Reading Circle

[lorazepam]

Just wondered what other riders read in the winter to pass the cold long nights away. I have been reading my dad's old collection of Zane Gray novels, and Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel. I also recently finished Peter Egan's Leanings. Just looking for some suggestions, and maybe get some discussions going on a few books that are popular right now.

[kbasa]

Currently reading Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. If you've got any geek in you at all, you'll love it.

[widebmw]

Perhaps one of the best books.
POCKET REF, Thomas J. Glover. Sequoia Publishing, Inc.
Highlites- Copper Wire Current Capacity, HP vs. Torque vs. RPM,
acceleration due to gravity, conversion tables, bolt torque specifications.
I could go on and on.
:snore :idea :snore

[lorazepam]

I have one of those Mr widebmw. You would probably just love Audels Diesel Engine Manual. Mine is from 1944, and is everything you would ever want to know about diesel engines, from truck size to the size of a building. including wicking lubricating systems and centrifugal filtering for the oil.

[gsjay]

"Seventy Years on a Motorcycle"

An up to the hilt reminiscense by a collage literature profesor

Herbert Foster Gunnison

He was/is a neat guy who was often seen at the Finger Lakes BMW rally in Watkins Glenn.
Good read!

www.Xlibris.com

gsjay

[BradfordBenn]

Actually I have been reading The Masked Rider by Neil Pert - it is about bicycles. I am also reading The Courage to Start - A Guide to Running for Your Life by John "The Penguin" Bingham. The idea being the better shape I am in, the longer I can ride.

Also I have a few "work" books that are reference items I am using everyday; such as ColdFusion Applications and Audio Dictionaries...

My wife is the real reader, check it out at http://www.modifiedchatter.com/books.htm

[kbasa]

Originally posted by gsjay
"Seventy Years on a Motorcycle"

An up to the hilt reminiscense by a collage literature profesor

Herbert Foster Gunnison

He was/is a neat guy who was often seen at the Finger Lakes BMW rally in Watkins Glenn.
Good read!

www.Xlibris.com

gsjay

Hey! I red Herb's original manuscript for that! Awesome!

[BradfordBenn]

How could I forget the book that I read everyday...

:fart

http://www.bradfordbenn.com/photolinks/bathreadsmall.jpg Click for larger image (http://www.bradfordbenn.com/photolinks/bathread.jpg)

Truly a great series, I have about four or five.

[RebeccaV]

On my nightstand:
"Against the Wind" by Ron Ayres
"BMW R90/6 Motorcycle Reports" by Ian Smith Information
"Flaming Iguanas - An illustrated All-Girl Road Novel Thing" by Erika Lopez
"BMW R-Series 1970-1994" by Clymer

...all Christmas gifts except the Ayres book which was a birthday gift. So what am I reading? The Clymer because it puts me right to sleep. :D

[basketcase]

My typical diet of reading includes:

BMW ON
Rider
Wing World
Bicycling

National Review
US News & World Report

And several newspapers scanned daily at work.

As of late, full length books have become a challenge, but I am working through Odysseys in America, and a compilation of different pieces by C.S. Lewis.

And where do I do my best reading?

:brow

[crvalley]

Two books I highly recommend for those snowed in and for those who can still ride are:

Ghost Rider, by Neil Peart:

You may recognize the name as he is the drummer for the Canadian band, Rush. This is a story of his 55,000 mile trip on his R1100GS that lasted 14 months and took him from Quebec to Alaska, then all the way down to South American and back. It was more of a sole searching trip, for prior to the journey he lost both his wife and daughter...But, it is also a great read in to the diary of someone who put some miles under his butt to clear his head...great road trip book!

...and #2 on the list...

Anything Goes, by Madison Smartt Bell:

This is a fictional story of a blues/rock guitarist and his summer gig up and down the east coast. For anyone who enjoys blues and the travels of a dive bar band, this book is for you!

Happy reading and biking!

