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http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl General Discussion >> Chat >> What are you reading? http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1311946952 Message started by Annie Anthrax on Jul 29^th, 2011 at 11:42pm

Title: What are you reading?
Post by Annie Anthrax on Jul 29^th, 2011 at 11:42pm

I couldn't think of a catchier title.

There was another of these threads but I went back 3 pages and couldn't find it. So.

What are you reading?

I'm reading Tar Baby by Toni Morrison and it's pretty fantastic. I'm about half way through and have had to put it down a few times because the language is so powerful it needs digesting.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by skippy. on Jul 30^th, 2011 at 4:47pm

I like Biography's, my best read lately has been Ahn Do's bio about his travels as a refugee from Vietnam, great read, people that think its easy to hope on a leaky boat and travel thousands of kms on the ocean should be made to read it.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Lepper on Jul 30^th, 2011 at 4:50pm

Crime and Punishment

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Grey on Jul 30^th, 2011 at 5:03pm

I read up to four books at once, mainly because I enjoy the writing so much in some i don't want to get to the last page. 'God of small things' is my extended read at the moment. I've just finished a Dalziel and Pascoe which was an excellent light read and I bought another cops and robbers to supply a light read, Liz Allen, 'the set up'. Never get startd on it is my advice, though it's sooobaaad it's almost funny.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Time on Jul 30^th, 2011 at 5:38pm

O))) wrote on Jul 30^th, 2011 at 4:50pm:

Crime and Punishment

Nice.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Cofgod on Jul 30^th, 2011 at 10:45pm

I'm reading a few books at the same time.

I'm reading the newest book by Bill Bryson, one of my favourite authors. He's an American Anglophile who has been living in Britain since the 1970s (except between 1995 and 2003 when he took his wife and kids to live in America). He has written travel books, in which he used to travel around countries and then write about the things he saw and the things which happened to him, which were often hilarious. His 1995 book "Notes from a Small Island" was about what happened when he toured the UK and some of the sights he saw in our cities, towns and quaint medieval villages. He has also written a book on his travels around Europe, one about his walks through America's Appalachian Mountains and another about his travels around Australia.

He has also written books about the English language and also an interesting book about science, "A Short History of Nearly Everything", which, when it was released in 2003, was one of the bestselling popular science books in the UK, selling over 300,000 copies.

His newest book which I'm reading now is callled "At Home: A Short History of Private Life" (2010). Bryson was struck by the thought that most history which is told is about the wars and battles which took place, whereas most history which actually happened is people going about their daily lives, eating, sleeping and working. So he decided to take a tour of his home, an old rectory in Wramplingham, Norfolk, and tell us the history of each of the rooms and some of the objects in them. So you learn how the hall originated (the term "chairman of the board" comes from the time when, in the great halls of medieval England, only the leader of the household sat on a chair when the occupants of the household sat around the table - or "board" - for their meal), the glorious history of the kitchen (in which he tells you the jobs which various servants did in the great households of England), the history of the garden, where you learn about great European gardeners such as Capability Brown. His tour of the bedroom is not one for the squeamish, where he tells us all about bedbugs and dust mites. He also tells you some interesting things about some of the grand houses of Britain and America and the some of the eccentric people who built them. He tells you the history of even some mundane things and makes it interesting. Sitting at his kitchen table one day, Bill Bryson wondered why, from a choice of hundreds of spices, we have settled on salt and pepper as our condiments of preference – why not salt and cardamom, he thought? For that matter, why do forks have four tines? And, come to that, why do we say 'room and board’ – what board are we talking about?

Bryson is also chancellor of Durham University (I think his favourite building in the world is the glorious Durham Cathedral in the same city as the university) and is eligible to take the British citizenship test, but has said he is "too cowardly" to take it.

