What book are you reading at the moment?

[Ian The Poet]

I am always interested in what people are reading, so let us find out here. At the moment I am reading:

The Redemption of Althalus, by David and Leigh Eddings.
Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death, by M.C. Beaton.
Norton's Anthology of Poetry, I'm always dipping into that one.

You can post more than once because books are always new, especially if you are me. Enjoy.

[Henry P]

Dickens' Martin Chuzzlewit, a hefty tome, but regarded as one of his best.Since Xmas I've read Hilary Mantel's Booker Prize winner Wolf Hall, the first fictionalised volume of Thomas Cromwell's life (superb) and Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal, a readable page-turner but lightweight.

[smorzando]

I'm rereading Therese Raquin, by Zola -- I didn't like it at first, but it's grown on me... I'm also reading Hedda Gabler, by Henrik Ibsen and The Secret River by Kate Grenville, though I'm only reading the last two because I thought it would be prudent to take a look at them before school starts (they were on the booklist).

smorz.

[Henry P]

Virtual History- plausible historical guessing- eg what would have happened if Henry VIII had been a queen, not a king or if Hitler had been shot properly by the French in 1915 instead of just losing a gonad.

[loulou]

Just started Play Dead by Richard Montanari. Not read any of his works before,but hooked already. Just finished some of M.C Beatons Agatha raisin books. Really enjoyed them

[The iPoet]

How To Get Rich by Felix Dennis.

[Ian The Poet]

Since I first posted two of my books have changed, I am still dipping into the Norton Anthology of Poetry, however I am reading Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and The Affair of the Bloodstained Egg Cosy by James Anderson.

[Henry P]

I love Dickens. The film from the 40s is great, too, so atmospheric

[Maryd.]

I love Dickens. The film from the 40s is great, too, so atmospheric

I am crazy about Dickens as well. Great expectations being a fave of mine. He is a fantastic writer.

I am currently reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini.

[Jermac]

The last couple of years I have been on a Dickens binge. I've read ten of his novels. I'm planning on rereading David Copperfield as I was maybe fourteen when I read it.

I'm currently reading Adam Bede by George Eliot, and A Raw Youth by Dostoevsky. I read some of Eliot in the mornings and Dostoevsky in the afternoons.

[Maryd.]

The last couple of years I have been on a Dickens binge. I've read ten of his novels. I'm planning on rereading David Copperfield as I was maybe fourteen when I read it.

I'm currently reading Adam Bede by George Eliot, and A Raw Youth by Dostoevsky. I read some of Eliot in the mornings and Dostoevsky in the afternoons.

Wow Jermac that is very clever of you. I can only read one book at a time. I don't have the concentration span for 2.

[k2hsharpe]

have just finished Hanifa Deen's 'Broken Bangles'. Am now faced with the dilemma of what to read next, have a choice of 4 ...
'Falling Leaves' - Adeline Yen Mah
'On Equilibrium' - John Ralston Saul
'Grendel' - John Gardner
'Riotous Assembly' - Tom Sharpe

the first 2 i've been holding for a rainy day (of which i've had about 25 out of the last 28) and haven't read before. 'Grendel' i read near 40 year ago and think it's about time i revisited a book that i suspect helped me see both sides of life. 'Riotous Assembly' i've read a number of times and pissed myself laughing every time (though what this says of my intellect i dread to think) and i could do with a laugh right about now.

But i'm having trouble making up my mind which to read - i think my brain's disengaged!
bugger !!!

[Gardenhead]

I'm currently chomping my way through Haruki Murakami's Wind Up Bird Chronicle - a phenomenal piece of surreal writing. There're a couple of Kazuo Ishiguro books lined up next, then some Kafka short stories and Poe's only novel; Arthur Gordon Pym. Good stuff.

[Henry P]

The left-wing comedian Mark Steel's very funny "What's going on?", an autobiographical ramble and tirade against business and the media. Very entertaining, and a book of sick jokes eg What's small and lives off dead beetles? Answer- Yoko Ono

[k2hsharpe]

chose Grendel, finished it
just as quietly enjoyable as i remember it

am just about to finish Brett D'Arcy's "The Mindless Ferocity of Sharks" - again quietly enjoyable, but suspect it nwould be so much more so if i had surfed when young - a good 20% of this book would be more acessible to me if i had

[Ian The Poet]

I am now reading PG Wodehouse's Bill the Conqueror.

[Jermac]

I am currently reading A Raw Youth by Dostevsky (not one of his best works by any means). I just finished Adam Bede by George Eliot. I had read a few works by her, but until I began reading Adam Bede I was not really aware of how great a novelist Eliot is. She is one of the great novelists of all time. She is in the top ten. If you read only one work by Eliot, read Adam Bede. It is astounding in that it was the first novel she wrote. The fact that she wrote it in 1859 is even more amazing.

