What BOOK are you reading right now?

Just finished:
Bringing It to the Table: On Farming and Food by Wendell Berry and Michael Pollan
About to start:
A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness--and a Trove of Letters--Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression by Ted Gup

Wow, heavy stuff - I'm working on my monthly National Geographics - then back to Aztec......

I only record the "'heavy stuff" here and skip over the Chick Lit list.

I'm well past half way through The Stars Like Dust by Isaac Asimov. I'm so struck how much a better storyteller he is then Robert Heinlein. Heinlein's characters seem so out of date and they seem to be stuck in the time of their own creations.

I am also trying really hard to get into Lord Foul's Bane (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Book 1) by Stephen R. Donaldson. I have absolutely no idea where this is going as it was basically a blind buy based on the character's reputation as one of the most important characters in 20th century fantasy. Fifty or so pages and finally something has happened though not enough is explained to give me a clue who this Lord Foul really is.

I read these books way, way back - now, after checking it out, I found out there are 4 more books, for a total of 10 now. The only way I think could go back is if I reread the first 6. Well, I better check this stuff out........BTW, I do remember that it can be really slow at times - especially when Thomas is in the real world.

Interesting - I read Asimov in the 70s and never felt characters were his strong point - Heinlein on the other hand - but again I haven't read any since the 80s. Are we talking young adult Heinlein or freaky Stranger in a strange land, I will fear no evil, number of the beast, time enough for love Heinlein? You've made me wonder how I would read it now.

I really liked the Thomas Covenant books so I'd say stick with Book 1 until the end and see what you think - it does meander a bit at the start but you'll it all makes sense in retrospect. Then again that's advice from my 20 year old self...

I finished Ghosts of Spain, which I cannot recommend enough.

I'm back to History of Rome, a book from goodwill with many slices of fuschia inking. I'm almost past the part where the obvious student owner gave up on the book. I already somewhat know the history of Rome from past reading, but remain interested.

Have you read the last 4? Oops, now I see one is in the future........

The Last Chronicles of Thomas CovenantThe Runes of the Earth – (2004)
Fatal Revenant – (2007)
Against All Things Ending – (October 2010)
The Last Dark – (expected 2013)

No I only read the first two trilogies - didn't even realise Donaldson had started the stories up again. I wonder how they stack up.

Yep. I was referring to Stranger in a Strange Land as well as The Cat Who Walked Through Walls which I had to stop reading about 100 pages in and may or may not return to at a later date.

I'm definitely giving the Covenant novel as much a shot as possible.

I loved "Stranger in a Strange Land"

I loved the first 2/3rds of the book then it went downhill in my eyes.

I read it about 40 years ago. I do remember that I was disappointed with the endings.

started reading Stephenson's Baroque Cycle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baroque_Cycle

listened to the first book from audible, found it really interesting but very plot heavy and hard to follow, so i bought the books, really liking reading them better

it's been around thirty years since i read stranger, i do recall it dragged as it went on

as dated as they are i really enjoyed Heinlein's juvenile novels, the only later one i really like was Job: A Comedy of Justice

i never really got Asimov, i did enjoy some short stories, and his Before the Golden Age: A Science Fiction Anthology of the 1930s is one of my favourite anthologies

I'm back to Grant's History of Rome, the book the idiotic previous owner marked with bright pink on all important sentences; that is, most of them, up to page eighty something. I persevere since I keep learning new aspects on matters I've read about before. I'm on p. 72, so there is hope.

that sounds rather annoying

I have to concur I don't hate Asimov's fiction, and the robot series were fun thought experiments. Foundation series never really did it for me, I think because by the time I got to it I'd been exposed to Larry Niven's Known Space universe. But Asimov's non-fiction, well, Asimov's New Guide to Science, at least, is brilliant. I still pull it out occasionally and read it. Even though science has moved on since 1984 Asimov wrote it in such a way that it is informative, entertaining and relevant.

It has been a battle of wits... the book wins, for the information, but drives me nuts. Plus, it's heavy. I like two book sets for this reason.