Viewing 17 posts - 1 through 17 (of 17 total)
  • Lockdown reading, has it changed?
  • oakleymuppet
    Free Member

    What are you on at the moment?

    I’m curently reading “Blood and Silk: Power and Conflict in Modern Southeast Asia” by Michael R. J. Vatikiotis and “The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age” by James Kirchick

    Real fun shit – but it’s the mood I’m in right now – my reading has definitely taken a darker tone during lockdown. The lightest read so far has been a reread of “The Ugly American”.

    allanoleary
    Free Member

    You need Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams back in your life. I’m re-reading Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency at the mo and my mood has lifted a bit

    MoreCashThanDash
    Full Member

    Gone back to Pratchett for some canny insight, I’ll be honest. And a lot of cycling books and blogs around things like Tour Divide and other stuff I’ll never do but make great escapism.

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    funkmasterp
    Full Member

    Adrian Tchaikovsky sci-fi novels and other fiction

    Rona
    Full Member

    I’m reading Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library and Matthieu Ricard’s Happiness.

    Recently finished Andrew Cotter’s Olive, Mabel and Me – love his understated humour. Enjoyable reading for any dog-lover or mountain-lover.

    Probably not so different from usual reading – tend to always have one fiction and one non-fiction on the go at a time, and do tend to cover a range of styles from serious to light-hearted. Currently enjoying the more fun end of the spectrum.

    pondo
    Full Member

    I’ve read much about black history and racism in the last six months, which has been sobering and eye-opening. On the lighter side, I know much more about the Apollo moon landings, Japan, falconry and dinosaurs than I did, and I’m currently devouring the very excellent Bobby Fischer Goes To War, which I wouldn’t even have given a second glance to this time 12 months ago. 🙂

    Recently finished Andrew Cotter’s Olive, Mabel and Me – love his understated humour. Enjoyable reading for any dog-lover or mountain-lover.

    What a great book, loved it. 🙂

    You need Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams back in your life. I’m re-reading Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency at the mo and my mood has lifted a bit

    I’ve never read Pratchett – I shall impulsively add that to this month’s consignment. 🙂

    Duggan
    Full Member

    Almost finished The Power of the Dog by Don Winlsow which is a quite wide in scope fictional assessment of the US War on Drugs and Central/South American cartels. Not on the light side but really absorbing.

    I have Democracy for Sale by Peter Geoghgan lined up after that but time will tell if I stick with it as I mainly read only for “fun” these days.

    I don’t think my reading habits have changed though I’ve noticed that I definitely seek more escapism on TV- not necessarily light hearted stuff but just more fictional dramas (even if they’re not particularly good) as opposed to quiz shows and sports and stuff.

    oakleymuppet
    Free Member

    I might read some Pratchett again! Good shout.

    Almost finished The Power of the Dog by Don Winlsow which is a quite wide in scope fictional assessment of the US War on Drugs and Central/South American cartels. Not on the light side but really absorbing.

    This looks good, might have to Amazon it.

    My favourite non-fiction lockdown read so far has been “The Revenge of Geography” by Robert D. Kaplan, it covers geography and it’s affects on History – and the fault lines of conflict that could arise in the 21st century.

    https://www.europeaninstitute.org/index.php/archive/sort-by-date-2/167-ea-january-2013/1674-the-revenge-of-geography-what-the-map-tells-us-about-coming-conflicts-and-the-battle-against-fate-by-robert-d-kaplan

    chakaping
    Free Member

    Nah, still not reading any books.

    I have put Hitchhiker’s Guide by the bed, for when I fancy it though.

    eddiebaby
    Free Member

    Still the same for me. A bucket of SciFi and the like plus loads of random stuff after reading stuff on here.
    Kindle Unlimited has earned its keep as there is a lot of stuff I wouldn’t have bought so would not have read it.

    Keva
    Free Member

    Jared Diamond
    Guns, Germs and Steel: A short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years

    very interesting but it’s a bit slow going atm.

    eddiebaby
    Free Member

    Oh, my current ‘send me to sleep’ book is Gary Urton’s Signs of the Inka Khipu – Binary Coding in the Andean Knotted String Records.
    It’s only been 5 years so far…

    johndoh
    Free Member

    I have barely read since lockdown (I used to read an hour a day on my commute). Still trying to finish ‘The Vanquished: Why the First World War Failed to End, 1917-1923’ which I started back in February of last year 🙁

    StuF
    Full Member

    just finished the last two books in the Girl with the Dragon tattoo series. They were quite difficult to put down.

    Now just started Llama Drama to inspire some future travels

    nickc
    Full Member

    very interesting

    must resist….

    Just finished The North Water by Ian McGure, good read even it he seems to have enjoyed some of the descriptive language around the violence of that world a little too much…and the obvious mistakes are obvious, the hero watches an albatross on his way to Canada…for instance. Just started The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chambon, just for a completely different feel!

    tomparkin
    Full Member

    Having just had a double-whammy of Christmas and my eldest daughter’s birthday, I’m catching up on kids books.

    Currently on “The Girl Who Speaks Bear” by Sophie Anderson, having previously finished David Walliams’ “Ratburger”. The former was quite funny if a bit shallow, the latter is actually really good magical realism type stuff.

    Before that it was “A Very Private Life” by Michael Frayn which was a bit close to the knuckle in these times. Still thinking about it.

    IdleJon
    Full Member

    I’m reading the brilliant Jack Vance’s The Wannek at the moment. (Apparently renamed because some people didn’t like the original title – Servants of the Wankh! 😀 ) I’ve got a history of the East India Company lined up, some cycling books, more Jack Vance, other SF&F, loads..

    My reading hasn’t changed over the last year, other than rarely being able to visit an open secondhand bookshop, or being able to check out bookshops in other cities, as I’d normally do. I’ve read a lot more on the Kindle this year.

    Guns, Germs and Steel: A short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years

    very interesting but it’s a bit slow going atm.

    Not a good recommendation! How can a short history of 13,000 years possibly be slow? 😀

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