What Are You Currently Reading?

First topic message reminder :

As the title suggests; this is just a post to find out what people are currently reading (I don't want any sarcastic comments stating "This thread" )

I'm currently reading What The Night Knows by Dean Koontz. I'm only about 19 chapters in, but it's really good so far.

I finished Shattered Bones by Stuart MacBride at the weekend. That was okay, but the editing was poor so it detracted from my enjoyment a little.

Actually that is another question for this thread. Is it just me, or does sloppy editing bother you? I'm talking in terms of spelling mistakes, double words etc. I find it really off putting and I can't really explain why. I guess it could be because it interupts the flow of the story.

It really grinds my gears

Glad you enjoyed it Tina. I have just finished So You've Been Publically Shamed by the same author. Is predominently about people who have been hounded for making ill considered jokes or comments on social media. Again is both amusing and scary in equal parts, but highly recommended yet again.

Rowley wrote:Glad you enjoyed it Tina. I have just finished So You've Been Publically Shamed by the same author. Is predominently about people who have been hounded for making ill considered jokes or comments on social media. Again is both amusing and scary in equal parts, but highly recommended yet again.

I shall check it out.

Genuinely funny writer. Even when surrounded by nutters.

I've read most of his stuff now Tina. Don't be put off by the film The Men Who Stare At Goats, the book by Ronson is far better than the film was. A few of his books are collected works types of things, but are all pretty funny because as you have said he is a genuinely funny writer.

Rowley wrote:I've read most of his stuff now Tina. Don't be put off by the film The Men Who Stare At Goats, the book by Ronson is far better than the film was. A few of his books are collected works types of things, but are all pretty funny because as you have said he is a genuinely funny writer.

I am definitely going to read some more of his stuff. Having read war books pretty much constantly for the last couple of years, it reminded me that I can still enjoy books that aren't about global destruction.

I bought the new Harper Lee book at the weekend so I am going to give that a good seeing to and then check out some more Ronson.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Rowley wrote:I've read most of his stuff now Tina. Don't be put off by the film The Men Who Stare At Goats, the book by Ronson is far better than the film was. A few of his books are collected works types of things, but are all pretty funny because as you have said he is a genuinely funny writer.

I am definitely going to read some more of his stuff.  Having read war books pretty much constantly for the last couple of years, it reminded me that I can still enjoy books that aren't about global destruction.

I bought the new Harper Lee book at the weekend so I am going to give that a good seeing to and then check out some more Ronson.

Be interested in your review on the Harper Lee book, Tino.

Alistair wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Rowley wrote:I've read most of his stuff now Tina. Don't be put off by the film The Men Who Stare At Goats, the book by Ronson is far better than the film was. A few of his books are collected works types of things, but are all pretty funny because as you have said he is a genuinely funny writer.

I am definitely going to read some more of his stuff.  Having read war books pretty much constantly for the last couple of years, it reminded me that I can still enjoy books that aren't about global destruction.

I bought the new Harper Lee book at the weekend so I am going to give that a good seeing to and then check out some more Ronson.

Be interested in your review on the Harper Lee book, Tino.

To Kill A Mockingbird is, without question, my favourite book of all time so I am a little nervous about the new one as it will probably not live up to my own lofty expectations. I realise that is my issue and nothing to do with the book, and I need to judge it on its own merits but I am struggling to give it a fair shot before I have even started.

I'll let you know what I think when I've finished.

'To Kill A Mockingbird' is on my to read list

Currently reading 'One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest'. Never seen the film so I guess it makes the book even more imaginable to read. Dark, disturbing stuff. But quite humorous as well some parts will have you either wanting to laugh, cry...

...or take some medication

Steffan wrote:'To Kill A Mockingbird' is on my to read list

It is a great book, Steff lad. You won't be disappointed.

How is the studying going?

Been reading the Serge Storms series by Tim Dorsey...insanely violent and funny as f***. Had to have a break though as 11 books on the bounce was a tad overkill so I re-read Stephen Hunter's "Dirty White Boys"...it's insanely violent but it's not as good as "Pale Horse Coming" by the same author or "Green River Rising" by Tim Willocks. Just started reading Primo Levi's "If this is a Man" about his 11 month incarceration in Auchwitz...should be a barrel of laughs.

