What are you reading now?

[lonewolf]

Rummaging through a box of books inherited from my father. Found a nicely bound little tome, "The Campaign Speeches of James G. Blaine" c 1884, that he inherited from his father who must have obtained it from his father, possibly to take along for light reading when he "went West young man" to homestead in Western Kansas before before turning South to Oklahoma to homestead again when the Kiowa-Comanche reservation was opened for homesteading in 1902.

I skimmed a few speeches. Seems acrimony in politics is nothing new.

The book is in good but rather fragile condition. Although my great-grandfather's penciled signature, "his Book", is boldy enscribed on the front fly leaf, the book appears to be on loan from the Des Moines, Iowa Library, which is puzzling since my great-grandfather lived in NW Missouri, having migrated there from Kentucky. I am hesitant to return it. The late fees must be astronomical.

[tandfman]

the book appears to be on loan from the Des Moines, Iowa Library, which is puzzling since my great-grandfather lived in NW Missouri, having migrated there from Kentucky. I am hesitant to return it. The late fees must be astronomical.

On the other hand, if they ever declared a temporary amnesty on late fees, as part of a campaign to get people to return books, you could be their poster boy.

[gh]

Just finished The Children Of Húrin, a must-read for any hardcore Tolkien fan. It's credited to J.R.R, with editing by son Christopher.

If you've read The Silmarillion or Unfinished Tales then you've seen less polished versions of this story, now all brought together in a finished format.

I've long thought that tale of Túrin would make a stunning—albeit unrelentingly bleak—movie. With a suitable Wagnerian score of course. (rated S: not to be watched by those with Suicidal tendencies)

[Brian]

Why, the Track & Field News website "Things Not T & F" forum on the message board, of course!

Seriously, just made a BIG mistake: As part of (read: only, in last 10 years) Spring Cleaning, I got the idea to re-file magazines and books.

Entire floor is covered with piles of said volumes, as I cannot go more than a few hours without stopping to re-read something.

Fool, fool, fool...!

[IanS_Liv]

Brian, I've often thought there should be a company that can provide the reorganisation and filing away for book fans. I'm reorganising one bookcase and there are still piles there a week later and I've got that much re-reading to do I'm not sure when exactly they're going to make it back onto the shelves. I don't have an impatient spouse to, er ... encourage me to hurry up.

gh, I've seen The Children of Hurin on the bookshelves of my local book shop and wondered whether it was worth buying. I haven't finished the Silmarillion yet and haven't read the Unfinished Tales, being rather a latecomer to the Tolkien world. Is it worth investing in? I had heard it had attracted criticism from the hardcore fans.

[gh]

Does "it" mean Unfinished Tales or Húrin?

In any case, none of the pre-Rings material has remotely the same tone. As with Silmarillion I find that all those early things read much more like scholarly tomes than entertainment fit for adult and child alike.

I'm not remotely a Tolkien-ologist, but I believe that a lot of the criticism of these works is from those who think that Christopher took too many liberties in competing dad's work. I've approached all of them (and have read multiple times) as merely being there for entertainment value, filling in earlier holes, and explaining some of the myths inside a myth that are so frequently referenced in Rings.

Put another way, I believe the critics are like wine snobs who are so busy putting down the new winemaker's interpretation on an old favorite that they've completely lost track of the fact that it's still many delicious mouthfuls to be consumed!

[gh]

something I'm going to have to pick up soon is The Big Short: Inside The Doomsday Machine by Michael Lewis (author of Moneyball), even though I'll probably only understand about half of it.

This is a stunning look at the whole Wall Street collapse (and how morally bankrupt the system is).

