What are you reading?

mbw1024 · Post by **mbw1024** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:54 am

Right now I'm reading a book called The Memory of Running.
Heart breaking and heart warming all at the same time.

LysaC · Post by **LysaC** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:54 am

I just finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076791 ... 05"><b>Sex Lives of Cannibals</b></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cari ... 0767915305" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="">
and I HIGHLY recommend it! Very funny travelogue about out in the middle of nowhere Pacific atoll living.

I'm now taking a bit of a break and reading an Anthony Bourdain photo book with some new insights into his No Reservations show travels.

I have Embarrassment of Mangoes and a few others but I kinda want a scary one.

Any scary books out there? Stepehn King-ish. A good ghost story?

loria · Post by **loria** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 10:56 am

lysac--you might like devil in the white city--
it's about a serial killer set in the time of the chicago world's fair (and a tru story) I have issues with reading about sociopaths (creeeps me out too much) but alot of peopel love this book

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:06 am

LysaC wrote:I just finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/076791 ... 05"><b>Sex Lives of Cannibals</b></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cari ... 0767915305" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt=""> and I HIGHLY recommend it! Very funny travelogue about out in the middle of nowhere Pacific atoll living.

I'm now taking a bit of a break and reading an Anthony Bourdain photo book with some new insights into his No Reservations show travels.

I have Embarrassment of Mangoes and a few others but I kinda want a scary one.

Any scary books out there? Stepehn King-ish. A good ghost story?

I've been working through Clive Barkers "Books of Blood" volume 1. These are short stories that each have a horror hook. They are pretty well written, but as short stories are short on character development.

Cheers, RickG

sherban · Post by **sherban** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:52 pm

I just finished Herman Wouk's "Don't Stop the Carnival", fiction, about trying to make a go of it with a Hotel on a Carribean Island.

This was a good read, started a bit slow but then pulled me in once I got past page ~40 or so....then I couldn't put it down for long ...until it was finished.

I read that Wouk lived in the Caribbean for ~7 years and I also read that from 1961 to 1969 he was a Trustee of the College of the Virgin Islands. I'm guessing he lived in STT but not sure.

I imagined the Island of "Amerigo" to be much like (or modeled after) Saint Thomas...with a reference to a place called "a thousand steps"...etc.

The book was written in 1965 and has some "old school feel" to it...

I enjoyed it and would reccomend it...
Cheers

Ellen · Post by **Ellen** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:29 am

Yes, Don't Stop the Carnival is a must read for VI lovers - if you've ever lived on STT, so much of it really rings true!

Post by **Anthony** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 4:58 am

sherban wrote: I'm guessing he lived in STT but not sure.

He did - he lived up on Skyline drive from what I have heard. I think Ronnie Lockhart may have some anecdotes about Wouk if you ever visit the Crystal Palace. I love that book - it is so on the money about St. Thomas and the amount of stuff in it that is still pertinent today is amazing.

sherban · Post by **sherban** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 6:01 pm

Anthony wrote: He did - he lived up on Skyline drive from what I have heard. I think Ronnie Lockhart may have some anecdotes about Wouk if you ever visit the Crystal Palace. I love that book - it is so on the money about St. Thomas and the amount of stuff in it that is still pertinent today is amazing.

Anthony- Thanks for the info, that's cool...he did write alot about "the hill"...really fun book...

Did you mean "RonUSVI" from the "other forum"?

Carolyn · Post by **Carolyn** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:41 pm

Sherban,

On our very first visit to St Thomas we took a bike tour over on Water Island and the remains of a "resort" were still there at the time...supposedly "Gulf Reef Club"... At least the cistern w/ tennis courts above were. This was supposed to be the inspiration is what we were told. I can't remember which hurricane put the final touches on the building?

What fantastic characters Wouk created...Norman, Iris...HIPPOLYTE !!! I didn't want this crazy story to end! A great read!

sherban · Post by **sherban** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:49 pm

Carolyn wrote:Sherban,
On our very first visit to St Thomas we took a bike tour over on Water Island and the remains of a "resort" were still there at the time...supposedly "Gulf Reef Club"... At least the cistern w/ tennis courts above were. This was supposed to be the inspiration is what we were told. I can't remember which hurricane put the final touches on the building?

Carolyn- Thanks for the tidbit...very cool...

StJohnRuth · Post by **StJohnRuth** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:37 pm

I am reading "Atlas Shrugged" for the third time.
-Ruth

loria · Post by **loria** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:28 pm

StJohnRuth wrote:I am reading "Atlas Shrugged" for the third time.
-Ruth

a book that bears reading MANY times..... ( i am still only at one, though...so maybe next vacation will do a second.....thanks for the idea!) as an sside StJRuth, have you read any of Orwell's 'other' works ('keep the aspidistra flying', 'burmese days'. ;'down and out in paris and london') if not you might like them as well (though not as deep as Rand).

pjayer · Post by **pjayer** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 9:44 pm

StJohnRuth wrote:I am reading "Atlas Shrugged" for the third time.
-Ruth

What's the matter? Can't find any new books that interest you?

RonUSVI · Post by **RonUSVI** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 11:41 pm

Yes, Herman Wouk's house was up on Skyline. He tended to live where he was writing about. His next book I believe was The Winds of War and he moved to Washington DC to write that one. He dined at Carib Beach Hotel in particular, and often sat with Bill Dowling, the owner, as he recanted the trials and tribulations of running a tropical hotel. Much of what is represented at the hotel was from Dowling's stories.

RL

Post by **Anthony** » Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:24 am

sherban wrote:Did you mean "RonUSVI" from the "other forum"?

I mean RonUSVI from this forum!

Ron has always been a fairly active member of many of these forums and boards - he was on-line before many of us. But yes, that is who I meant and I see he left a message on this thread.

usvi-on-line