What are you currently reading?/Favorite books (Page 2)

Great Thread:

W.O. Blake's (1862) - History of Slavery

....anybody familar with this?  Great read.   

Love the following: 

Into Thin Air:  Everest Book - Krakauer

Straight Man: Richard Russo

All-time favorite author: Tolstoy

If you liked this you should read The Climb by Anatoli Boukreev.  He is the climber that was sent back to camp to start making hot drinks for the climbers that were lagging behind and told to gather oxygen and meet them at the higher camp.  He was sent to do this by Scott Fischer.  Jon does not look kindly on this act in his book.  This is Anatoli's response to Jon's reaction to his actions that fateful day.  Tells the story from that perspective.  It's a good read so far.  In No Shortcuts to the Top Ed Viesturs says The Climb should be read before any opinion is formed from Anatoli's actions that day.  I haven't read Into Thin Air.  I plan to read it after I finish this one.

I am currently reading "Lance Armstrong's War" very interesting so far.

Favorites:
Catch a Fire, the Life of Bob Marley

Last Man Standing, the Tragedy and Triumph of Geronimo Pratt

Che Guevara, a Revolutionary Life

See No Evil by Bob Baer

No Shortcuts to the Top by Ed Visturs

Stake - 2007-03-27 12:07 PM "On Call in Hell"- I was walking by the "just released" table at B&N and see a picture of a friend of mine on the cover of a book.  Turns out the surgeon from the last battalion I deployed with recieved the Bronze Star w/Combat V for setting up an aid station in the middle of Fallujah during the battle and wrote a book about it.  He's come a long way from sticking us with IV's after a hard night of boozing   It must be a pretty good read because Chippy was on page 2 and sobbing.  I still haven't had a chance to get it from her yet.

I saw the author on the Daily Show.  I'll bet you can find your friend on youtube now!

btw, I'm definitely buying this book.

Thanks.  It's on my list~! 

Currently: Kane and Able - Jeffery Acher
                 Far from the Maddening crowd - Thomas Hardy

Fav: The experiment / Neandrathal - John Darnton
        Ghost Rider - Neil Peart

A Most Fortunate Ship: A Narative History of Old Ironsides  by Tyrone Martin

<---- See my avatar

for work:

Essentials of Investments, by Bodie, Kane & Marcus.  Text to prepare for my CIMA (Certified Investment Management Analyst) certification exam in May.

Mark

Currently reading:

"About Alice" by Calvin Trillin
"Betrayal of Trust: The Collapse of Global Public Health" by Laurie Garrett

Favorites:

"Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder (about Dr. Paul Farmer)
"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" by Anne Fadiman
"One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Garcia Marquez
"A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry
"We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live" by Joan Didion (collection of nonfiction) 

Jennrs, you will love "Suite Francaise" (I saw it on your list at librarything.com).  I agree with you about "The Emperor's Children"- I read it right after I moved to NYC thinking it would be a perfect read.  I probably read about 5 books between the start and finish of it- I thought she really dragged her feet getting into the story, and then by the time I was actually enjoying the book it was over!

I was just about to recommend this after seeing all the Krakauer posts. If you think Everest was a tough situation...

The DVD is awesome as well.

I'm really excited to read "Suite Francaise" ! I'm about ready to put down "The Emperor's Children", but if you say it gets better, I may just stick with it.

Great book suggestions, everybody. My "to read" list is growing!

He has written a follow up to Touching the Void called The Beckoning Silence, Joe Simpson.
Hard to believe that The Void was a true story.  I couldn't believe it when I first saw it.  I still need to read the book.

I'm reading Ian Fleming's James Bond novels in order. I'm up to Moonraker. They're very different from the movies.  No gadgets whatsoever, for one thing. 

Ian Fleming also wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I suspect he was drunk at the time. 

Current:

Swimming to Antartica by Lynne Cox
Paddle Your Own Canoe by Gary and Joanie McGuffin
Space Systems Failures: Disasters and Rescues of Satellites, Rockets, and Space Probes by David Harland and Ralph Lorenz

Some favorites:

The Science of Ice Cream by C. Clarke
The Science of Chocolate by S. Beckett
The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error that Transformed the World by Ken Adler (the history of determining the meter)
Miles from Nowhere: A Round the World Bicycle Adventure by Barbara Savage

Good stuff on this list.

I'll second "The Perfect Mile" by Neal Bascomb.

I can't believe among these adventure book readers that no one has mentioned "Shadow Divers" by Robert Kurson. 

Good fiction...  "Shutter Island" by Dennis Lehane (author of Mystic River)