What are YOU reading?`

[._._._._._.]

Did clockwork orange and Fahrenheit 451 a few weeks ago. Will probably try to get all of these dystopian-style "classics" read soon. Have to say, Clockwork Orange was an absolutely fantastic read, very very interesting.

Edit: Tristan, that seems pretty interesting. I'll have a look around for it!

Got a feeling I'm going to start reading much more soon

double edit: Seems a good 650 page book. There goes a weekend.

 

[floody]

Finished Hey Nietzsche, it was brilliant, although Schuftan does labour the point on MCR/Gerard Way a little (he is also quite effusive about Weezer/River Cuomo but that isn't quite as dull). Most of his forays into philosophy and art within are insightful and well researched, overall it was a great read.

Just started on the Sin City graphic novels.

 

[Tristan23]

Finished Hey Nietzsche, it was brilliant, although Schuftan does labour the point on MCR/Gerard Way a little (he is also quite effusive about Weezer/River Cuomo but that isn't quite as dull). Most of his forays into philosophy and art within are insightful and well researched, overall it was a great read.

Sounds interesting...from the little I know about Nietzsche I'd like to read more. Might have to pick up a copy soon.

 

[floody]

Its pretty good, though its more an exposition on romanticism in art and its interaction with society, rather than Nietzsche's philosophy. That said, there is a substantial dissection of the topic within.

 

[leitch]

Like Hamsta a few pages back, I'm reading Aravind Adiga's White Tiger, and it's brilliant. It's a great story and very raw and bleak in the way it describes the plight of India's downtrodden, but at the same time humourous and also often ironic in the way the narrator tells it. Really worth the read.


And prior to this, I read David Malouf's Ransom, which is his re-writing of Homer's Iliad and the story of Priam king of Troy and Achilles. It's a real testament to Malouf's lyrical writing style, and a quaintly satisfying tale, but don't expect an epic narrative.

 

[tudorsi]

Bravo Two Zero

 

[Maurice.]

Have to say, Clockwork Orange was an absolutely fantastic read, very very interesting.

.

I must say. i completley agree with you on that one

Had to read it bout a month or two ago for my english class ina week and (i saw the movie beforehand) I found it really engaging in that fact that you get to see who alex really is throught the stages of his rehab.

And i think burgess really portrayed his character well in A Clockwork Orange in comparison to Beds in the East and Abba Abba

 

[._._._._._.]

I must say. i completley agree with you on that one

Had to read it bout a month or two ago for my english class ina week and (i saw the movie beforehand) I found it really engaging in that fact that you get to see who alex really is throught the stages of his rehab.

And i think burgess really portrayed his character well in A Clockwork Orange in comparison to Beds in the East and Abba Abba

I'd have to say may single favourite thing about it is his use of slang. I think it's definitely one of the main things that made it last the years it has.

 

[Bretty.]

Just picked up the Nightshift compilation, and finished up The Lawnmower Man not 20 minutes ago. Such a strange story!

Stephen King is boss.

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

Raided my stepdads bookshelf and came away with a tri of books on the Hell's Angels

First one up was 'No Angel' By Jay Dobyns. He was an undercover cop who infiltrated the Hells Angels a couple of years ago. It was a pretty good read and the guy seems to be a fairly intense dude.

Next up was 'Hell's Angels' by Hunter S Thompson. I've always been a massive Hunter S fan and this didn't disappoint. He hung out with them for a year back in the sixties and wound up getting a kicking for his troubles.

Finally I'm onto 'Hell's Angel' which is Ralph 'Sonny' Barger's autobiography. He was the leader of the Angels for years and featured in both of the above books. It's a cracking read so far. He doesn't seem to like Hunter S Thompson very much though

 

[rearviewmirror]

Shock Doctrine (Naomi Klein)
Freakonomics (Stephen Levitt)
Revolution (Ron Paul)

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

Just finished:

'McMafia' by Misha Glenny.

Non-fiction book that focuses on modern day international crime from the eastern european mafia to people smuggling, internet fraud and the collusion of 'legitimate' international companies in money laundering. Interesting stuff.

'Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follet.

Epic tale centred around the building of a cathedral in England in the middle ages. Lots of serfs being put to the sword and lots of ravishing of wenches. Good but a bit long winded towards the end.

'Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster' by Stephen McGinty.

Harrowing account of the Piper Alpha tragedy (an oil rig in the North Sea that blew up in 1988 taking 165 men with it). Extremely well researched and well written.

