What are you reading these days? (printed matter only)

arjunmenon · 2009-10-22T09:15:37+00:00

I know we've discussed what everybody is listening etc etc, but i'd like a sneak peek into what everyone is reading these days. This week,I'm on : 1. A lion's legacy - RJ Patterson (very nice book about lion conservation in northern kenya) 2. A player's guide to chords & harmony - Jim Aikin 3. Guitar Player (Al DiMeola on the cover) 4. Creative recording Vol.1 Effects & processors (Can't remember the author's name and slightly outdated book, but still a good read because it details various effects).

BobC

Also recently read 'Paranormality - Why we see what isn't there' by Richard Wiseman

[deleted]

chris77 wrote Small Gods - Terry Pratchett, for like the umpteenth time! I have all his books and inbetween new ones I re-read the old ones. Once you get Pratchettenitus, there is no cure I am afraid...

+1. I'm busy reading Unseen Academicals... Been a little past time of mine this year to read all the Discworld books - I'm gonna have a crisis when they run out! hehe

guidothepimmp

the bang bang club :'(

depressing as hell

[deleted]

Just finished "Kafka on the shore", by Haruki Murakami. Weird. Think of Oedipus Rex, but where everything happens in an alternate universe and they're all cool with it.

Averatu

The Stand, by Stephen king, unedited edition, almost done. I have Point Counter Point by Aldous Huxley lined up.

[deleted]

guidothepimmp wrote the bang bang club :'(

depressing as hell

It's rough hey? Such a good book though... I'm in two minds about seeing the movie though... Between the photos in the book and my rather vivid imagination, I'm not sure I need a film interpretation...

Warren

guidothepimmp wrote the bang bang club :'(

depressing as hell

This book was one of those that set me upon the "liberal" path, once upon a time. ?

Tough read, but a good one.

Bob-Dubery

MoreCowBell wrote
guidothepimmp wrote the bang bang club :'(

depressing as hell
It's rough hey? Such a good book though... I'm in two minds about seeing the movie though... Between the photos in the book and my rather vivid imagination, I'm not sure I need a film interpretation...

Is that in print again? I always wanted to read it but never did. It disappeared from book shop shelves some time ago.

My own current reading: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

[deleted]

X-rated Bob wrote
MoreCowBell wrote
guidothepimmp wrote the bang bang club :'(

depressing as hell
It's rough hey? Such a good book though... I'm in two minds about seeing the movie though... Between the photos in the book and my rather vivid imagination, I'm not sure I need a film interpretation...
Is that in print again? I always wanted to read it but never did. It disappeared from book shop shelves some time ago.

My own current reading: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

@Bob: dunno if Bang-Bang Club is in print again - I read it years ago & even then I read a borrowed copy... My guess though is that with the release of the movie they'll get the book back on the shelves in the interests of commercialism & profit-making...

I read the complete Sherlock Holmes' earlier this year - such fun & actually very nicely written! Have you seen the new mini-series called 'Sherlock'? It's set in contemporary London - SO good!

G-Man

Been reading a bit of Peter Straub lately, really getting into his style of writing ,most recent was Mr X .I'm mostly a Stephen King fan, I think I've read just about all of his stuff, I finished The Dark Tower series after a seemingly endless slog not so long ago. Wouldn't do that again in a hurry that's for sure ?

domhatch

just found douglas adams' dirk gently novels - both of them - at a second hand book shop. about five chapters into dirk gently's holistic detective agency so far. also have shakespeare's complete works next to the loo, and i'm going through ralph denyer's guitar handbook bit by bit when the mood takes me; it's on the bedside table. outdated perhaps, but invaluable, definitely. otherwise, i have to wade through a logic express training manual, so that's on the desk by the computer. i'll end up finishing it and getting the upgrade, and have to start from scratch.

man, there are some diverse souls on this forum. thank heavens for that, eh?

Bob-Dubery

MoreCowBell wrote I read the complete Sherlock Holmes' earlier this year - such fun & actually very nicely written!

