User Comments

1. 

   11/01/07

   gosmelltheflowers

   Greetings Mike - good idea for the group,
   
   Male flower Jim - Tony Jacklin (Golfer) autobio.
   Female flower Em - The Olive harvest -Carol Drinkwater - Kinda a year in Provence but with Olives.

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2. 

   11/01/07

   aussiecynic

   Hi mike thanks for invite.....
   Finished the Harry Potter series again for 157th time I love the books....
   Next is a new book I am waiting for.... The Misadventures of Me ? cant remember his name he is a rabbit... kids stories for adults....love it....

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3. 

   11/01/07

   ChefJules (guest)

   Hey Mike, et al,
   
   I'm finally finding time to hunker down with a good book. As always I have a lengthy "TBR" list, but am open to further recommendations.
   
   A friend left a copy of Alice Sebold's latest _The Almost Moon_. I began reading it last night and couldn't put it down.
   
   Cyberpunk -- sage advice. I've become such a consumer of blogs, etc. I've fallen behind in my reading!

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4. 

   11/01/07

   MrGrudge

   Hi Mike and Group Members,
   I am reading "For One More Day" by Mitch Albom. I'm a bit disappointed because it seems contrived compared with his other works, including my favorite of his "The Five People You Meet In Heaven." Still, I am almost half way through it and I am curious about the ending, so Mitch must have done something right.

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5. 

   11/01/07

   kathleenmaher

   This weekend TNYT magazine featured an interview with a Paris U. Prof. of French, who says he skims Proust. And he has always skimmed Proust, even as a Proustian scholar. A month or so before this, I began keeping "Swann's Way" on the coffee table. I'm up to page 30, but I'm reading it sentence by sentence. I also read every short story I can get my hands on hoping the form will take root in my blog. My blog stories link, one post after another, into what Manictastic calls flogvellas. Read "Lost in the City," by Eward P. Jones if you want a great short story collection.

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6. 

   11/01/07

   WokeupToday

   Cormac McCarthy - No Country For Old Men - Just finished - saw that Coen Brothers movie version will be released here on Nov 9 - I'll be there!

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7. 

   11/01/07

   jjloch

   I'm biting my fingernails waiting for Deidre Knight's December paranormal/romance release, DESIRE, but in the meantime am enjoying the heck out of reading Neil Gaiman's ANANSI BOYS. Deidre and Neil both are great authors. Deidre also has her own literary agency.
   
   Hugs, JJ

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8. 

   11/01/07

   SirBlogAlot

   Hey Mike,
   
   Thanks for the invite. Read Little People by Tom Holt recently. Was very funny. Definitly worth a read.

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9. 

   11/01/07

   missladybug (guest)

   After a hiatus from reading, just started reading Eat, Pray, Love, which I absolutely adore. Hilarious, with so much wisdom. Was recommended by several good friends independently.
   Thanks for inviting.

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   1. 

      3/31/08

      jafabrit

      That is the book I am going to start reading.
      
      Hiay, I warned Mike I am as slow as a turtle when it comes to picking up a book and reading. BUT I LOVE literature and hearing about it. So I guess that counts eh?
      
      I just finished "The DoomsDay Book" by Connie Willis
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_Book_(novel)
      
      I thoroughly enjoyed it but one thing kept irking the heck out of me. It is set in the near future when people have the technological means to time travel, yet throughout the story they were having constant problems with phones and reaching people. WHERE were all the cell phones????? Nobody seemed to carry a cell phone????? To me it was an odd omission and didn't ring true.
      
      Thank you for inviting me
   2. 

      4/23/08

      Manky (guest)

      I hope this comment gets logged under what jafabrit said: The Doomsday Book was published in 1992. We didn't have so many cell phones back then - at least not to the extent we do now. When Connie Willis wrote about the near future, she obviously didn't envision what a phenomenon cell phones would become.
10. 

    11/02/07

    Webster12

    Hiya!
    
    I'm currently reading Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. And It's really good, I'm going to post in two days a review of this book and personal thoughts about it.
    
    I hope I finish it soon!

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11. 

    11/02/07

    angesbiz

    Actually, I'm cheating and reading "The Little Prince" to my kids by Antoine De Saint-Exupery. Wonderful pages in there.