[Cliffy777]

This past Sunday I read John Grisham's "King of Torts". Could not put it down. (I don't usually read, read, read like that.)
Cycle World
ON
Started re-reading "Purple Mountains" by Miyake. The corporate guy who buys a bike and rides all over to find himself.
I think I want to check out the Neil Pert book. (I used to dabble on the drums my own self and old Neil can play.)

[manicmechanic]

Have read Ghost Rider, very good read. Besides the usual periodicals, am contemplating re-reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (supposed to have been a trilogy, but has about 6 books to it). it's the kind of reading where you put your brain up on the shelf, and read for the pure enjoyment. Don't try to make sense of it. The man was daft!

Also trying to complete my collection of Heinlein. For bedtime reading presently trying to wade through "Politics and Poetics" by Aristotle. A couple pages does it every time.

[YB in IN]

My nightstand reader is "Ghost of Scootertrash Past" by fellow BMW rider Mark "Tiger" Edmonds. I also liked his first book "Longrider". Though not bike related, I just read "In a Sunburned Country" by Bill (?) Bryson. It was a really fun read. Another book that I really liked that I read last winter was "Mi Moto Fidel". Thats about a guy who takes an R80GS around Cuba. Interesting read. Nice when paired with "Chasing Che" which is about a guy who retraced the trip that Che Guevera took on a Norton when he was a young man. I've got to get some new bike books though, PMS is starting to get me down.

[HarveyMushman]

Just finished Carl Hiaasen's Basket Case. A fun read, as usual for him. Now I'm into Tim O'Brien's July, July. Great so far. I'm also re-reading an all-time favorite of mine, Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain, in anticipation of maybe seeing the movie.

For "serious" reading I have a couple of books by a college prof of mine, Hugh Kenner, who passed away earlier this year.

Then there's the never-diminished stack of magazines that must be read . . . I need more time! :D

[The_Veg]

I've read both Ghost Rider and Flaming Iguanas and liked them very much, especially Ghost Rider (which is also my favourite song on the latest Rush Album!)

One I haven't read but will soon is The Gypsy In Me by Ted Simon (author of Jupiter's Travels which is excellent) in which he walks across Russia or something like that. My mother is reading it now and loves it.

The Perfect Vehicle by Melissa Holbrook Pierson is good, especially if you're a Guzzisti.

A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain, especially if you love exotic food.

Anything by Dennis Lehane!!!!!!!!!! This is the guy who wrote the book Mystic River on which the film was based. Great detective fiction, especially the series of five books about a pair of private eyes named Partick and Angie.

The New Astrology by Suzanne White. Find out how your zodiac jibes with those cute placemats in Chinese restaurants. I'm a Gemini/Monkey.

The Short Reign Of Pippin IV by John Steinbeck. I doubt you'll find it- I have the only copy I've ever seen (first printing I think, 1957)- but it's a nice lighthearted comedy about the French Monarchy making a 20th century comeback.

The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson. His long-lost novel from the late 1950s, recently published and soon to be a film.
(anything else by Thompson too!)

Flight Of Passage by Rinker Buck. Memoir of a 1960s cross-country flight in a Piper Cub by a pair of teenagers.

All five books in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy trilogy by Douglas Adams. No need to explain.

James Bond- The Legacy by Jack Cork and Bruce Scivally. Everything you ever wanted to know about the 007 films from Dr. No through Die Another Day, including many behind-the-scenes photos.

I Am Spock by Leonard Nimoy. A really fun romp through Nimoy's mind, and a great memoir of his relationship with "The Vulcan" as Nimoy calls him.

Daisy Fay And The Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg. More great southern humour by the author of Fried Green Tomatoes (At The Whistle Stop Cafe).

The New Complete Joy Of Homebrewing by Charles Papazian. Learn to make the best beer you've ever had, for less than $1 a bottle! :D

And currently I am reading Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. Interesting and silly story about a guy who travels to Ukraine to learn about his ancestors, told from multiple viewpoints. I'm also reading Scotland For Dummies in anticipation of a future trip.

[ian408]

I enjoyed Ghost Rider. The letters get a bit long after a spell.

