So, what you reading?

Post title, author, maybe a little pic of the cover and please, please, please, tell us what it is about.

And last, but not least; tell us what you think of it.

I am reading Ken Follett's The Pillars Of The Earth, a novel set in medieval England, where people high and low are drawn together by violence and politics surrounding the building of a cathedral.

Highly entertaining book foor peeps that like knights and castles, like I do.

From Publishers Weekly
With this book, Follett risks all and comes out a clear winner, escaping the narrow genre of suspense thrillers to take credit for a historical novel of gripping readability, authentic atmosphere and detail and memorable characterization. Set in 12th-century England, the narrative concerns the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge.

The ambitions of three men merge, conflict and collide through four decades during which social and political upheaval and the internal politics of the church affect the progress of the cathedral and the fortunes of the protagonists.

The insightful portrayals of an idealistic master builder, a pious, dogmatic but compassionate prior and an unscrupulous, ruthless bishop are balanced by those of a trio of independent, resourceful women (one of them quite loathesome) who can stand on their own as memorable characters in any genre. Beginning with a mystery that casts its shadow on ensuing events, the narrative is a seesaw of tension in which circumstances change with shocking but true-to-life unpredictability.

Follett's impeccable pacing builds suspense in a balanced narrative that offers action, intrigue, violence and passion as well as the step-by-step description of an edifice rising in slow stages, its progress tied to the vicissitudes of fortune and the permutations of evolving architectural style.

Follett's depiction of the precarious balance of power between monarchy and religion in the Middle Ages, and of the effects of social upheavals and the forces of nature (storms, famines) on political events; his ability to convey the fine points of architecture so that the cathedral becomes clearly visualized in the reader's mind; and above all, his portrayals of the enduring human emotions of ambition, greed, bravery, dedication, revenge and love, result in a highly engrossing narrative.

Manipulating a complex plot in which the characters interact against a broad canvas of medieval life, Follett has written a novel that entertains, instructs and satisfies on a grand scale.

wlcm2thdwn said:

THE MAN FROM STONE CREEK by Linda Lael Miller is an absolutely delightful romance with plenty of action that transported me to the Old West and kept me there page after page as I got to know the endearing residents of Haven. It's a definite keeper for my bookshelf and one I'll take time to reread even when I'm tempted by the plethora of new books that constantly vie for my attention. It's one of those books that makes you wonder, long after you've read the last page, what the people you've come to know and love are doing

I bought this for my brother for Christmas and now I can't stop reading it.



I don't think the book really needs any further explanation.

I haven't started reading it yet, but I will very soon

In the Name of Salome by Julia Alvarez




The Dominican Republic's most famous poet and her daughter, a professor in the United States, are the remarkable protagonists of this lyrical work, one of the most moving political novels of the past half century. Camila Henriquez Urena is introduced as an "eminent Hispanicist, a woman with two doctorates [and] a tenured chair" at Vassar. She is also the exiled daughter of both renowned Dominican poet Salom Urena and the country's last democratically elected president. Born in 1850, Salom called a revolution into being with her fearless poetry. Even as an adolescent, she saw her pseudonymous poems inspire bloodshed in the streets. Camila, born in 1894, followed the fortunes of her famous family into exile, first in Cuba, then on her own in the U.S., where she became an academic's academic. Alvarez, who has written more than once about women in exile (How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents) and women revolutionaries (In the Time of the Butterflies), and who is herself a poet, academic and exile, has found in Salom and Camila Urena her best topic yet. The novel's protagonists are based on real characters, yet by offering history through the lenses of both the poet and the scholar, as well as by portraying male-dominated events from the perspective of female activists, Alvarez conveys purely Latin American revolutionary idealism with an intellectual sensuality that eschews magical realism. The narrative flows freely across time: Havana in 1935; Minnesota in 1918; Washington, D.C., in 1923; Santa Domingo in the mid to late 19th century; Poughkeepsie in the 1950s and is punctuated with letters and poetry. While Salom is the flame that heats this cauldron, Camila tends the fire.When she retires from teaching in 1960, she must choose a meaningful conclusion to her life. Her long-time love, Marion, though recently married, invites her to live nearby in Florida. But born and bred to revolution, Camila has been too long away from the fray. It is not giving away anything to say that she spends the next 13 years in Cuba, heeding the old call to create "Jose Marti's America Now."
[Edited 12/2/07 6:27am]

These days I'm reading mostly books that are somehow connected with the topic of MA thesis. This is one of them.

Bob Merlis, Davin Seay. Heart & Soul: A Celebration of Black Music Style in America 1930-1975.



It's a book that compiles CD covers, posters, commercials, leaflets and other visual aids that were used by the record companies to promote black artists in the period between 1930s and 1970s.

Not much to read here. The articles are rather poor and don't really discuss the topic suggested in the title very thoroughly. The images, however, are priceless.
[Edited 12/2/07 6:35am]

I'm reading Dog Eat Dog by Edward Bunker. You may know the name, he played Mr Blue in Reservoir Dogs. Despite benefiting from the writer 'being there' and 'having done' that there is a sense of realism to the novel. Yet I'm finding it difficult to get into in that there seems to be no real plotting. I'm wondering what exactly Bunker is trying to accomplish as he chronicles the meanderings of three life-long criminals up and down the California coast.

