What Are You Reading, Again?

[jalapeno_dude]

Ooh, I've read American Gods. Fun fun.

Currently just finished reading Dune and will begin on either 2061 (Odyssey Three) or Slaktehus-5. (That's Slaughterhouse Five, only in Norwegian. *mumbles something about the library*)

Dune is awesome! Didn't like the sequels, though...

So is the 2001 series.

 

[mitsho]

starting "The Crusades in the view of the Arabs" by Amin Maalouf.

mitsho

 

[jameson]

Has anyone read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke? If so, what did you think of it?

Read it and loved it.

Comparisons with J.K. Rowling are way off here - Austen and Dickens are closer, I even detected some similarities with the classic Dutch novel Max Havelaar,but the writing style is Clarke's own.You also have to love a novel which makes no excuses for having footnotes spanning three pages .

Am currently reading a Carl Hiaasen detective for light entertainment ( Stormy Weather ) myself.

 

[jalapeno_dude]

Yeah, I really liked it too--especially the footnotes! I'm the only person I know who did.

 

[Smellincoffee]

Gone But Not Forgotten by Phillip Margolin -- a murder mystery.

 

[Birdjaguar]

I just finished Fooled by Randomess: The Hidden Role of Chance in the Markets and Life by N.N. Taleb. It was interesting by not as well written as I would have liked. He does poke some holes in comtemporary thinking about statisical analysis and the way people look at chance.

 

[LLXerxes]

Yesterday I finished Vagabond - Bernard Cornwell

So now I'm reading The Sword of Atilla - Michael Curtis Ford. A novel about Atilla the Hun and the events leading up to the Battle of Chalons, and then the battle...

 

[Ansar]

The Illiad by Homer - translated by Stanley Lombardo (prose version).

IOW, its a PITA.

 

[Turner]

Just finished The First Immortal, by James Halperin. Google it, you can get it as a free download. Excellent read.

 

[Red Door]

I just finished Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden. It's about the U.S.-led assassination of Pablo Escobar, the notorious Colombian terrorist.

 

[Telamar]

just finished "the da vinci code". ARRGH THE INNACURACY!!!

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

Right, I'm gonna buck the trend against you 'well-read' folk (and also lower my own normal WW2 readings) to declare I just finished Jeremy Clarkson's I Know you got Soul. And it was a darn good, quite funny and very simple read. He just went through various creations (such as the Spitfire, space shuttle, 747) and why they have...well, soul.

I'd recommend it to anyone for travel reading, or especially while lazing in a bath

 

[Till]

Spitfire? Triumph Spitfire? Damn right it's got soul! Like most British cars of yore.

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

Spitfire? Triumph Spitfire? Damn right it's got soul! Like most British cars of yore.

Supermarine Spitfire, Till, ol' chap.

Though, leave it to the British to name a car after their most famous fighter

 

[Gilder]

I'm currently reading Colleen McCullough's The First Man in Rome.

 

[jalapeno_dude]

Read that a few years ago. From what I remember, it was quite interesting.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

I was in the mood to read more about nazis. So i started reading Geoff Layton's - Germany, The Third Reich, 1933-1945.
It's a short book about the subject. (200 pages)

 

[Kan' Sharuminar]

I was in the mood to read more about nazis. So i started reading Geoff Layton's - Germany, The Third Reich, 1933-1945.
It's a short book about the subject. (200 pages)

Is it any good?

 

[Heretic_Cata]

Is it any good?

So far, i've only read 30 pages (first 2 chapters), and by the looks of it, it's quite good. The first chapter was an introduction to the subject.
The second chapter presented the historical context in which Germany was in. It briefly presented some stuff about the Second Reich and how Germany got out of WW1. After that it presents the history of the Weimar Republic, and how it was doomed from it's founding, how it resisted the atempts for overthrowing and how it's fate was sealed by the depression.
After this it says a bit about Hitler's early life and after he gets in contact with the the Deutsche Arbeitspartei the author gives a bit more details about everything he did till 1930.
That's the second chapter, and all i've read for now.

But, if the author keeps this up, then i think i've formed an opinion on the book, or at least a first impression. It seems to be a very concise presentation of Germany in WW2.
If you want to learn about the WW2 in general, then i think this book is preety good.
But if you want to learn every single troop movement that happened then you should read smthing else. Btw, i'll post here some stuff about another book on the subject in 30 mins or so ...

 

[Red Door]

Now, I'm reading Guns, Germs, and Steel.