Currently reading:
'Guns, Germs and Steel' by Jared Diamond. Again.
Great book. Been covered before in here by myself and others so will say no more.

'White Tiger' by Aravinda Adiga.

Just started it. Appears to be about some sort of indian con artist of sorts. Seems alright so far.

 

[binner]

only 2

Time Bandit..as in the story of the bros who fish out in the Bering sea in Alaska

What's wrong with contemporary art by Peter Timms....Hmm I see , I see.

ohh and does Revo mag count as reading?

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

'White Tiger' by Aravinda Adiga.

Just started it. Appears to be about some sort of indian con artist of sorts. Seems alright so far.

It seems i was talking out of my arse there (although that certainly wouldn't be a first time)

Just couldn't get into it at all. Neither could a couple of friends who tried reading it. Still, I don't feel as bad about that as I do about borrowing a copy of Dan Brown's latest f***ing atrocity (called The Lost Symbol) and demolishing it in a few hours.

I swear I feel dirty and abused in the way that it forced me to keep turning the pages despite the fact that it was just horrific to read. It basically comprised of a completely ridiculous premise with f***ing laughable 'characters' all held together by a plot that contained more holes than your average brazilian sparkie after a run-in with London's anti-terrorism police.

Awful. Awful stuff. Look out for the Tom Hanks film coming to a theatre near you!

To take my mind of the fact that I'll never get those precious 6 hours of my life back I turned to a couple of instant winners:

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris which is the first of The Sookie Stackhouse novels upon which the ace HBO series True Blood is based. Pretty good although I don't want to read any more in case they f*** up my viewing pleasure although the rampant boobie action in the TV show will no doubt keep me viewing anyway...

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth-Graeme Smith.

To be fair I think Jane Austen wrote 90% of this, the other guy just monkeyed around with the characters and settings a bit in order to turn the Bennett sisters into Shaolin trained kick-ass hunters of the undead, and make Regency England a playground for the aforementioned ghouls. Other than those small details it appears to stay pretty strict to the original prose and actually turned out to be a really good read, as opposed to a good gag that I thought would wear thin after a few chapters. My only worry now is that this could lead to me giving up my sunday nights to watch costume dramas on the ABC in the vain hope that I see Kenneth Branagh get all 'groovy' with a sawn-off shottie and a horde of ghouls!

 

[Matt H]

I started and finished reading "This is Not a Drill: Just another glorious day in the oilfields" a few days ago.

It's the sequel to "Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs - She thinks I'm a piano player in a whorehouse".

It's not quite as good as the first one, but its easy to read and pretty damn funny.

 

[leitch]

It seems i was talking out of my arse there (although that certainly wouldn't be a first time)

Just couldn't get into it at all. Neither could a couple of friends who tried reading it.

That's a pity, I really enjoyed White Tiger.


----------------------------------------------------------


Currently reading Rabbit, Run. By John Updike. It's a good story of American disillusionment during the 50s, but the prose is interesting... Nicely written, but then punctuated by the occasional explicit sex scene/dream, it's a bit off-putting at times haha.

Otherwise, I bought a copy yesterday of David Byrne's "Bycicle Diaries" which will hopefully be an interesting read.

 

[McBain]

I swear I feel dirty and abused in the way that it forced me to keep turning the pages despite the fact that it was just horrific to read.

I had a similar experience with one of his other books a few years ago. I wanted to stab myself in the eye to try and stop the torment, but I knew that even by continuing to grind the blade into my eye socket, the pages would keep turning and the agony would continue.

Never again.

Currently reading Rabbit, Run. By John Updike

Yeah, we read that one a couple of months ago, and it was yet another American "classic" that really didn't grab me.

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

That's a pity, I really enjoyed White Tiger.

I've still got it floating around the house. I'm tempted to give it another bash as I had a lot of shit going on at the time when I tried to read it before so I might not have given it as much credit as it was due.

Luckily, it's all planes, trains and more planes for me next week, so if I can keep my paws off Gran Turismo on the PSP for long enough I might be able read it long enough for it to grow on me...

 

[binner]

one F@#ked up mofo party plan

almost finished Scar Tissue, Anthony Keidis bio.....what a real piece of mess he was ..I'm amazed he is still living.

 

[mty10@]

finishing of my last Terry Pratchett - or at least his last discworld one...