*What book are you reading? (part 2)

[kittyP]

Caitlin Moran - How To Be A Woman.

I was snorting with laughter on the bus yesterday

 

[ringo]

Did you manage to get through Lionel Asbo?

No, I hated it, completely unreadable, and was worried when I started this it was going to be the same, hence my first line. I didn't realise he'd had a go at such a similar thing before Asbo. This one is much more readable, but I can't work out why he thought it was a good idea to continue down this road and end up with Asbo. He's such a good writer but at times it feels like he's laughing at the reader - I wrote this shit and you lot are actually going to buy it.

 

[Greebo]

The Forgotten Sister: Mary Bennet's Pride and Prejudice - Jennifer Paynter

Not exactly a sequel, the events run before and during those of Jane Austen's book, and make a (not too inept) stab at filling in some of the gaps.

 

[samson33]

The unbearable lightness of being by Milan Kundera

 

[Buddy Bradley]

Finally finished Ulysses - a difficult read in parts, but definitely worth it. Not sure what to read next, since I'm waiting for books bought with birthday vouchers to arrive from Amazon. Might return to Dangerous Women, the George RR Martin-edited collection of female-led short stories.

 

[DotCommunist]

Ozzy Osbourne's bioggraphy. Boot sale pick up. Quite amusing so far.

 

[mentalchik]

The Risen Empire - Scott Westerfeld................re-reading stuff at the mo

 

[ViolentPanda]

Shameful Flight - The Last years of the British Empire in India by Stanley Wolpert.

 

[sojourner]

Pat Barker is brilliant. The Regeneration trilogy and Border Crossing are just wonderful. Such compassion. She is such a decent human being.
Check out her earlier work - Union Street is great too.

Regeneration was fantastic - one of the best books I've read. I've ordered the other two from the library!

Also started and finished 'Scream if you want to go faster', by Russ Litten. Absolutely chockful of the exact same vernacular used round here - felt like I was in a room with old friends! Thought the ending could have been more finessed - turned into a bit of an Irvine Welsh parody tbh, but the rest of it built wonderfully.

 

[krtek a houby]

Superpowers - David Schwartz. Like Heroes/Misfits, that kind of thing.

 

[ringo]

Yellow DOG - Martin Amis

Another of his slightly misjudged attempts to portray the working class, but some quite good writing keeping me involved. Loads of annoying names such as a woman called He, and an Andrew referred to as And etc are proving difficult as he uses them to intentionally tie the sentences up in baffling linguistic knots. Sometimes he spends so long reminding you he's clever he forgets to write the book. Having said that I've read nearly every bit of fiction he's written so I guess I must like it.

This got better, even if it still felt like a great writer dumbing down. I may even give Asbo another go sometime.

Now onto Voyage In The Dark - Jean Rhys. Not as immediately brilliant as Wide Sargasso Sea but love her portrayals of the confused, lost and dispossessed.

 

[sojourner]

I seem to be getting very interested in WW1, thanks to that telly prog tother night and Pat Barker's book (and the fella's ongoing interest in it). Sooo - library had a fair few books about it and I am currently reading 'Famous - 1914 to 1918' by Richard Van Emden. He slags off his own title in the introduction so don't be put off, but it's a series of narratives about people including Basil Rathbone, Tolkien, Vaughn Williams, John Christie (of Rillington Place infamy) amongst many others, who served in WW1, put together using their letters, diaries, and official paperwork. Loving it so far.

 

[Obnoxiousness]

The Great And Secret Show, by Clive Barker....

I know it probably isn't his best work, but this is the second reading for me and I just like the beginning of the book. I think the novel loses itself quite early on, but there is something quite charming about the first chapter or so.

 

[DotCommunist]

Ian Cameron Esslemont- 'Assail'

brings the malazan cycle to a completion. 16 books, two authors and nearly a decade in the writing


heh. Fantasy sagas.

 

[weltweit]

Telegraph Avenue, Michael Chabon

I finished it (yay) all 625 pages. Not that much happened, a month or two of the lives of the protagonists and cast, I am glad I persevered though, I came to like the writing style.

 

[nogojones]

I try not to read this thread too often. I've only read the last two pages and there's now a couple of extra books I'm convinced I need to read. However I've promised myself that I'm not allowed to buy any more 'til I've read the couple of hundred that I ain't got round to reading that I've already bought first. It's the same with an e-reader, I won't buy one until I've cleared my backlog of proper books.

And I've just started Chester Himes - Real Cool Killers. A little over the top, but I find he sets his world out well

 

[Orang Utan]

Dan Davies' In Plain Sight: The Lifes and Lies Of Jimmy Savile.
What an oddball. To say the least.

 

[jeff_leigh]

Emperor - The Blood of Gods - Conn Iggulden

 

[sojourner]

Started Pat Barker - The Eye In The Door last night. Large print It was the only copy in all of St Helens's libraries. Oh well, at least I didn't have to squint

 

[ManchesterBeth]

Gave up on Mohammed Arkoun. Now reading Thomas Twiss - Trotsky and the Problem of soviet bureaucracy. Published in book form this year by the always excellent historical materialism initiative.

 

[ManchesterBeth]

And no i didn't pay 140 Euros for it. The Ph.D thesis can be accessed online.

 

[moon]

Am now 'reading' Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore (the sequel to Graceling) on Audible, It's very very good..

Also some people have thanked me for suggesting they read Graceling... that book is special

 

[Orang Utan]

Gave up on Mohammed Arkoun. Now reading Thomas Twiss - Trotsky and the Problem of soviet bureaucracy. Published in book form this year by the always excellent historical materialism initiative.

You should read a thriller or something fun like that from time to time.

 

[Pickman's model]

enochian world of aleister crowley

 

[ManchesterBeth]

You should read a thriller or something fun like that from time to time.

Are you saying that reading a hefty 500 page marxist Ph.D thesis is not fun, comrade?

 

[Orang Utan]

Are you saying that reading a hefty 500 page marxist Ph.D thesis is not fun, comrade?

YES

 

[ManchesterBeth]

YES

Sad face vibes m8. But:

 

[ringo]

You should read a thriller or something fun like that from time to time.

I'm just trying this - The Lighthouse - P.D.James (thanks BoatieBird )

Still undecided. Fancied something not too weighty and it fits with my mission to read things I wouldn't have picked up when I was younger. Think I need to get used to her writing and the TV suspense style structure, and then the drama will start to get a bit more gripping. I hope

 

[BoatieBird]

I hope you get into it ringo.
Her Adam Dalgleish books are a bit of a comfort blanket for me, the same goes for Ruth Rendell.
I turn to them if I want something familiar after I've read something heavy, or I'm in the middle of essay writing.

I'm currently reading William Boyd's Brazzaville Beach. Recommended to me by a friend, took a while to get into it but I'm enjoying it very much now.

 

[DotCommunist]

bed time audiobook short story on the sf podcast site 'Escape Pod'

Inseperable