# What are we all reading?



## Somnifer

For all the bookworms out there, what are we buried in at the moment?

I'm currently on Madame Bovary, The Pilgrim's Progress and Nicholas Nickleby. I'm a huge sucker for the classics.


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## bdelykleon

Thucydides' _History of the Peloponnesian War_.


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## Clancy

Currently unfinished:

_The Bhagavad Gita_
_Effective Leadership_- John Adair
_Dubliners_- James Joyce

I tend to read in spates, these ones have been sitting half-read for quite a while.


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## kg4fxg

*Evenings With The Orchestra*

756 pages Hardback and only for a penny used on Amazon!!!

Reviews.....
Writing as a librarian, former music major, and classical music lover, I believe I can honestly say that "Evenings with the Orchestra" is one of the best, most readable guides to the whole classical music experience I've ever read. Everything, from proper concert hall behavior, to the great composers and their most often-heard works, to profiles of the great orchestras and conductors, is discussed in a straightforward, fascinating style. If you're a beginning classical music lover, this book will be an invaluable guide. If you're experienced with the classics, this book will only serve to enhance your enjoyment. Highly recommended!

I've had this book with me ever since I was a child. The reason being is because I listened to a lot classical music as a kid. In this book there are dozens of composers listed from Bach to Webern and it tells you about their lives, shows some of their greatest compoistions, when they were written, published, written for, and how long they are and tells stories about each composition, too. This is what the bulk of the book is. It also includes musical theory, the proper behavior and apparel for a concert and some famous orchestras and conductors. This is something you must have if you're a big classical music fan. The only flaw this book has is not every composer is listed, for example Fernando Sor and the ones who didn't compose numerous pieces like Haydn, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, and the countless others. Definitive!

From Library Journal
In his delightful and well-nigh-indispensable style sheet Writing About Music (Berkley, 1988), Holoman offers sensible guidelines on just about every aspect of music-related prose, including how to write effective program notes. Now in this present volume, he demonstrates that he practices what he preaches. Essentially a compilation of some 200 of the author's program notes for the Sacramento Symphony, it is a gem of a book. There is much to enjoy here for concert-goers of all levels of sophistication. In addition to essays on the standard orchestral repertory, there are excellent notes for a number of significant contemporary compositions. Program notes are often pretentious and self-indulgent, but these are generally models of directness, clarity, and good sense. Strunk and White would be pleased. Highly recommended.
- Eugene Gaub, Villa Maria Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.


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## Weston

James Tiptree, Jr. (The Double Life of Alice B Sheldon) by Julie Phillips, a biography of one of the more fascinating ladies in the history of literature.


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## JoeGreen

wasn't there already a thread on this?

Oh and I'm reading...


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## kg4fxg

*No, No, No....*



Weston said:


> James Tiptree, Jr. (The Double Life of Alice B Sheldon) by Julie Phillips, a biography of one of the more fascinating ladies in the history of literature.


What I hate most about these threads is seeing a book I have not read. This one looks fastinating. Thanks for sharing - I might have to get this one? There goes my allowance for another week.


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## jhar26

Believe it or not, "The Michael Jackson Conspiracy" by Aphrodite Jones. It's about the child molestation trial of 2005.


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## handlebar

Reading the complete poetry of WB Yeats and just started a re-read of The Napoleonic Wars.

Jim


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## mindsmoothie

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins, A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, Catcher on the Rye (a classic), and Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions by Lisa Randall.

The God Delusion is examining faith using biology (Dawkins is amazingly smart...he's a great biologist and I can see why he has a job teaching at Oxford, even though he is known for his outspoken athiesm.) A Game of Thrones is one of THE best fantasy novels that exists, up to par with LOTR or any other high fantasy...the scale in which the whole series, A Song of Ice and Fire, takes place, is unimaginably large. Catcher on the Rye is mandatory reading for school, and Warped Passages is Lisa Randall's amazing trip into quantum mechanics and theoretical physics for the 'physics layman'.

