What Book Are You Currently Reading?

TV Guide...Not much plot, but boy are there a lot of characters.

Madame Terror by Jan Guillou.

Pretty good so far... we'll see...

Any Smiths fans out there? This is your book!

rather humbling really, regardless...

And I'm also reading this too...

...to my daughter!

(All Roald Dahl is also recommended to grown ups!)

This is wonderful too, my boy loves it. Its great on audio too. Boggus and Bunce and Bean, one fat one thin one lean (if i recall)



Diccus (with Shingles)

Very subjectiv writing, great and time consuming.

Bedroom secrets of the master chefs by Irvine Welsh.

Kinky Friedman - Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola

A masterpiece. Just returned it to the library. I am going to buy my own copy.

HAIM

quote:

Originally posted by Diccus62:
Excellent, pretty gothicy, not usually my bag but it's good to stretch the imagination



Diccus

I would agree. This is not my usual reading material but it is excellent. Clever writing, well translated (was originally in Spanish) and is highly recommended.

Tim

I've jst finished 'The Long Goodbye' by Raymond Chandler, interspersed with reading selected essays by Michel de Montaigne.

'Masters of Deceit' by J Edgar Hoover, c. 1958


History of communism in America. Surprisingly lucid first half, recounts the rise of Soviet movement in Russia. The former FBI head and notorious left wing head hunter, gives a balanced view of the evils of communism. Second half has some real howlers, with chapter headings like : "Why do People Become Communists ?"


Also reading: 'The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich' , by William L. Shirer, c. 1960


1200 plus densly packed pages, fairly readable histoy of Nazi Germany(so far)with good insight into Hitler's social and cultural influences.

Regards, BB

Hide and Seek - Ian Rankin

"For Your freedom And Ours." The Kosciuszko Squadron. Forgotten Heroes Of The Second World War. By Lynne Olson and Stanley Cloud. [Arrow Books].

A book on the history of the Polish Airmen who formed the Polish Air Force based in Britain having been so overwhelmed in defence of their homeland and escaped to continue the struggle from the "oldest, and strongest ally," including a long lead up to the start of the Second World War, and the eventual complete betrayal by the Allies of the Polish to appease the Russian Dictator Stalin.

One of the saddest books I have ever read.

Truly I was saddened by the Polish history my history teacher introduced me between the age of ten and thirteen. So much of my aquaintance and friendship with Poles only served to increase my determination to find out more, and this book is a great introduction to more understanding. One might expect Poles to have a massive chip on their collective shoulder, yet much of strength of character, and incredible loyalty described in this history of the Poles in the Second War is exactly what I have found amongst the Poles I have met. They are not very much like the English in some ways, and reading this I feel less and less like being proud of my Englisg half. Maybe it is the lot of small nations always to be at the mercy of big powerful ones. Certainly there are parallels with modern times as well, and it is uncomfortable to consider these. The Roosvelt, and Churchill to a lesser degree, do not come out of this very well, though the Communists and Nazis naturally are obviously far worse.

The strange thing is that the misunderstandings then, at every level, seem to be repeating themselves today in our dealings with Poland. I find that as disheartening as any other aspect of this tragic narrative.

Fredrik.

Dear Friends,

I read the first fifty pages [of the book mentioned above, but to understand this you need to look up two posts, just above Frank's] yesterday at my sister-in-law's on Sunday. I have just finished it.

It has reduced me to tears several times. It make me all the more proud to have two fantastic work collegue whom I call friends and who certainly call me the same. I think I should add here, that we are ex-work collegues, and it says some for the way things go that the team was broken not on account of the quality of work or the quality of it but petty jealousy amount English collegues that would prove to be insurmountable. I was very sad about that, but as one of them said with typical mischief, "Its a good thing! Now you can be on holiday the same time as me and come to Poland with me one of these days for a two week drinks party!" Really I have never met optimists like them!

Now those sad stories my old history teacher taught me as a very small child are really being filled in. For example she explained how to spell Warsaw. She said, "Just think of Saw War, as it surely did, and you will get it right."

Well I cannot go into it here, but in the last four weeks I had an example of the ferocious and self-denying loyalty that is wrttien off amongs these Polish in that book, from one of my two Polish friends, which, though it can only have served him badly, and did me no good in reality, does nothing to alter my opinion that Poland, like every country, has its good and its less good people, but there is something unique about the best of the Polish. I have seen it in both my good friends, and several others whom I know less well.

I think I shall learn a lot in the next few days Frank. Thanks...

Kindest thoughts from Fredrik

PS: When I started this Thread I mentioned Churchill's big six volume survey of the Second World War as a project to read over time. I am glad to have read this first, considering Churchill wrily observed, "History will be kind to me: I intend to write it!"

I shall be very interested to read his gloss on some the history covered here, especially now, as this little book certainly explodes a few myths.

A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright. Perhaps the word progress should be in inverted commas. A must read about the runaway growth in human population, consumption and technology. One of Wright’s many gems is the computer analogy that we are running 21st century software on hardware last upgraded 50,000 years ago or more, which explains a lot of what we see in the news. Excellent and frightening read.

Best regards,
Ron

21st century software on hardware last updated 50,000 years ago... Speaking of not learning, 'A Short History of Progress' deals exactly with this theme; unsustainable human greed.

Hi Frank,

I think you will 'enjoy' this book, especially given your background. I use the word enjoy with caution due to the dire conclusions, which are not so much fatalistic as worrisome, especially if we don’t take more decisive action.

Another very worthwhile read is Jared Diamond’s ‘Guns, Germs and Steel’ – an account of humanity’s development since the last ice age when we were all hunter gatherers about 13,000 years ago. One of my top ten books of all time.

Best regards,
Ron

PS Frank: I look forward to your comments on Wright's lectures...

Michael Connelly - A Darkness More Than Night, City Of Bones, Chasing The Dime.
3 books in one and I can't put it down. I'll finish the 2nd book tonight. Absolute blinder.