For a more in-depth review, go here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/7740025/At-Home-A-Short-History-of-Private-Life-by-Bill-Bryson-review.html

Another book I'm reading is a book on British history, 55BC to 1945, but told in a slightly humorous way. I'm also reading a book called "Haunted Britain", which is a big hardback book. On each double spread there is a tale of one of Britain's ancient - and not so ancient - haunted buildings (such the the 13th century pub "Ye Olde Man and Scythe" in my town of Bolton, one of whose ghosts is of a English Civil War cavalier who was beheaded outside the pub in 1651 for his part in the Bolton Massacre, the axe and block used for the execution still kept in a glass cabinet in the pub today for the drinkers to see) and other places, telling you their history and the ghosts which supposedly haunt them, with loads of colour photos.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Galton Conley on Aug 12^th, 2011 at 3:58pm

I am reading The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen.Its really good!

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Jasignature on Mar 6^th, 2012 at 10:35pm

Just finished "The Blitz Kid" by David Boyd
Not very well written, but boy did he live a daring life of survival and being enterprising at just the age of 8 during the bombings. I met him on Sunday at a Writing Group and he gave me his life-story book. Very funny.

Before that I finished my first 'real' (wait for it) Romance novel.
"Tears of the Broken" (Dark Secrets Series) by Ange.M Hudson (Aust)
What can I say - strong characterisation and very intelligent romance. It plays upon the Vampire - Twilight style, but then again - it is all the rage as the premier genre. Luckily, there are just a few comparisons and many original things about this book. Witty and good dialogue. If this is what Romance novels are about then I'm impressed!
I've also read Jackie Collins and many Mills & Boone

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Jasignature on Mar 18^th, 2012 at 9:40pm

Just finished "Brumbies" by Paula Boer. Its a kids book, but I know Paula via the Net. I found it great - for someone who doesn't know much about horses. This was a great way to be inducted. Good story with much 'stories' within it.

Currently reading "Pandora's Box" by a Sydney Doctor whose name escapes me just now. Its all about Sex, Drugs, etc. Very funny and well thought out. I found the chapter on 'Rimming' not quite to my taste, but I guess I now know why Rimmer upon Red Dwarf was so popular :P :o

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Frances on Mar 18^th, 2012 at 9:56pm

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by PoliticalPuppet on Mar 18^th, 2012 at 9:58pm

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

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Frances on Mar 18^th, 2012 at 10:00pm

bobbythefap1 wrote on Mar 18^th, 2012 at 9:58pm:

Did you find it interesting?

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by PoliticalPuppet on Mar 18^th, 2012 at 10:00pm

Cant edit my last post for some reason..
This is what it was ment to show:

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Cofgod on Mar 22^nd, 2012 at 5:55am

I reading so many books at the moment that it is almost confusing.

I mostly read non-fiction books, usually on history (mainy British history), the paranormal or science. But I have also just started reading a sci-fi novel called "Against A Dark Background" (1993) by British writer Iain M. Banks. The story is set in the year 9999 on a planet called Golter inhabited by humans. The story concerns a woman called Lady Sharrow trying to find the least remaining Lazy Gun, an ancient weapon which has a surreal and humorous approach to death. A Lazy Gun is roughly half a metre long, 30 cm wide and 20 cm tall. The Lazy Gun is "light but massy", and weighs three times as much when turned upside down. The Lazy Gun is the only weapon known to display a sense of humour.

I am also reasing a book that my brother got me for Christmas called "A History of Ancient Britain." It was written by archaeologist and TV presenter Neil Oliver and is based on his 2011 BBC documentary series of the same name. According to the blurb inside the jacket, Neil Oliver ‘...weaves the epic story - half-a-million years of human history up to the departure of the Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It was a period which accounts for more than ninety-nine per cent of humankind’s presence on these islands.’ A sobering thought that concurs with Oliver’s poetic observation that 'we are flecks of foam on the surface of the blue. Beneath us is an ocean of deep time and we can gaze down into it whenever we want, from wherever we are.'

