Just thought I'd throw this out there to give each of us, mainly me, a chance to talk about ourselves.

What book are you reading currently?
What book did you just finish?
What book will you read next?

I'm reading "Rendezvous With Rama" by Arthur C. Clarke. Almost halfway and loving it.
Just finished the "Foundation" trilogy by Isaac Asimov, and loved it.
Next I'll tackle "Neuromancer" By William Gibson, because Mr.Dark loved it.

This is so embarrassing. I am about halfway through "One More for the Road." Then I can finally catch up with the posts everyone else made when they read it long ago. I also still have to read "Let's All Kill Constance," which I finally got for Christmas.

"Cat's Paws and Catapults" by Steven Vogel - non-fiction about materials and mechanisms in biology and engineering!

Yes, this is for fun. It's actually quite a rivetting book, accessible even to the non-scientist.

After that it will have to be a re-read of Dandelion Wine, due to a discussion I've got into over which short stories make up the novel...

- Phil

I'm re-reading Bradbury's main stuff: Martian Chronicles, The Halloween Tree, From the Dust Returned, and a bunch of short stories from the two anthologies.

I'm also reading for two survey courses I'm currently teaching in Western Philosophy.

I'm also reading the following (how do I keep them all straight? I probably don't!):

THE MIRACLE OF MINDFULNESS. by Thich Nhat Hanh.

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES. by Sue Monk Kidd.

PERFUME. by Patrick Suskind.

THE INNER EXPERIENCE: NOTES ON CONTEMPLATION. by Thomas Merton.

UNDERSTANDING EMERSON: THE AMERICAN SCHOLAR AND HIS STRUGGLE FOR SELF-RELIANCE. by Kenneth S. Sacks.

THE TIPPING POINT: HOW LITTLE THINGS CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. by Malcolm Gladwell.

THE ANATOMY OF BUZZ: HOW TO CREATE WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING. by Emanuel Rosen.

Just finished:

DANDELION WINE. by Ray Bradbury (Duh!)

TAKING BACK ISLAM: AMERICAN MUSLIMS RECLAIM THEIR FAITH. Ed. Michael Wolfe.

HIGH FIDELITY. by Nick Hornsby.

THE FOUR AGREEMENTS: A TOLTEC WISDOM BOOK. by Don Miguel Ruiz.

Mr.Dark-
What is "The Secret Life Of Bees" about?

I am currently reading "That Hideous Strength", the last book in C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy. Before the trilogy, I believe I read "October Country" and I will soon start re-reading one of my favorites: The Lord of the Rings.

THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES is basically a young woman's coming of age novel that takes place in the south. A girl with an emotionally problematic father has seen her mother killed (by her father -- accident? or murder? or manslaughter?). She runs away with the housemaid to try and track down the location and source of a black madonna her mother was photographed by. They end up living with three female beekeepers, and she learns lessons about herself and life on her journey through life. I make it sound glib, but it's good. The language is really great in some parts.

I'm in an on-line reading group some members of our HS class started up after our Thirty year reunion. I'm the only active male. This book was chosen by some of the women. I started the club off with SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES.

Our list for the upcoming year includes:

IN THE TIME OF BUTTERFLIES. Julia Alvarez

COLD MOUNTAIN. Charles Frazier.

MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL. John Berendt.

LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA. Gabriel Garcia Marquez. (Nobel Prize winner)

WHITE OLEANDER. Janet Fitch.

BLINDNESS. Jose Saramagu. (Nobel Prize winner)

THE BLUE FLOWER. Penelope Fitzgerald.

A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY. John Irving (Basis of the movie "Simon Birch")

THE SHIPPING NEWS. E.Annie Proulx (Pulitzer Prize winner)

THE MASTER OF PETERSBURG. J.M. Coetzee (This year's Nobel Prize winner)

SOUL MOUNTAIN. Gao Xingjion. (Nobel Prize winner)

LIFE OF PI. Yann Martel (This year's Pulitzer Prize winner)

THE SATANIC VERSES. Salmon Rushdie (resulted in the Ayatollah Khomeini issing a death order on the author.

