What are you reading?

I searched the keyword book and have looked through some of the pages and have noticed the lack of a book thread like the one I'm going to create. Surely I'm not the only book nerd?


Anyyways, just post what you're reading and a discription of what it's like.


I just started "letters to a christian nation" by Sam Harris. It's such a small and easy to read book really. He has started off by talking about morality and atheism. He correctly points out that the Jains have more of a moral base than christianity. Good stuff.

 

Articles on this poor chap:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSaRmAuQtAk

 

"Queen Camilla" by Sue Townsend

I recently finished "The Incomparable Atuk" by Mordecai Richler.

I'm into satire.

 

I'm reading Emile Durkheim's "The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life." It's a very tough read.

 

I just finished, "East of the Mountains." It is from the same guy that wrote Snow Falling on Cedars. It was decent - I enjoyed it.

Now I am reading Zachary Beaver Comes to Town with the kids at school, and The Love Languages (I think that is the title anyway). It is kind of stupid thus far, but a buddy read it and said i made him a better husband - SO...

 

Daniel Silva's Moscow Rules and the Fulham Review for the Great Escape of 07-08 (borrowed from Don). The Review is a cool trip down memory lane. I'm still in the early stages so LS is still the gaffer and apparantly we were too harsh on Mrs Baird. Silva writes fictional espionage thrillers and Moscow Rules lives up to his usual standards.

 

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon.

funny how 20 years later some things remain the same while others are unbelievably dated.

 

Oh yeah - before East of the Mountains I read -

Round Ireland with a Fridge

That was a light read and entertaining. I think before that I read that book about the Ports fan -

Bloody Confused

It was alright - there were some funny and interesting parts, but all in all I was not blown away by it.

Has anyone read the Beckham Experiment? I dont think I care to know all the details by reading the book, but maybe it is worth it.

 

tea leaves

 

Hey FFC24, explain to me how the Jains have more of a moral base than Christianity.

 

Modern Hip Resurfacing Simply riveting.

After health care reform goes through it will probably be classified as fiction.

 

At the Center of the Storm - My Life at the CIA - George Tenet

Fever Pitch - Nick Hornby

 

He took the 10 commandments and and then took a line by Mahavira and compared them. Mahavira simply said "don't abuse,oppress,enslave,injure,insult,torment,torture or kill any creature or living being." Now compare this to the commandments and you'l see that 4 of them are based on jealousy while the 10th says don't covet a servant. You can clearly see which one would have the moral base.


Not only that, but he also poiints out the extreme cruelty of the old testament and then brilliantly points out lines in the new testament. So while Jesus was a borderline socialist, he also was supposed "to claim vegeance on those who don't know God". Once you tie in all of the cruelty and stuff about how it's ok to take slaves then how could you ever claim the moral high ground? You can't.

 

Notes from a small island - Bill Bryson

 

Bryson is one of my favorites. A Walk in the Woods and A Brief History of Nearly Everything are great reads.

Just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini (author of the Kite Runner). Excellent book. His descriptive writing has really progressed.

About to start The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

 

The Bible. 8)

 

"London" by Edward Rutherford, a Michner-esque novel of historical fiction.

Before that, "Flags of Their Fathers"

 

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