What Book Are You Currently Reading?

quote:

Originally posted by Rasher:
"Beach books". I like that. Yes, they are aren't they.

Rasher,

Other good beach books are anything by Fredrick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum, Gerald Seymour, Len Deighton or John Le Carre IMO. Any suggestions for other 'beach books' gratefully received as I hope to be off to the Philippines soon.

I have a strange penchant for Sherlock Holmes stories but would never read one on a beach as winter nights are best.

The 'Flashman' novels of George Macdonald Fraser make me laugh as no other. They are deliciously non-pc historical novels. Have you read any? I laugh out loud on almost every page. There are 12 of them so if you tried one and liked it you have the joy of 11 more jolly good reads ahead of you. Flashman is an utter cad, bounder, poltroon and coward and my hero.

The only other non-fiction stuff I have read recently have been 'The life of Pi' (Yann Martel)

Captain Corelli's mandolin (Louis de Bernieres)

The curious incident of the dog that barked in the night-time (Mark Haddon)

and

The God of Small things (Arundhati Roy)

All excellent in their very different ways. As for non-fiction I have recently read:

Longtitude (Dava Sobel)About John Harrison and his long struggle to succesfully solve the 'longtitude problem' of navigation.

Galileo's Daughter (ditto)An account of Galileo life including letters written to him by his daughter.

Selkirk's Island (Diana Souhani)About Alexander Selkirk whose marooning on an uninhabited island was the inspiration for Robinson Crusoe.

Hell Riders (Terry brighton) Excellent and moving book about the charge of the Light Brigade.

All excellent IMO.

I have neglected non-fiction abit lately as I am up to my neck in research for a friends book which involves ploughing through some rather difficult terrain but I'm gagging for a good read so I will happily take up your offer of borrowing the Grisham.

Regards,

Erik

quote:

Originally posted by Fredrik_Fiske:
Dear Erik!

If you came here you would find maybe twenty books dotted about, like the music, in a totally haphaszrd way, but most of mine are still in packing boxes! Almost all my scores are locked up in this fashion, but I fear the chaos that would ensue if I got them here before I get a bookshelf!

All the best from Fredrik

Fredrik,

Sounds like controlled chaos to me and therefore I would feel totally at home. I think a certain amount of mess is healthy.

Regards,

Erik

A couple of books i like to suggest.

erik wrote:
"The link between quantum physics, the mind and the highest levels of Buddhist philosophy is incredibly interesting..."

there is a french book titled "l'infini dans la paume de la main" (by matthieu ricard and trihm xuan thuan) that you may want to look up if you're not familiar with it already.

i also can't resist pointing out that a proper buddhist would place phrases like "thinking outside the box" very much inside the box.

blake

Erik - I posted a mailbox for you to email me and get me your details, but it was removed, and with no PM's anymore, there seems to be no way to contact. Any ideas? The book is here waiting.

quote:

Originally posted by Blake67:
erik wrote:
"The link between quantum physics, the mind and the highest levels of Buddhist philosophy is incredibly interesting..."

there is a french book titled "l'infini dans la paume de la main" (by matthieu ricard and trihm xuan thuan) that you may want to look up if you're not familiar with it already.

i also can't resist pointing out that a proper buddhist would place phrases like "thinking outside the box" very much inside the box.

blake

Hi Blake,

I am familiar with Mathieu Ricard's work - he does a good job. I am not sure what you mean by 'a proper Buddhist' and the 'thinking outside the box' bit. On the conventinal level the term 'thinking outside the box' is possibly useful up to a point?

quote:

Originally posted by Rasher:
Erik - I posted a mailbox for you to email me and get me your details, but it was removed, and with no PM's anymore, there seems to be no way to contact. Any ideas? The book is here waiting.

I saw your post with e-mail address and sent you a reply via my e-mail address, did you not get it? Are we not allowed to post e-mail addresses here?

Okay Erik - I got it. Lucky you saw it in time. I suspect that Naim are paranoid that we are going to end up like a dodgy chat room and all meet up for pervy sex or something.

quote:

Originally posted by Rasher:
Okay Erik - I got it. Lucky you saw it in time. I suspect that Naim are paranoid that we are going to end up like a dodgy chat room and all meet up for pervy sex or something.

Or maybe to discuss whether Krell make better kit? He not only deleted your post to me but my reply to yours saying that I had sent you my address by e-mail as requested. Paranoid indeed.

quote:

Originally posted by erik scothron:
I am not sure what you mean by 'a proper Buddhist' and the 'thinking outside the box' bit. On the conventinal level the term 'thinking outside the box' is possibly useful up to a point?

erik.

unless i'm mistaken or you've been been up a mountain in tibet for the past two decades, it's rather absurd to promote any sort of intellectual inquiry by citing an infamous corporate cliché to illustrate its virtue.

hey, i'm sure you were giving it a hundred & ten percent and being a team player by stepping up to the plate for buddhism... ;-)

blake.

quote:

Originally posted by Blake67:

quote:

Originally posted by erik scothron:
I am not sure what you mean by 'a proper Buddhist' and the 'thinking outside the box' bit. On the conventinal level the term 'thinking outside the box' is possibly useful up to a point?

erik.

unless i'm mistaken or you've been been up a mountain in tibet for the past two decades, it's rather absurd to promote any sort of intellectual inquiry by citing an infamous corporate cliché to illustrate its virtue.

hey, i'm sure you were giving it a hundred & ten percent and being a team player by stepping up to the plate for buddhism... ;-)

blake.