DAVE667 wrote: Just started reading Primo Levi's "If this is a Man" about his 11 month incarceration in Auchwitz...should be a barrel of laughs.

Incredible book. Brilliant.

It ain't funny, but one of the most moving things I have ever read. Outstanding.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Steffan wrote:'To Kill A Mockingbird' is on my to read list

It is a great book, Steff lad.  You won't be disappointed.

How is the studying going?

I'm looking forward to reading it Tino

Yeah studying is ok I graduated with a 2:1 this summer and am taking a year out before going back to do a Masters. Currently helping my mate run a pub which is a good laugh plus pays the bills for now

Hope you and the family are well

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is also on my to read list. I have The Shining here as well and have never really read much Stephen King so might a few of his classics a try

Steffan wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Steffan wrote:'To Kill A Mockingbird' is on my to read list

It is a great book, Steff lad.  You won't be disappointed.

How is the studying going?

I'm looking forward to reading it Tino

Yeah studying is ok I graduated with a 2:1 this summer and am taking a year out before going back to do a Masters. Currently helping my mate run a pub which is a good laugh plus pays the bills for now

Hope you and the family are well

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is also on my to read list. I have The Shining here as well and have never really read much Stephen King so might a few of his classics a try

Well done, pal.

harry porter LOL

Note for Steffan, Stephen King hasn't written anything decent for over 20 years....use that as a starting point

DAVE667 wrote:Note for Steffan, Stephen King hasn't written anything decent for over 20 years....use that as a starting point

My mate told me the best three SK books are 'The Stand', 'IT' and 'The Shining' which incidentally are also the top three ranked on the readers poll. I'll be giving those a try first

I tried starting the 'Alex Cross' series by James Patterson last year but got bored less than half way through the first book

Hes phoning it in as well. Try Michael Connelly early stuff. or the harry bosch series

Tino,

How are you getting on with the new Harper Lee?

DAVE667 wrote:Note for Steffan, Stephen King hasn't written anything decent for over 20 years....use that as a starting point

I liked Under The Dome all the way up to the end (which is nonsense). Also quite liked 11.22.63 except for the bits that involved his attempts to stop the Kennedy assassination.

Alistair wrote:Tino,

How are you getting on with the new Harper Lee?

I haven't started it yet, mate.

I am trying to finish The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West by a chap called Niall Ferguson.

It's basically about how the 20th century was the bloodiest and most violent period in human history. How social mobility and mechanised warfare turned an already violent people (us) in violent people armed with the tools to inflict maximum punishment on each other.

It really is a fascinating read. Loads of stats about warfare but covers various genocides, the holocaust and other such terrible stuff. Pol Pot, Hitler, Stalin and all the other usual characters from the 20th century are covered and Ferguson has made a valiant attempt to make some sort of sense of it. He tried to understand why we are so adept at killing and where this instinct comes from.

It's really interesting stuff.

Harper Lee will be next.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Alistair wrote:Tino,

How are you getting on with the new Harper Lee?

I haven't started it yet, mate.

I am trying to finish The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West by a chap called Niall Ferguson.

It's basically about how the 20th century was the bloodiest and most violent period in human history.  How social mobility and mechanised warfare turned an already violent people (us) in violent people armed with the tools to inflict maximum punishment on each other.

It really is a fascinating read.  Loads of stats about warfare but covers various genocides, the holocaust and other such terrible stuff.  Pol Pot, Hitler, Stalin and all the other usual characters from the 20th century are covered and Ferguson has made a valiant attempt to make some sort of sense of it.  He tried to understand why we are so adept at killing and where this instinct comes from.

It's really interesting stuff.

Harper Lee will be next.

In the context of the rest of your post, that sentence looks like you're threatening a wee old woman.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Alistair wrote:Tino,

How are you getting on with the new Harper Lee?

I haven't started it yet, mate.

I am trying to finish The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West by a chap called Niall Ferguson.

It's basically about how the 20th century was the bloodiest and most violent period in human history.  How social mobility and mechanised warfare turned an already violent people (us) in violent people armed with the tools to inflict maximum punishment on each other.

