What book are you reading at the moment?

[Shanalorm]

That is verry true, yet the writer tried to educate them that way.
Or so says the publisher. The writingstyle is quite simple too yet not
like one of those detectivebooks.

[Henry P]

Wicked Beyond Belief abouit the hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper revealed how thick and uncoordinated the police were in not pinpointing Peter Sutcliffe much earlier.
Now for DCB Pierre's Booker-winning novel, Vernon God Little

[richrockster]

Just read through Ian Douglas' Heritage trilogy (Semper Mars, Luna Marine, Europa Strike), over the last couple of weeks. An excellent Military SF series. Bought the second Legacy trilogy (Star Corps, Battlespace and Star Marine) and just started that last week.

[Henry P]

Vernon God Little was pretty good, with a powerful message and biting satire of American vulgarity. Now for Bill Bryson's account of his 1950s boyhood

[Ian The Poet]

I am reading 'Siddhartha,' by Herman Hesse.

[----------]

Just finished Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murikami. Now if I could only understand half of it...

[rantingpete]

jasper walsh - criminal - read it.

[Henry P]

Bill Bryson was as entertaining as ever. Now for a collection of John Godber's plays

[colmint]

Reading 'The Lodger' by Stewart Evans and Paul Gainly
A non fiction offering on who they believe to have been
Jack The Ripper

colmint

[Ian The Poet]

I'm just reading, 'The Hound of the Baskervilles,' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

[BattyOldMaid]

Finished James Patterson's when the wind blows, brilliant.

Reading now Colleen McCullough's Too many murders. Her book The Thorn Birds and On/Off is a fantastic unputdownable read, am hoping the current one is the same.

[Henry P]

John Godber's plays were gratingly Yorkshire-grim. I threw the book away with glee
Now for Stuart Maconie's take on what it means to be Northern - Pies and Prejudice

[Henry P]

Pies and Prejudice was entertaining if sentimental , occasionally inaccurate and a little PC for my taste
Now for Chekhov plays in Michael Frayn's translation

[Henry P]

Read Uncle Vanya and the Seagull- what is so good about Chekhov? Russians emote at length, then someone shoots himself or tries to. Overrated and dated
Now Nigel Slater's food-themed autobiog Toast

[Henry P]

Toast was entertaining, evocative and bittersweet. Slater is very good as describing his acute sense of food's tastes and smells, and has a gift for doleful dry humour. Yes, he is definitely bi-sexual.
Now for William Boyd's Any Human Heart, recently dramatised on C4

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading, "A Thomas Merton Reader," & "Tales From The Perilous Realms," by JRR Tolkien.

[BattyOldMaid]

Just finished Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. What I enjoyed about this book, was that the context left the imagination to the reader. It did not contain graphic recounts or details, just sufficient for you to be able to follow the story.

Am finishing off the small stories then starting on Grapes of Wrath.

[John Ashleigh]

Funhouse by Dean Koontz.

[Poets Muse]

Want to Play?
P.J Tracy

[Scott Payling]

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

[John Ashleigh]

Want to Play?
P.J Tracy

I have that book! Is it any good?

[Poets Muse]

OMG I love it so far! It's really good. Seriousy. Read it like...now!

[John Ashleigh]

OMG I love it so far! It's really good. Seriousy. Read it like...now!

Once I have finished the book I am reading, I'll definitely pick it up.

[Poets Muse]

You still reading Funhouse?

[John Ashleigh]

No I am on another Dean Koontz book.

Have you read any Dean Koontz?

[Poets Muse]

I don't think so

[John Ashleigh]

Look him up on Amazon.com. I think you'd like his style.

[Poets Muse]

Thanks, i'll do just that.

[John Ashleigh]

The book "Odd Thomas" is good. It has a hint of hilarity, but it has many twists and is quite compelling.

[Poets Muse]

i'll try to find that

[Ian The Poet]

Reading Unfinished Tales by JRR Tolkien.

[pandia]

The Lovely Bones, Anne Sebold. Beautifully poetic, if not much like the film (which, unfortunately, I saw before reading the book...)

[Henry P]

I agree- The book is lovely, the film garish and all wrong in tone

[Poets Muse]

Boy meets Boy

David Levithan

A simply written book yet a fresh idea. Love the characters and how the emotion is expressed.