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12. 

    11/02/07

    MikeFrench

    jjloch:
    
    I like Neil Gaiman as well. Back in the days when I read comics I used to love his Sandman stuff.
    
    And this is good stuff guys. Heh who said that bloggers were illiterate?

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13. 

    11/04/07

    Catana

    Thanks for the invite, Mike. Right now I'm between books, but just finished Brideshead Revisited for about the third time. It was a weird experience since I had finished watching the BBC dramatization a few days before and read the entire book hearing Jeremy Irons' voice. Actually, a rather beautiful experience.

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14. 

    11/04/07

    jackpayne

    Just recently finished Under Investigation: Attorney General, State of Florida, by Les Henderson. Fascinating. It's a documentary about the Florida AG's investigation of the Wilhelmina Scouting Network, the largest Model and Talent Agency scam in American history.

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15. 

    11/04/07

    globalgirl

    Just starting Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks.
    The authors immediately pull you into their world as they describe 3 weeks traveling around the world together.

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16. 

    11/07/07

    daizie

    The Prince of Darkness-Sharon Kay Penman
    Speed Queen- Stewart O'Nan
    
    and about twenty in queue

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17. 

    11/07/07

    GrimlyFiendish

    Forest Mage by Robbin Hobb and Making Money by Terry Pratchet.

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18. 

    11/22/07

    PaulBurman

    Arriving quite late---the story of my life---but better late than never (the excuse of my life).
    
    Thanks for the invite, Mike.
    
    Reading 'Radiance' playscript by Louis Nowra at present. Have got a stack of books I have to read/re-read across the summer holiday (your winter) for a new academic year, so might not get into the December/January reading mix, but will follow the comments with interest.

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19. 

    11/22/07

    MikeFrench

    Hiya Paul, welcome in!

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20. 

    11/23/07

    bookchica

    glad to see a group on books...I'm currently reading Choke by Chuck Palanhuik. I really wanted to read something on the lines of Jeffery Archer/John Grisham.. but this caught my eye. Lets see how it goes.

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21. 

    11/25/07

    fossfor

    Prayer for the Damned by Peter Tremayne,I really like his Irish mysteries. Then I'm going to read Spook country,the latest William Gibson book

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22. 

    1/17/08

    ReyRey

    I recently read a wonderful book about the broken public school system. It is called Angel Park. It is a fictional account taken from actual experience and it is written by Patricia Kokinos. The characters stand out, the story is almost Shakesperian and the main character is herself a broken, reluctant heroin attempting to fix a broken, politicized public education sytem.

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23. 

    2/02/08

    juliusbloop

    I have just finished a second reading of John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces and decided to write a comprehensive review/analysis that you can read here. juliusbloop.com/?p=99

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24. 

    2/11/08

    offendedblogger

    Thank you! I am reading a college textbook on sociology at the moment. I'm not in college, either haha. I enjoy textbooks for fun.

    [reply]
    1. 

       3/06/08

       daniel23

       :thunderstruck:
25. 

    2/11/08

    smittenkittenorig

    Hiya! I'm currently reading Dune: Butlerian Jihad.
    
    My plan is to read all books in the series, prequel through postquel.

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26. 

    2/17/08

    OrnaRoss

    hi mike, great group, some interesting books here. I'm reading Redemption Falls by Irish novelist Joe O'Connor -- I'm an Irish novelist myself (new book out in September this year) and an avid reader for work (literary agent, writing coach) and pleasure.
    Keep up the good work & thanks
    Orna Ross
    www.ornaross.com
    www.fontlitagency.com

    [reply]
    1. 

       2/18/08

       MikeFrench

       Hi Orna and welcome to the group
    2. 

       1/31/09

       Ysabetwordsmith

       I've added both your sites to my blog, "Reviews from Hypatia's Hoard."
       reviewarchive.iblog.my
       Comments, reciprocal links, etc. are welcome but not required.
27. 

    3/06/08

    daniel23

    I'm reading Sinclair Lewis' "It Couldn't Happen Here" and it's kind of disappointing. I just finished reading "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" and "Starship Troopers" by Robert Heinlein, both of which I enjoyed immensely.
    
    As far as non-fiction goes, I'm reading "Sin Patron: Stories from Argentina's Worker-Run Factories" about the contemporary situation in Argentina. It's very good, though translated from Spanish. Before that I read "Technology and War" by Martin van Creveld, which was also very interesting.

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28. 

    3/07/08

    Swubird43

    I normally read more than one book at a time. I'm one of those people.
    
    I recently read Two Sides of the Moon, by astronaut David Scott,and cosmonaut Alexei Leonov. Scott walked on the moon, and Leonov was the first man to ever walk in space. The book is all about the race for the moon within the larger environment of the Cold War.
    
    I also finished Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency, by James Bamford. The title of this book speaks for itself. I can just add that it was an extremely interesting book to read.
    
    I recently finished Krushev's Cold War, by Aleksandr Fursenko and Timityh Naftalli. This book chronicles the Cold War years primarily from Khruschev's point of view. It is an eye-opening peek into the mind of the leader of the Evil Empire.
    
    One of the books I'm currently reading is THE NATIONAL CAPITOL: It's Architecture, Art and History, by George C. Hazelton, Jr., published in 1897. I found this gem in an old bookstore for the hefty price of $10. Since I'm an old book lover, I couldn't pass it up. It is the story of the building of the United State's capitol, and all of its pitfalls. Fascinating.

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29. 

    3/07/08

    daniel23

    "I also finished Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency, by James Bamford. The title of this book speaks for itself. I can just add that it was an extremely interesting book to read."
    
    Ah, is that the book which exposes Operation Northwoods? Sounds very interesting. The only info I could find on Northwoods was here:
    
    libcom.org/library/operation-northwoods-justification-u-s-military-interven...

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    1. 

       3/07/08

       Swubird43

       Yep, that's the one. Operation Northwoods was a secret plan that called innocent civilians to be shot on American streets. I was actually planning on writing a post about this operation.
    2. 

       3/11/08

       daniel23

       Yup. It was disgusting. I'd be interested in reading your post.
30. 

    3/28/08

    lulubelleb

    Just started "Malory: The Knight Who Became King Arthur's Chronicler" by Christina Hardyment. Seems interesting. Writing is "good enough", but I'm only on page 41. I've read several biographies and histories dealing with this period. Perhaps this book will yield some new insights.

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31. 

    4/18/08

    flashgordon

    I'm almost done with "The History of Human Rights: From Ancient Times to the Globalization Era" by Micheline R. Ishay. It is very good. I plan on doing a review.
    
    _________________________________________
    indigenousissuestoday.blogspot.com
    newgreatbooks.blogspot.com

    [reply]
    1. 

       1/31/09

       Ysabetwordsmith

       I've added both your sites to my link lists.
       The indigenous people one went to "Gaiatribe: Ideas for a Thinking Planet."
       gaiatribe.geekuniversalis.com
       The book blog went to "Reviews from Hypatia's Hoard."
       reviewarchive.iblog.my
       Comments, reciprocal links, etc. are welcome but not required.
32. 

    4/21/08

    EdPatterson

    As a Kindle user I'm able to multi-read, so I just finished:
    Empire of Ivory (Temeraire Book 4) by Naomi Novik (Excellent - 5 stars)
    
    I'm in the midst of the series by Leam Hearn (Otori): Grass as His Pillow (Book 2), a wonderful read and highly stylistic.
    
    In the middle of Wicked by Macguire, just started Game of Thrones by Geroge R R Martin (a bit thick and hard reading, but I'll stick with it) - and also Water for Elephants by Gruen (interesting, even engrossing - although 1stperson present tense sections were a bit jolting).
    
    Also in progress are two works by indie authors (like myself): War on the Margins by Libby Cone (historical work about jewish lesbians on the Channel islands during the occupation. Quite good) & April Hamilton's Snow Ball, a unique and clever read.
    
    In print I'm reading Pearl S. Buck's - Sons (sequel to The Good Earth) and in audio I'm listening to (for the fourth time - and have read them twice before getting the Jim Dale CD's) Harry Potter (on Book 4 - The Goblet of Fire). Well, I need something to fill in my hours while I'm on my computer at work.
    
    I read for many hours. As an author I follow Stephen King's dictum that for every hours of writing an author must match it with an hours of reading, so I write about 4 hours a day - and match it with reading 4 hours a day.
    
    Edward C. Patterson

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33. 

    5/10/08

    lewister6232

    Just finished (and posted a brief review on my blog) Heaven's Net is Wide, the first tale of the Otori by Lian Hearn. It's a prequel to the rest of the series, which is nice because it explains a few things that were missing in the first book of the series. Hearn is a fabulous writer and this series set in medieval Japan is a winner.

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34. 

    5/11/08

    Bebe

    Hi,
    
    I love to read, especially good Southern-style fiction. Am currently reading Mary Kay Andrews's "Little Bitty Lies". I would recommend her other books, Savannah Blues and Savannah Breeze, to anyone who needs a light, beach escape.
    
    Bebe

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35. 

    5/27/08

    nice

    Hi. New here, tnx for inviting
    
    I'm halfway through "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" by Mark Twain.

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36. 

    5/30/08

    Mercenarylight

    I'm currently reading The 6 Sacred Stones by Matthew Reilly, a great action/adventure novel, and Cien Años de Soledad (A Hundred Years of Solitude) by Gabriel García Marquez, a classic.

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    1. 

       6/05/08

       Lieblingartcrafts

       I'm reading A Hundred Years of Solitude too! To the many Aureliano's, let me know what you think!
37. 

    6/05/08

    Lieblingartcrafts

    Hi and thanks for the group! I'm currently reading "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". It's coming along slowly, but yes it is good.
    
    Also need to finish A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabrial Garcia Marquez.

    [reply]
    1. 

       6/06/08

       MikeFrench

       How long have you be reading A Hundred Years?
38. 

    6/30/08

    lvs (guest)

    I am reading Brida by Paulo Coelho...it is unlike other books I have read...seems good so far....more on it later

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39. 

    7/01/08

    Jade08

    I have just started reading "Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain" by Sharon Begley. It is kind of like reading a textbook, but it is interesting. I am also reading a book of O. Henry's short stories; I really admire his style of writing.

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    1. 

       7/06/08

       JaneTurley

       Jade, I need that book, "Train your mind, change your brain." If the author could also include "Change your eating habits" in it I'd be even more delighted.. and a lot lighter! Can we have a review? I'm always a bit sceptical about some of these self help manuals..
40. 

    7/06/08

    MayaReynolds

    I'm into urban fantasy right now. Had to fly to St. Louis last week and picked up Kat Richardson's "Greywalker" to read on the flight. It's about a small-time PI who is assaulted and dies for two minutes. When she awakes in the hospital, she can see things that others cannot see. She is able to move between our world and the Grey zone--the place between our world and the "other side." Now she's attracting all kinds of crazy clients--ghosts and vampires who need the help of a Greywalker.

    [reply]
    1. 

       7/06/08

       JaneTurley

       Hey Maya, That book sounds very readable. Perhaps the kind I could get my eyeballs stuck into! It also sounds vaguely reminescent of the Bruce Willis film The Sixth Sense. I found that film really gripping; the afterlife is such an interesting area - just ripe for rich imaginary pickings.
41. 

    7/06/08

    MayaReynolds

    Jane: Thanks for commenting.
    
    I enjoyed "Greywalker" enough that I picked up the second in the series. It's called "Poltergeist."
    
    I'm trying to finish writing my second novel. It's due to my editor this month. When I couldn't stand to write another word today, I picked up "Poltergeist" and read for an hour. Cleared my brain and am back to work again.
    
    Take care.
    
    Regards,
    
    Maya

    [reply]
    1. 

       7/07/08

       JaneTurley

       Hi Maya!
       Hey if you picked up the sequel that's a clear indication it must have been a good read! I shall have to look it up; I haven't read anything of that nature for quite sometime.It could be refreshing.
       
       Sounds like you have some hard work to do over the next month. I hope it all goes to schedule. It takes a lot of discipline to keep at it all the time ... something I don't have which is why my novel (first attempt) could be in preproduction for several more years!
42. 

