What book are you reading atm??

A Dub in Glasgo

The Easter Rising by Barton and Foy.. excellent book

scream

Finally got round to 'Mein Kampf' by Adolf Hitler. Am only 40 pages in, but strangely he seems like a nice likeable sort of chap so far.

McChubbin

Currently reading Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner by Judy Melinek. Good book! Some shocking moments in it but also quite fascinating if you're into pathology and mortuary sciences.

madmaggie

I'm re reading The Kingdom by the Sea by Paul Theroux, his journey around the coast of the U.K. in 1982. It is dated, but interesting because and despite that.

Mars Bar

City of Dragons by Robin Hobb

K-9

I am Pilgram, a page turner, that's about it really.

John Le Carre's biography by Adam Sisman was fascinating. The usual literally spats as you'd expect in any writers life, Salman Rushdie, Graham Greene, Clive James etc.

What makes this stand out is Le Carre's father, incorrigible fraudster, con man, womaniser, serial bankruptee, just all round loveable rogue. He was covered in Le Carre's books before, the Perfect Spy in particular, but you get the historically accurate picture here, mover in high society, cricket, politics, theatre, colonial contacts, later the famous writers father, whatever fig leaf he could grasp to make a few pound. The Krays even get mentioned.

Le Carre's mother walked out on the children and never really came in from the cold. Really, you could have had a book about the father alone.


Le Carre's early life is fascinating, public prestigious schools that his father couldn't afford, and John felt an outsider in, yet was always very popular amongst students and teachers. Goes to Switzerland aged 16.

I thought I knew Le Carre well, knew he was a spy, never knew he spied for Mi5 and Mi6, that's rare enough.

I suppose it is easy to forget just how significant spying was, what with Jame Bond and yep, LeCarre. LeCarre was a spy in Berlin when the wall went up, Kim Philby detected to Moscow (how he wasn't found out 10 years before, the truth is stranger than the fiction) Blake etc. the KGB infiltrating Mi6, became rather boring in the end, because, well,the KGB exploited angst ridden Westerners!

Probably the most exciting thing about Philby and the Cambridge 5 was, how much did they get into the CIA? Answer, pretty fecking deep! They intercepted US to British communications at a very high level. The Soviet Union failed, but they won at espionage!

Still, that Cuban missile crisis, Profumo scandal, Philby etc. the 5 or 6 years he was a spy are probably the most memorable ever. Le Carre was a small enough player, but met Prime Ministers and other big players, but at a very significant time.

As for his writing, the Spy who came in from the Cold was a phenomenon, it's past the zeitgeist, 35 weeks a US No.1 bestseller, another 5 books topping the US book charts. He ended up seen as Anti Anerican with his later books but still came in top 10 ten book charts easily.

About 10 books have been made into films or TV series. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I'd say it is rare a book has reached critical acclaim as both a tv series and a film.

About 10 of his books became Films or TV series

He's a fascinating character, son of a con man and fraudster, no real mother,a spy, a teacher in very posh private schools, spied again, an adulterer, seemed to live in an open second marriage, I could go on and on.

He's 83 now, and yeah, he's an angry old man. An angry old man that can produce the Constant Gardener and let us all know what big pharma are like. Not as if we didn't really know.

He was always an outsider. The odd thing is, while many of the literary circles thought he wanted to be one of them, he refused a knighthood and a booker prize.

Personally, I just want to read another Le Carre. He's up there with Graham Greene or Joseph Conrad.

Shenshen

"If on a winter's night a traveller" by Italo Calvino. I'm not sure why I picked it up, I think that poetic half-title may have intrigued me. But I'm happy I did. I only started and love the quirkiness of the author. Constantly addressing the reader directly, actually making the addressed reader part of the telling of the story, wandering off on "what if" trails only to return to his story telling you to stop distracting... not for everyone, I would imagine, but I really like it.

I've also started "Better angels of our nature" by Stephen Pinker. A history of violence and humanity. I've read a few of his books concerning evolutionary and linguistic psychology, and was always rather fascinated by his insights and deductions. This book promises nothing less. He links psychology and evolutionary biology, doing away with the notion that our minds and consequently our behaviour are in any way independent from our nervous systems and brains, and examines human development both as individuals and as a species from that angle. And he's a good writer, meaning the books are a joy to read as well as instructive.

Cee-Jay-Cee

I'm currently reading 'Finding Lost' which is a sort of insight into each series of 'Lost' and is very very good. Its amazing the amount of things that go un-noticed when watching the programme but that I remember/realise after reading the book. Highly recommended for any Lost fan.

KikiDee wrote: »

Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden

Excellent book and quite an extraordinary man and story!

Qiaonasen

Currently reading Freakonimics by Levitt and Dubner. Bought it from a book seller in China about 4 years ago for a euro. Just getting round to reading it now. Quite nice interesting and easy read.

Currently listening to pride and prejudice audiobook while jogging.

Birneybau

'Maestra'. Fcuk it, been reading heavy stuff lately.

Lavinia

Birneybau wrote: »

'Maestra'. Fcuk it, been reading heavy stuff lately.

What is that book about? Kinda like the sound of the title..

Birneybau

Lavinia wrote: »

What is that book about? Kinda like the sound of the title..

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/mar/28/maestra-ls-hilton-erotica-fifty-shades-observer-review

arybvtcw0eolkf

'City if Lies' ; Love, sex, death and the search for the truth in Tehran. By Ramita Navai

Drawn from conversations whispered across tables in the cafes that line Vali Asr, Tehran’s pulsing central thoroughfare, Ramita Navai gives voice to the unforgettable lives of ordinary people forced to live extraordinary lives in modern Tehran: the porn star, the ageing socialite, the assassin and enemy of the state who ends up working for the Republic, the religious militiaman who undergoes a sex change, the dutiful housewife who files for divorce, and the old-time thug running a gambling den.

