What book are you currently reading?

[Yellow Fang]

Still reading Flat Earth News by Nick Davies. It's an eye-opener, although a bit heavy going.

 

[661-Pete]

Well: having laid down the strange world of Sebastian Faulks, back in the 'reality' of SF ......

Picked up Ringworld Throne once again - a book I abandoned several years ago. Unarguably, according to critics, by far the worst of the Ringworld series, this time I'll try my hardest to get through it. I feel a sense of duty to fill in the gap in my knowledge of Ringworld/Known Space stuff....

 

[Yellow Fang]

Well: having laid down the strange world of Sebastian Faulks, back in the 'reality' of SF ......

Picked up Ringworld Throne once again - a book I abandoned several years ago. Unarguably, according to critics, by far the worst of the Ringworld series, this time I'll try my hardest to get through it. I feel a sense of duty to fill in the gap in my knowledge of Ringworld/Known Space stuff....

I used to read those Ringworld books. They weren't bad.

 

[Crankarm]

I was delighted when, on my first ever trip to the US in 2004, I stumbled across Ignatius in New Orleans. There's a life-sized statue of him in front of the building that used to be the hotel in the book. I didn't even know there was such a thing and discovered it purely by accident when out walking one day. Really made my day

I think I've read the book four or five times now; it's brilliant.

Really a statue ............ I never knew. Cool. Does he have a weeny in one hand? You wouldn't have taken a pic by any chance? The book is indeed brilliant. I have read it three times although not for some years. There are many hilarious moments.

John Kennedy Toole committed suicide in 1969 at 31 years old, depressed that he couldn't get CoD published which he wrote in the early 1960s. He never knew the acclaim that his master piece would finally attract winning the Pullitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. He wrote the novel the Neon Bible at 16 which was suppressed for many years. Maybe Ignatius' over bearing mother in CoD was a reflection of the relationship with his own mother posthumously tenaciously promoting his two books.

 

[Bollo]

Really a statue ............ I never knew. Cool. Does he have a weeny in one hand? You wouldn't have taken a pic by any chance? The book is indeed brilliant. I have read it three times although not for some years. There are many hilarious moments.

John Kennedy Toole committed suicide in 1969 at 31 years old, depressed that he couldn't get CoD published which he wrote in the early 1960s. He never knew the acclaim that his master piece would finally attract winning the Pullitzer Prize for Fiction in 1981. He wrote the novel the Neon Bible at 16 which was suppressed for many years. Maybe Ignatius' over bearing mother in CoD was a reflection of the relationship with his own mother posthumously tenaciously promoting his two books.

Here's a pic of the web thingy....
I imagined him much fatter. Great book, I must have read it three or four times.

 

[Bollo]

Oh, current book is "The Money and the Power: The Making of Las Vegas and Its Hold on America". A literal and metaphorical heavy tome. Just finished reading a book called "Engineers of the Soul" by a Dutch author called Frank Westerman, a road-trip cum political history of Soviet era writers, the Writers' Union and how they coped with Stalin and socialist realism. Slow burn, but more engaging than it sounds.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

What's with the Deputy Dawg ears?

Here's a pic of the web thingy....
I imagined him much fatter. Great book, I must have read it three or four times.

 

[Crankarm]

What's with the Deputy Dawg ears?

They is the side flaps of his hat.

 

[Bollo]

Ignatious is very fond of his hat. Do not dis the hat.

 

[GM]

I've just finished a Steve Marriott (of the Small Faces) autobiography, very good. Tonight for my bedtime reading I am starting,Girl with the dragon tattoo.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

Just about to start The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, possibly followed by some of Edgar Allen Poe's short stories. Used to have these on audio cassette (back in the day) and they were wonderfully absorbing and scary... curious to see if me reading them to myself (silently in my head, not out loud!) will have the same effect of bringing out his mastery of suspense and "horror".

 

[threebikesmcginty]

...possibly followed by some of Edgar Allen Poe's short stories. Used to have these on audio cassette (back in the day) and they were wonderfully absorbing and scary... curious to see if me reading them to myself (silently in my head, not out loud!) will have the same effect of bringing out his mastery of suspense and "horror".

They're very good

 

[PaulB]

I've just finished the third of my (auto)biographies on three differing musical stars I really like and have been disappointed in them all. I won't reveal the subject's names but starting out as fans of the three people involved, my respect for each of them has diminished from a lot (in one case) to a fair amount. I see these books in the shops and they all have appealing covers on stars I like so I am easily tempted in. I bought all three at once and was mildly disappointed in the first one, pissed off with the second and felt like the third was a total waste of time. I've loved autobiographies and biographies down the years but this will put a big question mark over my buying stuff like this in the future.

I've always got at least one book on the go though and my latest one is my third reading of Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. I can't get enough of that one.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I've just finished the third of my (auto)biographies on three differing musical stars I really like and have been disappointed in them all.

The one's about the old country music singers are great - they make modern 'bad boy' rock singers look like right wussies. Some of the ones by friends of the families can be a bit sugar coated but there are some great one about.

Some of the stories are crazy: George Jones - going down the offie on his ride-on mower because Tammy wouldn't give him the keys to his motor, or Lefty Frizzell fighting, on stage, with a guy (think it was the town mayor) who was there to present him with an award, or Faron Young, who when he asked a young girl up on the stage to sing with him ended up putting her over his knee and spanking her in front of 2000 stunned people because she refused. Jerry Lee Lewis digging up his grandad when he hit the big time because he could now afford a coffin!

Thing is you know these guys are flawed before you start reading so you kind of know what to expect.

 

[Dayvo]

Heading back to England later today, I hope to finish 'Mr Nice', the autobigraphy of Howard Marks, which I started in February!

It could still be unfinished in six months time!