    7/10/08

    gentledove

    Re-reading Churchill's history of the english speaking people, all about the American war of independence

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43. 

    7/30/08

    JillofAllTrades

    I'm currently reading A Wolf At the Table by Agusten Burroughs. Just finished The Book Thief and Made in the USA by Billie Letts.

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44. 

    9/27/08

    manju19

    Hi! I am currently reading "Freakanomics" by Steven Levitt and Stephan Dubner. It is certainly unusual!

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45. 

    10/17/08

    blackthoughtsjb

    Hello Fellow Book Reading Bloggers!
    
    I'm currently reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. So far so good. You can check out other books I've read on my blog. I have a bunch there, and more to add!
    
    Cheers,
    JB

    [reply]
46. 

    10/20/08

    Noobelers

    Hello welcome everybody. Ur all welcome.

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47. 

    10/24/08

    cipals (guest)

    comment removed by administrator

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48. 

    12/07/08

    pammyboo (guest)

    comment removed by administrator

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49. 

    12/09/08

    bugztedy (guest)

    comment removed by administrator

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50. 

    12/10/08

    JaneTurley

    NO SPAMMERS PLEASE.
    
    We seemed to have acquired some spammers lately. This is not what this site is about! It's about books. We're always happy to receive genuine links to posts about literature/reviews etc but not links for sole purpose of self promotion.
    
    Here's what I've been reading...I've just finished Fat Tuesday by Gary Davison , a new British author and I'm just about to start on Edwina Curries' A Parliamentary Affair. Edwina is a former high profile British politician and this was her frist foray into writing a few years back. If it's as interesting as her autobiography it could be a good read!

    [reply]
51. 

    12/13/08

    lisalouhoo

    Hello, I just finished reading The Magician's Book: A sceptics Adventures in Narnia. It was very good, and I am working on a review to be posted on my blog in the next day or so.

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52. 

    12/14/08

    JaneTurley

    Hi Lisalouhoo,
    
    I'm going to be starting a thread soon especially for book reviews; why don't you leave your post link there?

    [reply]
53. 

    1/05/09

    WallFlowerStudio

    Hello Everyone,
    What a great idea for a group! Happy to have found it.
    I'm currently reading "The Mists Of Avalon" by Marion Zimmer Bradley. My second time. Loved it the first time round.
    Cheers & Happy New Year : )

    [reply]
54. 

    1/06/09

    JaneTurley

    Welcome Karen, I look forward to seeing you around!

    [reply]
55. 

    1/06/09

    WallFlowerStudio

    Thanks very much, Jane. And I you! : )

    [reply]
56. 

    1/15/09

    amenohi

    hello
    I love reading books since i was kid, glad I find this group

    [reply]
57. 

    1/17/09

    artscapes

    Seeing a lot of great stuff here - loved William Gibson. Read Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive and Neuromancer... at least twice!
    
    Never finished One Hundred Years of Solitude! LOL!
    
    Reading a few at the moment - A short story anthology of Canadian writers - amazing so far.
    
    Just started Northrup Frye's Fearful Symmetry today... on a Blake kick!
    
    Slowly reading Dante's Divine Comedy - on a mission to go back and read classic western literature and philosophy.
    
    But then, I'll try to read anything! Great to find this group!

    [reply]
58. 

    1/18/09

    virtuoso2199

    Hello All, Jonathan here. I'm deeply immersed in Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe and Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret George, having just finished A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain. This is likely self-evident, but I deeply enjoy the great classics and I own many many volumes of them. I do, however, also enjoy the more contemporary Joyce Carol Oates and Kurt Vonnegut among others. I like to spend my time immersed in literature, either creating or absorbing it (though I do far more of the latter than the former). If you're interested in what I'm writing, take a look at my blog at blog.jonathanbowley.com.

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59. 

    1/20/09

    alexandrekov

    Latest José Saramago novel "A Viagem do Elefante" which is great. Probably will be translated to english very soon!

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60. 

    1/26/09

    sundcarrie

    I am reading Touch of the Dark by Karen Chance and the first chapter was good. I just finished Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost and it was great. I don't mean like a classic or anything just fun from the first page to the last. I review the books I read here darknovels.today.com/

    [reply]
    1. 

