Which book are you currently reading?

For work:
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The baby owner?

Kinda sounds like you brought a baby, not made a baby?
"It isn't like they make a manual for a baby" or some variant is a common joke in parenting circles. I have personally used this to say, "Yes, they do."

That said, parenting by book is not a hard science. Every books says something different. They prepare you for moments that seem scary but are actually normal, so you aren't caught too far off guard, even though some things create an instinctual response when you see them no matter what. But each kid is different.
 
Finished Thief of Souls by Darian North (Disgusting - not the writing, but the subject matter - cults, and the dangers associated with them) a week ago, but what brought me up short was the use of the word 'schadenfreude' in Chapter 8.
The book was written in 1997, so quite the use of a word that seems to be now catching on.
There's probably a lot more than the 5000 cults, examined then, present in the USA now. More schadenfreude around, I guess.

Present reading matter?
Mind, Machines, and Human Consciousness. Robert L. Nadeau.
Cloud Atlas. David Mitchell.

And a whole whack of magazines.


Boring but necessary.

Is that for your Thais only?


Now, onto The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.

Super book. Made a note here recently that I read it. Will read it again, some years from now, just to perceive it with the additional knowledge gained by then.
 
Dang it - I'm starting to get rather envious of your adventurous life. Now you add the capability to learn a foreign language, something I'm at which I'm thoroughly dismal.

If you write a book . . . it would turn out to be more than interesting. In fact just gather up all the posts you make here, and that should fill up a couple of unbelievable chapters.

Confession: I'm just leafing through Hello! - and can't help enjoying the pictures and write-up of George and Amal's wedding. It's that whole 'romantic Italy' thing, I suppose.

I promise to get back to my text-books soon.
 
I just finished Michael Connelly's "The Burning Room". I've had mixed feelings about the Harry Bosch series - some of them are fantastic, while others are quite weak. This one easily ranks among the fantastic. It's got not one, but two excellent cases woven into it; each would work as a high-quality stand-alone story, but Connelly weaves them together very well and keeps them fresh by balancing them out. Just as you tire of one, he segues into the other.
 
Current reading material:

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The one I've immediately plunged into is this:

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This is because I have been on a hunt for material on the strange and (I think) most weird and wonderful Chester Minor (with whom I have the oddest connection) and so was moved almost to tears upon reading about him.

In any case a good book for those who love words. (If not pictures. :) )
 
"Natchez Burning" by Greg Iles.

I always found the Penn Cage series to be a quality, but ultimately forgettable series, a bit like John Grisham. But Iles had an accident a while ago and lost part of his leg, and he used the time to write this - and it's brilliant. It's not a page-turner or an airport novel; it's slowly paced, with an emphasis on capturing the setting and on people having actual conversations, rather than just advancing the plot.
 
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Gotta get in this book before the end of the semester. Good series actually.
 
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It's a collection of non-fiction stuff that he's written for magazines and newspapers over the years. I'm really enjoying it so far.
 
I have a book suspiciously similar to this waiting to be read in my office draw. It's called The Professor and The Madman and I think it's a similar story.

Just another thing to make me envy you. :(

Is this book in the same draw that you store stolen lighters and pilfered paper serviettes? So the whole darn thing will go up in smoke one of these days . . .

That book is a few clicks away from me (last I looked Amazon had it) and is definitely on my list.
Another idle philological dream.
 
Is this book in the same draw that you store stolen lighters and pilfered paper serviettes? So the whole darn thing will go up in smoke one of these days . . .

:lol:

The collection of hazardous materials was in my office in China. These days I only collect mint tins in my office draws.
 
I have only old tins - if I find any brand new ones I'll trade you for the book.

I've been intrigued by philology since I could put two words together, so any book about the English Language intrigues me.
The Christmas pandemonium is not conducive to reading, though - and I'm immersed in gnawing all the juicy bones that Kaz has thrown our way - do probably reading is going to be put on the shelf for awhile.

I've tried to get into Cloud Atlas several times now and just can't get into it; like a treasure chest with some enticing jewels, but with a false bottom one can't figure out.
Not surprising that half the people love it, the other half hate it.
The ones familiar with it anyway.
 
For those who read Jack Reacher novels, i have a question :

I have never read those novels and plan to buy one in a local bookstore which have Running Blind (also named The Visitor), Never Go Back and Nothing To Lose. Which one of these should i buy ?
 
I rarely read novels, though last Christmas I got through the first four Harry Potters, and about 10% of the way into Order of the Phoenix, picked it up 9 months later and I'll eventually get through it. I'm gonna start on the Hobbit soon just to get that done, having seen all three films now, and I'm making headway on the Hunger Games.
 
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I got about 60 pages in and had to buy the Kindle version; I like to hold a book as I'm reading it but the padded binding feels odd and ends up being a distraction. It's unfortunate. :irked:
 
So far so good, very intriguing set of circumstances. Old book BTW but I am enjoying it so far.

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Was a good story, too. Can you imagine that Grisham sold copies of his first novel (self-published) from the trunk of his car in the churchyard after mass?

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I got about 60 pages in and had to buy the Kindle version; I like to hold a book as I'm reading it but the padded binding feels odd and ends up being a distraction. It's unfortunate. :irked:

Lovely looking book - but looks hard to handle, and somewhat unbalanced.
Books are a 'tactile' experience, too, in a certain way. Unless the book is made right, and has the right 'feel' to it, it is hard to hold and enjoy.

I'm currently involved with a publisher, and I spend quite some time among the digital presses - it's amazing to see books being actually made.
Mesmerizing.
 
Lovely looking book - but looks hard to handle, and somewhat unbalanced.
Books are a 'tactile' experience, too, in a certain way. Unless the book is made right, and has the right 'feel' to it, it is hard to hold and enjoy.
It's too large format to be enjoyable as a hard-bound copy but I could have handled it if not for the padding. Too big and a book harkens memories of textbooks from high school and college. Enjoying it on the Kindle.
 
It's too large format to be enjoyable as a hard-bound copy but I could have handled it if not for the padding. Too big and a book harkens memories of textbooks from high school and college. Enjoying it on the Kindle.

Totally understand that - some books are so hard to handle, or the dust jackets are uncooperative, or they feel unbalanced and it takes away from actually enjoying the subject.
Measuring the tactile qualities of a tablet or e-Reader against a book's, though, is apples to oranges - an e-Book has a whole library built in! :lol:
A book doesn't stand a chance in that department.

The memories connected with the shape and texture of book is, of course, personal.
Some might think of prison when they enter a library. :)
 

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