What Are You Reading???

[SoonerInKCMO]

I just finished this book yesterday afternoon. A fascinating read - I recommend it highly.

How Would A Patriot Act? (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097794400X/qid=1148928119/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2162755-2452167?
s=books&v=glance&n=283155)



Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Glenn Greenwald was not a political man. Not liberal, not conservative. Politicians were all the same and it didn’t matter which party was in power. Extremists on both ends canceled each other out, and the United States would essentially remain forever centrist. Or so he thought.
Then came September 11, 2001. Greenwald’s disinterest in politics was replaced by patriotism, and he supported the war in Afghanistan. He also gave President Bush the benefit of the doubt over his decision to invade Iraq. But, as he saw Americans and others being disappeared, jailed and tortured, without charges or legal representation, he began to worry. And when he learned his president had seized the power to spy on American citizens on American soil, without the oversight required by law, he could stand no more. At the heart of these actions, Greenwald saw unprecedented and extremist theories of presidential power, theories that flout the Constitution and make President Bush accountable to no one, and no law.
How Would a Patriot Act? is one man’s story of being galvanized into action to defend America’s founding principles, and a reasoned argument for what must be done. Greenwald’s penetrating words should inspire a nation to defend the Constitution from a president who secretly bestowed upon himself the powers of a monarch. If we are to remain a constitutional republic, Greenwald writes, we cannot abide radical theories of executive power, which are transforming the very core of our national character, and moving us from democracy toward despotism. This is not hyperbole. This is the crisis all Americans—liberals and conservatives--now face. In the spirit of the colonists who once mustered the strength to denounce a king, Greenwald invites us to consider: How would a patriot act today?

About the Author
Glenn Greenwald is a Constitutional law attorney, and author of the political blog, "Unclaimed Territory." Greenwald has written for American Conservative magazine and appeared on a variety of television and radio programs, including C-Span's "Washington Journal," Air America's "Majority Report" and Public Radio International's "To the Point." His reporting and analysis have been credited in The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Salon, Slate and a variety of other print and online publications.

[Scott D]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0786711078.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg


Book Description
This is an enchantingly told collection of the stirring sagas of gods and goddesses, fabulous beasts, strange creatures, and such heroes as Cuchulain, Fingal, and King Arthur from the ancient Celtic world. Included are popular myths and legends from all six Celtic cultures of Western Europe—Irish, Scots, Manx, Welsh, Cornish, and Breton. Here for the modern reader are the rediscovered tales of cattle raids, tribal invasions, druids, duels, and doomed love that have been incorporated into, and sometimes distorted by, European mythology and even Christian figures. For example, there is the story of Lugh of the Long Hand, one of the greatest gods in the Celtic pantheon, who was later transformed into the faerie craftsman Lugh-Chromain, and finally demoted to the lowly Leprechaun. Celtic Myths and Legends also retells the story of the classic tragic love story of Tristan and Iseult (probably of Cornish origin—there was a real King Mark and a real Tristan in Cornwall) and the original tale of King Arthur, a Welsh leader who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons. In the hands of Peter Berresford Ellis, the myths sung by long-dead Celtic bards come alive to enchant the modern reader.

[GottaHavePride]

I read The Da Vinci Code yesterday. I haven't started a new book yet. I'm still thinking about what to read next.

And by "read it yesterday" I mean I started reading at about 2 in the afternoon and finished at about 7:30 pm.

[hurricane'bone]

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/1400065550.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[Scott D]

I read The Da Vinci Code yesterday. I haven't started a new book yet. I'm still thinking about what to read next.

And by "read it yesterday" I mean I started reading at about 2 in the afternoon and finished at about 7:30 pm.

that's about 5 and a half hours more than I plan to spend on it :)

[lexsooner]

Dreams From My Father: A History of Race and Inheritance, by Barack Obama. If he ever becomes President, I feel confident we would have a deep thinker with a rich family history in office.

[GottaHavePride]

that's about 5 and a half hours more than I plan to spend on it :)

Well, I had already read "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" so the explanatory flashbacks in the Da Vinci code weren't really surprising to me. The plot Dan Brown constructed around that was done fairly well and the characters were engaging. So it's not a bad read, but I can't see why so many people are making such a big stink about it again.

