A Conversation for Ask h2g2

(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5401

Lucky Llareggub - no more cannibals in our village, we ate the last one yesterday..


Apropos music - I rather like The Underdog by Spoon at the moment.

All other books are on hold, as I tackle the rather fat Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil. As someone once bravely said in the Antarctic - I may be gone some time.

Progress reports may / may not duly appear.


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5402

MiniMy

Going Postal by Pratchett. Suitably entertaining thus far.


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5403

toybox

I listen to an audio version of 'The Assault' by harry Mulisch. I'll definitely try to listen again, or to read a printed one.

The speaker (Burghart Klaussner) was very good, too smiley - smiley


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5404

Jim Lynn

I've gone through 'The End of Harry Potter' by David Langford, 'God is Not Great' by Christopher Hitchens and 'First Among Sequels' by Jasper Fforde.

Now I'm starting 'Breaking the Spell' by Daniel Dennett.


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5405

DA ; Simply Vicky: Don't get pithy with me!

Robin Hobb! She's awesome - I have just finished the third volume in the Farseer trilogy. Not "literature" but they should be... Some fantasy books are fully worthy of the name.

smiley - magic

Vicky


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5406

night-eyes

Robin Hobb is great yes! I loved the Farseer trilogy and I found the follow-up (Tawny Man) rather good as well, although it wasn't a match for the first three boks. The other sequel, the Liveship Traders, had very interesting characters, really full of live and changing through the story and there were some rather good twists in the plot - I enjoyed it even if I I am somehow not that interested in ships smiley - cool


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5407

A Super Furry Animal

>> Having seen the 3 Bourne films in the last few weeks, I've decided that I'd like to read the books. I'd guess that a lot of the politics has been omitted, and the characters would be fleshed out etc. <<

You're going to be disappointed, I'm afraid. The first book is similar to all Ludlum books (I stopped reading them after about 3), in that "characterisation" is an alien concept to him. Of course, in "The Bourne Identity" that's kinda the point. But in all his other books, I dare anyone to know anything about the protagonist, other than his name, and maybe his job, at the end of the book. Don't try to read Ludlum for the characterisation.

Anyway, I finished Hawksmoor (Peter Ackroyd). I know you've all been waiting with bated breath to hear this from me...smiley - biggrin I didn't like the way it ended. I know, it's all so postmodernist (it was written in 1985) but even so, it was dissatisfying.

Currently reading (OK, about to finish) I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan. This has some of the funniest writing and episodes I've read for ages!

RFsmiley - evilgrin


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5408

Bagpuss

View from the Summit by Sir Edmund Hillary. So far he's climbed Everest, toured the world talking about it, been knighted and got married. And I'm only two chapters in.


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5409

pedro

It's all downhill from then on, I suppose.

RF, Ludlum sounds similar to Michael Crichton. Zat fair?


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5410

Lucky Llareggub - no more cannibals in our village, we ate the last one yesterday..

I picked up a second-hand pocket-size Penguin yesterday - A Friend of Kafka and other short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer.
It's the right antidote for the book by Musil that I'm reading - The Man Without Qualities - which is thicker than a Harry Potter book, weighs half a ton and is impossible to carry around.


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5411

A Super Furry Animal

>> RF, Ludlum sounds similar to Michael Crichton. Zat fair? <<

I think Crichton at least attempts to give his characters, er, character, even if it's a cardboard-cut-out cliché. From what I remember of reading Ludlum, he didn't even bother with that.

Mind you, the only Chrichton books I've actually read are the Jurassic Park ones...I don't know if they're representative.

I finished I, Lucifer (Glen Duncan) this morning. It really is rather good. And devilishly funny! smiley - devil

RFsmiley - evilgrin


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5412

korculablue

Finally started the new Harry Potter and I'm struggling! For me this is the poorest book though not too sure why yet, except that I'm struggling and it seems very long-winded. Nothing seems to be happening much. smiley - smiley


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5413

Sho - employed again!

I've nearly finished my 2nd read of that. I'm glad I've read it again, but I doubt there will be a 3rd time. Unless I cave in and read it to The Gruesome Twosome.

Nothing much does happen, until the end. And even then it has a kind of detatched quality to it though.


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5414

korculablue

Hmmmm smiley - smiley Well I'm not giving up yet. Maybe it will be worth it just to find out what happens at the end. smiley - smiley


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5415

Sho - employed again!

push on - if anything it's interesting to find out about Dumbledore, the lad.


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5416

SilviaWordsworth

Indefatigable - I remember the Canticles of Liebowitz! What did you make of it? Wasn't it the cycle of religion repeating every 2,000 years or so, and the coming of the messiah just after a nuclear holocaust? Wasn't my favourite book of all time...

SW


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5417

SilviaWordsworth

Just finished the Exiles/Milieu. Just started the Stainless Steel Rat Wants You! Bit of a difference in literary styles!


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5418

SilviaWordsworth

Korculablue, the seventh Harry Potter doesn't seem to have any action in the first half - stick with it, though, I enjoyed the second half! All the loose ends seem to be nicely tied off, from throughout the other six books, as well.


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5419

Edward the Bonobo - Gone.

I've just finished 'God Is Not Great'. Very entertaining! The other day I found myself in the same room as a pastor, but I don't think I quite managed to persuade her to read it.

Back to Bulgakov now.


(The Return of) What book are you reading at this time?

Post 5420

Literarythinker

hi
you read the books written down by writers of high understanding-----you write books for me and them......happy you
I am in the maze of life-----dazzled------life is complex----no one helps me---i want to study in Europe or America------oh you seem a learned on----can you help me?


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