I'm currently reading... Options

[The Ghost of Inept Pig]

(although not at this exact moment in time, because I'm at work - and they tend to want me to do 'work' instead of read)

The Complete Sherlock Holmes (by Arthur Conan Doyle) and 1984 (by George Orwell)

How about you? Read any good books lately?

[Slim Jim]

Well, instead of buying lots of games and cds and what have you, the majority of my Christmas money was spent on books.
So far all of them have proved to be interesting and although they are not story books, they are still un-put-down-able .

1) The Pig that wants to be eaten - is a book that asks you questions, and puts you in hypothetical situations, that require a test of morals and intelligence, it is also quite philosophical .

2) What eats wasps? (some of you may have heard of it) - A book about questions asked by readers of the "New Scientist" magazine, which is turning out to be quite interesting.

3)The Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs - Does exactly what it says on the tin (I love proverbs( ) this book contains the history of some of them and more importantly 1100 proverbs )

4)A book about reading runes which facinates me as it includes the history of the Runic alphabet of the Nordic people, and myths they had - its just jam'packed full of cool information.

Maybe a good idea would be to start a "Recommend "x" book thread". (I would have to recommend the "Edge Chronicles" as a series of books, although they are maybe more aimed at younger readers (I got the first one when I was 12 )

And also I would very much recommend "His Dark Materials" Trilogy, by Phillip Pullman - fantastic set of book!

[PilchY]

Have just read Being Freddie - By Andy Flintoff!

Was a good read... although probably wont read for a while now...

[The Ghost of Inept Pig]

1) The Pig that wants to be eaten - is a book that asks you questions, and puts you in hypothetical situations, that require a test of morals and intelligence, it is also quite philosophical .

I have neither morals or sufficent intelligence - but the name of the book appeals to me.

2) What eats wasps? (some of you may have heard of it) - A book about questions asked by readers of the "New Scientist" magazine, which is turning out to be quite interesting.

I bought this for Mrs. Pig at Christmas, but have managed to have a quick glance through it - it's pretty good stuff, but then I did expect that, since I used to read the section in the actual magazine.

The last question I read was about decapitation - splendid stuff.

Maybe a good idea would be to start a "Recommend "x" book thread"

I don't see why we can't use this thread for that very purpose.

[Cataclysm=J]

Two good books that I've read recently are:

Dean Koontz - Velocity (I'm actually half way though this)

B.B.King Autobiography, This is just brilliant. It tells the story of how he went from being a slave on the south american cotton fields to the most famous and loved blues musician in the world. The great thing is that when most people become famous they grow this massive ego and expect everyone to love them, B.B.king never did, hes the most modest guy you'll ever hear of. Also hes 80 and has just released a new album, he'll play blues till he dies (I'm going to see him play, wooo)

[DanMaggot]

Now this is more like it - a book corner.

Unfortunately I've already moaned to Pig that my favourite authors are too slow to produce, leaving me little choice but to re-read their comfort food.

So I'm currently re reading a Miles Vorkosigan book by Lois McMaster Bujold called Civil Campaign.
It's kind of....um.....hmmm. Well I guess it sits somewhere between scifi, romance and...space opera.
Damned fine author.

I'm currently re-reading all my Pratchett and Bujold books.....while waiting for something new to catch my eye. (Non fiction - get too much reality as it is)

[Sureshot]

I am currently reading Louis Theroux's Call of the Weird, which explores his visit to America in 2004 to catch up with all the people he first met while making his documentary for Ch4.

Quite a strange set of people he is catching up with and so far its compelling reading to see how diversely weird the USA can be.

[Damo]

I'm too much of a book geek....currently reading:

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M Pirsig

and

The Enigma of The Borley Rectory by Ivan Banks

[Cataclysm=J]

Just thought i'd add, favourate book is 1984, if you haven't already done so you muct read it. Also you will see where HL2 came from.