For Christmas a couiple of years ago my sister got me a book about the South Shields poltergeist. This book is about the investigation into a poltergeist haunting in the town of South Shields in the north east of England in 2006 and was written by the two paranormal investigators who investigated it. The poltergeist terrorised a couple and their young son. There have been several times when i stupidly read it late at night and therefore had to go to bed with the bedside lamp on.

For the same Christmas I also got a book called "Haunted Britain." The author of the book travelled the length and breadth of my ancient land to visit ancient castles, old stately, historic ruins, creepy inns and even aircraft museums, WWII bunkers, thatres, farmhouses, cottages. In fact, he visits 100 places throughout the country. Each location is on each double spread of the big, hardback book, with text telling you a history of the place and then telling you about its hauntings. There are also full colour photos of the inside and outside of each location. Amongst the spectral stars of the book is the ghostly figure seen looking at people through an upstairs castle window - even though the castle is now a ruin and has no upper floor; the terrifying spectre of a skeletal man chained to the wall of an old castle that only children can see; and the ghost of Jack who haunts the South Stack lighthouse on the Isle of Anglesey, who was walking across the bridge to the lighthouse during a severe storm in 1853 and was killed when a piece of rock was blown off the cliff and struck him fatally on the head. Even today jack's tormented moans and groans can still be heard in the lighthouse - especially during a storm. This book has a foreword by Tom Baker, of Doctor Who fame.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by red baron on Mar 22^nd, 2012 at 8:45am

Thank God there are people out there that still read books.
I think 'Kindle' will re Kindle interest in reading.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Jasignature on Mar 23^rd, 2012 at 9:31pm

Kindle has indeed re-invigorated Reading.
But paperback books are like seeing a live performance of a rock band. Kindle are just like buying a record or cd - not quite the same thing.
Its a lot easier to be a self-publishing Author these days thanks to the Internet and you will find that Paperbacks are now only reserved for friends, family, etc unlike Kindle for the mainstream.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by PoliticalPuppet on Mar 23^rd, 2012 at 9:34pm

It_is_the_Darkness wrote on Mar 23^rd, 2012 at 9:31pm:

I agree and they defeat the puprose entirely for most people because most people read before bed and staring at a screen doesnt help with falling asleep

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Jasignature on Mar 23^rd, 2012 at 10:39pm

Exactly.
Books may wane a bit due to costs, economy etc and large Bookstores may go under - due to the illusion that Computers are the 'only' way to go.
But Books and bookstores will re-emerge.
Even now - Authors turning up in Bookstores for signings and talks, etc are growing in popularity.
Writing Groups are taking off in Libraries. I'm in the Leeton WG.
The 'Book' will always be around.
Just like there is nothing like a live performance at the Annandale Hotel.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Soren on Apr 16^th, 2012 at 9:39am

Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Teheran

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Spot of Borg on Apr 16^th, 2012 at 9:54am

Just finished Kim Stanley Robinsons "Galileo's Dream". He did a lot of research for that one and its a mixture of science and science fiction. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Now I am reading "The Mind and the Brain" by Alfred Binet and "Kill for me" by Karen Rose.

SOB

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by life_goes_on on Apr 16^th, 2012 at 10:07am

A thread on OzPolitic called "What are you reading?".

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Annie Anthrax on Apr 16^th, 2012 at 10:12am

What are you listening to, what are you reading...

I feel a bit like a nosy parker.

Quote:

Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Teheran

Memorised it yet?

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by red baron on Apr 16^th, 2012 at 10:16am

Annie -wrong post I know but how do you 'send' once you've gone into browse and tagged the photo you want to upload. I'm dying here!

I've tried pressing Save but nothings happen in that direction.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Annie Anthrax on Apr 16^th, 2012 at 10:25am

That's ok Red, I've just tried it.

Click Browse and find the file in the window that comes up. Hit select. The location will come up in the field to the left of the browse box. Then just hit the 'Post Message' button.

The pic has to be smaller than 250kb.

Try uploading to photobucket or flickr. If you want to do that, let me know and I'll help you if you need it.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Peter Freedman on Apr 16^th, 2012 at 10:58am

I tend to read in spurts, right now I'm in a resting phase.

