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*What book are you reading ?

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I've finished We Need To Talk About Kevin and fucking hell, it's devastating - gave me a sleepless night last night.
Now, Freakanomics and Margrave Of The Marshes.
And I'm supposed to be reading The Time Traveller's Wife cos a friend insisted I read it - looks a bit mumsy though.
 
margrave of the marshes is great, really quite honest. I came away with what i feel (who knows really?) was a more rounded, possibly even less adulatory opinion of Peel, and in a perverse way that made me warm to him more, if that makes sense..
 
Orang Utan said:
I've finished We Need To Talk About Kevin and fucking hell, it's devastating - gave me a sleepless night last night.
Now, Freakanomics and Margrave Of The Marshes.
And I'm supposed to be reading The Time Traveller's Wife cos a friend insisted I read it - looks a bit mumsy though.
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Good twist eh? :eek:

I'm saving Margrave of the Marshes for maternity leave because it's hardback and I want to be able to sit and weep

I didn't like TTW that much - although I know lots of people who do. No blokes though :(
 
yes, but I saw it coming - still pretty devastating and the most emotionally affecting part of the book
 
Just finished If not now, when? by Primo Levi

First time, i've read one of his books. Good novel and just really like the fact that it gives a real underdogs viewpoint from WWII with groups of partisans living in the forest, walking thousands of kilometres in the snow, living in bombed out forts and underground etc. Full or sadnness, turmoil, laughter and lost lives and future hopes.

definately will look out of for The Periodic Table which i think is his most famous work.

Have The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin to read next.

Heard this is a good read to...:)
 
muser said:
Glad you mentioned this, please let me know if it delves into the murky world of everett's many world's theory and the higgs theory. Some post grads on the newsgroup, seem to think that higgs boson won't be found when the LHC is tested at full capacity 2 years time. Just curious to know whether you have read 'a brief history of time', a very respect friend of mine actually gave up on it after several chapters, citing the fact that its too indepth. This has put me off reading it. Could he be wrong?
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FotC hasn't gone into either of those yet - at the moment it's going over relativity (from Galilean to general) - basic intro physics.

I think the sole job of the LHC is to find the Higgs boson - it's the last thing the particle guys need for the full set.

As far as physics books... (in summary)

I haven't read BHoT since I was 16ish (13 years ago) but at the time could understand it well enough - of course, it neber went into string theory and the like.

FotC, I think, will focus on string theory as an underlying structure of the universe - also Brian Greene keeps the maths out of it if that suits you.

Penrose is more mathematical - and his writing flows least well, imo - but I think he's best (so far) at philosophical issues w.r.t. physics and life.
 
Just started So the wind won't blow i all away by Richard Brautigan. I love his stuff.

In Revenge of the Lawn there is a beautiful story that makes me feel like I'm lost in myself every time I read it. It's called 'The Weather in San Francisco' and it is amazing! I've looked online and there doesn't seem to be a full-text version of it anywhere, which is a shame, coz I think some people on here would really love it. I'd be happy to type it out and PM it to people who want it - I don't want to put it up on t'internet coz of copyright issues and stuff. Even though it is less than whatever the percentage of quotable amounts is allowed of the whole book it was originally published as a short story alone and so I don't know how copyright relates to it as a stand alone story. Anyway, it's not very long, so it wouldn't take much to do. PM me if you want :)

E2A: okay, I typed it up - just pm me if you want to read it. It's lovely :)
 
I was going to buy Stephen King's new book yesturday as it was on special offer at Smiths, but I read the dust jacket and did'nt fancy it much - it did'nt sound very scary at all:( - I'll wait till it comes out in paperback.
Just started A Matter of Convicton by Evan Hunter written in the 50s it 'examines juvenille delinquency and race hatred in New York's jungle' - according to the cover it was made into afilm called The Young Savages which starred Burt Lancaster & Shelly Winters.
 
Just finished So the wind won't blow it all away by Brautigan. Apparently critics didn't rate his later work (this was the last thing he wrote before he killed himself in '84) but I was stunned by it. He writes like a genius - he creates the most simple and stunning prose that is almost poetry. I cannot recommend him enough :) I just got back from Brum where I bought the last 3 of his books I didn't already own - An unfortunate woman, in watermelon sugar and A confederate general from big sur.

