What swanky things are you reading? - Page 26

Kevy Baby · 12-14-2008, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ToriBear

[color=Purple][b]I am reading Deadline by Chris Crutcher, Generation Dead by Daniel Waters, The Vampire Diaries by L.J Smith, Faerie Path by Frewin Jones, Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. Been going back and forth between these five books, but more on Vampire Academy, Deadline and Faerie Path.

I'm sensing a theme here, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

frodo potter · 03-06-2009, 11:34 PM

I just got The Dictionary of Imaginary places today. This is my second copy, my first having been stolen by an ex girlfriend.

It is a reference book containing descriptions or locals from fantasy literature of the last two hundred years.

The book has descriptions of places from Abaton, a town that moves around the world and has never been visited, (described by Thomas Bulfinch in 1892) to Zuy, a elfin kingdom in the Netherlands. (described by Sylvia Townsend Warner in 1972)
The book is a great jumping off point for getting to know some great fiction you never would have stumbled across otherwise. For example if not for its description I never would have read Titus Groan or At the Earth's Core.

Ghoulish Delight · 04-28-2009, 03:22 PM

Why Evolution is True - Gerry A. Coyne

Not that I needed convincing, but this book, so far, is doing a stellar job of summarizing the preponderance of evidence in support of the theory of evolution, and how said evidence demonstrates conclusively that the theory is sound and testable, no more "in crisis" (as the ID/creationists would have you believe) than the theory of gravity.

It recounts how paleontologists have, over and over again, predicted the existence of certain fossil traits they'd expect to find in fossils of a certain age, only to discover precisely what the theory predicted. How isotope dating has been proven to be accurate by other independent forms of dating.

So even for someone like me who has no doubt of the veracity of Darwin's theories, it's been delightful seeing it laid out in detail, with concrete examples and illustration. It's given me a bit more incite into the particulars of HOW evolutionary scientists have gone about confirming and refining the theory, something about which I've only had vague assumptions.

libraryvixen · 04-29-2009, 08:46 PM

Tori, may I suggest "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary Pearson? I had my teens read this for our book club and they love it! We're discussing it on Monday!

Andrew · 04-29-2009, 08:51 PM

I have the newest Dresden Files book by Jim Butcher but somehow have not yet managed to pick it up. The two main times I read are at lunch and before bed; I've been going to the gym on my lunch break and going to bed earlier so I guess I'll have to figure something else out.

Not Afraid · 04-29-2009, 08:59 PM

I need to go out and get "Loving Frank" to continue with my FLW studies in preparation for another Chicago trip.

3894 · 10-11-2009, 06:45 AM

I'm going to gas on about this because I think many of you will enjoy this book. Really, how many biographies of 18th-19th century private figures are page-turners? Dancing to the Precipice: The Life of Lucie de la Tour du Pin, Eyewitness to an Era by Caroline Moorehead (Harper, 2009) is vivid, shocking, and entertaining.

(Advance apologies for the cutesie recipe but it's the shortest way to share this 400+ page biography.)

Ingredients:
The court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
The Great Terror
America at the time of Washington and Jefferson
Paris under the Directoire and then under Napoléon
Regency London
The battle of Waterloo
The Italian ducal courts
Meticulous research
Beautiful writing

Sprinkle with friends like La Rochefoucauld, Joséphine, Lafayette, and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and plenty of trials and tribulations (besides the historical upheavals, it all begins with a shrewish grandmother in a long liaison with her uncle the archbishop).

Enjoy!

Kevy Baby · 10-11-2009, 08:16 AM

Are there any pictures? I have a hard time with books without pictures.

3894 · 10-11-2009, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevy Baby

Are there any pictures?

You betcha.

Morrigoon · 10-23-2009, 11:04 AM

Just finished reading Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw. I'd be very interested to hear if anyone else has read it, and what you thought of it. I rather enjoyed it and its refreshing take on morality.

