What Book Are You Currently Reading?

Two or three on the go:

"The Algebraist" by Iain M. Banks.

(Trying to read) "Perfectly Reasonable Deviations From the Beaten Track - The Letters of Richard P. Feynman"

(Got it and want to make a start) Teilhard de Chardin - "Human Energy" (esp. section on suffering) - if the Roman Catholics didn't like him there might just be something there...

44 Scotland Street

John Buchan - The Four Adventures of Richard Hannay. A repeat pleasure, every few years.

Just finished Stephen Clarkes 'Merde Actually', the follow up to 'A year in the Merde'. Both very funny

Steve

Adam,

Try and find some Dornford Yates (especially the "Chandos" books). He was a ghastly facist, and very much of his time, but even Buchan , I think, cannot hold a candle to his writing ability.

Yates was the inspiration for much of the writing of Tom Sharpe (except the naughty bits) and is credited accordingly in Sharpe's introductions. With ebay these days the out of print stuff has never been easier. If you can find a book called "Adele & Co" you will not be disappointed. It's also really very amusing in places.

Yes - I deliberately didn't mention Buchan's breathtaking anti-semitism and casual racism.

Greenvoe by George Mackay Brown. The man was a star.

EW

Tom Keneally - The Commonwealth of Thieves.

"Shake Hands with the Devil" by Romeo A. Dallaire. It is about the failure of the UN mission to Rwanada back in 93. Dallaire was the army commander in charge of the operation.

In such august company I am wary of saying Terry Pratchett's "Thud".

Brad

Is Thud a new one. I think I may pick up another book for some lighter reading since I'm not always in the mood for a serious book.

Bill Bryson’s A Short History in which the same fellow who invented leaded petrol went on to invert CFCs but failed to surpass that stunning achievement due to one of his other inventions taking advantage of him being laid low by polio and strangling him to death.

Thomas Midgley ladies and gentlemen. Could not have happened to a nicer guy.

C

Philip Roth 'The Plot Against America', and Mike Brearley 'The Art Of Captaincy'. The latter an interesting book about leadership in general as much as cricket in particular.


Bruce

"In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead" by James Lee Burke. This author has created a detective character, Dave Robicheaux, who inhabits a wonderful Louisiana environment. I was introduced to the series by a friend just a few years ago and am busy catching up on earlier novels in the series. They are far more literary than the crime fiction genre might lead you to expect.

Donna Leon's Doctored Evidence. Her series of Venice thrillers are up there with Ian Rankin.
David

Mick Walls' book on John Peel.

Howard

"Stalingrad"

Anthony Beevor

Excellent

Justyn.

The Sunday Philosophy Club
Alexander McCall Smith

- for those of us who have read all of the No1 Ladies Detective Agency series

Read Stalingrad last year - Justyn, I agree with you on this. A brilliantly researched book. I'm tempted by Beevor's similar book on the Spanish Civil War.

At the moment, re-reading Death and the Penguin, by Andrey Kurkov, black humour novel about a man who gets caught up with the mafia in Kiev. Surprisingly complex for what I initially thought would be an airport read.

Almost at the end of "Freakonomics" by Stephen Levitt.

After that, I'll probably move on to "The End of Oil" by Ian Roberts ... but I might divert into a re-read of "The Law and the Profits" by C. Northcote Parkinson.

Dan

quote:

Is Thud a new one

Yes it is.

Brad

Superhoops,

Have you read "Berlin" by Anthony Beevor, again it's a well researched book, and an excellent read. Another book which I would recommend is "The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer. I thought it was a good book although many historians are dubious about whether it's Fact or Fiction.

Justyn.

The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli.
John

Some short stories by Philip K. Dick

Interesting to see how Minority Report and Total Recall were extrapolated from these little ditties.

I've ggot a few on the go, each designed for a different reading occasion.

Thus:


Albion by Peter Ackroyd (for reading in bed)

Casanova by Andrew Miller (for public transport)

The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker (for the front room)

A Scots Quair by Lewis Grassic Gibbon (I've been ploughing through this one for about 8 months now!)

Kevin