Books

Looking to read:

The Complete Prose and Poetry of William Blake : William Blake, edited in part by Harold Bloom
The Second Sex : Simone de Beauvoir
The Crying of Lot 49 : Thomas Pynchon
The Grapes of Wrath : John Steinbeck
The Tropic of Cancer : Henry Miller

Current reading:

The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov: Vladimir Nabokov
--Very enchanting prose, a compilation of his short stories.--
Snow : Orhan Pamuk
--I'm finding it very difficult to finish this book, it's so depressing. I think I've garnered all I can from it, though. I only have a couple chapters left but I can't seem to ever want to pick it back up.--
The Subtle Knife : Phillip Pullman
--YA books can be pretty refreshing--
The Architecture of Community : Leon Krier
--The best non-fiction I've read maybe ever? I'm slowly absorbing this.--
Dreaming by the Book : Elaine Scarry
The Poetics of Space : Gaston Bachelard
Echo Objects : Barbara Maria Stafford
--Both of these books I have been reading in short sprints for several years it seems. --
Good Looking : Barbara Maria Stafford
--Barbara Stafford provides a basis for a theory / study of why artistic works mean anything at all by arguing that as artwork/images being a particularly potent output of the black box of our minds makes it the perfect specimine for the sciences (specifically cognative and neuro) to study. In the same token, images can provide a very efficient means of inputting information back into the box, especially the work done by trained imagists (artists, designers). For a book based on the necessity of images, it must argue its point to the opposing camp of logicians and rhetoricians. Necessarily, the writing is extremely academic and erudite, like Stafford is thumbing her nose to those naysayers, saying "not only can I play your game well, I'll raise you another discipline that you can't seem to fathom". I would like to see rhetoricians provide visual arguments in the same way, if it's even possible.--
The People's History of the United States : Howard Zinn
QED : Richard Feynman
--Currently out on loan....read three of four parts, I think when I get it back I'll start back at the beginning.--

Recently Finished (ready to lend! except * from library):

Oscar Wilde's Wit and Wisdom: A Book of Quotations Oscar Wilde
--A bathroom book, or end of the night about to fall asleep any second book of short quotations.
The Urban Homestead : Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen
--Great reference book, I'm going back to it now that I'm planning my spring garden and the transformation of my backyard to prepare it for spring chickens. Although the information is not comprehensive, it provides a good starting point for further research, as well as great reference pages for that research. I also follow their blog homegrownevolution.com
Inherent Vice : Thomas Pynchon
--Think twice before viewing the Pynchon-as-Doc narrated promotional for the book if you are currently or about to read it...it will automatically become the narrator in your head for the remainder of your read. This was my first Pynchon novel, and as I hear, the most readily accessible. A stoned-detective story, an LA story, a post Manson end-of-the-60's story. Many a good pun (some of the acronyms are a bit rediculous) a pretty tidy story and very well balanced. I'm not very familiar with this genre, but I do have to say there are many things to enjoy about this book. Any suggestions for a follow up to this would be appreciated.--
A Natural History of the Senses : Diane Akerman
--I highly recommend! Rich and sensual prose make for a very stimulating read. Doubles as a collection of many astute insights into the natural world.
*The Beach :Alex Garland
--A student of mine let me borrow his copy, he got his scuba certification on the same island that I'm looking to get mine, and consequently, the book takes place in the same area. Kinda makes me think again about being a tourist in Thailand, but at least I'm going with intentions other than getting wasted on a beach. It was a very quick read and pretty absorbing. Would be great for a long plane flight.--
*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows : JK Rowling
*Inside: and other short fiction / Japanese women by Japanese women : Compilation
Invisible Cities : Italo Calvino
--Read in short jaunts so as to allow Calvino to take best advantage of your faulty memory...'have I been here before?'--