What are you reading?

[BlondieGirl]

How did I miss a conversation about "Gone With the Wind"?!

Lucy, I read it many times when I was younger too and now am recently rereading it as an adult. I LOVE it!

[speedbump]

Has anyone read Band of Brothers?? This book is really good! I'm not to far along, but they are about to drop into France for their first live action, and man, I was crying just reading about the sacrifices made and the honor those guys had. They have some of the letters that the soldiers wrote home right before going in, and they are just amazing.

mrdob: I love that book. Have read it many times and also own the DVD set. If you're enjoying the book, when you finish I highly recommend Tom Brokaw's book, "The Greatest Generation". It's an excellent addendum to "Band of Brothers". I'm mostly a non-fiction fan with an emphasis on early American history and political science.


I picked up some light reading the other day:

"Inventing A Nation: Washington, Adams, Jefferson" - Gore Vidal

"The Journals of Lewis and Clark" - Stephen Ambrose

"The Anti-Chomsky" - Peter Collier and David Horowitz

"Red, White and Liberal: How Left is Right and Right is Wrong" - Alan Colmes

This oughta keep me going through the summer

[LG.]

unlike serious-minded speedy, I've been reading fun, rather fluffy stuff lately, as I'm working through all of Laurie Notaro's books. I started just randomly picking up The Idiot Girl's Action-Adventure Club last winter and she cracks me up, so now I'm on her third book I Love Everyone (And Other Atrocious Lies) and have her fourth ready for when I finish this off. I thinks she's laugh out loud funny. Reminds me of David Sedaris, but I can relate to her more, so I actually snort and laugh loud enough that people around me ask "what's so damn funny".

[DesertRose]

My city library was having a huge old books sale (12000 books). I bought a couple hardcover books for 2$ each.

I just read The education of Rick Green (corporate lawyer book), which was interesting.

I was about to start The Shipping news when I had the bad idea to see if anyone mentionned it in this thread. GG, have you finished it yet or did you give up? I'm not sure I want to start it anymore.

The other two books I bought are not mentionned. As anyone read them? Secret dreams, by Keith Korman and The Wonder Worker, by Susan Howatch.

[phat32]

"Red, White and Liberal: How Left is Right and Right is Wrong" - Alan Colmes

This oughta keep me going through the summer

Man, how did I get to be such good friends with a guy who takes Colmes seriously?

Just kidding, dude, juuust kidding...

[Lah]

A friend of mine just recommended me The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. Any fellow FORTers who have read it and can either recommend or steer me away?

I read it and thought it was the worst book I have ever read. If I recall correctly I kept reading it hoping everyone would die in the end. It was a nasty joyless read.

If anything, geekthegirl, reading that "it was the worst book I have ever read" should make you even more determined to follow up on your friend's recommendation, so that your surprise at discovering how profound and poignant the novel really is, and how sympathetic all the characters end up being could be all the greater. Franzen's prose is an embarrassment of riches, no wonder he didn't want the book anywhere near Oprah's kiss of death.

[speedbump]

Man, how did I get to be such good friends with a guy who takes Colmes seriously?

Just kidding, dude, juuust kidding...

Haha. I have a policy that for every right wing pundit book I buy, I must counter it with a left wing book. "Even Steven" I always say.

[AJane]

How did I miss a conversation about "Gone With the Wind"?!

I first read the book in 8th grade, and I loved it and moped around for a week afterwards because Rhett left her. My parents bought me a copy -- after I'd read it -- for Christmas, but the binding fell off almost immediately, which has always saddened me because my dad had written an inscription on the inside, and we didn't keep it.

I love the movie, too. Phat, I think if Southern women identify with this book, it's more with Scarlett's spine-of-steel resiliency.

!!!!!! And how did I miss it?!? I love the book and the movie (everytime I watch the movie I cry buckets when Bonny dies ).

I think women in general relate well to Scarlett, but the character of Melanie is way under-rated. Don't forget she dragged herself from her sickbed and shot the Yankee soldier before he could attack Scarlett. Come to think of it, many of the GWTH women were pretty tough customers - I think women love the story for the strong female characters as much, if not more, than for the romantic Scarlett-Ashley-Rhett love triangle.

[Critical]

I was about to start The Shipping news when I had the bad idea to see if anyone mentionned it in this thread. GG, have you finished it yet or did you give up? I'm not sure I want to start it anymore.

I read it when it first came out, DesertRose. It wasn't horrible, but I didn't love it. I got all the way to the end of the book and still didn't care about any of the characters at all. I've never understood what the big deal is.

[geek the girl]

I read it and thought it was the worst book I have ever read. If I recall correctly I kept reading it hoping everyone would die in the end. It was a nasty joyless read.

Now I DEFINITELY want to read it, just to see if it will have the same impact on me. Any book that can provoke feelings that strong has to have something. In fact, I bought it this morning, along with a bunch of other paperbacks I thought would make a nice addition to my vacation when it (finally!) comes. The price was really good as well. Too late for any regrets now... Also, the friend who recommended it to me usually has impeccable taste (that is, same taste as me ) so I'll definitely give it a shot. Thanks for the input though.