Author Topic: What books are we reading at the moment ? (Read 843658 times)

Valiant · « **Reply #125 on:** 04 August, 2008, 12:18:11 am »

Confessions of a bad girl

In my defense it was my friend Savannah's and she left it in the office. It's quite addictive actually.

CathH · « **Reply #126 on:** 04 August, 2008, 12:44:05 pm »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 03 August, 2008, 04:43:17 pm

On repeated re-readings, Alec d'Urberville actually comes out as the goody.

You think? Sometimes Hardy leaves too much to my imagination, and I rather thought that Alec, having ditched his remorse-based fanaticism, had decided that neither he nor she could be degraded any further and therefore had convinced her to engage in sinful activity against her (still) lawful husband, abandonment not being a reason for divorce in those days (I think).

This is only my second re-reading so I may have got it wrong...

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #127 on:** 04 August, 2008, 12:49:31 pm »

Walt Unsworth's "Everest: A Mountaineering History"

toekneep · « **Reply #128 on:** 04 August, 2008, 02:58:06 pm »

Irvine Welsh - Glue. The dialect precludes reading it after more than two glasses of wine. I can't tell if I'm drunk or not.

Elleigh · « **Reply #129 on:** 04 August, 2008, 03:00:35 pm »

'Weapons of Mass Destruction' Sue Townsend

It's another Adrian Mole Diary

mark · « **Reply #130 on:** 04 August, 2008, 06:29:20 pm »

Just finished "High Noon in the Cold War" by Max Frankel, and "One Minute to Midnight" by Michael Dobbs. Both are about the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. It's truly frightening to learn just how close we came to getting obliterated back then.

I've been re-reading "Lord of the Rings", by J.R.R. Tolkien. I've got the 50th anniversary single volume edition which is excellent. I've read "The Hobbit" and LOTR quite a few times since early adolescence, I seem to keep coming back to both of them.

rogerzilla · « **Reply #131 on:** 04 August, 2008, 09:28:06 pm »

Quote from: Cath H on 04 August, 2008, 12:44:05 pm

Quote from: rogerzilla on 03 August, 2008, 04:43:17 pm
On repeated re-readings, Alec d'Urberville actually comes out as the goody.
You think? Sometimes Hardy leaves too much to my imagination, and I rather thought that Alec, having ditched his remorse-based fanaticism, had decided that neither he nor she could be degraded any further and therefore had convinced her to engage in sinful activity against her (still) lawful husband, abandonment not being a reason for divorce in those days (I think).

This is only my second re-reading so I may have got it wrong...

Well, Alec is reasonably constant in his lust for her and goes to some lengths to get her back. Angel really isn't a very sympathetic character. Hardy is quite good at subverting the hero/villain dichotomy - Farfrae comes across as being a bit of a tosser in The Mayor Of Casterbridge, and although Henchard behaves the worst by far, he's the one you're rooting for.

harrumph · « **Reply #132 on:** 05 August, 2008, 10:48:29 am »

Quote from: harrumph on 01 August, 2008, 11:47:38 am

Fredy Perlman: "Against His-story, Against Leviathan!"

I've now put this aside for the time being in favour of Redemption Songs by Judith Binney, a biography of the 19th century Maori leader Te Kooti which arrived yesterday. 600-odd pages - poor postman! - and at my speed it will probably last until Xmas. According to previous reading Te Kooti has appeared to be rather a bad man, and not a terribly competent guerilla leader either; perhaps the context provided by this book will change my mind.

redshift · « **Reply #133 on:** 05 August, 2008, 11:30:46 am »

Well I've ground to a halt about 75% of the way through Moby Dick. Again. It's not that I don't like it, just that I find it loses its way a bit. I'll come back to it in about a week or so and finish it. In the meantime, I bought a translation of Yagyu Munenori's 'Life-giving sword,' which I've never read.

CathH · « **Reply #134 on:** 05 August, 2008, 01:04:34 pm »

Quote from: rogerzilla on 04 August, 2008, 09:28:06 pm

Well, Alec is reasonably constant in his lust for her and goes to some lengths to get her back.

