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Just finished:
[i]Everything ravaged, everything burned[/i] by Wells Tower - much hyped, but lives up to it... an excellent collection of short stories.
Just started:
[i]Of men and their making[/i] by John Steinbeck - a selection of his non-fiction. He was a great travel writer, among other things.
Worst journey in the world
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
About halfway through Kate Griffin's [i]Stray Souls[/i]
Then probably going on to Ian M Banks' [i]Hydrogen Sonata[/i]
Not sure after that, I've got a couple of dozen ebooks downloaded that I can call on...
The secret race.......almost finished it........... 😯
Gone back to this again. Not read it for a number of years. Wondrous.
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Chavs the demonisation of the middle clases
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chavs-Demonization-Working-Owen-Jones/dp/1844678644
Fantastic book, just be careful where you read or leave it.
i'm still wading through the huge pile of world according to clarkson vols that i bought off ebay for about 25p.
Early on in [i]The Pale King[/i] by David Foster Wallace. Right now it's just prose fireworks - fasten your seatbelts whilst I hang my writerly baws out.
If it comes together as a story then it will be serious business. Not overly expectant of this happening given the circumstances of publication 🙁
Just acquired Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt.
Purchased after I'd overheard someone discussing Levitt's theory on how the decision in Roe vs. Wade (US - legalised abortion) effected the crime rate.
A Madness of Angels, by Kate Griffin.
Cannery Row - John Steinbeck
He was a great travel writer, among other things.
He's just about the greatest writer of all time in my view.
Two Concepts of Liberty - Isaiah Berlin
The Hitler Myth - Ian Kershaw
Bad Pharma: How drug companies mislead doctors and harm patients - Ben Goldacre
Kendalls Three volume Advanced theory of Statistics (cost me a LOT of money *sigh* lol)
Well if I'm being 100% honest I'm actually reading How I Won the Yellow Jumper by Ned Boulting at this very minute, which is OK.
Before that The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga which was great- story about modern slavery in India as told through the eyes of a 'driver' in Delhi.
Also Berlin Noir by Phillip Kerr which I really enjoyed- think noir fiction but set in 1930-40's Berlin.
Kendalls Advanced theory of Statistics Three volume (cost me 250 quid *sigh* lol)
Careful - you'll excite Stoner. 🙂
He's just about the greatest writer of all time in my view.
He's up there, for sure.
Just finished The snail and the whale.....
I suspect it might be the next book I read too
Just finished Cocaine Nights by J.G Ballard and The Joke's Over by Ralph Steadman.
Now on to Catch 22, for the first time, and really enjoying it.
On the list for the future: The Rum Diaries and the 3rd installment of Spike Milligan's war memoirs, though the name escapes me.
I recommend captain flashheart's choice - I've read it a couple of times as well as a couple of Hopkirk's others:
Foreign devils on the Silk Road
and
On Secret Service East of Constantinople
I'm currently on John Lewis Gaddis' 'The Cold War' - for the second time again. It's a very nicely written book with some disarmingly funny phrases:
Khruschev described as being like 'a petulant child playing with a loaded gun' is a particular fave.
"The mammy" by Brendan O'Carrol (Mrs. Browne's Boy's). Hilarious
Just finished The snail and the whale.....
Good but I think Room on the Broom is even better.
Now on to Catch 22, for the first time, and really enjoying it.
This is where I feel like a philistine - it's just a book I cannot get on with!
The Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters. An interesting view on how the psyche works. I may have a bash with the ideas with regards to biking. I prepare for the next few TdF winner!
Foreign devils on the Silk Road
*Adds to shopping list*
The terrible privacy of Maxwell Sim by Jonathan Coe
nope - room on the broom doesn't get a look in. Stick man on the other hand...
Just started Rings of Saturn by Max Sebald
After being disappointed with A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks, I've moved onto Beyond the Chindwin by Bernard Fergusson.
Catching up on a few missed years of ian m banks. The Lovely Bones next
In order of finishing, I have recently read
Victoria Pendleton biography - very interesting indeed
Obsessive, cycling compulsive disorder by Dave Barter - hilarious
Lee Mack, Biography - liked it
Hilary Devey (dragon's den fame) - Biography - poorly written, grim story and couldn't put it down
Am currently reading "The 100 year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared"
On reflection I'm thinking, I quite like biographies at the moment.
Ooh, really enjoyed A Week in December, more so than his early stuff. Opinion is a funny thing though, bought some James Ellroy after hearty recommendations on here and could't get on with it.
Yeah I was a bit disapppointed by A Week in December, not a bad book but certainly failed to meet my expectations.
Only read one James Ellroy - The Black Dahlia, amazingly good I thought.
Just finished Terrorist by John Updike, not as good as I hoped, fantastically well written though, glad I got it from the library rather than spending money on it though.
Also have A Winter Book by Tove Jansson (creator of the Moomins no less) on the go, lovely use of language, interesting collection of short stories, out of the four I've read so far one has been truly outstanding.
piemonster - Member
Worst journey in the worldPOSTED 2 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST
By far and away the best book ever. Read it countless times.
'The winter journey' chapter is just something else.
Currently reading Contact by Carl Sagan. Just finished The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. I'm a bit of a Sci-Fi nerd.
This is where I feel like a philistine - it's just a book I cannot get on with!
I can see why people wouldn't. The style is a bit of an acquired taste, quite sporadic. Not much has happened thus far, but I'm pretty much certain that's the point.
It's a style of writing I really get on with, quite similar to Kurt Vonnegut (a personal favorite) who, as it happens, would have been 90 yesterday if he were still alive.
Just finished The Secret Race. Decided not to follow up with Pendleton and found the Chimp book oddly disappointing. But started on fascinating History of the World in 100 objects.
Just starting "Brave new world" by Aldous Huxley 😯
may I recommend [url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dividing-the-Great-ebook/dp/B005U0OHTA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339757458&sr=8-1 ]Dividing the Great[/url]
'So Much For That' by Lionel Shriver. Amazing.
Almost finished Great North Road - Peter Hamilton ..it's not bad, bit of a page turner. This is being read in tandem with Postgres 9.0 High Performance - which is not recommended for a bit of light reading.
Just starting "Brave new world" by Aldous Huxley
On my top 10 list. Much more prescient than Orwell's 1984.
avdave2 - Member
[i]Just finished The snail and the whale.....[/i]
Good but I think Room on the Broom is even better.
Sorry, you're wrong.
The sea snail slithered all over the rock
And gazed at the sea and the ships in the dock.
And as she gazed she sniffed and sighed.
“The sea is deep and the world is wide!
The poetry, the pathos!
Currently reading: Game of Thrones, Programming in Scala, Cloud Atlas and A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century.
Just finished rereading The Stand, fancied a bit of easy reading plague-filled supernatural horror.
Almost finished Great North Road - Peter Hamilton ..it's not bad, bit of a page turner.
Worth getting then? I liked the rest of his stuff, hardly literature but fun escapist SF.
This is being read in tandem with Postgres 9.0 High Performance - which is not recommended for a bit of light reading.
I think I'll finish the Scala book first, not particularly light either.
Just read The Lost Army of Cambyses - Paul Sussman. Good page turner similar to Dan Brown
Now reading Animal Farm
After seeing the thread last week on The Road, I picked it up yday
100 pages in and stuggling to put it down. Knew I'd like it, after watching the film recently and the views of you guys last week.
Kok and Tvatt: Through Scandinavia on a Tandem by Neil Gander.
"There were two doors in the service block on the campsite at Kukkola. On the left door was written the word 'Kök', and on the right it said 'Tvätt'. This meant 'Kitchen'and 'Laundry', and not, as we had concluded, 'Gents' and 'Ladies.'"
Also highly recommend 'Ready Player One' by Ernest Cline.
As soon as I finished it I went straight back to the start and read it again.
Just finished 'Polity Agent' by Neal Asher
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo, written between WW1 and WW2 but probably asssociated more with Vietnam.
mogrim - agreed on Snail and The Whale! By far and away my favourite on the kids' bookshelves. Lyrically it makes me think of [url= http://www.mcgonagall-online.org.uk/gems/the-tay-bridge-disaster ]The Tay Bridge Disaster[/url] by William McGonagall, cruelly derided as Scotland's worst poet.
Ro5ey and other CM fans, try reading William Gay - similar kind of thing from a less well known author. Twilight, Provinces of Night and The Long Home are all excellent.
Mogrim - definitely worth it as it is mahoosive and the first SF I have read with Geordies in it
If you go to the British Library you can read On the Road for free! Remarkable typed manuscript on a massive piece of paper. It's 120' long!
For fun I'm reading one of Nesbo's Nordic noirs and a book about web traffic.
About half way through Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. Very hard reading, not for the content, but the style of writing requires slowing down and thinking.
Had finished Neuromancer the week before...so quite a shift!
The Labyrinth of Osiris – Paul Sussman. It’s fiction based on fact, bit India Jones’ish but more involved with accurate accounts of the peoples, cities (past and present) and archaeological treasure hunting..
I like stuff like this so if anyone has something they’d like to recommend, go ahead.
Sitting on the shelf are David Millars and Tyler Hamiltons books.
andeh
...Now on to Catch 22, for the first time, and really enjoying it.
On the list for the future: The Rum Diaries and the 3rd installment of Spike Milligan's war memoirs, though the name escapes me.
If you enjoy Catch 22 and like Spike Milligan, look out for Puckoon. It reads a bit like a Milligan version of Catch 22 but set in Ireland; it's about the positioning of the border.
[url= http://www.g4tv.com/videos/60557/ready-player-one-author-ernest-clines-delorean-giveaway/#video-61482 ]Link[/url] to interview with Ready Player One author Ernest Cline including Delorean give-away and Top Gear style challenge.
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I recently read 'Shadows in the wind' by Carlos Ruiz Zafon which was excellent and helped that I was in holiday in Barcelone at the time. Just finished the Pantani and Tyler Hamilton books which are both good as well.
Currently reading 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami - not his best TBH but still a good read.
Just starting "Brave new world" by Aldous Huxley
I've heard this charts the bizarre activity inside 'Yodagoats' Heid.
Half way through...
Wasp - Eric Frank Russell
Just finished 'Who Would Fardels Bear?' by Edward Reardon.
There aren't any bears in it, which is disappointing.
Just got Danny Baker's autobiography, Going to sea in a sieve.
Possibly the strangest book I've ever read. I can't imagine what the end is going to be like.
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I'm about half way through Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin. I'm finding it very lazily written and I don't know if I will get to the end.
[i]Veterinary Notes for Cat Owners [/i] 🙁
Concurrent with David Starkey's [i]Monarchy[/i]
Just finished autobiogs by Bob Mould and Tim Burgess...Bob seems to know what he's done in the past a whole lot more than Tim, but Tim blew cocaine up his mates arses so I think they've both done some strange stuff.
Just back to back read the first 2 Hunger Games books, waiting for Mrs Lister to finish the 3rd...lots of plot holes but I want to know how it'll all end up.
Littlelister#1 has just got into my Church Mice books that I had as a boy, they are great!
Snail and the Whale is my favourite too...
Just finished 'River of smoke' by Amitav Ghosh.. He does a very good historical novel. Now reading 'Among the Dervishes' by O.M.Burke, great book.
Just finished Cobras In The Rough by Grant Gordon and found that to be pretty interesting. I'm now reading Notes From A Big Country by Bill Bryson for about the 3rd time.
Started but didn't finish 150 Watts of Awesome by some bint who is right up herself. I just couldn't stand her any more by page 97!
Just finished, in less than 24 hours, The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton to get a very different perspective on the whole Lance thing. Well written and makes you wonder if you would just swallow the pills because every one else is doing it.
Not long finished [i]The Lewis Man[/i] by Peter May [having previously read [i]The Blackhouse[/i], the 1st of a trilogy of which The Lewis Man is the 2nd book]. Very enjoyable and you can lose yourself in the atmosphere he creates in his descriptions of The Western Isles.
Currently reading Victoria Pendleton's [auto]biography.
Albanach - MemberJust finished Cobras In The Rough by Grant Gordon and found that to be pretty interesting. I'm now reading Notes From A Big Country by Bill Bryson for about the 3rd time.
"I'm from Iowa. Well, someone has to be..." 😆