<p>Just finished “Portrait of a lady” --such wonderful language.</p>
<p>I am now completely immersed in a biography of Oscar Wilde, by the best biographer and biography I’ve come across, an honor until now held by Robert Richardson and his bio of Emerson and to a lesser degree Thoreau. </p>
<p>It’s by Richard Ellmann.</p>
<p>Interestingly enough, I bought my copy used at the Strand, and the previous owner took copious notes on the front and end pages and while perusing them one line leaped out wherein she wrote:</p>
<p>“Wilde was the wittiest person on the scene until later surpassed by Dorothy Parker.” </p>
<p>Ah, the tradition and synchronicity of it all.
Love it.</p>
<p>Books that have recently gotten me through insomniac nights:</p>
<p>Kate Atkinson’s “Case Histories” and “Behind the Scenes of the Museum” (the latter is especially good)</p>
<p>Michael Cunningham’s “Specimen Days” (features cameo appearances by Walt Whitman)</p>
<p>Barbara Vine’s “The Minotaur”</p>
<p>Kate Flora’s “Playing God”</p>
<p>P. D. James’s “Children of Men” (a re-read after seeing the movie)</p>
<p>Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett’s “Good Omens” (or is it "Bad Omens?!) (sort of like reading a novel by Monty Python)</p>
<p>Currently Michael Collins’s “Death of a Writer”</p>
<p>For all-cylinders-firing, daytime reading, I’m also slogging through J. M. Roberts’s “New History of the World.”</p>
<p>Two of my favorite authors: David Mitchell (“Ghostwritten,” “Cloud Atlas,” “Black Swan Green”) and Jeffrey Lent (“In the Fall,” “Lost Nation”)</p>
<p>Someone mentioned “Reading the Rocks.” I would enthusiastically second the recommendation – a beautifully written book about geology and earth history.</p>
<p>An old college friend from Antioch wrote “The Forest in the Hallway”, a fantasy novel for a younger audience, but an amusing read for adults as well, at least this one.</p>
<p>Tam Lin by Pamela Dean, also fantasy, written by a Carleton graduate and set on a college campus modeled after Carleton. This was recommended to me by the Carleton quiz bowl coach, who also recommended:</p>
<p>“Brainiac” by Ken Jennings of Jeopardy fame. This is a very funny book about trivia addicts and features the Carleton quiz bowl team in chapter 3.</p>
<p>Finally, I’m currently reading “Undaunted Courage”, a book about Lewis & Clark (not the college) and their amazing expedition. The library at Lewis & Clark did have a great exhibit on the expedition, though, when we visited last summer. One of my favorite things at Carleton was the exhibit in the Gould library about Gould’s Antarctic expedition, complete with a stuffed penguin named Oscar. On second thought, my reading is probably feeding into my college obsession, rather than distracting me from it.</p>
<p>Here are a couple of thoughts and/or agreements with some of the previous posters…</p>
<p>The River of Doubt by Candace Millard is the story of Teddy Roosevelt’s journey on a tributary of the Amazon that had never been navigated…really interesting… years ago I loved Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough about Teddy’s early years…he was one driven guy and I can only encourage folks to give these stories a gander…</p>
<p>Our mother/son book group just finished Eiger Dreams by John Krakauer… this is actually a collection of magazine articles about climbing trips/people/ mountains etc… it was quite good and the only thing missing are pictures and/or maps of the different peaks, routes etc. Of course I googled a few of the peaks after finishing the book and some are beyond belief… our next choice is The Caine Mutiny. </p>
<p>I did not “read” Devil in a White City, rather I listened to it … my friend loaned me her iPod for a same day trip back and forth to Vermont… I found it riveting… the chapters alternate between the architectural challenges of creating a Worlds Fair after the great Paris one which featured Impressionist Artists…and the story of a serial killer in Chicago during the Fair ramp up. Again, a compelling story…and do google the Chicago World’s Fair to see the photos of what they built… amazing. Another book that should have pictures because the words don’t do justice to what was created and then lost. </p>
<p>I am now listening to some British short stories… Just William… another friend turned me onto these…they are so much fun…they make me laugh out loud as I listen. That is always a fun experience…so of the moment.</p>
<p>I’m reading “The Thirteenth Tale” and the new John Grisham non-fiction about the murder in Oklahoma (sorry, can’t remember the name). Just finished “The Tender Bar” and really enjoyed/am enjoying all three. </p>
<p>Has anyone read “Mockingbird,” the Harper Lee biography?</p>
<p>Bethie, I loved “Brainiac” as well. Ken autographed it to DS and me at his NYC book signing. He was extremely charming and self-deprecating.</p>
<p>If you like “Undaunted Courage,” you might try some of Simon Winchester’s books…“Krakatoa” is a favorite.</p>
<p>This thread is great, and I’ve ordered several of the books mentioned, although really the last thing my apartment needs is more books all over the place.</p>
<p>finished Curious incident of the dog in the nighttime for bookgroup
currently reading What Remains by Carole Radziwill, although the tragedy is so thick I can hardly stand it- but next I am going to read the Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls- which has been highly recommended.
( I only read one book at a time)
Oh and since I am going to Portland next week- um Powells! and no sales tax!</p>
<p>I noticed Pesto above also plugged Reading the Rocks. If you want to better understand all the “fuss” over climate change etc. and don’t want to be spoon fed by CNN or the rest of the mass media, then read it. The way I view planet Earth has forever changed.</p>
<p>oh ok I forgot I am reading another book * The Worst Hard Time* by Tim Egan that I gave H for xmas.
I have already read most of his books- very good writer- & even better looking in person ;)[won the 2006 NBA for nonfiction]( <a href=“http://www.nationalbook.org/nba2006_nf_egan.html”>A-12 - National Book Foundation)</p>
<p>emeraldkity, I tell everyone who’s read The Curious Incident that they might enjoy reading Elizabeth Moon’s Speed of the Dark, which also has an autistic narrator. (Moon’s own son has Asperger’s.) Moon is better known as a sci-fi writer, but this book is only barely sci-fi - more on the lines of Flowers for Algernon than Arthur C. Clark. Anyway, I really enjoyed reading them back to back which I did purely by chance.</p>
<p>I am currently reading “The History of Civilization” The volume I am on is called Ceasar and Jesus Christ, I just finished the one on the Greeks. I love history and these books are very well written and interesting to read.</p>
<p>I know a couple people with autism and it also helps me put in perspective some of the things I and my kids deal with, because there seems to be quite a bit of overlap with ADD and “being on the spectrum”</p>
<p>emeraldkity–Did you read “Animals in Translation” (Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior). It’s incredible, and was written by an autistic woman named Catherine Johnson.
I have a nephew with Aspergers. He’s brilliant and an amazing musician, but socially uncomfortable. He’ll be entering graduate school at the University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee) next fall.</p>
) My next choice for book group is[Songs of the Gorilla Nation]( <a href=“