to's. I like evil books, evil music, and am probably the least evil person you'll ever meet.


----------



## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

Dorian2 said:


> ... and am probably the least evil person you'll ever meet.


Said every evil person ever.


----------



## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

A coworked turned me on to Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. That was a fun read. 

I'm now working my way through Tom Clancy's earlier Jack Ryan stuff. It's fun to read the book and then watch the movie. The book is always better, but requires more commitment as well.


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I'm bringing back this old thread as I expect many of us will possibly now be doing much more reading ...for obvious reasons.

I am reading _*"The Innocents"*_ by Michael Crummey. It was a finalist for the Giller Prize and the GG Literary Awards. VERY enjoyable read but I have had to look up most of the Newfoundland vocabulary.

I just finished reading *"Radicalized"* by Cory Doctorow. Highly recommended if you like dystopian Sci-Fi.


----------



## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

I'm currently on the final book of five in the GOT series.
Enjoy Steven King and have the Institute in the wings. Bill Bryson always cracks me up as well. 
Musically, there is Roger Daltrey's autobiography, Led Zeppelin All the Songs, Rush Wandering the Face of the Earth. Think I'm set for a while.


----------



## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

Finished the first two which are quick reads.


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I often have multiple books not he go
Right now it's a couple of theological books
Kingdom Living in a Fallen World by Sinclair Ferguson and All Things for Good by Thomas Watson.


----------



## Eric Reesor (Jan 26, 2020)

Today my reading was from:
1. The primary studies from the method of Fernando Sor...got through a few good ones
2. Exercises from Paul Hindemith's "Elementary Training for Musicians" ...an ongoing read for most humans to say the least. I am sure that if the book came with midi files and guitar tablature it would become a runaway best seller with illiterate musicians. Surprised Mel Bay has not brought it out yet!

Was thinking the other day about picking up an old copy somewhere of the series of the best of sci fi shorts from the 1970's that includes "A Boy and His Dog" but instead decided to just read a little more of Seneca especially his letters on greed driven actions, anger and other human shortcomings.

_(edit addition for clarity) I have found that reading Seneca explains a great deal about why psychology is a profession fraught with pitfalls and failures even if you are completely sincere. His sagacity and wisdom was essentially used by Nero's mother to try to settle down her son. Poor Seneca was doomed to failure and the irony which abounds in his writing as well as the clarity of thought and reasoning is a wonder to contemplate._

Might do a reread of Robert K. Massie's, Peter the Great and then Nicholas and Alexandra just to refresh the mind on the key reasons why Russia and the surrounding nations are the way they are today. But that might take a few weeks work.

For anyone that has a penchant for reading obscure literature and also plays music and wants something light and at times quite humorous, I highly recommend the autobiography of Hector Berlioz!

Certainly all better options than watching network TV right now.


----------



## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I read daily before bed. A little down time on a weekend, later afternoon read then slipping into a nap is fantastic.

I am currently reading an xmas gift book my son gave me. “The Flight” by Dan Hampton. Covering Lindberg’s 1927 transatlantic flight in 1927 in The Spirit Of St Louis. I wondered how the author might fill a book about a solo flight over 33 hours. He did so very well. I’m quite enjoying it. I see it for $5 at Chapter’s. Pick it up. Good value.

A good read from about 25 years ago, I have never forgotten the name or author. Woth reading I think. “Prey” by Ken Goddard.


----------

