What Are You Reading Currently? [OFFICIAL THREAD]

[Marbles]

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (1930)

Quote

As I Lay Dying is Faulkner’s harrowing account of the Bundren family’s odyssey across the Mississippi countryside to bury Addie, their wife and mother. Narrated in turn  by each of the family members—including Addie herself—as well as others the novel ranges in mood, from dark comedy to the deepest pathos. Considered one of the most influential novels in American fiction in structure, style, and drama, As I Lay Dying is a true 20th-century classic. 

 

[Guest silasun]

I am hoping that my little honey bee will read Peter Rabbit with me - hopefully she doesn't rip the book to shreds - she has a habbit of ripping books.

[notme]

On 1/18/2017 at 3:15 PM, silasun said:

I am hoping that my little honey bee will read Peter Rabbit with me - hopefully she doesn't rip the book to shreds - she has a habbit of ripping books.

Two words:  Board Book

https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Rabbit-Classic-Collection-Board/dp/160433553X

[hayaah]

On 1/18/2017 at 3:15 PM, silasun said:

I am hoping that my little honey bee will read Peter Rabbit with me - hopefully she doesn't rip the book to shreds - she has a habbit of ripping books.

I love peter rabbit! Have you watched the cartoon?

[Guest silasun]

1 hour ago, hayaah said:

I love peter rabbit! Have you watched the cartoon?

Never! At least as far as I recall.

Edited January 19, 2017 by silasun

[hasanhh]

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 10:46 AM, Marbles said:

 

I read a condensed edition about 45 years ago.

Did you see the movie -or read- "A Day in the Life of Ivan Desenovitch" ?

[Reza]

3 hours ago, hasanhh said:

I read a condensed edition about 45 years ago.

Did you see the movie -or read- "A Day in the Life of Ivan Desenovitch" ?

I read the book several years ago for class. 

[hayaah]

9 hours ago, silasun said:

Never! At least as far as I recall.

Then you're not a true 'peter rabbit' fan :p

[Marbles]

10 hours ago, hasanhh said:

Did you see the movie -or read- "A Day in the Life of Ivan Desenovitch" ?

Not yet, but I have the book on my to-read list this year. Hoping to get to it soon.

As for movie adaption, I prefer to watch the movie after I've read the book, because most often the movie turns out to be a watered down version with lots missing.

[Pearl178]

On 1/10/2017 at 8:43 PM, Marbles said:

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (1930)

 

I can't seem to find it online  

[Marbles]

59 minutes ago, Pearl178 said:

I can't seem to find it online  

Oops. It's in public domain. See if you can find it on Project Gutenberg database. But it's a chore. The whole novel is in ungrammatical southern US patois and it's a stylistically challenging read.

If you haven't ready any Faulkner, Light in August is a good place to start. An excellent book!

[Inaayah]

On 25/08/2016 at 1:21 AM, Pearl178 said:

I started reading  "Fatimeh is Fatimeh" is by Dr. Shariati and I wish someone had told me a long time ago what a spectacular book it is. It's my first Dr. Shariti book

Even I have started reading it. Its seems spectacular so far!!

[Guerrilla]

Growing Up Bin Laden by Omar Bin Laden, Najwa Bin Laden, and Jean Sasson. 

 

It's quite interesting. Omar is the son of Osama bin Laden, and Najwa was his first wife. They discuss what it was like growing up with him and his activities during that period of his life. I'm almost to the end and it's really eye opening. At first, you feel sympathetic towards him. But as the book progresses, you realize how evil he really was.  

[Marbles]

On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder (2017)

Necessary reading for Americans and generally people in the West.

[DigitalUmmah]

I picked up a book from the dark tower series by stephen king. its one of my favourite series despite the just awful lazy and sloppy ending (king really doesnt know how to end a story). man, this guy knows how to write though. 

at the same time I am also re-reading the burning land by bernard cornwell. i absolutely LOVE cornwell books - all of them. the guys writing style of mixing fiction with real battles, and describing them in such a graphic and realistic way is addictive to me. 

[notme]

I've been trying to read Leviathan, but it's... a bit challenging, and I'm having trouble seeing where it is trying to go.

So I picked up Brave New World, which is one of only a few dystopian classics I haven't already read. It's good so far, already just a bit disturbing and I've only read a little.

[DigitalUmmah]

15 hours ago, notme said:

So I picked up Brave New World, which is one of only a few dystopian classics I haven't already read. It's good so far, already just a bit disturbing and I've only read a little.

After you have read it, I want to hear your thoughts on comparing it with 1984

Edited March 16, 2017 by DigitalUmmah

[Reza]

33 minutes ago, DigitalUmmah said:

After you have read it, I want to hear your thoughts on comparing it with 1984

@baradar_jackson has done a comparison of the two books before. You can check that out too if you're interested. 

