What are you currently reading?

[scags]

I just read " Third Reich", by Roberto Bolano. Like most Bolano, I'm still not sure if it was great or terrible.

[kid_runningfox]

Robert and Edward Skidelsky: How Much is Enough?: The Love of Money, and the Case for the Good Life
AJP Taylor: The Habsburg Monarchy
Terry Eagleton: Why Marx Was Right

[Jymbot]

Justin Huntly McCarthy "The Dryad" (1905)

[Sunlight Caller]

I'm currently reading Deke Leonard's 'Rhinos Winos & Lunatics: the Legend Of Man', which is hilariously and quite brilliantly written. One of the best rock books I've ever read, along with Ian Hunter's 'Diary Of A Rock And Roll Star' and Lemmy's autobiography.

You honestly don't need to know a note of Man's music to enjoy Leonard's book - you'll still laugh out loud.

Right with you on this Steve, I read Deke's a few years back on a summer holiday and then had a Man voyage of (re)discovery after, great book. I also re-read Hunter's around the time I say the 35th anniversary Mott reuion gig, it was as great as I recall, so evocative of the early 70's.

[Sunlight Caller]

Currently reading Danny Baker's Going To Sea In A Sieve, it's only the early part of his life, up to the NME days now and only a few chapters left. It's a good read, but then Dan is an entertaining story teller. Great to hear how you can live life by your wits and forge a path built on spark, charm and a positive spirit.

[per anporth]

Robert and Edward Skidelsky: How Much is Enough?: The Love of Money, and the Case for the Good Life

What are your impressions? I am a little suprised that, for instance, someone like John Gray should rave about this book to such an extent - I think the discussions of "the good life" are, at one & the same time, both rather platitudinous & yet also somewhat patrician.

On topic - I've just finished Inverted World by Christopher Priest, by which I was greatly impressed; so much so, in fact, that I have dived immediately into his The Prestige, which I am already finding equally impressive - indeed, perhaps more so.

[kid_runningfox]

What are your impressions? I am a little suprised that, for instance, someone like John Gray should rave about this book to such an extent - I think the discussions of "the good life" are, at one & the same time, both rather platitudinous & yet also somewhat patrician.

On topic - I've just finished Inverted World by Christopher Priest, by which I was greatly impressed; so much so, in fact, that I have dived immediately into his The Prestige, which I am already finding equally impressive - indeed, perhaps more so.

I can certianly undertand why Gray raved about it, give that his own recent work ('Black Mass' especially) chimes on the issue of the need to find a post-materialist vision of the good life in the face of the unsustainability of the Western Way of consumer capitalism and its numerous ideational and ecological pathologies. Also, Gray and the Skidelskys are trying to articulate solutions to this issue, despite Gray's trnechant anti-Enlightenment stance, from within liberalism, so there's a great deal of common ground there.

Are their discussions of the good life largely platitudinous? I'm not sure about that, as that would imply a certain degree of insincerity about their quest for alternatives to consumer materialism that I think is rather unfair. Certainly, one could argue that the political background of both Skildelskys - Edward in Keynesianism, and Robert in the philosophy of Ernst Cassirer (my own great intellectual inspiration) lends itself to a form of patricianal thinking, intentionally or otherwise. I'm not sure that the book intends that, though; I'd rather suggest that the authors pose their central question grounded in debates that whilst they may have patrician origins, are central to any meaningful democratic dialogue about the future of Western civilisation especially, and have ramifications for an increasingly globally inteconnected polity.

Just my view of course, and this is not to say that book is not without its flaws - I'm not sure that the ones you identfy are the most serious, though...

[Corbie]

On topic - I've just finished Inverted World by Christopher Priest, by which I was greatly impressed; so much so, in fact, that I have dived immediately into his The Prestige, which I am already finding equally impressive - indeed, perhaps more so.

Great stuff. Priest is a remarkable writer, I think. Following the excellent "A Dream of Wessex" he abandoned traditional SF trappings and wrote the first of his metafictions, "The Affirmation" which was followed by "The Glamour". He has been a big influence on me and a favorite writer since my late teens. For the last fifteen years or so, he's also been a friend.

[Yodelgoat]

Michio Kaku How Albert Einstein's Vision... did something or something or rather...