It is a prediction of the future (1984) written in 1948 by a guy who changed his name to George Orwell (can't rememebr what it used to be). Though this was in fact incorrect then it is becoming more and more real, much more so in America where Bush could just lie to the American people that Sadam was responsable for the 9/11 attack and thus justify going to war with him when it was all really becuase he wanted all the oli and Sadam wasn't allowed to sell it becuase the UN had set a limit on how much he can sell becuase of the first gulf war that he started. This is why I dislike the American people, though most of them are nice good willed people they can be so easily brainwashed.

Sorry for the rant. Back to the point its a great book and should be read by all.

[Spook Tooth]

Yeah, I watched Animal Farm on the telly but that's as far as I've so far gotten to reading any George Orwell's classics. I watched 'The Trial', which was based on Franz Kafka's novel (these author's shared similar ideas about urban alienation I believe). Oh, and finally, I watched this documentary about Orson Well's rendition of the classic H G Well's novel 'War of the Worlds". It's amazing to think how oversized alien tripods could wreak so much mass hysteria and bring fear to us all - the pictures reminded me of Half Life 2 so I expect there's a link here too.

Books... Don't read enough of 'em and can't be arsed really. I used to like reading and have read the Pullman "Dark Materials" Trilogy which was superb, as well as Pirsig's 'Zen and the Art of MM'/and Lila (his second follow up novel) which was better in many ways.

Lots of books on the 'should read' list... Currently have Robert Ryan's 'The Blue Moon' sat on the sofa waiting to be read (borrowed from Mumsy). Have read a few Minnette Walters' thriller/crime novels, which I found to be good reading, plus just finished Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, which makes for good reading too if not historical/scientific aunthenticity. I used to like reading some of the 'Beat' generation authors like Kerouac. Again, most of my time is spent staring at the monitor screen and reading random stuff.

[Slim Jim]

Ah yes I have read Angles and Demons, really enjoyed it, have you read "The Da Vinci Code" by Mr Brown yet, it is just as good.

[The Ghost of Inept Pig]

Ah yes I have read Angles and Demons, really enjoyed it, have you read "The Da Vinci Code" by Mr Brown yet, it is just as good.

That's next on my list of things to read, I do actually have a copy - but I feel having two books on the go is more than enough.

Is it as good as all the hype suggested then?

[Spook Tooth]

Dan Brown's novels are quite gripping and you find yourself sailing through them at a fast pace. He's a good story teller, even though the plot of the Da Vinci code was very flawed - the book seemed to unravel at the end and it was something of an anticlimax for me.

DB's strengths seem to be in the great intrigue of ideas he presents in his novels, all the historical stuff and how it's relevant in the world around us but only in a very generalised way: his greatest failing is in shamelessly pushing artistic license well beyond what any normal person could feel they'd get away with but maybe there's also a great deal of reader ignorance that allows that so it's not entirely his fault if people feel misled?

I prefered A&Ds in many ways though both novels are for the large part really good reads with such a rich tapestry of ideas that at least get you thinking (even if many of the ideas are of very unsound basis). You know Tom Hanks is going to be in the summer release of the Da Vinci Code film? The locations alone should prove compelling to audiences as was Hannibal, I reckon - we all love the ancient artsy stuff for its snob elitist value. Many people were dissappointed or scoff at the Da Vinci Code but they perhaps miss the point, in that it was a very entertaining fictional read and has created a great deal of interest in European history and religious ideas.

[Slim Jim]

I found both to be really thrilling to read, the ideas he presents makes it seem almost real, the way things reveal themselves, and how one thing leads to another makes it predictable in a sense that you know when something else is going to happen that moves the story on. This is probably a good thing as it makes sure there are no dull parts throughout the book.

And Spook, did you notice that he uses the term "gunned" or "gunned down the street" quite a lot, especially in The Da Vinci Code (when describing cars)?

[Spook Tooth]

Yes, a lot of Americanisms used, like 'gas' instead of petrol!

I did like the books and you are quite right about the good blend of cryptographic and historical stuff - the ideas in the books really spark an interest in the (perhaps hidden) world around you, with symbolic meaning attached to commonn architectural forms in buildings you never realised were there. Certainly makes you think!