Author Topic: What books are we reading at the moment ? (Read 844958 times)

mark · « **Reply #1025 on:** 28 December, 2009, 04:55:10 pm »

The Third Reich: A New History by Michael Burleigh. The author describes late WWI and the post WWI period in some detail and gives a good picture of just how chaotic Germany was in those years, in an attempt to explain just how Adolf Hitler was able to sieze power.

cpjmathieson · « **Reply #1026 on:** 28 December, 2009, 05:04:50 pm »

I am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne...great book he's a complete nutter lol

Ray 6701 · « **Reply #1027 on:** 28 December, 2009, 06:15:05 pm »

Hero's villains & velodromes by Richard Moore. A Christmas present from my big sister

microphonie · « **Reply #1028 on:** 29 December, 2009, 06:12:37 pm »

Having finally abandoned The Illuminatus Trilogy half way through the Appendices I started Light by M John Harrison, which is pretty good so far.

her_welshness · « **Reply #1029 on:** 29 December, 2009, 11:06:40 pm »

'Girl with the dragon tattoo' by Larssen. We had a bumper donation of good books into the library today

LadyVet · « **Reply #1030 on:** 29 December, 2009, 11:13:27 pm »

Journey through Britain - John Hillaby. Very good - reading it 'cos of the quote, recorded at the start of an Arrivee article, of an old man's comment before the end of page 1.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #1031 on:** 30 December, 2009, 08:47:41 am »

Just started on:

Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality by Manjit Kumar

Then it will be two more from more Christmas trove:

The Making of Modern Britain: vol 1 and 2 by Andrew Marr

Death-Devoted Heart: Sex and the Sacred in Wagner's Tristan and Isolde by Roger Scruton

I might have to read some trashy Space Opera in between those as sometimes my brain needs a rest.

Palinurus · « **Reply #1032 on:** 31 December, 2009, 11:39:36 am »

Nothing really special recently until Alistair Horne's "Seven Ages of Paris".

Good stuff, and it'll surely lead to further reading.

andrewc · « **Reply #1033 on:** 31 December, 2009, 11:51:19 am »

Quote from: LadyVet on 29 December, 2009, 11:13:27 pm

Journey through Britain - John Hillaby. Very good - reading it 'cos of the quote, recorded at the start of an Arrivee article, of an old man's comment before the end of page 1.

If you like that follow it up with Nicolas Crane's "Two Degrees West", a more contemporary account of a long foot journey through England http://www.amazon.co.uk/Two-Degrees-West-English-Journey/dp/0140272364

Flying_Monkey · « **Reply #1034 on:** 31 December, 2009, 03:07:45 pm »

Finished Kalooki Nights (ho-hum... well-written but hardly the work of genius some reviewers claimed - more like a Jewish Buddha of Suburbia). Then read Le Guin's predictably lovely Tales from Earthsea. Now reading the new Ian M. Banks...

LadyVet · « **Reply #1035 on:** 31 December, 2009, 05:19:09 pm »

Quote from: andrewc on 31 December, 2009, 11:51:19 am

Quote from: LadyVet on 29 December, 2009, 11:13:27 pm
Journey through Britain - John Hillaby. Very good - reading it 'cos of the quote, recorded at the start of an Arrivee article, of an old man's comment before the end of page 1.

If you like that follow it up with Nicolas Crane's "Two Degrees West", a more contemporary account of a long foot journey through England http://www.amazon.co.uk/Two-Degrees-West-English-Journey/dp/0140272364

Thanks for this tip - I'll certainly give it a try

citoyen · « **Reply #1036 on:** 31 December, 2009, 05:44:26 pm »

I have started my annual post-birthday Wodehouse binge.

To explain: I am collecting (albeit very slowly) the gorgeous Everyman hardback editions and it's become the done thing that everyone gets me Wodehouse books for my birthday. Which is brilliant.

Ergo, two days ago, which was my birthday, I acquired ten more for the collection, viz:
Bill The Conqueror
A Gentleman of Leisure
Heavy Weather
The Inimitable Jeeves
Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit
Nothing Serious
Right Ho, Jeeves
Sam The Sudden
Something Fishy
Uneasy Money

It's actually starting to look like A Collection now, rather than just a coincidence. There are even a few among these that I haven't read before.

d.

Zoidburg · « **Reply #1037 on:** 31 December, 2009, 06:21:26 pm »

I have clutched in my grubby mits a copy of "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy.

andrewc · « **Reply #1038 on:** 31 December, 2009, 09:15:43 pm »

Quote from: LadyVet on 31 December, 2009, 05:19:09 pm

Quote from: andrewc on 31 December, 2009, 11:51:19 am
Quote from: LadyVet on 29 December, 2009, 11:13:27 pm
Journey through Britain - John Hillaby. Very good - reading it 'cos of the quote, recorded at the start of an Arrivee article, of an old man's comment before the end of page 1.

If you like that follow it up with Nicolas Crane's "Two Degrees West", a more contemporary account of a long foot journey through England http://www.amazon.co.uk/Two-Degrees-West-English-Journey/dp/0140272364

Thanks for this tip - I'll certainly give it a try

You might also like Hamish Brown's "Hamish's Groats End Walk", that would give you one from 60's, 70's and 90's. Different authors, different routes and an evolving picture of Britain/England.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #1039 on:** 31 December, 2009, 09:37:51 pm »

I'm about half way through Tim O'Grady's Divine Magnetic Lands. Excellent read

Torslanda · « **Reply #1040 on:** 01 January, 2010, 12:40:03 am »

I'm about to start a right old doorstop

The Official History of MI5

I might be some time . . .

LadyVet · « **Reply #1041 on:** 02 January, 2010, 11:27:13 am »

Quote from: andrewc on 31 December, 2009, 09:15:43 pm

Quote from: LadyVet on 31 December, 2009, 05:19:09 pm
Quote from: andrewc on 31 December, 2009, 11:51:19 am
Quote from: LadyVet on 29 December, 2009, 11:13:27 pm
Journey through Britain - John Hillaby. Very good - reading it 'cos of the quote, recorded at the start of an Arrivee article, of an old man's comment before the end of page 1.

If you like that follow it up with Nicolas Crane's "Two Degrees West", a more contemporary account of a long foot journey through England http://www.amazon.co.uk/Two-Degrees-West-English-Journey/dp/0140272364

Thanks for this tip - I'll certainly give it a try

You might also like Hamish Brown's "Hamish's Groats End Walk", that would give you one from 60's, 70's and 90's. Different authors, different routes and an evolving picture of Britain/England.

Thanks - I'd best start writing a list methinks!! The John Hillaby route goes through some LEL places - but he doesn't add a lot to my memory of them

MSeries · « **Reply #1042 on:** 02 January, 2010, 11:31:41 am »

The Midnight Bell - Francis Lathom
Journey to the Centre of the Earth - Richard & Nicholas Crane
WWII Behind Close Doors - Laurence Rees

her_welshness · « **Reply #1043 on:** 02 January, 2010, 01:17:24 pm »

Have just finished 'Girl with the dragon tattoo'. It were reet bloody good. Desperately trying to find a library copy of the second one (the girl who played with fire) but there are lots of reservations for this trilogy at the library

redshift · « **Reply #1044 on:** 02 January, 2010, 03:25:23 pm »

Quote from: torslanda on 01 January, 2010, 12:40:03 am

I'm about to start a right old doorstop

The Official History of MI5

I might be some time . . .

Sorry, that was my fault. Still, I've managed to get as far as p19 of the introduction to section A...

The Andrew Ross Sorkin "Too Big To Fail" should be required reading for anyone who's interested in ~~last year's~~ 2008's financial lunacy.

Manotea · « **Reply #1045 on:** 02 January, 2010, 03:29:22 pm »

I've just ordered Starship Troopers, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and Ringworld for Ms Manotea the Elder to take to college.

Well, she is reading Classics...

Tom B · « **Reply #1046 on:** 02 January, 2010, 06:11:07 pm »

Quote

Well, she is reading Classics...

Plenty of parallels between Starship Troopers and the Iliad in their approach to perpetual violence and the cult of the warrior

(Edit) ...and quite possible that the society Heinlein describes was influenced by reading Plato's Republic

her_welshness · « **Reply #1047 on:** 03 January, 2010, 07:25:01 pm »

Am 200 pages into 'The Girl who played with fire', the second of the Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larsson.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #1048 on:** 04 January, 2010, 01:44:49 pm »

Hypothermia ~ Arnaldur Indriðason. And a nice big pile of other Scandiwegian crime fiction still waiting. Johna Theorin's "Echoes FRom The Dead" says "If you like Stieg Larsson you'll love this" on the cover. If I don't there'll be trouble.

groucho · « **Reply #1049 on:** 04 January, 2010, 02:09:52 pm »

Let the Great World Spin - Collum McCann & The Death of Bunny Munroe - Nick Cave. Both riveting and quite different.

Author Topic: What books are we reading at the moment ? (Read 844958 times)

cpjmathieson

Flying_Monkey

Zoidburg