[smorzando]

i'm taking a trip down memory lane again, and am rereading the faraway tree series by enid blyton, in my opinion, a staple of childhood reading.

[Henry P]

Gerald Manley Hopkins' poems and Iris Murdoch's The Sea The Sea

[Ike]

Just finished " The caregiver" And as always..the scriptures.

[Henry P]

Finishing Iris Murdoch's The Sea, The Sea. Disappointing after a brilliant opening, although she inhabits the consciousness of a man convincingly. Henry James' Golden Bowl next

[Henry P]

The Golden Bowl was elegant but boring- 460 pages of umming and ahing over a marriage. Never will I touch Henry James again. Avoid .
I'm reading William Golding's Inheritors now. Much better. Our prehistoric ancestors struggles and psychology brought vividly to life. Unusual and imaginative

[Ian The Poet]

Just started reading Alone in Berlin.

[Henry P]

just started Jim Crace's Quarantine

[Entyqua]

Lord Fouls Bane, Thomas Covenent Chronicles, The Unbeliever by Steven R Donaldson

[Ian The Poet]

I gave up reading Alone in Berlin, it was heavy going, have started reading Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro.

[Henry P]

Jim Crace's Quarantine was atmospheric, with travellers passing through the Judaean deset 2000 years ago and coming across someone called Jesus who is fasting there. He dies but rises again at the end. recommended, and not just for Christians
Next up is Joseph Heller's biblical comedy about King David's realationship with the creator , God Knows

[gopher]

Immortal Words - Terry Breverton

[Ian The Poet]

Just finished Nocturnes, have started reading Sherlock Holmes written by modern authors.

[Ike]

I just finished the outsiders and am now reading the hobbitt.

[k2hsharpe]

'Dog Boy'
eva hornung

in one ear and out the other reading
no deep and meaningfuls
but a quietly compulsive read, to be enjoyed whilst reading then forgotten when put down ...
just what i need at the moment

[Respite]

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by writer Muriel Barbery. Tres interessant.

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," by Stieg Larsson.

[gopher]

I'm probably going to start re-reading To Kill A Mockingbird

[rantingpete]

Criminal by Caspar Walsh

[BattyOldMaid]

Ruth Rendal - End in tears.

[Shadow]

The House of Night Series by P.C. Cast

[BattyOldMaid]

Ruth Rendall - Wolf to the slaughter.

[Personable]

The Discourses and the Enchiridion of Epictetus

On the Genealogy of Morality by Friedrich Nietzsche

(The first third of) The blue blue book by Ludwig Wittgenstein

more or less at the same time.

[tsu-bastet]

just finished "the lovely bones" by alice sebold.
havent seen the film-the book was good and an easy read.

[Nature's heartbeat]

Have just embarked on "Shui Hu Zhuan"...

[k2hsharpe]

"Three Cups of Tea"

[NightLighter]

Journal of an Outlaw - Abbe Alexis Bouley

[Henry P]

Finished Joseph Heller's God Knows- entertaining, but uneven and very Jewish. It confirmed that the Old testament is little more than Jewish legends and bull****.
Now for American Pastoral by the acclaimed US novelist Philip Roth

[Ike]

I reading the hobbit. I am also reading poetry like crazy to feel inspired to write.

[kon jean]

Between the Assasinations by Avarind Adiga- genuine class

[Ian The Poet]

Just finished 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo;' and started 'The Cat Who Could Read Backwards,' by Lilian Jackson Braun.

[Nature's heartbeat]

In the middle of "Aziz Bey Hadisesi" by Ayfer Tunç but am reading other things too...

Edit: Finished "Aziz Bey Hadisesi"...Don't recommend it...A musician playing the tambur/tanbur and his sad relationships to family, friends and loved ones...

[Ian The Poet]

Started reading John Simpson's 'Not Quite the World's End.'

[Henry P]

Finished Phiulip Roth's American Pastoral- entertaining and readable, but the ending disappointed
Now on Thomas Hardy's Under the Greenwood Tree

[k2hsharpe]

"Lessons from my Left Testicle"

ben peacock

[Henry P]

Finished Thomas Hardy's Under the Greenwood Tree- a delight, evocative, delicate and not too long.
Now on Roddy Doyle's Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

[k2hsharpe]

i've decided to leave my left testicle alone for a while ...

'A Bright Red Scream' - Arilee Strong
... not an easy one

[tsu-bastet]

"chronicles of thomas covenant-the unbeliever"
- stephen donaldson

(an oldie but a goldie-sci/fantasy)
:)

[BenJohnson]

The Greatest Show on Earth - Dawkins, thought I would finally find out what the fuss is about :)

[Ian The Poet]

I'm in between books now trying to decide my next read.

