[Tormod]

It would be nice to hear what folks are reading. I'm sure there's a lot of good books being read out there amongst us.

I'm currently reading Michio Kaku's book called "Einstein's Cosmos". It's a (shortish) popular account of how Einstein viewed the universe, and how his theories developed. It's written in a very clear and understandable language and so far it's very, very good.

I even understand parts of the relativity theory now...

So come on...what's on the reading list?

[Killean]

Besides 'PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites', I am currently reading Sojourn: Book 3 of The Dark Elf Trilogy by R. A. Salvatore. The entire trilogy is a good read if you enjoy medival fantasy novels, and the Forgotten Realms world. Doesn't mean if you have no idea about the two it won't be any less enjoyable to read.

Next on the book queue is a little blast from the past, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. I cannot wait!

[Turtle]

I am doing no reading right now, however I think I last read Singhs (sp) book on cryptography.

[zadojla]

The three top books in my reading queue are:

Birth of the Chess Queen, a History, by Marilyn Yalom. A feminist view of European chess history.
The Unending Mystery, a Journey through Labyriths and Mazes, by David Willis McCullogh. A Christmas present from Beccareb
Turned Chessmen, for collectors, players and woodworkers, by Mike Darlow

That's just the top of the heap. If I ever retire, I figure I have two solid years of full time reading to catch up on everything.

[Tormod]

Perfect, zadojla - 3 books I had never heard of. I have close to two thousand books. I have an urge to get rid of a lot of them but I have this personal affection for books which make it almost impossible. One trick os to lend them to frinds and try to forget about it.

I forgot that I also am about to start reading Alastair Reynold's Revelation Space. I have a knack for science fiction.

[Turtle]

I have reduced my library of once hundreds to just 18 now; I just threw away Zun Tsu last week. What remains is a dictionary, an atlas, audabon bird & mineral ID books, & the rest are math. Ohhh yes how I know to love a book.

[zadojla]

Tormod said:

... I have close to two thousand books. I have an urge to get rid of a lot of them but I have this personal affection for books which make it almost impossible. One trick os to lend them to frinds and try to forget about it.

Same problem here. We have possibly 4000 books among us. After I got out of college, I noticed some mental decay, so I resolved to read at least one "difficult" (i.e. not science fiction, mystery, etc.) per week. I kept that up for years, but the requirements of family, a demanding job, and part-time jobs have preventing continuing that. That didn't mean I stopped buying interesting books, so the back-log is enormous.

I generally read history and science, as well as my "Scientific American" and "Natural History" magazines.

[GAHD]

In paper: I just finished reading Tai-Pan, second book of James Clavell's Asian saga, and I'm looking for the third installment: Gai-Jin.

Digital: Current reading pile is "3D Studio Max - Organic Modeling 101.pdf" "Network and Networking Programming.pdf" and "The Electrical Engineering Handbook-CH020.pdf" (these are just 3 of the close to 700 ebooks I've accumulated, only made a dent in them really, but there's only five more chapeters for the electrical engineering ebooks that I know of.)

[Killean]

2000?! Even if your exaggerating I imagine you still got quite the sum of books to compare to such a large number. Of coarse myself I have like 35 million billion trillion thousands of books. In fact it is quite the exercise to get from my bed to my computer swimming through the sea of literature. Paper cuts are frequently encountered. I have 20 novels, 3 informational books and 5 books on programming, for a grand total of 28 books. 1.4% of your total. Might not be a large dent or comparison, but still good to know that I have at least 1%.

[infamous]

For the last few days I've been reading a paper by; R. Webster Kehr, title; The Detection of Ether. This is a well prepared document with plenty of referance material discussing the notion for evidence of universal ether. I've been a believer in relativity for many years and was at first expecting to see just another off the wall theory that should eventually find it's way into the trashcan. This article has however given me reason to take pause with my former belief system. It is quite lengthly, and I'm at present only about half way through reading all the material. Mr. Kehr makes some very good points, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in the study of the physical sciences. The web site is: www.rialian.com-rnboyd-subquan... Enjoy!!

[Turtle]

I get a page not found on that link dude. Ahh to smell the ether again!

[IrishEyes]

Tormod said:

I have an urge to get rid of a lot of them but I have this personal affection for books which make it almost impossible. One trick os to lend them to frinds and try to forget about it.

Ok, friend... your wife will love us both for this...
Check this site and become a member.
It's free to join, and it will help clear out your booksheleves, and help others as well.
Bring some books to release into NYC.

http://bookcrossing.com/

[IrishEyes]

Quote

Next on the book queue is a little blast from the past, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. I cannot wait!

great minds, i guess... I am currently reading (for the 5th or 6th time) A Tale of Two Cities... I really enjoy that book.

Mostly I read fiction for pleasure. It breaks up the monontony of textbooks. I love biographies, but don't read them often enough. quotes books are always interesting. quite frankly though, i don't think i ever met a book i didn't like, unless it was a programming book owned by my husband, and it made it's way into our suitcase on a vacation to the beach or something! i read just about anything i can get my hands on, and i have this very bad habit of having to finish everything i start, even if i don't really like it.

i generally have about 4 books going at once. and i am also one of those with a ridiculously sized library. i'm getting ready to drastically reduce it though, thanks to bookcrossings... i also loan books out, but i never expect to see them again after i loan them. that way, if i DO get them back, it's a pleasant surprise, and if i don't then i know the person that has them is enjoying them as much as i did... i find that a good philosophy with most things though - loaning very rarely works, just plan on making the laoned item a gift, and there will be no ill feelings on your end when the item is not returned, money included.

for books though, really anything is a favorite, but i'm reading too much *required* stuff right now to be able to 'enjoy' reading, if that makes sense...

[nemo]

My books are mostly about programming languages - C being my favorite. Back when I used to read about things that didn't involve a compiler, I tended to lean toward Grisham.

Since we're talking about books, I'd like a little help with my next purchase...
I live near a river. As my wife and I were driving earlier this week, I noticed that gasoline prices had dropped from an arm and a leg to simply an arm, and I began to think about the feeble state of 'clean' energy production. Since we were driving along a river at the moment, I considered all the painful whining from environmental groups about building dams and the flooding involved with hydroelectric power generation for a few seconds; after which I began wondering why nobody ever installed windmill-like turbines under the water. Outside of a severe drought, rivers are always flowing (unlike the wind), and turbines would not cause flooding. Perhaps the turbines wouldn't even have to be permanently attatched to anything (I'm thinking about a buoy shaped like a kayak with something resembling a jet engine underneath - tethered to an immobile object like a pier). Anyway, my problem (or at least one of them) is that I know nothing of electricity aside from the fact that Ben Franklin never should have lived. Could anyone recommend a good book for someone interested in the generation of electricity but with no prior experience in the field?

Thanks

[Queso]

http://www.mediapimp...jason/story.htm