Been thumbing through Walter Benjamin's Illuminations and a collection fo Kierkegaard's parables.

Just finished:

War as I knew it; by General George Patton.

The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness; by Simon Wiesenthal.

The Devil's Disciples: Hitler's Inner Circle; by Anthony Read.

Not sure what I going to read next.

reading:
made in america, by bill bryson
dry by augusten burroughs
bicycle by david herlihy
the sagas of icelanders
beckett's trilogy
seven pillars of wisdom, by t.e. lawrence
trees: trees identified by leaf, bark & seed, by steven aronson

just read:
running with scissors, by augusten burroughs
a short history of nearly everything, by bill bryson
just read again:
np, by banana yoshimoto

reading:
made in america, by bill bryson
dry by augusten burroughs
bicycle by david herlihy
the sagas of icelanders
beckett's trilogy
seven pillars of wisdom, by t.e. lawrence
trees: trees identified by leaf, bark & seed, by steven aronson

just read:
running with scissors, by augusten burroughs
a short history of nearly everything, by bill bryson
just read again:
np, by banana yoshimoto

my neighbor just read "Running with scissors" and was recommending it to me..Sounded interesting..What did you think about it??

it was a great book. very dry humour. it was funny and sad at the same time. one minute i would be laughing at it and then the next i just couldn't believe what was happening. i would definately recommend it. i also was interested in it because my brother and his fiance live a few towns away from where the story takes place so it drew me in that way.
right now i am about halfway through the sequel novel, dry. i had to stop reading this one for a while because it was just too depressing and winters up here in new england are depressing enough as it is! : )

it was a great book. very dry humour. it was funny and sad at the same time. one minute i would be laughing at it and then the next i just couldn't believe what was happening. i would definately recommend it. i also was interested in it because my brother and his fiance live a few towns away from where the story takes place so it drew me in that way.
right now i am about halfway through the sequel novel, dry. i had to stop reading this one for a while because it was just too depressing and winters up here in new england are depressing enough as it is! : )

Yeah, that's pretty much how he described it "funny and sad at the same time"..why am I laughing? type of thing....anyway my curiousity is peaked and I'm gonna have to read it for myself..thanks for the input..I'll post after I've read it..keep warm up there!!

Just finished Blindness by José Saramago. Very philosophical work and intriguing. I would recommend it for those who like an allegorical novel.

reading:
made in america, by bill bryson


That one is pretty good. I liked what he said about the Vikings being great salesmen. After all, they did come up with the name "GreenLand".

Another good one by Bryson is "The Mother Tongue".

yeah i tend to like anything that he writes. i read 'the mother tongue' years back, great book. i think i will read it again when i finish with 'made in america'. 'a walk in the woods' is another of his that i really like.

i also just read 'wicked- the life and times of the wicked witch of the west' by gregory maguire. i didn't think that i would like it but it was a nice easy read and it was a very interesting idea to take the oz story from the witch's perspective. after i finished this book, i went out and bought the 'wizard of oz' by baum to see what parts were taken from the original and what parts were added. i bought the oxford classics version because it had notes in the back that compared different release versions, words that were changed for various reasons and other such things. good books, both of them.

Just finished 'A Brief History of Nearly Everything' by Bill Bryson, 'Such a Long Journey' and 'A Fine Balance' by Rohinton Minstry and am struggling through 'The Ramayana'.

^ Book 1 of Alexa Code by Jim Butcher
> reading David Gemmel's "Legend"
v Deception Point by Dan Brown is on deck.

Finished The Immortal Class yesterday. Not perfect, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I think his writing improves as you get farther into the book. If the second 2/3 had been like the first 1/3, I probably wouldn't have finished it.

i read 'the mother tongue' years back, great book.
That’s on my nightstand right now. Hoping to get to it after the holidays. Its nice to see some Bryson fans posting. He’s one of my favourite authors.

Just finished:
Fortunate Son -- JH Hatfield. Not nearly as negative as I expected. The parts of the book dealing with bush’s early years are actually endearing?!? Pretty balanced book overall, actually.
Terrorism and War -- Howard Zinn. The usual socialist interpretation of war and american foreign policy.