       1/31/09

       Ysabetwordsmith

       I've added your site to my link list on "Reviews from Hypatia's Hoard."
       reviewarchive.iblog.my
61. 

    1/31/09

    matthewnicosia (guest)

    Hey...new to the group here. I'm reading Ken Follett's World Without End...so far so good but I'm only about 100 pages in.
    
    I post my book reviews on my blog:
    fallingstacks.blogspot.com

    [reply]
    1. 

       9/29/09

       GalaxyPress

       I have read "World Without End" and also "The Pillars of the Earth" which is the prequel. I loved them both. English history is fascinating but the human drama and the detail about that time period make these books wonderful reads. Ken Follett is a master at this stuff.
62. 

    1/31/09

    Ysabetwordsmith

    I'm currently reading _Echoes in the Dark_ by Robin D. Owens, which is pretty good. It's high fantasy romance, with a nice balance and lively tone.
    
    My blog "Hypatia's Hoard of Reviews" has a new review every day, mostly books but some music and other products. At the end of the week I post "Friday Favorites," which lists what I'm currently reading and listening to, and encourages other folks to share theirs.
    reviewarchive.iblog.my

    [reply]
63. 

    2/10/09

    WordsmithJulie

    So glad to have found this group!
    
    I'm currently reading CULTURAL AMNESIA by Clive James. Excellent! Check it out.
    
    Julie

    [reply]
64. 

    2/22/09

    milaiswriting

    I just finished Elizabeth Costello by J.M. Coetzee and am rereading Slouch toward Bethlehem by Joan Didion.

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65. 

    3/17/09

    Gercekci

    comment removed by administrator

    [reply]
66. 

    3/26/09

    AlphaButtonpusher

    just saying hi here
    
    inducedmetamorphosis.blogspot.com/

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67. 

    3/30/09

    fantaghiro23

    Currently reading "Titus Groan," first book in the Gormenghast saga by Mervyn Peake. So far, it's kind of slow.
    
    I post reviews to all books I've read in my blog: fantaghiro23.blogspot.com/
    
    Hope you guys can check it out. Would love to link up with other book bloggers.:)

    [reply]
68. 

    4/01/09

    EliottParker

    Hello everybody!
    
    My name is Eliott Parker and I am a beginner writer. Just 4 months ago I published my first novel titled "Penelope Guzman - Il colpevole". The protagonist is a young and fascinating detective called Penelope. If you are curious you can see at Penelope's blog www.penelopeguzman.com
    
    Thank you and see you soon,
    
    Eliott
    
    
    Salve a tutti!
    
    Mi presento: mi chiamo Eliott Parker e sono uno scrittore esordiente. 4 mesi fa ho dato alle stampe il mio primo romanzo dal titolo "Penelope Guzman - Il colpevole". La protagonista è una giovane detective alle prese con un caso interessante ed intrigante. Se vi ho incuriosito visitate il blog di Penelope www.penelopeguzman.com
    
    Grazie a tutti e a presto,
    
    Eliott

    [reply]
69. 

    5/06/09

    OkamiWhatever

    I am currently reading Pillars of the Earth by Kenn Follett. It's great!
    
    I just completed The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien - also a great book.

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70. 

    5/07/09

    jtsantos

    I am currently reading "The Ape Who Guards the Balance" by Elizabeth Peters.
    
    If you like Egyptology and Mystery, you would like this one, though it's an old issue.

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71. 

    5/19/09

    syifamanna

    visit my blog: www.syifamanna.blogspot.com

    [reply]
72. 

    5/21/09

    DVMcPherson

    A Fair Country, by John Raulston Saul.
    
    Saul's thesis is that Canadian culture is distinct and unified if we stop trying to think of ourselves as products of European, American, Colonial, British, French, or even United Nations, and realize the truth -- that who we are, and all we are about, is fundamentally Aboriginal. He uses this assertion to explain why diversity works so well here and not so well in other cultures from which we claim philosophical ancestry. He also posits that we have been unable to solve what seem to the Canadian mind to be very soluble problems because we are trying to do so using language and mythology based upon Western tradition, which is inconsistent with who we truly are as a people; that our version of every ostensibly Western notion would look wildly unfamiliar in Europe or the rest of the Americas. He points out that ours is a culture neither consistent with African, nor Indian, nor Asian philosophies, but is very strongly rooted in the Aboriginal traditions of ever-expanding circles of inclusion.
    
