What books are we reading at the moment ?

[Steph]

The Martian. Great read and all you need to know about survival on mars if you get left behind there.

That's quite an audax.

There's a bus shelter round the back of Syrtis Major, and an all-night garage in Tharsis, second volcano up.

[Mr Larrington]

I am slowly working my way through the novels of Hammond Innes and have reached about 1950.  He couldn't 'arf churn them out.  Ripping yarns, of their time¹, bit formulaic with much thwarting of Nazis and the hero getting the girl, but D** B**** still ought to read them.

1: Not politically correct and/or plot would fall apart in a world with mobile phones.

[L CC]

The Constant Gardener John Le Carre, read by Michael Jayston.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller.

[Chris S]

I've re-listened to His Dark Materials.

Great series of audiobooks.

Must be challenging if you're a God-botherer - which is of course why they never made the other two movies. Which kind of proves Philip Pullman right - in that whole "Church suppressing anything 'Fun' thing" he has going on.

[T42]

Rubicon, by Tom Holland.

[Nuncio]

The Secret Agent by Conrad. And Modern Palestine or The Need of a New Crusade, by the Rev. John Hammond B.D, for the lolz.

[pcolbeck]

Rubicon, by Tom Holland.

That's very good.

(click to show/hide)

It all ends badly for Caeser on the 14th March 44BC in the forum with daggers

 I just pre- ordered Mary Beard's new history of Rome "SPQR"

[T42]

Rubicon, by Tom Holland.

That's very good.

(click to show/hide)

It all ends badly for Caeser on the 14th March 44BC in the forum with daggers

 I just pre- ordered Mary Beard's new history of Rome "SPQR"

Irritating how the Caesarian episode dominates every account of Roman history when skulls were being enthusiastically dugged ever since Romulus dun Remus in.  Shakespeare's fault.

Early days with this particular TH, but it's very enjoyable.  I like "plebs sordida". Must remember that for the next time I see Andy Mitchell.

[citoyen]

If I'd started China Miéville's stuff with Kraken I wouldn't have read any more.

The City & The City turns out to be a very good, solid crime thriller, albeit one with an unconventional setting. But the weird stuff doesn't get in the way of the story.

I was motivated to read it by the news that they're making it into a TV series. I'm looking forward to it - it could be very good. And it's being made by the same people who made Parade's End, which I loved.

[geraldc]

Reading the kindle unlimited free selection. The DI Nick Dixon series is entertaining enough. The final book so far, Swansong,  is what would happen if Jack Reacher went undercover as a substitute teacher in Hogwarts

[T42]

If I'd started China Miéville's stuff with Kraken I wouldn't have read any more.

The City & The City turns out to be a very good, solid crime thriller, albeit one with an unconventional setting. But the weird stuff doesn't get in the way of the story.

I was motivated to read it by the news that they're making it into a TV series. I'm looking forward to it - it could be very good. And it's being made by the same people who made Parade's End, which I loved.

He's moving more into psychological novels these days and leaving the parallel worlds bit - Bas-Lag in particular - behind.  He was thrashing it a bit in the later books of that series. Perdido St. Station and The Scar were excellent, though.

Interesting news re The City... - thanks.

[Ham]

God's Debris is the first non-Dilbert, non-humor book by best-selling author Scott Adams. Adams describes God's Debris as a thought experiment wrapped in a story. It's designed to make your brain spin around inside your skull.

mmmm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HFYD8E4?keywords=scott%20adams&qid=1444049099&ref_=sr_1_3&s=books&sr=1-3

I'll stick with it, the jury is still out. Whatever, I figgered my £3.50 is a pretty small donation for all the fun I've had from Dilbert over the years.

[Legs]

Nearly finished The Shining (Stephen King, obvs).  Just got past the part whereat Nicholson did the "Heeeeeeere's Johnny" adlib  (not seen the fillum, but I imagine it's quite scary...)

[tiermat]

Nearly finished The Shining (Stephen King, obvs).  Just got past the part whereat Nicholson did the "Heeeeeeere's Johnny" adlib  (not seen the fillum, but I imagine it's quite scary...)

Is that before the "No beer and No TV make Homer something something...." bit?

[Legs]

 
That's not in the book either... (neither is "all work and no play...") 

[T42]

Nearly finished The Shining (Stephen King, obvs).  Just got past the part whereat Nicholson did the "Heeeeeeere's Johnny" adlib  (not seen the fillum, but I imagine it's quite scary...)

I first read that on a business trip to Milan, where it was just about the only English-language book in the hotel shop that I hadn't either already read or wouldn't care to be seen reading. My room was quite luxurious, with long purple velvet curtains and heavy furniture, but being equipped with the usual underpowered hotel lighting there were lots of shadows.  I couldn't put the damned book down until about 3 am, and opening the bathroom door to go for a pee took quite an effort of will...

[pcolbeck]

D DAY Through German Eyes - The Hidden Story of June 6th 1944 :Holger Eckhertz

A short (150 pages) book but interesting. There is no overview of D Day just a series of interviews conducted by a German journalist with German troops who were in the front-line on D-Day.
The interviews were done several years after the end of WWII and its interesting to read how the soldiers felt about what happened to them and what they were expecting on that summer.
Its a bargain at 99p on Amazon for Kindles at the moment.

[citoyen]

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

I was aware that it had inspired Orwell to write 1984, but not quite the extent of the 'inspiration'.

[Karla]

The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon.  Bafflingly surreal, in a good way but a way which I only want to sample once in a while.  For my next book I'll want something with a concrete plot, a reduced set of characters and a narrator who doesn't go off into side alleys at every opportunity.

I've re-listened to His Dark Materials.

Great series of audiobooks.

Must be challenging if you're a God-botherer - which is of course why they never made the other two movies. Which kind of proves Philip Pullman right - in that whole "Church suppressing anything 'Fun' thing" he has going on.

Challenging?  Not remotely.  It's kind of like an alternate universe where John Calvin became pope - which is sufficiently far from actuality that the jibes can be ignored and you can concentrate on a good story.

[Quint]

Pete Browns "Three Sheets to the Wind", excellent, I have been drinking beer (much to my doctors disgust) for over fifty years and I have learnt in a funny but oh so informative way from this book, I just have to go to Australia even if only to be able to say "Pint o'Piss Please Mate" 

[Mr Larrington]

Pete Browns "Three Sheets to the Wind", excellent, I have been drinking beer (much to my doctors disgust) for over fifty years and I have learnt in a funny but oh so informative way from this book, I just have to go to Australia even if only to be able to say "Pint o'Piss Please Mate" 

If you haven't already read it this Unit endorses the same author's "Man Walks Into A Pub".

[Mrs Pingu]

Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut

[Ruthie]

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

Hmm.  It's got a well timed twist and I didn't see the end coming.  Good mystery novel.

[Tigerrr]

'Look Who's Back'. Adolf wakes up in a park in Berlin in 2011.  Had some good reviews.  Slightly queasy making though.