What book are you reading atm??

I read "The Missing Postman" in a whole day yesterday. Probably not a good idea, as was feeling depressed enough before starting it. But it was very interesting, but sad.

Re-reading all of David Gemmell - Love it

A Song of Ice and Fire. A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold

Mary Boleyn: The Great and Infamous Whore by Alison Weir

Moranthology.

Its bloody hilarious

Just started The Siege of Krishnapur - J.G. Farrell

A very descriptive opening

The Wyrd Sisters - Terry Pratchett

Currently reading "Eichmann in Jerusalem", Hannah Arendt's classic account of the trial of Adolf Eichmann in the 60s & his journey from lowly bureaucrat to a position of overseeing the deportation of millions to the death camps, to the life of a fugitive in Buenos Aires & finally to an Israeli courtroom. Not the easiest read in places - the descriptions of the labyrinthine structure which made up the civil & military administration of the Final Solution can be somewhat overwhelming at times but what comes through most chillingly is how much Eichmann's being was subsumed by that system. Although he was not particularly (by the standards of that time) anti-semitic he came to believe that as he had sworn loyalty to the Führer he should regard his will as law & so dedicate himself whole-heartedly to the ending of the "Jewish Problem", regardless of his personal feelings in the matter.

Morality was put aside not in favour of bloodthirsty hatred but rather a detached desire for bureaucratic efficiency. He said during the trial that if it had been required of him to order the killing of his own father he would have done so without hesitation as he had become incapable of conceiving of any moral principle higher than that of enthusiastic obedience to Hitler's plans. The horrifying understanding that one comes to while reading the book is that the Holocaust was not brought about so much by foaming at the mouth fanatics (although they were certainly an important element) as dedicated & unimaginative jobsworths striving for efficiency as a moral code in itself - people who in another time & place would have been equally as hard working & happy in the administration of fishing quotas or hospital waiting lists but instead operated as unquestioning cogs in the machinery of evil. Overall a disturbing but thoroughly fascinating book.

Deleted User wrote: »

On a re-reading binge, currently reading Hitchhikers, The Crow Road by Ian Banks, and Life of Pi by Yan Martel concurrently. Mostly cause I'm actually a bit bored with all three and can't decide which one I'm going to finish. Joined the local library the other week, should really go find something new.

Love Hitchhikers, definitely one I find myself re-reading when I'm between other books. If you haven't already, check out the original radio plays which are available on CD, well worth several listens!

Follow me down to Dublin by Deirdre Purcell.