[danecobain]

William Goldman - The Princess Bride (Just for the nostalgia)

[tsu-bastet]

@benj - so-any good???


kathy reichs-break no bones

[Ian The Poet]

I'm half way through a CSI novel called Brass in Pocket. And Agatha Raisin and the Viscious Vet, by M.C. Beaton.

[danecobain]

I'm now on to Stephen Fry - Hippopotamus

[Henry P]

Finished Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha- skilful and expressive of children, if not as funny as Doyle's later adult novels.
Now for John Le Carre's Most Wanted Man- his insight into the war on Muslim terror

[loulou]

Jeffery Deaver- Lincoln Rhyme series "The coffin dancer"

[BenJohnson]

Jeffery Deaver- Lincoln Rhyme series "The coffin dancer"

It's a good one Loulou, if a touch gory in places :dead:

[k2hsharpe]

"101 (un)useless Japanese inventions"

the art of Chindogu by Kenji Kawakami

particularly liked ...
'No Bite Nails' - fake finger tips and nails that fit over one's own finger tips
" ... you can bite these nails to your hearts content. Made of seaweed, they are nutricious, delicious and surprisingly similar in texture to real human nails"
..... and ...
"A PDA (Public Display of Affection) confidence developer" - a must have
"... an indespensible training device, a dummy arm. It attaches to a jacket ot coat just next to the real arm. You can hold onto this appendage in the early stages of courting, without the worry of sweaty palms, inappropriate pressure or when to disengage."
Available in both genders, it's suggested that only the less confident partner use it -
"otherwise a bizaare situation may arise, of doubtful benefit, in which one dummy arm is linked with another."

[Ian The Poet]

Reading 'Notwithstanding,' by Louis de Bernieres.

[Henry P]

Le Carre's Most wanted Man was a disappointment- all talk and little action. Now moving on to Vera Brittain's memoir of World War 1, A Testament of Youth

[rantingpete]

Charles Bukowski and I've just picked up 'Catcher in the Rye'.

[danecobain]

I'm reading a book of 'creative' sonnets that was edited by one of my teachers at university - it's called The Reality Street Book of Sonnets (Edited by Jeff Hilson) :)

[gurthbruins]

The last couple of years I have been on a Dickens binge. I've read ten of his novels. I'm planning on rereading David Copperfield as I was maybe fourteen when I read it.

I'm currently reading Adam Bede by George Eliot, and A Raw Youth by Dostoevsky. I read some of Eliot in the mornings and Dostoevsky in the afternoons.

I find Dickens unreadable, but relish every sentence of Trollope. Proust is another I just can't read - too boring. A Raw Youth was a favourite, an immediate big hit at age 21, and weathered a rereading 50 years later quite well.

Just started Precious Bane by Mary Webb - never read her before. (So that's my First-time-ever for yesterday, I seek one for every day of my life). I think it's good enough to finish, but next I will try a fourth helping of Daphne du Maurier, who was a First about a month ago. I find her psychological situations interesting, even if the physical situations are improbable, what does that matter?

[desertlizard]

Moby Dick. Melville

[Ian The Poet]

Now reading The Gropes by Tom Sharpe.

[smorzando]

i'm reading austen's emma.

[The iPoet]

Nothing creative and poety, I'm reading The Big Short by Michael Lewis, it's about how the financial crisis happened.

[Nature's heartbeat]

Re-reading a favorite book that makes me smile a lot; "God Loves Laughter" by William Sears.

[The iPoet]

...Oh, and I'm also reading My S**t Life So Far by Frankie Boyle, which is very funny, but not for the easily offeneded, because well it's Frankie Boyle :D

[Ian The Poet]

Travels With My Aunt, by Graham Greene.

[gurthbruins]

Read emma for the first time this year. That is a trifle ambiguous: I do mean the first time ever!
Still reading Mary Webb for the first time: glad I persevered through some rather overlong descriptive paragraphs... will have to learn to skip a bit I think, something that has always been anathema to me - but the rewards here will make it worth while. I will definitely finish "Precious Bane" and then look for more, after another Daphne du Maurier I think.
Also enjoyed another two episodes of Catherine Cookson's ...of herbs on telly last night.

[Henry P]

Just finished Testament of Youth, Vera Brittain's elegant memoir of her life up to her marriage, focusing mainly onb her experience of the First world War.
Now I'm reading a play, Alan Plater's Close the Coalhouse Door, a celebration of Geordie culture

[Henry P]

Close the Coalhouse Door was surprisingly lively, funny and warm, an entertaining history of Durham's mining heritage.
Now for Richard Dawkins' manifesto of atheism, The God Delusion

[Ian The Poet]

The Snack Thief (An Inspector Montalbano Mystery), by Andrea Camileri.
(Also brushing up on Buddhism with a very short introduction series.)