I am working on "Under the Banner of Heaven" by Jon
Krakauer and "Alaska" by James Michener.

The hardest thing about Michener is getting through that
level of detail he is so well known for.

Ian

[kbasa]

Originally posted by The Veg
The Perfect Vehicle by Melissa Holbrook Pierson is good, especially if you're a Guzzisti.

Anything by Dennis Lehane!!!!!!!!!! This is the guy who wrote the book Mystic River on which the film was based. Great detective fiction, especially the series of five books about a pair of private eyes named Partick and Angie.

The Short Reign Of Pippin IV by John Steinbeck. I doubt you'll find it- I have the only copy I've ever seen (first printing I think, 1957)- but it's a nice lighthearted comedy about the French Monarchy making a 20th century comeback.

The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson. His long-lost novel from the late 1950s, recently published and soon to be a film.
(anything else by Thompson too!)

All five books in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy trilogy by Douglas Adams. No need to explain.

The New Complete Joy Of Homebrewing by Charles Papazian. Learn to make the best beer you've ever had, for less than $1 a bottle! :D



Tina and I read a lot.

All these books are things we've read and elected to hold on to.

Lehane, in particular, is terrific.

Right now, I'm reading Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson. It might be the best thriller I've read in a decade.

I'd also add the following:

A box of matches by Nicholson Baker

Any of David Sedaris' books, but Me Talk Pretty one Day is pretty hilarious.

The Lovely Bones - I read it while I was riding across the country. I'd sit at a Cracker Barrel having lunch with my mouth hung wide open. It's an amazingly eerie book.

The Dive from Claussen's Pier. - Outstanding story of big city/small town tug of war, along with an examination of the committment of relationships.

Scott Turow's newest, Reversible Errors, is a terrific study of persistence and determination with sidelights of the dangers of human frailty thrown in for good measure.

[Visian]

"A National Party No More" by Zell Miller.

He's from the area that I do a lot of riding in, and his perspective on current issues is refreshing.

*Definitely* not trying to start a political thread here, but his book is well worth reading by people who may have forgotten some key facts about the history of the democratic party.

Ian

[The_Veg]

Dave, nice to see we have similar tastes! Thanks for reminding me of Sedaris- he's great! I have Me Talk Pretty and I've been to one of his speaking performances. I love hearing him on radio too.

You have Pippin IV?!?!?!?!?!?! Unreal! Wow!

As a bookhead I'm also rather proud of my Douglas Adams stuff- I've got the first four books of HHGTTG in one large leather-bound and gold-edged volume, which also contains a short story called Young Zaphod PLays It Safe (A rather forgettable story BTW).

My copy of Mystic River is signed by the author but not personalised as it was a from a bunch he signed for Borders. I'd like to meet Lehane though. I have his Fresh Air interview from a few years ago saved on my hard drive.

I'll add also that I've read all six of Frank Herbert's Dune books.

And while I'm on sci-fi, if you like Star Wars you must read Tales From The Mos Eisley Cantina, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. This book tells the stories of several characters seen in the background during the Cantina scene in Episode Four (the original film), focusing on what happens in their lives around the time their paths cross that day in the cantina. Each chapter is written by a different author.

Multi-authored books reminds me of Naked Came The Manatee. I don't remember the editor's name or any other info about this one (since I read a borrowed copy) but it's a hilarious south-Florida madcap caper involving a manatee named Booger and the frozen head of Fidel Castro. Dave Barry and Elmore Leonard were amongh the contributors.

Speaking of Elmore Leonard, I really liked Get Shorty (but haven't seen the movie yet) and Maximum Bob. Some of you may recall a very short-lived Maximum Bob TV series back in late '97. Ran three episodes I think. The book is fabulous.

