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What’s on your nightstand?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Publishers Weekly has a regular feature called What’s On Your Nightstand?, where people write about the books at their bedside. I thought it was a neat idea, so I, um, borrowed it.
It can be one book you’re reading. Or multiples, if you’re one of those people, like me, who usually has at least three going at once. Or it can be books you have nearby that you really have been meaning to get to, but for whatever reason, it isn’t happening.
There’s a social network for book fans — one of many, actually — called Shelfari, which allows you to show what you have read, what you are reading, what you plan to read. I signed up just to post what I’m reading right now for this blog; I really don’t need another social network to keep track of, or I won’t have any time for reading.
Anyway, my What I’m Reading shelf on Shelfari is here. It consists of:
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union” by Michael Chabon, which just won a Nebula Award for best science fiction novel and an Edgar for best mystery, which I think is the first time that’s happened.
“Buddhism for Beginners”
“Africa Doesn’t Matter” by Giles Bolton, a very readable overview of why Africa has some of the problems it has, and what does and doesn’t work to solve them in terms of Western economic aid.
So, what’s on YOUR nightstand?
Permalink | Comments (10) | Post your comment | Categories: Books
Comments
By Michael
May 23, 2008 9:06 AM | Link to this
On my nightstand is the 2008 U.S. Master Tax Guide from CCH. I go to sleep very quickly when reading it. But, I have nightmares.
By Jeff
May 23, 2008 9:08 AM | Link to this
Well, I don’t really put any on my nightstand, but I do have a book list!
Most of what is on it right now is a bunch of Grishams that my wife got at various yard sales a few weeks ago. Many I had read before, back when I first started reading 300+ page books (5th-6th grade era, and Grisham was one of the first authors I remember picking up!), but it has been something near a decade, so I am re-reading all that she bought. (MOST of his fiction books!)
Notables that I have read recently (and enjoyed as quite possibly some of my favorite books ever) and most here have probably never heard of:
Matthew Reilly: Scarecrow, Area 7, Ice Station, Contest, Temple
Thomas Greanias: Raising Atlantis and The Atlantis Prophecy
Jeremy Robinson: Antarktos Rising and The Didymus Contingency
Rai Aren and Tavius E.: Secret of the Sands.
And one that just found me on Myspace, and whose work I fully intend on reading once I get past the wife-imposed Grishams:
RJ Archer: Tractrix, Tsubute, Triangle
By Maria
May 23, 2008 9:23 AM | Link to this
I’ve got:
Where I Was From, by Joan Didion. I love Didion, but this particular book has been slow going for me. Enjoying it, but I only pick it up every few days.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks, by E. Lockhart. A wonderful young adult novel about a girl at a boarding school who gets mixed up in some secret-society business.
Next up I have Motherless Brooklyn, by Jonathan Lethem.
By Tim
May 23, 2008 11:52 AM | Link to this
I am a Shelfari fan. It’s a great way to keep track of what you’ve read and what you want to read.
On my nightstand:
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow Person of Interest by Susan Choi Lush Life by Richard Price
By Matt
May 23, 2008 12:46 PM | Link to this
On my to-read list:
James Patterson ~ Beach Road
Douglas Preston & Lincoln Fairchild ~ Reliquary
I’ll probably have both of those finished within the next day or two, then we’ll see what else gets added
By Jeff
May 23, 2008 1:06 PM | Link to this
Matt:
It is Lincoln CHILD.
Reliquary is good, but the Dance of Death trilogy is by FAR better. Also, Wheel of Darkness is quite possibly one of their best to date.
Honestly, the creatures (and overall story) of Reliquary are fairly disturbing. Best part about it is the further characterization of Pendergast and D’Agosta, and I think Reliquary is where Heywood is introduced.
By BPJ
May 23, 2008 1:24 PM | Link to this
I usually have one fiction and one nonfiction book going. Right now the novel is The Go-Between, by L.P. Hartley, a classic I’ve long wanted to read. It’s beautifully written and a compelling story. It has a famous opening line: “The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there”.
The nonfiction is Susan Sontag’s On Photography, a brilliant book, & indispensable to anyone interested in the subject.
By Matt
May 23, 2008 1:32 PM | Link to this
Jeff: Sorry, haven’t looked at the book since I bought it a month ago, and I get names mixed up sometimes. Thanks for the correction, and the suggestions.
By kathleen
May 23, 2008 1:53 PM | Link to this
The Ten-Cent Plague - David Hajdu Rock On: An office Power Ballad - Dan Kennedy In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England - Brock Clarke
By Jeff
May 23, 2008 2:14 PM | Link to this
Matt:
Also, another word of caution regarding Reliquary:
Make sure you read Relic first if you haven’t already. Reliquary is the sequel, and while it can be enjoyed as a stand-alone, you have a much better picture of what is happening if you first read Relic.