Michael Baigent has to be loving it, though - the Da Vinci Code hoo-hah pushed HBHG back up to #49 on the bestsellers list - I saw that last week in USA Today.

Note - I realize the documents Baigent, Lincoln, and - er, the third guy - based HBHG on were later found to be forgeries and Pierre Plantard actually has a criminal record as a con man. Clearly all the Priory of Sion stuff is bunk. But some of the other historical points they bring up are slightly intriguing. Such as the point that being unmarried in that timeframe would have been highly unusual and you'd think at least one of the Gospels would have mentioned it at some point. Not that it proves anything. And as total speculation and fiction, I can't understand why there's such a stink about TDC.

[Sooner24]

This message board.

[royalfan5]

The End of History and the Last Man by Francis Fukuyama

[NYSooner1355]

I'm reading "Crunchy Cons" by Rod Dreher, a columnist/writer for National Review

It is a view of conservatism that questions big business as much as it questions big government

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
What do you call people who vote for Bush but shop at Whole Foods? Crunchy cons. And according to Dreher, an editor at the Dallas Morning News, they're forming a thriving counterculture within the contemporary conservative movement. United by a "cultural sensibility, not an ideology," crunchy conservatives, he says, have some habits and beliefs often identified with cultural liberals, like shopping at agriculture co-ops and rejecting suburban sprawl. Yet crunchy cons stand apart from both the Republican "Party of Greed" and the Democratic "Party of Lust," he says, by focusing on living according to conservative values, what the author calls "sacramental" living. Dreher makes no secret of his own faith in Christianity, and his book will resonate most with fellow Christians. His conversations with other crunchy conservatives—e.g., the policy director of Republicans for Environmental Protection, a Manhattan home-schooler, the author's wife—are illuminating, but the book fails to offer any empirical evidence to connect these individuals to a wider "movement." Instead, it works best as an indictment of consumerism and the spiritual havoc it can wreak. While his complaints about consumer culture are similar to those advanced by liberals, Dreher frames his criticism of corporate America in explicitly conservative terms, painting rampant consumerism as antithetical to true conservatism. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* "Ewww, that's so lefty," Dreher's editor at his old National Review job sneered when Dreher said he was picking up some locally grown organic produce. And what's with the sandals I'm wearing, he then thought; am I going liberal? Not a bit, he concluded, though if associating with liberals could help him have healthy, flavorful food and a beautiful, durable home; be involved in his children's education; protect and nurture the environment and other species; and live with religious integrity, then associate, befriend, and work with liberals he would. That made him a crunchy con(servative), and since leaving NR and NY for Dallas, he has just become crunchier--and met scads of comrades, including literary patron saints G. K. Chesterton, Russell Kirk, E. F. Schumacher, and Wendell Berry and articulate representatives of the types recorded in his book's expansive subtitle. His engrossing report on his encounters and his own motivations and endeavors stresses that crunchy cons follow principles more than formulate policies; their most cherished hope is to overthrow the consumerist mentality that has made the Democrats the party of lust and the Republicans the party of greed.

[Tailwind]

Damn, you guys are some deep readers. I just finished Timeline by Michael Chrichton(sp?) And am now reading Marcia Muller's Listen to the Silence.

[Scott D]

Well, I had already read "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" so the explanatory flashbacks in the Da Vinci code weren't really surprising to me. The plot Dan Brown constructed around that was done fairly well and the characters were engaging. So it's not a bad read, but I can't see why so many people are making such a big stink about it again.

Michael Baigent has to be loving it, though - the Da Vinci Code hoo-hah pushed HBHG back up to #49 on the bestsellers list - I saw that last week in USA Today.

Note - I realize the documents Baigent, Lincoln, and - er, the third guy - based HBHG on were later found to be forgeries and Pierre Plantard actually has a criminal record as a con man. Clearly all the Priory of Sion stuff is bunk. But some of the other historical points they bring up are slightly intriguing. Such as the point that being unmarried in that timeframe would have been highly unusual and you'd think at least one of the Gospels would have mentioned it at some point. Not that it proves anything. And as total speculation and fiction, I can't understand why there's such a stink about TDC.