Good point. I also must remember that divorce Angel and marry Alec just was not an option.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #135 on:** 05 August, 2008, 11:48:01 pm »

Quote from: JT on 01 August, 2008, 09:10:24 am

Pies and Prejudice by Stuart Maconie.

It's very funny and quite informative too - my knowledge of so-called Northern places in Lancashire and Yorkshire is sketchy as, to me, they're in the midlands.

I've just started this, and I'm loving it so far. To paraphrase Olivia Newton-John, it's filled with affection. I've just got as far as Manchester.

Hummers · « **Reply #136 on:** 06 August, 2008, 08:09:56 pm »

Just finished Hanibal by Thomas Harris.

Quite different from the film and with a very different ending.

The book goes a lot more into the characters which I found very interesting as is Harris's style of writing.

It also highlights that although undoubtedly a monster, Hanibal is the lesser of those depicted in the book and you almost end up liking him.

Almost.

H

Rapples · « **Reply #137 on:** 06 August, 2008, 08:18:03 pm »

Herge's adventures of Tintin

Jasper the surreal cyclist · « **Reply #138 on:** 08 August, 2008, 02:46:11 pm »

Julian Rathbone, Sand Blind......very Grahame Greene

Wascally Weasel · « **Reply #139 on:** 08 August, 2008, 02:54:25 pm »

If I can find it this weekend 'Last and First Men' by Olaf Stapleton.

CathH · « **Reply #140 on:** 11 August, 2008, 06:33:11 pm »

Tully by Paullina Simons. Recommended by my Mum. She has a strange taste in stories.

Flying_Monkey · « **Reply #141 on:** 11 August, 2008, 08:20:30 pm »

I'm just starting The Great War for Civilization by Robert Fisk about the recent history of the Middle East, and also enjoying Tanikawa Shuntaro's rather beautiful 1952 collection of poems Two Billion Light Years of Solitude, which my wife bought back for me from Japan.

Sergeant Pluck · « **Reply #142 on:** 11 August, 2008, 08:23:22 pm »

I'm forcing my way through "Easy Way to Stop Smoking" by Allen Carr. I am somewhat underwhelmed. I keep leaving it and going over to my second book, "Shah of Shahs", by Ryszard Kapuscinski. Wonderful writer that just draws me in.

andrewc · « **Reply #143 on:** 11 August, 2008, 08:27:51 pm »

Just finished "The Steel Remains" by Richard Morgan, first part in a fantasy trilogy . I don't normally do fantasy but spent most of Saturday reading this. It's well written, amusing and very violent.

Currently half way through Ken Mcleod's "Night Sessions". So far, so good.

Eccentrica Gallumbits · « **Reply #144 on:** 11 August, 2008, 08:35:59 pm »

Singled Out by Virginia Nicholson - how two million women survived without men after the first world war.

alan · « **Reply #145 on:** 11 August, 2008, 08:49:36 pm »

An Imperial Possesssion:Britain in the Roman Empire 54 BC-AD 409 by David Mattingly.

Jezza · « **Reply #146 on:** 12 August, 2008, 08:48:29 am »

Bitter Lemons by Lawrence Durrell.

Frenchie · « **Reply #147 on:** 12 August, 2008, 08:54:08 am »

Heroes, Villains and Velodromes: Chris Hoy and Britain's Track Cycling Revolution by Richard Moore

Very easy read; quite interesting. I was expecting better through: the story is great and inspiring, but the style and book construction let them down a bit.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #148 on:** 12 August, 2008, 10:20:58 am »

I've just read Brave New World for the first time since I was at skool.

It's crap

Flying_Monkey · « **Reply #149 on:** 12 August, 2008, 10:42:50 am »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 12 August, 2008, 10:20:58 am

I've just read Brave New World for the first time since I was at skool.

It's crap

Are you kidding?

It is just about the most brilliantly written and perceptive dystopia ever. Far better than Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Author Topic: What books are we reading at the moment ? (Read 843658 times)

CathH

Elleigh

CathH

Rapples

CathH

Flying_Monkey

alan

Jezza

Flying_Monkey