[Jermac]

I am currently reading two books: I read Jane Austen's Mansfield Park in the morning, and George Eliot's The Lifted Veil in the afternoon. Next to Dickens, Austen and Eliot are my favorite writers of the nineteenth century. As novelists, I don't think they will ever be surpassed.

[Henry P]

Finished Richard Dawkins' God Delusion. Food for thought, but I'm still a believer.
Now JG Farrell's Siege of Krishnapur, his Booker Prize-winning novel about the Indian mutiny

[Ohhara]

For my Course im reading
Wuthering heights
Jane Eyre
and
The Princess of Cleaves
Wyf of Bath by Chaucer
The last two are a struggle
A2 course is love through the ages.

[tsu-bastet]

have just started
"heart shaped box"
by joe hill.

no idea what to expect!!!

[Ol' Man Nettal]

'The Interpretation Of Dreams' by Sigmund Freud, and
'Thus Spoke Zarathustra' by Friedrich Nietzsche.



@ Henry P - I finished the god delusion about three weeks ago.
The polemic is interesting.. Very comprehensive book, not only
on religion, but on naturual selection and many other peculiar matters.

[Ian The Poet]

The Private Patient, by PD James

[YoungLady]

Dreaming of Amelia by Jacklyn Moriarty

[Ian The Poet]

I've just started 'Transition,' by Iain Banks. I'm also re-reading 'The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy (A Trilogy in Five Parts)' by Douglas Adams.

[danecobain]

I'm reading Sylvia Plath's collected poems

[tsu-bastet]

the silver metal lover - tanith lee
(a superb author! :) )

[Henry P]

finished The Siege of Krishnapur- great story and dialogue, but erratic in its narrative style
Now Assassination- a glossy history of famous political murders from Julius Caesar to JFK

[mrbloom]

After Tamerlane - For European History class. 500 pages of pretty boring shit.
Incredibly Loud & Extremely Close - a fun read by Jonathan Safran Foer, who is in general a hilarious and amazing writer. So far I'm enjoying the funny narrations and how he keeps breaking form with letters, drawings, and poems. Nice.

[Hare]

I'm reading 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison which I've had on the shelf for a while because I stopped liking the person who gave it to me. Hardly the book's fault, but there you are. Lol. I'm also reading a collection of poems by Rita Dove called 'On the bus with Rosa Parks' which I was really pleased to find for £1.50 in Age Concern. Great books to be found in charity shops. I could also hear my hero Jack Reacher calling to me from Lee Child's 'Gone Tomorrow' and have felt obliged to check out his latest derring do, so I've read the first seventy odd pages when I should actually have been cleaning out the kitchen cupboards. I don't like housework and if anyone writes a book on the subject I shall certainly not read it!!.

[Henry P]

Finished Assassination0 informaive and glossy
Now for Vikram Seth's mammoth 1400-page Indian saga A Suitable Boy

[YoungLady]

I finished Dreaming of Amelia by Jaclyn Moriarty yesterday - took me a long time, lol;) very good.. I was glued to the book near the end when the plot twisted. I loved the book:)

now I'm reading Shadowland by Alysson Noël, third book in The Immortals series. basically just your average vampire novel, but the characters aren't vampires, they are "immortals". big difference. but I loved the first 2 anyway so I'm hoping the third will be just as good.

[Gardenhead]

Halfway through Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf. Celtic verse is brilliant verse. Mr Bloom! I've got Incredibly Loud on my bedside table. Been meaning to read it for bloomin' ages... am I right in thinking that it's in the Jonathan Coe kinda vein?

[danecobain]

I'm reading Stephen King's The Shining at the moment

[Henry P]

As good as the film?

[Ol' Man Nettal]

Halfway through Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf. Celtic verse is brilliant verse. Mr Bloom! I've got Incredibly Loud on my bedside table. Been meaning to read it for bloomin' ages... am I right in thinking that it's in the Jonathan Coe kinda vein?

Being Irish, naturally I will have stumbled upon Mr. Heaney. He, I believe, is
the last living great poet. After him, a new flock of poets will be required.
I haven't read his translation of Beowulf, but I've read most of his poetry
publications.

[danecobain]

As good as the film?

I'll have to let you know later, I'm only about a tenth of the way in at the moment :P

[smorzando]

At the moment I'm reading Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou, Emma by Jane Austen, and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. I can't seem to concentrate on one book at a time, I always have to be reading a few.

[Henry P]

Finally finished A Suitable Boy, 1400+ pages of Indian middle-class life. Pleasant and good company rather than profound. thank God for the pilgrim stampede halfway through. No more Indian books for a while now, thanks
Next , The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde by Neil McKenna, which traces the development of the gay martyr's sexuality

[YoungLady]

i am reading The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike.