And this is why I have more in common readingwise with your sister :P

[GottaHavePride]

And this is why I have more in common readingwise with your sister :P

It's funny, of the two of us I read way more than she does, and she watches way more movies than I do. And while I like reading some heavy stuff every once in a while I usually just read humorous fiction, or something else I don't have to think a lot about. Which is why I have just about any Terry Pratchett book you can think of. ;)

[usmc-sooner]

Penthouse Forum

[Scott D]

It's funny, of the two of us I read way more than she does, and she watches way more movies than I do. And while I like reading some heavy stuff every once in a while I usually just read humorous fiction, or something else I don't have to think a lot about. Which is why I have just about any Terry Pratchett book you can think of. ;)

yeah but she uses my excuse of it being 'research'...I've got so many books on the Celts their lore and legend I'm going to be sick of the subject in a few months :)

[Melo]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0380704161.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIlitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,32,-59_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg



Set in the upper-class families of 18th century England and France, THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY tells the story of Barbara Alderley, a beautiful and passionate heroine; the grandmother she adores; the mother she despises...and the man she loves.

At 15, Barbara finds herself betrothed to a man 27 years her senior. Marriage propels her into a glittering, cynical society: the casual adulteries and violent politics of the age of Richelieu, Pope and Swift; of buildings by Christopher Wren; of greed, elegance, excess and cruelty. Barbara navigates these dangers with great skill; her beauty takes on polish and sophistication.

Just recently finished it. No usually something I would read, but it was an alright read.

[Scott D]

ironically nothing much has changed in 3 centuries :)

[hurricane'bone]

And....I just bought this:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1591841003.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg


Book Description
Every marketer tells a story. And if they do it right, we believe them. We believe that wine tastes better in a $20 glass than a $1 glass. We believe that an $80,000 Porsche Cayenne is vastly superior to a $36,000 VW Touareg, which is virtually the same car. We believe that $225 Pumas will make our feet feel better-and look cooler-than $20 no-names . . . and believing it makes it true.

Successful marketers don't talk about features or even benefits. Instead, they tell a story. A story we want to believe.

This is a book about doing what consumers demand-painting vivid pictures that they choose to believe. Every organization-from nonprofits to car companies, from political campaigns to wineglass blowers-must understand that the rules have changed (again). In an economy where the richest have an infinite number of choices (and no time to make them), every organization is a marketer and all marketing is about telling stories.

Marketers succeed when they tell us a story that fits our worldview, a story that we intuitively embrace and then share with our friends. Think of the Dyson vacuum cleaner or the iPod.

But beware: If your stories are inauthentic, you cross the line from fib to fraud. Marketers fail when they are selfish and scurrilous, when they abuse the tools of their trade and make the world worse. That's a lesson learned the hard way by telemarketers and Marlboro.

This is a powerful book for anyone who wants to create things people truly want as opposed to commodities that people merely need.

[GottaHavePride]

yeah but she uses my excuse of it being 'research'...I've got so many books on the Celts their lore and legend I'm going to be sick of the subject in a few months :)

Oh yeah, the "research" ploy. That's how I justify buying all my CDs, concert DVDs, and shelling out bucks to go see concerts while I'm off auditioning.

[Scott D]

Oh yeah, the "research" ploy. That's how I justify buying all my CDs, concert DVDs, and shelling out bucks to go see concerts while I'm off auditioning.

well how else can I justify spending $100 a pop on mythology books :P

[GottaHavePride]

um, mythology is really cool?

Hmm. Maybe I'll pick up the books that flesh out the backstoy to Halo. That way I can totally geek out in preparation for the release of Halo 3 next year. I can pick up all three for about $15 on Amazon.

[Scott D]

don't get all dolemite on us when Halo 3 doesn't meet up with the expectations levied by the books ;)

[AllAboutThe'O']

Rob Neyer's Big Book of Baseball Blunders.

