I love reading as I suspect quite a few of you do. What books are you reading now? What's one of your most favourite books of all time?

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Answers

Right now I'm re-reading all of my L.M. Montgomery books (not Anne books but short stories and Emily books) 'cause I've been sick and those are comfort reads for me. I'm not sure of my favourite book, but my favourite author has always been Robertson Davies, especially his Cornish Trilogy. I'm kinda stuck on Canadian authors.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

I just re-read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, plus The Hobbit. What a perfect story that is.

My favourite book of all time is Homer's Iliad, which I studied through my graduate degree and have a deep love for. Everytime I read it I discover something new. In terms of something more recent :), I love all the Winnie the Pooh books and Lewis Carroll, as well as Gabriel Garcia Marquez' "One Hundred Years of Solitude", E.M.Forster's "The Longest Journey", and Terry Pratchett if I want a laugh. :) Hmm, my tastes are kind of all over the place, aren't they.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Right now I'm reading How to Eat by Nigella Lawson (it's a huge, heavy book, about 800 pages, so it's going to take me a while to get through it all; right now I'm reading the chapter on babies and young children, which is fascinating), Wake Up, I'm Fat! by Camryn Manheim, and re-reading C by John Diamond and How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton. I've also got a gardening book and two gardening magazines on the go.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Right now, I'm reading The Creativity Book by Eric Maisel, and I'm still on Attacking Faulty Reasoning by T. Edward Damer. Next month I will re-read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, in preparation for a class in mid-December. When it comes to fiction, I still like the Kinsey Milhone mysteries by Sue Grafton and any Mike Hammer novel by Mickey Spillane.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

This is my first post-I've been quietly observing for awhile, and I can't keep quiet if we're talking about books! Favorite book of all time: "Stranger in a Strange Land". For years it was "On the Road", but when I realized that I will never be a beat-loner-rebel-poet, it moved into second place. I'm in near the end of "Living in Love", by Alexandra Stoddard. If you've never read "Living a Beautiful Life" by this woman, you are missing out on one of the most peaceful, simple pleasures of life. Just reading a couple of pages of any one of her books makes me feel totally in control and capable of organizing my life. Now *I* sound like an evangelist-but I buy a few of her books every year to give as holiday gifts to a loved ones (who never even turn to the first page, but I have faith that if they have to look at the book every day, eventually they WILL read!). She mixes in advice on how to surround yourself with beauty in simple ways with her interior decor/design tips. And I'm reading a couple of Eric Sloane books, just finished "Diary of an Early American Boy". Also wonderful, with great illustrations for those of us who don't have an engineering brain and need to look at a picture to see what the hell he's writing about. And I've tried to begin "Sometimes a Great Notion" by Ken Kesey now three times, but it's just not sucking me in...my brain seems to be much happier with lighter reading the past few weeks. I should include the Ikea, Pottery Barn, and Restoration Hardware catalogs too, because the sick amount of time I invest into those pages should count for something.

Avoiding cleaning through holiday shopping, Robyn

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Right now I'm reading nothing. I've been in a readingless rut for a few months now. I was trying to finish Scarlet Letter a few weeks back, but then my copy disappeared.

My fave of all time is probably Pride and Prejudice.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

I'm reading Duane's Depressed by Larry McMurtry.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Paul, if you like fiction mysteries, it's hard to beat either Michael Connelly or James Lee Burke. Both are stylistic geniuses. Burke writes about an alcoholic Cajun homicide detective named Dave Robicheaux in a way that'll make you suck your teeth. The writing is much more elevated than the two you mentioned.

I just now finished reading "Mountains of the Moon" by William Harrison. (Sir Richard Burton discovers the headwaters of the Nile and explores the sexual mores of the various native tribes with assistance from compliant, dusky maidens. But not graphically.)

My favorite book is hard to say. It's like asking what was your favorite sexual experience. (There's bad sex?) But I'd have to say that "The Rise of the West" by W. H. Mcneil is hard to beat. (A National Book Award winner-the history of the world, scholarly, but written with the swift narrative pull of a best-selling novel. Hence the award.)

"It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It" is one I return to because it portrays the world the way it really is. Why hasn't anyone mentioned the two most import fiction writers since Hemingway? Jim Harrison and Cormac MaCarthy?

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

Gwen, I went out and bought a gorgeous hardbound copy of Pride and Prejudice after you said it was your favourite (this was months ago), but still haven't read it. I'm ashamed.

-- Anonymous, November 18, 2000

"The writing is much more elevated than the two you mentioned." Thanks for the back-handed diss, Bubba. :P

I've heard about James Lee Burke and I will read one of his novels someday to see how I like them. The combination of Cajuns and murder mysteries is appealing to me.

On my Top 5 Favorite Books of All Time list are Winterdance, by Gary Paulsen, and a translation of Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmund Rostand. I'm holding the other spots on the list open at this time.

