*What book are you reading ?

[Ciara]

I've just finished 'A Very Long Engagement' by Sebastien Japrisot and although it wasn't quite what I expected I really enjoyed it. I've always liked war novels - not too sure why - and this one was very well-written and an interesting twist on the usual war-based books.

 

[stavros]

Sue Townsend's "The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 and 3/4" for about the 20th time. Oh, and Tim Moore's "French Revolutions" where a regular and quite funny journalist rides the route of the mighty Tour De France in the build up to the big race. Read that before too.

 

[oddjob]

incompetence

isbn: 0575074191

 

[maya]

.." THE SOCIAL HISTORY OF THE POTATO" ! *

[..don't ask why/how,and no-i didn't buy it myself-but it turned up out of nowhere and i needed a bus read!..although now it's kind of starting to get interesting...!]

 

[dervish]

Black House - Stephen King and Peter Straub.

Takes a while to get into, but I think it could well be one of the best he's done, it's a continuation (of a sort) of the Talisman.

 

[Elpenor]

Shampoo Planet - Douglas Coupland.

Weirdly the day before I started reading this I was discussing how much time a lot of people spend on their hair with a friend, practically quoting one of the first chapters

 

[mrkikiet]

barca - a people's passion by Jimmy Burns.

 

[Lakina]

'Tender is the Night' by F Scott Fitzgerald. It is one of the worst written books I have ever come accross. It is bad. With knobs on. The prose is tripe. The characters are unengaging. Its been a battle to make it to the penultimate chapter.

I wonder if the last chapter will make me change my mind?

 

[Traitor Ohio]

High Society - Ben Elton

I have been reading this book (High Society) over and over again, it is an utterly fantastic piece of novel writing. The plot is predictable yet so enthralling and also deeply engaging, it makes it hard to put it down for a single minute without wanting to read it again. Fantastic, well recomended for Ben Elton fans.

 

[Iam]

I'm just starting a second Ken Macleod book, Cosmonaut Keep.

Not related to the one I read the other week, instead this is the start of a different 4 book series.

Hoping it will be more gripping than the other, which wasn't particularly, for all it's mix of politics and sci-fi.

 

[Kaisa]

last book i finished was The Face by Dean Koontz. I only bought it because it needed a book on a train and Virgin trains have a selection of about 4 books. It was possibly the worst book i've ever read. I'm quite surprised that I bothered finishing it.

Currently reading Vernon God Little.

The best books i've read recently are Philip Pullmans Dark Materials.

 

[rubbershoes]

Stalin- The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore. I can see why Ernie likes Stalin. He was quite a charming and intelligent man whist still being completely ruthless and seemingly uncaring about causing millions of deaths by his policies

 

[Orang Utan]

I have been reading this book (High Society) over and over again, it is an utterly fantastic piece of novel writing. The plot is predictable yet so enthralling and also deeply engaging, it makes it hard to put it down for a single minute without wanting to read it again. Fantastic, well recomended for Ben Elton fans.

Have to disagree with you here.
I've read Stark, Popcorn and Dead Famous (was given them) and I'm not giving him another chance - they are quite pacey but they are neither funny nor well written and his observations on the world lack depth and are maddeningly trite - it's as if Adrian Mole had took up novel-writing.

Anyone see Maybe Baby last week? Oh dear.

 

[mrkikiet]

Have to disagree with you here.
I've read Stark, Popcorn and Dead Famous (was given them) and I'm not giving him another chance - they are quite pacey but they are neither funny nor well written and his observations on the world lack depth and are maddeningly trite - it's as if Adrian Mole had took up novel-writing.

never have i read anything i agree with more. this elton bandwagon annoys me a lot. sorry i'm still reading the same book i was above but felt the need to post.

 

[chegrimandi]

just finished the Tin Drum by Gunter Grass what a mentalist fantastic insane book....

I would thoroughly recommend it.....took a bit to get through, dunno why as it is pretty readable but I kept getting sidetracked.



going to start L'Assommoir by Zola now.

 

[cemertyone]

Chomsky..."Understanding Power"...its a fucking great read.....

 

[DaveCinzano]

'the tailor of panama' by john le carre.

i think it's spiffing so far

 

[kyser_soze]

RE-reading 'All Tomorrows Parties' by William Gibson.

And getting a lot more out of it this time round.

 

[Nina]

Half way through DBC Pierre - Vernon God Little.
Really interesting- the lead character is great.

Reminds me of a cross between 'The Simpsons' and 'To Kill A Mockingbird'.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Currently reading "The Undying Fire" by H.G. Wells.

 

[bluestreak]

george orwell's down and out in paris and london. very good indeed.


just finished a tripe whammy of randomly picked books from my shelf.

jd salinger's catcher in the rye
martin amis' night train
sean hughes' the detainees.

what a bunch of life affirming books for when i was miserable. full of suicide, brutality and the pointlessness of human existance.

 

[sparkling]

Brick Lane...but its making me feel very restless.

 

[Louloubelle]

The Kiss: A memoir by Kathyrn Harrison
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0380731479/102-6474368-0629743?v=glance

a memoir of the author's 4 year incestuous affair with a father she had never know until she was 20 years old.

beautifully written, no actual sex scenes, but the power of the writing is incredible and makes the affair seem understandable in the context of her loneliness, her mother's depression, her eating disorder and self harming.

I saw a programme on genetic sexual attraction (where family members who have been seperated early in life fall in love / lust with each other when they eventually meet) and this book is a powerful and brutally honest account of such an experience.

 

[jms]

down and out in paris and london

 

[innit]

Brick Lane...but its making me feel very restless.

Why's that, Sparkling? I've been meaning to read it but haven't got around to it yet.

 

[hovis]

Why's that, Sparkling? I've been meaning to read it but haven't got around to it yet.

Me too!

Just read Ignorance by Milan Kundera, I think it is better than The Unbearable lightness of being, it seems more connected. It gave me nightmares though, all those deep observations, but that's good, it made me think.

Might read Brick Lane next... ?

 

[souljacker]

Just started Norman Mailer, The Fight. Not normally a sports writing fan but fancied giving it a go. Slightly easier read than Kafka 'The trial' which I've just given up on.

 

[Bomber]

'Duende' by Jason Webster. A sort of travelogue abut one mans search for the heart of Flamenco music. Pretty good read as well !!

 

[The Boy]

Catch-22

 

[Pickman's model]

Norman DAVIES Rising '44: 'The Battle for Warsaw' (London: Pan, 2004)