I have met a woman. She is a lit major. She devours everything I give her. She has reawakened my love of literature, so you may be seeing more of this stuff here. I don't know if I have posted this before, but my favorite modern novel of all time is: The Prince of Tides: A Novel [Paperback] Pat Conroy (Author) http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Tides-...1547/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1289265413&sr=8-2 She is as transfixed by this book as I was. I told her I read it straight in two days as a youth, stopping only to pee. "The Reader" style, (Another one I recommended and she devoured) http://www.amazon.com/Reader-Movie-...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289265584&sr=1-1 together we are now reading (she spots the books first now, as I am too busy trying to keep one foot on the ground) My Reading Life [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover] Pat Conroy (Author) http://www.amazon.com/My-Reading-Li...=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289265629&sr=1-3 I recommend all of these books highly, especially to women reading this post. Pat Conroy is a treasure. The Reader is a work of art. This is __NOT__ your fathers "Lolita".
I bought this book used from the internet. Hoodooman poster from ET recommend before, so I buy this. (A Peoples History of The United States.) I only read to page 36 of more than 600 pages so far, but this is really good book to someone who want to learn the history of the USA from a "peoples" mind of the time, not from history books in school of the USA. Nitro, I will read one from your post above too when I can have time.
trendlover, That is a good book. There is a section in it that was an eye opener for me. It gives this quote from Abraham Lincoln where he says to the effect that while they are freeing the slaves, his intent is not to make them equal in status to the whites. I forget the exact quote, but it goes to show that even a good man like AL is not without flaws.
I am getting into history, something that I am horribly poorly read in. I am going to start with stuff that is brilliantly written (as per my friends suggestion) and then progress to the harder stuff. On my list is: The Second World War, Volume 1: The Gathering Storm Winston S. Churchill (Author) http://www.amazon.com/Second-World-...5X/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1289773693&sr=8-10 working my way through all four volumes.
If any of you have a Kindle, there are 100 free books on Amazon; http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/ref=pd_dp_ts_kinc_1?t If the link doesn't work, then I would just search The Kindle Store.
23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism - Hardcover (Jan. 4, 2011) by Ha-Joon Chang http://www.amazon.com/Things-They-D...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1299361116&sr=8-1 Strongly recommended.
I am so incredibly excited about this book, I am going to leap frog everything else I am reading to read it: Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain [Hardcover] http://www.amazon.com/Incognito-Sec...7334/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308249782&sr=8-1 This is ___exactly___ what I have been saying for years. Finally, someone has written it down. I hope there is more than analogy though, and perhaps some science behind it. Her is the review in the WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304474804576371522374025268.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Knocking on Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World [Hardcover] Lisa Randall (Author) http://www.amazon.com/Knocking-Heav...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317497530&sr=1-1 There are things in this book that are not discussed anywhere else. Well worth the quick read. http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/11893
More evidence for the modular theory of brain/mind: Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind [Hardcover] Robert Kurzban (Author) http://www.amazon.com/Why-Everyone-...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318113080&sr=1-1