What are you currently reading?

[Cgk]

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Hello everyone!

I would like to know from you which book you are reading at the moment. It doesn't matter if it is a novel, a collection of essays, a tour guide, a school book, poetry, the phone book, whatever. Just share with us the title of the book and the name of the author. Your thoughts on it would be nice to know, too.

I'm currently reading--now don't laugh--"Patterson's Illustrated Nautical Dictionary". It is a wonderful old book about ship terms, and the illustrations are very detailed. I have also started to read "The Victual Brothers" by Matthias Puhle. It is a non-fiction book about piracy in the North and Baltic Sea during the Middle Ages, and the struggle of the Hanseatic League and the Danish and Norwegian Kingdoms. I'm still wondering which type of novel to read next: Fantasy or Historical Fiction?

It's your turn now. What are you currently reading?

Claudia
_________________
In the land of the ignorant, the biggest fool is king.

[Gemini Alpha Female]

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Hello, CgK ^^;
It seems you have a passion for oceans :-D.
Thanks for starting such an interesting topic. I like reading. It can just take you everywhere without having to move an inch. For me, it's the most rewarding hobby. Now, what am I reading these days? I'm reading Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man by the American comedian Steve Harvey. The reason why I so desperately wanted to read this book was that after a lousy breakup with my ex-boyfriend it hit me that I didn't understand men at all. It happened that I was watching Operah's show and she was having Steve Harvey as a guest. They talked about his book and I thought to myself "I must get this book". I managed to have both a soft and hard copy. I haven't finished it yet but the more I read the more I believe my ex was a JERK with capital letters (which is a relief actually :-D). But, jokes aside, it is a very interesting book that is worth reading. It talks about "what men really think about love, relationships, intimacy and commitment". It turns out (to some this might only be old news) that "men are driven by who they are, what they do, and how much they make". As simple as that. Until these three accomplishments are achieved, men are too busy to focus on any woman. And if a man doesn't do the Three Ps (Profess love, Provide living and Protect),he's not taking the relationship seriously. Moreover, the book "reveals" the three things every man needs: support, loyalty and the cookie (the author's expression for sex :-D). If a man is not getting these three things from his woman, he's gonna go. Another interesting "fact" the book highlights is that phrases like "we need to talk" and "nothing" women used to use a lot, actually make men run for cover. I don't wanna spoil the book for you but it's worth reading "specially by women :-P".
But before I go, I'd like to express my deepest and heartfelt sympathies for men if I bursted their bubble :-P

CHeeRz,
Chiquitita
(Nonnative English Speaker)

[HuongItaly]

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Hi Claudia,

I'm a keen reader, therefore as soon as I saw this topic I said to myself : "Hmm...it's cool!" What you are reading is highly specific and interesting ! Just the other day I happened to watch a movie about the Vikings, I love such adventurous stories of old times.

Yesterday I bought 3 books about health. It's not that I'm ill and need help :) I'm fine...luckily, but it's a life long that I'm interested in Science, Nature and Health. One day, not long ago, I attended a conference of a nutritionist - an 80 year old priest, and remain very impressed by his brilliant mind and hight culture. He talked about Kousmine method of nutrition, discussed our wrong modern life stype especially regarding the diet. He also receives visits for free. Money causes slavery, he said. This was the first time in Italy I met a person who doesn't want to be paid for his job. I really admire him.

Sorry for going far from the topic, but I wanted to emphasize the motive for that I bought the above mentioned books. 2 of them are about the Kousmine method & diet. The 3rd is the one that I'm currently reading. Its title is "La nuova biologia della salute" (The new biology of Health) - written by Matt Traverso, a coaching expert. This book gives explanations and hints about how to take control of your health, it's really great !

In due time I'll let you know about the other 2 books. One of them is written by the founder of Kousmine method : Catherine Kousmine.

Enjoy your books !

Huong.

[Borislav]

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Hi Claudia,
I haven't read book for months because of ridiculous reason - the library is far away and of course I don't have any time left.I satisfy via reading in Internet and printing them in my printer as a last resort.
The last book I read was "The Godfather".After watching the movie several times I decided it was high time I read the book.Then(in the summer) I was searching for some resources in english.I don't want to buy a book which would stand in my messy room so I subscribed to the library.My thoughts are the book is awesome like the movie.It worths reading if you like criminal novels.The only differences are some more details.
I want to read some books for practical psychology or relationships and I have one.
And regarding to books which portray the men's behaivior - they aren't very objective in some cases.

[Cgk]

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Hello Chiquitita,

as it is very difficult for me to pronounce your name, is it all right with you if I call you Chiqui? :-)

Thank you for your delightful recension of the book you're reading! It sounds like a lot fun to read. I agree with Borislav, though, (in my humble opinion) perhaps take the content with a grain of salt. It was written by Steve Harvey, after all! Needless to say, "we need to talk" and "nothing" are also phrases that women dread to hear from men, hehe. Thank you for the recommendation!

Hello Huong,

it seems like we have a lot in common. I also love to read about health and nutrition. I have never heard of the Kousmine method, though, so that will definitely be something for me to check out.

Hi Borislav,

The Godfather is cult. Need I say more? :-)

Doesn't your university have a library? Here, we have a university library, which also offers novels and other books for entertainment, not just university books. It is tough to make time to read a book, especially if you are a full time student.

Keep us updated on the books you're reading and your opinion of them!

Claudia
_________________
In the land of the ignorant, the biggest fool is king.

