What are you reading

[Reynard]

Heh, I'm the opposite... Have always got several books on the go. I even have a bookshelf in the bathroom. For when I'm sat on the "throne" or, as every evening, having a nice relaxing bath before bed, where I like to read a chapter or two.

Just started "A Dance With Dragons", but am also reading "A Civil Campaign", one of Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan books. Plus have been dipping into some Babylon 5 fanfic online.

 

[Levo-Lon]

One Man & His Bike ,Mike Carter , a very nice read

 

[Profpointy]

"Family Britain" - a social history of britain between 1951 and 1957. A general narrative but full of individual interviews with ordinary people and the great and the good. Interesting on an era a little bit before my time. It's his 2nd volume on post war history and I've already read the first one, and have the next 2 waiting so it is a recommendation - albeit though it's interesting (to me), well written and readable it is serious history rather than history as literature

 

[Blue Hills]

One Man & His Bike ,Mike Carter , a very nice read

Yes it is highly recommended.

Though to be honest I wonder a tad about the person he presents of himself in the book.

Seem to recall that he gives the impression that he's a very average jo, whereas from a youtube vid I saw of him at a personal appearance/book signing I seem to remember a be-pony-tailed guy looking a tad pleased with himself.

The other thing I found curious is that as a gut of a certain age travelling alone there is next to no whiff of any ideas of sex.

But, yes, highly recommended.

 

[Blue Hills]

sorry, don't understand your point mort.

Yes, was a typo of course

To clarify:

I didn't mean I was expecting descriptuons of hot action - the cycle tour/sexual oddysey book has (probably thankfully) yet to be written I think. I just thought that as a long term solo traveller meeting folk here and there certain thoughts or thoughts of possibilities might now and again cross his mind and be tactfully refererred to. Will try and find the youtube vid if I have a mo which made me wonder if his literary self presentation is a bit of a conceit/a tad fraudulent. But I stress it is an excellent book which I have actually in the past recommended to folk.

 

[Blue Hills]

ah thanks for starting this thread way back when - should have hunted better for it seemed odd that there was no such thread.

Nearing the end of this:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/book-recommendation.229083/

any response in THIS THREAD HERE please.

An impressive woman/brave narrator.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell.

A fairly long and absorbing read - unusual in that the main theme of the book plays out in the background of a number of chunks of the main character's life (apart from one section of the book when it comes to the fore).

Fascinating and very enjoyable read.

I'm reading it on Kindle and it is massively cheaper on there.

Proper review here:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/07/bone-clocks-review-david-mitchell-lot-of-fun-booker

 

[Profpointy]

"Particle physics brick by brick" which has the astonishing subtitle "atomic and subatomic physics explained in lego". This is a truly wonderfull book, and the lego analogy works really well showing things like the quark model/ gell-mann's eightfold way, higgs mechanism and a lot besides whith unpatronising, clear and clever explanations on every page. I must have 2 metres of physics and astronomy books on my shelves, some of which are admittedly a bit beyond my gentleman-amateur abilities, but this one is in my top 10. Highly highly recommended - and even an expert would get some enjoyment out of it.

 

[Drago]

The Winner, by David Baldacci.

 

[midlife]

"Particle physics brick by brick" which has the astonishing subtitle "atomic and subatomic physics explained in lego". This is a truly wonderfull book, and the lego analogy works really well showing things like the quark model/ gell-mann's eightfold way, higfs mechanism and a lot besides whith unpatronising, clear and clever explanations on every page. I must have 2 metres of physics and astronomy books on my shelves, some of which are admittedly a bit beyond my gentleman-amateur abilities, but this one is in my top 10. Highly highly recommended - and even an expert would get some enjoyment out of it.

"The God Particle" by Leon Lederman is a good read but a little dated.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

At work, before start & at meal-breaks
Just finished



Started (on Monday)
Bought a couple of years ago, but never actually opened


At home. at bedtime

 

[Profpointy]

"The God Particle" by Leon Lederman is a good read but a little dated.

The extremely corny title puts me off, but maybe that was marketing rather than the author. Higgs himself hated that epiphet. Interestingly both Higgs and Paul Dirac went to the same primary school - which can therefore boast more Nobel physicists than many countries.

 

[Randomnerd]

[QUOTE 5123055, member: 259"]Maigret by George's Simenon. I used to work with one of his great nephews, who said his only remembrance of him was he stank of pipe smoke...[/QUOTE]
Always a great fan of GS. The thrill of reading a novel, he said, is to “look through the keyhole to see if other people have the same feelings and instincts you do”. His novel “The Widow” is as good as writing gets. Had to read a good few for a French degree course; enjoyed every word.

Rereading “Slaying the Badger” about the Le Mond - Hainault rivalry. Highly recommended for cycle sport lovers.

And Patrick Leigh Fermor’s “Between the Woods and the Water” is on the go again: I failed to get though it last time, but maybe in the mood this turn round.

Building new bookshelves for our small cottage and having to be disciplined about what to keep in the collection, and where to offload to leave space for more reading. I’ve just turned fifty, so I wonder how much more room my head has left, let alone the shelves....

Found a box in the loft full of books bought from a secondhand book seller, who wrapped the sold book in thick brown paper. There are around thirty yet to be opened!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Breakout from Stalingrad.

 

[Yellow Fang]

I have three on the go: Anno Dracula by Kim Newman, The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker.