What book are you reading atm??

8mv

Spectacles by Sue Perkins

Not the sort of book I would buy for myself, but I got is as a gift. I like her TV appearances and this is exactly what you would expect - quite witty and well written. I came away liking her a little bit more. The chapter on TGBB is very good. No Pulitzer prize, but I enjoyed it.

cloudatlas

conorhal wrote: »

It's a cracking read. Even though it opens with an explicit instruction that this book should not be read in the context of modern history, nor is it about American hegemony... it so bloody is.
I know it's often far too easy to draw lazy analogies between empires and their rise and fall, but reading the book you can't help but think, the more things change the more they stay the same.

It's funny he should put that in the introduction to Rubicon because in the introduction to 'Persian Fire' which lays the ground to the battle of Thermopylae he writes about 9/11, orientalism, the crusades and the language used by the west to discuss the East.

eviltwin

Severed: A history of heads lost and heads found by Frances Larson. Not nearly as gruesome as it sounds.

gormdubhgorm

In cold blood by Truman Capote.Like real life who done in reverse, builds backgrounds and shows how the investigation worked

UsedToWait

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

In cold blood by Truman Capote.Like real life who done in reverse, builds backgrounds and shows how the investigation worked

Great read.. If you enjoy it, look up Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song, about the Gary Gilmore murders, and indeed Gilmore's brother Mikal's Shot in the Heart - both excellent books.

looksee

Ken Follett's Century trilogy - am on the last book, Edge of Eternity. I would not have thought that a series with so much politics and war would have kept me, but I am enjoying it, and have learned a lot too!

GLaDOS

2001: a Space Odyssey. I've never seen the movie so looking forward to working through this

Vinculus

ScienceNerd wrote: »

2001: a Space Odyssey. I've never seen the movie so looking forward to working through this

You probably know this already that A.C Clarke was writing the book as they made the movie and by the time they had the movie half made they still didn't have an ending. The were making it up as they went along.
The film is actually influenced by a short story called The Sentinel that was written by Clarke about ten years previous. It's great and it's really short, you'll finish it in no time at all.

GLaDOS

Yeah I knew that about the film/book Did not know about The Sentinel though, will check it out for sure.

brinty

looksee wrote:

Ken Follett's Century trilogy - am on the last book, Edge of Eternity. I would not have thought that a series with so much politics and war would have kept me, but I am enjoying it, and have learned a lot too!

I'm 300 pages into it too
Great reading
Looking forward to lots more Follett

Paddy Samurai

Still reading Queen of Fire by Anthony Ryan.Part 3 of a series,the reason it's taking me so long is that I forgot most the characters from the previous book.Can't remember who is who.Could have done with a character list in the book IMO.

gormdubhgorm

I was too lazy to read "To Kill a Mockingbird" so I watched the film instead...

Alf Veedersane

'Lanterne Rouge'.

It's a collection of stories of cyclists who were the last finishers in the Tour de France and the stories around them and the races they finished last in. Really interesting take on cycling and I'm not even a big cycling fan.

maudgonner

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

'Lanterne Rouge'.

It's a collection of stories of cyclists who were the last finishers in the Tour de France and the stories around them and the races they finished last in. Really interesting take on cycling and I'm not even a big cycling fan.

No way! I started reading that book tonight. Are you me from the future?

I've been struggling with life recently. So only about 20 pages into HhnH. I'm not sure if I'm going to like it.

Alf Veedersane

maudgonner wrote: »

No way! I started reading that book tonight. Are you me from the future?

It won't be long before I'm you from the past the rate I'm going through it

(That's not a comment on the book - I only really get to read on the way to work)

Paddy Samurai

Just started Ruin by John Gwynne.

Dirty Dingus McGee

Deleted User wrote: »

I've been struggling with life recently. So only about 20 pages into HhnH. I'm not sure if I'm going to like it.

I only got as far as the 10th page and just gave up with it.

Sounds like it could be a great book but I just didn't take to it.

It seemed to me to be making an attempt at deconstructing historical fiction as much as wanting to tell a good story which was the reason I gave up on it.

MRnotlob606

The General Charles De Gaulle by Jonathan Fenby. Great account of the tall and brave French man who saved France twice.

gutenberg

I've started Stephen King's 11.22.63. I know this has received very positive reviews on this thread, but so far I'm finding myself a bit unconvinced...

Shenshen

One flew over the cuckoo's nest.

I picked it up more or less by chance, one of those "Buy two, get the third free" deals. I knew it is a classic, so thought I'd give it a go.
I have to say, I'm surprised and impressed by it. A seriously good book, written in a very interesting perspective, giving a very bleak insight into the way human beings will almost inevitably arrange their society, no matter where or under what circumstances.

I would definitely recommend it.

Birneybau

ScienceNerd wrote: »

2001: a Space Odyssey. I've never seen the movie so looking forward to working through this

I'd recommend the sequels as well.

Currently reading 'Gold Fame Citrus' myself, early days, interesting so far.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Paddy Samurai wrote: »

Just started Ruin by John Gwynne.

I just started Malice. Is the series worth reading?

Paddy Samurai

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

I just started Malice. Is the series worth reading?

So far IMO its top notch series and well worth reading.Hopefully the last part will be as good as the first two and finish well.

Birneybau

Reading both 'Olive Kitteridge' by Elizabeth Strout and 'Gold Fame Citrus' by Claire Vaye Watkins, enjoying 'Olive Kitteridge' more at the moment, loved the mini-serious, loving the book.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The Origin of our Species. Chris Stringer.

Very informative and easily read.

Natural Harvest by Paul Photenhauer.

boobar

The 8th book in the Charlie Parker series...The Lovers

Only 2 chapters in so too early to tell....but I suppose it can't be too bad if I've already tucked into the first 7 offerings.

bonzodog2

boobar wrote: »

The 8th book in the Charlie Parker series...The Lovers

Only 2 chapters in so too early to tell....but I suppose it can't be too bad if I've already tucked into the first 7 offerings.

Thanks for that....

Just downloaded 11 ebooks of his, enjoying the first up until stupid-oclock reading it. If you like these, try James Lee Burke. e.g. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Cadillac-Jukebox-James-Lee-Burke/dp/140912696X/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=51c2HBzL9NL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_&refRID=032PJYE6CKFE6C7W92RT

diomed

Tennyson: To strive, to seek, to find by John Batchelor.

http://a4.files.biography.com/image/upload/c_fit,cs_srgb,dpr_1.0,h_1200,q_80,w_1200/MTE5NDg0MDU1MTQ4NjYwMjM5.jpg