Books to read before Fall (distraction from the waiting) Forum

[Matthies]

One L - This Scott Turow memoir is kind of whiny and exaggerated, and people often seem aghast at the way he treats his wife as the burden of law school starts overwhelming him.

+1

I thought the over all premise was good, but it was choppy and sometimes sloppy writing. Several lawyers and law students that I've asked about claim that he blows almost everything out of proportion, and as long as you manage your time well, law school is very manageable.

I’d say this is certainly true today and for maybe the last 15 years or so. But remember when he went to law school there were no computers, no internet, lexis or westlaw, no Google, no wordprocesors, no case summaries, hell I wonder if they much in the way supplements back then. I think today law school takes less time out of a students life because we have so much technology that makes everything that much faster and easier to do. Do book research in the actual library and it takes forever.

[martin024]

Travels with Herodotus was pretty cool, just read it.

[vanwinkle]

I guess everyone's entitled to his/her own opinion. My mother named me after a character in one of Rand's books. I am proud to have such a name. I grew up reading Ayn Rand.

Without trying to go too far off-topic, I just want to say that "I grew up reading X" and "I was named after X" are really terrible reasons to support or even believe "X is awesome".

[Matthies]

I guess everyone's entitled to his/her own opinion. My mother named me after a character in one of Rand's books. I am proud to have such a name. I grew up reading Ayn Rand.

Without trying to go too far off-topic, I just want to say that "I grew up reading X" and "I was named after X" are really terrible reasons to support or even believe "X is awesome".

What if I did an eight ball's worth of rails coke of off X's glass coffee table in less than 15 mins while hookers on E danced around the room naked with midgets dressed like umpa lumpas to NWA's music in a Suite at the Belaggio in Vegas. WOuld that be a good enough reason to support or belive that "X is awesome"?

[martin024]

I guess everyone's entitled to his/her own opinion. My mother named me after a character in one of Rand's books. I am proud to have such a name. I grew up reading Ayn Rand.

Without trying to go too far off-topic, I just want to say that "I grew up reading X" and "I was named after X" are really terrible reasons to support or even believe "X is awesome".

What if I did an eight ball's worth of rails coke of off X's glass coffee table in less than 15 mins while hookers on E danced around the room naked with midgets dressed like umpa lumpas to NWA's music in a Suite at the Belaggio in Vegas. WOuld that be a good enough reason to support or belive that "X is awesome"?

yes

[Kobe_Teeth]

2666 by Robert Bolaño...I can't stop thinking about it. Absolutely amazing. As an English major long out of school, it reminded me why I studied literature in the first place. It is loooong, like 900 pages, and it's dense, but the effort totally pays off. I've reread lots of sections...just a great and strange novel.

I looooove Robert Bolaño. I haven't read 2666, but The Savage Detectives is one of my favorite books, and Nazi Literature in the Americas wasn't half bad either.

Edit: By Night in Chile is literally on my bedside table, but I haven't started it yet. Will report back.

+1 The Savage Detectives!!! Agree with other poster as well, for people who love literature, he will remind you why. 2666 is my goal of the summer.

I'm going to offer up Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. One of the best fiction books I've ever read.

Also, I'm digging Foucault and one of his followers Giorgio Agamben. Its dry philosophy stuff but I'm assuming on a law school message board there are at least some people here who enjoy that stuff as well.

[vanwinkle]

What if I did an eight ball's worth of rails coke of off X's glass coffee table in less than 15 mins while hookers on E danced around the room naked with midgets dressed like umpa lumpas to NWA's music in a Suite at the Belaggio in Vegas. WOuld that be a good enough reason to support or belive that "X is awesome"?

Only if X was paying for the suite and the coke, and the coke wasn't cut with anything nasty like rat poison or laxatives.

[Island Girl]

I guess everyone's entitled to his/her own opinion. My mother named me after a character in one of Rand's books. I am proud to have such a name. I grew up reading Ayn Rand.

Without trying to go too far off-topic, I just want to say that "I grew up reading X" and "I was named after X" are really terrible reasons to support or even believe "X is awesome".

Ummm...Didn't you read the rest of my post?

edit: It would've been nice to have you, Vanwinkle, (and possibly others) to constructively respond to my opinion instead of poking holes at it and making fun. Do you have any real thoughts on Ayn Rand? And FWIW, I love my name and (in my mind), what it stands for.

[Matthies]

What if I did an eight ball's worth of rails coke of off X's glass coffee table in less than 15 mins while hookers on E danced around the room naked with midgets dressed like umpa lumpas to NWA's music in a Suite at the Belaggio in Vegas. WOuld that be a good enough reason to support or belive that "X is awesome"?

Only if X was paying for the suite and the coke, and the coke wasn't cut with anything nasty like rat poison or laxatives.

No atcualy some guys credit card we found on the floor payed for the coke/room/hookers, X paid for the midgets, and the stuff was fresh columbina shit still with the children's foot prints that stamped it flat in the cake. I mean I did have to make a porno movie with X and this goat (really not sure where the goat came from, bam next thing I know there is a goat in the room that kida looked like Snoop Dog if he was, you know, a goat, but X told me it was for his priavte collection and would not end up on the internet or anything.) Look, I was young and needed the money OK?

[kalvano]

Wanted to bump this...it might have been mentioned already, but if it hasn't, The Nine - Inside The Supreme Court by Toobin is pretty interesting. It's a modern-day look at the Court instead of The Brethren. Covers all kinds of current issues, and is a pretty fascinating behind-the-scenes of the Court.

[cutiewiddlebebe]

I am re-reading Zinn's A People's History of the United States so I will be ready to battle the public school conservatives upon arrival.

[robin600]

I am re-reading Zinn's A People's History of the United States so I will be ready to battle the public school conservatives upon arrival.

I thought they all went to private school

[J-tow10]

Thanks for the input so far everyone. Seems really helpful!

[opus127]

Wanted to bump this...it might have been mentioned already, but if it hasn't, The Nine - Inside The Supreme Court by Toobin is pretty interesting. It's a modern-day look at the Court instead of The Brethren. Covers all kinds of current issues, and is a pretty fascinating behind-the-scenes of the Court.

I also recently read The Nine and recommend it. (Also, 3 of the cases discussed in it came up in classes I observed during school visits last week.) Next on my list is The Court and the Cross.

[cutiewiddlebebe]

Have Read:
1. Getting to Maybe (x2)
2. Law School Insider
3. Law School Confidential (x2)
4. Elements of Style
5. A History of American Law
6. LEEWS
7. Learning Legal Reasoning

To Read:
1. Thinking Like a Lawyer: A New Introduction to Legal Reasoning
2. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student
3. The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style
4. Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text With Exercises
5. The Elements of Legal Style
6. Understanding Criminal Law
7. Constitutional Law: Principles And Policies
8. The Law of Torts: Examples & Explan​ations
9. Civil Procedure Examples & Explan​ations
10. Concepts And Case Analysis in the Law of Contracts
11. [Some book on property; to be determined]

[quetzalcoatl]

Read The Communist Manifesto and Atlas Shrugged at the same time alternating chapters. That will probably take your whole summer.

[Jerome]

Wanted to bump this...it might have been mentioned already, but if it hasn't, The Nine - Inside The Supreme Court by Toobin is pretty interesting. It's a modern-day look at the Court instead of The Brethren. Covers all kinds of current issues, and is a pretty fascinating behind-the-scenes of the Court.

I also recently read The Nine and recommend it. (Also, 3 of the cases discussed in it came up in classes I observed during school visits last week.) Next on my list is The Court and the Cross.

+1 on The Nine even if Toobin idolized O'Connor a bit too much.

I suggest Nudge by Sunstein and Thaler, even if it has been maligned. Overall, a pretty good read with some interesting ideas. Plus, they can write.

[wired]

Wanted to bump this...it might have been mentioned already, but if it hasn't, The Nine - Inside The Supreme Court by Toobin is pretty interesting. It's a modern-day look at the Court instead of The Brethren. Covers all kinds of current issues, and is a pretty fascinating behind-the-scenes of the Court.

I also recently read The Nine and recommend it. (Also, 3 of the cases discussed in it came up in classes I observed during school visits last week.) Next on my list is The Court and the Cross.

+1 on The Nine even if Toobin idolized O'Connor a bit too much.

+1. The Nine was a fun read. Toobin's personal views of the Court can come through pretty strongly at points, but it is still a fun read. (Note that no one should read it as anything more than just simply fun.)

For those who haven't read them, I recently read To Kill a Mockingbird and A Civil Action for the first time. Neither will really help you prep for law school, but they are great pieces of legal lit. I was surprised how much I enjoyed A Civil Action.

[bloodonthetracks]

Read The Communist Manifesto and Atlas Shrugged at the same time alternating chapters. That will probably take your whole summer.

the communist manifesto is like 20 pages.

[bloodonthetracks]

Have Read:
1. Getting to Maybe (x2)
2. Law School Insider
3. Law School Confidential (x2)
4. Elements of Style
5. A History of American Law
6. LEEWS
7. Learning Legal Reasoning

To Read:
1. Thinking Like a Lawyer: A New Introduction to Legal Reasoning
2. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student
3. The Redbook: A Manual on Legal Style
4. Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text With Exercises
5. The Elements of Legal Style
6. Understanding Criminal Law
7. Constitutional Law: Principles And Policies
8. The Law of Torts: Examples & Explan​ations
9. Civil Procedure Examples & Explan​ations
10. Concepts And Case Analysis in the Law of Contracts
11. [Some book on property; to be determined]

seriously?

[opus127]

I also recently read The Nine and recommend it. (Also, 3 of the cases discussed in it came up in classes I observed during school visits last week.) Next on my list is The Court and the Cross.

+1 on The Nine even if Toobin idolized O'Connor a bit too much.

+1. The Nine was a fun read. Toobin's personal views of the Court can come through pretty strongly at points, but it is still a fun read. (Note that no one should read it as anything more than just simply fun.)

For those who haven't read them, I recently read To Kill a Mockingbird and A Civil Action for the first time. Neither will really help you prep for law school, but they are great pieces of legal lit. I was surprised how much I enjoyed A Civil Action.

I agree w/bold, but at this point my law-related reading is just to make me more excited about starting law school.

[bees]

For those who haven't read them, I recently read To Kill a Mockingbird and A Civil Action for the first time. Neither will really help you prep for law school, but they are great pieces of legal lit. I was surprised how much I enjoyed A Civil Action.

A Civil Action is great.