h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

'Small Island' by Andrea Levy.

I would also have recommended Lark Rise to Candleford if I hadn't been so put off it by the TV series.

Ivanhoe, read that. It's one of my absolute favourites.

'The War With The Newts' - Karel Capek (wee hat over the C)

Geez, my own wish list just doubled.

I'll also put in a recommendation for anything by Jerzy Kosinski, The Painted Bird and Being There in particular.

And Evelyn Waugh. Oh, and Terry Southern.

"Popper", by Bryan McGee.

You can get some idea of how important Karl Popper was to science here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A7138820

Also look here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A706222

He was an important political thinker, too. In my wildest flights of fantasy a law is passed saying nobody can vote until they have read Popper's "Poverty of Historicism".

McGee's book is short, beautifully simple and covers the whole breadth of Popper's work.

Here's a piece of Popper wisdom to tempt you (not from the McGee paperback, from his autobiography). Patriotism is nonsense; you shouldn't be proud of your native land, because (like the colour of your hair) you didn't choose it, or earn it. You can be grateful if you live in a wealthy country, or a beautiful country, or a peaceful democracy, just as you might be grateful to have beautiful hair or a cute nose, but you shouldn't be proud.

Am waiting for the 3rd and concluding part of The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson - dear DNA had written a trilogy in 5 parts - in this case, Larsson being already no longer among us, we are assured that it will end at three. Not that it is an infliction, else why should Ibe reading it?
Also the 3rd and hopefully concluding part of the Dark River series by John Twelve-Hawks - now no one knows who this author is - he may go the Wheel of Time way - keep on writing like Robert Jordan - but then again he may not. There's a limit to which you can stretch that storyline.

Yes - that Popper book's good.

I Capture the Castle and Cold Comfort Farm are both on my bookshelves. Must get round to them some day.

Giovann's Room I have now finished. It is, as I said, a tragedy, but the quality of the writing is top notch. Recommended.

And I found The Moral Life and looked up The Conscience of Huckleberry Finn. Rather fewer typos in the printed version, as I suspected.

TRiG.

>>Giovanni's Room I have now finished. It is, as I said, a tragedy, but the quality of the writing is top notch.

I always like to put Baldwin forward as *the* literary great of the 20thC. But that's just me showing off. 'Another Country' is also good.

I meant to ask - do any of you mind being quoted?

Carry on.

TRiG.

One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. A fascinating and deeply moving account of just one day spent in a Soviet Gulag from awakening to sleep. Reduced to the basic essentials, learn what is really important in life and the impersonal brutality of a state gone mad.

>> I meant to ask - do any of you mind being quoted? <<

It's your thread. You posted the question. And all the content that is offered up becomes by inference yours by virtue of your holding copyright to the original question.

Anyone who responds to any ASK thread should expect (perhaps even hope) their words would be utilized in a subsequent entry or some further conversation.

And if all you mean is does anyone object to having their words copied and pasted into a rebuttal posting then they should refrain from posting. It is the nature of a public forum that some will want to argue a point or two.

peace
~jwf~

Well there you have it. My legal team have spoken.

Eliot Pattison. The 'Inspector Shan' series. Start with 'The Skull Mantra' and read the sequels if you like that. It's about the Chinese occupation in Tibet.
http://www.eliotpattison.com/

Quote away, as far as I'm concerned. But out of interest - on what and to whom?

Oh, and if you like 'skurril':

Robert Rankin: The Voodoo Handbag, The da-da-de_da_da Code.

Oh my gosh, I've only read two by Rankin (The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse and The Toyminator) and they were hilarious. Now I've found six more to add to my to-read list.

Ah, here it is. I've just scanned this to refresh my memory of what was suggested. I haven't checked out any of these yet (although I did read Watchmen again). Arthur C. Clarke was mentioned - I've also been reading some of his short stories. Quite light and often humourous, but there's usually an interesting concept or two as well. On top of Watchmen, on the graphic front I've just finished Joe Sacco's "Safe Area Gorazde" which was very well-done, and will probably lead me onto a longer reading trail of related books, too. Erm, what else...a book about German history since WWII, which is interesting because it was published in 1970 so has a very different vantage point from our own - although I haven't read much of it yet. And a few more too...

I'll stop there - I didn't mean to set up a rival "what book are you reading" thread, I just thought I'd report back.

There's no harm in repeating ourselves.

I really liked Sacco's 'Palestine'. I've just finished 'PopCo'. Next up...recommendations appreciated - but it will probably be 'Chinese Whispers' by Hsiao-Hung Pai, about the conditions of migrant workers in Britain. It was highly recommended to C by a Chinese translator she works with and I've been told that it will make it impossible for me to eat in a restaurant or buy salad vegetables without feeling dirty.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chinese-Whispers-Behind-Britains-Hidden/dp/0141035684