I tend to get into serial novels, where at least the main character is the same. That's why some of my favorite books are the Ian Fleming James Bonds, the Mickey Spillane Mike Hammers, the Sue Grafton Kinsey Milhones. For a while there, I liked Anne Rice's Vampire novels, until she discovered they were making her fantastically rich and keeping her name on invitation lists and therefore started cranking out more of them even though they are the must unreadable rubbish, and don't even get me started on her Mayfair Witches trilogy...

I got my Psychology degree with a minor in English, just to be extra sure I would never find a decent job. :-) :-) Fortunately, I don't work in either field now, but that's another story.

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

I was addicted to the earliest Patricia Cornwell books featuring Kay Scarpetta. Then she started blowing.

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

Hahahaha, hey Paul!...I didn't mean that the way it looks in print. I'm sorry. What I MEANT to say is, I've read both the authors you mentioned and they basically write pot-boilers - good ones, for sure, but still basically pot-boilers. James Lee Burke and Michael Connelly write murder mysteries also, but they have pretensions toward "literature" and for the most part, they really succeed. No elitism here...hell, I've read Robert E. Howard's "Conan, the Barbarian" stuff and enjoyed it. (I laffed sometimes, but I still enjoyed 'em.) Nope, the only thing I won't read is bodice-rippers. The ones with handsome JungleJim/Captain of the Guard...clutching The Beautiful Swooning Maiden whose tits have-a-mind-of-their-own on the front cover. The title is usually something subtle like: "The Flaming Desire" or "Eternally Moist." Let's have a contest. Who can come up with the best names for characters in a bodice-ripper. I'll start:

Captain Throbin A. Rousel, Queen's cavalry Comtessa Jassim I. Bendova, art patron Lucinda B. Tite, serving wench Ima Shepe...no, no Bubba...don't get carried away.

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

im readnig the rules agian cuz they worked but i need to refrsh my memorys cuz i need to get a man or may be i can win brett back

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

Good on you, floosie. The Husband-Type Man got me "The Rules" and "How to Win and Keep a Country Man" for Valentine's Day about 3 years ago. You can... um... learn a lot from those books.

Kate, right now I'm reading The Annotated Anne of Green Gables.

I just got done with Rebecca, by Daphne DeMorier (sp?). Before that, it was a whole bunch of Hemingway and Fitzgerald. I've been going through my Mental List of Books to Read lately and actually making some headway.

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

Jackie, don't feel bad even if you never read it. A lot of otherwise cool people can't get into it at all.

I keep wanting to look for some vampire romance trash by someone named Anita Blakely (I think), but I keep forgetting to do so.

-- Anonymous, November 19, 2000

Oh no, I'm re-reading a family saga type novel by Susan Howatch called "The Rich Are Different" and I am reading a book about copyright law in China called "To Steal a Book is an Elegant Crime" and "Stealing into print : fraud, plagiarism, and misconduct in scientific publishing" but those two are kind of for work. Last Saturday I got a book by Bronson Alcott (Louisa May's father) his dialogues about religion w/ kids "How like an Angel Came.." but I've only read the opening few lines so far. I was half-way through a re-reading of "1876" by Gore Vidal 2 weeks ago, I guess the election got me in the mood, but then it seemed to close to real life (the depressing part about Tilden loosing although he won the popular vote) so I put it down again for the time being.

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

Hmmm..right now I'm reading "The Second Brain", a book about how the gut is really a semi-independent nervous system all on its own. And "Eleanor of Aquitaine". Both interesting, but a little hard to pick up after a long day.

I read "Winterdance" after it was recommended the last time this thread came up (also "Down the Wild River North"). This is a great place to get good book advice!

I like Sue Grafton's mysteries in the same way I like soap operas and most fantasy/sci-fi. Pure escapism.

I listened to "Horse Heaven" by Jane Smiley on a books-on-tape when I drove to Memphis last month. That has some fabulous characters, I wish I'd read it instead of just listening.

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

Right now I'm re-reading all of my Agatha Christie paperbacks. I am supposed to be working on my thesis, but all I can do is kick back with good ol' Miss Marple or Hercule.

Some all time favorite books: DeLillo's _White Noise_; Michael Chabon's _The Mysteries of Pittsburgh_ (but I don't like any of his other books); Lorrie Moore's _Anagrams_ (and anything else she's written)...ok, I'm gonna stop now.

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

I just finished "Wide Sargasso Sea" and "The Age of Innocence." Right now, I'm re-reading "The Name of the Rose" by Umberto Eco. I'm also in the middle of "The 900 Days," about the siege of Leningrad. I'll be re-reading "A Christmas Carol" next month, because I do that every year. My "to be read" pile is back up to three piles, because, let's face it, I'm a book whore and I can't stop buying books.

My favorite books of all time are Jane Austen's novels, "The Hobbit," and "The Lord of the Rings."

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

Wow, Tracey, you're re-reading The Name of the Rose? I read it last year, and while I liked it very much I found it difficult to get through. Knowing me, I probably will re-read it myself someday, glutton that I am. Has anyone read The Island of the Day Before, also by Umberto Eco? I've read many reviews of it that say it's brilliant, and I'm just wondering. BTW, the movie version of Rose was abysmal. Hollywood doesn't always ruin books on their way to the silver screen, but they blew this one, bad.

