What book are you reading atm??

rock chic

pmcmahon wrote: »

Reading a thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini.Not much happening at the moment but it's still engrossing for some reason,the characters really come to life.

enjoy believe me it gets better 1 of my all time fave books

gagiteebo

Just finished the new Khaled Hosseini one - 'And The Mountains Echoed'. A great read, he has such a beautiful style of writing. It just draws me in and I really feel for the characters. Going to re read 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'. That is his best one.

mojesius

Tim Pat Coogan - The IRA.

Very enjoyable so far.

--LOS--

Reading the space odyssey series, read 2001 in a day, in the middle of 2010 now. What I didn't realise before was that the first book and film were made simultaneously so there's a very strong parallel between the two, you notice that very quickly, kinda makes it less interesting, I'm looking forward to reading the last two of the series to find out what happened.

hairyprincess

Just finished Watch Over Me by Daniela Sacerdoti. A lovely read and a bargain at only 30p on the Kindle

Lithium93_

Finished reading Steven Tyler's autobiography at 3 in the morning, now i'm tempted to pick up Tony Iommi's autobiography

Ravelleman

Pleasure: 'Breakfast of Champions' - Kurt Vonnegut.

Less pleasurable: 'The Fascist Persuasion in Radical Politics' - A. James Gregor.

kraggy

pmcmahon wrote: »

Reading a thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini.Not much happening at the moment but it's still engrossing for some reason,the characters really come to life.

I don't care if you're a steroid-munchin alpha-male sociopath.

Prepare to cry.

wandatowell

Lithium93_ wrote: »

i'm tempted to pick up Tony Iommi's autobiography

Its a very good read, Im not much of sabbath fan but I really enjoyed reading it.





Just rocked up with The Dice man. only a few pages in so far.

Ham Wallet

Just started the new issue of Nuts magazine.

ibarelycare

So I should have taken someone's advice on here and not bothered with The Slap. One of the worst books I've ever read!


Just started on The Hunger Games the other night. Not mad about the writing style but it's easy reading and enjoying it so far.

Reekwind

Custardpi wrote: »

Reading the short novel "Heart Of A Dog" by Mikhail Bulgakov, whose most famous book "The Master & Margarita" is one of my favourites. While the main plot centres around the story of a scientist who creates a kind of hybrid man-dog in his laboratory there's also some wry commentary about Soviet politics & society which would have been quite controversial in that era. Very enjoyable.

You may want to check out Yuri Olesha's Envy which explores very similar themes. Conicidentially, I just just finished that today

Defiler Of The Coffin

ibarelycare wrote: »

So I should have taken someone's advice on here and not bothered with The Slap. One of the worst books I've ever read!


Just started on The Hunger Games the other night. Not mad about the writing style but it's easy reading and enjoying it so far.

Found that one in the house a few weeks ago, will be giving it a go soon, hope it lives up to the hype, haven't seen the film either!

Honey-ec

Read Life of Pi over the weekend, while on a break from Blood Meridien. Beautiful book, but my first thought on finishing it was "That's unfilmable." Watched the film last night, and that opinion stands.

I'll go back to Blood Meridien this evening, I'm about 2/3s of the way through it. I love Cormac McCarthy but I just needed a break from the unrelenting bleakness.

I started World War Z recently but was then given The Zombie Survival Guide as a pressie so I'm just about to start that instead, and will go back to World War Z when I'm finished. Quite excited about it

Hoop66

Since the sad news about Iain Banks, I have started reading his sci-fi novels again:

Consider Phlebas - magnificent, space-opera at it's best.

Player of Games - possibly even better than CP, the descriptions of games, epecially "The Game" are just so imaginative and original.

Currently on The Algebraist - takes about 60 or so pages to get going but then becomes utterly engrossing.

Merkin

ibarelycare wrote: »

So I should have taken someone's advice on here and not bothered with The Slap. One of the worst books I've ever read!

