What Are You Reading Right Now? The IAC Book Thread

[JLT]

The Autobiography of Mark Twain

This is the one that he wrote with the stipulation that it not be published for one hundred years after his death. I am thunderstruck at what a great writer and wit he was ... one of the giants of his age, right up there with Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, and anybody else you could name. Nearly every page is a delight.

He dictated this book to a stenographer in the last years of his life, not worrying about chronological order and instead letting his mind wander free, pursuing whatever trains of thought interested him. His words would be soft as silk in one paragraph and razor-sharp the next, but always appropriate to the subject.

What strikes me most is the picture of the man as I had never seen him before. He was an atheist who sincerely wanted to believe and to take solace from religion, but couldn't reconcile those desires with his intellectual honesty. His views on militarism and runaway capitalism are as trenchant today as when he aired them a century ago. And he was deeply, deeply wounded by the deaths of his wife and daughters, and let his anguish loose in these pages.

Volumes one and two are out now, and a third will be out soon. One caveat: unless you're the kind of person who likes a weighty tome on his or her lap, buy the e-book instead.

[Boxcar]

thank you JLT

[Sylvester]

"The Dog Stars" by Peter Heller
http://www.amazon.ca/Dog-Stars-Peter-He ... +dog+stars

Nearly everybody in the world has died from a form of influenza. The hero lives in the foothills of CO with his ex SEAL buddy, an ageing Cessna and his dog. Survival is the game and they play it well.

Unusual writing style takes some getting used to. Not for the faint of heart. Gripping story, fascinating insights.

If Glasseye says it is not for the faint of heart, then I am intrigued!

[Boxcar]

Picked up Tom Friedman's THE WORLD IS FLAT.

First had the freshly unwrapped book to myself for a while this past weekend..
My host had books a plenty on display. Some of which she has actually read. Other books waiting for attention.
As my visit concluded, I felt interest in it. Once back to my digs, I summoned it on my phone app Kindle. Eight bucks, but it has some virtues. Yes the real book was easier to paw through. Yes, but to have it again at the fingertips without moving the feets is worth eight smackers.
Still pawing away at the missive. I am no judge but I like his insights. It is not so much about writing style. Though he is not hard to read.

[Boxcar]

Are there some histories of the design iterations of our beloved BUS?

[glasseye]

If Glasseye says it is not for the faint of heart, then I am intrigued!

PM sent.

[jimbear]

We are reading Into the Wild, By John Krakauer, in my 11th grade English class. I saw the movie a number of years ago and never read the book. I have been keeping about 3 chapters ahead of my kids for planning and discussion purposes. If you have not read this, you should. It is a great story. I am teaching it along with my Freedom and Independence unit. Good stuff.

[Boxcar]

so noted Jimbear about John Krakauer ~Into the wild~.I read it ten years ago? Will take a look again.

Just learned Gabriel Garcia Marquez has left the earthly world.

[Cindy]

The Book Thief. Just about every page is breaking my heart.

[Amskeptic]

The Book Thief. Just about every page is breaking my heart.

Tell us more . . .

I am going to pick up "Capital In The 21st Century" by Thomas Piketty.

It promises to lead the charge of rethinking capitalism.
This author uses more data and less opinion to discern current trends.
Using two centuries of data, he brings a solid historical basis to what we know but can't say in today's hyper-politicized culture, namely, that we haven't fixed a damn thing after the crash of 2007, and we desperately need some real discussion about real solutions.
Essential Points:
Mature capitalist economies do not evolve toward greater economic equality.
Rate of return on capital historically tends to outstrip overall rate of economic growth, leading to greater and greater concentrations of wealth at the very top.
Well, hello.
The current capitalism is a political outcome, not a natural market phenomenom.
Colin

[Cindy]

The narrator of The Book Thief is Death and so the story is fraught with a painfully delicate awareness of Life. It keeps making me cry.

It's also replete with lines I wish I'd written. Beautiful stuff by a writer who clearly loves this world.

Cindy