This is just a WAG (wild-ass guess), but I'll wager dollars to doughnuts that most of you are avid readers--I know I am. My bag is always full of reading material: magazines, journals, printouts from stuff I get off the Web, and at least one book for good measure. As an avid reader and news junkie (which obviously all of you are as well), I'm always looking for leads on interesting books, magazines, journals and other sources for reading material.
I'm curious about the reading habits and literary tastes of my fellow Kossacks. What do you usually read: fiction or non-fiction? Who is/are your favorite author(s)? What are you reading now? What magazines/journals/online pubs do you read frequently? Is there a book that has had a defining impact on your life, something you always try to push on people because it has such an impact on you?
I'd like this to be as wide-ranging as possible. I'll get us started on the flip.
I've read a few interesting books over the last few months. There's
The Sopranos and Philosophy. I love this philosophy and pop culture series because it uses cultural texts most of us are thoroughly familiar with to illustrate what can be some pretty abstract and inaccessible philosophical concepts. If you've ever wondered how Sun Tzu relates to Tony Soprano's style of leadership, the role of nihilism in the Sopranos, whether Carmela is a feminist, or which circle of hell in Dante's inferno would be most appropriate for Paulie Walnuts, I highly recommend this book.
Then there's Fred Kaplan's excellent biography of Gore Vidal, by far my favorite author in any genre. Needless to say, Vidal has led quite an interesting life. He's rubbed elbows with some of the most prominent political and literary figures of our time, from Jack Kennedy, William F. Buckley, Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote to Bill and Hillary Clinton. He's also had more sex than all of us combined. Seriously. Kaplan's bio is quite a readable account of Vidal's life as a writer and political activist, and of the evolution of his politlcal views from populist conservative (like his grandfather, Senator Thomas P. Gore, to radical, liberal defender of "the old Republic."
Finally, there's Jared Diamond's The Third Chimpanzee, which I believe was Diamond's first book for the general public. The book's basic premise is this: given the fact that there's only about 1% difference between the DNA of humans and the DNA of chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas, what accounts for the vast differences between us and our closest relatives in the animal kingdom? As it turns out, we're not as unique as we think we are: for virtually everything we hold as crucial differences between us and all other animals--language, art, etc.--there are precedents in the animal kingdom. Ths book in an exemplary display of multidisciplinary scientific writing for a general audience: It's also a testament to just how complex and awe-inspiring the process of evolution really is.
Tonight I'm gonna start reading Benny Morris' Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-1999...seems like an appropriate read given what we're going through at the moment. From what I understand, it's a pretty balanced account of the conflict. I also got my copy of Foreign Policy Magazine in the mail today, so I'll be going through that for the next few days.
So, what are you reading?