What are you reading now?

[Rivercard]

I'm listening to a Houdini biography on my commute. It's really good so far.

I had that biography locked in my safe but it dissapeared.

 

[Dback Jon]

I had that biography locked in my safe but it dissapeared.

 

[Pariah]

I had that biography locked in my safe but it dissapeared.

Was it the hard-bound version?

 

[KloD]

I had that biography locked in my safe but it dissapeared.

 

[Pariah]

I'm listening to a Houdini biography on my commute. It's really good so far.

The Secret Life of Houdini

Did you know...

Houdini worked for the American and British secret services (this is before the CIA and M15 were created) to spy during his world travels?

He also put aside all of his performances for more than a year to entertain and train WW1 troops (training them in how to escape from bonds should they be captured and from a submerged, sinking ship should it be torpedoed).

He was also the 25th man in the world to master flight in a heavier-than-air machine (an airplane), and the first to do it in Australia. His devotion to aviation in Australia contributed in no small part to the early formation of the Australian Air Corps with had a large hand in winning some of the early WW1 battles.

The guy was pretty amazing even without his status as escape artist and mage.

 

[Rivercard]

The guy was pretty amazing even without his status as escape artist and mage.

Plus, he inspired one of the greatest songs in the history of music - Kate Bush's "Houdini".

 

[FArting]

I'm reading "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big" by Jose Canseco.

http://www.amazon.com/Juiced-Times-Rampant-Roids-Baseball/dp/0060746408

 

[Pariah]

It's been interesting reading about Edison and Houdini at the same time. I sometimes get the two settings confused because they lived in the same era (and to make matters worse, I'll be reading about Tesla next, who is sort of the "anti-edison" in terms of celebrity).

Also, there seems to have been an awful lot of "nervous conditions" going through the wives of celebrities in those days. Edison's first wife is said to have died of her condition at the age of 29, and Houdini's wife is often in poor health attributed to it. Weird.

 

[FischerKing]

Did you know...

Houdini worked for the American and British secret services (this is before the CIA and M15 were created) to spy during his world travels?

He also put aside all of his performances for more than a year to entertain and train WW1 troops (training them in how to escape from bonds should they be captured and from a submerged, sinking ship should it be torpedoed).

He was also the 25th man in the world to master flight in a heavier-than-air machine (an airplane), and the first to do it in Australia. His devotion to aviation in Australia contributed in no small part to the early formation of the Australian Air Corps with had a large hand in winning some of the early WW1 battles.

The guy was pretty amazing even without his status as escape artist and mage.

i knew about the australia angle - i wasn't aware of the other information.

pretty cool - i might have to pick up a copy.

shawn

 

[Heucrazy]

Right now I'm reading "Haunted" by Chuck Palahniuk. He's the guy who wrote "Fight Club".

I must say this is a very intresting book and I recommend it.

 

[Pariah]

Right now I'm reading "Haunted" by Chuck Palahniuk. He's the guy who wrote "Fight Club".

I must say this is a very intresting book and I recommend it.

I've got it on my bookshelf and I've liked everything else he's done, but I wasn't able to get into it when I picked it up a few months ago. I'm sure I'll revisit it eventually, but I'm backlogged right now.

 

[Louis]

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Jonathan Safran Foer

 

[Kel Varnsen]

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Jonathan Safran Foer

Did you read Everything is Illuminated?

 

[arthurracoon]

I'm waiting to read the next harry potter book.

 

[Louis]

Did you read Everything is Illuminated?

No. I watched the movie and that's what turned me on this guy's writing.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

No. I watched the movie and that's what turned me on this guy's writing.

Cool. The book was great, too.

The guy they got to play the native speaker (who mangled English) was hilarious in the movie.

I hope you'll post your thoughts on the new book. I may have to pick that one up, too.

 

[Louis]

Cool. The book was great, too.

The guy they got to play the native speaker (who mangled English) was hilarious in the movie.

I hope you'll post your thoughts on the new book. I may have to pick that one up, too.

I've only read the 1st 50 pages, but these are my thoughts so far:

1. Most unique writing style I may have ever read
2. Creative
3. Captivating
4. Love the story thus far

 

[dodie53]

anyone has an ebook version of
7 seconds or less
by jack maccullum?

 

[Heucrazy]

I just finished "Mr. Murder" by Dean Koontz and it was even better than "Darkfall".

I'm on a Dean Koontz kick right now. Next up "Dragon Tears".

 

[Gambit]

I'm reading a bio on Augustus by Anthony Everitt, as well as The Grass Crown (2nd book in the Masters of Rome series) by Colleen McCullogh. Yeah, I'm on an Ancient Rome kick of late.

 

[Mulli]

I'm reading a bio on Augustus by Anthony Everitt, as well as The Grass Crown (2nd book in the Masters of Rome series) by Colleen McCullogh. Yeah, I'm on an Ancient Rome kick of late.

My wife read the Everitt book on Augie. She questioned some of it, but liked it overall I think.

 

[Gambit]

My wife read the Everitt book on Augie. She questioned some of it, but liked it overall I think.

It's really hard to write a bio of him, because a) much original material was destroyed; b) the regime and its autocrat was secretive by nature, c) what is out there is a lot of propaganda, and d) some things are just political gossip and may or may not be true. So it's impossible to know more for sure most things. I also question some things about Gus, but the author also freely admits that much of it is attempting to reconstruct a life through educated guesswork.

 

[jw7]

I'm on a Dean Koontz kick right now. Next up "Dragon Tears".

"Watchers" was absolutely fantastic, but I am biased because I am a Golden Retriever owner.

I've tried reading some of his others and they just don't capture my interest.

 

[Zeno]

I just read Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk(writer of Fight Club). What a weird, weird book. Twisted and gross but pretty entertaining..not really a horror book or about a haunting like you'd expect from the title.

If anyone can read the short story "Guts" and not get squeamish you've got something on me.

I just started Steven Pressfield's Virtues of War: A Novel of Alexander the Great. I read Gates of Fire about 3 years ago and I'm not sure why I waited so long to pick up another one of his novels...its a very good read.

 

[Zeno]

I just finished "Mr. Murder" by Dean Koontz and it was even better than "Darkfall".

I'm on a Dean Koontz kick right now. Next up "Dragon Tears".

I've read a lot of his Novels, probably most of them. Intensity is one of my favorites...Fear Nothing and Seize the Night were very good as well.