Also there is this:

Edited March 16, 2017 by magma

[Hameedeh]

On 1/18/2017 at 3:15 PM, silasun said:

I am hoping that my little honey bee will read Peter Rabbit with me - hopefully she doesn't rip the book to shreds - she has a habbit of ripping books.

On 1/18/2017 at 3:27 PM, notme said:

Two words:  Board Book

https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Rabbit-Classic-Collection-Board/dp/160433553X

My kids had cloth books, too. 

[notme]

Just now, hameedeh said:

My kids had cloth books, too. 

Cloth books are the best for the littlest ones - they're practically indestructible. But there are fewer titles available.

[notme]

On 3/16/2017 at 7:32 AM, DigitalUmmah said:

After you have read it, I want to hear your thoughts on comparing it with 1984

Easy peasy. 

1984 is conservatism; Brave New World is liberalism. The only safe path is the moderate one proscribed by Islam and utterly ignored by most policymakers. 

I see elements of both of these in our modern world. They hypnotize the masses with mindlessness, and terrify the few who would be thinkers and doers. It could go either way, but I predict some of both. 

Farenheit 451 is somewhat a middle path between the two dystopias. That's probably where we are heading if we can avoid falling into utter ruin. I suspect utter ruin would be much worse for most of us. 

What dystopian novel do you recommend next? I'm thinking The Man In the High Castle because I have a copy, but I'm open to suggestions. 

[baradar_jackson]

^ Sister I would say, rather: Brave New World is a realistic look at the root of evil,

whereas 1984 is an ideological work, with its messages mostly only applicable to communism (a system which more or less... doesn't exist anymore). and also with a whole bunch of misguided notions of "freedom" mixed in. (i.e. animalistic enslavement to one's whims being freedom)

[Hameedeh]

RUNNING A THOUSAND MILES FOR FREEDOM OR, THE ESCAPE OF WILLIAM AND ELLEN CRAFT FROM SLAVERY.

[1848]

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/585

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

[baradar_jackson]

Haven't read a book in a minute

 

Wanted to get back into the habit. 

 

saw this on my shelf (which I bought years ago but never touched) and started reading

 

 

It's a memoir of a Tatar soldier in the Red Army who participated in the battle of Stalingrad. Interesting stuff. 

[Reza]

I remember reading the book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" in school a long time back. The author, Robert Pirsig, recently passed away at 88 years old. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance

[notme]

40 minutes ago, magma said:

I remember reading the book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" in school a long time back. The author, Robert Pirsig, recently passed away at 88 years old. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance

I've often heard this book mentioned, so clearly it's been influential, but I have no idea what it's about.  Can you give a brief summary?

__________

I'm working on these three:

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Orbital_Perspective.html?id=9DAmBAAAQBAJ&source=kp_cover&hl=en

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Age_of_Sustainable_Development.html?id=3lAxBgAAQBAJ&source=kp_cover

https://books.google.com/books/about/Dark_Money.html?id=GDf4DQAAQBAJ&source=kp_cover

It's an interesting mix-up of optimism and conspiracy theory.  So far I love the first one.  Is it normal to have an ever increasing admiration for a writer based on their ideas?  I've not gotten much into the second, but it looks interesting.  The third, I'm withholding judgement for now but what I've read so far is already making me paranoid, seems utterly feasible and would explain a lot of really strange happenings in the world.

[Reza]

2 minutes ago, notme said:

I've often heard this book mentioned, so clearly it's been influential, but I have no idea what it's about.  Can you give a brief summary?

 

It's about a father/son motorcycle journey through the US, with lots of philosophical content. I remember it being quite an interesting book many years ago, but don't remember much else. 

[Islandsandmirrors]

Lithium for Madea

In My Father's House

[eve55]

Tolstoy's Confession

[sajjad1234]

Qasas-ul-Ambia an ebook on the Prophets of God, which i have recently downloaded....

[hasanhh]

Finished the SC Book Club selection Polarization Around the Character of Ali ibn Abi Talib by Ayatollah Murtadha Mutahhari.

[Hameedeh]

Better Than Before

I bought this book two years ago. I always want to sit down and read it from cover to cover. Knowing that I don't have that luxury of time has put it on hold. I need to change my thought process on book reading. Reading a little bit at a time is a good thing.

[notme]

@Hameedeh me too, I don't like to be interrupted when I'm enjoying a book, but life has to happen anyway. I made my kids summer checklists that they have to complete before they can play with electronics, and one of the things on the list is "read for 20 minutes". I made myself the same checklist, so I'm setting a good example and at the same time doing something I enjoy: win/win! 

[notme]

I just finished this one:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30745768-the-abcs-of-socialism

It was interesting and well written, and it only glossed over implementation problems in a few places. 

[sidnaq]