[Closed] What are you reading?

Just finished Fight Club last night - hadn't read it for 15 years

Incredible book

Just finished Fight Club last night - hadn't read it for 15 years

What's Fight Club?

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was it the first time you've read Zen and the Art...? What did you think? I first read it when I was 18 and it really profoundly effected the way I thought about things. I go back to it periodically and read it again. Changed my life.

Just read through the thread and noticed reference to "Zen And The Art of....."
I first read it 25 odd years ago and didn't understand it but it tweaked something in my subconscious mind that would carry through to my daily interactions with the outside world so every so often i would pick it up and read it again.....and again. I dunno if i fully understand everything he talks about or the subtle meaning of every word or phrase but I'll get there...eventually...... and i'll never tire of reading it.

The Railways: Nation, Network and People, excellent history of British trains/stations/etc. Lots of fascinating bits of history, and well written:

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Also re-reading The Player of Games and some Pratchett stuff.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

The secret history by Donna Tartt, although I've all but given up on it as I just can't stand any of the characters. I guess this is the intention of the author, but I just can't get past it.

Chickenhawk is great. You really don't see the ending coming.

at the moment I'm reading this

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and this

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All my reservations at the library turned up at the same time so:

William Waldegrave's political memoir, A Different Kind of Weather
Tim Shipman's highly rated first cut of the history of Brexit, All Out War
Svetlana Alexievich's story of post Soviet Russia, Second-Hand Time

If you like Fatherland, Robert Harris's Cicero Trilogy is very good - not a fan of his work set in the present, The Ghost is mediocre and the The Fear Index is tripe.

Just finished Fight Club last night - hadn't read it for 15 years
What's Fight Club?

First rule of Fight Club is that you do not talk about Fight Club....

Chuck Palahniuk's first book - incredibly dark & twisted and very fitting with the randomness of Brexit & Trump over the last 12 months

Also a very good film - but as with most film adaptations - the book is far better

[i]Chuck Palahniuk[/i] - I've read everything by him I can get my hands on. He's fantastic.

Which translation?

We had to read the original in ancient Greek at school....

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Forgot I also have this one on the go.

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hairyscary - Member

The secret history by Donna Tartt, although I've all but given up on it as I just can't stand any of the characters. I guess this is the intention of the author, but I just can't get past it.

I started that years ago, and gave up on it as its just a load of whining, self-pitying, boo hoo, poor me, bleating!

There must be loads of people on here who'd absolutely love it! 😀

kimbers - Member
The City and City

China Mieville

Me too, I'm finding it well-written but rather slow going. I'm about 40% through.

And Cairngorm John, I saw it recommended on here so much I thought I'd give it a go, got the hardback in great nick for 1p from Amazon. So £2.81 really. Enjoying it so far.

We had to read the original in ancient Greek at school....

Quite right too, it is very difficult to do justice to the essential poetic qualities of Homer in translation.

[i]The secret history by Donna Tartt[/i]

That was recommended to me years ago (did it win some award?) - I bought and read some or all of it, but cannot remember a single thing about it. Or whether I actually finished it.

Just finished Ready Player One, a fun entertaining read, though a little lightweight. Still, I enjoyed the Hunger Games books too so maybe I should find some more "young adult" stories.

Actually, no, that was the book before. Just finished Flash Boys, about high frequency trading on the US exchanges.

Seveneves is going to get started in the next 2 minutes.

Ready Player One is brilliant! Read it on holiday and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Presently being made into a movie by Speilburg with a mahoosive budget, which should be worth a look.

The Last Temptation (of Christ)

despite not having any affiliation with Christianity, I'm finding this a lot more interesting than I thought I would, Nikos draws the line between Christ as man and divine in a very different place from the bible.

Basically Jesus as philosopher has the decency to show his commitment to said philosophy by dying for it.

I may not have sold this one as well as I could.

iOS Apps for Masterminds.

It's rather predictable

Feet in the Clouds was about the only sporting book I've ever read that conveys the passion and need to do the sport.

Recently re-read 'Life & Fate' by Vasily Grossman its a bit of a marathon but well worth it.

I feel very low rent. Just finishing Girl on a Train and then I will start on The Springsteen autobiography.

Also re reading the Godfather by Mario Puzo. Not read it for a very long time.

Into Thin Air

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wasn't expecting much from this but was really impressed. Highly original.

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I still miss the Night Circus. One for the dreamers.

TM

The Bees is a quality book - really clever!

The Bees is a quality book - really clever!

Indeed. I started it expecting some overly poetic hippy nonsense but its so well written that you slowly get immersed.

TM

Currently reading "Shadows on the road".

After recently finishing" Watching the wheels". Damon Hill's autobiography.

After SotR, I may go read "Catcher in the Rye".

[i]I feel very low rent. Just finishing Girl on a Train...[/i]

Sometimes "best sellers" are worth a read. Unfortunately that one isn't. (I've read it.)

The Education Debate

The Education Debate

Interesting psychological thriller

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Not quite what I expected but good background and some debunking.

Tortillas to Totems.
Travel book by a guy called Sam Manicom about his travels North from Mexico into the USA and Canada in the late 90s. Met him a few times, really nice unassuming guy and a nice writing style

http://www.sam-manicom.com/

@CFH

Which translation?

The Iliad and Oddysey are both excellent reads, and often overlooked as being too academic or something.

Robert Fagles translation.
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To all, worthy read.

Many of the books I read at school seemed to be ruined in my mind by not reading them as a book/story.

The Iliad is a great read so far, epic almost ;-).

War & Peace was also very good. Both of which were no spoilt by school.

Odyssey next.

Redthunder Stallion Breaker 😉

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Only 3 people have joined the Goodreads group including me.

I'm the only one with my reading list and reading history etc.

I suppose it isn't the good idea I thought it was.

I find myself reading through the thread and adding some of the books that people have read on here.

[url= http://www.thisiswhy.ip3.co.uk/thisiswhy/strips.html ]Sheepsies[/url]

Babylon's Ashes appears to have a good following on here, added it to my list.

Just finished HMS ULYSSES by Alistair MacLean, as serving RN his descriptions of the privations caused by relentless rough seas were rather on the money, although of course his characters suffered more than I hope I ever will.
Now reading The Sellout by Paul Beatty, dense, funny and acutely well observed.

Babylon's Ashes appears to have a good following on here, added it to my list.

Looks like it's book 6 in a series.

Just finished HMS ULYSSES by Alistair MacLean

It's definitely one of his better books but "The Cruel Sea" does cold wet and frightened even better IMO. Spoiler - I liked that they didn't sink a U-Boat every other page. Must revisit my copy soon, if I can find it.

Snorkers - good-oh!

The Odyssey was all a bit too "Oh woe is me" for my liking. The Illiad was great though.

beej - Member
I enjoyed the Hunger Games books

I'm tempted to read these just to see if Katniss Everdeen's character is as pathetic as it is portrayed in the movies. I watched three of the films and I'm now rooting for the Capital.