So, What Are You Reading?

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Ted Heiks, Jul 27, 2013.

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  1. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Wasn't President Garfield a professor at Hiram College?
     
    Ted Heiks, Aug 18, 2014
    #301
  2. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Yes. However, it was still known as the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute when President Garfield first attended and later, taught there. He left in 1861 and the name was changed to Hiram College in 1867. James Garfield is also the only clergyman ever to have been elected President. More here:

    James A. Garfield - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    Johann

    And yes, Dr. Bear - he must have been one of the smartest Presidents. He loved both Latin and Greek - and that makes him VERY smart, because I say so. :smile:
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 19, 2014
    Johann, Aug 19, 2014
    #302
  3. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I think the "smartest President ever" may have been this fictional one - Josiah "Jed" Bartlet, Ph.D., portrayed by Martin Sheen on "The West Wing." Another avid and accomplished Latinist, with much more besides to offer. His background story, including his academic accomplishments, can be found here:

    Josiah Bartlet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 21, 2014
    Johann, Aug 21, 2014
    #303
  4. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Today is the publication day for The Long Way Home, 10th in the Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny. The last 5 or 6 in this splendid series debuted at #1 on the NY Times bestseller list. Our local library is getting 5 copies, and there are over 100 people on the waiting list. So I shall have to break down and buy the darn thing. My goodness, but they are well written.
     
    John Bear, Aug 26, 2014
    #304
  5. dirkcraen

    dirkcraen New Member

    Too Smart to be Happy - by Odile Jacob (in French)
     
    dirkcraen, Aug 26, 2014
    #305
  6. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Finally finished reading Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans.
     
    Ted Heiks, Aug 29, 2014
    #306
  7. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I quit smoking on Halloween, 1977. Nobody gave me anything. But my wife finally kicked me out a few months later - something that was long overdue. Now, I'm duly grateful. :smile:

    No gifts then, but certainly a huge reward since. I've lived in good health for another 37 years and I'm seeing my grandkids grow up. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have done that, if I'd kept smoking. And hey - I even get to read more books - still doing it!

    Johann
     
    Johann, Aug 30, 2014
    #307
  8. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Finished reading Herodotus' The Histories of the Persian Wars
     
    Ted Heiks, Sep 5, 2014
    #308
  9. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Man, I finally finished The Great Gatsby. Not a bad book exactly, but very overrated, in my opinon. After much dawdling with what is, at its very best, superficial character development where characters are actually developed at all, all of the most dramatic and memorable events happen very close to the end of the book. Unfortunately, nothing happens in due time for me to care enough about any of the characters for these events to really be meaningful. Yes, the end of the book is attention-grabbing, shocking and emotional. It also has the best sentence-per-sentence language artistry of the entire book, but MAN if it doesn't take so many pages to get there. The book is way too short to spend that much time on minor details that are sharply forgotten in a frenzied haze of life-altering fortuities.

    I'm back to working on Dawkins' The Greatest Show on Earth. The more I read of it, the more I love science, and the more I am convinced that Dawkins is obviously and shamefully WRONG on his bully pulpit brand of atheism. Reading him is a pretty mixed bag, but I generally enjoy reads that drag me into a gamut of thought and emotion- something he does amazingly successfully in a non-fiction book. Anyway, I'm only about 100 pages in and I have to get a move on before it's time to run it back to the library.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 13, 2014
    Maniac Craniac, Sep 13, 2014
    #309
  10. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Finished reading Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War.
     
    Ted Heiks, Sep 20, 2014
    #310
  11. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Read John W. Blassingame's Black New Orleans, 1860-1880.
     
    Ted Heiks, Sep 20, 2014
    #311
  12. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    I'm not yet done with The Greatest Show on Earth, but simultaneously have started to read Huckleberry Finn. I'm feeling sick today, so I'm staying in and there is a good chance I could have it finished today.
     