[HuongItaly]

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Hello Chiquitita,

I think that it's always interesting to read about relationship between men & women, problems in couple life. It's really a never-ending topic and all of us have to deal with it in our life. I belive that it's a great luck, if not a miracle, for whom can say after a life long that she has been always happy and never had any problem in her private life !

Last year an Autralian friend of mine sent me a copy of the book "Men are from Mars, women are from Venus"(John Gray). It talks about the main differences between men & women in their nature of behavior, it explains why we often don't understand each other, and gives advice about how to learn to comprehend and get on well...It's worth reading it ! Maybe you can find and download it on the internet.

Life has many diversities and there are hundred of strange cases that can drive you crazy. For example, the usual thought of us-women is that, the most important thing (essential) for men is "cookie"...Then what will you say if a man stays with a woman for years without ever looking for it - given that she is a very nice & intelligent girl but not rich nor famous ? It's a very abnormal case that I got to know from a friend. She has been suffering a lot and actually looking desperately for a way to dump him, after many unuseful efforts to make it work !

Does any guy passing by here want to give an explanation or comments on this ?

Borislav, what do you think ?

Huong.

[Danielle1]

Hello Everyone,

I've just started reading the book "Freakonomics." Don't let the name scare you away, though! It's a bestseller here in the U.S. The authors explain how strange things that happen in our world can be explained by the study of economics. It'll blow you away!

Have fun reading!
Danielle

Business English courses online in Sales English, Marketing English, Office English, Medical Office English, Banking English, International Trade English

[Mixmixi]

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Hello Claudia
The only book which I am reading in these days is 'Detlta's key to the next generation TOEFL test' by Nancy Gallagher. I have to read about TOEFL everyday because my exam is on February 7th, about 20 days further. In these days I feel really confused, depressed and tired. I really need to achieve the minimum score on my test, but I am not really good at speaking. Anyway the book, in my opinion is a very useful book which helps you to improve your skills.

Good luck with your readings
Mixmixi
_________________
Let's make a deal; I'll correct every single one of your grammatical mistakes AND YOU DO THE SAME FAVOUR FOR ME.

[Cgk]

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Hello Mixmixi,

I wish you all the best on your exam. The way I see it, you don't need to get depressed. You seem to be working very hard on learning English. Listening to your voice messages, it seems to pay off. People often ask: What is the best way to learn English? Well, they might as well ask: What is the best way to learn how to drive a car? We all know that the best way to learn how to drive a car is by driving a car. You are exposing yourself to the language, participate in the discussions here on the forum, and practice your speaking skills with the voice recorder. I would say you are indeed driving the car!

Claudia
_________________
In the land of the ignorant, the biggest fool is king.

[Alan]

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Hi Claudia,

The trouble with me is I'm always reading several books at the same time -I don't mean that literally. I mean that I've got several on the go. At the moment I've not yet finished a new biography of Somerset Maugham (by Selina Hastings) but gave up after several hundred pages because although I think he's a great story teller, I was getting tired of the description of his sexual antics. Then there's a novel by Nevil Shute called Requiem for a Wren (I finished On the Beach last week). I've not yet finished Georgiana by Amanda Foreman and I'm also half way through a second book by a new writer Jacqueline Winspear, called Maisie Dobbs. And then of course I have a great time reading and rereading anything by P G Wodehouse whom I can read till the cows come home. There are probably others but that's just a selection.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Alan]

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PS

Great that you help keep this part of the forum ticking along, Claudia.

Thanks.

Alan
_________________
English as a Foreign Language
You can read my EFL story Progressive Forms

[Mixmixi]

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Hi Claudia
Thank you for your encouragements, I think you are right, the only way to improve is trying to be improved, to want to be improved. So, I am going to drive this car. You know Caludia, I think we need interesting subjects to talk about here, I think this subject is good for talking but it has just a direct answer with no capability for debating. I told that I am working with my TOEFL book, and that's all. I can not describe anything else about that. But if we use some more interesting subjects here I do believe that we will see more peoples in our discussions.

Mixmixi
_________________
Let's make a deal; I'll correct every single one of your grammatical mistakes AND YOU DO THE SAME FAVOUR FOR ME.

[Cgk]

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Hello all,

I would highly recommend reading John Gray's "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" only along with Susan Hamson's "The Rebuttal from Uranus" in "Taking Sides" by Francoeur and Taverner. Hamson gives good counter-arguments to Gray's statements, methods, and extreme stereotyping. A must-read for anyone who wishes to see both sides of the coin, and then draw his/her own conclusion.

Claudia
_________________
In the land of the ignorant, the biggest fool is king.

[Cgk]

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Hello Alan,

thank you for joining in! I sometimes start reading various books at once just like you. My problem is that I read very critically, so whenever I encounter a logical error or I realize that the story, time, or setting was poorly researched by the author, I tend to put the book aside and start a new one. You said you were getting tired of the description of the author's sexual antics. I can relate to that because it is one other point that makes me give up on a book. I admit, I like stories which are not necessarily for the faint of heart, but even though I prefer gritty, daring, and spicy stories to the soft romance stuff, I do not like it when sex or violence are used gratuitously. Each and every event in a novel needs to have a purpose and must lead to the next event. If it fails to do that, I consider it a bad novel. Of course, one sees the splinter in one's brother's eye; but not the beam in one's own.

Claudia
_________________
In the land of the ignorant, the biggest fool is king.

[Cgk]

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