What are you reading now? - Page 55

Pariah · November 2nd, 2007, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pariah

"The Tomb," by some guy. (I'm too lazy to click on the link I just copied

)

I was intrigued by the main character, "Repairman Jack."

I'm really enjoying it. I'll probably read more "Repairman Jack" books when I'm looking for a quick one.

Chaplin · November 6th, 2007, 12:02 AM

I'm reading Lonesome Dove again. Still the best western I've ever read.

Griffin · November 6th, 2007, 12:06 PM

Just finished Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House.

Now reading Clarke's Childhood's End.

Mulli · November 6th, 2007, 12:33 PM

On my quest to read one book on each president, I just finished a 700 page book on James Madison. After I read "Ivanhoe" (picked up at airport), I will move on to a seven page book on James Monroe that I just ordered on ASFN Amazon. After that, John Quincy Adams!!!

Pariah · November 6th, 2007, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulli

On my quest to read one book on each president, I just finished a 700 page book on James Madison. After I read "Ivanhoe" (picked up at airport), I will move on to a seven page book on James Monroe that I just ordered on ASFN Amazon. After that, John Quincy Adams!!!

Is it a pop-up book?

Pariah · November 6th, 2007, 01:04 PM

I just started "I Am Legend." Pretty good. I like apocalyptic survival-type books.

Mulli · November 6th, 2007, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pariah

Is it a pop-up book?

Crap. My secret is revealed!

Mulli · November 6th, 2007, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pariah

I just started "I Am Legend." Pretty good. I like apocalyptic survival-type books.

So is that a short story in a collection or a full book?

Pariah · November 6th, 2007, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulli

So is that a short story in a collection or a full book?

It's a full novel. Somewhat on the short side.

Though I did notice a couple of short story books by the same author.

krepitch · November 7th, 2007, 02:34 PM

Editorial Reviews

Kirkus
"The collapse of the Soviet Union was a big opportunity for Big Oil, whose exploits are detailed in this fast-paced work of political and economic reportage by Wall Street Journal energy correspondent LeVine. Westerners had been sniffing for black gold in Russia and its satellites long before the empire disintegrated, notes the author. Averell Harriman, "the Harvard-trained scion of nineteenth-century robber baron Edward Harriman," tried his hand at the business before turning to manganese mining, while Armand Hammer "became a money launderer for the Bolsheviks, sneaked cash to secret Bolshevik agents in the United States, and profited handsomely as the representative in Russia of some thirty American companies." Hammer set the tone for the Americans who flocked to the Caspian in the first years of the Clinton presidency, which maneuvered for the construction of an east-west oil pipeline that, by reversing the old pattern of Central Asian materials going north to Russia and coming back as products for sale, "would favor the West and disfavor Russia." Not a nice way to treat a fledgling democracy, but the oil scouts, of course, considered Russia a rival for Central-Asian resources second only to Iran, with its heartfelt and long-standing enmity toward the United States in the region and abroad. These scouts-the first among equals being LeVine's heart-of-darkness antihero, Jim Giffen-kept their distance when Russia still had control over the area, spurning a Gorbachev-era program to allow foreign co-ownership. But they rushed to support separatist movements and encouraged ethnic and political divisions that opened the door to an even bigger share of the wealth. The tale of Giffen's rise and fall (the latter for perhaps surprising reasons) occupies much of the later pages, but he never loses sight of the bigger picture: namely, Central Asia as oil lamp and potential powder keg in the realpolitik of the next few years. A complex story rendered comprehensible, with much drama and intrigue."

The Christian Science Monitor
"Superpowers, big oil, politics, human greed and exotic locale come together here in LeVine's skillful recitation."

Pariah · November 9th, 2007, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mulli

So is that a short story in a collection or a full book?

Turns out it was a "novella." The paperback I bought (the one with Will Smith on the cover) didn't mention anything about any other stories in it...but there was. "I Am Legend" was only 158 pages of the book.

Pariah · November 9th, 2007, 12:26 PM

Now I'm reading "The Last Town on Earth."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amazon

Wow. This stunning book succeeds on so many different levels--as an engrossing story, a character study, a history lesson, a modern day political allegory--I don't even know where to begin the praise. The Last Town on Earth centers on the inhabitants of a small logging town in Washington and what happens when they take drastic measures (quarantine) to try and protect themselves from the virulent and deadly flu epidemic of 1918. When a deserting WWI soldier demands sanctuary, events are set in motion that change the town forever. Although this is Mullen's first published work, there are none of the usual verbal pyrotechnics or high-wire "look how well I can write" balancing acts one sees with beginning authors. How refreshing to read a younger author who has already progressed beyond his ego and knows that it's all about story, story, story. Mullen tells his tale cleanly, simply and plainly--making the ironies and allegories all the more potent. I knew almost nothing of the flu epidemic of 1918 and even less about the political climate in the US during WW1. These are not subjects I would go out of my way to read about, but Mullen has made them compelling and interesting. In fact, the author's voice has the same level of confidence and maturity that one only finds in writers with decades more experience (I kept thinking of Wallace Stegner and Alice Munro while I was reading)--authors who earn your trust and confidence so early and easily that you completely relax into the writing and the voice. It's already on my Ten Best List; I can't imagine I'll read ten better books this year. It's easily the most impressive and heartfelt book I've read in a long while. --Terry Goodman --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

abomb · November 9th, 2007, 02:16 PM

I'm reading "GASPING FOR AIRTIME: TWO YEARS IN THE TRENCHES OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" by Jay Mohr, who was on the show during 1993-1994 (one of the best seasons ever) and 1994-1995 (widely-held as one of the top 3 worst seasons).

dogpoo32 · November 9th, 2007, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by abomb

I'm reading "GASPING FOR AIRTIME: TWO YEARS IN THE TRENCHES OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" by Jay Mohr, who was on the show during 1993-1994 (one of the best seasons ever) and 1994-1995 (widely-held as one of the top 3 worst seasons).

Jay Mohr is a funny funny man. I might need to pick this book up.

dogpoo32 · November 9th, 2007, 10:42 PM

I am currently reading...

"Happy Endings: The Tales of a Meathy-Breasted Zilch" by Jim Norton (of Opie & Anthony, Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn Fame)

I would post the synopsis, but this is a family board. This is a great book for people who cannot be offended and love the dark side of comedy and society. Bad words abound, and please do not even touch this book if you have any moral decency. If you love laughing at the akward, extremely detailed descriptions, of a man's life then this is the book for you. Jim recently had an HBO special, which I myself need to see. He is not the Bill Cosby type comedian. If you love cringe humor, you have to either read or listen to Jim Norton. This concludes my book report.

The Oil and the Glory: The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea