What books are we reading at the moment ?

[Asterix, the former Gaul.]

The Great Game.

It is a fascinating history of the goings on in Central Asia where Britain and Russia struggled for influence and mastery in the days of the East India Company and the British Empire.  The pivotal role this part of the world played in Britain's ability to retain the empire was something I had never realised and the author writes about in a way that the extraordinary story deserves.

The importance of Afghanistan, then and now, is becoming increasingly apparent as I read.

[Quint]

Do say what you think of it, reckon he was one hell of a bloke/character

Just starting on Patrick Leigh Fermor's Between the Woods and the Water.

I knew that Magyar belonged to the Ugro-Finnic group, part of the great Ural-Altaic family, "Just", one of my new friends told me,"as English belongs to the Indo-European." He followed this up by saying that the language closest to Hungarian was Finnish.
"How close?"
"Oh, very!"
"What, like Italian and Spanish?"
"Well no, not as close as that..."
"How close then?"
Finally, after a thoughtful pause, he said, "About like English and Persian."

[Mr Larrington]

The Passage ~ Justin Cronin.  A cross between The Stand and Lord Of The Rings, with added pseudo-vampires.  Loads o' killin's; first part of a trilogy.  Not bad.

[LindaG]

I shall soon be reading 'Moods of Future Joys' by Alastair Humphries, and 'Amber, furs and cockleshells' by Anne Mustoe.  To get me in the mood for next week.

I have ordered them from the library, online, for free.  Council tax FTW 

[her_welshness]

Just starting on Patrick Leigh Fermor's Between the Woods and the Water.

I knew that Magyar belonged to the Ugro-Finnic group, part of the great Ural-Altaic family, "Just", one of my new friends told me,"as English belongs to the Indo-European." He followed this up by saying that the language closest to Hungarian was Finnish.
"How close?"
"Oh, very!"
"What, like Italian and Spanish?"
"Well no, not as close as that..."
"How close then?"
Finally, after a thoughtful pause, he said, "About like English and Persian."

Yippeee  I loved his descriptions of Germania's beer halls too.

[Flying_Monkey]

Well, Point Omega was basically just a stretched out short story, not even a proper novella. It was also rather obvious and dull. Don De Lillo, like Paul Auster, appears to be either overrated, or trading on past glories.

Now reading The Impressionist by Hari Kunzru, which so far seems like a well-written old-fashioned kind of novel - Indian colonial period setting, outsider (anti-)hero thrown in a series of encounters through circumstance etc. Enjoying it so far.

[BrianI]

Iain M. Banks' "The Algabraist"

only a few pages into the 500+ pages, but it it looks like a good read so far. Not bad for a £2.50 charity shop purchase! 

[Andrij]

From tomorrow, Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka.  Sadly, in translation.  I learned enough Czech to get by during a week's holiday in Prague, but it's nowhere near good enough for literature.  Read an English translation a few years ago, now starting on a Ukrainian translation I recently picked up.
 

[interzen]

Does the second edition of "Programming in Scala" count?
Didn't think so (functional programming makes my head hurt)

[GruB]

Laurent Fignon's book.

[Aidan]

just finished the man who cycled the americas.  very enjoyable read. mark Beaumont has quite an easily read writing style and the contrast between the cycyling stages and the mountain climbing keeps it interesting: worth a read.

Just starting Ox Tales   a series of short travel pieces put together fr Oxfam.

[perpetual dan]

Does the second edition of "Programming in Scala" count?
Didn't think so (functional programming makes my head hurt)

It is one of those things that is very hard until it clicks. Paul Hudak's book takes a very different approach from most, so sometimes helps where the traditional maths approach doesn't.

I'm reading Halting State at the moment, but very slowly.

[andygates]

Drat, I fell into A Song of Ice and Fire.  Book two now.  I normally hate these dynastic schemey doorstoppers, which says a lot about how good this is. 

Mind you, "ser" drives me mad.  Our k-niggits are different?

[tiermat]

Finished "The Skin Map" by Stephen Lawhead, and the next in the series is not out until September, so dallied with the idea of reading "Matter" by Iain M Banks, thought better of it so tried to start reading a couple of Ayn Rand's books, again seemed a bit too heavy for where my head is at ATM.  So I settled on reading "We Were Young and Carefree" by Laurent Fignon.  Quite good, if the events are disjointed, and he seems bitter that he is known as "Mr 8 seconds", or the guy that lost the TdF by 8 seconds, rather than someone who has won it twice!

[Jaded]

Before I go to sleep.

[her_welshness]

Have just finished Spies by Michael Frayn in time for our Reading Group at the library tonight. Quite similar to 'Kill a Mockingbird' in that its told through the eyes of a child and their take on the events that occur. I thought it was a brilliant book.

[Guy]

Nearly finished "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists" (again) by Rober Tressell.

Amazon have just delivered "Blood, Iron and Gold" by Christian Wolmar*, so I guess that's next


*Yep.  I'm a Trainiac

[clarion]

I'm reading *big breath*

'Yet, freedom, yet, they banner torn but flying
Streams like a thundercloud against the wind'

It's a facsimile reprint of a thirties pamphlet about the story of the International Brigades, which the Clarion were selling at York.  It's a gripping story, which I keep wishing had a different ending from the one I know it reaches

Incidentally, some names pop up among the Brigade who I had no idea were there.  People like Tom Wintringham, expert in alternative warfare.

[Flying_Monkey]

Just finished Lavinia, by Ursula Le Guin, a really interesting novel inspired by what was left out of Vergil's Aeneid. Absolutely superb, her best work for a while.

[Mr Larrington]

A Boot Full Of Right Arms.  Evan Green's account of the 1974 World Cup Rally.  London to Munich doesn't sound that exciting - I once did it in 22 hours including the ferry and towing a gert big trailer.  However, I didn't go via Kano.

[Rapples]

Just started Little Miss Rapples on Animl Farm.  At 11.y.o  I thought The Ragged Trousered Philanthpists was a bit deep

[clarion]

I can't believe you are giving her a book by a Trotskyist!

Will no one think of the children?

[LindaG]

Just finished 'Moods of Future Joys' which was head and shoulders above the other cycle touring books I've read lately.

Anne Mustoe.  It's a bit like being on holiday with an autodidact head teacher 

[Captain Zep]

During a break from "Nicholas Nickelby", just finished "Where the Bodies are Buried" by Chris Brookmyre and started "Voices" by Arnauldur Indridisson", the third "Inspector Erlundur" novel.  Interesting reading the Brookmyre, most of which is set in places I know (in and around Glasgow) and then to a novel set in Iceland, where I'd love to go (alone, Mrs Zep "couldn't be dragged there" apparently).

[Mr Larrington]

The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still ~ Malcolm Pryce.  The new Louie Knight mystery and so far just as silly as the previous five

Edit: And someone gets hit with a shovel