Reading Is Sexy: Books Part III

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martha said:
A dirty pot-smoking Commie, yet.
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I'm a dangerous combination, let me tell you. :wink:


Started up Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. Only have to read a couple of chapters from it for a class, but it's a book that I've been meaning to get through in its entirety, so I might take this opportunity to do so.
 
onebloodonelife said:
Started up Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States. Only have to read a couple of chapters from it for a class, but it's a book that I've been meaning to get through in its entirety, so I might take this opportunity to do so.
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I hated every second I wasted on that stupid book. Zinn is such a fucking wanna be.
 
I started trying to read that about 5 years ago, got maybe 100 pages in. I haven't picked it up again, although it's still on my bookshelf as if I have the intention of getting back to it.
 
I finished Steven Erikson's Gardens of the Moon, a book by my boyfriend's favourite fantasy writer that he lent me. I can't remember the last time it took me so bloody long to finish a book - it's a dense one with loads of characters and complex plots, and the author basically throws you into his world headfirst without bothering much with exposition. Once I wrapped my brain around dozens of characters, gods, races, places, magic systems etc. the book does become enjoyable.
 
martha said:
I hated every second I wasted on that stupid book. Zinn is such a fucking wanna be.
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Please elaborate. I know he was a bomber pilot in WWII and such, which doesn't exactly sit well with me. I do think A People's History is fairly interesting in terms of critical pedagogy though, which is what I'm thinking about writing my senior thesis about next year.
 
onebloodonelife said:
Please elaborate. I know he was a bomber pilot in WWII and such, which doesn't exactly sit well with me. I do think A People's History is fairly interesting in terms of critical pedagogy though, which is what I'm thinking about writing my senior thesis about next year.
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If he really wants to be a feminist, oppressed-minority, person of color, and a scholar, he should make more a of a genuine effort.

Wartime service in WW2 was every man's fate, and one few could escape, so that's not the problem for me.

If you really are a feminist, then why refer to " the Cherokee [or whatever tribe he was talking about] and their women"?!

He also uses examples from a different era to criticize earlier leaders. I can't remember the exact examples like I can the ridiculous one cited above, but his scholarship is suspect, to me at least. I found that many of this "radical" theories just weren't supported by his evidence. And, he didn't seem to have a clear understanding of the differences between people's roles and expectations then and what they are now.
 
martha said:
If he really wants to be a feminist, oppressed-minority, person of color, and a scholar, he should make more a of a genuine effort.

Wartime service in WW2 was every man's fate, and one few could escape, so that's not the problem for me.

If you really are a feminist, then why refer to " the Cherokee [or whatever tribe he was talking about] and their women"?!

He also uses examples from a different era to criticize earlier leaders. I can't remember the exact examples like I can the ridiculous one cited above, but his scholarship is suspect, to me at least. I found that many of this "radical" theories just weren't supported by his evidence. And, he didn't seem to have a clear understanding of the differences between people's roles and expectations then and what they are now.
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Totally understandable and I completely agree. On the other hand, one could say that those types of statements, in which he specifically separates Cherokee women from Cherokees at large, is indicative of the contradictions that are always present in a text, no matter how much we might try to eliminate them.
 
I instantly thought of you guys when I heard that :doh:. Oh well, RIP man, no matter what you opened up some interesting discussions nationwide.
 
martha said:
But why use the possessive pronoun?
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No idea. I'm not defending him in the least. My guess is that he either didn't notice it (and, I mean, we all have latent biases that resurface, no matter how much we fight against them, and so, the challenge is to reconcile them or push back against them; obviously, he did neither of these in this case) or his editors didn't, or they simply didn't care.
 
YES!!

Bring on the unreleased material!

In my opinion, it's reprehensible to have such a gift and not share it with the world. And I say this as someone who is a big fan. I've had to subsist on hunting down all the non-reprinted magazine stories for years, but I've read all of that stuff too.
 
RIP Salinger, but to be honest I hate Catcher in the Rye with such a fiery passion that I've never read his other material. Should be interesting to see what becomes of 50 years of constant writing though...
 
Dream Brother: The Lives and Music of Jeff and Tim Buckley by David Browne

I read the chapters about Jeff, skimmed the chapters about Tim. Am left sad at Jeff's death because he was so damned talented and I would have liked to see what else he would do, but also frustrated that I don't like his music more.

I wish I could get into it. I have Grace, but there are only about 3 or 4 songs that I like on it. (and yes, predictably, Hallelujah is one of those)
 
Pearl said:
The Case for God by Karen Armstrong.

Excellent book. I highly recommend it for theists and atheists alike. You would learn so much and find out how everyone has it wrong when it comes to God and religion these days. For example, it was only in the last 200 years that the Bible was considered infallible, whereas it was seen as an allegory from the very beginning (yes, even the book of Genesis).

I want to start a discussion about what this book says in FYM, but I'm afraid it would get derailed.
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You make me wanna read this book:D

I like your discussion idea too:up:

I just started The Jesus Quest The Third Search For The Jew Of Nazareth by Ben Witherington III
 
I've been in my own world for awhile now, it's only just hitting me that a new Don Delillo novel is coming out... THIS TUESDAY. Damn, I'm excited.
 
33 1/3 Greatest Hits Vol. 2 Various Authors

I'd never read any of the 33 1/3 album series, but snagged this compilation from a used bookstore. I dig that they're not meant to just be a straight-forward article about the album, the band, and the songs, but some of the entries just drove me crazy.

Some of them read like dissertations on stuff that barely are about the album, and I was expecting people talking about albums they loved. The one in this collection that most matched what I was expecting was the one on Sonic Youth's Daydream Nation.

There were a few I flat-out skipped because I just wasn't interested, but I read most of them in this book. I didn't hate all of them, so that was good.

If I run across volume one, I'll still pick that up in the hopes there will be entries that I really enjoy.
 
I made another attempt to read a Jane Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice this time. Just like Emma, I simply could not make myself finish this book; I read a few pages easily enough and then I just get terminally bored. I guess I'll just stick to Jane Austen TV/film adaptations.
 
Saracene said:
I made another attempt to read a Jane Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice this time. Just like Emma, I simply could not make myself finish this book; I read a few pages easily enough and then I just get terminally bored. I guess I'll just stick to Jane Austen TV/film adaptations.
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This makes me have a sad face. I love Jane Austen.

As for me, I've finished The Year at Thrush Green. That'll end the Thrush Green books for me, at least until I reread them again. Her first Thrush Green book, Thrush Green, took place during one day, the last one takes place over a year.

Then I read a young adult historical fiction a student loaned me, Chains, about a young slave girl in New York City in 1776. It was good, if a little harrowing. Fortunately, it was tempered by the author's understanding of her young audience.

Now I'm going back to Barsetshire. Doctor Thorne is Anthony Trollope's third book in the series. This edition's annotated, which I really like.
 
I Spent The Last Five Hours Reading 90 Minutes In Heaven By Don Piper He Should Have Titled It 205 Pages w/ The Grim Reaper LOL Almost Everyone This Guy Knew Died......I Rolled My Eyes Alot & Remain Skeptical Of An After Life:D
 
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