I thought Conan Doyle struggled with longer stories actually, but the short ones he wrote for magazines and that then got collated into volumes are very nice indeed.

Have you seen the new mini-series called 'Sherlock'? It's set in contemporary London - SO good!

Total cobblers. More Dr Who than Sherlock Holmes. The one thing going for it is that the hero is flawed, but if you want a flawed and disillusioned TV hero you watch Inspector Morse.

guidothepimmp

@ Bob

It is in print but bloody difficult to find.. Places that do have them have 1 or 2 copies and theyre uually sold..

Spotted mine by luck..

[deleted]

X-rated Bob wrote
MoreCowBell wrote I read the complete Sherlock Holmes' earlier this year - such fun & actually very nicely written!
I thought Conan Doyle struggled with longer stories actually, but the short ones he wrote for magazines and that then got collated into volumes are very nice indeed.

Have you seen the new mini-series called 'Sherlock'? It's set in contemporary London - SO good!
Total cobblers. More Dr Who than Sherlock Holmes. The one thing going for it is that the hero is flawed, but if you want a flawed and disillusioned TV hero you watch Inspector Morse.

Oh yeah, nothing beats Morse, that's for sure... 8)

Squonk

MoreCowBell wrote Total cobblers. More Dr Who than Sherlock Holmes. The one thing going for it is that the hero is flawed, but if you want a flawed and disillusioned TV hero you watch Inspector Morse.

Oh yeah, nothing beats Morse, that's for sure... 8)

Takes a bit of getting used to, although I do battle with the Colin Dexter books, John Thaw does a brilliant job.

Another good english Detective series I am enjoying is Frost with David Jason, has a little bit of the Delboy humour but doesn't take away from the drama!

deefstes

Just finished "Kafka on the Shore" (Haruki Murakami), loved it. Now reading "The God of Small Things" (Arundathi Roy) and still struggling to get into it. She writes beautifully but the storyline hasn't really grabbed me yet.

Squonk

Harlen Coben - Tell No One

I quite enjoy his books, I normally read them when I am on Holiday, but I couldn't wait

6x9base13

Just finished Keith Richards biography by Victor Bockris and Kevin J. Anderson's Map of all things.

Now part way through:

The knowledge of heaven and earth by Mike Richfield - An unknown author to me, but so far a very interesting sci-fi come space opera.

Rework by Jason Fried - One of the founders of a company called 37 Signals and his take on building and growing a business. Very interesting to me as it could have been the hand book for how our company started and grew !

Bob-Dubery

I'm reading the Sherlock Holmes because we recently moved house and for a couple of days it was the only book I could get my hands on.

Prior to that I read a string of Simon Winchesters. Most recently "Atlantic", which deals with the ocean of the same name and the significant role it has played in shaping the affairs of several countries.

Before that I read "Outposts" in which he visits the various remnants of the British Empire - St Helena for EG.

Before THAT I read "Bomb, Book and Compass" in which he looks at some of the history of China and the role of British academic Joseph Needham in bringing that history to greater international attention.

And finally (or firstly) was "The Map That Changed the World" which deals with William "Strata" Smith who effectively was the father of modern geology.

I've read several of Winchester's books and enjoyed them all. He has an intriguing book "The Surgeon of Crowthorne" (confusingly published under several other titles) which tells the tale of compiling of the Oxford English Dictionary and the significant role that an incarcerated madman played in all of that. It's a lovely, bitter-sweet story.

I gave a copy of Winchester's book on the San Francisco earthquake ("A Crack in the Edge of the World") to a friend of mine for Christmas a few years ago. Said friend is a rock mechanic of some note, and as I handed it over I thought "you tonsil! What are you doing giving this guy a book about an earth quake." He called me a couple of weeks later to say how much he enjoyed the book and that Winchester's explanation of plate tectonics was the finest he'd ever read.

Jack-Flash-Jr

Viccy wrote Just finished "Kafka on the shore", by Haruki Murakami. Weird. Think of Oedipus Rex, but where everything happens in an alternate universe and they're all cool with it.

I've read all his books... really cool. My fave was "Wild Sheep Chase"...

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