Jonathan Ribee
Unavailable at present
I think so - the Chrurch vs Illuminati with the parachuting at the end.
What are you reading right now?
- Thread starter sideshowbob
- Start date
JustJohn
pfm Member
Just finished: Francis Wheen, How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World. A scattershot demolition of wooly modern thinking. Worth it for the hobnailed boot of reason he uses to stomp all over Thatcher.
In progress: Niall Ferguson, Empire. An eminently level-headed analysis of the impact of the British Empire.
Coming up: David Thomson, The Whole Equation, an idiosyncratic history of Hollywood. After that, The Confusion, the second part of Neal Stephenson's jaw-droppingly ambitious Baroque Cycle.
In progress: Niall Ferguson, Empire. An eminently level-headed analysis of the impact of the British Empire.
Coming up: David Thomson, The Whole Equation, an idiosyncratic history of Hollywood. After that, The Confusion, the second part of Neal Stephenson's jaw-droppingly ambitious Baroque Cycle.
space cadet
dronefed and floating
I've just started a book called Acid Dreams The complete social history of LSD The CIA The Sixties And Beyond
It's full of conspiracy theories already which is always fun.
It's full of conspiracy theories already which is always fun.
Joe Hutch
Mate of the bloke
Like others in this thread, I usually have several books on the go. Currently, these are:
Anthony a Wood's Life and Times. An autobiography of a 17th century historian. I'm on volume 2 of 3.
On and off I'm reading Don Juan by Lord Byron, and have just finished reading a history of the Byzantine empire.
I'm about one-third of the way through Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Anthony a Wood's Life and Times. An autobiography of a 17th century historian. I'm on volume 2 of 3.
On and off I'm reading Don Juan by Lord Byron, and have just finished reading a history of the Byzantine empire.
I'm about one-third of the way through Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
Richard Nichola
pfm Member
Without a doubt the biggest pile of dross I've read in a long, long while. Da Vinci Code is the sequel and is a (little) bit better. Though the fact it is set in a post "Angels and Demons" world makes it laughable.
The other two Dan Brown books are better.
"Cloud Atlas" by ICan'tRememberHisName is very good, though I think I should have read it serially rather than the first story, then the second story, then the third story etc.
The book is a set of "broken in the middle" stories, which are interconnected by a character in each story being a reincarnation of a character from an earlier story and also by each main character hearing or reading half the previous story early on in their own story and then completing the previous story at the end of their own story.
The stories start in the 1700s and end in the future.
Now the dross of Da Vinci is out the way I can get back to some proper reading.
Next on the list:
Charles Bukowski "Ham on Rye" - Never read a thing by him before so I'll see how it goes.
Will Self "Dr Mukti and Other Tales of Woe" - Love Will Self even if the dictionary has to come out occasionally.]
Gary
Next on the list:
Charles Bukowski "Ham on Rye" - Never read a thing by him before so I'll see how it goes.
Will Self "Dr Mukti and Other Tales of Woe" - Love Will Self even if the dictionary has to come out occasionally.]
Gary
Jonathan Ribee
Unavailable at present
Probably the most fun I've had this year was reading the Baroque trilogy by Neal Stephenson that recounts an almost history of the restoration, royal society etc - sort of a prequal to Cryptonomicon.
Rip snortingly good fun. A bit 'modern characters in a historical setting' - but excellent fun.
Rip snortingly good fun. A bit 'modern characters in a historical setting' - but excellent fun.
Hi Tim,
I'm about 1/2 way done and I'm really enjoying it. Never a dull moment IMO, so we have different sensibilites, surely.
I seem to indentify with all the characters in one way or another...
It's a bit metaphor heavy (like, 1 every 10 pages), but so far it hasn't annoyed.
I'm about 1/2 way done and I'm really enjoying it. Never a dull moment IMO, so we have different sensibilites, surely.
I seem to indentify with all the characters in one way or another...
It's a bit metaphor heavy (like, 1 every 10 pages), but so far it hasn't annoyed.
mentalp
pfm Member
Another vote for Francis Wheen's Mumbo Jumbo - about half way through it at the moment.
Next up is Ian Rankin's Fleshmarket Close - was given it as a present he other day.
What I'd really like to see would be a James Ellroy follow up to American Tabloid & The Cold Six Thousand
Next up is Ian Rankin's Fleshmarket Close - was given it as a present he other day.
What I'd really like to see would be a James Ellroy follow up to American Tabloid & The Cold Six Thousand
Kit Taylor
Well-Known Member
Chloroform: The Quest for Oblivion, by Linda Stratmann.
The history the discovery and (somethimes naughty) use of the world's first real anaesthetic, discovered in by american Samuel Gutherie in 1831. Gruesome, inspiring, fast paced and interesting 200 page A5 sized hardback tome. Focuses on a number of interesting Victorian individuals.
I think history may have been a bit unfair on the Victorians. They seemed to have spent most of their time taking drugs, blowing things up in their sheds, being generally bonkers and denouncing the enemies of scientific progress, instead of moaning about how much better everything was in the past like a bunch of bloody whingers.
The history the discovery and (somethimes naughty) use of the world's first real anaesthetic, discovered in by american Samuel Gutherie in 1831. Gruesome, inspiring, fast paced and interesting 200 page A5 sized hardback tome. Focuses on a number of interesting Victorian individuals.
I think history may have been a bit unfair on the Victorians. They seemed to have spent most of their time taking drugs, blowing things up in their sheds, being generally bonkers and denouncing the enemies of scientific progress, instead of moaning about how much better everything was in the past like a bunch of bloody whingers.
Currently on Dylan's autibiography, which I'm enjoying.
Am saving up the last Annie Proulx (formerly E. Annie Proulx, for some reason). I've got 'Bad Dirt (Wyoming Stories 2)' on the shelf, the only one I haven't read, and she has said she's not going to write any more. Hope she changes her mind.
Am saving up the last Annie Proulx (formerly E. Annie Proulx, for some reason). I've got 'Bad Dirt (Wyoming Stories 2)' on the shelf, the only one I haven't read, and she has said she's not going to write any more. Hope she changes her mind.
Rico
Bloody Colonials
I too read the Da Vinci code. Someone who visited on holiday kindly left it here when they'd finished - it was plodding, not very clever, typical light holiday airport bookshop bestseller reading. I'm sure it gives loads of folk plenty to ponder on, historically and all. But tours and documentarys? Why not read the history for themselves! 
Dross.
I'm not short on material right now, but am short on time. I'm part through a real estate book (Neil Jenman), and have just started Oswald's Tale by Norman Mailer. While I don't at all support the lone gunman thoery, I thought this might be entertaining. Finished Forza Amon a while back, biography of Chris Amon, former F1 legend - a good read for motor racing fans.
oh well, back to sanding.
Rico
Dross.I'm not short on material right now, but am short on time. I'm part through a real estate book (Neil Jenman), and have just started Oswald's Tale by Norman Mailer. While I don't at all support the lone gunman thoery, I thought this might be entertaining. Finished Forza Amon a while back, biography of Chris Amon, former F1 legend - a good read for motor racing fans.
oh well, back to sanding.
Rico
Metallifan
pfm Member
Just finished 'Scar Tissue' (Anthony Kiedis biography),its quite a fast read,I enjoyed it.