What book is everyone reading at the moment?

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Jim Bowen said:
Just curious, but what books are people reading at the moment?

Jim Bowen
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Well, not a book, but the September / October 2004 Skeptical Inquirer.
 
I'm "reading" the November issue of Playboy. If there is a hotter chick on the planet than Brooke Burke, I haven't seen her!
 
The Central Scrutinizer said:
I'm "reading" the November issue of Playboy. If there is a hotter chick on the planet than Brooke Burke, I haven't seen her!
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Gene Krantz : "Failure is not an option" for the umptenth time.:D
 
The Gateway trilogy, by Fred Pohl. Since he´ll be at TAM3, and so will I, I figured I´d get myself and opinion about his writing.
 
Bleak House, but it's for school.

No, I'm not enjoying it. I was expecting more Jarndyce v. Jarndyce not "Who's your mommy?"
 
I suppose you're talking about non-fiction. Usually I'm not a huge reader of non-fiction, but I've bought and read more this year than ever before. Right now I'm reading "Power to the People" by Vijay Vaitheeswaran, energy reporter for "The Economist". Fascinating look at the post-petroleum energy industry.
 
"The Great Influenza" by John M. Barry. Fascinating reading and good science about one of the deadliest plagues in known history and how modern medical science for the first time confronted and tried to cure/prevent the epidemic using the new-found medical knowledge. It also shows the appalling level of medical training in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century and the men who helped make it change with the times.

Great read of an event not often told these days--the author has alos written a book on the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 that i'll be looking to pick up next.
 
"Charlie Wilson's War." About the CIA/American backing of the Afghan guerrillas during the Soviet invasion/occupation in the 1980's. Wilson was a Texas congressman who initially pushed through lots of dollars for the guerrillas. If you're not already cynical about politics, appropriations, and congressional junkets, this book will help you towards that end. All in all, though, pretty interesting reading.
 
Chaos- Pohl has a new Gateway book out, I just ordered it. Always liked his stuff.

I'm reading China Miehville's newest, The Iron Council. This lad is remarkably literate and inventive, and his two previous stories, Perdido Street Station and The Scar were very good.
 
Chaos said:
The Gateway trilogy, by Fred Pohl. Since he´ll be at TAM3, and so will I, I figured I´d get myself and opinion about his writing.
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Good idea, Chaos - I'll get right on it! :D
 
The Pillars of Hercules by Paul Theroux
Peacock Cries Hong Ying
Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics Arthur Benade
 
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham.

Galactic Dynamics by Mihailas & Binney. (It's a cracking read, honest guv.)
 
wollery said:
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham.

I remember reading that as a kid. I loved it. I used to try and do the telepathy bit by imagining a deep, dark well.............
The Day of the Triffids is a classic. I liked "The Trouble With Lichen" too.
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tim said:
wollery said:
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham.

I remember reading that as a kid. I loved it. I used to try and do the telepathy bit by imagining a deep, dark well.............
The Day of the Triffids is a classic. I liked "The Trouble With Lichen" too.
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Of all Wyndham's novels, I preferred "The Kraken Wakes", it somehow seemed the most believable.
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I'm reading Blues Master By Sebastian Danchin, the biography of legendary guitarist Earl Hooker.
 
asthmatic camel said:
Of all Wyndham's novels, I preferred "The Kraken Wakes", it somehow seemed the most believable.
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The Kraken Wakes is the only one of Wyndham's novels that I haven't read. In fact I don't believe that I've ever even seen a copy of it!

I finished Trouble With Lichen at the weekend, and just had a hankering for more Wyndham.
 
"Darwin's Children" by Greg Bear. This is the followup book to "Darwin's Radio". I'd recommend both books (almost finished Darwin's Children).

I'm open to any recommendations ....

Charlie (loves reading) Monoxide
 
Greg Bear is one of my favorites; I'd reccomend almost anything of his. Queen of Angels is outstanding, as is the earlier pair, The Forge of God and The Anvil of Heaven.
 
asthmatic camel said:
Of all Wyndham's novels, I preferred "The Kraken Wakes", it somehow seemed the most believable.
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No way! "The Chrysalids" is definitely the best, followed by "The Trouble with Lichen".
Currently, I'm reading "The Meme Machine" by Susan Blackmore.
 
I'm very impressed with the quality books being read by the chaps here. I know so many people who never read anything if they can avoid it, so this is fantastic. I'm reading the Court of the Red Tsar (all about Stalin) at the moment.

Jim Bowen
 
Jim Bowen said:
I'm very impressed with the quality books being read by the chaps here. I know so many people who never read anything if they can avoid it, so this is fantastic. I'm reading the Court of the Red Tsar (all about Stalin) at the moment.

Jim Bowen
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That was a very interesting book...If you arefinding it interesting, you might look at Gulag by Anne Applebaum and the latest Kruschev biography (can't remember the author's name) -- both excellent.
 
I just started (this morning) "Destructive Emotions" which is the report of a conference between the Dalai Lama and some leading researchers on emotions and neuroscience (Ekman, Davidson et al).

It is one in a series (Mind and Life) looking at the interface of science and buddhism.

Interesting read, I hope.
 
Jim Bowen said:
I'm very impressed with the quality books being read by the chaps here...
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There's probably a selection bias. Anyone who's caught reading something with a name like "Savage Romance" when you started this thread is probably not going to reply.
 
phildonnia said:
There's probably a selection bias. Anyone who's caught reading something with a name like "Savage Romance" when you started this thread is probably not going to reply.
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*sigh*

Okay. I admit it.

About 1/4 of my reading diet consists of Donald Duck comics. Especially the ones by Don Rosa.
 
Chaos said:
*sigh*

Okay. I admit it.

About 1/4 of my reading diet consists of Donald Duck comics. Especially the ones by Don Rosa.
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Don't feel bad. I'm in the middle of three great works of literature: a history of philosophy by a Jesuit written in the thirties that puts me to sleep, A Game of Thrones which is really good but since it's fantasy people sneer, and a mildly pornographic manga. I guess I'm not as intellectual as some on this board...but at least I can read right-to-left easily now!
 
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