My daughter bought me "What Was I Thinking", by Paul Henry. Henry is a rightwing NZ TV breakfast show host who once stood for Parliament for the National Party.

His stupidity has brought him nothing but trouble, but it's a great read - very funny.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Spot of Borg on Apr 16^th, 2012 at 11:09am

Peter Freedman wrote on Apr 16^th, 2012 at 10:58am:

Haha. Yeah I got that book about the football player for my bday a couple years ago. Jones? Darn I dont remember his name now he was into radio. Yeah Alan Jones. Was a good read but aggravating in parts.

SOB

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by adelcrow on Apr 22^nd, 2012 at 12:00pm

Last Night I Dreamed of Peace by Dang Thuy Tram
its the diary of a young female Vietnamese doctor who died after being shot by American troops while trying to defend her patients during the Vietnam invasion and well worth a read.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by PZ547 on Apr 23^rd, 2012 at 4:12pm

Several on the go as usual. I'm book rich these days - guilty sin. Have them stuffed everywhere. Garage filled to capacity to the point the family revolted last year and I had to dispose of (over a period of a few months) close to 60 cartons of books, some of which I hadn't read but had lost my head buying them cheap at the local library. Gave them to the local op-shops until they refused to take any more. Then I had to slip them back through the library slot after dark, because they were on my case as well

They (library) put the donations out for sale. Makes me cry, thinking of all the books we donated to the Burleigh Heads library when we were moving down here, because I realise now they wouldn't have put them on the shelves, even though they were immaculate and expensive art books, coffee table travel, etc.

Anyway, the book-angel has been shining on me for a few years now (thank you, thank you) and in the last few years I've had stacks sitting there unread. If only this had been the case when I was young and had to choose between books and food, books and everything, lol

Currently am reading The Spartacus War by Barry Strauss. Just knocked off Nottingham a History, by Chris Weir and stop-starting Country Houses in Edwardian Cheshire - very atmospheric black and white photographs - some of the houses I visited as a child

Read The Colour by Rose Tremain in one sitting over the weekend. When I picked it up I thought it was non-fiction, about the gold-rushes in New Zealand. Few pages in, realised it was fiction but it was strangely absorbing, or maybe it was just my mood. Ended up being a bit of a bodice-ripper but with enough factual element to render it entertaining

I've been delving into the collected Charles Fort while waiting for household appliances to finish their cycles. Fascinating, every page

When I get my act together and quit wasting time online, will get stuck into 3 books which arrived from the Book Depository last month, all by Claude Lecouteux - non-fiction, lurid titles, but a wealth of information concerning pre-Christian beliefs in Western Europe - many of which underly current religions and what are today considered myths & superstitions, fables & nonsense

They are (lurid titles, remember) (1) Witches, Werewolves and Fairies (2) The Return of The Dead: Ghosts, Ancestors and the Transparent Veil of the Pagan Mind and (3) Phantom Armies of the Night: The Wild Hunt and the Ghostly Processions of the Undead ( from the back-cover blurb: Claude Lecouteux is a former professor of medieval literature and civilization at the Sorbonne - is the author of numerous books on medieval and pagan afterlife beliefs )

Excerpt: ' Once upon a time a phenomenon existed in medieval Europe that continuously fueled local lore: during the long winter nights a strange and unknown troop could be heard passing outside over the land or through the air. ( I read about this many years ago and it's what prompted me to buy Lecouteux's books, in fact) Anyone caught by surprise in the open fields or depths of the woods would see a bizarre procession of demons, giants, hounds, ladies of the night soldiers, and knights, some covered in blood and others carrying their heads beneath their arms. This was the Wild or Infernal Hunt, the host of the damned, the phantom army of the night - a theme that still inspires poets, writers and painters to this day. Millenia older than Christianity, this pagan belief was employed by the church to spread their doctrine, with the shapeshifters and giants of the pagan nightly processions becoming sinners led by demons seeking out unwary souls to add to their retinues. Myth or legend, it represents a belief that has deep roots in Europe, particularly Celtic and Scandinavian countries.

