What have you read lately?

[jet57]

I met Whitley Strieber some years ago. After reading 'Communion' and some of his other books, and especially after seeing him portrayed by Christopher Walken in the film version, I guess I imagined he would be some kind of a kook or eccentric. To the contrary, he was about as unobtrusive as it gets - the kind of person who can disappear in a crowd of three. A very soft-spoken and pleasant guy.

I'm a big walken fan, but I felt him misscast and the movie left sooo much of the book out that it came off kind of - silly... I've read all of Whitley's books on the subject up to The Greys, including Majestic which I highly recommend.

Good for you on meeting him; where was it?

His writing style and use of words in his reflective notations leaves the reader looking at the reading with a tilted head, like a dig trying to grasp what is being communicated. It adds such a realism and depth of understanding of strange things.

[jet57]

Currently I'm reading a good translation of Perceval; the story of the Grail. Cretien de Troyes' 12th century epic.

[Standing Wolf]

I'm a big walken fan, but I felt him misscast and the movie left sooo much of the book out that it came off kind of - silly... I've read all of Whitley's books on the subject up to The Greys, including Majestic which I highly recommend.

Good for you on meeting him; where was it?

His writing style and use of words in his reflective notations leaves the reader looking at the reading with a tilted head, like a dig trying to grasp what is being communicated. It adds such a realism and depth of understanding of strange things.

I met and spoke with him at a book signing in the Bay area many years ago; I've forgotten which of his books he was on a tour for at the time.

Whatever one thinks about its authenticity, 'Communion' was a very powerful book, and it affected me a great deal at the time.

Speaking of UFO's, when I was a kid, probably 9 or 10, I found an old issue of a digest-sized magazine from the '50s - 'Coronet', I think - in a closet in my grandparents' house, with an article by George Adamski. It described his experiences being taken aboard various spaceships and meeting beings from Mars, Venus, etc. It never occurred to me that it might not be true - I mean, there it was in print in a magazine! Anyway, I cut out the article and took it to school with me. In my class, kids were called upon to read something they'd brought from home, and we were limited to five minutes. So I started reading this article to the class and it had to have taken at least fifteen or twenty minutes, but I guess even the teacher was fascinated by the subject matter and she let me read the entire thing. I'm pretty sure Adamski has been thoroughly debunked by now, but when I was stationed in NoCal about 25 years ago, I found an old hardcover edition of one of his books in a secondhand bookstore and it was signed.

[jet57]

I met and spoke with him at a book signing in the Bay area many years ago; I've forgotten which of his books he was on a tour for at the time.

Whatever one thinks about its authenticity, 'Communion' was a very powerful book, and it affected me a great deal at the time.

Speaking of UFO's, when I was a kid, probably 9 or 10, I found an old issue of a digest-sized magazine from the '50s - 'Coronet', I think - in a closet in my grandparents' house, with an article by George Adamski. It described his experiences being taken aboard various spaceships and meeting beings from Mars, Venus, etc. It never occurred to me that it might not be true - I mean, there it was in print in a magazine! Anyway, I cut out the article and took it to school with me. In my class, kids were called upon to read something they'd brought from home, and we were limited to five minutes. So I started reading this article to the class and it had to have taken at least fifteen or twenty minutes, but I guess even the teacher was fascinated by the subject matter and she let me read the entire thing. I'm pretty sure Adamski has been thoroughly debunked by now, but when I was stationed in NoCal about 25 years ago, I found an old hardcover edition of one of his books in a secondhand bookstore and it was signed.

In 1980 I met J Allen Hynek at a UFO syposium in Burlingame, he was a very interesting man: a nervous speaker however. During the day I sat next to Stanton Friedman at the lunch counter; we had a nice visit.

Yeah, Communion was a very powerful book: the movie really disappointed me. It needs to be done again when the wind starts blowin.

[Stark]

I'm reading "Democracy in America" by Alexis de Tocqueville. Mind you this is one of quite a few books I'm being forced to read this semester but Tocqueville isn't that boring. He actually had quite a few interesting ideas of America and democracy. I have three government classes this semester...so lots of political books.

