What books are you guys reading?

[PuKcAo]

What non-medical books do you guys read when you have the time? classics, science, what?


I like theology, philosophy, and science stuff. Pretty much only non-fiction. I wish I could force myself to read some fiction but I can't.

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[myodana]

i'm reading Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction by sue townsend. it's great.

 

[ellia08]

Halfway thru "Last Chance for the Tarzan Holler" by Thylias Moss, a book of modern poetry. Slave moth, same author, was also really great.

I am enjoying it a lot (too much actually as I should be finishing my take home math final)

 

[rtmcad2319]

What non-medical books do you guys read when you have the time? classics, science, what?


I like theology, philosophy, and science stuff. Pretty much only non-fiction. I wish I could force myself to read some fiction but I can't.

-good books I'm currently reading:

Wealth of Nations
Metaphysical Club

 

[brats800]

currently in book 8 of robert jordan's "wheel of time" series...really long but really good, too.

 

[ajt2003]

currently in book 8 of robert jordan's "wheel of time" series...really long but really good, too.

You guys and gals are such scholars!

I'm reading Patricia Cornwell's Body of Evidence - it's a really fast, fun read - good for passing the time on public transportation on the way to work...oh, I'm also about to start another Dan Brown novel. I know, I know...

 

[nimer1456]

Right now I am reading Cold Mountain. I am going to start The Rescue and The Wedding soon. Both by Nicholas Sparks so they should both be good reads.

 

[nimer1456]

You guys and gals are such scholars!

I'm reading Patricia Cornwell's Body of Evidence - it's a really fast, fun read - good for passing the time on public transportation on the way to work...oh, I'm also about to start another Dan Brown novel. I know, I know...

Nothing wrong with your reading selection. I read so many journal articles a week that when I get the chance, I prefer to read fiction and allow my imagination to go to work. When I want to read something more "intellectual" I lean towards theology or history. The Harlot by the Side of the Road is a very interesting book.

 

[nikibean]

Just read
"Jitterbug Perfume," Tom Robbins
"Wicked" (life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West) by Michael someone... it's great, especially since I grew up on the original Oz books.
Just finished re-reading "The Wasteland" by TS Eliot
and in process of
"When things fall apart" by Pema Chodron.
Was a lit major/post bac so I miss reading.. sniff.

 

[skiz knot]

Mutants: on Genetic variety and the Human Body by Armand Marie Leroi


Good Book!!!

 

[beep]

finished animal dreams by barabara kingsolver yesterday, for about the 10th time. i think it is my favorite book.

now i am reading comfort & joy by jim grimsley and mountains beyond mountains by tracy kidder.

 

[Dr Parsley]

I just started Sock by Penn Jillette, and I'll hopefully finish that in a week or so. Over break I plan on trying to read The McDonaldization of Society (since I didn't bother reading it for the class I had to buy it for) and if I'm really ambitious I'll read Crime and Punishment, since it's just sitting on my shelf.

 

[wxl31]

i see a lot of heavy stuff at work, mainly drug addiction or homeless/uninsured issues. SO...i like to read children's novels, generally happy things. i love the wrinkle in time series.

i also love mystery novels. almost done with all of dan brown's (guy who wrote davinci code) books.

 

[beep]

i see a lot of heavy stuff at work, mainly drug addiction or homeless/uninsured issues. SO...i like to read children's novels, generally happy things. i love the wrinkle in time series.

i also love mystery novels. almost done with all of dan brown's (guy who wrote davinci code) books.

what other kids' books do you like? i like them too, especially including the wrinkle in time books.

 

[Tas]

currently in book 8 of robert jordan's "wheel of time" series...really long but really good, too.

*shudder*

I got tired of his long winded, never ending "story/character development" combined with the lack of action. I have vowed to not buy another book by him until the very last one of that series becomes available. Even then I may just peruse it in the store and not purchase it. Understand tho, I began reading his series as soon as his first book (Eye of the world(?)) came out in hardback.

However, I have an entirely different opinion on Terry Goodkind's "Wizard's First Rule" and that series. Goodkind can keep a story interesting and enjoyable while building up the characters. His books also don't go off in 1000 different directions at once. Definitly a good read.

I am currently reading "Deep Black/ Dark Zone" by Stephen Coonts. Decent reading, but lacks depth . Oh well....

 

[PuKcAo]

how bout favorite books...

