Seems like there is never enough time to do the things we like...but I always find time to read. I tend to read on a theme, and several books at a time.

Read any interesting books lately? OTHER than the latest 'Harry Potter'?

I'll start:

Guru Yoga, by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu

Dangerous Friend: The Teacher-Student Relationship in Vajrayana Buddhism, by Rig'dzin Dorje

Right now I'm in fact reading 'the book which cannot be named'. but before that, I read this:
http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/spring99/gunsgerms.htm

I mostly read non-fiction or humor. sometimes fiction/Scifi.

This is pathetic! Folks: reading is more than the internet and the face is not the only portion of the head that needs to be fed!

Doesn't anybody read anymore!

Update!! (exciting stuff, I know)
I'm re-reading http://www.fightingarts.com/estore/books/OkKarate-Nagamine.jpg

Have you seen the trash in the top-10 bestseller list right now?
"You, the Owner's Manual"
"Why Do Men Have Nipples?"
"The Pampered Chef"
"Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Get Real Meals"
"The World Is Flat"
"Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association"

Self-help (diet/cooking/psyc) and Fantasy have been big for a while now - curious how those two categories always seem to go together in popularity.
"mirror, mirror on the wall...who loves my self image most of all?"

next on my list: I'm torn between "Why Do Men Have Nipples?" and "The World Is Flat".

suggestions? comments?

finished the latest artemus fowl book again a few days ago. its written like a film which is a bit annyoing but it supposed to be an older kids book.


and the title 'why do men have nipples?' made me laugh as that is a question that can be answered in a paragraph lol.

now I'm reading a book by Michael Shermer: "Why people believe weird things." ...I'm surprized I missed this when it first came out. I enjoy Shermers's approach/humor to debunking myths.

I m kinda the opposite I always like mixing random books rather than read in themes.
I just finished reading 'Tuesdays with Morris'

And I am about to start the last book in the foundation saga by Isaac Asimov. Sci-Fi

I find I never have time to read, I should probably make time. I enjoy reading more than watching films but are a sucker for the box nonetheless

I hate to admit it...but I miss watching t.v. When you are never home, it is a guilty pleasure to find an hour to watch a movie. I heartedly enjoyed watching "Purgatory" last night, in-between readings on meditation.

For some folks an evening reading books on meditation would seem like Purgatory.

Oldman,

I once read a book on boredom....it wasn't that interesting....


-B

Would you like me to show you my finger?
Baloney.

Quote:

---

you can also tell the libido of a woman by the length of her ring finger, as this is directly affected by the amount of testosterone the foetus takes in during pregnancy. it works in the same way as the mens feet size thing.

---

Watch it funstick, women with small hands can punch just as hard.

And before harlan gives me the finger (so long as she first removes her ring)....I'm reading some stuff about Master Wong Kiew Kit's "One Finger (Shooting) Zen"....

I digress...mea culpa! Let's chalk this up to cultural and gender differences in communication.

To get the thread back on track: what books ARE we reading these days?

(edited for Kin's suggestion)

you should re-iterate the question Harlan: What Books are you reading now?" so people don't answer the question: 'what are you reading into now?'

My High School year book.

Don't know if that is Enlightening...but I am sure it is reflective!

I have the distinction of being the only person in my class to completely evade the camera throughout Jr and Sr. High. What a dummy!

Just finished Phillip Pullman's "His dark materials" trilogy, zapped through "secret life of bees" and I'm now doing a bit of Jacqueline Wilson as research (honestly), cos I teach kids.All quite enlightening in their way.

I agree, I found the third one a bit of a chore. They are good but I don't quite get the buzz a lot of other folk do.

i've got a lot better modern fantasy books on myshelves really.

(harlan taps ruler to desk)

Class...class...very interesting...really...but we are in Asian Art and Culture. Any readings that fall under this topic? (I am sorry Billy, but I don't eat apples.)

OK, I also read MONKEY recently so I could do a play with the kids at school.

Am reading 'The Magus of Java' by Kosta Danaos, published a few years ago.

It is not a fiction. However, not easy to believe everything in there. He claims his master, an Indonesian of ethnic chinese origin living secretly in Java, can levitate, perform telekinesis, pyrokinesis, all sorts of other '..nesis' and communicate with spirits of the dead, including speaking with the grandmaster who, after a physical death, is now an "immortal" and still dishing out advise to his star student.

Anyone spent good money on it and then found out the awful truth?

Being a puppeteer I read a book called "Puppets of Nostalgia" by Jane Marie Law. It is about japanese puppets and their history. It covers some interesting points that puppeteers were once a kind of psychic dustbinman (garbageman for our US friends) and would perfom rituals at village shrines to entrap the evil spirits and then carry them away.