It really is a fascinating read.  Loads of stats about warfare but covers various genocides, the holocaust and other such terrible stuff.  Pol Pot, Hitler, Stalin and all the other usual characters from the 20th century are covered and Ferguson has made a valiant attempt to make some sort of sense of it.  He tried to understand why we are so adept at killing and where this instinct comes from.

It's really interesting stuff.

Harper Lee will be next.

I might check that out when i finish The Warren Commission.

superflyweight wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Alistair wrote:Tino,

How are you getting on with the new Harper Lee?

I haven't started it yet, mate.

I am trying to finish The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West by a chap called Niall Ferguson.

It's basically about how the 20th century was the bloodiest and most violent period in human history.  How social mobility and mechanised warfare turned an already violent people (us) in violent people armed with the tools to inflict maximum punishment on each other.

It really is a fascinating read.  Loads of stats about warfare but covers various genocides, the holocaust and other such terrible stuff.  Pol Pot, Hitler, Stalin and all the other usual characters from the 20th century are covered and Ferguson has made a valiant attempt to make some sort of sense of it.  He tried to understand why we are so adept at killing and where this instinct comes from.

It's really interesting stuff.

Harper Lee will be next.

In the context of the rest of your post, that sentence looks like you're threatening a wee old woman.  

More Daves line of work, that.

It's well worth it, Alistair. It isn't your usual 'why do wars start' stuff. He has put a bit of effort into it.

Chartered Bankers Professional Certicate work book.

I have also started reading the cocaine diaries.

Just finished Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I generally find autobiographies tedious and only ever read them when given to me as a gift (as this one was) but it was quite gripping. Some interesting opinions, especially on the hypocrisy of western tolerance of immigrant culture.

Danny Baker's autobiographies. Going to sea in a sieve, about him growing up and working in the 70's. The second book, Going off alarmingly, about his radio and TV career. Absolutely hilarious and brilliantly written in the style of his own persona you see and hear.

A Line in the Sand by James Barr. Very interesting - sufficiently so that I can overlook the pro-British, anti-French bias running through it. Before this I'd attempted All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, but sadly came to the conclusion it was yet another pointless novel designed solely to keep that horrific episode in human history of threequarters of a century ago firmly in the public eye. Gave up around halfway.

Richard Sellers - "Hellraisers, the life and inebriated times of Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole and Oliver Reed".....Dear Lord in Heaven if only 5% of what is written in here were true you'd still struggle to believe it. Far too many anecdotes to pick a favourite but one of the best, funniest things I've read in years. Well worth digging out a copy if you've an interest in the aforementioned actors...or an interesting in drinking, fighting, f*cking and raising merry hell.

Salems lot.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo.

It is a thick book but this won't deter me as I am an avid reader.

An American Dream by Norman Mailer

Only 2 chapters in but I am loving it so far. This book is poetic, dark, graphic, funny and Mailer's lead character is one messed up guy

Steffan wrote:An American Dream by Norman Mailer

Only 2 chapters in but I am loving it so far. This book is poetic, dark, graphic, funny and Mailer's lead character is one messed up guy

I read Executioner's Song by him many years ago - about the crimes and execution of Gary Gilmore.  Apart from it being a worthwhile read I can't really remember much about it which probably renders this post fairly useless.  It is enjoyable though when someone mentions a book and you've read it or read something else by the author.

I read the fight by Norman Mailer. It in no way deserves the high regard it frequently receives. I have just finishes Miles Davis by Ian Carr, which is very good indeed.

I might give The Executioner's Song a read as well at some point Gatled. Rowley, The Fight is also rated as one of his best although not as well regarded as The Executioner's Song which usually is classed as THE Mailer book. An American Dream is apparently his most comic book. I got a few Beatnik style authors lined up such as Joyce Johnson and Hunter S Thompson

A while back I said on here that I was thinking of reading some Stephen King. While I enjoyed The Shining...I think that horror is not really for me. Not because I got scared but I cant quite get into this supernatural stuff (it's the archaeologist in me perhaps)

Also not ashamed to admit that I struggle to finish books over 300-350 pages long. I just find them a drag. Not saying that the books are a drag...but my attention span to the story does tend to go (a bit like a really long film)

The Fight might not be as bad as I suggest to be fair. As a boxing book geek I get peed off with the sheer amount of books written and published about Ali so I tend to go into them with a fairly negative mindset to start with. In a similar vein to The Executioners Song I read In Cold Blood by Capote, not read it in ages but recall enjoying that a lot at the time.

