What are you reading ?

[River]

Always looking for suggestions and with the holidays approaching it's time to fill out my "wish list"!

So let's share what we're reading-- PD-related or not, for work, for pleasure...

I just finished The Tipping Point.

I'm re-reading Investigations by Stuart Kauffman (A theoretical physicist who studies complex biological networks and origins of life. )

And for pure relaxation, The Golden Ocean-- an early book by Patrick O'Brian. It's historical fiction about the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He is best known for the 20 volume Aubrey-Maturin series, the basis for the film Master and Commander. Though the books are far, far superior! Superb character development and command of the English language.

[Nemo]

If you enjoy books about the Royal Navy, have you read the Hornblower series by C.S. Forester? They are among the best historical fiction books about that era.

[RT Wolf]

I've got 25 books out from the libary right now (and another 100 in my room from a used book sale last year). Almost all the books i have are non-fiction.

I just finished reading Influence (see sig). Just brilliant book.

Now I'm reading The 80/20 Individual by Richard Koch and a book by Napolean Hill the name of which is not in my mind at the moment. I tend to read multiple books at one time because I'll read one book for 20 minutes-half an hour and then switch to the other book. A short break every once in a while and I can keep reading all day without getting bored.

[WanderingOak]

Right now I am reading 'This is your Brain on Music'. It is a book on how we experience music, and the effects that it has on us. I have had a few ideas for creative musical projects, and am hoping that this book will help me flesh them out.

I read 'The Tipping Point' about a year ago, and thought it was very interesting. It gave me a few ideas on how to make a positive change in society, which I might impliment some day. I also read 'Bl!nk' by the same author, which was an attempt to explain how instinct and intuition can sometimes be right. There was another book that I came across, Th!nk, which was a (poorly done, IMHO) attempt to refute 'Bl!nk'. The author was attempting to explain critical thinking, yet he couldn't let go of his (rightist) ideology, so for the most part, it sounded like a right-wing political diatribe.

[Stu]

Im hoping to get Absolute Sandman by Neil Gaiman for christmas. If youve never heard of him hes an amazing fantasy writer, and this is a compilation comics from the Sandman series, which he wrote.

Currently, Im reading textbooks as november is the month that all the profs decide to assign an essay at once. I just finished with The Retreat of the State, which is about interconnecting markets with politics. Im just starting some selected readings from Life in the Wires, which is "an interdisciplinary anthology on the future of technoculture and the revolutionary impact of the Internet on media, technology, culture and politics." Its very interesting stuff, and anyone interested should pick it up and / or visit CTheory.net, which is the journal that published it.

[moltar]

Amazon.com: The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Success by Achieving More with Less: Books: Richard Koch

[RT Wolf]

^ Read that, actually, I've read two of his books, the 80/20 Individual and the 80/20 Way. The Way was fluff, Individual was more interesting and I'm hoping to find the Principle even more interesting.

[moltar]

I haven't read the other ones, but the Principle one does not sound like fluff at all. I can clearly see the numbers, and they do in fact align with my experiences. I am not actively applying the principles yet, but I do think and wonder about the consequences when making decisions.

[kingkong]

I just finished "Many Lives, Many Masters" by Dr.Brian Weiss. Amazing book. I haven't digested all the information yet, it'll need at least one more reading. Planning to read the rest of his books too.

For those who are interested in reading it (its a true story):

Dr.Brain is a Psychiatrist. He treats a patient called catherine for anxiety, fear etc. When she doesn't respond very well to normal treatments, he uses hypnosis; then begins the amazing journey of the doctor and the patient, into past lives (catherine has taken 86 births before the current one). Amazingly, under hypnosis catherine brings him (Dr.Brian) messages from the masters.

Amazing book, i'd recommend it highly.

[floramorada]

I'm currently reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. I haven't finished it yet, but so far it has been very interesting and quite inspiring to read this man's story.

[RT Wolf]

^ I really wanna read that.

Reading Mean Genes now. very interesting book which takes an evoluntionary perspective to explain some human conditions, such as why we can't save, why men are pigs, etc.

Very interesting read. I dunno if I agree with it 100% but it's definitely a great theory.

[Wanderer]

Read alot of fantasy books

Currently reading a series by Hugh Cook, called chronicles of an age of darkness, nothing special, i hope to start reading more factual books one day

[ScottLee]

I've been having fun with Magic Eye: Beyond 3D - it would make a great gift idea for anyone, as well!

[SamBeaven]

Jay Abaraham's Getting everything you can out of all you've got, Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, re-reading the Tao Te Ching, and also reading the second draft of my first novel, which is looking Actually Okay.

[babuji]

I'm currently reading 'Fast Food Nation' by Eric Schlosser... A friend mentioned it to me some time ago, and I just recently started reading it.. I find it amusing that there's a movie out in the theaters currently based on the same book.. I did not realize this when I started reading..

Neverthless, it's a well researched book about the fast food industry and how the power is in the hands of a few when it comes to the whole meatpacking industry. His description of the industry will definitely raise your eyebrows...

I would highly recommend it for those who haven't read it yet..

[Ricardo Ferrer]

I am reading right now two excelent books:

The Mission of Art, Alex Grey - is an inspiritional text for artists and for anyone who has ever glimpsed art´s spiritual power. Foreword by Ken Wilber.

The Writer´s Journey, Christopher Vogler - is a classical book about mitical structures for writers.

[RT Wolf]

Just finished reading Mean Genes. Good book.

Reading "The Little Book of Value Investing" right now and a few others.

[Scott B]

I'm currently flipping through the pages of American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Its inventiveness and originality is so very refreshing. It hooks you early on and drags you down with it. I'm not even finished and I love it.

[Radical]

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

[Phi]

I'm addicted to books. Currently I'm reading Freakonomics and it will surely end up in my best books ever top 20 or even top 10.

An outstanding book that changes the way you see the world.

[MarkusL]

I am currently reading CREATIVITY: Psychology and Flow. Well I just started it because im in school right now and I dont have that much time to read it. Its interesting though because its everything about creativity.

[rossio]

At the moment I am reading buzzmarketing by Mark Hughes (not the ex-Man U player).

It is very good, but I am not learning anything too much that I didn't learn from Grapevine or purple cow.

But the thing is that these books are as much about a perception shift than really teaching you to go and do x, y and z so immersing yourself in the subject is always good.

To be fair, they are all an excellent and entertaining read regardelss of how much crossover there is.

If I had to pick one I would probably pick buzzmarketing.

Sorry, I went on a bit there!

Ross

[Michael Chui]

Originally Posted by Scott B

I'm currently flipping through the pages of American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Its inventiveness and originality is so very refreshing. It hooks you early on and drags you down with it. I'm not even finished and I love it.

The "sequel" to it is Anansi Boys, linked in my signature. Also great, but in a different way.

I'm currently in the middle of Harold Bloom's "Genius", which is a list of 100 literary geniuses and his examination of them. Amazing stuff. It makes me feel bad that I haven't read all of these people, but at the same time... at my age, I haven't had time to read all of them!

[Athena]

I like to keep a few books on rotation at a time--

Currently reading:
Uncommon Genius - Sherkerjian

Motivation and Personality - Maslow - LOVE IT!!

Transcending the Levels of Consciousness - Hawkins - pretty good, but Power v Force was a bit more to the point, I think


Just finished:
Flow - that one was great


==
Next on my list to read:
A Course in Miracles

and eventually I want to read some more Jung!! hurrah!

[Markus74]

"Stumbling on Happiness" by Daniel Gilbert.

It's fascinating, and not your typical self-help book. It's more about understanding what happiness really is.

[Bruce Achterberg]

I've just recently finished reading 3 books, as per the recommendations on Steve's Personal Development Books list on his website:

• The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
• Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

I highly recommend all 3 books, especially for those who may be struggling with some of the concept Steve (Pavlina) presents with his various Subjective Reality articles. Specifically, in relation to subjective reality, the books help explain some of the specific things Steve talks about, such as "consciousness", "awareness", and the notion that there is only one "consciousness" and "You" are that consciousness. I sure wish I had read the books before I read the subjective reality articles and I could have saved myself a heck of a lot of confusion, hehe.

Out of the 3, I probably enjoyed reading The Celestine Prophecy the most, however I did find Way of the Peaceful Warrior enjoyable in more of a subtle, peaceful sort of way (once you get past the middle portion of the book that can be a bit negative for about a chapter, but that negativity is needed to establish the story and develop the characters, so don't let that detour you). While I did enjoy The Power of Now, it's more of an informative, practical, actionable sort of book that doesn't worry about telling a story and gets right into it, which isn't a bad thing, I just find that, for me, it's easier to remember and understand books that use fiction as a means of conveying real-life lessons as it gives your mind some symbolism to play around (which, as I said before, makes concepts/life lessons easier to remember).

I'd give a short review for each book, but the reviews and other info over on Amazon (which I linked to above) do the job pretty well, although The Power of Now got a pretty bad rap in some of the reviews on Amazon. I'm pretty open minded, and as someone who has read The Power of Now, while there is some truth to the reviews, I think they're missing the big picture and focusing too much on specific aspects -- exactly what the book tells you not to! -- and it seems that the reviewers just didn't "get it".

Oh and if you were going to read those books (the ones above), I'd read them in the order I listed them in since the first two (Celestine & Peaceful Warrior) set you up for the more direct, to-the-point style of the last book (Power of Now). Some people who read The Power of Now without some sort of lead up may find it a bit too intense and direct in the presentation.

I have a tonne of other books on my "to-read" list and many other books on my figurative coffee table, so I'll try to report back with any good recommendations.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Update, 6 April 2007: Out of the three books I've mentioned here when I first read them around about December 2006, the book that has had the greatest positive effect on my has been without a doubt The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. While it took a while for the concepts to fully "sink in" after I finished reading the book, once they did, I found myself effortlessly applying them in my life with great results (took a bit of practice, but it wasn't "hard" or "difficult" or anything like that). I now feel much more peaceful, accepting, and "present" then I have ever before, and if I was to recommend that you purchase only one of the three books I mention in this post, I'd chose The Power of Now hands down. The book has a certain "energy" to it that almost palpable... an energy that I've begun to sample in my own life more and more.

If that previous statement made no sense to you, read the book, and if it resonates with you, I'm sure you will understand (it's not something I can adequately describe with words, so if you are curious, check out the book; if you are skeptical and are looking for the book or me to prove something before you are won over... well... you probably need to read the book the most ). A recent synchronicity lead me to purchase A New Earth, also by Eckhart Tolle, which is kind of a sequel of sorts to The Power of Now, as well as Ask and It Is Given by Esther and Jerry Hicks (and "Abraham"). I'm almost done with Ask and It Is Given (which has been an amazing book so far) and look forward to seeing what A New Earth has to offer. I'm sure I won't be disappointed.

Update, 27 August 2008: All three books continue to be favorites of mine, and I highly recommend them. They don't fall into my list of "books absolutely everyone should read," but then maybe they should. But I tend to keep that list short so that those who might not read many books, or those who are selective know which books have had the biggest impact on me (although there really is a cumulative effect, but for some people, one really good book is enough to get them interested and "break through").

[Doku]

I'm currently re-reading Dumbing Us Down. A book written by a New York State "Teacher of the Year" John Taylor Gatto that talks about the real reasons, purpose, and lessons of the public school system. It's one of the homeschool parent's "bibles".

[fontduroy]

I have to second the original poster's suggestion of the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. I get a new one every year for Christmas (waiting for #4 this year) and gobble it up in about a week or two. Fantastic writing style and a fun read. I would compare it to Tolkien as far as the richness of the language (with the exception of there being no "made up" languages ).

Received Freakonomics as a gift, and I'm slowly making my way through that. The book contains some very creative parallels drawn between seemingly unrelated events. Unfortunately, the subject matter can seem quite negative (crack dealers, abortion, real estate agents), which is why I don't pick it up too much.

Other than that, I read a lot of programming books because as of late I have an insatiable thirst for that kind of learning. I find the books from O'Reilly Publishing to be some of the most helpful as far as learning a new software language (Perl, PHP, and MySQL are my current interests).

[cliffski]

Also half way through The God Delusion here, which is a great read, although if you find Dawkins a bit pushy or arrogant, you will not enjoy it (personally I wish more scientists were like him).
And also finally over half way through 'War and peace' which is one of those books thats such a classic (like Catch 22) that it seems almost inpolite to go your whole life without reading it. I'm quite enjoying it, although I have a soft spot for the napoleonic era so thats to be expected.
Another vote here for Tipping Point and Freakonomics. I also suggest (to those who enjoyed either book) Blink and The Wisdom of Crowds.
And anything by Iain M Banks.

[RT Wolf]

Another vote for Blink and The Tipping Point.

Just finished reading Mean Genes. Great book. Highly recommend it.

Right now, I'm reading "What the best college teachers do". I reckon I'm becoming a better student as well as teacher by it. If I ever encounter a bad prof again, I'll give him/her a copy of this book and never attend their class until they fixed themselves up.