I've read these books of Pullmans too a few months ago, quite enjoyed the read. My son hated them and wouldnt get further than the first couple of chpaters.

I just finished the dreaded Harry Potter, and The book of 5 Rings

currently reading:

Bokken by Dave Lowry

Le Manege Royale by Pluvinel

The InDesign Bible

Art of War by Sun Tzu

Tao te Ching

and

Training the Horse In-hand - Classical Iberian Methods of Schooling by Dietz

ALL at once, in no particular order. That is, I read a bit of one, get bored and pick up one of the others for a chapter or so.

Forgot! I recently re-read The Jungle Book, Metamorphosis, The Painting of Dorian Grey, Heart of Darkness and bits of Ulysses on my PDA whilst waiting for said son to come out of school.

Planning on reading Eragon & Eldest at some stage - my son says they are a good read so will give them a go too.

My reading 'theme' this week is...liberation through death. (don't ask!)

Doing simultaneous readings on The Tibetian Book of the Dead:

Luminous Emptiness : A Guide to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, by Freemantle (I highly recommend this book as a readable explanation)

and the English language TBOTD versions by Robert Thurman and Sogyal Rinpoche. The first 90 pages of Thurman's book gives a nice overview of the book and the historical context, but Sogyal Rinpoche's version is much more readable.

A real Necronomicon gem. fun stuff...

just finished 'The Way of Kata' - Kane, Wilder.

I'll be reading 'The Chronicles of Narnia' this week. (don't ask)

just bought "Flags of Our Fathers" by James Bradley,Ron Powers today.
A movie based on this book is being worked on right now by Clint Eastwood. looking forward to it.

I may pick that up...just to learn more about the Native American Ira Hayes. I'm taking a break from the meditation, Asian history, buddism and going for something closer to home. Back to Native American studies for awhile, and reading 'On the Rez.'

He was a man of few words. The book is deep and sad, but not depressing. I couldn't put it down when I started it. I'll never view this image quite the same after reading.
http://www.estatevaults.com/lm/images/%20Iwo%20Jima.jpg

Piece from: The Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought

"In the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), in order
to attract distinguished scholars from other states to
his own, King Wei of Qi ordered the construction of a
grand mansion for their accommodation outside the gate
of Ji (also name Jixia) at the capital, Linzi. Then a
plate bearing “Jixia Palace of Learning” was put up,
so that those scholars could lecture or hold debates
there in a free atmosphere.

King Wei’s son King Xuan had a special liking for men
of letters and itinerant strategists who traveled
about trying to persuade state rulers to accept their
ideas and service. He treated them as honored guests,
and built a number of magnificent houses to be given
to some of the well-known scholars.

In those days, about a thousand people came to the
Jixia Palace of Learning. This made it the center of
contemporary scientific and cultural research.
Scholars of the Confucian school, the Taoist school,
the Legalist school, the Logician school, the Mohist
school, the school of Positive (Yang) and Negative
(Yin) Forces, political strategists, eclectics,
agronomists and military strategists met here and
debated with one another. Besides giving lectures,
these people wrote pamphlets and treatises to
propagate their viewpoints and refute those of others.
Thus, a situation of free academic discussion was
brought about. It was under such historical conditions
that The Book of Mencius, The Book of Zhuangzi, The
Book of Mozi, The Book of Xunzi, The Book of Hanfeizi,
and essays of exponents of other schools were written.

The famous thinker Mencius, who lived at that time,
often led his disciples on lecture tours to propagate
that Confucianist doctrine of “benevolence.” On their
arrival at Jixia Palace of Learning, they were warmly
received by King Xuan of Qi who thereafter often
consulted Mencius on the proper ways of governing a
country and its people.

One day, King Xuan said to Mencius, “I have heard that
when King Wen of Zhou staked out a piece of land a
full seventy li in circumference for purpose of
hunting, his people considered it not big enough. I
have now got mine which is no more than forty li
round, yet my people are complaining a lot. People are
really getting unreasonable nowadays.” To this Mencius
replied, “Though King Wen of Zhou staked out that much
land, the common people were free to cut and gather
fuel or go hunting there. King Wen shared the land
with his people, that was why they considered it
small. On my arrival at Qi, I heard that the common
people are forbidden to enter Your Highness’ hunting
grounds, and poaching would be punished by
decapitation. Though you have enclosed only a
relatively small piece of land, it is of no benefit to
them. So isn’t it natural for them to think it too
large?” King Xuan felt that there was much sense in
Mencius’s words, so he decided to let the people use
the land together with him.

