Just finished:

Everything ravaged, everything burned by Wells Tower – much hyped, but lives up to it… an excellent collection of short stories.

Just started:

Of men and their making by John Steinbeck – a selection of his non-fiction. He was a great travel writer, among other things.

Worst journey in the world

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

About halfway through Kate Griffin’s Stray Souls
Then probably going on to Ian M Banks’ Hydrogen Sonata
Not sure after that, I’ve got a couple of dozen ebooks downloaded that I can call on…

The secret race…….almost finished it……….. 😯

Gone back to this again. Not read it for a number of years. Wondrous.

Chavs the demonisation of the middle clases

Fantastic book, just be careful where you read or leave it.

i’m still wading through the huge pile of world according to clarkson vols that i bought off ebay for about 25p.

Early on in The Pale King by David Foster Wallace. Right now it’s just prose fireworks – fasten your seatbelts whilst I hang my writerly baws out.
If it comes together as a story then it will be serious business. Not overly expectant of this happening given the circumstances of publication 🙁

Just acquired Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt.

Purchased after I’d overheard someone discussing Levitt’s theory on how the decision in Roe vs. Wade (US – legalised abortion) effected the crime rate.

A Madness of Angels, by Kate Griffin.

Cannery Row – John Steinbeck

He was a great travel writer, among other things.

He’s just about the greatest writer of all time in my view.

Two Concepts of Liberty – Isaiah Berlin

The Hitler Myth – Ian Kershaw

Bad Pharma: How drug companies mislead doctors and harm patients – Ben Goldacre

Kendalls Three volume Advanced theory of Statistics (cost me a LOT of money *sigh* lol)

Well if I’m being 100% honest I’m actually reading How I Won the Yellow Jumper by Ned Boulting at this very minute, which is OK.

Before that The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga which was great- story about modern slavery in India as told through the eyes of a ‘driver’ in Delhi.

Also Berlin Noir by Phillip Kerr which I really enjoyed- think noir fiction but set in 1930-40’s Berlin.

Kendalls Advanced theory of Statistics Three volume (cost me 250 quid *sigh* lol)

Careful – you’ll excite Stoner. 🙂

He’s just about the greatest writer of all time in my view.

He’s up there, for sure.

Just finished The snail and the whale…..

I suspect it might be the next book I read too

Just finished Cocaine Nights by J.G Ballard and The Joke’s Over by Ralph Steadman.

Now on to Catch 22, for the first time, and really enjoying it.

On the list for the future: The Rum Diaries and the 3rd installment of Spike Milligan’s war memoirs, though the name escapes me.

I recommend captain flashheart’s choice – I’ve read it a couple of times as well as a couple of Hopkirk’s others:

Foreign devils on the Silk Road

and

On Secret Service East of Constantinople

I’m currently on John Lewis Gaddis’ ‘The Cold War’ – for the second time again. It’s a very nicely written book with some disarmingly funny phrases:

Khruschev described as being like ‘a petulant child playing with a loaded gun’ is a particular fave.

“The mammy” by Brendan O’Carrol (Mrs. Browne’s Boy’s). Hilarious

Just finished The snail and the whale…..

Good but I think Room on the Broom is even better.

Now on to Catch 22, for the first time, and really enjoying it.

This is where I feel like a philistine – it’s just a book I cannot get on with!

The Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters. An interesting view on how the psyche works. I may have a bash with the ideas with regards to biking. I prepare for the next few TdF winner!

Foreign devils on the Silk Road

*Adds to shopping list*

The terrible privacy of Maxwell Sim by Jonathan Coe

nope – room on the broom doesn’t get a look in. Stick man on the other hand…

Just started Rings of Saturn by Max Sebald

After being disappointed with A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks, I’ve moved onto Beyond the Chindwin by Bernard Fergusson.

Catching up on a few missed years of ian m banks. The Lovely Bones next

In order of finishing, I have recently read

Victoria Pendleton biography – very interesting indeed
Obsessive, cycling compulsive disorder by Dave Barter – hilarious
Lee Mack, Biography – liked it
Hilary Devey (dragon’s den fame) – Biography – poorly written, grim story and couldn’t put it down

Am currently reading “The 100 year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared”

On reflection I’m thinking, I quite like biographies at the moment.

Ooh, really enjoyed A Week in December, more so than his early stuff. Opinion is a funny thing though, bought some James Ellroy after hearty recommendations on here and could’t get on with it.

Yeah I was a bit disapppointed by A Week in December, not a bad book but certainly failed to meet my expectations.

Only read one James Ellroy – The Black Dahlia, amazingly good I thought.

Just finished Terrorist by John Updike, not as good as I hoped, fantastically well written though, glad I got it from the library rather than spending money on it though.

Also have A Winter Book by Tove Jansson (creator of the Moomins no less) on the go, lovely use of language, interesting collection of short stories, out of the four I’ve read so far one has been truly outstanding.

piemonster – Member
Worst journey in the world

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By far and away the best book ever. Read it countless times.
‘The winter journey’ chapter is just something else.

The Worst Journey in the world is free from Project Gutenberg

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14363

Currently reading Contact by Carl Sagan. Just finished The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. I’m a bit of a Sci-Fi nerd.

This is where I feel like a philistine – it’s just a book I cannot get on with!

I can see why people wouldn’t. The style is a bit of an acquired taste, quite sporadic. Not much has happened thus far, but I’m pretty much certain that’s the point.

It’s a style of writing I really get on with, quite similar to Kurt Vonnegut (a personal favorite) who, as it happens, would have been 90 yesterday if he were still alive.

Just finished The Secret Race. Decided not to follow up with Pendleton and found the Chimp book oddly disappointing. But started on fascinating History of the World in 100 objects.

Just starting “Brave new world” by Aldous Huxley 😯

may I recommend Dividing the Great

‘So Much For That’ by Lionel Shriver. Amazing.

Almost finished Great North Road – Peter Hamilton ..it’s not bad, bit of a page turner. This is being read in tandem with Postgres 9.0 High Performance – which is not recommended for a bit of light reading.

Just starting “Brave new world” by Aldous Huxley

On my top 10 list. Much more prescient than Orwell’s 1984.