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chuckw

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 7, 2009
679
13
Quite a spread here. Homer and Tom Clancy. Clancy before he stopped writing the Jack Ryan series.

 

oppie

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 12, 2010
221
0
Chicago
I just finished The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Its three volumes. Frightening stuff. Very insightful to say the least. Reminiscent of the current administration.

 

oppie

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 12, 2010
221
0
Chicago
Pstlpkr, Have you read it? It's the most eye-opening book, I've ever read. It's not just a condemnation of the Soviet Union as it is a warning of the abuses of state power.

 

python

Administrator
Staff member
Apr 8, 2009
3,756
7,289
Maryland
pipesmagazine.com
I mainly read fiction and I love the Horror genre.

I like Dean Koontz, John Saul, and Stephen King to name a few.
I bought the Complete Sherlock Holmes set of books, but have only had the time to read A Study in Scarlet so far.
I also love the Harry Potter series.

 

pstlpkr

Lifer
Dec 14, 2009
9,694
31
Birmingham, AL
I have indeed Oppie,
It's been a couple of years since my last reading though.

I still get chills when I think about the images of the bitter cold, and unimaginable conditions.
As a side note:

The lyric I typed above is from a piece of music by Renaissance featuring the voice of Annie Halsam entitled "Mother Russia". It is one of my all time favorite contemporary pieces of serious music, and based on The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn,

It quite readily dishes out chill bumps. It's simply awesome, and thoroughly captures the book.

"Red blood, white snow, he knows frozen rivers won't flow.

So cold, so cruel, Mother Russia he cries for you."
Damn.... chill bumps again.

 

admin

Smoking a Pipe Right Now
Staff member
Nov 16, 2008
8,869
5,615
St. Petersburg, FL
pipesmagazine.com
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit are long time favorites that I read twice each in my teens.
Carl Hiaasen has been a long time favorite as well. I have read all of his books except the children's books and the latest golf book.
Paulo Coelho is a recent discovery of mine. I started reading him last month and so far finished these books.
The Pilgrimage (1987)

The Alchemist (1988)

The Valkyries (1992)

By The River Piedra I Sat Down And Wept (1994)

Veronika Decides To Die (1998)

The Devil And Miss Prym (2000)
All of Paulo Coelho's books have common themes of spirituality and following your dreams for a fulfilling life.
He is an excellent writer and I highly recommend him. I have 6 more of his books in a pile waiting for me.
I detoured from Paulo Coelho recently to help Laura with a book report she has to do for her MBA program.
This is one of the best books I have ever read for business.
If any of you are in business for yourself, or if you are at the managerial level, or want to get there, I highly recommend this book.
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement

by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
I am 80% through this one and it is an excellent read right from the start and never slows down.
Imagine a business and management text book, re-written into an intriguing, entertaining, fast-paced novel.

 

dunendain

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 22, 2009
777
2
When I go for my weekly hikes, I put Lord Of Rings on my cd player. It came with seven discs, so I just pop in a new disc each time. The complexity of the book keeps me interested.

 

jonesing

Part of the Furniture Now
Feb 11, 2010
633
2
Kevin:
If you like Hiaasen, you might like Harlan Coben too for a nice "beach" read. Something similar to me about the dry tone of the humor.
I've read The Goal. Excellent book. That and First Break all the Rules (Buckingham and Coffman), were a couple books that planted seeds I use ever day in business.
Another good one is "It's Your Ship" buy Navy Captain Mike Abrashoff. I've not read a book that better hammers home the concept of ownership . It's first on the suggested reading list I give new managers; and I often give the book as a gift.

 

dudleydipstick

Can't Leave
Dec 13, 2009
410
2
I read a nonfiction book recently called "Scratch Beginings", by Adam Shepard. It's about a kid newly out of college who's set out to disprove Barbara Ehrenreich's books Nickle & Dimed and Bait & Switch by proving that people can attain the American Dream from next to nothing.
He leaves home with $25, a tarp, a sleeping bag, and a journal with certain goals to be reached in a year. He also doesn't use his academic credentials.
It's a good read and just about anyone could enjoy it.

 

pstlpkr

Lifer
Dec 14, 2009
9,694
31
Birmingham, AL
Well, I suppose it's confession time....

I have just finished reading all of my daughter's Harry Potter books.

She doesn't have the last installment. So, I've read all but the last in the series.

I have to admit that when I started the Harry Potter series, I was expecting a rather juvenile read and unsophisticated writing. I wasn't disappointed. But, I was surprised by the story. To my own astonishment I knocked out the first book then went for the second immediately. Then the next and so-forth.

The writing did improve as I made my way through the series, and I can honestly say that I really want to read the last book.

While the writing is not the best, there is some subtlety and a modicum of sophistication. There is definitely more opportunity to "read between the lines" than I initially expected. The series ain't too shabby. I am looking forward to seeing how it ends.

 

lbarraa

Lurker
Feb 20, 2010
26
0
Books...hard choice..

The Road from Cormak MacCarthy

Tolkien´s all of them

Stephen King Salem´s Lot

The Nigth Watch (Nochnoy dozor) Series from Sergey Lukyanenko (a fellow pipe smoker)

La Puerta Oscura (The Dark Door) series from David Lozano (in spanish I dont know if is available in english)

Dune from Krank Herbert

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell from Susan Clarke

The Goodfather from Mario Puzo

there are some of my favorites
Now reading "Dejame entrar" (Let me get in) from john Ajvide Lindqvist

interesting twist for the vampire´s myth.
Bets
Luis Barra

 

pstlpkr

Lifer
Dec 14, 2009
9,694
31
Birmingham, AL
Ibarraa,

Have you read the sequels to Frank Herbert's Dune?

If not, and you seem to have enjoyed Dune, I highly recommend the five remaining books of the Dune Chronicles.

My favorite being Dune Messiah.
A friend of mine Carlos Orehuela is a professor of Spanish literature. In our discussions about Spanish Literature, I have always been intrigued, saddened, and dissatisfied knowing there is a whole sphere of literature that has (unfortunately) been largely ignored by American Universities, because they haven't seen fit to have them translated into English. When I was completing my Spanish requirements toward my Bachelors Degree at the Universidad de Guadalajara's CEPE (Spanish immersion), I was exposed to several Spanish Language movies based on serious Spanish Literature. Fortunately, a few did have English subtitles and I was able to follow the dialog more closely. I did find them to be immensely emotive emotionally and expressing ideas on par with Homer, Sophocles and Michele de Montange.

I will call Carlos and see if he knows of an English version of La Puerta Oscura (The Dark Door).

 

oppie

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 12, 2010
221
0
Chicago
Pstlpkr, Just finished listening to the song you mentioned. My youngest daughter had it on her Ipod thing. You are right. Very haunting. Excellent recommendation. Thanks.

 

pstlpkr

Lifer
Dec 14, 2009
9,694
31
Birmingham, AL
Wow! I'm surprised you found it so fast.

If you like multi-meter music I recommend "A Trip to the Fair" by Renaissance as well.

Your daughter has excellent taste Oppie.

I suggest you keep her.

:)

 

oppie

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 12, 2010
221
0
Chicago
Pstlpkr, Like all kids these days she has tons and tons of music. I suppose I'll keep her, she's a good kid. LOL.

 
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