Joe Hutch
Mate of the bloke
I found it easier this time around; the first time I did struggle a bit. But compared to Finnegans Wake, everything is easy!
What are you reading right now?
- Thread starter sideshowbob
- Start date
I found it easier this time around; the first time I did struggle a bit. But compared to Finnegans Wake, everything is easy!
I know that I read this years ago - can't have made much of an impression on me as I have no recall whatsoever of what it was about.
Currently reading Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan.
Easy reading but a good yarn nonetheless...
Jim.
Joe Hutch
Mate of the bloke
I know that I read this years ago - can't have made much of an impression on me as I have no recall whatsoever of what it was about.
.
Conspiracy theories, drugs, tantrix sex, talking dolphins, drugs, and conspiracy theories. There's some stuff about a (German) rock group called 'The American Medical Association' who sound alarmingly like Kraftwerk.
cliffpatte
Speed camera anarchist
Just on my third novel by Simon Kernick.
If you read one crime novel this year, make it "Relentless". Its bloody marvellous.
If you read one crime novel this year, make it "Relentless". Its bloody marvellous.
joel
Painter of Dragons, Maker of Mirrors
Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin - A deeply illuminating guide to the evolution of the body, mutation and genetic drift. It's not perfect, but it is the best pop science book I've read in a long time.
vuk
\o/ choose anarchy
most recently, a couple of pinko books by michael parenti: "contrary notions" and "history as mystery". it's rare to read this sort of socio-economic/political analysis that really enlightens you beyond chomksy, orwell and the usual suspects, but parenti manages to do it (well, at least for me) on several occasions. i couldn't put these books down and their great to get your blood properly boiled against the savagery of right-wing capitalism.
i've also been trying to get through céline's "voyage au bout de la nuit" (journey to the end of the night), but am finding my turn-of-the-century (the other one) parisian slang to be really poor these days. it's so typical of the french not to provide what should have been copious footnotes for assistance.
for a change of pace, having browsed throught the thread, i picked three of your selections yesterday. one from cliff (simon kernick), one from hacker (bill bryston), the last from jonathan (neal stephenson)--dear god man, it was in the fantasy section!
vuk.
i've also been trying to get through céline's "voyage au bout de la nuit" (journey to the end of the night), but am finding my turn-of-the-century (the other one) parisian slang to be really poor these days. it's so typical of the french not to provide what should have been copious footnotes for assistance.
for a change of pace, having browsed throught the thread, i picked three of your selections yesterday. one from cliff (simon kernick), one from hacker (bill bryston), the last from jonathan (neal stephenson)--dear god man, it was in the fantasy section!
vuk.
sideshowbob
Champagne fascia aficionado
I'm reading an assortment of Guy Debord essays, in various books. They're all great, obviously.
-- Ian
-- Ian
Stalingrad by, er, Weaver, I think is his name. It's a historical account rather than a novel. It's huge and heavy going but breathtaking, and I'm not yet reading about the war in the city, only the land war that preceded it.
Prior to that it was a Roddy Doyle's "Paula Spencer" - not bad. It follows the life of a reformed alcoholic, one of life's victims but a survivor. "How late it was" by James Kelman covers similar ground and does it better.
Prior to that it was a Roddy Doyle's "Paula Spencer" - not bad. It follows the life of a reformed alcoholic, one of life's victims but a survivor. "How late it was" by James Kelman covers similar ground and does it better.
seagullsnacker
iGull
C.J.Sansoms' Matthew Shardlake series...
Dissolution
Dark Fire
Soveriegn
All one after another...absolutely great books centered around the religious and political intrigue at the time of Henry VIII.
If you are at all interested in the times of Reformation and/or Historical Crime fiction then this series is the one for you.
New book 'Revelation' out in a month or so....woo hoo!
Paul
Dissolution
Dark Fire
Soveriegn
All one after another...absolutely great books centered around the religious and political intrigue at the time of Henry VIII.
If you are at all interested in the times of Reformation and/or Historical Crime fiction then this series is the one for you.
New book 'Revelation' out in a month or so....woo hoo!
Paul
Jonathan Ribee
Unavailable at present
Thanks for this guys. I finally read Death and The Penguin and Penguin Lost. Suberb.
I've got some Murakami on the piles as well - Kafka on the Shore and Sputnik Sweetheart. Any advice on which first?
Current simultaneous reading is...
- The Tibetan Book Of The Dead
- Braysl, Ian McDonald
- Dallaglio "It's In The Blood: My Life"
- "Teach Yourself" Buddism
I like the last one. Category: Religion. Goal: Fundemental Understanding. So if I read these 200 pages I'll ascend? If that works I'll pop it up to fox when I've finished and his neighborhood group of Tibetans should vanish overnight...
vuk
\o/ choose anarchy
carl.
i'm about 40 pages or so through this and starting to get annoyed at the author's habit of failing to explain anything properly! does this go on and on that way?
this guy on amazon warned me:
He's great fun to read on personalities (although the accuracy of some of his characterizations is suspect) and he does have an ear for fascinating trivia, but science takes a back seat to all of this. All too often we get the beginning of an explanation that trails off into a "and anyways it's all very complicated but it's just fascinating" sort of gee-whiz summary."
vuk.
Jonathan Ribee
Unavailable at present
Another thought on those Kurkov books. Now, like most blokes I read Tolstoy and Kundera, leaving copies lying around so my co-ed fellow students would know that this mathematician was also a sensitive, noble appreciator of high art and obviously a candidate for a quick bunk up next time some alcohol was in their system.. ..but...
Russian books. Usually quite thick. Kurkov. Less thick. I think it's about the names.
In Tolstoy you have maybe thirty characters, but only eight names. This is overcome by having three or four names each - but the order in which each character uses them that is the unique identifier.
So - when three characters are together in the Salon - say: Nickolai Alexandraovich Ilych, Nickolai Ilych Alexandraovich and Ilych Alexandraovich Nickolai for instance, you've got to add a couple of pages per exchange just to identify who is speaking.
If they then start talking about their jobs - e.g. First Assistant Inspector of Education in the Third Schooling Distict of the Fifth Area of Moscow (for example) then it gets really sticky.
Kurkov has managed to keep that wonderful Russian "black" sense of ordinary lives being lived against a backdrop of momentus yet senseless history - has two characters called Misha (admittedly one being a Penguin and not contrinuting to dialogue) and lots of action without the need for humungous people lables. Until I read this I thought that unless you had the humungous people lables you just couldn't "do" Russian.
Or is it a Kiev thing?
Russian books. Usually quite thick. Kurkov. Less thick. I think it's about the names.
In Tolstoy you have maybe thirty characters, but only eight names. This is overcome by having three or four names each - but the order in which each character uses them that is the unique identifier.
So - when three characters are together in the Salon - say: Nickolai Alexandraovich Ilych, Nickolai Ilych Alexandraovich and Ilych Alexandraovich Nickolai for instance, you've got to add a couple of pages per exchange just to identify who is speaking.
If they then start talking about their jobs - e.g. First Assistant Inspector of Education in the Third Schooling Distict of the Fifth Area of Moscow (for example) then it gets really sticky.
Kurkov has managed to keep that wonderful Russian "black" sense of ordinary lives being lived against a backdrop of momentus yet senseless history - has two characters called Misha (admittedly one being a Penguin and not contrinuting to dialogue) and lots of action without the need for humungous people lables. Until I read this I thought that unless you had the humungous people lables you just couldn't "do" Russian.
Or is it a Kiev thing?
I'd say Kafka on the Shore -- I'm a massive Murakami obsessive (got everything except his newest which isn't out in paperback yet) and reckon it's one of his best stories, beautifully crafted and really magical -- Sputnik Sweetheart is also great (well I would say that) but it's more of a straightforward story in a way and might not be as enthralling to a n00b
as the wonderful Kafka.
Jonathan Ribee
Unavailable at present
Excellent - thank you. Kafka first, then Sputnik. Makes sense. I'm pretty sure they happened that way round the first time..
PigletsDad
My intelligence test came back negative.
Just finished Black Swan Green (David Mitchell) last night, which was good but not as good as Cloud Atlas or Number Nine Dream. Mildly interesting as it is set pretty much exactly round the area I live, with lots of local place names; except for Black Swan Green itself which is made up.
Arthur and George (Julian Barnes), not liking it very much yet.
The other side of you (Sally Vickers), well written, but not as good as some of her other books.
And I am waiting in line to read the new Ian Rankin, as soon as my wife gives it back to me!
Yes, I normally have four or five books on the go at once, and dip in and out of them as the mood takes me.
Arthur and George (Julian Barnes), not liking it very much yet.
The other side of you (Sally Vickers), well written, but not as good as some of her other books.
And I am waiting in line to read the new Ian Rankin, as soon as my wife gives it back to me!
Yes, I normally have four or five books on the go at once, and dip in and out of them as the mood takes me.