| What are we all reading? 18:56 - Apr 24 with 9053 views | WarfieldHoop |
We havn't had one of these threads for a while, so what is everyone currently reading or read?
I'm reading The Map by T.S Learner which was only published earlier this year. It's a mystery thriller with history in the style of Dan Brown (only not as good imo). Before that I read Hawk Quest which I reccomend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Next up will be Scott of the Antarctic by David Crane. [Post edited 1 Jan 1970 1:00]
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| What are we all reading? on 10:59 - Apr 25 with 1632 views | scot1963 |
 if she loves it that's a success then - i am always arguing about kindle (if given the opportunity) cus i can't understand why any book lover would want one | | | |
| What are we all reading? on 11:11 - Apr 25 with 1624 views | A40Bosh |
I'll tell you one overriding advantage the kindle has over a sackful of paperbacks.
My Mrs is always losing her specs and the Kindle allows her to use the same size font you would normally see on a billboard!!!
I did nearly smack her over the head with it when she complained that it only told you what percentage of the current book you had got through as she struggled with the concept that if you change the font size the number of pages would dramatically increase, but as there are only about 14 f'in words on a single page it wont take any longer to read it, so just shut up and read the bloody thing and stop worrying how much you have read of it already and how much you have left.
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| What are we all reading? on 11:19 - Apr 25 with 1614 views | Metallica_Hoop |
I've still got 8 of the Corgi paper paperbacks. Still so readable.
Eventually I'll upgrade to the re-issues. He looks good for someone that old, allegedly he's working on a last book, hope he hurries up! | |
| Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent |
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| What are we all reading? on 11:26 - Apr 25 with 1607 views | scot1963 |
good point - i can now only read the small font in books, without glasses, during the spring/summer in the natural light outside. i'm still not sold though and, on a negative, it obviously brings out violence in people  | | | |
| What are we all reading? on 13:36 - Apr 25 with 1582 views | WrightUp5hit___ |
Iain Banks latest offering "Stonemouth"
Sex and drugs and drug barons on the north east coast of Scotland.
Usual great dialogue and characterisation, strangely not as gripping as previous works. | | | |
| What are we all reading? on 13:39 - Apr 25 with 1578 views | elnombre |
setting aside the Kindle debate...
Audiobooks - surely not! You can't listen to a book?! Where's the time to reflect? Go back a paragraph because you weren't concentrating? Check who a character is or flick back to something a chapter ago?
The best you can hope for from listening to a book is a grasp of some the words it contains, a vague idea of plot and the notion that Martin Jarvis has got quite a nice reading voice.
Jennifer Egan's 'Look at Me' - imagine if John Updike had a sense of humour. And could write. | | | |
| What are we all reading? on 14:07 - Apr 25 with 1565 views | R_from_afar |
What an erudite thread for a football fans' website! I feel like I am having an out of body experience.
Last one for me was a book about the world's greatest ever triangular tournament, "Persian Fire" by Tom Holland. Persia v Sparta v Athens, a bit like Man U (Persia - manpower, riches, arrogance) v Stoke (Sparta - ruthlessly drilled, very physical) v Arsenal (Athens - philosophy, brains, a bit wussy). Well, sort of.
I am fascinated by ancient history and was desperate to read this book when I saw it but it also scared me: could I really plough through a 400 page plus history book? For pleasure rather than for a test? Well, once I started it, I was hooked and it's a great read, very illuminating. At Thermopylae, the Persian emissiary (Richard Scudamore) tells the Spartan commander Leonidas (Danny Cullip): "Lay down your arms". Leonidas' answer shows why the word laconic is derived from the land the Spartans lived in: "Come and get them".
Awesome.
By the way, the (first) British retreat from Afghanistan was a sorry tale, only one man made it back!
RFA
[Post edited 1 Jan 1970 1:00]
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| "Things had started becoming increasingly desperate at Loftus Road but QPR have been handed a massive lifeline and the place has absolutely erupted. it's carnage. It's bedlam. It's 1-1." |
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| What are we all reading? on 14:35 - Apr 25 with 1552 views | TW_R |
"on a negative, it obviously brings out violence in people"
And you don't even own one!
The Kindle is great. Can always carry around a good collection of books, which I like as I travel a lot and, even if I do finish the last one, I can download one, which is much easier than trying to buy an English language book when you're in the middle of Italy.
It's also good for books that are massive like The Stand by Stephen King. Carrying that thing around was back-breaking!! | | | |
| What are we all reading? on 14:43 - Apr 25 with 1538 views | Metallica_Hoop |
Kindle would have been handy for my Steven Erikson hardback collection.
They look good on the shelves though, makes me look like a Professor of Anthropology.
BTW if you haven't read Erikson......boy.....makes Martin's world seem small.  | |
| Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent |
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| What are we all reading? on 14:44 - Apr 25 with 1537 views | TheBlob |
In defence of KIndle however - sorry Scotty - it's really the words that are important rather than the delivery system,and actually become more meaningful.When you consider the ancient Babylonians used a tablet form you could argue that the whole process has come full circle in 5,000 years.And also the lynchpin of modern thought,the Encyclopaedia Britannica has gone entirely electronic gives credence to the evolution.At least we haven't arrived at a Fahrenheit 451 scenario as yet. | |
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| What are we all reading? on 14:48 - Apr 25 with 1530 views | sexton |
The Third Reich at War, the final part of a brilliant and very readable trilogy on Nazi Germany by Richard J Evans (an expert witness at the David Irving trial). | | | |
| What are we all reading? on 14:57 - Apr 25 with 1519 views | A40Bosh |
The forthcoming extension will result in the long overdue loft clearance in the coming months.