In progress:
The Bush Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder -- Mark Crispin Miller
Scathing, blatantly partisan analysis of Bush and the stupid stuff that comes out of his mouth . Not just limited to Bush’s usual comedic “bushism” foibles, this book goes after the sentiment behind the words and the politics as well.

Up next:
Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words -- Bill Bryson. Probably won’t read the whole thing, just flip to some entries now and then.
The Mother Tongue (English and How it Got that Way) -- Bill Bryson
Frontier Justice--Scott Ritter. Ritter seems a little touched in the head but it should be interesting.

The fact that I am reading Bryson’s take on the English language right after reading Bush Dyslexicon was pure coincidence.

I'll probably read 'Skipping Christmas' soon. I'm also in the process of reading through a book of Sherlock Holmes stories.

i just picked up a nice hardbound copy of sherlock holmes stories at the local savers thrift store. i had been looking for a replacement for the paperback copy that has been slowly losing pages everytime i went to read it. so not only did i find a book i was looking for, but it only cost me a dollar! i love savers!

"The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White. It's a classic, and I need to bone up on my writing skills. I found out I violated the first rule of grammar consistently from reading the introduction. :(

Koffee

"The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White. It's a classic, and I need to bone up on my writing skills. I found out I violated the first rule of grammar consistently from reading the introduction. :(

Koffee

Koffee, the best book on this subject I have ever read is, "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser. The Elements of Style is good but "On Writing Well" is a MUST READ.

I'll take your word on it, but every college professor I ever took a class from, and even my high school english professors recommend the Elements of Style. I'm sure your book is well done and well written, but I just view the book by Strunk and White as the essentials to writing. It hasn't needed to be rewritten or corrected in over 70 years.

I will probably pick it up someday though. Thanks for the recommendation.

Koffee

I'll take your word on it, but every college professor I ever took a class from, and even my high school english professors recommend the Elements of Style. I'm sure your book is well done and well written, but I just view the book by Strunk and White as the essentials to writing. It hasn't needed to be rewritten or corrected in over 70 years.

I will probably pick it up someday though. Thanks for the recommendation.

Koffee


S & W, a classic, plain and simple.

Frank Herbert's Dune

"The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White. It's a classic, and I need to bone up on my writing skills. I found out I violated the first rule of grammar consistently from reading the introduction. :(

Koffee

What, letting your participle dangle? Tisk, tisk, tisk :)

Just got and finished Shel Silverstein's ~ Where the Sidewalk Ends. Fun poetery and cute illustrations.

What, letting your participle dangle? Tisk, tisk, tisk :)

Well, rewrite it then. That is, if it irritates you so much and you think you can do better.

Koffee

Well, rewrite it then. That is, if it irritates you so much and you think you can do better.

Koffee

Yo girlfriend, don't get your panties in a wad! I was merely asking a qualifying QUESTION.
You stated "I found out I violated the first rule of grammar consistently from reading the introduction."
I asked, "What, letting your participle dangle?"
Now you're up my ass like a plumbers snake?!?! WTF

FYI - A dangeling participle is one of the most common errors in English grammar.

Example: What time is it? WRONG, A dangeling participle.
Could you tell me the time? CORRECT. Participle NOT dnageling.

Here's a quarter, go buy a freakin' clue! :rolleyes:

Well, grammar nazi, why don't we just let you troll the forums and you can continue irritating people with your nagging. Sheesh, no wonder you are all alone.

Koffee

Frank Herbert's Dune
One of the best science fiction books, if not books, of all time. This book is underappreciated because so much of sci-fi is completely horrible, in my opinion.

Well, grammar nazi, why don't we just let you troll the forums and you can continue irritating people with your nagging. Sheesh, no wonder you are all alone.

ouch

Well, grammar nazi, why don't we just let you troll the forums and you can continue irritating people with your nagging. Sheesh, no wonder you are all alone.

Koffee


Koffee, just what is your problem? Don't you read english or is it comprehension of complex sentence structure that's giving you difficulty. Maybe, it's just that you need a good phuck thrown into you. I don't care.

Just get off my back. Okay? I initally made an attempt at introducing a little levity (humor) and you shot back at me with hostility. I then tried to expalin my intention to you and you call me a Nazi and accuse me of nagging.

Damn, give YOU PEOPLE a bit of authority and it goes straight to your head!

