Author Topic: What books are we reading at the moment ? (Read 846680 times)

Marco Stefano · « **Reply #2175 on:** 20 December, 2011, 10:23:26 pm »

Wobegon Boy - Garrison Keillor

Boy from Lake Wobegon goes to New York to work. About life, love, public radio, Norwegian immigrants, Lutherans, farming, ageing, death, imagined history, going home... For me, characterful storytelling with frequent sudden snorting laughs. Good.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #2176 on:** 21 December, 2011, 09:46:15 am »

The Diamond Queen ~ Andrew Marr. Biography of Her Maj. What possessed my to buy this I ken not, but it's jolly interesting.

tiermat · « **Reply #2177 on:** 29 December, 2011, 08:49:09 am »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 21 December, 2011, 09:46:15 am

The Diamond Queen ~ Andrew Marr. Biography of Her Maj. What possessed my to buy this I ken not, but it's jolly interesting.

I have seen posters for this everywhere, and keep thinking it might be worth reading.

Until that happens though I have a late Xmas present to read, it arrived yesterday. The Chimp Paradox (which, as some will know, has been on my amazon wish list since July but has only just been released), TLD bought it for me for Xmas.

I may uncontactable for a while

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #2178 on:** 29 December, 2011, 09:27:02 am »

The Blackhouse ~ Peter May. Polis investigating a murrder in Windy's neck of the woods (or rather no woods coz all the trees were blown down shortly afte rthe end of the last Ice age).

Quint · « **Reply #2179 on:** 29 December, 2011, 06:00:24 pm »

Got Thunder and Sunshine by Alastair Humphreys for Christmas, while his journey is amazing his writing is considerably less so, he seems to skim over the journey with little detail, I would not buy anything else by him

andygates · « **Reply #2180 on:** 29 December, 2011, 07:43:36 pm »

Gorging on Rudy Rucker. Trippy SF. Mievielle's Un Lun Dun lined up.

tiermat · « **Reply #2181 on:** 29 December, 2011, 09:43:10 pm »

Quote from: Quint on 29 December, 2011, 06:00:24 pm

Got Thunder and Sunshine by Alastair Humphreys for Christmas, while his journey is amazing his writing is considerably less so, he seems to skim over the journey with little detail, I would not buy anything else by him

Somebody else mentioned that to me when we were discussing the merits or otherwise of the Mark Beumont books, and a book I read in August, Two wheels Over Catalonia by Richard Guise which is more a cycling travelogue, i.e what I was wanting from a cycling book than those of Messrs Humphreys and Beaumont.

andrewc · « **Reply #2182 on:** 29 December, 2011, 09:47:43 pm »

I really liked Un Lun Dun

Reading a review of "Chinatown" in the paper put me into an LA noir mood, so currently reading "The Black Dahlia" by James Ellroy.

andrewc · « **Reply #2183 on:** 29 December, 2011, 09:49:29 pm »

Quote from: Quint on 29 December, 2011, 06:00:24 pm

Got Thunder and Sunshine by Alastair Humphreys for Christmas, while his journey is amazing his writing is considerably less so, he seems to skim over the journey with little detail, I would not buy anything else by him

That's the follow on to "Moods of Future Joys" which I thought was far better, as you say he tried to cram too much into one book.

Tom B · « **Reply #2184 on:** 29 December, 2011, 11:57:11 pm »

'Volapuk' by Andrew Drummond - highly eccentric and highly readable, an unusual combination

SandyV · « **Reply #2185 on:** 30 December, 2011, 12:29:27 am »

I enjoyed "The Happiest Refugee" by comedian Anh Do very much. He tells of his journey by boat from Vietnam and growing up in Australia and his style is conversational and very readable.

I'm now into "V is for Vengeance" the latest Kinsey Millhone story from Sue Grafton - good (very) light reading for the holidays.

Sisters Brothers and Sense of an Ending are next taking recommendations from this thread

citoyen · « **Reply #2186 on:** 30 December, 2011, 12:43:18 am »

Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo

A pretty undemanding children's book but a very pleasant way to pass a couple of hours. It's the story of a boy who falls off the family boat and washes up on a desert island, where an old Japanese man, who has been living alone for 40 years, takes him under his wing. Superficially, it's a Robinson Crusoe-esque adventure but it's really a poignant tale about the importance of family. My son read it when he was 10-11 and that seems just about the perfect age for it.

d.

DrMekon · « **Reply #2187 on:** 31 December, 2011, 09:28:17 pm »

Got a Kindle for Xmas, and it's lovely to use. Just finished Hitch-22, and have spent the odd moment free of kids over the hols reading Pnin by Nabokov. When asked, I can now say that my lecturing style is Pninian.

spesh · « **Reply #2188 on:** 01 January, 2012, 06:09:58 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 07 November, 2011, 03:09:28 pm

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 23 November, 2010, 10:13:52 am
Empire Of The Clouds: When BRITAIN'S Aircraft Ruled The World ~ James Hamilton-Paterson.

Aeroplaniacs might like to know that there is a new coffee-table edition of this most excellent tome, containing about 25% less text but lots more pictures of BRITISH aeroplanes, plus a few manky FOREIGN ones.

Got this for Chrimblemass...

... along with Machiavelli's 'The Prince' and George R.R. Martin's 'A Dance With Dragons'.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #2189 on:** 01 January, 2012, 06:26:28 pm »

The Etymologicon - quite an amusing read for those who like word play, and How To Teach Quantum Physics To Your Dog - a but harder going, even though it is dumbed down quite a lot!
Both 99p for Kindle ATM.

clarion · « **Reply #2190 on:** 01 January, 2012, 09:26:58 pm »

Etymologicon was the book of the week on radio 4 a couple of weeks back. Very interesting, from what I heard.

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #2191 on:** 01 January, 2012, 09:50:36 pm »

I'm enjoying it, but I've been laughing at the stories about farting and shit, so that probably enlightens you somewhat

Auntie Helen · « **Reply #2192 on:** 02 January, 2012, 09:26:00 am »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 January, 2012, 06:26:28 pm

The Etymologicon - quite an amusing read for those who like word play, and How To Teach Quantum Physics To Your Dog - a but harder going, even though it is dumbed down quite a lot!
Both 99p for Kindle ATM.

Ooh, thanks for the warning about the Etymologicon - have now downloaded it on my iPad Kindle

DrMekon · « **Reply #2193 on:** 02 January, 2012, 09:34:28 am »

Just started Elizabeth Costello by J M Coetzee. Not read anything by him before, but I see that he's a keen cyclist.

lou boutin · « **Reply #2194 on:** 02 January, 2012, 09:42:34 am »

I have a kindle and kindle in iPad, which are really good for reading on the go - and I'm on the go quite a bit. However, over the holiday period I have been craving a 'real' (rather than electronic) book, so I've started the paper version of 'Pride and Prejudice'.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #2195 on:** 03 January, 2012, 01:38:44 pm »

Blood Hunt ~ Jack Harvey. Who is really Ian Rankin.

citoyen · « **Reply #2196 on:** 03 January, 2012, 02:28:09 pm »

Quote from: Mrs Pingu on 01 January, 2012, 06:26:28 pm

The Etymologicon - quite an amusing read for those who like word play

My wife took up the 99p Kindle offer for that. I had a brief look at it and found the bit I read very amusing. Looking forward to reading it properly at some point.

Currently reading Boxer, Beetle by Ned Beauman, which I've been itching to get hold of since I heard an interview with the author and an extract from the book on the Guardian books podcast when it was shortlisted for their first book prize. Only just started it on the train this morning but I'm already liking it very much. Exuberantly inventive use of language. Hints of Will Self, but perhaps not so obviously self-indulgent. (I see others have compared Ned Beauman to Michael Chabon [not necessarily favourably] but I've never read any of Chabon's stuff so I can't comment on that.)

d.

Quisling · « **Reply #2197 on:** 04 January, 2012, 09:43:54 pm »

The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Testament_of_Gideon_Mack (contains spoilers)

I'm enjoying it immensely. Very readable, quite funny and a bit thought provoking. Likeable characters too.

C

Mrs Pingu · « **Reply #2198 on:** 05 January, 2012, 07:07:58 pm »

I liked that book. I ended up with 2 copies though, can't fathom how or why, other than it was not long after Dad died and head was up my fundament.

citoyen · « **Reply #2199 on:** 09 January, 2012, 02:37:48 pm »

Quote from: citoyen on 03 January, 2012, 02:28:09 pm

Currently reading Boxer, Beetle by Ned Beauman

By way of a review: I liked it very much. Funny, clever, well written. I will watch Ned Beauman's career with interest.

Just started on Julian Barnes's The Sense Of An Ending, which is a pure joy to read. He's one of those writers I could happily read on any subject because his prose is so beautifully clear, concise and elegant. Having said that, this isn't as riveting as Arthur & George and I can't help thinking it only got the Booker to make up for past oversights, much like Scorcese getting the Oscar for The Departed. It's also very short - started reading it over lunch and will probably finish it tonight.

d.