You poor thing, it is horrific! I abandoned it but I figure life is too short to wade through such badly written muck!!

blue note

Deleted User wrote: »

I started World War Z recently but was then given The Zombie Survival Guide as a pressie so I'm just about to start that instead, and will go back to World War Z when I'm finished. Quite excited about it

I finished WWZ yesterday - a great read. I'm about to start Flaubert's Parrot by Julian Barnes. The Sense of an Ending was one of the best I ever read, so I said I'd try another of his. Not too sure if I made the right choice though judging by the back of the book. Sure time will tell!

optimistic_

Deleted User wrote: »

I started World War Z recently but was then given The Zombie Survival Guide as a pressie so I'm just about to start that instead, and will go back to World War Z when I'm finished. Quite excited about it

I dropped out of WWZ somewhere around the middle, keep meaning to go back to it. I was enjoying it, so I'm not sure why I just dropped it.

Currently reading Dr Robert Hare's Snakes In Suits, about psychopaths, how prevalent they are in society, how they think etc... Interesting read. Raises a lot of questions as to how they should be treated when diagnosed. (Got to this book from Jon Ronsons Psychopath Test, which has excerpts and a lot of reference's to Hare's work)


After that, I'm waiting on a delivery from Book Depository of Charlie Brooker - I Can Make You Hate, should be a good read. He does have a way with words. Very entertaining usually.

ibarelycare

Merkin wrote: »

You poor thing, it is horrific! I abandoned it but I figure life is too short to wade through such badly written muck!!

I should have listened to you! It really is awful, every single character is totally unlikable, the author tries to be controversial just for the sake of it, and there is absolutely no storyline. Very little actually happens, and nothing is wrapped up at the end.

conorhal

I've been on a bit of a binge in one of my favorite sub-sub-genres, which has been producing quite a few really good books lately, that of the Noir- alt universe-retro-magical realist-detective genre (I guess that would really be a sub-sub-sub--sub-sub genre really.

I started with Jeddiah Berry's 'The Manual of Detection' which is kind of like The Matrix meets Terry Gilliam in a Raymond Chandler novel. The book is set in the Agency, a monolithic detective agency in an unnamed city set in an indeterminate time period and follow the trials of a clerk in this dystopian detective agency who is promoted to detective after the detecetcive he clerks for goes missing. It borrows some it's characters from German expressionist film 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caliagari' and his perchant for controling people through their dreams. It is utterly strange and completely compelling.

The second book was 'The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters', this is sort of Sherlock Holmes meets Jules Verne wiht a dash of The League of Extraordinary Gentelmen thrown in, and involves three characters that seek to thwart the evil plans to rule the world by a shady cabal of mind controlling industrialists.

The third book that I'm reading at the moment is Empire State, a noir detective thriller set in a pocket universe alternative New York, still in the grip of prohibition where rocketeer superheros and Chandler-esque detectives roam the very streets into which our universe seems to be breaking into.

ibarelycare

ibarelycare wrote: »

Just started on The Hunger Games the other night. Not mad about the writing style but it's easy reading and enjoying it so far.

Had only 15% of this read yesterday morning, and managed to finish it last night. It's a lot shorter than I expected (although I had intended to have an early night, went to bed at 9 and was awake til 12 reading!) It's a good story, even though I knew it from the movie. Started the second book this morning, I'll probably be finished all 3 by next week, was hoping to get a series that would do me a while. Having ASOIAF withdrawals!!

NothingMan

ibarelycare wrote: »

Had only 15% of this read yesterday morning, and managed to finish it last night. It's a lot shorter than I expected (although I had intended to have an early night, went to bed at 9 and was awake til 12 reading!) It's a good story, even though I knew it from the movie. Started the second book this morning, I'll probably be finished all 3 by next week, was hoping to get a series that would do me a while. Having ASOIAF withdrawals!!

Book 2 is the best by far, possibly because you don't know what to expect. I found knowing what would happen in book one a little annoying.

If you're looking for another fantasy style series I could recommend loads. The wheel of Time will do you for a year at least. 14 mahoosive books. It's tough going around the middle though as the pace slows a little too much but the last 3 books are epic with a new writer.

Malazan, Book of the Fallen. Just finished the second of 10 but epicly good and I think you'll enjoy it.

Anything by David Gemmell, if you want a series then his Troy series is unreal as are his 2 books based around ancient Greece and Sparta/Alexander era. His Drenai books are some of my all time favourites but I love this guy and he's not as heavy as the ones above.

Raymond E. Feist. Start with Magician and read in release order. Monster universe(s) and amzing characters.

ibarelycare

NothingMan wrote: »

Book 2 is the best by far, possibly because you don't know what to expect. I found knowing what would happen in book one a little annoying.