60 Minutes devoted two episodes a couple of weeks back, links to both are in this URL

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/ ... ncol;lst;2

Or, for a shorter version (in far more amusing terms), you can catch his chat with Jon Stewart (go to the third white dot in the slider):

http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episod ... hael-lewis

[Brian]

Brian, I've often thought there should be a company that can provide the reorganisation and filing away for book fans. I'm reorganising one bookcase and there are still piles there a week later and I've got that much re-reading to do I'm not sure when exactly they're going to make it back onto the shelves. I don't have an impatient spouse to, er ... encourage me to hurry up.

Neither do I. Right now, to me, this would be the best possible argument for the institution of marriage.

And since I seem to be doing my "Annual Spring Cleaning" in conjuction with the US Census, there may be stacks in various places for the next decade. Sigh.

Went to visit a friend of similar mind (T&F guy, avid reader) in Minneapolis during state hockey tournament a few weeks back, and mentioned I was re-doing my books and how doing so was taking a long time. Before I could finish, he said, "Let me guess, you're too busy re-reading them to put them away...?"

I felt better; it's good to have friends.

:]

[IanS_Liv]

Does "it" mean Unfinished Tales or Húrin?

I actually meant Hurin gh. Although I suppose the question could apply equally to Unfinished Tales as I've yet to buy that. And, having sampled several online 'fandoms' over the past few years, I completely agree with your views on the hardcore critics! I'm really asking whether you (or anyone else on the board) think they're good entertainment. Even if they're bleak.

Either way, they're going to have to wait as the Royal Shakespeare's own Complete Works complete with introduction, essays on each play and notes in the margin, plopped onto my doormat as a birthday present last week and I want to browse through that first.

[LopenUupunut]

The simplest test is this. Most editions of Lord of the Rings have some 100 pages of appendices at the end. If you enjoy those as much as the actual story, you should definitely buy Unfinished Tales; then, having read Lord of the Rings, Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, there's no reason not to do Húrin as well.

[gh]

Does "it" mean Unfinished Tales or Húrin?

I actually meant Hurin gh. Although I suppose the question could apply equally to Unfinished Tales as I've yet to buy that. And, having sampled several online 'fandoms' over the past few years, I completely agree with your views on the hardcore critics! I'm really asking whether you (or anyone else on the board) think they're good entertainment. Even if they're bleak......

I've read Unfinished Tales three times. Next question?

[az2004]

just finished tramps abroad by samuel clemens.....not as good as innocents abroad...but anyone who's been in heidelberg or switzerland would get a kick out of it

[IanS_Liv]

I've read Unfinished Tales three times. Next question?

What's the meaning of life? And why does the toast always fall butter side down?

[HiddenDepths]

Bill Bowerman and the men of Oregon.

[Brian]

And why does the toast always fall butter side down?

That's easy. Because the butter adds slightly to the weight on that side of the bread so it pulls it down (if dropped high enough). Or because God hates you. I can't remember.

[mike renfro]

I'm about half way through the 7th Henning Mankell "Wallander" novel. No, I'm not reading it in Swedish We started reading them after the BBC ran 3 of them last year. Pretty good work.

[gh]

And why does the toast always fall butter side down?

That's easy. Because the butter adds slightly to the weight on that side of the bread so it pulls it down (if dropped high enough). Or because God hates you. I can't remember.

Yes, but a cat always lands feet-first, so what happens if you strap a piece of bread to a cat's back, butter up?

[tandfman]

And why does the toast always fall butter side down?

That's easy. Because the butter adds slightly to the weight on that side of the bread so it pulls it down (if dropped high enough). Or because God hates you. I can't remember.

Yes, but a cat always lands feet-first, so what happens if you strap a piece of bread to a cat's back, butter up?

Maybe that depends on whether God hates the cat.

[kuha]

Maybe that depends on whether God hates the cat.

The philosophers of yore spent entire careers on such profound subjects!

[gh]

how many cats can stand on the point of a pin?

[Brian]

Yes, but a cat always lands feet-first, so what happens if you strap a piece of bread to a cat's back, butter up?

Maybe that depends on whether God hates the cat.

Makes sense.

God is dog spelled backwards.