The first scholar to fully examine this myth in each of its myriad forms, Claude Lecouteux strips away the Christian gloss and shows how the Wild Hunt was an integral part of the pagan worldview and the structure of their societies. Additionally, he looks at how secret societies of medieval Europe reenacted these ghostly processions through cult rituals culminating in masquerades and carnival-like cavalcades often associated with astral doubles, visions of hte afterlife, belief in multiple souls and prophesies of impending death. He reveals how the nearly infinite variations of this myth are still a living, evolving tradition that offers us a window into the world in which our ancestors lived '

Promises to be a fascinating, informative read. General Patton claimed he watched such a procession and although the Angels of Mons are said to have been debunked (which itself is disputed) there hasn't been any prosaic explanation (of which I'm aware) for the columns of Australian soldiers, several dozen in all, maybe more, who reportedly marched into several decidedly odd, 'bread loaf' type clouds and vanished never to be seen again, in Gallipoli from memory - could be wrong about that. Those who claimed to witness the phenomenon included officers, apparently, who stated for the record that they were provided an excellent view of the whole thing. They reportedly signed a document to that effect. I've always wondered how the men's disappearance and failure to return from war was explained to the families

Suppose everyone by now is aware of the Book Depository and the fantastic deals to be had ? If not, they're easily found online. And they send discounted books to Australia post free. Great bargains and they seem to be reprinting many formally out-of-print books too. Worth a look

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by life_goes_on on Apr 23^rd, 2012 at 4:29pm

My egg timer instruction manual.

Four sentences, but they're a struggle.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Annie Anthrax on Apr 23^rd, 2012 at 4:37pm

PZ, the Book Depository is great. Abe's books is also good for anything that's difficult to find and collector's editions.

Life_goes_on wrote on Apr 23^rd, 2012 at 4:29pm:

Four sentences, but they're a struggle.

Perseverance. It's good for you.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Uncle Meat on Apr 23^rd, 2012 at 4:52pm

Annie Anthrax wrote on Apr 23^rd, 2012 at 4:37pm:

... the Book Depository is great.

Yep, and for those who don't know, there are two sites which often have different prices:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/

http://www.bookdepository.com/

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Deathridesahorse on Apr 23^rd, 2012 at 7:40pm

The Hapiness Purpose, Edward de bono!

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Spot of Borg on May 25^th, 2012 at 7:09am

This is not a book I would normally buy in a shop and read. I found it lying around @ my mothers house and started reading it and couldn't put it down. Its non fiction and its about the atmosphere. This author made it interesting. Here I googled a review.

An Ocean of Air by Gabrielle Walker

Quote:

As a metaphor for absence and nothingness, air has performed admirably for centuries. It has pulled off one of the great con jobs in human history, concealing endless complexities behind its bland, transparent facade. Layer by layer, from the ionosphere to the Earth’s surface, Gabrielle Walker exposes the Earth’s atmosphere for what it is, a restless, electrically charged, dynamic superhero, entrusted with the sacred mission of protecting our planet, nurturing life and even, when looked at from a certain angle, making love possible.
Skip to next paragraph
Enlarge This Image
Lars Klove for The New York Times

"An Ocean of Air" by Gabrielle Walker.

AN OCEAN OF AIR

Why the Wind Blows and Other Mysteries of the Atmosphere

By Gabrielle Walker

Illustrated. 272 pages. Harcourt. $25.

Ms. Walker, a chemist by training and a science journalist by profession, finds that angle in “An Ocean of Air,” her perkily popular take on air, wind, atmosphere and the scientists who unraveled their mysteries, from Galileo onward. It starts with oxygen, creator and destroyer, foundation of the atmosphere, the revolutionary element that quickens life and hastens death through its ferocious reactivity, and requires two sexes. Oxygen-burning, ever-aging mitochondria from the male expend energy seeking out cool, unaged mitochondria in the female egg, which guarantee that the human embryo’s biological clock starts at zero. Romance is in the air.

Like Dava Sobel in “The Planets,” Ms. Walker writes for a general audience and seems to assume something close to scientific illiteracy in her readers. There is plenty of gee-whiz and tee-hee in her merry tale, a colorful blend of anecdote, personality and pure science explained in the simplest terms. Every fact is chased with a sweetener to make it go down a little easier, and each turn in the narrative ends with a cliffhanger.

At times Ms. Walker can be absolutely shameless in her efforts to keep readers on the edge of their seats. A straightforward account of Marconi’s experiments with radio waves leads right into a taut recounting of the Titanic’s last hours as experienced from the ship’s telegraph room. This is completely beside the point but forgivable, first, because it is undeniably stirring, and second, because Ms. Walker has put the reader on an addictive drip-feed of asides and digressions

She starts early. After carefully explaining Galileo’s efforts to measure the weight of air, Ms. Walker leans forward from her lectern, as it were, and poses a simple but intriguing question: How heavy is it? Well, imagine an empty space, say, the inside of Carnegie Hall. Take a guess. Ten pounds? A hundred? Five hundred? Try 70,000 pounds.

The fun facts keep on coming. Simply breathing air for one year is equivalent to being bombarded by the radiation from 10,000 chest X-rays. It’s that reactive oxygen again. Every year green plants convert carbon dioxide into 100,000 million tons of plant material, otherwise known as food, using up 300 trillion calories of energy from the sun, which is 30 times the energy consumption of all the machines on Earth.

Somewhat less dramatically, John Tyndall, the Victorian scientist who first discovered the link between carbon dioxide and infrared radiation, drew such large crowds to his lectures at the Royal Institution in London that Albemarle Street had to be made a one-way thoroughfare — Britain’s first — to accommodate the carriage traffic.

Tidbits like this should not disguise that Ms. Walker, while cruising along at a breathtaking clip, manages to explain with exemplary clarity the chemistry of the atmosphere, the mechanics of wind and the role of the enveloping layers that swaddle the Earth, protecting it from the sun and occasionally putting on a grand show, like the northern lights.

She ties her discoveries to personalities, and three of them obviously capture her heart and imagination. The first is William Ferrel, a poor, mostly self-taught farm boy from West Virginia who collated random observations on prevailing winds and used them to explain the relationship between the rotation of the Earth and the movement of air across its surface.

Ms. Walker’s second hero, Oliver Heaviside, is almost too good to be true, from his name to his eccentricities. “Tales of his oddities were legion,” Ms. Walker writes. “He furnished his rooms with blocks of granite; he dyed his hair black and then wore a tea cozy on his head until it was dry; he kept his nails exquisitely manicured and painted them cherry red.” He also explained what Marconi never understood, that radio signals can overcome the curvature of the Earth even though they travel in a straight line because an electrical layer in the sky, now known as the Heaviside layer, acts as a mirror, bouncing the waves back to Earth.

The third star in Ms. Walker’s twinkling constellation is Kristian Birkeland, a Norwegian scientist whose fascination with the northern lights led him to a discovery that, had anyone paid attention, would have made it less of a surprise when American scientists found that space is radioactive.

Ms. Walker takes her title from Evangelista Torricelli, an Italian mathematician and colleague of Galileo’s who, marveling at the power and weight of the atmosphere, exclaimed in a letter in 1644, “We live submerged at the bottom of an ocean of air.” This sense of wonder, transmitted down through the ages through generations of scientists, animates Ms. Walker’s high-spirited narrative and speeds it along like a fresh-blowing westerly. It may be science lite, but out of thin air, Ms. Walker conjures marvelous shapes and forms.

SOB

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Uncle Meat on May 31^st, 2012 at 11:15pm

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by pansi1951 on Jun 1^st, 2012 at 6:54am

1. Megachange 2050: The world in 2050. Daniel Franklin and John Andrews, published2012.

In its 20 chapters it looks at everything from wealth to health and religion to outer space.