[Ian The Poet]

Emma by Jane Austen.

[Henry P]

I hate Jane Austen

[Poets Muse]

There is a book called I hate Jane Austen? I wonder who wrote it...

Sleepwalking by Nicola Morgan

[Henry P]

William Boyd's Any Human Heart was impressive, and very wise and moving as the narrator approached death. Much better than the C4 series
Now Nigel Slater's Eating for England

[Ian The Poet]

Gave up on Emma, have now started reading, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.

[BattyOldMaid]

reading Grapes of Wrath.

[Barley]

Ooh, Grapes of Wrath, that book's been on my list of books to read for a good while. I'll have to get round to it!

I'm currently reading The Book of Pirates by Howard Pyle. :)

[Henry P]

Eating for Enland was entertaining. Niel Slater has a gift for describing food's sensory pleasures
Now for Pat Barker's Booker-winning Regeneration

[Ian The Poet]

Just started reading John le Carre's 'The Secret Pilgrim.'

[Henry P]

The older Le Carres are more convincing thab the recent stuff

[John Ashleigh]

I'd like to get round to reading the Johnny Cash autobiography.....

[Poets Muse]

I hate autobiographies, I prefer fiction all the time.

[John Ashleigh]

I only read biographies of those I admire.

[Henry P]

Biogs of the dead are more complete

[Poets Muse]

yeah....

[Henry P]

Regeneration was best in its dialogues between the shellshocked poets Sassoon and Owen and their psychiatrists, but somehow disappointing in its conclusion, and obviously written with its sequels in mind
Now for Stuart Maconie's exploration of middle England "Adventure on the High Teas"

[Ian The Poet]

Just started reading Len Deighton's Berlin Game.

[Poets Muse]

Just finished reading Abandoned by Anya Peters for the second time in a month...a harrowing tale and even more shocking in it's factuality but sincerely a wonderful read.

[Dmitri]

I'm reading through the stories in "Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft".

The last two books I've read before this one were "The Da Vinci Code" and the combined first two volumes of "Death Note".

[John Ashleigh]

The Da Vinci Code was a very good book.

[Scott Payling]

Finished reading Candide yesterday (an excellent short novel that I would certainly reccomend) and have now moved on to reading Wuthering Heights again as part of my A-Level course and Notes From Underground by Dostoevsky for personal pleasure.

[Jack Aknory]

recently finished Edward Said's "reflections on exile" in tandem with Jeanette Winterson's "sexing the cherry" (fantastic!)

just started "30 second theories" edited by Paul Parsons

[Jack Aknory]

now on:

"Georg Cantor: philosophy of the infinite" (Joseph Warren Dauben)

and

David Grossman's "The Smile of the Lamb"

[Henry P]

Adventures on the High Teas was enteertaining, althouh careful not to offend its Middle England readers.
Now for Zadie Smith's acclaimed On Beauty

[Ian The Poet]

Just started reading 'The Looking Glass War,' by John le Carre.

[Henry P]

Squeezed in a slim volume of poetry- Owen Sheers' Skirrid Hill. Pretty good in the modern style

[Catt]

The Help kathryn stockett. Enjoying it too

[Henry P]

Finished Zadie Smith's On Beauty- 440 pages of PC prattling and smug , boring black sassiness, only enlivened by a death (natural causes) and the theft of a painting. So self-consciously "cool" and up its own ass ( a favourite word of the author's). Despite the critical plaudits and Orange Prize, a waste of my time. And yours. Do not read. Even if bought in a charity shop or included on your Kindle.
Next Dickens' Pickwick Papers

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading some of PG Wodehouse's shorts; Tom Sharpe's, Wilt.

[Ian The Poet]

Just started reading, 'The Honourable Schoolboy,' by John le Carre.

[colmint]

The one I nicked from the the libary shelf that was labled as Adult Eroctica

colmint

[John Ashleigh]

I might read the Darren Shan saga again.

[Henry P]

Pickwick Papers was the shortest 700 pages I ever read. a delightful page-turner of the old style
Now for Mrs Gaskell's Cranford

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading 'The House of Silk,' The New Sherlock Holmes Novel, by Anthony Horowitz.