Blake,

Did I mention the 'thinking out of the box' thing before you did on this thread? Maybe I did, but I don't remember doing so, however, I still say it may be a useful term depending on the circumstances.

On various points of pedentry: there is no such thing as giving a '110%', buddhism is not a team sport and this is a book thread.

Regards,

Erik

ps - I note your use of an infamous sporting cliche.

quote:

Originally posted by spartacus:

quote:

Originally posted by erik scothron:
"The Shadow Of The Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Deeply impressive for a first novel I eagerly await the second. A hymn to the love of books. If a book is a a portal into another world then what is a laberinthyne secret library of forgotten books to a wide eyed child? I was hooked from page one and ruthessly entertained to exhaustion - I just couldn't put it down. Enjoy!

Just started it and I'm hooked as well. It's a bit of a break from "DNA the secret of life" by James Watson.

Just finished reading this one. Pretty good but took a while to get into it probably because the book I finished just before starting this one was so powerful...

The book in question: The Kite Runner. What can I say? The best thing I've read in quite some time. I still think about it - always the sign of a great book... Just go out and buy a copy for yourself.

Currently I have just started The Time Traveller's Wife. A fascinating concept and a compulsive read so far.

Richard

quote:

Originally posted by Richard Dane:

quote:

Just finished reading this one. Pretty good but took a while to get into it probably because the book I finished just before starting this one was so powerful...

The book in question: The Kite Runner. What can I say? The best thing I've read in quite some time. I still think about it - always the sign of a great book... Just go out and buy a copy for yourself.

Currently I have just started The Time Traveller's Wife. A fascinating concept and a compulsive read so far.

Hi Richard,

I have just looked up the two books you mention above on Amazon and both look like good reads. Interestingly Amazon shows that people buying the one also bought the second without there being a clear link between the two, leastways none that was obvious to me at a quick glance. Any suggestions as to why this should be?

Regards,

Erik

1/3 the way thru The Unknown Matisse. Fascinating look at turn of the century French painting by a master trying to break free of the Acadamy stangle hold. When he took to using pure blue, yellow and red his friends and family were crying that he'd gone mad and was ruining his career. HA! The anarchist strikes back and becomes one of the great paiteres of all time, There is a second volume that's just come out of his later life. It has gotten awards. A must read.


And just to be silly A Confeceracy of Dunces. Don't remember the name of the author, I'd read it a decade ago and as a freind who'd lived in New Orleans said it's decadent and oh so true. Hillarious right up to the end.

The Guv'Nor Lenny McLean.

quote:

Originally posted by erik scothron:
Hi Richard,

I have just looked up the two books you mention above on Amazon and both look like good reads. Interestingly Amazon shows that people buying the one also bought the second without there being a clear link between the two, leastways none that was obvious to me at a quick glance. Any suggestions as to why this should be?

Regards,

Erik

Hi Erik,

I'm afraid I haven't a clue on that. The Kite Runner was one of a number of books I was given at Christmas by my sister and The Time Traveller's wife was just finished by my girlfriend and passed on to me...

[/QUOTE]

Hi Erik,

I'm afraid I haven't a clue on that. The Kite Runner was one of a number of books I was given at Christmas by my sister and The Time Traveller's wife was just finished by my girlfriend and passed on to me...[/QUOTE]

Maybe there were reviewed together somewhere or both nominated for a prize? We need Sherlock Holmes on this one.

This week I'm reading Laurie Lee - As I Walked Out One Mid-Summer Morning.
Wonderful.

Again for the third time this wonderful book.

I have just finished ...

"Einstein in Berlin" by Thomas Levenson ...

paperback published ... 2003

I never thought of Einstein as being in Berlin [I thought of him in the Swiss patent office !!].

But basically he discovered relaivity in 1905 and went to Berlin in [I think] 1907 and lived there untill just before Hitler [about 1933].

The book is both a life of Einstein and a social history of Germany..

James H.

ends==

Currently re-reading 'The Universe in a Nutshell' by Stephen Hawking.

Mainly because most if it didn't sink in first time 'round.

Mark

Following a link in a NYTimes article, The Free Press by Hilaire Belloc, written at the end of WWI. Refreshing in its clarity.

In 1959 Shirley Collins joined musicologist Alan Lomax on a year-long journey through the musical heartland of the Southern States of America. During this field trip they recorded the music of religious communities, social gatherings, prisons and chain gangs, and discovered bluesman Mississippi Fred McDowell. These original recordings were featured in the Coen brothers’ film "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou". Shirley’s book "America Over The Water" recounts this journey, intercutting and complementing the American narrative with an autobiographical account of growing up in Hastings during and after the war, and of her first meeting with Alan Lomax in London.

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
These original recordings were featured in the Coen brothers’ film "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou".

Yes!
The movie is very good, but it could not be so with different music pieces.
If i find an italian version i think i'll get this book.

That soundtrack took me back to many years ago.

quote:

Originally posted by HR:

Tomorrow Orhan Pamuk is going to give a read of his books at Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois. I am going to be there.

Haim