03-06-2009, 11:34 PM	#2
frodo potter Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 84	I just got The Dictionary of Imaginary places today. This is my second copy, my first having been stolen by an ex girlfriend. It is a reference book containing descriptions or locals from fantasy literature of the last two hundred years. The book has descriptions of places from Abaton, a town that moves around the world and has never been visited, (described by Thomas Bulfinch in 1892) to Zuy, a elfin kingdom in the Netherlands. (described by Sylvia Townsend Warner in 1972) The book is a great jumping off point for getting to know some great fiction you never would have stumbled across otherwise. For example if not for its description I never would have read Titus Groan or At the Earth's Core.
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04-28-2009, 03:22 PM	#3
Ghoulish Delight I Floop the Pig Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Alternative Swankstyle Posts: 19,348	Why Evolution is True - Gerry A. Coyne Not that I needed convincing, but this book, so far, is doing a stellar job of summarizing the preponderance of evidence in support of the theory of evolution, and how said evidence demonstrates conclusively that the theory is sound and testable, no more "in crisis" (as the ID/creationists would have you believe) than the theory of gravity. It recounts how paleontologists have, over and over again, predicted the existence of certain fossil traits they'd expect to find in fossils of a certain age, only to discover precisely what the theory predicted. How isotope dating has been proven to be accurate by other independent forms of dating. So even for someone like me who has no doubt of the veracity of Darwin's theories, it's been delightful seeing it laid out in detail, with concrete examples and illustration. It's given me a bit more incite into the particulars of HOW evolutionary scientists have gone about confirming and refining the theory, something about which I've only had vague assumptions. __________________ 'He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me.' -TJ
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04-29-2009, 08:46 PM	#4
libraryvixen is part of the resistance Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: up North Posts: 963	Tori, may I suggest "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary Pearson? I had my teens read this for our book club and they love it! We're discussing it on Monday!
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04-29-2009, 08:51 PM	#5
Andrew Making Good Girls Go Bad Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Palo Alto, CA Posts: 734	I have the newest Dresden Files book by Jim Butcher but somehow have not yet managed to pick it up. The two main times I read are at lunch and before bed; I've been going to the gym on my lunch break and going to bed earlier so I guess I'll have to figure something else out. __________________ -- Andrew Just Andrew. Do I contradict myself? Very well then, I contradict myself. (I am large, I contain multitudes.) -- Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself"
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04-29-2009, 08:59 PM	#6
Not Afraid HI! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 17,108	I need to go out and get "Loving Frank" to continue with my FLW studies in preparation for another Chicago trip.
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10-11-2009, 06:45 AM	#7
3894 Next Stop: Funkytown! Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Cheeselandia Posts: 1,907	Terrible Title, Wonderful Read. Really. I'm going to gas on about this because I think many of you will enjoy this book. Really, how many biographies of 18th-19th century private figures are page-turners? Dancing to the Precipice: The Life of Lucie de la Tour du Pin, Eyewitness to an Era by Caroline Moorehead (Harper, 2009) is vivid, shocking, and entertaining. (Advance apologies for the cutesie recipe but it's the shortest way to share this 400+ page biography.) Ingredients: The court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette The Great Terror America at the time of Washington and Jefferson Paris under the Directoire and then under Napoléon Regency London The battle of Waterloo The Italian ducal courts Meticulous research Beautiful writing Sprinkle with friends like La Rochefoucauld, Joséphine, Lafayette, and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and plenty of trials and tribulations (besides the historical upheavals, it all begins with a shrewish grandmother in a long liaison with her uncle the archbishop). Enjoy! __________________ "I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. Here comes the smolder." - Flynn Rider, "Tangled"
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10-11-2009, 08:16 AM	#8
Kevy Baby Chowder Head Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Yes Posts: 18,500	Are there any pictures? I have a hard time with books without pictures. __________________ The thing about quotes on the internet is that you cannot verify their validity. - Abraham Lincoln
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10-23-2009, 11:04 AM	#10
Morrigoon I throw stones at houses Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Location: Location Posts: 9,534	Just finished reading Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw. I'd be very interested to hear if anyone else has read it, and what you thought of it. I rather enjoyed it and its refreshing take on morality. __________________ http://bash.org/?top "It is useless for sheep to pass a resolution in favor of vegetarianism while wolves remain of a different opinion." -- William Randolph Inge
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