Then the tear will gently form in her eye as I bring down heavy black bin liner after heavy black biner and gently take out each volume of the Encyclopaedia Britannica set she brought home when she worked for EB International, softly flick through a few of the gold leaf edged pages noting the care and accuracy of each articule.
Then I will f++k everyone one of them out into the skip with a "I told you 10 years ago when you got made redundant that the kids would very read them!!" | |
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| What are we all reading? on 15:02 - Apr 25 with 1514 views | TheBlob |
NNNNNooooooooooo......not the skip.At the very least take them down to the charity shop.Have you got any first editions that may be worth putting on Ebay?Have a good look,there may be gold in them thar tomes.If you've got a first edition of Ringworld by Larry Niven in the yellow Gollancz hardback cover,I'll give you a fiver for it. | |
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| What are we all reading? on 15:21 - Apr 25 with 1505 views | 18StoneOfHoop |
Sexton,is that even better than Ian Kershaw's masterly double volume classic tomes 'Hitler: Nemesis (1998) and Hubris (2000) ' ?
Great thread.Top Kindle debate.
Don't read much fiction but anything 20thC historical to do with fascist and communist dictatorships I seize upon with alacrity.
Alan Bullock on Hitler and Stalin still stands the test of time and William H Shirer's (the Johnny Yank journo on the spot at the time)The Rise and Fall Of The Third Reich is indespensable too.For an overview of the 1930's Piers Brendon 'The Dark Valley' is tip-top.
Also strongly recommend Russia-wise Simon Sebag Montefiore's 'Stalin:the Court Of The Red Tsar' and Orlando Figes 'A People's Tragedy '
Anthony Beevor's 'Stalingrad' and 'Berlin' should be required reading on every school's history reading list. Anything by Paul Preston and the several books he has written on Franco will be good.
To understand the brutality man can inflict on man everyone should read at least one book by Primo Levi.
Later addendum:
_________________________________________________________________
A few years back I had the displeasure of having two coppers interviewing me at length in my gaff.They took no notice of the QPR memorabilia strewn over every nook and corner but on viewing my substantial 20+ strong Der Fuerher Hitler bookshelf section the clueless numpties started to draw heavy dark inferences - i.e. Is the big fella an David Irving/Nick Griffin/Andres Brevik type nutter?
Mind you if the same two nosey bizzies had ever got into Mettallica's drum I think they'd immediately nick him on seeing the black walls and door leading into the ginger hedgepig dungeon.  [Post edited 1 Jan 1970 1:00]
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| 'I'm 18 with a bullet.Got my finger on the trigger,I'm gonna pull it.."
Love,Peace and Fook Chelski!
More like 20StoneOfHoop now.
Let's face it I'm not getting any thinner.
Pass the cake and pies please. |
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| What are we all reading? on 15:27 - Apr 25 with 1496 views | A40Bosh |
Nah, I wont f++k them out really - I hope they have survived up in the loft for 10 years though. Many of the off shoot works like the world books got damaged out in the garage. Once the extension gets built (hopefully) then the box bedroom can become the "family library" where the EB set can then be displayed in all their glory - gathering dust for another 10 years with the 3 lazy students downstairs too lazy to search through them for reference info and instead rely on the rubbish written on the net to steal all their essay material. | |
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| What are we all reading? on 15:47 - Apr 25 with 1488 views | sexton |
Haven't read either of the Kershaw books 18Stone so I can't say.
Agree with you about Anthony Beevor and Orlando Figes - a superb read, though Orlando was a naughty boy on Amazon.
Would also recommend Robert Service's biographies of Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin. | | | |
| What are we all reading? on 15:53 - Apr 25 with 1486 views | Metallica_Hoop |
Kershaw is very good. I must re-read him.
Heaven and Hell: The War Diary of a German Paratrooper by Martin Poppel is an interesting Auto-Biography.
As is this little oddity: Panzer Gunner: A Canadian in the German 7th Panzer Division 1944-45 by Bruno Freisen.
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| Beer and Beef has made us what we are - The Prince Regent |
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| What are we all reading? on 15:56 - Apr 25 with 1483 views | Lewes_r |
On my Ipad [Post edited 1 Jan 1970 1:00]
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| What are we all reading? on 16:23 - Apr 25 with 1459 views | TheBlob |
They're also very good decorative pieces encyclopaedias(encyclopaediae?).
By the very nature of them they're already out of date by the time they're published.
But on the upside,they can be used for clobbering burglars,propping up wonky tables and to stand on at the newsagents to get at the top shelf porn collection if you happen to be a short arse. | |
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| What are we all reading? on 17:06 - Apr 25 with 1433 views | Juzzie |
I bet that's a blast?
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| What are we all reading? on 17:10 - Apr 25 with 1425 views | Jamie |
Recently read Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose (the book the series is based on), and Beyond Band of Brothers by Richard Winters.
Now reading Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose | | | |
| What are we all reading? on 17:12 - Apr 25 with 1425 views | robith |
Paul Preston taught me at uni. A top bloke and his books on the Spanish Civil War are incredible | | | |
| What are we all reading? on 17:14 - Apr 25 with 1423 views | scot1963 |
lot of wrongness on here - the delivery system is all intertwined with the love of reading the written word - a kindle can't smell like an old book or a new book, it isn't tactile, there is no joy in owning the words on a kindle - i want to be buried with my books [Post edited 1 Jan 1970 1:00]
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| What are we all reading? on 17:16 - Apr 25 with 1421 views | TheBlob |
Shouldn't you take them back to the library?You owe a fortune in fines now Scotty | |
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| What are we all reading? on 17:17 - Apr 25 with 1417 views | Lewes_r |
blinding | |
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