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

I've just finished a beautiful book by Susannah Dunn called Commencing Our Descent, and now I'm reading Daughter of Fortune by Isabelle Allende and rereading News of a Kidnapping by Marquez. One of my favourite book must be Immortality by Kundera.

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

hee...I was at the library (oh yes I'm a library patron) the other night and I checked out the tantalizingly titled "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Day Trading Like a Pro". Don't worry, I'm not going to sell the farm for shares in eBay, but what a title! What a recipe for disaster! Had to check it out.

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

"The Making of the President 1960" and "Persian Mirrors". Both fascinating-

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

I'm trying to read some new stuff and wrap up the old. On my finish- these-books-or-you-never-will list are "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Poisonwood Bible". I just bought "Flowers for Algernon" since I loved the movie and "The Amber Spyglass", the last book in a weird little trilogy supposedley meant for kids. However, I read a lot of children's books because there really are good reads to be had there. I also bought "Backwater", Joan Bauer's new book. She's a writer for young adults, which technically I am but not exactly in that way. However, she's a stellar writer in my opinion. When I read books by here I feel bad that they're always regulated to the teenage shelves.

My fave books would have to be 1984 or Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Susan, when I read your post much earlier and saw the Tolkien books and the Iliad mentioned I knew you were a cool person. I love them both.

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

The most beautiful book in the world is "The Litle Prince", I reccomend to EVERYbody.

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

I'm an avid book buyer, but sadly I don't read books like I used to. I still read alot but there are so many other mediums for reading now that take up my time. I tried getting back into novels, and even read quite a few on my own shelves that I hadn't read, and reread some others. That was short lived. I'm back to picture books again. I just started skimming through "Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening" by J.I.Rodale and my usual slew of gardening mags.

-- Anonymous, November 20, 2000

I'm going to make a suggestion all you Tolkein fans that you'll be eternally grateful for. There was a book published in the late 40s or early 50s titled "Sword at Sunset" by English-author Rosemary Sutcliffe that is a stunner. The book is out of print, but it can be ordered from rare books for a small price. It never went paperback that I know of and your library MAY have a copy. It's truly worth the search. You're gonna love me for this tip.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2000

The first book that I remember reading, that I loved and cried because I got to the end was about a little boy and girl who find a huge tree in the middle of a forest and there were little forest people living in it. They discovered that if they climbed all the wayy to the top there were other lands. It was so exciting and it hooked me on to books forever. I can't remember the sodding title, though, it's bothered me for years- It's propbably called the Magic Tree or something equally worth kicking myself for... The Tolkein Trilogy has to be the best, ever.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2000

One of the great things about having a kid is getting to read kid's books again without worrying about snickering. I'm going to look up that book you mentioned, Bubba. I was a Tolkein fanatic as a teen.

My daughter's moved up to "chapter" books now for her bedtime stories, and since she's heavily into fairies and dragons and magical things, we're reading the Narnia books. You've never seen a kid so eager for bedtime. Her favorite, though, is a book called "The Merman", by the same author who wrote "Babe". She's begging for a pair of binoculars so she can spot her own Merman when she visits my parents at the beach.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2000

I love John Irving, he must be one of my favourite writers.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2000

Mary Ellen, the Sutcliffe book is not for children. It's historical fiction with some rather graphic battle scenes, but it will appeal to Tolkein and Arthur fans because it's: A. The realistic story of a beloved King/War Lord trying to save his people from the ravishes of the "sea wolves" (viking raiders) and B.A tale of tragic love on several different levels. And having said that...it's still a LOT more. A story about real people (or at least they become real to the reader) warts and all. It also includes sub-plots about the friction between the "old religion" and the coming-of-christianity, but it's NOT about religion. There's politics too, as, even though the King is trying to save his people, he has to woo proud and independent petty chieftains to support him in his endeavors.To unite against a common foe. It is truly a love story that exists on several levels. It's a grabber and very, very well written.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2000

ijust got dnoe reading the latset cosmo!! i love that magezine such great tips!!!

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2000

I'm a sucker for true crime books. For some reason I have a hard time reading fiction anymore. My favorite book would have to be Harriet the Spy.

Lately, I've been reading Women's Day, GH, etc. I've been looking for new recipes even though I still end up making the same old shit.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2000

Mallory, I love 1984 too. :) The first time I read it I got chills down my spine when that voice came from behind the mirror: "You are the dead."

Thanks for the tip on the Sutcliffe book, Bubba - definitely sounds up my alley. I'll have to look for it. She is a wonderful author - I have a copy of her retelling of Tristan and Iseult and it's so beautifully done. She also wrote another wonderful book, "The Eagle of the Ninth", which would be interesting for anyone who likes Roman history.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2000

On my lunch break today, I started "Smith" by Leon Garfield. It's a young adult novel, originally written in the 60's and recently rereleased.

It's amazing. The dialogue and vivid descriptions of victorian London are fabulous, off the wall and beautiful to read.

-- Anonymous, November 22, 2000