What are you reading?

3/4 thru "The Big Rich" by Bryan Burroughs[Barbarians at the Gate], fabulous book that tracks in interesting detail the start of the Texas oil boom, the men who became fabulously rich, their lifestyles, political influence, and finally their losses, a powerful eye opener....after you read it, you can put nothing past Lyndon Johnson, this book was extensively researched and written in a non judgemental vein.
Try to get your head around this, during WW2, there was a 556 mile pipeline,24 inch pipe, each section weighed 2 tons, built feom Texas to outside of  Philadelphia on budget, in a year. They had to drill thru mountains, under major rivers, and build around major obsticals. In a year????? 67 years ago???? WOW!

After a couple years, I am finally getting around to reading The Nasty Bits, by that hunk, Anthony Bourdain.........
Pretty funny stuff.......

Gee, Tara, why didn't you put in the picture of Tony that you sent to Ann and I?
 

Pwingsx


Gee, Tara, why didn't you put in the picture of Tony that you sent to Ann and I?
 

Ok.. lets see how long it lasts here.....
 

Haaaaaaaaa! 

Nancypalooza


Haaaaaaaaa! 

Guess he's not all that much of a hunk below the throat, eh?.. But he sure does have a HUGE bone!
 

I'm now reading "Team of Rivals: The Political Genuis of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Wow. Such an amazing book about Lincoln and his three chief rivals for the nomination and how they all got that way, maneuvered to beat each other, then became committed friends and colleagues. Highly recommended.

"I hope they serve beer in hell," by Max Tucker.  One of the funniest things I have ever read

Currently reading seed catalogs aspiring to a larger garden than I'll ever be able to take care of.

Tara, I gotta admit, I don't like that picture of Tony.  Far, far too skinny for my taste.  I like men with a lot more cushioning.  A lot more.  I even like beer bellies.

I was going to say I like a man with a lot more meat on his bone(s), but thank goodness I was able to restrain myself.

Has anybody read Sophie Kinsella's "Confessions of a Shopaholic?"  The one they just released a movie of?  I've read the whole series and loved them, as pure chick escapism.  But from the trailers I've seen, I have no intention of EVER seeing the movie.  I can see they got it wrong from my first glimpse of Becky Bloomwood.  And the first scene they show never even happened in the book.  So I know I'd hate it.

The Wolfman - Nicholas Pekearo

fattybomatty


"I hope they serve beer in hell," by Max Tucker.  One of the funniest things I have ever read

I read that book, it was pretty damn funny. However it is well documented that Tucker Max is full of it and half of those stories are pure BS, fun read though.

Gneedles,

I figure most are BS, but gotta give him credit for coming up with them.  The only one that isn't BS is that email that he sent out.  I know in the law circle that thing has been infamous for years.

Have you ever read the alphabet of manliness? 

Pwingsx


Tara, I gotta admit, I don't like that picture of Tony.  Far, far too skinny for my taste.  I like men with a lot more cushioning.  A lot more.  I even like beer bellies.

I was going to say I like a man with a lot more meat on his bone(s), but thank goodness I was able to restrain myself.

Has anybody read Sophie Kinsella's "Confessions of a Shopaholic?"  The one they just released a movie of?  I've read the whole series and loved them, as pure chick escapism.  But from the trailers I've seen, I have no intention of EVER seeing the movie.  I can see they got it wrong from my first glimpse of Becky Bloomwood.  And the first scene they show never even happened in the book.  So I know I'd hate it.

Like I said.. he is not a hunk from the neck down, but he sure got a big bone....
 

fattybomatty


Gneedles,

I figure most are BS, but gotta give him credit for coming up with them.  The only one that isn't BS is that email that he sent out.  I know in the law circle that thing has been infamous for years.

Have you ever read the alphabet of manliness? 

Lol, yeah I own that book, that was one that made me bust a gut laughing.

Gneedles,

I believe every man on the planet should have to read Alphabet of Manliness as part of the male education.  haha

Pwingsx


Hey Don,
 
Since you loved Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, I really do suggest you give "His Dark Materials" a shot.  I discovered them recently in a box in the trunk of my car -- I have no idea when I purchased them, but when I started them, I got hooked fast.
 
They are a curious mixture of fantasy, quantum physics and theology.  I usually hesitate to suggest books to people unless I know their style, but I have an idea these might be up your (diagon)alley. 
 