[Standing Wolf]

In 1980 I met J Allen Hynek at a UFO syposium in Burlingame, he was a very interesting man: a nervous speaker however. During the day I sat next to Stanton Friedman at the lunch counter; we had a nice visit.

Yeah, Communion was a very powerful book: the movie really disappointed me. It needs to be done again when the wind starts blowin.

I've also met and spoken with Travis Walton a couple of times; once at a book signing here in the Phoenix area about twenty years ago, and again just a few years ago at one of the annual showings of the documentary about The Phoenix Lights. I've never asked him what he thought of Fire in the Sky or D.B. Sweeney's portrayal of him, but that film has kept him and his story in the public eye since its release, so I'd imagine that he has, at worst, mixed feelings about it.

[Peter1469]

Wow, Travis Walton, J. Alan Hynek, and Stanton Freedman! I haven't met anyone like this, although I have read a lot about them. You guys are lucky.

[Standing Wolf]

Wow, Travis Walton, J. Alan Hynek, and Stanton Freedman! I haven't met anyone like this, although I have read a lot about them. You guys are lucky.

About ten years ago, I began a collection of 8x10 photos of my favorite writers and other celebs, and I get them autographed when they come to town for signings. (We have two well-established independent bookstores that have author signings nearly every week.) They take up a fairly big chunk of one office wall now. What made me think of that is that I had a photo of Travis Walton printed a while back, and I am waiting for another opportunity to get it signed.

Some of the writers I've gotten - some of whom you might have actually heard of - are Craig Johnson (the 'Longmire' series), Lee Child, Laurie King, Jeffrey Deaver, David Lagercrantz, Molly MacBird, Joe R. Lansdale, Betty Webb, Ed Kovacs, Ace Atkins, actor/author Bruce Campbell, Andrew Vachss, and quite a few others. When I hear they're going to be in town, I go online and find a nice high resolution portrait-style image of them, download it to my photo file and then upload it to a photo printing service. I used to use Shutterfly, but it takes forever to get the pictures in the mail and they don't package them well at all, so I've gotten some that were damaged and unusable. Now I send them to Target Photo, and they're ready to pick up at my local store in a few hours; an 8x10 costs less than $3.

[Peter1469]

About ten years ago, I began a collection of 8x10 photos of my favorite writers and other celebs, and I get them autographed when they come to town for signings. (We have two well-established independent bookstores that have author signings nearly every week.) They take up a fairly big chunk of one office wall now. What made me think of that is that I had a photo of Travis Walton printed a while back, and I am waiting for another opportunity to get it signed.

Some of the writers I've gotten - some of whom you might have actually heard of - are Craig Johnson (the 'Longmire' series), Lee Child, Laurie King, Jeffrey Deaver, David Lagercrantz, Molly MacBird, Joe R. Lansdale, Betty Webb, Ed Kovacs, Ace Atkins, actor/author Bruce Campbell, Andrew Vachss, and quite a few others. When I hear they're going to be in town, I go online and find a nice high resolution portrait-style image of them, download it to my photo file and then upload it to a photo printing service. I used to use Shutterfly, but it takes forever to get the pictures in the mail and they don't package them well at all, so I've gotten some that were damaged and unusable. Now I send them to Target Photo, and they're ready to pick up at my local store in a few hours; an 8x10 costs less than $3.

I got Michio Kaku to sign one of his books for me at the national mall.

[countryboy]

Currently on book 2 of the Amos Decker series, by David Baldacci. Pretty good stuff.

Interesting discussion about ufology, I was a voracious reader on the subject at one time. I've read everything by Strieber, Bud Hopkins, and many others. Still fascinated by the subject. And incidentally, I changed my avatar before I saw this, lol. It's a glow-in-the-dark alien candle that sits in my closet. Something compelled me to snap a couple pictures of it the other night, LOL.

Edit: Oops, I guess I only changed my avatar at the other political forum I'm on, I meant to change it here too. I will do so now.