What are you reading right now ?

[Patrick Hand]

Hey... we have thread about what are you eating, and what are you listining to.... why now what book(s) you a reading.... we be a buncha literate Pyrates we be....

(literate... that means our parents was married... or something like that...)

Anyway... What are you reading, and is it any good.... tell something about the book, without giving too much away.....

I started to read Panglor by Jeffrey A. Carver... but just don't like the main character.... his pet ou-ralot was the only thing keeping me reading it.....If anyone else has read it, (I'm only up to the Fifth chapter..) is it worth reading farther, does it get any better, or should I just give it up.....

SO

I went to the used book store, and found another book The Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell, (OK... with my Lambryth project... I'm kinda interested in goblins right now) Only three chapters into it, but a much better read..... Makenna is an interesting character ("Readers will relish the combination of a resourcefull, determined heroine" Publishers Weekly... describes her well....), the setting is beleavable, (It's a Fantasy setting, but it is not sooo fantasy that it's too "out there".... ) And the Goblins are FUN..... So I'm enjoying this book....

<See... I didn't give anything away.....>

[Salty]

study book for GRE exam right now, no fun but have to.

after learnign how to read for pleasure again working through "Warrior Queen" after finishing "Pirate Queen" both by Alan Gold yes pirate queen was on grace o malley

[Red Cat Jenny]

(literate... that means our parents was married... or something like that...)

Literate... no Pat, that when th dog has puppies...

Still working through "Two Years Before the Mast" Self explanatory..

Re reading "TARMAC" by Lynne Heitman. Airport mystery. Many twists. Love stories with the kind of twist that are like an oncoming car around a corner. Two thirds through the book and "WOAH!!!!"

[CaptainSatan]

Finishing up Stephen King's Salem's Lot

-CS-

[CrazyCholeBlack]

n 'ere I thought literate was when yer bad n throw trash out the window.

Currently reading: nothing! Tomorrow is library day again & I need to stock up.

Reciently finished: Waugh's Cut of Women's Clothes, 1700; Scene's from London Life & Rudiments of Genteel Behavior.

[Red Cat Jenny]

The Scents of Eden - The spice trade

The Scent's of Eden. On order. Will check back in when it arrives wooh!

[Red-Handed Jill]

Reciently finished: Waugh's Cut of Women's Clothes, 1700; Scene's from London Life & Rudiments of Genteel Behavior.

Just finished that one myself!

I'm reading The Emancipator's Wife by Barbara Hambly. She does incredible historical novels - researches like mad to get the details right.

[HarborMaster]

I am currently enjoying "John Paul Jones ; A Sailors biography" the 1959 Pulitzer Prize winning book written by Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison.

[Cpt Sophia M Eisley]

I recently finished up on the last book from Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Dunno if she'll write more, but if she does I'll surely add them to my collection.

I started a few months back in the middle of a series (very much unlike me - I blame it entirely on a friend ). I'm reading Deadbeat, book number 7 I think in Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. It's about a wizard named Harry Dresden who lives in Chicago and fights all the things that go bump in the night that the cops are not sure how to fight or would rather not know about.

[Captain Midnight]

I'm reading the Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper. I just finished The Last of the Mohicans a couple of weeks ago. I had read back when I was a kid, but I like it so much and it has been so long, it was like reading a new book. Cooper was an excellent author.

[Tartan Jack]

Here goes:

For fun:

Pirate stuff:

Robert E. Lee's "Blackbeard the Pirate"

Capt. Johnson, "A General History of the Pyrates"

Benderson Little, "The Sea Rover's Practice"

Angus Konstam, "Pirates: Terror on the High Seas" (collection of his 2 Osprey pirate volumes)

Angus Konstam, "The Pirate Ship 1660-1730"

Plus a few reference books on Scotland/tartans and some on theology/biblical history

For work:

Allan P. Adamson's "Brand Simple"

David Aakar, "Building Strong Brands" and "Brand Leadership"

And, YES, I do generally have 8-10 books going simultaniously, with the vast majority used as reference.

[Caraccioli]

Great idea for a thread, Patrick!

Reading, reading. I'm always reading at least two books and usually three.

One of them is sort of a cheat; it's my statistics textbook (Just the Essentials: Elementary Statistics by Johnson L. Kuby. This is an absolutely horrible Stats textbook, incidentally. Avoid it at all costs.

