What are you reading now?

[bascule]

Something (perhaps past polls) tells me that people here read books, at least a lot more than most of the population.

 

So, what are you reading now?

 

I'm reading The Long Tail, a book about the transformative power of the Internet in connecting people to niches, so everyone's taste begins to wander farther from the mainstream. If you can capitalize on those wanderers, you can actually make MORE money than if you focus on the mainstream. Why? The answer is a long tail statistical distribution in terms of what people consume:

 

 

This pattern is seen in a number of online retailers, including Amazon, Netflix, Rhapsody, and the iTunes Music Store. eBay and Google are working off the same model.

 

Where stores with a physical storefront have limited shelf-space in terms of what they can deliver, they look for a cut-off point in terms of what they keep in stock (shown in maroon)

 

But if you take the area under the maroon part (and assume the yellow part continues for a long, long time) in many markets the area under the yellow part is actually larger than the area under the maroon part, or if it isn't now it's growing much faster than the maroon part.

 

The bottom line is the Long Tail is the place to be right now in terms of your business. The niches are slowly devouring the hits. Viewership of non-network cable and satellite TV channels now have a larger audience than the networks. Movie theaters are seeing a decrease in the total number of moviegoers, even though the population continues to increase. Newspapers are dying as subscription rates continue to fall off.

 

The Internet killed locality, and people are diversifying, and uniting around ideas rather than locations.

[BobbyJoeCool]

Currently I'm reading Angles and Demons by Mark Brown.

 

Is about the Illuminati comming back and attempting to destroy Vatican City and with it the Catholic Church.

 

I really like the books of his series... Digital Fortress was very good. As was DaVinci Code. The other one I haven't read yet. What can anyone tell me about Deception Point?

[ecoli]

Sounds interesting, bascule.

 

I just finished reading the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I'm still looking for my next series.

[blike]

I'm reading "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales" by Oliver Sacks.

 

From Amazon:

"A neurologist who claims to be equally interested in disease and people, Sacks (Awakenings, etc.) explores neurological disorders with a novelist's skill and an appreciation of his patients as human beings. These cases, some of which have appeared in literary or medical publications, illustrate the tragedy of losing neurological facultiesmemory, powers of visualization, word-recognitionor the also-devastating fate of those suffering an excess of neurological functions causing such hyper states as chorea, tics, Tourette's syndrome and Parkinsonism. Still other patients experience organically based hallucinations, transports, visions, etc., usually deemed to be psychic in nature. The science of neurology, Sacks charges, stresses the abstract and computerized at the expense of judgment and emotional depthsin his view, the most important human qualities. Therapy for brain-damaged patients (by medication, accommodation, music or art) should, he asserts, be designed to help restore the essentially personal quality of the individual."

 

I'm also reading "Intelligent Thought: Science versus the ID Movement"

[AzurePhoenix]

I'm alternating my way through the books of the Dark Nest Trilogy (star wars) and the Banned and the Banished series (Wit'ch Fire), with a single chapter of Feast of Crows (George R. R. Martin) between each book I read to keep the details fresh in my mind for when his next book in the Song of Ice and Fire series eventually comes out.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I'm reading "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales" by Oliver Sacks.

I have that one. You might also enjoy The Medical Detectives.

[1veedo]

The Selfish Gene

 

(heh people are probably thinking, "you mean you havn't read this book yet!")

[AzurePhoenix]

What can anyone tell me about Deception Point?

If it's the one I'm thinking about, and I'm pretty certain it is, I just couldn't get into it, the story itself was really dragged out, I couldn't bring myself to give a damn about the characters. But then again, I might be thinking of another book about a meteorite-related antarctic government conspiracy, I can't confirm that though because it's one of the elite group of ten or so books I've ever been able to bring myself to trade in at a used bookstore, so I don't have it around to check.

[Sisyphus]

I'm rereading Thucydides' History of the Peloponessian War, just 'cus it's so awesome. I also recently read through the complete fictions of Jorge Luis Borges, who I now think is one of my favorite authors (if you like Kafka you should definitely check him out). I've been reading a lot of Kierkegaard recently as well. I finally read Morte D'Arthur last week (I've been an Arthurian legend nerd all my life, but I never read the damn definitive work!) I've been reading the Icelandic Sagas. I'm making a strong effort on Heisenburg's Physical Principles of Quantum Theory. And about 20 minutes ago I finished Contact, by Carl Sagan (which I read this weekend ).

 

 

...I read a lot.......

[Bettina]

Currently I'm reading Angles and Demons by Mark Brown.

 

Is about the Illuminati comming back and attempting to destroy Vatican City and with it the Catholic Church.

 

I really like the books of his series... Digital Fortress was very good. As was DaVinci Code. The other one I haven't read yet. What can anyone tell me about Deception Point?

 

I've read all of Dan Browns books with The DaVinchi Code being what I considered his best. Although Digital Fortress was not as good as his others, it kept my interest enough for me to finish it.... but barely.

 

Right now I'm reading "The Elegant Universe". I just finished "Warped Passages"

 

Bee

[Tetrahedrite]

Just finished the book Telling Lies for God by Professor Ian Plimer. An oldie but really good for anyone who wants to try and understand the tactics creationist crazies use to decieve their followers (and themselves). Highly recommended if you have not read. To tell you just how good it is, AnswersinGenesis.com have a 155 page rebuttal of his book!!!

 

Ian Plimer is a Professor of Geology in Australia, one time president of the Sceptics Society and one time Humanist of the Year.

[ecoli]

with a single chapter of Feast of Crows (George R. R. Martin) between each book I read to keep the details fresh in my mind for when his next book in the Song of Ice and Fire series eventually comes out.

 

I read up until feast for crows and it was good, but by the end I was bored with the story.

[Pangloss]

I'm actually taking a break from non-fiction at the moment after a couple of recent misfires. I'm reading The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien, and I just finished re-reading the famous Lattimore translation of The Iliad.

 

"Thus he went beside the ships of the bronze armored Achaens!"

 

Eric Burns' "Infamous Scribblers" is next up on my list.

[AzurePhoenix]

I read up until feast for crows and it was good, but by the end I was bored with the story.

The Dragon Princess bit and all the weirdling stuff that goes on north of the wall is what matters to me, and is actually interesting, and since they were entirely left out of Crows, i definately agree, but the next should focus more on all of that, and the little dwarfy man, YAY. I mean, crows basically only focused on all the political crap between the warring factions, how good could it possibly have been? Well then again... incest and little girl in a death cult temple, yay for those too.

[-Demosthenes-]

Snow Crash. I started it after Bascule talked so highly of it in irc chat. It's way cool, and next I'll get into some of his other suggestions

[bascule]

The Selfish Gene

 

(heh people are probably thinking, "you mean you havn't read this book yet!")

 

Damn straight!

 

Snow Crash. I started it after Bascule talked so highly of it in irc chat. It's way cool, and next I'll get into some of his other suggestions

 

Snow Crash is by far one of my most favorite books. (you have to love any author with the audacity to name a character Hiro Protagonist) Time picked it as one of the top 100 books of the 20th century.

 

I'm still yet to get an answer as to whether or not YT2095 derives his nick from "Yours Truly" in Snow Crash, but I'm guessing not.

[insane_alien]

Ben Elton's Popcorn. not my usual read but i got nothing else just now.

[ecoli]

The Dragon Princess bit and all the weirdling stuff that goes on north of the wall is what matters to me, and is actually interesting, and since they were entirely left out of Crows, i definately agree, but the next should focus more on all of that, and the little dwarfy man, YAY. I mean, crows basically only focused on all the political crap between the warring factions, how good could it possibly have been? Well then again... incest and little girl in a death cult temple, yay for those too.

 

The story is still interesting, no doubt. And I like how Martin isn't afraid to kill of his main characters, unfortunately I just got tired of the story.

 

I have no idea how I managed to read 11 books in the Wheel of Time series, especially since books 5-10 all take place in matter of a week, or something like that. And they're all 500 pages.

[Phi for All]

I'm currently out of non-fiction. Gotta fix that.