[BattyOldMaid]

Fox Evil by Minnette Walters

[tsu-bastet]

oohh..i read that - ages ago..not a bad read :)

[cutequotes]

i love gothic poetry,

i read:

Bad Gothic Poetry : A Theist's Dark Sayings

bought it on amazon :)

[Ian The Poet]

I am currently reading two books at the moment: Football's Strangest Matches edited by Andrew Ward; and What If? Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been, edited by Robert Cowley.

[danecobain]

I'm currently reading Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion - pretty good so far, but then I'm already an atheist and so it's not really forcing me to think too much

[pixc]

I've just finished reading a Dr Who book, The Kings Dragon, with Matt Smith's Dr, but am about to read Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko, not sure if that is spelt right

[Henry P]

I followed up The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde by reading De Profundis, his long letter from prison to his awful boyfriend Bosie. Wilde is a brilliant stylist, so much so that the odd lapse into colloquial English stands out amidst the poetic and rhetorical eloquence . A tragedy that he didn't live longer than 46 years.
Next Little Women. I loved the 90s film.

[Ian The Poet]

I'm currently reading John le Carre's 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,' hopefully followed by 'The Honourable Schoolboy,' and 'Smiley's People,' which is the Karla Trilogy.

[Maryd.]

All my friends have read The Catcher in the Rye... So I thought I would attempt it, wish me luck :)

[shuyun]

DUNE: House Atreides

[Henry P]

Good luck. I read it years ago. all I remember is the snarling anger.

[Maryd.]

Great! That's all I need... :)

[Henry P]

It may not be the best book for you at the moment

[Maryd.]

What do you suggest? :)

[Henry P]

something funny

[Maryd.]

Yes... You are right... I shall go to the library tomorrow. Thanks :)

[Henry P]

PG wodehouse's Jeeves books are always good

[Maryd.]

Ok, hopefully our library will have some... Or the way I am feeling lately, I might just buy one. :)

[Henry P]

Carry on , Jeeves is a good one

[Maryd.]

Is that the same as the Carry On movies?

[Henry P]

no. They're vulgar. jeeves is the brilliant butler to rich idiot Bertie Woosyte

[Maryd.]

Ok, I have copied and pasted that name too... Looks like I will be doing plenty of reading over the next month... :)

[Henry P]

I meant Wooster

[Maryd.]

Get it right Henry... I'll be searching all over the place for books that don't exist... Hee hee... :)

[Henry P]

Carry on Jeeves by PG Wodehouse

[Maryd.]

Thanks sir... I will check out the local library first. :)

[Nature's heartbeat]

A little bit of Margaret Atwood's "Moral Disorder", a little bit of "The Complete Works of Shakespeare"...but sort of writing my own story...and am getting absorbed into that (the latter) mostly...all these lines flood my head...need to catch them with a net, channel them through the pen...and make them come alive on the paper.

[Maryd.]

A little bit of Margaret Atwood's "Moral Disorder", a little bit of "The Complete Works of Shakespeare"...but sort of writing my own story...and am getting absorbed into that (the latter) mostly...all these lines flood my head...need to catch them with a net, channel them through the pen...and make them come alive on the paper.

Oh happy writing my love... Mwah:hug:

[Ian The Poet]

I'm currently reading, 'Corduroy Mansions,' by Alexander McCall Smith.

[Henry P]

EM Forster- A Passage to India

[tsu-bastet]

james patterson - 8th confession..always easy reading :)

[Henry P]

finished "A Passage to India"- good styoryline, but an unusual ending, very prescient for 1924 of future developments in that country
Now Civil War about the struggle between King and Parliament in 17th century Britain

[Ian The Poet]

After reading a review, I have re-started reading Alone In Berlin, definitely makes for better reading after some information.

[Maryd.]

The Catcher in the Rye, by J. D. Salinger. Up to chapter 5. I love the language and the colloquial speech. Can't wait to finish it. :)

[tsu-bastet]

..erm..dean koontz..odd thomas...not sure yet what to make of it..doesnt help its one of a set and i havent read the others! um!

[i.cookie]

I Am Not A Serial Killer - can't remember the author atm.

[gabquotesl]

The Celebrity Black Book 2010 - quit funny

[Ian The Poet]

Night Train To Lisbon, by Pascal Mercier. (A very strange read, definitely recommend it.)

[Ian The Poet]

As I have now finished the above book, not bad actually! I have started 2 books, The Eagle Has Landed, by Jack Higgins and The Story of Art, by EH Gombrich. I have also carried on reading PG Wodehouse's, The World of Blandings; which is a collection of stories and novels.