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading 'The House of Silk,' The New Sherlock Holmes Novel, by Anthony Horowitz.


It was a brilliant read, and well written.

[Henry P]

Cranford was a smooth read, if almost instantly forgettable in its portrayal of mid-19th century social mores. Not a patch on Dickens or George Eliot
Now for Iris Murdoch's Sandcastle- good so far

[Henry P]

The Sandcastle was good, if slightly dated and unpoetic, but psycholoically true. An easier read than The Sea, The Sea

[Ian The Poet]

Reading 'The Man With Two Left Feet,' by PG Wodehouse.

[Henry P]

Zero Degrees of Empathy, a study of why some people are bad, cruel, or "evil"

[Henry P]

Zero Degrees of Empathy was interesting, if a little short.
Now for Tom McCarthy's acclaimed C. Strange but very interesting so far

[fajitaheater]

i highly recommend "The man who broke into auschwitz" its a true story, amazing.

[Heamus Seaney]

The chances are that it has already been mentioned in this thread but I have just started reading The Tin Drum but Gunter Grass. I've heard good things so fingers crossed!

The last book I read was "If on a winter's night (http://books.google.de/books/about/If_on_a_winter_s_night_a_traveler.html?id=bkv55gIG 4zgC&redir_esc=y)" by Italo Calvino. It is absolutely fantastic! A tribute to literature itself.

[Henry P]

C was strangely picaresque and episodic with the eponymous hero Serge Carrefax suffering strange enemas (and sex with a dwarf) in a pre-1914 Czech spa, near-execution for espionage at the hands of the Germans on the troke of the Armistice , and an ancient wedding at the unusually inconclusive, but no doubt symbolic, ending.
Now for Millennium, a weighty tome about the history of the last thousand years

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading 'The Hobbit,' by JRR Tolkien.

[Angelica]

I am currently reading "Tellers of Tales: 100 Short Stories from the United States, England, France, Russia, and Germany."

[Shanalorm]

Currently reading
What is the What
By Dave Eggers,

It's rather the opposite of a feel good book

[Ian The Poet]

Just finished The Hobbit; I am now reading, Smiley's People, by John le Carre.

[Dred]

I have never really sad down a read a book, I read quite a lot, I study a lot, and I enjoy reading. But I have never sad down to read a full noval. However I have been interested in a few books for quite a while; so my brother mention a book he had been reading and so I read the synopsis and found it interesting.

So started reading "A Long Way Down" by Nick Hornby Saturday evening and finished it Sunday evening. A really brilliant book, with some really great insightful points on human behaviour.

So I ask, have you read anything lately that you found interesting? Or any Favourite reads of yours?

P.S. I have just ordered Millennium series, I am Legend and Revolutionary Road, and will be reading them over the next month. Any one read any of these? Thoughts?

[Immortal Dreams]

I love to read but my attention span sucks

[Darknoir]

Read through about half the works of David Gemmell, which I recommend for any fans of High Fantasy to seek out.

Also, read Post Office by Charles Bukowski and The Aeneid by Virgil. Currently reading "Dark Side Of the Sun" by Terry Pratchett.

All these I have read in the past 5 months. That would make about 12 books in 5 months, which is the most I've read since I was a kid.

[Darknoir]

I also recommend "The Forever War" by Joe Haldemann. It's an amazing Vietnam war novel, but it's setting is an interstellar war. It's an analogy for the Vietnam war (Haldemann himself was a Veteran). It makes for one of the most refreshingly original books ever. Hardly surpassed in the annals of Science Fiction.

[Dred]

Thx, I will look those up. I have just started reading, and I've read 3 books in about 5 days, lol. Just on "The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest", next is "The Green Mile".

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading my favourite of Charles Dickens, 'David Copperfield.'

[John Ashleigh]

I am trying to find a book to read....

[Richard]

Just study books lately.

[bastet]

A Lute Of Jade

chinese poetry

http://emotional-literacy-education.com/classic-books-online-c/ljade10.htm

[saeity]

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson shall be my holiday read

[Ste]

Just finished The Power Book by Jeannette Winterson.

One on swallows on the go but unsure where to go next!

[Henry P]

Alan Bennett's "The Uncommon Reader" about the Queen discovering ready late in life

[Stars&Pills]

Does anyone else read Karen Rose? She's good crime fiction, read all her books so far.

