| What I'm reading | 2004-02-01 19:43 11 comments |
 by Flemming FunchI recently added a list of books I'm reading to my sidebar. It is not going to be a very fast moving list, though. In part because I don't read all that fast, and in part because I tend to read multiple books at the same time, which I switch around between depending on whether I'm bored and what I'm interested in. But, just to give an idea, this is what I'm currently reading:  Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. I love how he writes. I've read Snowcrash and The Diamond Age previously. This one is about cryptography and hidden treasures and world war II. It is quite a trip on various levels.
 The Templar Revelation by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince. Fascinating historical analysis along the lines of Holy Blood, Holy Grail. About the mysteries surrounding The Knights Templar, various secret societies, the life of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, and lots of stuff going on in the particular area where I happen to live, over the last two thousand years. I'm reading it in Danish. It is interesting, but somewhat repetitive, so I can't bear reading it continuously.
 Getting Things Done by David Allen. Actually I haven't really read in it for a while, but it is lying here on my desk and it is one of my to-do items. Ironically. It is a great book about organizing your life. Makes more sense than any I've run into, as it is a system that can be fitted to my own preferences. And I really need to be more organized and not just have a zillion post-it notes lying around.
 The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I just started that, but it is fabulous. I haven't really read any self-help or spiritual books for a long time, as it sort of bored me and I've read a lot. But this one inspires me. Very practical and non-dogmatic guidance towards experiencing the present moment much more fully, and getting over the addiction to circular and non-productive thinking that most humans are afflicted with.
 The Sexual Life of Catherine M by Catherine Millet. I'm reading that in French. It is rather unusual for an erotic type of book. It is written by a well-established academic art critic, and it has caused somewhat of sensation and is a bestseller in English too. In part because of the contents, wild orgies around Paris, and in part because of the strange detached way it is written. It is not even particularly erotic. She very matter of fact catalogues her sexual life, as if she's describing an art collection while being a fly on the wall. And at the same time it is very personal and intimate.
Aside from that, I'm reading the French dictionary. I'm on my second time through 'A'. That's not quite as dull as it sounds, as it somehow provides some connection between things that one might miss otherwise. Alors, après que j'ai assimilé et appris 'A' et d'ailleurs abouti à une agréable et appréciable apogée, avec aucune amnésie, il s'agit de avaler la section 'B'. Oh, and comic books of course. French comics have always been my favorite, so now I read them in French, of course, instead of mostly in Danish. Like Moebius or Valerian. |