 

[boardchic]

Since I finished school and have had time to read on my own, I've read some great stuff:
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Currently reading Mr. Fortune's Maggot by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Also lingering on my bedside table: The Panda's Thumb by Stephen Jay Gould
Older Favorites: Short fiction by Henry James (Turn of the Screw), Milan Kundera (The Unbearable Lightness of Being), Ray Bradbury (Something Wicked This Way Comes), Jose Saremago (Blindness)

 

[UCDavisdude]

I went to barnes and nobles to search for complications and white coat, they did not have any of them. the only book that was present was house of god. this sucks, i wanted to read white coat. i guess im going on mamzon and waiting a few weeks for my copy. its dirt cheap on amazon

 

[avinash]

comprehensive MCAT review.. its got a greeat plot too

JK

im not reading anything....tho i probably should

 

[runner1979]

I strongly suggest The Pillars of The Earth by Ken Follett. Don't let the length fool you, it is an incredile book.

 

[heeter]

The Difference Engine by Sterling and Gibson... Eh, it's pretty gimmicky.

 

[Davina3000]

I usually choose fiction, but I recently read an awesome nonfiction book, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. He weaves together the story of the World's Fair in Chicago and the mystery of one of the country's first serial killers (who happened to have some amount of medical training, yikes!). I have never read such a spellbinding non-fiction book.

 

[goheel]

The Living Blood by Tananarive Due. Great book!! Also recommend My Soul to Keep by the same author.

 

[flash]

not a damn thing...i spent the last hour on stupidvideos.com.

 

[lightnk102]

re-reading Alice in Wonderland. Favorite book. And pretty fresh when you read it from an adult perspective.

 

[oniwindu]

The Difference Engine by Sterling and Gibson... Eh, it's pretty gimmicky.

goodness, there was absolutely no plot in that book. waste of time.

 

[deuist]

I'll read anything with Dilbert in it.

 

[Wilbury]

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris is good break from the intellectual side of things and very funny...

 

[jules0328]

I am actually reading a medical book called, "The Woman who Swallowed A Toothbrush" by Rob Myers. Its a book on medical rareties and obscure findings. Pretty good, goes fast.

 

[heeter]

goodness, there was absolutely no plot in that book. waste of time.

There is one but it is merely hinted at. Not the best one.

 

[runner1979]

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach is a really interesting look into the contributions/uses of cadavers throughout history....and from a non-scietnist point of view.

 

[brats800]

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach is a really interesting look into the contributions/uses of cadavers throughout history....and from a non-scietnist point of view.

that is one of the next books on my pile of 'to-read' books! came recommended from a friend.

 

[nicholonious]

I went to barnes and nobles to search for complications and white coat, they did not have any of them. the only book that was present was house of god. this sucks, i wanted to read white coat. i guess im going on mamzon and waiting a few weeks for my copy. its dirt cheap on amazon

Hey man,

try borders (near downtown davis.) also, i think the ucd bookstore might have complications, it was a required reading in an upper division english class. news from one davis fellow to another. ba-zing!

 

[nicholonious]

Since I finished school and have had time to read on my own, I've read some great stuff:
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Currently reading Mr. Fortune's Maggot by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Also lingering on my bedside table: The Panda's Thumb by Stephen Jay Gould
Older Favorites: Short fiction by Henry James (Turn of the Screw), Milan Kundera (The Unbearable Lightness of Being), Ray Bradbury (Something Wicked This Way Comes), Jose Saremago (Blindness)

Hey, if you like coehlo's stuff, i'd recommend the fifth mountain. its a very spiritual book diving into the meanings of having faith. another great tale, and it's plot connects with the alchemist, surprisingly.

 

[PreMed86]

What non-medical books do you guys read when you have the time? classics, science, what?


I like theology, philosophy, and science stuff. Pretty much only non-fiction. I wish I could force myself to read some fiction but I can't.

The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Antrax

 

[dandelion]

Currently: Flaubert's Parrot, Julian Barnes. (I'm into it, but it's taking a lot of brain power to read some parts.)

In the past year:
Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy. (2nd time, love it, much easier read than War & Peace)
The Blue Flower, Penelope Fitzgerald. (strange & beautiful, didn't finish because of MCATs)
Ragtime, EL Doctorow. (loved it)
The Secret History, Donna Tartt. (lost interest after the murder, which you learn about on the 1st page, didn't finish)
some short stories by Alice Munro (they are brilliant, but I can only read one at a time), Ellen Gilchrist, and Angela Carter (love her stuff).

My favorites: Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez), Howard's End (EM Forster), The Periodic Table (Primo Levi), Wide Sargasso Sea (Jean Rhys), everything by Flannery O'Connor.

Other writers I would recommend: Lorrie Moore, Bernard Malamud, William Trevor, Jonathan Franzen, Shirley Hazzard (esp The Transit of Venus)

 

[RayhanS1282]

I am currently reading a buncha comic books.

 

[Handyman2Doc]

I finally got around to picking up the "House of God". Not a bad book, but deffinately not what I expected.

currently in book 8 of robert jordan's "wheel of time" series...really long but really good, too.

