Looks like I have one of the lowbrow selections of the collection...Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub. The Talisman is one of my favorite books ever, so I thought I'd give their sequel a shot.
Looks like I have one of the lowbrow selections of the collection...Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub. The Talisman is one of my favorite books ever, so I thought I'd give their sequel a shot.
Throw in the A-133 and A-122 and you've got yourself a good time orgy of mind numbing government regs. Ain't it fun!Originally posted by Zoning Goddess
I just spent 2 days reading a 2-inch thick notebook about OMB Circulars A-102 and A-110.
I only get those if I take the audit class, and no way am I touching that one. Altho I must admit, these circulars are not as mind-numbing as FL statutes.Originally posted by biscuit
Throw in the A-133 and A-122 and you've got yourself a good time orgy of mind numbing government regs. Ain't it fun!
Just started reading Douglas Coupland's new one "Hey Nostradamus". He has not written a story so good since "microserfs "and "shampoo planet". I almost called in sick today so I could stay home and read it in one sitting.
Too lazy to beat myself up for being to lazy to beat myself up for being too lazy to... well you get the point....
Just finished Michael Moore's new one, "Dude, Where's my country?". That guy makes me proud of being from MI.
Looking for a new one to start. Possibly "Skinny Legs and all".
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
Jane Jacobs
Seems like I never stop reading...does that ring a bell for any of you who were once in universities/colleges?
Anyways, tonight, I'm reading on a bunch of articles written by the prof who is teaching the course. In fact the entire set of readings for the "historical geography" course is done by...guess...the prof who teaches the course! Selling himself as Mr. Wonderful or something...
...here, I go back to a reading on the effects of the railways upon the building of the national identity.
I had one of those moron professors at Univ. of FL, in cartography. He wrote our (unpublished) text. Gave me a bad grade because I never came to class. Such a misogynist.Originally posted by Hceux
In fact the entire set of readings for the "historical geography" course is done by...guess...the prof who teaches the course! Selling himself as Mr. Wonderful or something...
.
How buildings learn.
Managed to find a copy of the re-released SF classic "The Man Who Folded Himself" by David Gerrold. I'm also reading last Sunday's New York Times - interesting article on the fate of the Manhattan "High Line" for those urban character junkies.
The Engineer of Human Souls. Reminds me of Robertson Davies, but with a mid-century Czech bent.
I don't dream. I plan.
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. I SOOOOO hate putting this book down - I stay up way to late reading as it is, and then when I finally put it down to lay down to sleep spend another 1/2 hours just thinking about the book.
My last book was Our Babies, Ourselves, which was one of the much cooler baby books I've slogged through - basically looked at the effect of culture on how various peoples care for infants and the effect of how infants and children are reared upon their adult personality characteristics.
Next up - The Complete Guide to Breastfeeding.
I was going to go get this book and abandon the one I am reading... again.Originally posted by Downtown
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. I SOOOOO hate putting this book down - I .
I liked that one. Right now I am giving "villa incognito" a second try, I stopped reading it the first go round after about 60 pages, could nnot get into it.Originally posted by MaineMan
Just finished Michael Moore's new one, "Dude, Where's my country?". That guy makes me proud of being from MI.
Looking for a new one to start. Possibly "Skinny Legs and all".
Favourite Tom Robbin's book are Jitterbug Perfume (Portions take place in a bicycle shop) or "Even Cowgirls get the Blues"(lesbians)Really favourite is "Jitterbug Perfume" and the idea that gods only exist as long as people believe in them and some other concepts in the book are great.
On Robertson Davies, I despise his works. I was forced to read them in HS, and have gone back to see if being more mature/older would make them any more enjoyable, it has not.
Eagerly awaiting the release of a new Heinlein book recently "found" in the publishers vault.
Too lazy to beat myself up for being to lazy to beat myself up for being too lazy to... well you get the point....
I love naval history and I started Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy by Diana Preston before I began remodelling the kitchen. She's a very breezy writer with outstanding pacing. I hope to be able to get back to it sooner than later.
Mostly I've been reading instructions on installing and wiring can lights and under-cabinet lighting. No good examples of engrish, yet
I have seen
old ships sailing
like swans asleep
Rob's great aunt will send me about 7 books at once, and invariably, i only make it through the entirety of 2 or 3 because i end up abandoning my current read because it just isn't holding my interest (ie: Johnathon Franzen's The Corrections).Originally posted by tsc
I was going to go get this book and abandon the one I am reading... again.