 

Between my county library, other state libraries and used book stores, I'm trying to piece together the Recluce series by L.E. Modesitt Jr. There's so little time for reading right now! *sob*

the next should focus more on all of that, and the little dwarfy man, YAY.

Tyrion has to be one of the most complex characters in modern fantasy fiction. Four books and I'm still not sure whether he'll be the hero or the villain.

The story is still interesting, no doubt. And I like how Martin isn't afraid to kill of his main characters, unfortunately I just got tired of the story.

Really keeps you on the edge, doesn't it? I keep picturing this as a cable series, perhaps by HBO. Of course I would then have to actually subscribe to HBO....

I have no idea how I managed to read 11 books in the Wheel of Time series, especially since books 5-10 all take place in matter of a week, or something like that. And they're all 500 pages.

So pissed off about this series. I loved the conventions Jordan first came up with, but every book started adding more and more characters I was supposed to care about. At first I thought he'd start killing some of them off, but now I think he just wants to make a thirteen book series, since that number is so important to him. He'll probably start killing them all off when Tarmon Gaidon starts, and then we'll just be numb to it.

 

I hate when writers write with anything other than the story in mind. Trying to fill up pages is intellectually dishonest. I stopped watching Saturday Night Live a long time ago when their writing paradigm went from "funny no matter how long or short it is" to "start with something funny and make it fit into five minutes". That's no way to write.

[Pangloss]

Snow Crash -- one of the best opening acts of a science fiction book ever.

 

I'm not as enamored with his most recent books, but I did enjoy The Diamond Age and Zodiac quite a lot.

[ecoli]

Tyrion has to be one of the most complex characters in modern fantasy fiction. Four books and I'm still not sure whether he'll be the hero or the villain.

 

I agree with that sentiment 100%. I definately sympathize with him, but he's still a Lannister!

 

Really keeps you on the edge, doesn't it? I keep picturing this as a cable series, perhaps by HBO. Of course I would then have to actually subscribe to HBO....

I especially like how he'll keep the story going one way, and make you think that this thing is going to happen, for almost the entire book. And, in the space of one paragraph, everything gets turned on it's head. It makes for a more realistic and interesting read.

 

So pissed off about this series. I loved the conventions Jordan first came up with, but every book started adding more and more characters I was supposed to care about. At first I thought he'd start killing some of them off, but now I think he just wants to make a thirteen book series, since that number is so important to him. He'll probably start killing them all off when Tarmon Gaidon starts, and then we'll just be numb to it.

Exactly, by that time, I'll be glad to get rid of characters. If I even bother to read it, that is.

[blackhole123]

A storm of Swords- George RR Martin.

 

The Elegant Universe- Brian Greene

[Sequence]

I'm currently rereading my entire bookshelf. Which is alot. Right now I'm about half the way through Battlefield Earth by L.Ron Hubard. I started last Friday morning and read all weekend.

 

Then I'm going to hit the Shannara books again. Those are great storys.

[aj47]

I'm reading "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales" by Oliver Sacks.

 

'The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat' is a great book. Oliver Sacks is probably my favourite author at the moment . I'm currently reading 'An Anthropologist on Mars' and recently read 'Awakenings' and 'My Uncle Tungsten' (his biography) which i'd highly recommend to anyone.

 

Other books i'm reading are...

 

'Brainwashing - The Science Behind Thought Control' by Kathleen Taylor and ..

 

'Men who stare at goats' by Jon Rohnson which is hilarious. From Amazon..

 

In 1979 a secret unit was established by the most gifted minds within the US Army. Defying all known accepted military practice - and indeed, the laws of physics - they believed that a soldier could adopt the cloak of invisibility, pass cleanly through walls and, perhaps most chillingly, kill goats just by staring at them. Entrusted with defending America from all known adversaries, they were the First Earth Battalion. And they really weren't joking. What's more, they're back and fighting the War on Terror. 'The men who stare at goats' reveals extraordinary - and very nutty - national secrets at the core of George W Bush's War on Terror.

[Pangloss]

Battlefield Earth has to be one of the funniest SF books ever written. Say what you like about the man's politics, but he had one amazing talent for satire.