All of them are really good.

EDIT: JoeGreen, The God Delusion seems as it'd be really similar to your book, except with more biology and it examines religion.


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## JoeGreen

Yes, the _God Delusion_ does have more biology in it, but only because Dawkins is a bioligist by training, but I wouldn't consider it as examining faith with solely biology, since he also uses philisophical arguments and such.

_Why people believe weird things?_ Is not necessarily a book about atheism, but rather a book on general skepticism and how a healthy since of wonderment goes hand in hand with a solid undertanding of science and such. Dawkins also makes this point in his book.


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## danae

I just finished "The appeal" by John Grisham. Now I'm reading "The blind assasin" by Margaret Atwood and "The intellectuals" by Gramsci.


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## Zeniyama

Currently I'm re-reading _Crime and Punishment_ by Fyodor Dostoevsky, but once I'm finished, I have no idea what I'm going to read. I have _Candide_, _Brave New World_, _Atlas Shrugged_, and even quite a few other good books on my shelf that I haven't had the time to read yet.


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## Conservationist

Clancy said:


> Currently unfinished:
> 
> _The Bhagavad Gita_
> _Dubliners_- James Joyce
> 
> I tend to read in spates, these ones have been sitting half-read for quite a while.


Two of my favorites of all time. I hope you enjoy them.

Still burning through Sir Arthur Conan Doyle here, including the spiritualist writings.


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## mueske

Zeniyama said:


> Currently I'm re-reading _Crime and Punishment_ by Fyodor Dostoevsky, but once I'm finished, I have no idea what I'm going to read. I have _Candide_, _Brave New World_, _Atlas Shrugged_, and even quite a few other good books on my shelf that I haven't had the time to read yet.


Candide is a fine read. I found it a bit dragging at the beginning which was quite annoying. But the last pages make up for that.

As coincidence strikes, I'm currently reading Atlas Shrugged. What can I say? It's LONG. Too long. Cuts can be made without compromising the story, I'm sure of it.

After AS, I'm going to read something short, Dubliners perhaps. It has been standing on my shelve for 6 months now...


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## StlukesguildOhio

I'm finishing up _Who Murdered Chaucer_? By Terry Jones (of Montey Python fame... but also a respected medievalist) and several other historians. The book explores the violent overthrow of Richard II and the almost Stalinist censorship that covered up and re-wrote the whole history of this period... along with the very real possibility, considering Chaucer's sudden disappearance during these dark days, that the great poet was but one of many victims of the power struggles of the time.

I just started Anita Albus _The Art of Art: Rediscovering Painting_ and the great Spanish poet, Rafael Alberti's _Concerning the Angels_. I've never been able to read just one book at a time.


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## Zeniyama

I finished "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky today during school. A very good read, and alot more came out of it this second time around.

I have quite a few books lying around, but I'm not sure which ones to read. I'll probably read something like Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises" or Huxely's "Brave New World", but I'm not sure; would I rather read Hemingway, a writer who I know and enjoy immensely, or should I read Huxely, someone who I haven't read yet but am sure I'll enjoy?


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## michael walsh

Just finishing John Suchet's, _'The Last Master'_: compelling stuff. Will have to buy the set. The next read? The jury's out on that one.

Sadly (in this respect only) living in Spain isn't as good as the UK for browsing and buying previously cherished (second hand) books. Oxfam will sure be missing me. I guess it has got to be Amazon so a thread like this is invaluable to me. Thanks!


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## danae

Last week I finished "The blind assassin" by Margaret Atwood. It was really good, but a little too long in my opinion. If anyone's read it, I'd like to discuss it further.

Now I'm reading "The tunnel" by Ernesto Sabato. I didn't finish Gramsci's "The intellectuals". I'll start it over.


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## Rondo

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson. The first non-living author I've read since my undergraduate years.


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## chillowack

Isn't there another "what are we all reading?" thread?