[Nature's heartbeat]

Hmm...I'm reading a couple of books simultaneously;The Powerbook by Jeanette Winterson (liking it!)...and also The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (also liking what I've read so far in this one) and Theodor Kallifatides's En kvinna att älska (the latter makes me feel like the pace is a bit too slow for me at the mo').

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading two books now; The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon; and; Pole to Pole, by Michael Palin.

[Maryd.]

Yay, now have my very own copy of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Very excited, had to read it in high school a zillion years ago... (exaggerating by a few million years... Hee hee hee) I have my children to thank for that. :)

[Henry P]

a big fat biography of Queen Elizabeth I

[Henry P]

Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons

[Ian The Poet]

I've nearly finished Pole to Pole; and I have just started "Go Away World," by Nick Harkaway. (Nick Harkaway is John le Carre's son.)

[shuyun]

Dune: House Corrino

[Henry P]

"Filthy English" about swearing. To extend my repertoire

[Henry P]

The swearing book was thought- provoking, though I learned few new epithets, except this-
**************s!
Now for Memoirs of a Geisha- charity shops provide an unpredictable but inexpensive sequence of reading matter

[Ian The Poet]

I'm still plodding through Gombrich's The Story of Art; and I have just started reading, Jack Higgins', 'Storm Warning.'

[Henry P]

An entertaining examination of famous whor.., sorry, mistresses, in a book of the same name by one Elizabeth Abbott. Including the Duchess of Cornwall. Enough to make me a misogynist

[shuyun]

Winds of Dune

[Henry P]

Pam Ayres' volume of short stories and funny poem, Surgically Enhanced,

[rantingpete]

Malcolm Butt's 'Sid Vicious - Rock 'n' Roll Star'

[Ian The Poet]

I've just started reading, Murder At The Vicarage, by Agatha Christie.

[Henry P]

Bill Bryson's At Home- rambling but readable and informative

[rantingpete]

I Me Mine - George Harrison

[Navajo]

Secret life of Dali. Irvine welsh books (I'm always reading acid house or 3 tails of chemical romance). Boukowski books all the time, I think hot water music now. Dissertations varying subjects. Art books like complete collections of van gogh rate now (found in the book store for about 8 bones). School books.

But as of a few hours ago, I was just reading my favorite parts of the book "imagning the tenth dimension". That book is my favorite and alway seem to be reading some part or another throughout the week.

[Ian The Poet]

Just started PG Wodehouse's 'Meet Mr Mulliner.'

[Don_Joe]

Going to start reading Aristophanes' The Clouds.

[shuyun]

2001 a space oddysey

[smorzando]

I am being so boring -- I am at the moment reading the great gatsby and richard III, which are both awesome, excellent pieces of literature, BUT the reasons i am reading it are dull as anything -- because my students are studying them and so i need to know what they're about!!

[Bear]

Octavio Paz - Selected Poems
Zofia Ilinska - Horoscope of the Moon
and Physical Geography in Diagrams (it has some really poetic phrases in as well as nice pics -"coral polyps"!)

Btw, does anyone else have the habit of reading poetry books/non-fiction backwards?

[Henry P]

wow. Heavy stuff.
I'm finishing Jeremy Clarkson's For Crying Out Loud, then starting JB Priestley's Good Companions

[Tone70]

Breakfast of Champions- Kurt Vonnegut. Just started it today.

[Henry P]

Is that about sex? I liked his Slaughterhouse Five

[Tone70]

I should imagine sex will feature somewhere in the book! At the moment we're being introduced to Dwayne Hoover who is developing an unhealthy obsession with a Pulp Science Fiction writer called Kilgore Trout. It features Vonnegut's trademark doodles and surreal approach to writing. Good stuff so far.

[Ian The Poet]

Just started reading 'Sophie's World,' by Jostein Gaarder; and 'At Bertram's Hotel,' by Agatha Christie.

[shuyun]

Gardens of Rama by Athrur C Clarke and Gentry Lee

[Ian The Poet]

The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, by John le Carre.

[Soulspeaker]

Checkmate by Malorie Blackman,
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (for the fifth time),
and The Oddessy by Homer.

[Don_Joe]

I just read Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I enjoyed it very much.

FIGHT THE COMBINE!

[Henry P]

The film was great.
I'm reading another Jeremy Clarkson, Driven to Distraction

[Ian The Poet]

I've got two books on the go; Pickwick Papers, by Charles Dickens; and A Midsummer Night's Dream, by William Shakespeare.

[unwritten]

Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

[Don_Joe]

Frankenstein but that's been put aside because for school I have to read, Cinco Horas con Mario.

[Petz-Hampel-Zaworski]

Iggy Pop - open up and bleed
By Paul Trynka

Engaging tale of how the kid most likely to succeed, somehow became the rocker most likely to slash himself up then collapse in a stupour before the gig had even started, quite intoxicating if you like that sort of thing.