Katie

I missed your suggestions the first go around, so I have added them to my list, I caught grief for mot reading catch-22 so that is my current read.
 

almost through reading nuclear jellyfish- tim dorsey
next up, fool by chris moore.
these two writers keep me sane.

Just finished Gene Wolfe's short story collection, Storeys from the Old Hotel. I really liked most of the stories, though there were a few I didn't get at all.

Right now I'm reading American Sideshow, an encyclopedia of sideshow performers. It's really interesting so far.

xannie_01


almost through reading nuclear jellyfish- tim dorsey
next up, fool by chris moore.
these two writers keep me sane.

WB xannie we missed You!

I have just started reading Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters, by August Ragone. The late Mr. Tsuburaya, who died in 1970, was the special effects genius at Japan's Toho Studios who was responsible for the first sixteen years worth of Toho's science-fiction/monster movies ( Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, and a couple of dozen others ), along with the various Ultraman TV shows from his own Tsuburaya Productions.

CajunKing

xannie_01


almost through reading nuclear jellyfish- tim dorsey
next up, fool by chris moore.
these two writers keep me sane.

WB xannie we missed You!

I second the King's welcome back, xannie. We missed you.

cajun king and improviser,
thank you both for the warm welcome.
i truly appreciate it.
 

i've put aside fool to read
Mrs. Linco;n a life- by catherine clinton
it's about what really happened to her after the assanation.
i recently read The Lincoln's, a story of a marriage.
i try to make sure every other book i read is a history or non fiction.

   Elvis is Dead and I Don't Feel So Good Myself by Lewis Grizzard. I read this about 20 years ago before Lewis died and rescued it from my wife's yard sell stuff for one more go around. A good old Southern boy telling it like it is or then maybe not. All of his books can bring a smile to your face and then some parts of all of them would make you think. His books are an easy read that won't, IMHO, make you feel that you have wasted your time. His ex may still have a grits picker for sell for any of you that may be interested.

I finished two books this weekend: Marc Hartzman's American Sideshow, an encyclopedia of circus performers. I enjoyed this book, it's really interesting to read about some of the Bearded Ladies, Fat Men and Dog-Faced Boys who entertained -and sometimes disturbed - crowds during the heyday of circuses. I also really liked that the author included profiles on those who are working to keep sideshows alive today like Jim Rose and The Enigma (who was once on an episode of The X-Files.)

One thing I didn't like about the book was some of the cheap shots and jokes that Hartzman makes about some of the performers. For a book that makes the (very good) point about circuses being the only way for some "freaks" to make money, these jokes seem out of place.

I also finished Ray Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man" Ray Bradbury is a wonderful short story writer and there are some real gems in this collection. I usually enjoy his novels (and "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is a masterpiece), but his collections are always fantastic.

xannie_01


i've put aside fool to read
Mrs. Linco;n a life- by catherine clinton
it's about what really happened to her after the assanation.
i recently read The Lincoln's, a story of a marriage.
i try to make sure every other book i read is a history or non fiction.

Let me know how this is, Xannie. I loved Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell, and was really interested in the mention in that book of Mrs. Lincoln's life after her husband's death. I'd really like to learn more about Mary Todd Lincoln.  

improvisor,
Mrs. Lincoln is a tragic picture of life during the civil war. She was highly educated, far more so than Abe, extremely intelligent but with a major flaw. She was emotionally a child, depending on her husband for constant approval. 2 of her children died in the white house and she wasn't told of her husbands death for 2 hours after the fact.  She was very much like Hillery Clinton politically and made quite a few enemies. She was given 3 weeks to remove herself from the white house with nothing to live on and was humilaited to the point of attempting to sell off her clothes. she was severly traumatized and hit bottom when her only living son had her committed to an asylum. she exciled herself to a small town in Europe for her remaining years, never taking off her mourning clothes. she was finally given a stipend of $5,000 to live on only after Mrs. U.S.Grant was given one.

xannie_01


almost through reading nuclear jellyfish- tim dorsey
next up, fool by chris moore.
these two writers keep me sane.

Went through Atomic Lobster while sunning the buns in Barbados the last few weeks (BTW- astronomical prices on every food and drink item - except Rum of course, which is cheaper than Coca-Cola! So, a good time was had by all, but the rum punches kept getting in the way of good Roadfood pics!).  Serge at his finest!  And Jim Davenport makes a return appearance!