Robert Jordan is the shiznits! I started reading the "Wheel of Time" series about 12 years ago when the first novel came out. If you like fantasy fiction, Jordan is the way to go. When compared to the "Wheel of Time", Tolkien's "Lord of Rings" seems more like a comic book.

Jordan also wrote some Conan books that were actually good reads as well. Jordan is deffinately a good break from all the science and technology stuff I usually have to read.

 

[OrnotMajestic]

Even better than Jordarn, IMHO, is George RR Martin. His "Song of Ice and Fire" books are AMAZING. I'm currently nearing the end of book 3....

 

[Son of a Sailor]

Fiction - 'The Great Gatsby' F. Scott Fitzgerald (or anything by Hemingway)
Non-Fiction - 'The Lives of a Cell' Lewis Thomas

 

[centig]

I've had a couple of interviews where they ask what books I have read recently. Both times I said the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Each time, the interviewers complemented me on reading something not involving school or medicine. They said something about being able to go home and get away from everyday stuff. Insinuated it shows I'm interested in other things rather than something I thought they'd like to hear about. So that's my take on maybe something you might bring up in an interview.

Also, those Dan Brown books are awesome!!!!

 

[Mr. Darcy]

Biography of Osler
Time to Heal

Wonderful books!

 

[Scarletbegonias]

I'm reading My Own Country by Dr. Abraham Verhese. It's excellent. Any pre-med would love it. He started practicing as an infectious diseases physician in Tennessee when the AIDs epidemic was becoming greater and more known to the public. He's a very admirable person and physician. Check it out.

 

[Manifesting]

My biggest challenge is learning to enjoy books over a longer period of time, or in other words, putting a book aside once I have started it. I read before bed most nights, but have to set a time limit and alternate fun fiction with less appealling non-fiction so I can function in life. I know I am somewhat OCD about reading, so sometimes I just don't read at all if I have big projects or responsibilities looming! Whacko, huh?

Have any of you read 'The Fourth Hand' by John Irving? He is one of my favorite authors, but this novel fell far short of expectations I held of Irving. I usually love his complex characters and relationship studies. He wrote two of my all-time favorite novels, 'A Prayer for Owen Meany' and 'The Cider House Rules'. I even liked 'A Widow for One Year' fairly well, but I wasn't sure I wanted to finish Fourth Hand. I thought the writing stunk until I had read about half, at which point I found the story more engaging and forged ahead. Oh well, maybe the next one will be better.

Another poster mentioned fiction for children and young adults. I often read my kids' books for fun and for the connection with them. I have read #1-4 in the Harry Potter series and I'm committed to reading #5 to keep ahead of the movie release schedule. I must admit to tiring of the formulaic introductions to the sequels, but I am absolutely involved with the characters and the imaginative world they inhabit.

I agree with the posters who have mentioned that questions about extra-curricular reading are common in admissions interviews and that adcoms are hoping we pre-meds have a life outside of school.

 

[medstylee]

I'm reading My Own Country by Dr. Abraham Verhese. It's excellent. Any pre-med would love it. He started practicing as an infectious diseases physician in Tennessee when the AIDs epidemic was becoming greater and more known to the public. He's a very admirable person and physician. Check it out.

If you haven't already, you should also check out his other book The Tennis Partner. It's another memoir, but it's less focused on medicine than his first book - more about his personal life and relationships. This one is pretty depressing, but his writing really grabs you. He's extremely open about his thoughts and feelings and, because of that, you'll probably be able to relate to a lot of the things he says. It's a little under 350 and it's a surprisingly quick read. Definitely check it out.

 

[Shaz]

Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karazmov"

Man, this is one badass author. Before I know it, I've read like 40 pages. That's how you know if an author is good.

 

[longhorndoc]

Recently read: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki
I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Currently reading Savages by Shirly Conran ( my mom recommended it since it is like Survivor and she LOOOOOVES that show!! She's got the Survivor buffs and everything) It's ok....just going slow...

To-Read pile on my shelf: Flyboys: A true story of American courage by James Bradley
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
Rising Sun by Michael Crichton
5th Harry Potter Bk

I have large range in reading interests as you can tell

 

[Writer1985]

Books! My great love! I'm minoring in Comparative Literature, so I've been reading a lot of Western classics, like the Odyssey, the Aeneid, the Inferno...Faust this semester. As for pleasure reading, I just picked up a collection of Truman Capote stories and a novel by Jeff Shaara about the American Civil War. And when I want a laugh I turn to P.G. Wodehouse, a little-known (here, anyway) British author from the 1920s/1930s.

 

[RaistlinMajere]

I just read the DaVinci Code and am almost done with the prelude, Angels & Demons. I'd recommend both, although they are similar.

 

[RaistlinMajere]

I'm going to read Stiff next.