The other is a more popular press style book called Damned Lies and Statistics: Untangling Numbers from the Media, Politicians, and Activists by Joel Best. Best is a university prof at U of Delaware or some such. He has a pretty conservative view of things (so I am enjoying that) but if you are not so conservative, you might want to avoid this one. To balance my viewpoint, I'm planning to take up Darrell Huff's How to Lie With Statistics when I finish this one as I understand it's examples are a bit more balanced.

Why all this statistics? I was arguing with some people on the internet a few months ago and the discussion turned to how people mangle, abuse and misuse statistics. Despite having taken Stats three times (once for undergrad, a required refresher for grad studies and Business Stats for my Masters), I was getting the worst of it. So I decided to school myself. Ironically, I have since left that site. Still, never hurts to learn. I may go after a doctorate in Psych (mostly for fun and to keep learning) and statistics is very important there.

The last book is The Big Bounce by Elmore Leonard. It's a pretty decent book. I got it because I saw the movie (the one with Owen Wilson) and fell in love with the soundtrack. (The movie is mediocre at best.) Now just how does that lead me to the book? I have no flippin' clue... (Hey I recently reviewed the soundtrack over at Amazon! Check it out here. It's the review on top right now.)

[Iron Bess]

Awww.... caught me!

I'm re reading a book written by a friend of my dad's, "The Fall Guy"

Chuck Roberson was a stunt double for John Wayne. He's been gone now almost 18 years and he'd crossed my mind so much lately I thought maybe he wanted me to do a little more remembering so I broke out the old book (1980)

It was the book that the TV series *The Fall Guy* was based on.

Fun, FUN guy!

Sorry it has nothing to do with Pirates...

[Red Cat Jenny]

To Caraccioli ^

It tickles me to veiw your avatar and read a post like this at the same time. Huh...you just never know about people. (compliment) :)

Statistics eh? Hmmm now I have to go check that out. How could one resisit inspecting a book called How to lie with statistics?would have been great when I was in marketing!

BTW my uncles last name is Caracciolo...what are statistically the chances of that similaity?

Check out howmanyofme.com -

A phavorite phrase of mine "Gotta love the internet!"

Happy reading Caraccioli

[Red Cat Jenny]

I'm re reading a book written by a friend of my dad's, "The Fall Guy"

Chuck Roberson was a stunt double for John Wayne.

Fun, FUN guy!

Bess,

Aren't parents grand? That generation..drops little gems every so often..

My mom just finally dug out a letter Ed Begley (Sr. not Jr.) had written her years and years ago. It was on stationary and envelope from the Lambs Club! soooo cool!. She'd told me about it years ago and we went throught this huge trunk and found it last week.

Wow stunt guys. Hmm always liked em. Behind the scenes is always such interesting stuff..

[hurricane]

Harry Morgan's Way - Dudley Pope

Port Royal Jamaica, Michael Pawson

Port Royal - The Sunken City, Robert F. Marx

There's a theme there, I know. But I'm finishing my presentation of PyrateCon.

-- Hurricane

[Caraccioli]

To Caraccioli ^

It tickles me to veiw your avatar and read a post like this at the same time. Huh...you just never know about people. (compliment) :)

Statistics eh? Hmmm now I have to go check that out. How could one resisit inspecting a book called How to lie with statistics?would have been great when I was in marketing!

BTW my uncles last name is Caracciolo...what are statistically the chances of that similaity?

Check out howmanyofme.com -

A phavorite phrase of mine "Gotta love the internet!"

Happy reading Caraccioli

My avatar? Never judge me (or Blackjohn) by the avatar you see. I like weird things and I like to change my avatar to reflect that. (See the new version of What does your avatar mean? for more on that.)

Besides, I created the The Brain, Chaos and Whatnot thread under my other user name - shouldn't that have been warning enough about the weird stuff I ponder?

I believe How to Lie With Statistics is less of a guidebook than an expose of how people misuse statistics. (So maybe it could be used as a guidebook after all.) I think it's just a catchy title the author came up with to attract attention to his book. (It worked, too. It was first published in 1956.)

Now, as for Caraccioli, well perhaps I've never explained that. To remedy this oversight, I will do so in the What does your username mean? thread.