Redneck Nation by Michael Graham
A conservative ex-South Carolinian's interesting opinion that "northern liberals" and many in the rest of the nation have abandoned the lofty ideas of 1960's Liberalism and have co-opted the race obsessed, politically complacent and more redneck tendencies of the south.
This guy is very conservative (but in a more Libertarian way), and rather antagonisic, but very funny.
Exactly the reason stuff like that shouldn't be taught in HS. It was years before I could appreciate Steinbeck, thanks to HS. I can understand teachers wanting to give challenging books, fine, but make sure they're books kids can relate to--more universal, or not so esoteric, perhaps. Can't imagine too many HS students getting into an academic novel involving Rabelais etc. Rebel Angels is the only Davies I've really been able to get into so far. Must not be mature enough yet.Originally posted by donk
I
On Robertson Davies, I despise his works. I was forced to read them in HS, and have gone back to see if being more mature/older would make them any more enjoyable, it has not.
I don't dream. I plan.
My favourite book that I was "forced" to read in HS was To Kill a Mockingbird. It is one of the few books I only read once and could remember details from. I have since reread it 4 or 5 times and appreciate it every time.Originally posted by Plannerbabs
Exactly the reason stuff like that shouldn't be taught in HS. It was years before I could appreciate Steinbeck, thanks to HS. I can understand teachers wanting to give challenging books, fine, but make sure they're books kids can relate to--more universal, or not so esoteric, perhaps.
The best was when I tried to do a book report/independent study on Spider Robinson's "Callahan's Saloon Crosstime Saloon" series and was told that the stories and topic where not suitable. There are a few great Sci Fi classics in the book, the teacher got really mad when I provided an awards and critics list for her to review and explained to her the concept of the books.
Too lazy to beat myself up for being to lazy to beat myself up for being too lazy to... well you get the point....
Yeah, I used to get into trouble in HS all the time for not reading suitable stuff either. Wrote a book report or 2 on On the Road , which didn't go over too well. I loved most that stuff, but I knew a lot of people who hated every minute of every book, whether it was the teen novel of the week or Julius Caesar . Teachers must hate selecting books, knowing that most of the students won't like it/get it no matter what it is, mostly because they're forced to read it.
I don't dream. I plan.
In 10th grade, we had weekly vocabulary words that we had to use in sentences and I would always amuse my teacher by using them in sentences that belonged in the seamy, bodice ripping, historical romance novels that I devoured.Originally posted by Plannerbabs
Yeah, I used to get into trouble in HS all the time for not reading suitable stuff either.
Example: Vocabulary Word: trepidation
Brianna swooned in trepidation as Lucian began to unlace his codpiece.
Hee.
My HS speech teacher actually told me to stop using big words. I goofed my schedule and took it as a senior--in our school it was a freshman class. The teacher wanted me to use words he thought the freshmen could understand. I just told him they could look the words up if they so desired, and continued to pontificate.
I don't dream. I plan.
I got a somewhat different reaction in 10th grade when I had to report on a disease. I picked syphillis, complete with color pics of infected organs. The teacher had NO sense of humor.Originally posted by Downtown
In 10th grade, we had weekly vocabulary words that we had to use in sentences and I would always amuse my teacher by using them in sentences that belonged in the seamy, bodice ripping, historical romance novels that I devoured.
Example: Vocabulary Word: trepidation
Brianna swooned in trepidation as Lucian began to unlace his codpiece.
Hee.
Neil Gaiman's last novel, American Gods, has a similar theme. The main character basically trapises around the rural parts of the United States with Odin. The interesting twist is that the "old gods" are battling the new "gods" (forces/powers/whatever) spawned by technology, the media, and the like. A somewhat weak ending, imo, but an interesting book overall.Favourite Tom Robbin's book are Jitterbug Perfume (Portions take place in a bicycle shop) or "Even Cowgirls get the Blues"(lesbians) Really favourite is "Jitterbug Perfume" and the idea that gods only exist as long as people believe in them and some other concepts in the book are great.
I'll have to check out his Sandman graphics novels, too.
I think "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "The Caine Mutiny" are books every American should read. Two of the finest examples of American literature. I would also toss in "Life on the Mississippi," because I am a huge Twain fan and I think that is his best book.Originally posted by donk
My favourite book that I was "forced" to read in HS was To Kill a Mockingbird. It is one of the few books I only read once and could remember details from. I have since reread it 4 or 5 times and appreciate it every time.
"To Kill . . ." is a multi-layered book that works as a tale of childhood, injustice, decency in the face of evil, a slice-of-life, and a parental-child relationship. How much better this world would be if we all were more like Atticus Finch!
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