Rich, absorbing and exotic, this is an insider’s glimpse into the local personalities, the unremarkable busy bodies and hysterical intrigues buzzing about the city like you’ve never seen before. This is a place where Mullahs visit prostitutes, cosmetic surgeons restore girls' virginity and homemade porn is bought and sold in the bazaars. Here, survival depends on an intricate network of lies and falsehoods. Far removed from the picture of Tehran we glimpse in news stories, we are shown another city—a hidden city—but a far more honest one.

carefulnowted

Finished World War Z a few days ago. I was initially a bit put off by the interview format but I got used to it and ended up really enjoying the different perspectives. Some of the stories were very exciting and it was interesting to see the different opinions each country had on how best to deal with the problem.

Rubberlegs

Mort by Terry Pratchett. I love when you are just a few pages into a book, and you are drawn right into it, and know you are going to love it

Teyla Emmagan

I read Victor Gischler's "Ink Mage" series this week and CS Quinn's "The Thief Taker". Enjoyed all.

Sometimes I think Kindle Unlimited is the best thing ever.

jprboy

Qiaonasen wrote: »

Currently reading Freakonimics by Levitt and Dubner. Bought it from a book seller in China about 4 years ago for a euro. Just getting round to reading it now. Quite nice interesting and easy read.

Currently listening to pride and prejudice audiobook while jogging.

The followup SuperFreakonomics is quite good too.

rsh118

Bolivar by Maria Arana. Pretty grippingly written, a little soft on him, but a fantastic read about an area and figure we know of but tend to learn little about.

Brilliant read.

Antar Bolaeisk

Just off the back of two days travelling so managed to read through:

The Assimilated Cuban's Guide to Quantum Santeria, a collection of mostly science-fictional stories, some good, some bad that definitely lives up to it's name. The closest thing I can think of to compare it to is Black Mirror (but not necessarily with the same sting in every story). There's some very good, thought provoking ideas in it.

The Stars My Destination, a classic sci-fi novel and it's not hard to see why. I loved probably the first 70% of the book but kinda disconnected with it a bit before the end. Lot's of fantastic ideas that are (mostly) still relevant today, possibly even more so, which is no small feat for a sixty year old science fiction story. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone with an interest in proper sci-fi.

bonzodog2

jprboy wrote: »

The followup SuperFreakonomics is quite good too.

There's also Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain
http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Freak-Authors-Freakonomics/dp/0062218344/ref=pd_bxgy_14_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1K18XFE2ED4H1MGSR3QQ

Currently reading room. It's good if not great. About 2/3rds the way through.

eisenberg1

Killing Time by Karl Williams

It's about a group of English tourist falsely arrested for drug smuggling in Dubai, and their incarceration in "Dubai's Most Notorious Prisons"

Only after I bought (€23) did I discover the co-author used to be a reporter for The Sun........

It's a crock of sh1t. I'd say the writer is very fond of prison stories himself and half of it is in his head.

In short, don't bother.

melissak

The men who stole the world. About tax havens. Very interesting so far.

boobar

Sex Lives of Siamese Twins by Irvine Welsh

Very good work of fiction, not written in his usual Scottish dialect. Dark humour, pitiful victims being preyed upon by depraved sadists.

Not for everyone, but I find Welsh brilliant at sending up America's obsession with celebrity and body image.

bonzodog2

McChubbin wrote: »

Currently reading Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner by Judy Melinek. Good book! Some shocking moments in it but also quite fascinating if you're into pathology and mortuary sciences.

I'm a few chapters into this. You might like the books of Kathy Reichs
http://www.amazon.co.uk/kathy-reichs-Books/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A266239%2Ck%3Akathy%20reichs

Finished room. Overall, I enjoyed parts of it but it was a disappointment! Now onto the second charlie parker book.

boobar

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Finished room. Overall, I enjoyed parts of it but it was a disappointment! Now onto the second charlie parker book.

I thought Room was very cleverly written, the child's descriptions of his surroundings and the language especially.

I just started the 9th Charlie Parker novel The Whisperers last night. A super collection of supernatural novels.

chops018

I am thinking of reading Salem's Lot - is it good?

I have read the Shining before which I found good but it took ages to get going with excitement etc. I then read 11/22/63 which I thought was fantastic.
I don't want another King novel that takes ages to get going so wondering if Salem's lot is more like the Shining or if it's a real page turner like 11/22/63.

I want to read either The Stand or IT soon too - what are they like? The over 1,000 pages turns me off, but I have read books near this long before but it was the likes of the Lord of the Rings just in one volume so I suppose it wasn't even one proper novel.

Lisha

Just finished the 'Taming of the Queen' by Phillipa Gregory. Loved it really enjoyed it.

I also read 'Asking for It' by Louise O Neill. It's well worth reading . Very upsetting and close to the bone at times, but I'd highly recommend it.

Barna77

chops018 wrote: »

I am thinking of reading Salem's Lot - is it good?

I have read the Shining before which I found good but it took ages to get going with excitement etc. I then read 11/22/63 which I thought was fantastic.
I don't want another King novel that takes ages to get going so wondering if Salem's lot is more like the Shining or if it's a real page turner like 11/22/63.

I want to read either The Stand or IT soon too - what are they like? The over 1,000 pages turns me off, but I have read books near this long before but it was the likes of the Lord of the Rings just in one volume so I suppose it wasn't even one proper novel.

Salem's Lot is an excellent book. I flew through it. Gave it away when I moved, I should have kept it...
Don't let the tv mini series with David Soul deceive you. It has aged badly