    It's a nice thesis, and must to some degree be undeniably true. It's also put me back onto a thought that I've had since I had the honour of working among members of the Algonquin nation last year. At the risk of being controversial, I think that the greatest challenge that Aboriginals face today is the same challenge that they have faced for 400 years -- that is to say, all of the non-Aboriginals sitting around trying to figure out what to do with all the Indians; as though the entire Aboriginal race and culture was some sort of problem to be solved by Western ingenuity.
    
    To this day, our laws and our standards decide which children are best left with their families and which ones will be removed from their homes. Our laws and our standards decide which reserves are working and which ones are not. Our laws and our standards even dictate which natives need to be reconnected with their ancestral roots, and then we parachute non-native teachers onto reserves to teach the children about a culture now foreign to them.
    
    Meanwhile, while it is true that status-Indians pay no income or business tax, they also do not get tax write-offs for businesses. Everyone else in the country has a monetary incentive to invest in small private business, in the form of write-offs -- but not Natives. Every dollar that they spend on a small business is money that they could spend on their own private wants or needs. We do not expect non-Aboriginal people automatically to invest in business for the good of the economy, that's why we have the incentives -- but we expect that discipline of native business owners, and then call them irresponsible when they do what any of us would do with their own money. The very tax structure that makes the rest of us viable holds them back.
    
    It has never occurred to us to try to learn from the Aboriginal nations. Oh, sure, we all know the early settlers would have had their asses handed to them by Mother Nature if it wasn't for the natives. And our leaders will do sweet-grass smudging ceremonies at their summits, and listen to an Ojibwe drum circle after lunch, in an effort to promote understanding. This is like sending a bowl of incense and an organist to a conference in Beirut and expecting the attendees to understand Christianity.
    
    In teachers' college, I spent a day at the Kettle Point Reserve, touring the community and seeing how the school was run. It was nothing short of an inspiration. The models being used for community participation, for differentiated instruction, for self-directed learning, even for classroom architecture, ought to be models for our education system as a whole -- not as mere suggestions but as what we ought to be doing. Instead, any professional development that revolves around native culture always involves a guilt-trip, followed by the axiom that since these Aboriginals have it hard due to our historical failings, we should humour them and listen to them for a day, and then get back to our business thereafter.
    
    Saul says that "perhaps our sympathy is just a cleaned up version of the old racist attitudes", and I tend to agree.
    
    I am curious to know about anyone else who is reading, or who has read this book.

    [reply]
73. 

    6/01/09

    iglejago

    I am reading Rainier and Grace: An Intimate Portrait and although I knew some of the aspects of their love story this book offers a great deal of information I never knew before!
    Have a great week guys!

    [reply]
74. 

    6/13/09

    essenzadicannella

    I am reading Jean austen "Sense and Sensibility"

    [reply]
75. 

    6/24/09

    milosf

    I am reading A Thousand Splendid Suns. It is good, but is difficult to read at times because of the feminist issues the heroin endures.

    [reply]
76. 

    7/01/09

    Shchandra

    I am currently reading The White Teeth by Zadie Smith.
    
    www.literaryzone.com

    [reply]
77. 

    7/11/09

    cuppacopy

    I am reading 'Sophie's Choice' now..

    [reply]
78. 

    7/22/09

    ideagirl

    I am reading The Munroe Mansion a funny mystery, historical romance with the supernatural in it as well!
    
    themunroemansion.wordpress.com

    [reply]
79. 

    7/24/09

    jjloch

    Wild wave, Mike. I'm reading my first release, TRUSTING GOD WHEN YOU HAVE CANCER: HELP AND HOPE FOR THE ROAD AHEAD. I am the nature photographer for this inspirational gift book which two cancer survivors have written. If one cancer patient smiles when viewing my photos, I have done my job. Am blessed to be a part of this.
    
    If any of you are wanting to become published, keep that dream alive!!!
    