I'm not going to go on right away and read them, I'm starting Martin Amis' Money next.

I also bought Eugenides' The virgin suicides today too - I've read Middlesex and enjoyed it a lot - it took me a while to get through it but it was worth it, and I've heard great things of his other book.

Again, don't forget if anyone wants to read Brautigan's short story 'The weather in San Francisco' just pm me :)
 
Vintage Paw said:
Just finished So the wind won't blow it all away by Brautigan. Apparently critics didn't rate his later work (this was the last thing he wrote before he killed himself in '84) but I was stunned by it. He writes like a genius - he creates the most simple and stunning prose that is almost poetry. I cannot recommend him enough :) I just got back from Brum where I bought the last 3 of his books I didn't already own - An unfortunate woman, in watermelon sugar and A confederate general from big sur.
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I love Brautigan, and agree that his last book was great.. I get annoyed that he's so undervalued

Vintage Paw said:
I also bought Eugenides' The virgin suicides today too - I've read Middlesex and enjoyed it a lot - it took me a while to get through it but it was worth it, and I've heard great things of his other book.
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absolutely astonishing book, some of the finest writing I've read in years.
 
Dubversion said:
I love Brautigan, and agree that his last book was great.. I get annoyed that he's so undervalued

<snip>

absolutely astonishing book, some of the finest writing I've read in years.
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I'm looking forward to reading the Eugenides then, if another Brautigan fan loves it :)

I seem to remember seeing that my uni online resources have some stuff about Brautigan, but confess I haven't checked it out. I must remember to.
 
Reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez which is wonderful novel although a bit of a head fuck and porbably contains a lot more than I can see.
 
Fledgling said:
Reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez which is wonderful novel although a bit of a head fuck and porbably contains a lot more than I can see.
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I read that a few years ago after a girl I fancied said it was her favourite book. I enjoyed it, but I ought to read it again because I probably missed a lot.

Past couple of weeks I've read Antony Beevor's Battle for Spain, a book of Norse sagas, Wilfred Thesiger's Danakil Diary, and I've just started Island Years by Frank Fraser Darling. The joys of being on the dole :)
 
Started reading The Virgin Suicides last night. Very, very good so far. Will probably retire early with some cookies and hot chocolate and finish it off :oops:
 
Vintage Paw said:
Started reading The Virgin Suicides last night. Very, very good so far. Will probably retire early with some cookies and hot chocolate and finish it off :oops:
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Good book


I'm currently heading towards the finish line of Postcards by Annie Proulx. Took me a while to get into it, but have spent the afternoon just gripped by Loyal Blood, Mernelle, Jewell, Ott, Mrs Nipple, Ben Rainwater, Crazy Eyes, and all the rest of the characters in this story. Excellent story-telling once again by Ms P
 
Just started reading The Virgin Suicides too.

I bought the book on the strength of the air track Suicide Underground which I heard for the first time last week.

Thanks for the hot choc & cookies idea Vintage Paw :)
 
Vintage Paw said:
Started reading The Virgin Suicides last night. Very, very good so far. Will probably retire early with some cookies and hot chocolate and finish it off :oops:
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I love reading in the comfort of my own bed. Me and the boyf often read before going to sleep like an old couple in a sitcom :oops: :D

At the moment I'm studying "Instant Spanish" in order to improve my Spanish - I've realised I can read it aloud easily and understand most of it. I just need to learn how to speak it.

I'm also starting a book called 2 Girls by Perihan Magden (no it's not chick lit).
 
Witness01 said:
Just started reading The Virgin Suicides too.

I bought the book on the strength of the air track Suicide Underground which I heard for the first time last week.

Thanks for the hot choc & cookies idea Vintage Paw :)
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:)

It's lovely to sit in bed, all snuggly and warm, with a good book, taking sips of velvety rich hot chocolate :)

Hope you enjoy the book as much as I am doing.
 
ooh i must read the virgin suicides at some point. middlesex was quite good. :)
i seem to be reverting back to adolescence at the mo' by reading books & short stories by ray bradbury & raymond chandler. :oops:
 
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