[Red Cat Jenny]

My avatar? Never judge me (or Blackjohn) by the avatar you see.

Oh I know *chuckle* I just found it amusing....

Blackjohn..yes. The dear..one of my faves of his was Toppem Hat. My nephew is hopelessly addicted to Thomas the train. I showed him the avatar. He was awestruck. lol.

[Iron Bess]

Aren't parents grand? That  generation..drops little gems every so often..

My mom just finally dug out a letter Ed Begley (Sr. not Jr.) had written her years and years ago. It was on stationary and envelope from the Lambs Club! soooo cool!. She'd told me about it years ago and we went throught this huge trunk and found it last week.

Wow stunt guys. Hmm always liked em. Behind the scenes is always such interesting stuff..

Yeah... parents can surprise you.

Only thing is I always knew him only as "Bad Chuck". (I thought his parents had called him that and it stuck....) A giant of a teddy bear -man that came to see us while I was growing up who drink with my Da, flirted with my mom and always smelled a little like horses which I loved. I had no idea he was anyone that really did anything.

If we saw movies he worked on no one ever said OOoo.... look, there's chuck! (shrug) I had no clue.

I had to put it all together m'self when I got older. To busy dreaming of the Sea and not Cowboys I suppose.

[Captain Jim-sib]

Just finished Chaffin's Sea of Gray, about the CSS Shenandoah.

Have Jim Nelson's Glory in the Name, historical fiction about CSS Navy, on the bed stand.

[blackjohn]

My avatar? Never judge me (or Blackjohn) by the avatar you see. I like weird things and I like to change my avatar to reflect that. (See the new version of What does your avatar mean? for more on that.)

Besides, I created the The Brain, Chaos and Whatnot thread under my other user name - shouldn't that have been warning enough about the weird stuff I ponder?

I believe How to Lie With Statistics is less of a guidebook than an expose of how people misuse statistics. (So maybe it could be used as a guidebook after all.) I think it's just a catchy title the author came up with to attract attention to his book. (It worked, too. It was first published in 1956.)

Now, as for Caraccioli, well perhaps I've never explained that. To remedy this oversight, I will do so in the What does your username mean? thread.

I've been evoked... who dares awake me from my ancient slumber? Oh... hi Mark. Yes, those first two are classic threads to be sure!

Could someone define reading? I think I'm getting to the point where I have more books half-finished than I do half-finished painting projects!

Last book purchased... Lionel Wafer, A New Voyage and Description of the Isthmus of America. Last book borrowed from the library here... Dampier's A New Voyage Round the World. Last book I read from front to back... uhhh... wow... I'm drawing a blank. I know I read at least one book last year. I'll have to dig through the library to see if I can figure out what it was.

I've been thinking of re-reading With Fire and Sword. At over 1000 pages it is a task not to be undertaken lightly.

[jessie k.]

Well, not counting all of the books I'm reading/supposed to be reading for classes, I'm currently attempting to find the time to finish reading Ibn Fadlan's Journey to Russia. It's very cool. The original document that Michael Crichton's "Eaters of the Dead" and the movie

"13th Warrior" were very loosely based on. The original document is really like neither one of them, and is absolutely fascinating.

[Ransom]

Like others here, I'm usually reading two, three and four books at a time. Currently I'm working through two very long, convoluted books.

Vellum - The Book of All Hours by Hal Duncan

Quicksilver - Volume one of the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson

For something totally different, I'm also going through a book written by a close friend that I've known since the mid-eighties when we both worked at B Dalton Bookstore. He's now a history professor at the University of Miss.

The book is: Honoring the Civil War Dead - Commemoration and the Problem of Reconciliation by John R. Neff. (I'm even mentioned on the dedication page on this one! This guy's like my brother and even his mom introduces me as John's sister (he has none), to which his only brother commented, "Mom, is there something you need to tell us?")

[Caraccioli]

Finished The Big Bounce up and started on The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett. It's pretty good so far - a very sharp and witty detective novel. I may have to go back and watch the movies again (they're loads of fun).

[Patrick Hand]

I finished The Goblin Woods last night, So I just started on Through the Breach By David Drake. I realy liked Hammers Slammers So this one should be interesting.... So far, I don't like the main charater, but I figure that will change soon enough.....