Rowley wrote:The Fight might not be as bad as I suggest to be fair. As a boxing book geek I get peed off with the sheer amount of books written and published about Ali so I tend to go into them with a fairly negative mindset to start with. In a similar vein to The Executioners Song I read In Cold Blood by Capote, not read it in ages but recall enjoying that a lot at the time.

Read in Cold Blood Blood a few years back - quite a difficult read just because of how the tragedy nearly didn't happen and how sad and pointless it all was. Would recommend the film as well.

@ Steffan, I wouldn't bother with The Executioner's Song if you struggle with long books, it contains a great many pages. Lugged it around in my school bag for months and I think my right shoulder was significantly stronger and larger than my left at the end of it.

Read Mailer's "Castle in the Forest" a few years back. It's a semi-fictional account of Hitler as a boy. He was supposed to do a follow up then went and died (Mailer not Hitler...no-one wanted a follow-up by Hitler).

Still re-reading the Hap and Leonard series by Joe Lansdale which they've finally made into a tv series nearly 20 years after he started writing them (on "Vanilla Ride" now). Dirty funny violent and brilliant. Met Lansdale in Leeds a few years ago at a book signing. One of the nicest people I've met...obviously if I meet Tina he'll be right up at the top of the list but for now, Lansdale's up there.

Am due to read Colin Hart's "Did I mention I predicted the outcome of the Rumble in the Jungle" but need to brace myself as it's 40000 pages long

Have just finished reading Arundhati Roy's 'Capitalism: A Ghost Story.' A relatively breif book of about 100 pages (essentially more like a collection of half a dozen or so essays with similar underlying themes) critiquing capitalism in India during the country's 'Privatization of Everything' era. As someone who indetifies as being on the left of the political spectrum it was naturally an appealing title and subject matter.

Roy has long struggled to escape the Indian government's strict censorship and she does a cracking job of exposing some uncomfortable truths again here. It's an eye-opening polemic on the hypocrisy of things such as India's recent slew of highly-publicised literary festivals championing the cause of free speech in the face of Islamist fundamentalism (not that Roy denies the importance of such an issue, mind you) while at the same time the governments of states such as Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh have introduced draconian methods which allows police to 'shoot on suspicion' if locals gather to protest at the selling off of their land to corporate-funded foundations at unfair prices, and where even thinking an anti-government thought can lead to arrest and charges of sedition (how anyone would propose to police this, God only knows).

The amount of questions Roy's book brings up (at least in my head) speaks volumes. For example, how has it come to be that Infosys and their former CEO Nandan Nilekani, who once stated that their goal was to 'deliver services to India's poor', have instead spent recent years pouring astonomical amounts of money in to the government's Unique Indentification Number project, allowing even closer surveillance of people often without access to clean water and toilets for an already repressive regime?

It's unnecessary for me to keep posting rhetorical questions like that, but by the title you can probably guess that Roy puts much of the blame for such problems at the door of India's leap in to rampant capitalism and neo-liberal institutionalism. Roy puts forward a compelling case that, due to the fact that Western organisations simply throw more cash at such causes, issues such as feminism and the social sciences have taken on a distinct Western-centric theme; as everything becomes privatized, likewise all things also become 'NGO-itized' as she puts it. Meanwhile, pluralism has also failed India as the top one hundred richest Indians own assets equivalent to a quarter of the country's GDP, and 60 percent of India's workforce remains self-employed, making a mockery of the Indian government's line that the free market and increasing GDP will always translate in to the creation of more jobs.

Again, Roy argues excellently that the 'trickle down' theory of neo-liberal economics doesn't hold water in India, and has been replaced with 'gush up.' Her research on the intertwined interests and dominance of companies such as the aforementioned Infosys, Reliance Industries Ltd, Tatas etc across all fields of Indian life is a pretty damning indictment of just how democratic the 'World's Largest Democracy' really is, and her additional research and presented facts on issues such as the trial and execution of Kashmiri 'terrorist' Afzal Guru only adds to that.