A dangling participle is NOT an error. Most of what we were taught to think of as "rules" are not actually the rules of english at all. They are the rules of LATIN and the grammar nazis have bent and twisted our language to make it fit the rules of a foreign (and 2000 years dead) language. To learn how this happened read "The Mother Tongue" by Bill Bryson and "Word on the Street" by John McWhorter.

It is OK to dangle your participle.
It is OK to split your infinitives.
And a preposition is a fine thing to end a sentence with.

Thanks for that clarification... Ya learn something new every day :D

...dangeling
...dangeling
...dnageling

Here's a quarter, go buy a freakin' clue!
You might want to save your quarters and buy a dictionary.

Reading: "Call of the Wild" - Jack London

A biking bud gave me "Yellow Jersey" at Christmas. 'bout halfway through it.

Well, grammar nazi, why don't we just let you troll the forums and you can continue irritating people with your nagging. Sheesh, no wonder you are all alone.

Koffee

Joe must have been drunk when he made you a moderator. Geez.

Joe must have been drunk when he made you a moderator. Geez.

Mods aren't robots.

And...

Hey Stacey,

where did you find that quote from Pope Leo X? I have been looking for books about the Jesus myth and the origins of christianity (the greatest story ever sold).

Hey Stacey,

where did you find that quote from Pope Leo X? I have been looking for books about the Jesus myth and the origins of christianity (the greatest story ever sold).


I saw reference to a book called The Bible Fraud (http://www.joshuabooks.com/bushby/biblefraud/internalgif/fraud.htm) in a Letter to the Editor in The Montgomery County (PA) Observer. the quote is on the cover of the book. The book is on my "To Buy" list. Thanks for asking. :)

I saw reference to a book called The Bible Fraud (http://www.joshuabooks.com/bushby/biblefraud/internalgif/fraud.htm) in a Letter to the Editor in The Montgomery County (PA) Observer. the quote is on the cover of the book. The book is on my "To Buy" list. Thanks for asking. :)

Pope Leo X was not a good pope. He was venal and political in the worst sense of the word. His inattentions and excesses were contributing factors in Martin Luther's Reformation. But to give Leo his due, he probably never said those words.

The quote, which is properly "All ages can testifie enough howe profitable that fable of Christe hath ben to us and our companie" was put in the mouth of Leo X by John Bale, a 16th Century English Proetstant ex-Carmelite priest in a work titled The Pageant of Popes. Bale's purpose was polemical and satircal.

We now return this thread to its original stated purpose, whatever the heck that might have been....

I saw reference to a book called The Bible Fraud (http://www.joshuabooks.com/bushby/biblefraud/internalgif/fraud.htm) in a Letter to the Editor in The Montgomery County (PA) Observer. the quote is on the cover of the book. The book is on my "To Buy" list. Thanks for asking. :)

That's MY story and I'm stickin' to it! :)

i dun think gramur erurs is so bad. just tpye fsat and evrythng is t3h cool

Re-reading Okakura's The Book of Tea

i dun think gramur erurs is so bad. just tpye fsat and evrythng is t3h cool

This whole conversation reminds me of the story about the Southern woman who was introduced to a Northerner.

"Where are you from?" the Southerner asks.

"I am from a place where we do not end our sentences with prepositions" replies her snooty new acquaintance.

"Oh, I'm sorry," says the Belle. "I should have said, 'Where are you from, b*tch?"

Am I the only on who saw the HUMOR/LEVITY in my original question. Sheesh!

yes

If you are looking for more books to read cast your eyes down this list of cycling books at this English bookshop:

http://www.bikebook.co.uk/

Christopher Moore:The Stupidest Angel; A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror

It was a gift from my brother. I'm about 40 pages into it. So far it's a hoot and suits my holiday mood perfectly.

And the whole series rocks. There is just an intense amount of background information and his attention to detail across the board is obscene! Great books!

And the whole series rocks. There is just an intense amount of background information and his attention to detail across the board is obscene! Great books!
I'm refering to Frank Herbert's Dune.
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Right now I'm really grooving on a collection of short fiction by Vladimir Nabokov.
What collection?
Would you reread the stories now?

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair for English. We had a choice of six books, and Epscot Fitzgerald is a snoozefest, so I picked this.
Snooze fest or not the dude's name is F. Scott Fitzgerald. I suppose it is unimportant.