Is there a particular book you're reading or have read that you'd like to recommend to others?

One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. It's one day in the life (as you might well have guessed) of a man in a Russian labour camp. Sukhov, the main character, is one of the best reasons for literature there is. I can't even pinpoint why.

I havnt read anything as of late.

Right now I'm reading a series about ancient Rome by Colleen McCullough. It's historical fiction, based on the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire. I think they're very good but I love long tomes of this kind--all of them are about 800-900 pages long, and there are 6 in the series. I just started Caesar; it's the 5th book. The others (in order) are: The First Man in Rome, The Grass Crown, Fortune's Favorites, Caesar's Women, and The October Horse.

I also recently read a book called Blindness, by Jose Saramago, a Portuguese writer who lived through Portugal's totalitarian period in the 60s and 70s (I think those are the rough dates). This book is about a town in Portugal that experiences a sudden epidemic of blindness. There were parts that were a little too Orwellian for me and I almost gave up on it at one point, but I'm very glad I didn't. It was an excellent book, and some of the most beautiful writing I have read recently.

I recall really liking that book when I read it, too.
Have you read anything by Tolstoy?

Got this last week at the public library and can't put it down. It's nonfiction by Bliss Broyard, called "One Drop." "My father's hidden life-a story of race and family secrets." 813.54 library no. Pub. 2007. This young woman's dad was a literary critic and just before he died of a terminal illness he wanted to reveal a "secret" he'd kept from his kids all their lives. He was "black," that is, mixed blood (but looked "white"). Born in New Orleans in 1920, he began to conceal his racial identity after his family moved to Brooklyn, NY, and his parents resorted to "passing" in order to get work. So when his daughter Bliss learns of this, she's intrigued and wants to find out as much as possible about her ancestors. She meets lots of relatives and journeys to New Orleans (pre-Katrina) to do research on her family. It seems rather silly to some of us today, especially younger people, that mixed-race people used to sometimes try to "pass for white" in order to get jobs, etc. but before the U.S. civil rights movement in the 1950s, there were 50 or so years of black people not having anywhere near equal opportunity in schools, voting, jobs and other discrimination. There's detailed history here about the black dudes who fought in the civil war and other eye-opening history and horrors. So that one certainly cannot blame a person back then for trying to "pass" as "white" if they could in order to give their families a decent chance in life. I'd love to find out I had black ancestry myself -- if I ever did I'd be honored -- but this is now and that was then...

No, but I'm planning to tackle War and Peace over the summer holidays. I've heard mixed reviews from friends who've read it, though. Should be interesting.

I haven't read War and Peace, but I read and loved Anna Karenina and one called (I think) Family Happiness (which maybe included some other short stories, as it was a novella). I should try War and Peace some time. One Russian author I really didn't like, though, was Dostoyevsky. I read Crime and Punishment in high school and hated it. It's exactly the kind of story I don't like: someone slowly and painfully destroying themselves despite the fact that they know better. Blech.

I'm reading a Jodi Picoult book right now. I would recommend her books, though probably only to women. They're very dramatic.

The Dream Drugstore by J Allan Hobson

I'm rereading Intensity by Dean Koontz. Good book, freaks you out if you read it at night alone.

The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein.

Either Understanding Digital Signal Processing by Richard Lyons or QED by Richard Feynman. Well, of course, assuming that you're interested in either of those two subjects.

Ubik by Philip K. Dick

I just saw a trailer for Blindness...

i just read pullman's "his dark materials" which includes the golden compass, the subtle knife and the amber spyglass and they were great. great fantasy!

I recently read "Now you are one of us" By Asa Nonami. It was pretty good.... sort of a Japanese Rosemary's Baby (which is one of my favorites).

I'm now reading "God is Dead" By Ron Currie, Jr. It has an interesting premise, but I'm not far enough into it to say yet.

I'm also reading "The Almost Moon" By Alice Sebold. I'm sure it will be great... since The Lovely Bones was pretty good.

I'm also reading "Ten Days in a Madhouse" By Nellie Bly. I read about it online, couldn't find it at the library... or on Amazon.. but was able to download a PDF version.

> I'm rereading Intensity by
> Dean Koontz. Good book, freaks
> you out if you read it at
> night alone.

I read all of his books up until about 1995. They all started blending together. My all time favorite was Whispers.

"The Four Agreements" It's a book I reread when I feel like life is bringing out my inner butt-hole and my inner butt-hole makes me mad. I'm due to read it, I'm not recommending it.

My mom would love those. I will ask her if she read them yet.

"The Kin of Ata are Waiting for You"

It's an excellent read.

Cool! It looks like they're playing up the "thriller" aspect of it a little, whereas in the book I think it's much more a political commentary. But it looks like an interesting cast, at least. And I will see just about anything with Gael Garcia Bernal in it. He's the yummiest.

Is she a historical fiction fan?

I think Watchers is my favorite. I like dogs.

He has a couple of new ones out that are pretty good. There's one called "The Husband" that I read recently, good stuff. The other is called "The Good Guy" that has an interesting premise that I'll probably pick up.

My mom likes the character Odd Thomas and has been following him.

Yes, very much. Non fiction also as long as it is story form.

Does she like James Michener? I've really enjoyed the few of his books that I've read.

I would have to ask. I need to call her today anyway.
Thanks!

No problem!

Morgan's Passing was awesome.

Marley an d Me or Me and Marley I forgot. About life with the world's worst dog. It is an easy read, and is very funny and sad.

It by Stephen King.
well worth reading.

Dean Koontz is an awesome author. Have you read Velocity?

I have not. I'll check it out, though.

Yup:
'My Steve' Terri Irwin
'Wildlife Warrior' Richard Shears
'The Last Lecture' Randy Pausch
'Marley & Me' John Groban
'Tuesdays with Morrie' Mitch Auburn
'Life is so Good' George Dawson
'Kiss the Girls' James Patterson
'Along came a Spider' James Patterson
The 'Tomorrow ' series - John Marsden
'Hold Tight' Harlan Coben
'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' Stephen R Covey

I have to get back to work now ...

Right now I'm reading "Crown of Infinity" by John M. Faucette. I'm not sure that I would recommend it. I've only read the first five chapters, but it's not really grabbing me yet. I'm not even sure that I'll finish it at this point.