What Book Are You Currently Reading?

[J. J.]

Definitely not Return of the Native. 

[J. J.]

The last one I read was In My Opinion:  A Guide to Writing Parliamentary Opinions.  I've written a review of it that is scheduled to be published in January.

[J. J.]

I needed a diversion, so I re-read Ordinary Girl, Donna Summer's autobiography.  It amazed me how, at the height of her career, she had exceptionally low self-esteem.

[J. J.]

Don't Vote:  It Just Encourages the Bastards - P J O'Rourke

Good, but his bast were the late 80's early 90's.

I'm also re-reading Resume Power by Tom Washington, because I'm writing an article on how to resumes for the type of consulting I do.

[J. J.]

France its Empire since 1870

When does the description stop?  I wouldn't really categorize France as an empire, even in a broad sense of the word, since the mid-1960's.

[J. J.]

A first draft of one I wrote.  A committee is editing it.

[J. J.]

Over the last fortnight:

Cannon's Concise Guide to Rules of Order, by Hugh Cannon, who I met once.



The Prince, by Niccolò Machiavelli, who I've never met.  That is a reread; I'm writing an article on it.



Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised, 11th edition, by Henry M. Robert, III, who I just met, et al., several of whom I know quite well.  (The 11th edition came out a week ago.)



The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, basically as a reference for the article I'm writing.

[J. J.]

In literature, I've been trying with the russians, but  Dostoyevski was kind of grim. I'll give a chance to Tolstoi.

May I suggest Gogol.

[J. J.]

In literature, I've been trying with the russians, but  Dostoyevski was kind of grim. I'll give a chance to Tolstoi.

May I suggest Gogol.

I've always found Gogol's work rather horrifying, especially "The Nose" and "The Overcoat." Good stuff but lighthearted it's not. I don't know how much appeal it would have to someone who finds Dostoevsky too "grim."

I think you are missing the satire. 

[J. J.]

My point is that Gogol's satire is depressing and grotesque. (Unless you mean that your suggestion wasn't serious, and in that case, yes, I did miss it.)

Russia was a fairly depressing place at the time.  He lightened it by making fun of it.

[J. J.]

My point is that Gogol's satire is depressing and grotesque. (Unless you mean that your suggestion wasn't serious, and in that case, yes, I did miss it.)

Russia was a fairly depressing place at the time.  He lightened it by making fun of it.

That's a... novel... interpretation.

I saw the satire.  I love Dr. Strangelove, too.

[J. J.]

Quite good and explained a bit of the history of family dysfunction. 



In light of the Penn State scandal, it helped show how insular the institution is.  It is about an on campus murder in 1969.  The author is quite a good researcher. 

He actually cited something I wrote.

[J. J.]

Robert's Rules or Order Newly Revised, 10th and 11the editions.  (I've been writing papers.)

[J. J.]

Cannon's Rules of Order

[J. J.]

[J. J.]

I just read The Captain and the Enemy by Graham Greene as well as Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck.

Now I'm going to do Heart of Darkness.

The amazing thing about Heart of Darkness is that Conrad's English really isn't all that good and the book can get a bit tough despite being barely 60 pages long, but it's still one of the most compelling stories you'll ever read.

Heart of Darkness is probably my favorite novella.  What get's me is that it is based on a real person.