taking a list of book titles with me, i set off for Half Price books on my trusty Schwinn and returned with one lonely book. All of the cool and hip books heather and skorloff reccommended were not in stock. turns out they sell as soon as they arrive. they didn't even have harry potter 2! they did have #3 in paperback, so i'll probably go back for that one tomorrow.
the one book i did find was The Coffee Trader, a suggestion on nerdygirl's list. and since i like historical fiction, it was a gimme.
there's a book on my shelf that i've somehow managed not to read for many years - Great Expectations - that i've added to the stack. so those two, plus the Hawking book, will comprise my extracirricular reading for now.
part of me really wants to read books like The World is Flat and Freakonomics, but part of me doesn't really give a shit about what some guy thinks about global or domestic economics. i'd rather just read a good story, especially one set in the past.
but i really enjoyed Fast Food Nation, which was partially an economics/marketing book, so who knows. i'll probably cave in and read The World Is Flat.
maybe the root of the issue is that i don't want to get caught in a book that sounds like one of the many law school textbooks i've read and have to read. i get enough lecturing from scholars as it is.
Comments (15)
i wrote books when i was 16 too, but they were only well-known in certain sub-cultures and undergrounds.
Posted by p-man | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://
"eat noodles with chopsticks" perhaps the most underappreciated of the war arts... i don't plan on starting a war anytime soon, so i've neglected to read that book. paulino's books are in fact fantasy. they are very reminiscent of tolkien. a much easier read though (no crazy elf/dwarf/orc songs)
Posted by carrico | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://
the paulino kid wrote eragon at like age 16 or so. it's supposed to be good - fantasy if i'm not mistaken. art of war: don't be an arrogant commander, always leave your enemy an escape route on the battlefield, don't utterly dessimate your opponent, and eat noodles with chopsticks.
Posted by heatherfeather | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://
steve - i can one-up up you. i'm reading a sweet book right now called PAYMENT SYSTEMS AND OTHER FINANCIAL TRANSACTION. what happens when you deposit a check? does anyone actually look at it? or machines? read and find out! it's time i admitted that i've never read Art of War but have always been curious. can someone summarize for me? never heard of chris paulino... is it sci-fi or fantasy?
Posted by p-man | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://
i'm not a potter hater persay, what ever floats yer boat... i was juct making an alternative suggestion. speaking of kid's books, i read "eragon" and "eldest' by chris paulino? recently & liked both of them...
Posted by carrico | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://stevehouchin.blogspot.com
I read Art of War for the first time ever last summer. I pritnear enjoyed it. I read HP 1 and 2 over the holiday break, they were all right. I don't know that I'll read 3 or 4 anytime soon, but perhaps over the summer. I'm reading this book right now that completely rocks, called Agency and Partnership. Talk about mile a minute excitement! Is there an agent/principal or master servant relationship? Is the duty to the MGP or to the partnership as a whole? Read the book and find out!
Posted by Steve | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://
steve, don't you really feel for margaret when she doesn't have her period and all of her other friends do? and i had to read Art of War this quarter. granted, for a class in military operations, but there you go - sun tzu: not just for high school anymore.
Posted by heatherfeather | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://
why are you reading Art of War? isn't that like a high school book? it seems we have a potter-hater in our midsts. welcome, carrico, and hate away. we at particleman.org thrive on lively discourse. (and dude, click on the "bikes" link and scroll down. you will not be disappointed.)
Posted by p-man | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://
dude, put down the harry potter... back away, now breathe. i highly reccomend "another bullshit night in suck city", great book. very REAL though, which may not be what you're looking for in your free time away from lawyer training. You know... this website just came to me as i was staring at my computer screen this wednesday morning... i'll come back more often....
Posted by carrico | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://
potter 2 sucks an egg. and has a massive spider storyline in it. you can figure it out in 3 without having read 2. but if you're lost, call me and i'll fill you in.
Posted by heatherfeather | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://
yeah, like the 500 page friedman book is going to give you a heavenly backrub of analysis. most of the findings in freakonomics have to do with the analysis done by the researchers that did the data; analysis of which was interpreted or reported by the authors of the book. i'm just waiting for my replacement copy of "Art of War" to arrive. i'll reread it right after i finish "Are You There God, it's me Margaret."
Posted by skorloff | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://
potter 2 sucks? note taken. but do the stories depend on each other? ok ok, i'll read freakonomics. keep your pantyhose on. it's just that i heard it's a lot of conclusions with no analysis, and no info on how they got their data or what their process was. please keep in mind my old profession... i'm a process guy. i will definitely read the fun stuff. harry potter is my version of comic books. ps: check your email.
Posted by p-man | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
read the fun stuff. in fact, i think you should counter-balance law books with comics or really superficial magazines, not that i know anything about the latter.
Posted by heather | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://
dooood. seriously, read freakonomics before you read that friedman diatribe. you'll probably finish it in an afternoon. it's really thought-provoking. it's like a fun mix of math and thinking. and crack. and the klan. did i mention crack?
Posted by skorloff | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16
URL: http://
harry potter 2 sucks - #3 is one of the best (i'm a sucker for 4, personally). great expectations is a good book. i've always loved it. if you read it, shoot me an email or something after you get to the first description of the wedding cake - i have a funny story.
Posted by heatherfeather | February 10, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on February 10, 2007 20:16