What's the difference between the two, is one of them for non-music books or something?


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## danae

chillowack said:


> Isn't there another "what are we all reading?" thread?
> 
> What's the difference between the two, is one of them for non-music books or something?


Unfortunately there is no difference between the two. I guess it's up to the moderator to merge the two threads.


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## Guest

ahead all parting. rainer maria rilke


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## danae

Has anyone read Ernesto Sabato's "The tunnel" and would like to discuss it?


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## chillowack

danae said:


> Unfortunately there is no difference between the two. I guess it's up to the moderator to merge the two threads.


Thanks danae.

Just got _Emotion and Meaning in Music_ (Leonard Meyer) from the library; but it looks much too cerebral and theoretical for me, I had thought it was going to be a practical treatise on composing.


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## danae

chillowack said:


> Thanks danae.
> 
> Just got _Emotion and Meaning in Music_ (Leonard Meyer) from the library; but it looks much too cerebral and theoretical for me, I had thought it was going to be a practical treatise on composing.


I have that too! I read it some years ago. Why did you buy it if you were looking for a treatise? You should have gone through it's pages, or at least looked at the contents and introduction before you bought it.

It's good though. It's basically a theory of aesthetics in music.


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## chillowack

danae said:


> I have that too! I read it some years ago. Why did you buy it if you were looking for a treatise? You should have gone through it's pages, or at least looked at the contents and introduction before you bought it.
> 
> It's good though. It's basically a theory of aesthetics in music.


You're right danae, it's best to look through a book before buying it. Good reminder!

In this case, though, I didn't actually buy it, I checked it out from a library; so nothing lost! 

So do you recommend I stick with it then? I was thinking of returning it, but if you think it's worthwhile I will keep it.


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## danae

chillowack said:


> You're right danae, it's best to look through a book before buying it. Good reminder!
> 
> In this case, though, I didn't actually buy it, I checked it out from a library; so nothing lost!
> 
> So do you recommend I stick with it then? I was thinking of returning it, but if you think it's worthwhile I will keep it.


As I said, it's interesting, but it's kind of technical, in the sense that you kind of have to be "in the know" of musicology and musical aesthetics in order to understand full and not get bored reading it.

Also, you need to know your stuff well (harmony and counterpoint) before you read this. And, of course, you need to have audio access to the musical examples used in the book.

Why don't you just go through it quickly and decide whether or not you can follow his descriptions and explanations?


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## Isola

Currently reading _Death in Venice and Other Stories _by Thomas Mann.


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## Zeniyama

I've finally picked up _Brave New World_, and I must say, it's quite a compelling book. I wasn't quite expecting such a kind of humourous tone in a dystopian novel; now I see why it's so critically acclaimed.

I also stopped by the bookstore just today and-ever the literary masochist-purchased James Joyce's _Ulysses_. Not an excruciatingly difficult read from what I've skimmed through so far (*cough cough* _Finnegan's Wake_), but it should keep me busy for a bit.


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## chillowack

danae said:


> As I said, it's interesting, but it's kind of technical, in the sense that you kind of have to be "in the know" of musicology and musical aesthetics in order to understand full and not get bored reading it.
> 
> Also, you need to know your stuff well (harmony and counterpoint) before you read this. And, of course, you need to have audio access to the musical examples used in the book.
> 
> Why don't you just go through it quickly and decide whether or not you can follow his descriptions and explanations?


I have done so, and was thinking of returning it; but I will give it another scan first. Thanks!


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## cultchas

Phaedra; Jean Racine's version
Fundamentals of Buddhism By Dr. Peter D. Santina


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## Cortision

I have just finished reading 'Piano Lessons' by Anna Goldsworthy, who is an Australian pianist and music teacher. It is a memoir of her piano lessons with an inspirational teacher, and her growth as a person along the way. She has a great sense of humour and does not spare herself - rather, she depicts herself warts and all. A great read.


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## crazzycat

Now i am finishing "To kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee


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