I've just ordered 'The Invitation' by Oriah Mountain Dreamer; it's a spiritual book, can't wait to read it!

[BattyOldMaid]

A mother's secret by Carolyn Haddad is highly recommended by me. I picked it up by chance and can never bring myself to read it anymore, it's heartbreaking and very emotional, I thought it was exceptionally well written.

[Stars&Pills]

I've just started reading 'Have A Little Faith' by Mitch Elbom.
The only other book of his that I've read was 'The Five People You Meet In Heaven' and that was good, and they're both bestsellers, so I imagine this one will be good too... happy days.

[Poppy]

5 go camping good old Enid at her best.

[Henry P]

"The Kite Runner"

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading Thomas Hardy's biography by Claire Tomalin.

[david calvert]

JUST FINISHED

Joe Abercrombie

First law Trilogy...featuring a brilliant character called "the bloody nine"

Then his stand alone book....The Heroes.

[Pencrone]

A Lute Of Jade

chinese poetry

http://emotional-literacy-education.com/classic-books-online-c/ljade10.htm

Have only just discovered this thread. Have bookmarked that link, tsu, thank you. Will look forward to reading that online.

Am just finishing The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach (now a film). I think it is well written and hard to put down.

Waiting: Isabel Allende 'Island Beneath the Sea', some poetry books.

Just finished Arguably by Christopher Hitchens.

When I have finished all these library books, will search back through this thread to order some I fancy from here.

Thanks for creating this thread, Ian. :)

[Pencrone]

Oh...I have just posted books I am reading etc on another thread on forum that is well established. This is confusing...I am easily confused :).

Is there any chance the two threads could be merged? Seems a shame to have two running on the same subject. The other one:

http://www.thepoetryforum.co.uk/showthread.php?p=230120#post230120

[Don_Joe]

I read The Hunger Games trilogy last week, last night I decided I'd better start reading some Shakespeare so I decided on A Midsummer Nights Dream. Tonight I'm going to start on Hamlet.

[Darknoir]

Currently working my way through the collected works of Poe.

Just recently finished Naked Lunch, and a book on the Hells Angels (written by the ex-president Sonny Barger - it reads like a modern folklore tale).

[Tom]

It's not a novel, more of an insight, but 'Touching From A Distance', the biography of Joy Division's Ian Curtis written by his widow, is a brilliant, moving and harrowing story of the factors that led up to his ultimate suicide on the eve of his band's first US tour. I read it today in the library and couldn't hold back the 'stoic man tear', regardless of the fact I was surrounded by others. It's a brilliant synopsis of one of my favourite musicians and poets. It contains all of his lyrics as well, which prove for both inspiring and moving reading. I'd recommend it!

[ahappyperson926]

Have read alot on this forum, it intrigues me to see what other fellows have to say.

[BattyOldMaid]

Reading "Pretty Nostalgic" by Nicole Burnett and Sarah Legg.

It's not a novel, it's a book on how to make do and mend. I am loving this book very much as I had been hankering for time long gone. In era where money was scarce, home was created out of love not mass produced cheap 'made in china' crap. To my surprise, those two writers have a shop in Wales and are championing people to support British wares, shops and skills before they are lost for good.

I will be paying the shop a visit as I would love for us to return to tea times with proper cups and saucers.

[John Ashleigh]

Dean Koontz - Velocity.

[saeity]

The Girl Who Played with Fire-Stieg Larsoon 2nd book in a trilogy worth the read.
saeity.

[sunkle]

I rarely read books to my shame.

However, I'm a tad way into Arthur Findlay's The Curse of Ignorance Volume One. Maybe this is why I've slowed down with my poetry writing these last couple of days?

He certainly has given me so much thought for consideration about life and how religion and politics (written at the end of WWII) affects mankind - from pre-history to end of WWII. Still relevant today, no doubt.

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading 'The Sign of Jonas,' by Thomas Merton.

[Ste]

Just properly finished Ulysses by James Joyce. Still reeling. Certainly the most diverse book in the English language I have ever read. tobesuretobesure.

[Roxylishus]

Just finished reading the Twilight series and have started reading Harry Potter again, just because I love it.