HamsterHuey said:

What made you decide to read "Pillars"? 'Cause I recommended that book to you eons ago.
The sequel is out, but I'm waiting for a friend of mine to finish it so I can borrow it from him. It's 200 years after "Pillars", during the time of the Black Plague.
[Edited 12/2/07 7:52am]

Xagain said:

I decided to get it cuz I had 10 euro's to spare and that was the one that fit the category.

Ooh, and it's got knights n stuff

Heaps and heaps of Kahlil Gibran. I need some grounding and guidance.

GangstaFam said:

Who's that then?

I am listening to Björk live at the corn exchange from 1999, btw. Check your inbox.

HamsterHuey said:

What's the setlist?

And you really don't know Kahlil Gibran? The Prophet, The Broken Wings, The Voice of the Master? Ring any bells?

He's a beautiful writer - one of the all-time greats. A spiritual guru, even.

GangstaFam said:

Nope, never heard of him.

And the setlist;

And interesting reads, y'all! I am scribbling a few down.

And John, got any new tips then?

Currently re-reading:



From Publishers Weekly
While historians have studied various subsets of women working class, professional, radical, etc., little attention has been paid to the single woman. As journalist Israel documents in this impressive history of single women in America from the Industrial Revolution to modern times, these women have maintained a flourishing subculture, despite attacks and ridicule by the media. While focusing primarily on white, middle-class Manhattan women, Israel draws on a variety of sources, movies, popular novels, magazine and newspaper features that shape the single-woman experience for the broader population. "B-girls" bachelor or bohemian, have always been with us, some from lack of marriage prospects, true, but many by preference. Israel says it's mainly the appeal of the companionship of other women and the desire for independence from marital suppression that keeps these women from tying the knot. Social acceptance of singletons has flip-flopped over the generations. Positive icons, including the emancipated New Woman, settlement house professionals, WWII's Rosie the Riveter, and liberated '70s "chicks," have alternated with scary images of frigid, lonely Old Maids staring at their used-up biological clocks. But even as social critics have changed their tunes about how much rope to allow these women, the women themselves brave factory girls, Bowery Girls, "shoppies," Greenwich Village bohemians, flappers, Murphy Browns and Bridget Joneses have been tough enough to have it "their way." Israel's witty and provocative look at a topic dear to many women deserves wide readership.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

CarrieMpls said:

yr cute.

CarrieMpls said:

I am curious now.

HamsterHuey said:

Wow. Check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/w...lil_Gibran

GangstaFam said:

Reading The Madman from Gutenberg.

HamsterHuey said:

Ever read "The Bartimeus Trilogy"? I have the first book, but I haven't started it yet. I've heard from several sources that it's awesome though, and seems like something you'd love, based on what you've recommended to me.

http://www.amazon.com/Amu...dpp_img_in

I've actually been reading alot of heavy non-fiction stuff you wouldn't care about. And a "Grey Gardens" memoir.
Oh yeah, I got a NICE illustrated copy of "The Simarillion" that I've been browsing through and I can't wait to get into that one.

Xagain said:

bartimeus trilogy is great- when it first got sold in at work, the rep said its going 2 be the new harry potter, well, that put me off reading it 4 a few years

im glad i waited though, i got 2 read them one after another without waiting for the next one 2 be released.

i especially like it when its Bartemius turn 2 tell the story, the footnotes at the bottom of the page r a hoot.
i want the set in H/B, but can only get it from overseas

if u like bartimeus, look out 4 laws of magic series- by michael pryor.
blaze of glory and heart of gold are the first two books- i wish he'd write quicker

similar style of magic as in the bartemius trilogy- old style



probably not ure style hamster huey but,
i'm currently reading a story that is due for release next year, things i want my daughters to know- by elizabeth noble....it came with a box of tissues.

only a few chapters in, but for those who liked james pattersons suzannes diary 4 nicholas, im sure u'll like this one

prb said:

I haven't started the Bartimaeus Trilogy yet. I've got a stack of books going on right now, but it's on the list. The only fiction book I've been reading lately is "The Lightening Thief" by Rick Riordan.

http://www.amazon.com/Lig...902&sr=8-1

HamsterHuey said:

Are you addressing me? Tips on what if so?!

HamsterHuey said:

i just started this book yesterday. it's been sitting on my dresser for over a month, and finally started it. i like historical stuff.

JDInteractive said:

't was another John I refered to
But we can pretend it was about you
Enlighten me with your tips
Anything droll, or whatever hip.

HamsterHuey said:

My tip is to show your partner who's the boss by taking them to a Bruce Springsteen concert. That aside, I recommend Alan Warner's 'Morvern Callar' and 'These Demented Lands' novels. I introduced them to Pamela Natsume and the former became a favourite of hers. Musically Im liking Burial's 'Untrue' album and stuff by Snax, Shapemod, Mocky and Soffy O.

Merci monsieur, vous etes tres gentile.

HamsterHuey said:

I'm reading this too. I'm only on page 190 and I believe there are 900+ pages, but so far I'm really enjoying it.

Empress said:

And that's four. Hehehe. What Oprah can do to a book...