If you're looking for another fantasy style series I could recommend loads. The wheel of Time will do you for a year at least. 14 mahoosive books. It's tough going around the middle though as the pace slows a little too much but the last 3 books are epic with a new writer.

Malazan, Book of the Fallen. Just finished the second of 10 but epicly good and I think you'll enjoy it.

Anything by David Gemmell, if you want a series then his Troy series is unreal as are his 2 books based around ancient Greece and Sparta/Alexander era. His Drenai books are some of my all time favourites but I love this guy and he's not as heavy as the ones above.

Raymond E. Feist. Start with Magician and read in release order. Monster universe(s) and amzing characters.

Yeah I definitely want to get into more fantasy. The problem is with them that they generally have tonnes of characters and stories going on that they can be difficult (for me anyway!) to follow at times. For instance, I couldn't read The Lord of the Rings. Tried it, but gave up!

I'd rather start out on a series that's not too big (for now) so the David Gemmell ones sound good, might give them a go. Thanks!

pajunior

Started reading 'A team of rivals: the political genius of Abraham Lincoln'

Being a fan of history and knowing a bit about the civil war I had high hopes for it but so far I have been blown away by just how captivating it is. The author really draws you into the different characters lives and you get a real sense that you understand their motivations beyond their stated political beliefs.
So far im about a third into it and just can't put it down. I would recommend it to anyone even if you're not a history buff.

Crooked Jack

About half way through Mark Kermode's The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex.
I just spend the whole time reading it going "Yes! Thank You!."
It's like when Winston gets The Book in 1984, it says everything I would say about the state of films and cinema if only i wasnt such an inarticulate dunce.

missmaw

It is so dangerous coming on to this thread. I always end up with a list of books I need to get on my Kindle. At the same time, thank you

Just finished The Gathering- Anne Enright. Interesting story that took a bit of time to get into. Liked her take on the dynamics of a stereotypical Irish family, and the narrator trying to find herself within this. Well worth a read.

Currently reading A person of Interest by Susan Choi. I am really enjoying this one.

I also decided to read ASOIAF again at a much slower pace. I'm really taking a lot more in character wise and there are plenty of "Oh Ya" moments.

blue note

Crooked Jack wrote: »

About half way through Mark Kermode's The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex.
I just spend the whole time reading it going "Yes! Thank You!."
It's like when Winston gets The Book in 1984, it says everything I would say about the state of films and cinema if only i wasnt such an inarticulate dunce.

I read Kermode's book and wasn't bowled over by it to be honest. I agree wholeheartedly about 3D. All it does is add cost and annoy me. It adds nothing to the films.

But he goes on about the profession of the projectionist like these guys were Gods. I wasn't around for the days of the projectionists that he was talking about (I think, I never really thought who was in the room to be honest), but the projections have been fine. However, talking to my father about the projectionists of old - he talks about them not having the next reel ready, putting in the reels in the wrong order, not having them synced up to the sound. All sorts of problems that hardly exist now. Times changed for the better.

I also agreed with him about the blockbusters though. Why oh why can't we have a few more original blockbusters.

MOC88

NothingMan wrote: »

Another epic writer. Loved Mistborn and Stormlight. Haven't got to Elantris yet but look forward to it. I'm so glad he finished Robert Jordans Wheel of Time, honestly better than Jordan could I think because he wasn't so immersed in that universe but was still loyal to it completely.

I'm on Hero of the Ages myself its a good series but I really don't like what Sanderson done with the the Wheel of Time, mainly the battles became incomprehensible and a lot less cooler whereas with Jordan I always felt WOW WHAT A BATTLE! like the first time the ash'aman appeared, whereas Sanderson left me feeling with this is cool but not overwhelmed. Still great writing but it doesn't sweep you in the battles the same as Jordan did... SPOILER !!!!

---

except for that point where Rodel Ituralde was just about holding on before Grendael overwhelemd his mind, I felt that was something like what Jordan would have written - Rodel became one of my favourite characters out of the books right at that point.
SPOLIER!!!!

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Peregrine

About 2/3 of the way through Storm of Swords Part 2. Haven't read books in ages so I'm slowly getting through it.

That's the 'Game of Thrones books' if you don't know. The book series is called A Song of Ice and Fire.