    Thought you would enjoy my news.
    
    Hugs, JJ/Nancy

    [reply]
80. 

    7/29/09

    ROCKprincess89

    hye...
    i'm a new blogger....
    currently i'm reading The Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult....
    nice story....
    love Jodi Picoult....

    [reply]
81. 

    8/03/09

    gigiiv

    I'm obessed with reading, so I'm so glad I came across you all!
    
    I just finished "Lovesick" by Alex Wellen. It's more of a light romance with some humor, but it was very interesting since it was written by a guy about a guy who just wanted to get married.
    
    I'm in the middle of rereading "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostva. I loved it the first time, and so far it's still wonderful!

    [reply]
    1. 

       8/05/09

       milosf

       I loved the Historian as well. It left me with wild dreams. It was a wonderful read.
82. 

    8/15/09

    DAONYXONE

    I just read Deborah Raney's Christian fiction romance, Above All Things (Steeple Hill) and just wrote a review on it on my blog (booksnbeats.com/?p=1106) It was really, really good.
    
    I started Dean Koontz', The Husband before I read Deborah Raney's, Above All Things, so I might go back to that.

    [reply]
83. 

    8/20/09

    darkknightz

    hello, i really like reading, Chicken Soup is my favorite reading, nice to meet you all

    [reply]
84. 

    8/21/09

    Loveismyalterego

    Hello everyone! Would any be able to suggest a good sci-fi/fantasy book? I've read things by Terry Goodkind, Tad Williams, Dan Simmons, and a few others but I would really like to read something fresh and new. Any suggestions?

    [reply]
    1. 

       9/29/09

       GalaxyPress

       Yes, if you haven't read Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton you are in for a treat. Also Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard are great science fiction adventures. Check it out.
85. 

    9/13/09

    kw50197

    Just finished Elmore Leonard's When the Women Come Out to Dance. I only liked the last story in the collection, Tenkiller.

    [reply]
86. 

    9/15/09

    madhatter21

    Howdy folks!
    
    While my blog is all about movies, I'm also an avid reader so I figured I'd join the group.
    
    Right now I'm reading P.D. James' "Children of Men", with Greene's "Our Man in Havana" and Lester Bangs' "Main Lines, Blood Feasts, and Bad Taste" sittitn in the to-read stack.
    
    I also have taken quite a shining to graphic novels lately, and am working my way through Fables vol. 1, Sandman vol. 1, and Ghost World.
    
    Nice to meet ya!

    [reply]
87. 

    9/15/09

    Berowne

    I'm in the middle of The Inheritance of Loss, Kiran Desai, as well as Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections, which I have the odd feeling I may have read in the past. I'll soon find out.
    
    My "reading" actually takes place with earphones -- audio books, in other words -- while I'm jogging. In my case, jogging means walking briskly. (Some days not so briskly.)

    [reply]
88. 

    10/05/09

    julianwp

    i love comic and manga much :-)
    
    mr.hokya.com

    [reply]
89. 

    10/29/09

    redunk

    Hi! Just signed up. I'm currently reading "The Obake Files" by Glen Grant, which is really just a collection of spooky stories and anecdotes in and around Hawai'i that have been relayed to him. Should have a review of it up in a week or so.
    
    www.hawaiibookblog.com

    [reply]
90. 

    11/06/09

    Jesser (guest)

    I am readying The Loop. So far so good, especially if you enjoy animals, particularly wolf conservations. www.thetrademarkcompany.com

    [reply]
91. 

    11/08/09

    AnastasiaFB

    I think I have about four or five on the go, fiction and non-fiction. :-)

    [reply]
92. 

    11/12/09

    keyboardsculpturer

    i am reading 'phantons in the brain' by VS.Ramachandran

    [reply]
93. 

    14 days ago

    Jackrabbit

    I am reading Boethius' "Consolation of Philosophy" right now for an exam. It's fabulous but makes my head hurt...

    [reply]
94. 

    12 days ago

    NorthernLight

    Hi...just finished the 'Winter Ghosts' by Kate Mosse. Short fiction story of coming to terms with emotions after WW1, and a tale of earlier religious persecution in south west France. A good read...honest!

    [reply]