THE STONE DIARIES. Carol Shields.

THE FIGHT CLUB. Chuck Palahuiuk.

CORRELLI'S MANDOLIN. Louis De Bernieres.

THE BLUEST EYE. Toni Morrison (Nobel Prize winner.

So I'm looking forward to some good reading. We meet about once a month.

[This message has been edited by Mr. Dark (edited 02-19-2004).]

Mr. Dark:

I've had on my shelf for years to read, ''''The Life of the Bee'''' by Maurice Maeterlinck. Katherine Hepburn tried to get Ray to write the screen play for this, for a movie years ago. But Ray said it was impossible. Imagine that! Presented by Ms. Hepburn herself and he turns it down...!

��Books I am 'casually' reading:

Bennett Cerf's, "The Laugh's on Me"

"One Writer's Beginnings" by Eudora Welty

"Genius" by Harold Bloom

"Pigeon Feathers" by John Updike

"The Moon is Not Enough" by Mary Irwin

� Books I am reading:

"The New Testament" by Ronald Knox

C.S. Lewis, "Mere Christianity"

� Book I am about to embark upon:

"Churchill", a biography by Roy Jenkins




[This message has been edited by Nard Kordell (edited 02-19-2004).]

Mr Dark:

I read "The Stone Diaries." It's great! It's a quiet book, but it's very engaging. I also recently finished "If", also by Carol Shields, also very good.

All:

For school:
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
The Canterbury Tales-Complete
Portrait of a Lady - Henry James
Turn of the Screw - Henry James
Custom of the Country - Eudora Welty
Etc, etc, etc

For fun:

Green Shadows White Whale - RB (recently autographed when I met him in January )

The Complete Stories of Isaac Asimov, Vol 1

The Dairy Hollow House Soup and Bread Cookbook - Crescent Dragonwagon (excellent!!)

Middle Age - Joyce Carol Oates

Also, I just recently finished the Harry Potter series - I'm dying for books 6 & 7!

Next in line when I have time:

The Foundation series - Isaac Asimov

[This message has been edited by jfaronson (edited 02-19-2004).]

Last book I've finished:

Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens

I'm now reading:

Don Quixote by Cervantes

The Collected Stories of Flannery O'Connor

Future reading:

Ursule Mirouet by Balzac

A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck (been wanting to reread this one since I read it a long time ago in middle school)

I am reading "Drowning Ruth". Then I shall attack "The Weight of Water" (is there a pattern here? Hmmmm...) I have had both sitting around forever. Too busy writing to read!

The last book I finished was Bradbury's "Let's All Kill Constance". Wasn't wild about it, actually...I think it's the only thing he's written that i haven't been delirious over!

Next I shall re-read my collection of Rainer Maria Rilke poetry. I try and do that every six months or so. I find it amazing.

Speaking of poetry, well, that's exactly what I've been reading: all of the Billy Collins I could get my hands on. Writing as clear as gin, a wry sense of humor, its no wonder he was chosen to for the post of poet laureate for the U.S. Perfect for dipping into or reading from cover to cover, especially for those of us pressed for time. (And who isn't?)

My daughter (in Idaho majoring English) asked for Billy Collins poetry for Christmas. I got her, "Nine Horses" and "Sailing Alone Around the Room". Kind of a coincidence that you would mention him.

I also got her "The Unswept Room" by Sharon Olds, and 'Owls and Other Fantasies" by Mary Oliver.

Mr. Dark-
Do any of your children share your love of Bradbury and, or, science fiction? What kind of stories did you read to them when they were little? I'm asking because while my kids love to hear me read, they don't quite "get" most of the Bradbury stuff. "All Summer In A Day" was a big hit, however, as was Asimov's "The Fun They Had".

[This message has been edited by grasstains (edited 02-21-2004).]

Mr. Dark,

I'm always pleasantly surprised about the coincidences in our lives. Perhaps its because we share some of the same likes/dislikes when it comes to literature. I hope your daughter has enjoyed the Billy Collins poetry. I know I have. (I forget how old your daughter is but I think Collins poetry is appropriate for just about all ages.)

Pete