[IanS_Liv]

Don't forget that cats aren't mentioned in the Bible. Lions, yes. Ordinary puss cats? No.

[Brian]

Don't forget that cats aren't mentioned in the Bible. Lions, yes. Ordinary puss cats? No.

Most books in the Bible written by Hebrews. Cats were big with the hated Egyptians ("Let my people go", etc.), so possible snub from that perspective.

[Conor Dary]

I am in the process of re-reading Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon. A fascinating book of all deaths in Grand Canyon. Anyone who spends any time in the wilderness would appreciate this book, by reminding you what not to do.

There is also a companion book, Off the Wall: Death in Yosemite.

[mamo]

And don't forget "Death In Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park" by Lee Whittlesey. With boiling geysers and pools, Yellowstone has its share of enticing dangers. One example, the guy who followed his dog into a near-boiling pool (to save it) and of course we know what happened.

[Conor Dary]

And don't forget "Death In Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park" by Lee Whittlesey. With boiling geysers and pools, Yellowstone has its share of enticing dangers. One example, the guy who followed his dog into a near-boiling pool (to save it) and of course we know what happened.

Thanks! I will have to find that. Also there is the annual Accidents in Mountaineering published by the American Alpine Club.

PS. Just ordered the book on Amazon.

[mamo]

One of my favorite books is "Touching The Void" about Joe Simpson and Simon Yates and their amazing mountaineering experience in the Andes in 1985. Simon had to cut the rappelling rope to avoid death with Joe, and that's only one climax to the true story. Joe's other books are awesome too, as are Simon's. There was even a great BBC docu featuring Joe and Simon years later.

[Conor Dary]

One of my favorite books is "Touching The Void" about Joe Simpson and Simon Yates and their amazing mountaineering experience in the Andes in 1985. Simon had to cut the rappelling rope to avoid death with Joe, and that's only one climax to the true story. Joe's other books are awesome too, as are Simon's. There was even a great BBC docu featuring Joe and Simon years later.

Yes, it is a great book. Never saw the movie though.

[gh]

top-of-the-headlines death-by-mountain story:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 1COHL4.DTL

[mump boy]

Race of A Lifetime: How Obama Won the Whitehouse

very interesting

[Conor Dary]

For you mathematicians out there I just finished an interesting book called Perfect Rigor the story of a Russian mathematician who solved the Poincarie Conjecture. Anyways, besides the fact the guy turned down a million dollars for solving the prize, it is a fascinating look at mathematical competitions.

In the US the big college mathematical competition is the Putnam exam. I took it once and got 5 points of 120 and beat over half the entrants.

http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Rigor-Mat ... 885&sr=8-1

[Friar]

Something in the air says after Beamon's WR jump, he went into a "Cataplectic seizure."
Plus 2ft. to a pr can do that.

[bambam]

For you mathematicians out there I just finished an interesting book called Perfect Rigor the story of a Russian mathematician who solved the Poincarie Conjecture. Anyways, besides the fact the guy turned down a million dollars for solving the prize, it is a fascinating look at mathematical competitions.

In the US the big college mathematical competition is the Putnam exam. I took it once and got 5 points of 120 and beat over half the entrants.

http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Rigor-Mat ... 885&sr=8-1

Took the Putnam once - think I got a 2 1/2. Didn't beat half the entrants

Just finished reading Quantum, pretty good read about the history of quantum mechanics and its development.

[rasb]

Haven't started it yet, but just received "The Book of Awesome" from my daughter for Father's Day - sound like fun...

[gh]

Just finished the 6 books that comprise the prequel to Dune, as written by Frank Herbert's son and another scifi dude. They don't write half as well as dad did, but still compelling enough to make me launch into Dune itself for what I'd guess is about the 40th time. IMHO, unquestionably the greatest scifi novel ever written, with second place so far behind (yes, including Asimov's Foundation stuff) I'm not even sure w hat it is.