[Henry P]

Martin Amis' last novel , The Pregnant Widow. Probably a metaphor

[Ian The Poet]

Still reading Pickwick Papers; however I'm also reading Thomas Merton's The Seven Storey Mountain, for the umpteenth time.

[John Ashleigh]

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz.

[Henry P]

a history of MI5

[Ian The Poet]

Big Money by PG Wodehouse, and The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

[Don_Joe]

Sourcery, Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

Due to reading "serious" novels I thought I'd have a break and laugh a bit with Terry's wonderful writing.

[Henry P]

Read a Discworld book but didn't fall for the quirky humour

[John Ashleigh]

Has anyone tried reading on an Ipad? Just wondered if it was practical and easy.

[Ian The Poet]

Has anyone tried reading on an Ipad? Just wondered if it was practical and easy.

No pleasure in reading a Ipad, give me real books anyday.:read:

[smorzando]

Has anyone tried reading on an Ipad? Just wondered if it was practical and easy.

i prefer the real thing, but out of sheer boredom and desperation i read 'the little princess' by frances hodgeson burnett on my computerised dictionary (for the record, the screen is puny -- on the diagonal its about 5 inches wide. it was okay but my eyes were getting buggy by the end of it.

at the moment im reading a brief history of time by stephen hawking

[John Ashleigh]

No pleasure in reading a Ipad, give me real books anyday.:read:

I agree.

[Madzia]

I'm reading James Hopkin "Winter Under Water", a beautifully crafted novel about my city - Kraków :) This writer has been living some time in Poland and his remarks are very insightful. It's also a moving story about love which crosses all boundaries, and somtimes, lines. Rarely a good story can be written in such a beautiful prose. It is definitely worth reading :)

[BattyOldMaid]

Had the Pleasure of staying in Krakow 10 years ago, such beauty. The salt mines are awesome.

As for what I am reading, Charles Dickens the Great Expectations.

[Henry P]

Love Great Expectations

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading 'Fingersmith,' by Sarah Waters, as well as continuing to read the complete Sherlock Holmes.

[Don_Joe]

Lord of the Flies, William Golding

[John Ashleigh]

I'm trying to decide what 'Dean Koontz' book I should read.

Hmm.

[Ian The Poet]

I gave up Fingersmith, I have now started 'Churchill's Wizards,' by Nicholas Rankin.

[WYSIWYG]

Ray Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451.


Don, Lord of the flies, quality story!

[Don_Joe]

Indeed it was Phibes!

I'm going to start reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies tonight.

[John Ashleigh]

I'm trying to figure out what Dean Koontz book to read next...

[BattyOldMaid]

I adore dean koontz books. What is your opinion on the last installment of Odd Thomas? I found it a bit confusing to say at the least, the plot and the pregnant girl. I am wondering whether it will unfold in the 5th installment? Have not read "what the night knows" yet.

Reading Ruth rendell "sone die and some lie". Have read it before but retracing it again to see where I missed all the clues!!

[John Ashleigh]

I adore dean koontz books. What is your opinion on the last installment of Odd Thomas? I found it a bit confusing to say at the least, the plot and the pregnant girl. I am wondering whether it will unfold in the 5th installment? Have not read "what the night knows" yet.

I have only read two of the Odd thomas books - I'll have to fork out and buy the rest...

Have you read 'Taken' by Dean Koontz? Probably my favourite.

[BattyOldMaid]

Yes I have, the strangest thing happened when I read it, I had a 'gut' feeling it had happened before and we are heading towards it once again. Dean koontz, I believe, is in the same theory, as if you read recent books compared to those he first started out writing, there is a recurrent theme of redemption, faith, and this kind of humility that isn't around anymore.

[John Ashleigh]

I completely agree.

[Ian The Poet]

I'm in a funny period at the moment, not sure which book to read next.

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading again. Currently reading Staying Alive, edited by Neil Astley, contemporary poetry.

[BattyOldMaid]

Am reading the AA pocket guide Egypt.

[Henry P]

A recent novel One Moment , One Morning

[Ian The Poet]

Just started reading; 'The Russia House,' by John le Carre.

[John Ashleigh]

I think I might read 'Across the Nightingale floor' by Lian Hearn once again. The tales of Otori trilogy are the best books I have ever read.

[Tony Demoncy]

"Zero Degrees of Empathy" by Simon Baron Cohen at a glacial pace :P

[tsu-bastet]

a thousand years of good prayers by yiyun li

short stroies..and very captivating :)

[Henry P]

Sarah Rayner's One Moment, One Morning

[Shanalorm]

Jack- Julian may
The Hobbit (dutch version)- JRR Tolkien
The Silmarillion (english version, much easier)- JRR Tolkien
De kleine I Tjing (translated: The small I Ching)- author unknown

And yes, I switch from book to book whenever I want.