Actually just finished it last night. After Brain Greene's Fabric of the Cosmos, I figured I should know something about the guy who was the major contributor to our current love affair with technology. Very easy reading (unike some of Greenes stuff wich I had to take my time with) Sorry, I'm no astro-Physicist. This is common man stuff.

I have two more Vince Flynn books to read, so I figure they'll be next. Mich Rapp is the man.

[Scott Bails]

Very easy reading (unike some of Greenes stuff wich I had to take my time with) Sorry, I'm no astro-Physicist. This is common man stuff.

Cool. This sounds right up my alley. I'm far from an astro-physicist - I've never even taken a physics class - but I love astronomy, etc.

I have two more Vince Flynn books to read, so I figure they'll be next. Mich Rapp is the man.

I'm probably starting book #2 (the first Rapp book, I think) this week. Life has been so busy!

[markwoll]

Stephen Lambe "Citizens of Hope and Glory" The story of progressive rock.
Mark Powell "Prophets and Sages" An illustrated guide to underground and progressive rock 1967-1975
My wife scanned Amazon for progressive rock books and got me a couple for my birthday.
Pretty good reading.

mark

[Zalmoxe]

Steve Jobs' biography by Walter Isaacson

[spacefreak]

Patrick Lundborg's "Psychedelia" book.

[Jymbot]

Orlroight!

I understand its mostly about the subculture , less so about the actual bands/lps.

Don't think I would want to spend that kind of dosh onnit.

(Gonna try and get the library to order it. Where you get yours from,Spyros?)

[Ursula]

"Death of an Outsider" by M.C. Beaton, it is befitting to the time of year and the place and it provides an excellent escapism.

[progeezer]

Finished the Love/Arthur Lee bio I posted on page 1. Now starting Townsend's book ("Who I Am"). After that, Neil Young's.

More & more nostalgic for the 60s (and 50s) as I age.

[Haruspex Carnage]

Re-reading Cloud Atlas in preparation for finally watching the movie just to see where they went wrong.
Started to read Michael Chabon's Adventures Of...and can't get that into it.
Before i read Marukami's IQ84 who i typically hate but this one was ok, Umberto Eco's Prague Cemetery (good), and Don DeLillo's Great Jones Street (ok).

[PeterG]

Currently reading Danny Baker's Going To Sea In A Sieve, it's only the early part of his life, up to the NME days now and only a few chapters left. It's a good read, but then Dan is an entertaining story teller. Great to hear how you can live life by your wits and forge a path built on spark, charm and a positive spirit.

I still don't fully understand why the BBC wanted to cancel his Radio London show? When he came back to BBC Radio London earlier this year, after his long period of sick leave (cancer), everything seemed fine but then a few weeks ago, he finds out his show's cancelled!!!

Really sad, BBC radio clearly has no idea how popular his show was. Listening to Gary Crowley in that slot every day did my head in, so now I'm on 2 listening to Steve Wright.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...s-8280163.html

[notallwhowander]

I just finished The Life of Pi. I'm a bit late to the parade, but it is a damn fine book.

[wideopenears]

Just finished Laszlo Krasznahorkai's "the Melancholy of Resistance" which was quite dense and difficult, but rewarding. I've read three of his novels in a row....whew.

Started "Cloud Atlas" yesterday, and am enjoying it so far. I've seen the movie, which I enjoyed, though I felt it was incomplete, somehow. After I read the book, I imagine I will be able to flesh out that conclusion a bit more.

[roddenberry]

Reading George Takei's "Oh Myyy". A great read. Just off the first few chapters (on social medias) but so far, it's pretty fun!

Robert

[Calabasas_Trafalgar]

Best Seat in the House(autobiography)by Jerry Shirley, drummer of Humble Pie

[Calabasas_Trafalgar]

Patrick Lundborg's "Psychedelia" book.

Is that as bad as I expect?

[polmico]

Some Gogol shorts with a different translation from iBooks, and I just finished Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener." Public domain!

Looking hard at Barefoot in the Head. Anybody read that one? It looks interesting as hell.

[per anporth]

Melville's "Bartleby the Scrivener."

If this isn't the best short story ever written, then there are very few that are better than it.