I also really recommend From Star Wars To Indiana Jones- The Best Of The LucasFilm Archives by Mark Cotta Vaz and Shinji Hatta. This is a nice large glossy softcover full of many of the models, costumes, production sketches, etc. used in making the films in the title. It was Lucas' idea, as he explains in the introduction, born of an idle moment in the warehouse at Skywalker Ranch, looking about the shelves and saying to himself that somebody needs to catalog all this stuff and present it. Unfortunately I missed the traveling exhibit a few years ago, but this book has SO much more in it.

Any of the Life In Hell books by Matt Groening!

Action Figure! by G.B. Trudeau. This is a compilation of all of Uncle Duke's appearances in Doonesbury. Uncle Duke as some of you may know is based on Hunter Thompson. My copy actually came with an Uncle Duke action figure that is poseable and included a little plastic gun, bottle and martini glass that can be placed in his hands and he's wearing a shirt that says "death before unconsciousness."

Weird Europe by Lawson & Rufus. Find all the odd, strange, unusual, and just plain inexplicable tourist attrations on The Continent. Everything from the Fragonard Museum to LegoLand and everyting in between!

Curve Of The Future by Edward Passerini. The author was my faculty advisor in college. This volume is a great primer for anyone who wishes to raise ther level of environmental consiousness. Very hard to find though.

Still LIfe With Bottle by Ralph Steadman. Who says artists can't write? Steadman is most famous for illustrating Hunter Thompson's books, as well as doing the art for the labels used by the Flying Dog brewery and a recent series of ads for Sony's XPlode line of car audio. But he shows his mettle in this rather silly (and of course richly illustrated) treatise on the history and lore of Scotch Whisky. And like Thompson, Steadman tends to take much editorial license with his subject but does so in a most entertaining manner. He also has a book on wine called The Grapes Of Ralph but I have yet to catch up with that one.

So can you guys tell I read a lot? :D

[jgr451]

Shake hands with the Devil.Romeo Dallaire.About a truly disturbing and disgraceful time in the modern world,the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 in which 1,000,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred.
Go ahead.Read it.

[PeoriaMac]

"Leanings" by Peter Egan

"Blood Sweat & Gears" flash gordon, md

a bunch of 20-to-45 year old bike magazines...love to read the predictions about biking's future.

Mac

[mthelmet]

Motorcycle Sex by Dr. Gregory W. Frazier Arrowstar Publishing

Anything on CORVETTES

Any and all books by W.E.B. Griffin

thanks for asking winter is dull, good time to read and wax the bike if you grage is heated.

:snore :dunno :snore

[lorazepam]

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who responded. I now have reading material ideas to last way past spring. Molsondog, check out the Frontiersmen, by Alan W Eckert. It is a great historical novel about the settling of the Kentucky and Ohio/Indiana territories. I found it to be a good read.

[Fritzc]

Just finished Al Franken's book, "Lies and the Lying Liars That tell them", Michael Moore's book "Hey Dude, Where is My Country"
and Mark Perry's Book "Lift Up Thy Voice", a non fiction book about the Anti Slavery movement in America from 1800 through the reconstruction period of the south. Story swirls around a Charleston SC family ( Grimk'e) that had owned slaves and the daughters went to Philidelphia where they took up the fight to end slavery.
You've probably guessed by now that I am a liberal Democrat, eh?

[jgr451]

I have re collected most of WEB Griffin's books about the army and the Corps,saving them for my son for when he is ready to learn about honour,sacrifice and duty.I read them years ago,but let them get away.

I found Guadalcanl Diary a few years ago too,kind of a marvel of understatement.

Books are so powerful.

[Voni]

I'm loving reading this thread. Great suggestions for when I find time. I've been lazy the last few years spending my time reading about motorcycles and travels in magazines and on the web. But there's nothing like a good book.

Is it just me or are you all attracted to more nonfiction now than fiction?

We could go on to discuss whether much of nonfiction is actually fiction disguised as fact ; )

Voni
sMiling and ignoring the drizzly Kansas weather

[ian408]

I just picked up "Coming into the Country" by John McPhee.

It's about the author's travels through Alaska. Not far enough
into it to highly recommend it but it is written in an easy to read
way. So far, it's enjoyable reading.

Ian