[Henry P]

One Moment, One Morning was crap- do not read.
Now for Get Happy , a biog of Judy Garland

[Ian The Poet]

Reading 'Magician,' by Raymond Feist.

[Shanalorm]

Finished Jack yesterday,
If ya like sci-fi of the modern kind and not the classy stuff, I know it actually is a book from 1920's, you should read it.

Hint for the Silmarillion: Chant them, that makes it more fun and easyer to read

De kleine I Tjing is extremely usefull, it is a prophetical book.
You throw some coins, count them and then do that six times
draw some lines and read the book carefully at the created
hexagram. It's a bit like Tarot, which is usefull, or rather fun, too.
The I Tjing is a lot more serious though.
If ya'r interested, go find http://eclecticenergies.com/, click I Ching (english name)
and mess around a little. It is fun.

[Ian The Poet]

I am currently reading: 'Talking Heads,' by Alan Bennett; and, 'The Big Sleep,' by Raymond Chandler.

[wisteriaandchocolate]

Currently working my way through Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy. Not a light read, but I absolutely love the story despite all its morbidity and I'm finding myself really liking his style.

[WYSIWYG]

Forbidden (Special Edition) XXXX ;)

[tsu-bastet]

eigth confession by james patterson..its ok...

not sure what to read next....

[Ian The Poet]

Just started reading 'The Eyre Affair,' by Jasper Fforde.

[Shanalorm]

Diamond Mask
Sequel to Jack-wonderfull book

[tsu-bastet]

clive barker- abarat

[John Ashleigh]

I think I may read another Dean Koontz book - any suggestions?

[Henry P]

David Nicholls's One Day

[BattyOldMaid]

Your heart belongs to me was good, John. I don't know if you've already read that, or what the night knows. Will read that one again.

Agatha Christie - elephants can remember. I thought "you know" at every sentences like Vicky pollard-kind of people was a recent irritant. However, this book is densely built upon that, you know!

[Ian The Poet]

I'm reading; 'Rebecca,' by Daphne du Maurier.

[BattyOldMaid]

Murder on the links - agatha christie

[Henry P]

Charlie Wilson's War

[Ian The Poet]

Couldn't get on with Rebecca; so have started reading 'A Prayer for the Dying,' by Jack Higgins.

[Don_Joe]

Discworld Novels: Maskerade, Terry Pratchett.

[Shanalorm]

Currently writing A story, does that count too?
After all, you read your own stuff a lot then...

[Sniffer]

Fragile Things - Neil Gaiman

[Ian The Poet]

Finished the Jack Higgins, have now started The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by JRR Tolkien, for the umpteenth time.

[Shanalorm]

Finished the Jack Higgins, have now started The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by JRR Tolkien, for the umpteenth time.

Tolkien can best be chanted if you ask me,
otherwise I can't get through it...
I always get stuck at the ents....

[shuyun]

Psychological Measurement and Evaluation :)

[youngscribbler]

'My Booky Wook' by Russell Brand ;O

[YoungLady]

Burned by PC and Kristin Cast

[Henry P]

Finished Charlie Wilson's War- don't bother
Now for Philip Pullman's Northern Lights

[m_b]

Just read 'The Origins of Virtue' by Matt Ridley. Picked up a ragged, second-hand copy of Sylvia Plath's 'The Colossus'. Reading that at the moment :)

[Ian The Poet]

Reading DH Lawrence's 'Women in Love.'

[Henry P]

I love that book- great Ken Russell film too, much better than the recent BBc adaptation

[John Ashleigh]

I have recently read Odd Thomas and Forever Odd by Dean Koontz. - I am on the last two books now, hopefully I'll finish them soon. Anyone like Dean Koontz?

[Altocumulus]

The Poet's Companion ( Kim Addonizio, Dorianne Laux )
Poetry as Spiritual Practice (R. McDowell)

I need all the help I can get .... :chuckles:

Both in e-form ...


An Echo in the Bone (Diana Gabaldon) Thick Paperback ... !

[friendlyzozo1]

The hunger games

[Henry P]

Philip Pullman's Northern Lgihts

[Henry P]

Northern Lights was disappointing, but I might search out the sequels in the Dark Materials trilogy.
Now for an account of the Yorkshire Ripper murders and how the police blundered and let Sutcliffe kill for over 5 years

[Shanalorm]

I found Northernlights ok, yet part three is best if you ask me.
Remember it is just a childrensbook...

Just finished Julian May's INTERVENTION, wonderfull.
I am starting to adore Rogatien.

[Henry P]

Northerrn Lights is hard for children's book, with its religious implications