Zhuangzi of the Taoist school was against the doctrine
of humanity and decorum advocated by Confucianists.
Therefore, he wrote the following story. On a dark
moonless night, two Confucian scholars went
grave-robbing for jewelry. They went on digging till
it was about dawn and were upset for having found
nothing valuable. Nevertheless, they still quoted
lines from their poetry books in the way of talking.
The senior scholar looked about and asked in verse,
“Day is beginning to break in the east, and how are
matters now?” the junior scholar replied in a similar
manner while busy stripping the clothes off the dead
person, “The undressing of the deceased reveals a
jewel in the mouth.” On hearing this, the senior one
said hastily, “Oh, hurry! Take it out.” Then he began
to chant an ancient poem, “Green is the wheat that
grows on the southern hillside; those who worked not
when alive, have no right to keep jewels in their
mouth when dead.” When the song was finished, the two
of them set to work immediately. One grabbed hold of
the dead man’s hair, while the other prized open the
mouth vigorously with a knife and carefully retrieved
the jewel. Though only a joke, this story exposes and
criticizes the hypocrisy of Confucianists who may
appear to be very learned and polite but actually care
little about decorum.

As different schools of thought confronted one
another, debates grew more and more intense, and
people’s minds more and more active. Hanfeizi put
forward a new legalist theory on the basis of the
actual conditions of the development of society. He
used the words parasite to designate all the Confucian
scholars, political strategists so fond of
high-falutin talk, clever strategists who went about
selling their ideas, those how eschewed military
service and the miserly merchants of his day. He
criticized those who refused to adapt themselves as
society changed and developed, comparing them to the
foolish man in the fable who waited by a tree for
hares to come and dash themselves against the trunk.

The free debating of different schools of thought
promoted the development of ideology and culture in
ancient China. Nowadays, people often use the proverb
“Let a hundred schools of thought contend” to describe
the free discussion of different schools thought and
contending ideologies."

"Remark: In the second last paragraph, it mentioned a
man-and-hare fable. The story is as follows: One day,
a man goes hunting. When he wanders about the forest,
suddenly he sees a hare running out of a bush. The
latter runs so quick that dashes herself against a
trunk. The man is so amazing, and then he fetches up
the dead body and goes home. On the other day, he goes
hunting again. He sits near the trunk where the hare
dashed herself against yesterday, waiting for the
miracle happening again…Like Aesop’s Fables, the
Chinese ancient fables have a long history and still
shining with wits."

'Buddha's Warrior's: The Story of the CIA-backed Tibetian Freedom Fighters, the Chinese Invasion, and the Ultimate Fall of Tibet' -- by Mikel Dunham

An amazing story of fighting monks, bloody resistance and where the CIA were actually the good guys.

SCORE!!!
I went to Half priced books today. I found a 1975 edition of Korean Karate Free Fighting Techniques by Sihak Henery Cho. It is in great condition and still in the box. I paid $7.50....SCORE!!!

SWEET!!! Good for you Oldman!

Hey I have question that is sort of on topic. I hope all you literary geniuses can help me out.

Is it my imagination, or at one time wasn't there a Curious George book where the little monkey was doing Judo or something? I distinctly recall seeing CG in a gi of some sort.

If any of you know of this, please tell me where/how I could get a copy.

Thanks,

Page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curious_George

There's a list on there of all of his books. None of them mention MA's, but it may be a small part of one of the books. Your best bet may be a library or bookstore if nobody else here can help.

Bu,
I'll see if I can get the hook up. My wife is an author and was a chilrens librarian for a number of years.

I recall the image, and seem to associate it with space. After looking through the available books tonight at B&N, I think it might be "Curious George Gets a Medal" or "Curious George and the Rocket".

It was not "Curious George goes to the hospital". It that book he had swallowed a puzzle piece.

I have that one on my desk! seriously. It really raises eyebrows, but I love it! It was given to me by someone special when I started Med School.

Page

Yeah, I also remember CG in a space suit.

It's entirely possible that my mind made up CG in a gi(maybe it was wishful thinking) but I get this nagging feeling that I have seen it.

Page

For some reason I think I've seen it as well.

Is there such a thing as Sympathy delusions?

Well, I have heard of group hallucinations. Although I don't think they could traverse that much distance.

Just in case, I'm prescribing prophylactic anti-psychotics for all forum members. Everyone line up for Halodol! Joel, you first

Page

And this somehow ties into 'Curious George'?

"Curious George and a day with OxyContin."

Similar effect

www.nursesdirect.com/productxl.html?t_q=ct699

Page

Thanks all for sharing, but I think it is time to start fresh. Sorry if I contributed to the thread drift.