What Are You Reading?

[jimk]

Tell us about the book(s) you're reading. Post a review if you like. Would you recommend the book to others? It doesn't have to be on a musical subject, but it could be. It doesn't have to do with guitars generally, or Rickenbacker guitars and basses particularly, but it could be. In sum, anything goes.

So I'll start. I'm about half-way through Life by Keith Richards. The early days of famous bands interests me the most; the days when they were learning their craft, when they were sometimes literally lean and hungry. Although I've never been a big fan of the Rolling Stones, I've a feeling that if I had been around London in about 1962-3 I would have been much more interested in them, because of their early interest in Chicago style blues. I'll follow this up after I've finished the book

[cjj]

An Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming and C++
by Richard S. Wiener & Lewis J. Pinson

OK, you asked. Yeah, I'm a Techno-Nerd™...

[jps]

Looking At Ansel Adams by Andrea G. Stillman: I have not bought or looked through an Ansel related book in a few years (I have quite a few in my library) so this was a thrill to find at my local B&N and see some very cool stuff in in it like full contact sheets and wild personal family photos. I have not actually read it yet, just been thumbing through it looking at the photos for now. My favorite so far is the one of Virginia Best with a young bear; boy was she brave!

A short plug here for a client of my old photo lab. For many years I have printed the work of Ocean City, MD photographer Gregory Poulos. He finally produced a book of his work called Moments Ocean City, Maryland; I made all the special photographs for the printing of the book, around 200 or so, then Greg selected what he wanted in the book. Not much text, but lots of great images.

A set of books I also have to get around to reading (!) are Martin Guitars: A History and Martin Guitars: A Technical Reference, revised and updated by Richard Johnston & Dick Boak (original by Mike Longworth); pretty obvious what the subject matter is here.

[antipodean]

I recently finished Shakespeare's Restless World by Neil McGregor, which examines aspects of Elizabethan and early Jacobean England using twenty objects from the period. I am currently in the middle of At Home by Bill Bryson, which deals with all manner of cultural and scientific history whilst purportedly analysing the nature of modern domestic architecture.

The last works of fiction I have read were Ransom, which may contain the most beautifully written prose I have encountered, and Remembering Babylon, both by David Malouf. Ransom is an expansion of a single episode that occurs in The Illiad - the ransoming of Hector's body by his father, Priam, King of Troy, from Achilles. Remembering Babylon is an account of the impact on a remote 19th century Australian frontier hamlet of the sudden appearance of an Englishman who had fallen overboard whilst a cabin-boy and has spent most of his life absorbed into the indigenous culture.

[wmthor]

I'm currently reading, So Far From God: The U. S. War With Mexico, 1846-1848, by John S. D. Eisenhower (Dwight's son). Very good insight.

[sloop_john_b]

The Power Broker by Robert Caro, the definitive Robert Moses biography.

[wmthor]

The Power Broker by Robert Caro, the definitive Robert Moses biography.

I've read most of Caro's books on LBJ.

[deaconblues]

Keith Richards' autobiography is a fun read and really fascinating.

[eatswodo]

I just finished "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. He intertwines the story of the 1983 Worlds' Fair and the activities of one of the worst serial killers in US history. It reads like good fiction, but is all based on the actual events of the time. I've read some of his other work prior to this one - most notably "Isaac's Storm" - he's a master of the genre, whatever this genre might be named.

Next up is Max Hastings' "Inferno" - a history of the Second World War.

Evan, I'm a big fan of Bill Bryson's work - I really enjoyed "At Home". I felt it got a little disjointed as the book went on, but it didn't particularly bother me.

[paologregorio]

Law school Casebooks and Outlines, and bits at a time of Patrick O'Brian's The Far Side of the World for at least the third time; each book of the series gets better with each read. . . .

[8mileshigher]

The last two books reading have been politics and music themes -
Pinheads and Patriots - Where You Stand in the Age of Obama; by TV commentator Bill O'Reilly
All the Rage; by Ian 'Mac' McLagan auto-biography of his life and times in Small Faces, Faces, the Stones and others

Another book I have been trying to get into is 'Pink Floyd and Philosophy' edited by George Reisch ..... but this book really is deep philosophically. I've tried launching a read a few times and just keep struggling to keep it going. Only have read one third of it. I'm a serious Floyd fan but this book is very existential.

[eatswodo]

Law school Casebooks and Outlines, and bits at a time of Patrick O'Brian's The Far Side of the World for at least the third time; each book of the series gets better with each read. . . .

Thanks for the O'Brian reminder - I got to Volume 17, "The Commodore" a few years ago, and took rather a longer break than intended. Good idea for my Christmas list!

[rickyfricky]

Recently finished "The Beatle Who Vanished" -- the story of Jimmie Nicol.

It includes a foreword by "former Beatle" Chas Newby... I guess there were more than 4 Beatles

I just started the Mark Lewisohn tome "Tune In" -- the first of a trilogy.

[fatcat]

Rickenbacker by Smith. It has a place du honore in the throne room.