the books we read

[LizKing531]

the Metamorphosis is a pretty wild story :)

That is an awesome story!  I was just talking about that yesterday

[pawpaw]

Mark Twain's Letters From Hawaii.

[aMD]

Mark Twain's Letters From Hawaii.

I'm a huge Twain fan.  I've read excerpts from this but never the whole thing.  how is it?

[pawpaw]

Mark Twain's Letters From Hawaii.

I'm a huge Twain fan.  I've read excerpts from this but never the whole thing.  how is it?

It's great! I actually just got back last night from a week in Kauai, and picked it up while I was over there.

Mark Twain is awesome. More than any other writer, it'd be him that I'd want to share a bottle of whiskey and a couple hours of conversation with.

[aMD]

Mark Twain's Letters From Hawaii.

I'm a huge Twain fan.  I've read excerpts from this but never the whole thing.  how is it?

It's great! I actually just got back last night from a week in Kauai, and picked it up while I was over there.

Mark Twain is awesome. More than any other writer, it'd be him that I'd want to share a bottle of whiskey and a couple hours of conversation with.

Ha!  I actually wrote my paper about that in college.  Who would you live to meet and what would you ask them, blah blah.  So I agree 100%.  Did you know that he smoked 40 cigars a day?  He went broke and gave "lectures" across the country haphazardly inventing the art of stand-up comedy.  Last thing i read by him was the Diaries of Adam and Eve.  Amazing!

[The DARK]

Just recently read Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. I know many of you are fans, so I'm hoping I can get a good opinion on where to go next!  :)

[pawpaw]

Mark Twain's Letters From Hawaii.

I'm a huge Twain fan.  I've read excerpts from this but never the whole thing.  how is it?

It's great! I actually just got back last night from a week in Kauai, and picked it up while I was over there.

Mark Twain is awesome. More than any other writer, it'd be him that I'd want to share a bottle of whiskey and a couple hours of conversation with.

Ha!  I actually wrote my paper about that in college.  Who would you live to meet and what would you ask them, blah blah.  So I agree 100%.  Did you know that he smoked 40 cigars a day?  He went broke and gave "lectures" across the country haphazardly inventing the art of stand-up comedy.  Last thing i read by him was the Diaries of Adam and Eve.  Amazing!

There's a part at the beginning of the book where he talks about the cigars available in Honolulu, which he found to be horrible. All low quality imports. BUT, he did say that he smoked a pipe-full of some of the native grown tabacco, which he found to be most satisfying. Ahhhh....that sweet Hawaiian smoke.

[Gripe]

I just picked up "This is Your Brain on Music - The Science of a Human Obsession" by Daniel J. Levitin.  It looks pretty interesting, picked it up purely because of the title, and I guess it's also a NYT Bestseller.  Anyone else read it? I'd be interested to hear what your thoughts are if so.  

I'm about 100 pages into it. I'm enjoying it, but I find that a lot of the 'clinical'/music theory stuff is over my head. I'm a music nut, not a musician. My eyes move back and forth for a few pages and then I come across something that I can relate to and that I really enjoy learning about. For example, it makes total sense to me that we feel "comfortable" listening to music with a similar rhythmic/melodic/timbral sense as what we were exposed to as children, as it parallels the process of learning language.

Some of what our ears and brains do with sound is astonishing, whether listening to music or any other sounds. I loved the chapter dealing with how the brain receives and processes various vibrations of the eardrum at the same time, somehow separating them into particular sounds. The brain is one hell of a thing.

I'm especially looking forward to finding out what causes 'ear worms' so I can figure out a way to instantly remove B.T.O. songs from my head when I hear them on the radio.  

[Chills]

Finished Black Swan Green by David Mitchell.  It's about a 13 year old boy in 1982 Britain (which fits me exactly).  He captures perfectly the experience and emotions of adolescence in Thatcher-era England.

Started it a couple of days ago.

I'm enjoying it immensely so far, that's no surprise really.

[Drunkre]

Right now, I'm reading Dan Simmons' "The Terror."  Usually not a big Dan Simmons fan, what with all the sci fi and stuff, but I cannot put down this book.  Its about the Franklin Expedition; ice monsters; and scurvy.  Pretty cool.

[EC]

Right now, I'm reading Dan Simmons' "The Terror."  Usually not a big Dan Simmons fan, what with all the sci fi and stuff, but I cannot put down this book.  Its about the Franklin Expedition; ice monsters; and scurvy.  Pretty cool.

DRUNKRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Drunkre]

'sup.   Having a baby really takes it out of you (posting on boards, I mean).  She's almost two now.  And I'm about to get my new computer.  My wife ordered it off QVC.  So, end result, I should be on here more often.

[MarkW]

'sup.   Having a baby really takes it out of you (posting on boards, I mean).  She's almost two now.  And I'm about to get my new computer.  My wife ordered it off QVC.  So, end result, I should be on here more often.

Hi Drunkre - nice to see you back (even though I wasn't around then, I mean it's nice to have an ex-regular back on the board).  Looks like the baby kept you busy a long time...  ;)

Still reading Matter by Iain M Banks.  Work is seriously getting in the way of the things I like doing.  >:(

[red]

The Metamorphosis was a great read.  Kinda shook me up.  

[red]

Spent the evening reading Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Back (of Jonathon Livingston Seagull fame).  I'm glad my friend Marie lent it to me on Saturday, because now I can't recommend it enough.  

[.Walt]

just finished reading Jane Eyre. umm yeah, it wasn't by choice. now i'm reading Slaughterhouse Five. a year ago, i wouldn't have dreamed i would be in this thread, but look at me now, actually reading.  :P

[easy jim]

Spent the evening reading Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Back (of Jonathon Livingston Seagull fame).  I'm glad my friend Marie lent it to me on Saturday, because now I can't recommend it enough.  

i'll definitely be checking that Bach out...i've only read Jonathan Livingston.  

Just finished Egger's You Shall Know Our Velocity and I loved it.  I hadn't heard of Eggers until the interview in Magnet when Jim mentioned him.

[MarkW]

just finished reading Jane Eyre. umm yeah, it wasn't by choice. now i'm reading Slaughterhouse Five. a year ago, i wouldn't have dreamed i would be in this thread, but look at me now, actually reading.  :P

From Jayne Eyre to Slaughterhouse Five?  That's what I love about this board: we're a broad church!

[Kimbos_Evil_Bread]

I'm finishing up The People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn.  

[Chills]

Finished Black Swan Green by David Mitchell.  It's about a 13 year old boy in 1982 Britain (which fits me exactly).  He captures perfectly the experience and emotions of adolescence in Thatcher-era England.

Started it a couple of days ago.

I'm enjoying it immensely so far, that's no surprise really.

Finished last week.

So concludes my run of his four novels.
It's been heartbreakin', funny, thoughtful and most of all very entertaining.

Thanks Dave, you da man  :)