    Maniac Craniac, Sep 20, 2014
    #312
  13. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    The Thieves of Ostia (Caroline Lawrence) - Children's historical novel
    Greek Life (John Guy) - Children's history book. I've collected them for 40 years.
    Unearth History (Miles Kelly) - Another children's history book.
    A Slice of Pi (Liz Strachan)
    Teach Yourself Polish (Gotteri/Michalak-Gray)
    Colorscapes...for the Home (Jill Connors)
    The Urban Gardener (Sonia Day)
    The Portable MBA in Investment (Peter Bernstein)
    Country Furniture - 114 Traditional Projects (Percy Blandford)
    Router Basics (Patrick Spielman)
    Router Jigs and Techniques (Spielman)
    Routing and Shaping (Nick Engler)
    Truly Tiny Gardens (Thomasina Tarling)
    Small is Bountiful - Gardening book. Liz Dobbs / Anne Halpin
    The Ornamental Kitchen Garden - Janet Macdonald
    Then and Now - World History (Pub: Parragon Books)
    Emily Carr Country (Courtney Milne)
    The Golden Age of Sail (David Ross)
    New Illustrated Companion to the Bible (J.R. Porter)
    The Beauty of Trees (Michael Jordan - no, not THE Michael Jordan!)
    The Cathars (Sean Martin)
    Chords for Kids - (Jake Jackson) Same chords adults play! Who knew!
    The Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller) - Historical novel.
    The Everything Psychology Book (Kendra Cherry)
    500 Ideas for Small Spaces (Kimberley Seldon)
    Care-free Plants (Pub: Readers Digest) - 200 species for Canada
    The Garden (Freeman Patterson) Photo-essays. Beautiful!
    Container Gardening: Design Ideas (Pub: Sunset Books)
    Best-Selling 1-Story Home Plans (Pub: Creative Homeowner)

    I have bought the above books at sales in the last couple of months. All are consistent with my interests and are new, or in as-new condition. None cost over $5 and most were $2, $1 or less. I'd guess I spent around $60-odd in total. I've read about a third of them cover-to-cover so far, and at least dipped into all of them. The Polish book and CDs will keep me busy long-term, as will the 4,000 pages of the U.S. Navy Electronics Course. That course is freely available and the best text I've discovered. The download is in .pdf format and about 24 sections. I'm printing them out one at a time, as I study them.

    Johann
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 24, 2014
    Johann, Sep 24, 2014
    #313
  14. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Johann, you just provided strong evidence that I am not quite at the level of nerd that I thought I was. I acquiesce to your superiority in that regard :hail:
     
    Maniac Craniac, Sep 25, 2014
    #314
  15. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

    Thanks for this. I read this book after seeing your post and it was great.
     
    japhy4529, Sep 25, 2014
    #315
  16. japhy4529

    japhy4529 House Bassist

    Currently reading: "Becoming Dr. Q" and "Remembering the Kana."
     
    japhy4529, Sep 25, 2014
    #316
  17. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the compliment, Maniac. I hope my nerdship/nerdiness will continue to live up to your expectations. Know where I could enrol for a D. Nerd. degree? It's probably the only doctorate I can ever aspire to. :smile:

    Johann
     
    Johann, Sep 25, 2014
    #317
  18. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 27, 2014
    Johann, Sep 27, 2014
    #318
  19. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    Read Harry Elmer Barnes' A History of Historical Writing.
     
    Ted Heiks, Sep 29, 2014
    #319
  20. Maniac Craniac

    Maniac Craniac Moderator Staff Member

    Earlier this week, I finished both The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Greatest Show on Earth. My analysis of the latter at completion is exactly the same as I explained in my previous post. Huck Finn was absolutely nothing like I have always been lead to believe and almost next to nothing like the summary that appeared on the back cover. Good book, though.

    My current library check-outs are:

    The Skorpion Directive - A covert operations/espionage thriller. I've previously read two books in the same series featuring the near invincible (a la James Bond) protagonist Micah Dalton. He's much more rough around the edges than Bond ever was, though. As thrillers tend to be, these books are almost entirely plot driven, with little care given to developing characters, making social commentary, etc. Pure entertainment.

    Uncle Tom's Cabin - Nuff said.

    The Clockwork Universe] - Nonfiction work on science history, focusing on the origins of contemporary science and especially on the genius of Isaac Newton.
     
    Maniac Craniac, Oct 3, 2014
    #320
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