No doubt, some of Roy's sentiments might seem a little too radical and overtly Marxist for some people's taste - maybe even my own at times - but it's hard to deny that she puts forward her case for capitalism's downfall in India eloquently and in an accessible manner with plenty of evidence to support her theories. The book is perfectly referenced and has a nice, loose flow which allows Roy to adumbrate her points clearly without drowning the reader in too much peripheral detail.

Well worth a read for anyone with an interest in such issues, particularly if you're looking for a 'Communist Manifesto' for the twenty-first century!

Keep it light Chris, keep it light!!

Old habits die hard, Dave.

Old Habits Die hard...sounds like the new film with Bruce Willis and Whoopi Goldberg

DAVE667 wrote:Old Habits, Die hard...sounds like the new film with Bruce Willis and Whoopi Goldberg

One punctuation mark turns it into an Amy Winehouse Biographical film.

rick_dagless wrote:

DAVE667 wrote:Old Habits, Die hard...sounds like the new film with Bruce Willis and Whoopi Goldberg

One punctuation mark turns it into an Amy Winehouse Biographical film.

HA!!

ShahenshahG wrote:

rick_dagless wrote:

DAVE667 wrote:Old Habits, Die hard...sounds like the new film with Bruce Willis and Whoopi Goldberg

One punctuation mark turns it into an Jimmy Saville Biographical film.

HA!!

Fixed that for ya!

Just purchased a couple of novels - Hamam Balkania, about the Balkans under Ottoman rule, & Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Anybody familiar with either of these?

Starting to reread the Harry Bosch series of novels after watching the amazon prime series. Absolutely fantastic books (well the early ones are) and would recommend them to anyone. Standard format for crime novels but I think the characters are excellently written

Rowanbi wrote:Just purchased a couple of novels - Hamam Balkania, about the Balkans under Ottoman rule, & Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Anybody familiar with either of these?

Have been toying with the idea of reading I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings for a while but was a bit put off by the bit you can read on Amazon Look Inside, the descriptions seemed unnecessarily flowery. Will probably read it eventually - you made a start on it yet?

No, still trying to finish Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens. Started out well, talking about how modern man wandered out of Africa and hybridized with Neanderthals in Europe, creating the European race with about 2 or 3% Neanderthal DNA, and with Denisovans among others in Asia, creating the Asian and Austroloid races in Asia with up to 5 or 6% Denisovan DNA. But since then it's got a little boring with lots of digressions and rambling on about pretty much nothing. After this I'll go to Hamam Balkania first, since I'm living in Istanbul and have studied a lot about Ottoman history. As for Maya Angelou, I understand she wasn't quite the angelic victim she made herself out to be, and apparently neglected her son while running about having affairs. Her son was later paralyzed in a car accident while still only in his 20s.

This is very cool http://ideas.ted.com/your-guide-to-reading-the-world/?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=ideas-blog&utm_term=humanities

Just finished a couple of books:

THE GODFATHER
Worthwhile read, especially if you're a fan of the film.  Wasn't sure it would be much of a read in its own right but it was difficult to put down.  He may not be up to Rowley's standard, but Puzo's style is very readable.  And it adds a lot of background to the film, which was quite faithful to the book.
I give it a 6/10 on the Compared To Rowley Scale.


The second book is one I've been putting off for quite a while because the title really annoys me.  The book is called Push and was written by Sapphire, a film based on it was called Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, and the publishers then cashed in on the film's success by renaming the book Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire so it is in effect named after itself.
It's about an illiterate black teenager who's had two children by her father and been rejected by her mother who also molests her.  On top of this she hates herself for being black, fat and ugly, has

Spoiler:

and her first-born is a Downie.
Although generally sad and disturbing, the book is also fairly optimistic and at times genuinely f*cking funny.
I would highly recommend - 7/10 on the CtRS.

I have read the Godfather Galted, it gets slagged off quite a bit but I enjoyed it. The background stuff is interesting. Could have lived without the stuff about Lucy's fanny, but other than that it's a decent read.