2. The Australian Crime File by Paul B Kidd. Non fiction, looks at 50 of our most absurd, unusual and macabre murders from the 1800's until recently.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Loki on Jun 1^st, 2012 at 1:05pm

Star Fraction by Ken MacLeod. I just finished Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson before this, and in retrospect, maybe I would have thought Star Fraction less horrible if I read them in reverse. Unlikely.

I'm only finishing it because I hate leaving books unfinished, but for anyone looking for a good sci-fi, pick up Snow Crash and dump Star Fraction. The writing style is painful, the story is as predictable as it is arrogantly told, and the writer seems to assume the reader will be astounded by his main character (Moh Kohn) rather lacklustre brilliance and ham-fisted cynicism. The sex scene around page 200 is hilarious. I'd share for public giggle sessions, but I'm afraid I'd get in trouble for it. :-X

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Kat on Jun 4^th, 2012 at 1:04am

I'm reading Steig Larsson's 'Millenium' trilogy at the moment.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Frances on Jun 4^th, 2012 at 1:51am

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Uncle Meat on Jun 4^th, 2012 at 1:52am

Cool!

I'm going to look for that book next week (online, of course).

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by jalane on Jun 4^th, 2012 at 2:21am

Have just read 'the Dove of Death' by Peter Tremayne.
It is a recent addition to the 'Sister Fidelma' series he has created. They are 'immaculate'.

Peter Tremayne is the fiction pseudonym of Peter Berresford Ellis.... a recognised authority on the ancient Celts. His 'Sister Fidelma' books provide, to me, a realistic and believable vision of ancient Ireland, Celts, Brehon Law, ... and the immediate environs. Romanticised?
Perhaps, but he also provides a more wide ranging narrative of ancient Celtic culture.
I love it.
If you are interested, his books are worth reading....

Can't fault Steig Larssons trilogy. Sad there will be no more.
But there are other Scandinavian authors out there, writing some cutting-edge novels.
Just not as compelling as 'Lisbeth'.

Must say tho...
Thank Goodness for Public Libraries. I raid my local library frequently. I choose to read fiction because I know 'enough already' about today. I prefer not to wallow in the current woes..I see that the past provides the answers if we choose to see them.

Am about to start on - 'The Black House' .by Peter May. No idea .. ?? Have to read it first.! :)

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Jasignature on Jun 4^th, 2012 at 3:27am

Don't read "50 Shades of Grey" ...thats to everyone.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by bludger on Jun 4^th, 2012 at 8:40pm

Ah books!
My recent reading is Orbus by Neil Asher.
Sci Fi. It starts off where two intelligent war machines that look like ten foot iron cockroaches with enough fire power to destroy a small city decide to sneak aboard an old space freighter owned by Captain Orbus in search of adventure
Naturally they get sprung by the secretary doing a stock check.
He reminds them of the last time they ran into Orbus and suggests the only way out is to sign on as crew.
I won't tell you the rest but it's very well written and has some amusing moments besides the usual shoot 'em up.
Another sci fi was Blonde bombshell by tom Holt.
The planet of dogs the most intelligent life form in the universe send an intelligent bomb to blow up the earth
A little too intelligent. Good laugh.
American something(senior moment) by James Elroy.
Couldn't put it down.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by bludger on Jun 10^th, 2012 at 6:19pm

One more
I download out of copyright books from freebooks onto my android tablet. (Epubs).
I read Metropolis by Freda Von Hou... something (I don't want to stop and check) in 1927. it's one of the best books I've read in a while. They made a silent movie of it. There are excerpts of it on youtube. The bits I've seen are really interesting. i'm on satellite so I can't see much of it. I wonder who wrote the english translation from the german because the standard is quite high.

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Gretsch on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 2:35am

Re-reading the hobbit

Title: Re: What are you reading?
Post by Gretsch on Jun 13^th, 2012 at 2:35am

In anticipation to the movie