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Adam Smith - The Wealth of Nations

This is my first time reading this. I'm about a tenth of the way through. I'm enjoying it.

I'd like to read some of his stuff some time. RIght now I'm reading a collection of essays by Bertrand Russell, mostly on religion. I was also reading a collection of science essays by Isaac Asimov, but I lost the book.

I guess I shouldn't say I hated Lolita, it was all right, but my problem with it was Nabokov's style and over-eloquence, which seemed fresh at first, began to really grate on my nerves after a while. I can say that I'm enjoying Pale Fire a bit more now, though.

OK, I finished the Asimov science essay book. I think I've read about 20 of those things. They're always good. They're easy to read, entertaining, and educational. Asmiov rules.

Now I'm reading another library book, this one a collection of essays by Bertrand Russell. I think it's called "The Atheist Viewpoint."

I bought 3 books today. "Tom Sawyer" by Mark Twain, "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens, and "Walden and Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau. I've read "Tom Sawyer." I just need it for my Mark Twain collection. I'll probably read "Walden" after I get done with the Bertrand Russell book.

I've always been curious about Bertrand Russell's word... good read? What's a good launching point?

I'm working on The Social Contract by JJ Rousseau... seems appropriate for our current state of domestic affairs.

I've mostly read collections of essays by Bertrand Russell. One really good, fairly short book of his I read--and that would probably be a good starting point--is called "Authority and the Individual."

I've had Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince since its official release yesterday morning, but I still haven't started reading it, even though I've had plenty of time to do so, and I'm not sure when I will.

I'll get to reading Harry Potter sometime. I'm taking an online children's literature course, so I've been reading fairy tales, Alice in Wonderland, and I'm about to get started on Treasure Island. The last 4-5 pages of Alice in Wonderland are hilarious. I was laughing out loud as I read it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: RavingLunatic,

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Treasure Island

I don't really consider that a children's book. Some of the themes and scenes in the story are rather strange and not what some would consider appropriate for children upon an in depth read. It is still very good, however.

As for what I am reading, I think I will start 100 Years of Solitude, I never did get to read it.

I've never heard of "100 Years of Solitude." What's it about?

As far as Treasure Island goes, I thought it was pretty good, though not great. I'm not great at reading deep into novels, though, so maybe I missed something. I'm supposed to read Little Women next for that class, but it only took me about 15 pages to figure out that wasn't happening. What a bunch of garbage. Maybe you gotta be a chick to get that one. Looks like it's gonna be Sparknotes for this one.

"One Hundred years of solitude" is pretty much a history of a brazilian town. Mark F. has been raving over it, and I just have to find out how good it actually is. I haven't actually gotten that far in it, I get rather busy during summer terms.

As far as "Treasure Island" goes, some of the scenes are rather strange. Some of the most peculiar are Jim dragging his mother under the bridge, and Long John Silver killing the first guy on the island. You just have to be able to imagine the actually scenes.

I know nothing of "Little Women"

Well, in the last 2 weeks I finished Life of Pi. Than I read the Hollow and the Mirror Cracked, both by Agatha Christie. Than I read Animal Farm by George Orwell. Than I read this 800 page fantasy novel, the Eye of the World. Now I am around 60 pages into The Foundation Trilogy.

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Now I am around 60 pages into The Foundation Trilogy.

I've always wanted to read that series, but it seems like I've always got something else to read. I loved Asimov's first two books of the Robot Series.

Pattern Recognition - William Gibson

I'm juggling a few reads right now:

Work-related:

Moral Realism by Russ Shafer-Landau
and
A Nation of Rebels by Andrew Potter and Joe Heath

Leisure reading:
Three Nights in August by Buzz Bissinger

I have gotten side tracked from "One Hundred years of solitude" and am reading "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond. It is a really interesting book about why some societies prosper and others have not.

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Originally posted by Mike:
I have gotten side tracked from "One Hundred years of solitude" and am reading "Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond. It is a really interesting book about why some societies prosper and others have not.

That's an interesting read. There's a PBS series based on the book that's been running for (I think) 2 weeks and concludes tonight.

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"Guns, Germs, and Steel" by Jared Diamond

Yeah, that's an excellent book. He also has a very good book about human evolution called "The Third Chimpanzee."

The Master and Margarita. nothing like russian storytelling

I'm reading the Wapshot Chronicles. Its turning out to be a great novel.

I'm currently reading Of Mice and Men for English.