*What book are you reading? (part 2)

[belboid]

And ordered the new Michael Chabon book, Telegraph Avenue, which has lots about the joys of record shops, and was, apparently, written whilst listening to Yes!

Finished that. An entertaining read, well written, rounded characters blah blah. But all felt just a little trite in the end, it's certainly no Kavalier and Clay.

Onto Compton McKenzies Whisky Galore now. Great film, but never read the book, and I'm off to ( roughly) where it's set later today, so it seems like a good time to correct my oversight.

 

[BoatieBird]

I'm reading Ian McEwan's Solar, interspersed with bits of David Crystal's The Stories of English.

Solar was boring me so I've fucked it off in favour of James Ellroy's Blood on the Moon.
Much more readable

 

[izz]

I'm reading Bringing Up The Bodies, izz. It is utterly brilliant! Of course.

I held my breath for the ENTIRE TIME the first time i read it, even tho i was pretty sure who dies.

 

[Orang Utan]

Solar was boring me so I've fucked it off in favour of James Ellroy's Blood on the Moon.
Much more readable

Solar is ace I thought!
Though the protagonist is an insufferable bellend.

Is Blood On The Moon Ellroy's attemp at sci-fi?

 

[8115]

I thought Solar was absolutely terrible.

I bought a book the other day, can't remember what it's called.

 

[BoatieBird]

Solar is ace I thought!
Though the protagonist is an insufferable bellend.

Is Blood On The Moon Ellroy's attemp at sci-fi?

I think that was the trouble with Solar, I had no patience or sympathy with the protagonist.
And I couldn't be bothered with all the physics in it.
I might give it another go at some point.

I thought Solar was absolutely terrible.

or maybe I won't bother

 

[DotCommunist]

The Drowned Cities by Paulo Bacigalupi

high hopes for this after enjoying 'Wind Up Girl so much. Another post eco crash tale, in america. looking good

 

[Orang Utan]

Steven Erikson - Gardens Of The Moon - A Tale Of The Malazan Book Of The Fallen
It's the first of ten books.
Guess what genre it is?
Bit daunted by the maps and dramatis personae - those names! - but I'm getting stuck in nonetheless.

 

[districtline]

Solar really isn't one of his best books. The idea behind it was decent enough but it just didn't work as a piece of fiction. There's only one word to describe that book: boring.

I've just started Boomerang by Michael Lewis. Let's see how that turns out.

 

[Thraex]

More Roman schizzle: "The Gods of Roman Britain" - Miranda J Green. Only 75 pages with quite a few illustrations/photos. Fairly interesting, but I've already spotted a couple of mistakes regarding Mithras.

 

[rubbershoes]

The Long walk by Slawomir Rawicz

Gruelling story about Polish army officers who escaped from a Siberian labour camp in 1941 and tried to escape to India . It seems that if it happened , it wasn't him who did it.

 

[DotCommunist]

Hitler :Hubris by Kershaw

first of a two part bio of the naughty man

 

[TruXta]

Steven Erikson - Gardens Of The Moon - A Tale Of The Malazan Book Of The Fallen
It's the first of ten books.
Guess what genre it is?
Bit daunted by the maps and dramatis personae - those names! - but I'm getting stuck in nonetheless.

You'll either love it or hate it. It does get better, the first book isn't the best IMO. As for all the names and places and people - it just gets worse! I've read them all, loved them, but it's a proper commitment.

 

[Mephitic]

Sudhir Venkaresh: Gang Leader for a Day. Brilliant!



http://www.sudhirvenkatesh.org/books/gang-leader-for-a-day

 

[Arlarse]

I'm reading Lustrum by Robert Harris. Yes it's popularist, fiction and follows a certain formula yet it also makes the Roman Empire accessible to people who probably wouldn't delve in to a dry academic study of the Romans. Previously I read Imperium by Harris and thoroughly enjoyed it. Again another work of fiction that draws on Roman and Greek historical documents and presents them within a work of fiction.

 

[Zac Stardust]

Stephen King's Skeleton Crew (Collection of short stories).

One of the finest short story collections I've ever read.

 

[Orang Utan]

Then you've never read Chekov

 

[Manter]

Sudhir Venkaresh: Gang Leader for a Day. Brilliant!



http://www.sudhirvenkatesh.org/books/gang-leader-for-a-day

I loved that! Apparently he is in proper trouble with the anthropologist/ sociologist community for methodological issues, but I thought it was illuminating. Have you read The Corner?

 

[Manter]

The Drowned Cities by Paulo Bacigalupi

high hopes for this after enjoying 'Wind Up Girl so much. Another post eco crash tale, in america. looking good

That has been on my bedside table for about 6 months. Maybe time to get stuck in....

 

[Zac Stardust]

Then you've never read Chekov

I own Chekhov's A Journey to Sakhalin.

 

[magneze]

I've given up on Kraken for now. Annoying book. Really didn't care who or what nicked a giant squid. Wati was the only character I liked.

Now reading Don Norman's Living with Complexity.

 

[8115]

I'm reading The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell. It's ok, bit superficial but a fairly easy read so far. It's not turning my world upside down.

 

[QueenOfGoths]

"The House of Silk" - Anthony Horowitz's Sherlock Holmes novel. Easy to read and quite enjoyable

 

[sojourner]

'Just Kids' by Patti Smith

Just fucking brilliant. I LOVE how she writes. So many moments of identification in there for me too, which surprised me.

 

[Orang Utan]

You'll either love it or hate it. It does get better, the first book isn't the best IMO. As for all the names and places and people - it just gets worse! I've read them all, loved them, but it's a proper commitment.

Got halfway through and ditched it. I don't have the time for this shit and I have plenty of time.
Have nearly finished Stone by Adam Roberts - my favourite of his so far. Absolutely brilliant writer. Proper sci-fi that makes you think.
Next up is Polystom, if I can't track own Polar Park.
I have just started Martin Amis' Lionel Asbo, though I don't think I'll make til the end. It seems to be an examination of the 'underclasses' by an upper middle class snob who has done his research from his mansion by watching Jeremy Kyle and observing tracksuited people in supermarkets or from street cafes. There's even a pic of him on the dust cover sat at a street cafe with a pen, watching the scum parade by him. The book should be called These People.

 

[marty21]

Austerlitz - W G Sebald

 

[8115]

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, proper hardcore popular science/ psychology. It's all about decision making and presents a very persuasive argument for the brain having two systems to make decisions with, also packed full of research and quirky trials. It took me a little while to get into but it's great.

 

[Mephitic]

I loved that! Apparently he is in proper trouble with the anthropologist/ sociologist community for methodological issues, but I thought it was illuminating. Have you read The Corner?

Nope, not read it, i've added it to my list thx

 

[starfish]

Judge Dredd Year One: City Fathers by Matthew Smith. Its a murder mystery set towards the end of Dredds first full year on the streets. A smile was raised at an early mention of those ICU pussies. Full Mentals rule ya bass.

 

[colbhoy]

I have just started reading The Young Lions by Irwin Shaw. I read it years and years ago and have always intended reading it again. It is one of the best novels I have ever read. It shows how long ago it is since I read it because I really can't remember any of what I have read so far.