What are you all reading?

[cosmotoad]

Hello, just wondering what kind of literature people are interested in here. Currently I'm on book 5 of The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, it's quite good. He's probably the author I've read most of, but my favourite has to be The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I don't reread books often but I've read those ones (The Trilogy of Five, as he calls it) a few times. As for non-fiction I've got some mushroom books ('Mushrooms Demystified'), a tree book, ethnobotany books ('Plants of the Gods'), etc. but I haven't spent enough time on them. I guess now is as good a time as any to start.

[mmcavall]

The Hitchhiker's Guide is one of the best things I have ever read. Me too, I have to re-read it. I've tried to show it to some friends, and while two of them agreed it is one of the best things already written, some found it totally stupid. And it really is, in some aspect, but you just have to overcome it to understand the book. It is a fantastic stupid trilogy of five books.
I like to read scientific fiction and fantastic literature, and had read several. Currently I'm reading Maurice Druom's Les Rois Maudits (The Accursed Kings), which is not fiction but is very impressive as a true history (the facts that preceded the Hundred Years' War). Needless to say that I read and loved Tolkien and George Martin (but I did it before the movies and series were released).
I like to read science too, being Richard Dawkins one of my favorites. Currently I'm in search of something new to read. Maybe I could try Stephen King, which I never read.

[cosmotoad]

Hello mmcavall, I'm glad you enjoyed the guide as well. Yeah people's opinion on the book can vary a lot, I think it's the same thing with Stephen King; it's a little gruesome and sometimes makes you feel kinda unwell but he is a very good writer in my opinion. As for sci-fi I read the first book of the Dune series recently, which was good, and I've got Foundation by Isaac Asimov downloaded on my kindle but I haven't got to it yet. It seems to be one of the must-read books for a lot of science fiction fans. I don't read enough non-fiction, other than the horticulture type stuff. I should probably know a lot more about history than I do at the moment

[saboten]

I am reading Owning the Earth by Andro Linklater. In general, it is about the history of private land ownership, but it seems to cover so much more. I am about halfway through and I find it quite enjoyable and readable while still being heavy, somehow.
I recently finished the book the bookGathering the Desert which covers various plants that indigenous peoples of the Sonoran desert have used throughout history. I started to love ethnobotany. Plus, I read a book about eco psychology that is comprised of essays with different focuses in that realm. It was informative and thought provoking.
I don't find myself reading too much fiction, but I did recently finish Death in Midsummer, a collection of short stories by Yukio Mishima. I read quite a few of Mishima's novels in high school, and perhaps they were just over my head, but I wasn't a huge fan. However, I found the short stories more digestible and meaningful to me this time.

[cosmotoad]

Interesting, seems like there's a lot of non-fiction scholars here. I usually read to kind of escape reality and sometimes non-fiction gets a little too real, especially some of the historical stuff. But I really should devote some time to learning about those things. Gathering the Desert sounds like something I'd like to check out, I'm always looking for new ethnobotany info.

[mmcavall]

You both may be interested in Carlos Castaneda's "The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge" (1968). I read it long time ago.

[DodoBrooke]

I am all about old classics so the time has come and I am finally reading War and Peace, first out of two books though
Before that I finished Augustus by J.E. Williams.
Also like reading about philosophy, religions, history...

[cosmotoad]

You both may be interested in Carlos Castaneda's "The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge" (1968). I read it long time ago.

That does look interesting for sure, I'll have to get a copy some day after I work through some of the many unread books I already have.

Have fun with War and Peace (I guess 'fun' might not be the best word to describe it), never tackled anything by Tolstoy or any of those old Russian authors myself. The hardest thing I tried to read was a copy of 'Paradise Lost' I borrowed from my brother, it took me like an hour to try to decipher the first few pages and then I gave up. But I've got plenty of years left to get to all that stuff, for now I'll keep myself busy with the gardening.

[greenknight]

I'm reading "The Complete Fiction of H. P. Lovecraft", which I got as a gift. His output was not huge (he died at age 47, which I hadn't been aware of), it all fits in one thick volume. Turns out some of his lesser-known works are not very good at all, deservedly forgotten.

"War and Peace" is quite readable, Tolstoy's prose is clear and compelling - it's just long! I've read only part of it, and that was so long ago I need to start over - good enough to be worth re-reading, though.

[cosmotoad]

I've got that same Lovecraft collection on my kindle ready to go, it was something like $2.00 on amazon. I'm sure there's some weaker works but I knew I'd have to learn about Cthulu and all that good stuff eventually. I've never really opened a copy of War and Peace but it always seemed intimidating to me. I can deal with really long books as long as it keeps me interested though, so that's good to know.

[saboten]

I just began Urban Forests by Jill Jonnes last night. This is the kind of book I really enjoy curling up with -- it's readable and not too heavy, but also very informative. It's all about different aspects of city trees, which is something I've become curious about lately. I was so excited because I found it on clearance at a bookshop and got it for like 5 dollars.

[cactushobbyman]

When I was teaching English 7th graders, I would read books for young readers. Will Hobbs, Gary Paulsen, Karen Cushman, Sharon Creech and many more were on the list of authors I read during those years. Now it's Algebra and reading less. But I do enjoy Historical Fiction and Bernard Cornwell seems to be at the top of the list.

[keith]

https://www.amazon.com/Hypernova-James- ... 1732543801

this one but I know the author he says hes going to write a book about cactus someday we'll see.

[cosmotoad]

That looks pretty good, I don't how likely the cactus thing is but I'd pick up a copy if he did write it (might check out the one you linked to too)

(edit: actually I just bought it on amazon, it was $3.90 for the kindle so I thought I'd give it a read. Best of luck to your writer friend. Also I was ordering parafilm the other day and wanted the free shipping so I got The Teachings of Don Juan that someone mentioned earlier. There's a pretty good chance I won't get around to either of them for a while but anyway, some day they'll be read)

[saboten]

I've just finished Urban Forests. Overall, I think it is a nice introduction for the layperson to the world of city trees. It covered various chapters of the history of trees in the United States, including all the maladies of urban trees such as Dutch Elm disease or the more recent Emerald Ash borer (because of which many mature trees have been preventatively cut down in my home town). I would recommend it to anyone who has a passing interest in trees and society. I think I am interested in reading a more in-depth kind of book about urban forestry -- any recommendations? Textbook or otherwise?

Now, I've begun William Least Heat Moon's River Horse, in which he travels the United States east to west only by water, with the least possible portage. Back when I was in high school, my American Literature teacher recommended Least Heat Moon to me, and I only just now got around to reading anything by him. I love the style! So silly for waiting so long

Also, I'm slowly working on Los Rios Profundos by Jose Maria Arguedas, which I've only just started so I have no opinion on just yet.