[GottaHavePride]

don't get all dolemite on us when Halo 3 doesn't meet up with the expectations levied by the books ;)
Heh. The funny part is that the company that does Halo (Bungie) is fairly notorious for going crazy in-depth with the stories behind their games.

In the case of Halo, e-mails went out to a discussion board for their biggest game at the time (Marathon) in 1999 before Halo was even released. The five "Cortana letters" (http://marathon.bungie.org/story/cortana.html) (plus one that was buried in a CD-rom of Myth) were supposedly from an entity named "Cortana" that was subverting Bungie's network. Bungie denied all knowledge of Cortana until Halo was released and everyone found out Cortana is the name of the AI that accompanies Halo's main character. Although still no one knows what the letters meant, but the trailer for Halo 3 echoes a lot of what was said in the first letter.

Also crazy - Bungie promoted Halo 2 with an alternate reality game based at a website called ilovebees.com. (http://www.ilovebees.com/) In-depth story is here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Love_Bees) if anyone cares, but the gist of it is that the website was supposedly taken over by a rogue AI and hidden GPS coordinates directed people to pay phones at specific times (in real life, mind you) that when answered would sometimes play recordings at people, sometimes actors would go live with the people that answered. through the course of the whole thing another story was revealed in about 4 1/2 hours of other recordings that lead into the begining of Halo 2, coinciding with the release date.

So at that point, I couldn't care less what the actual story is - playing mind games with people on that scale is just freakin' awesome. right now rumors are swirling because the fourth letter is a line from William Blake's "Little Girl Found" - "In my palace deep, Lyca lies asleep" And www.lyca.com ("http://www.lyca.com) is kind of weird, points to another website that's equally bizarre, and it all seems to echo some other elements of the story.

[crawfish]

On audiobook, I'm working through:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0743544234.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

...and this is the current book I'm reading:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/1585677280.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

...and I just finished:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/045146091X.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

READ THE BUTCHER BOOK!!! The guy's an OU grad, and the SF channel will have a series based on his Dresden series starting in January.

[pb4ou]

Down and Dirty: The Life and Crimes of Oklahoma Football

[crawfish]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/045146091X.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

READ THE BUTCHER BOOK!!! The guy's an OU grad, and the SF channel will have a series based on his Dresden series starting in January.

Now I'm reading his next book in the series:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0451460855.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_V66859619_.jpg

[afs]

http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:p5SI6DuZbK97SM:http://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/bimgdata/FC0143034669.JPG

[Sooner Schemer]

48 Days to the Work You Love
but I'm about 2/3 of the way through and don't seem to be any closer.

Looking for work in all the wrong places... (mainly Tulsa)

[IB4OU2]

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0060005726.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0060005726/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-4213693-9669647#reader-link)

[Beano's Fourth Chin]

Found an old 1920? copy of 'Tarzan of the Apes' digging through some old boxes in the garage. Never read it before. About half way through.

For pleasure, I'm also reading Ubuntu Hacks from the O'Reilly series.

Reading for work:

The Zen of CSS Design - shea/holzshlag
The Elements of Graphic Design - White

[Sooner Schemer]

I'm also reading this http://www.bfcfgof.com/bfcfgof2004/standings.cfm?CFID=2658477&CFTOKEN=81132881
and this http://www.bfcfgof.com/bfcfgof2004/boards/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23 :confused:

[whatsername]

http://ec3.images-amazon.com/images/P/096543818X.01-A1NBYFCASRF2VE._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

I'm currently reading Tortilla Flat.

[proud gonzo]

http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/b3/00/58eb225b9da05435db1bc010._AA240_.L.jpg

read it monday for my journalism class.
and now I'm reading THIS for my writing for tv class:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/155704645X.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V1096043037_.jpg

[TUSooner]

http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/4688/5thangelit5.jpg

It's a "crime thriller" by a guy who is (or was) just a bit too smart to be an NFL analyst. It seems rather "meh" compared to some other cheap spy & crime thrillers I've been reading too much of lately. But I've just started it.

Better:

http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/8187/medusachildps2.jpg

Much Better:

http://img472.imageshack.us/img472/1446/coldwarswapwf7.jpg