What Are You Currently Reading?

First topic message reminder :

As the title suggests; this is just a post to find out what people are currently reading (I don't want any sarcastic comments stating "This thread" )

I'm currently reading What The Night Knows by Dean Koontz. I'm only about 19 chapters in, but it's really good so far.

I finished Shattered Bones by Stuart MacBride at the weekend. That was okay, but the editing was poor so it detracted from my enjoyment a little.

Actually that is another question for this thread. Is it just me, or does sloppy editing bother you? I'm talking in terms of spelling mistakes, double words etc. I find it really off putting and I can't really explain why. I guess it could be because it interupts the flow of the story.

It really grinds my gears

Rowley wrote:I have read the Godfather Galted, it gets slagged off quite a bit but I enjoyed it. The background stuff is interesting. Could have lived without the stuff about Lucy's fanny, but other than that it's a decent read.

That was bizarre, the whole bit about her and the doctor was unnecessary. Glad they left it out of the film.

I wasn't really expecting much from the book, glad when I'm proved wrong in such matters.

Haha the fanny bit was feckin funny. He was fixated by sonnys giant Winkle. Also there were some weird bits that should have been left out like calling death that foul traitor to man..it was a poor end to a seriously good bit about the man's death and the interaction between the two men.

About halfway through Haram Balkania. Apart from rehashing a lot of Ottoman history, I can't really see much point to it. Sapiens finished well anyway. The last few chapters were all aobut the distant future and how humans are destined to become godlike - if we don't destroy ourselves first. Within a thousand years or so we may have dispensed with out physical bodies, created a common memory bank and moved off this planet. & that's not a long time on the grand scale, a mere blip on the radar compared with the 200,000 years our species has already been around. But who really knows about the future? All the old science fiction writers had us living on the moon and other planets by now, but none of them predicted the internet.

Been reading through the C'thorran books. Read the first years ago so found the others but was miffed to see it never got concluded and a lot of question were never answered (book 5 is apparently due out this year about 15 years after the last one).

The first books okay, in fact i really enjoyed it but it's downhill after that with some strange bits about gods and believing them and in the 3rd it takes a very strange and odd turn. didn't read the 4th as i found it it wasn't finished but i still wanna know where them worms came from

Currently reading the Vince Flynn 'Mitch Rapp' stories. Extremely enjoyable & a significant step up on the 'Reacher' books, in every sense.

Am about half way through Elvis Costello's autobiography Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink and cannot recommend it highly enough. For anyone who has had the misfortune to have read Morrissey's autobiography this is very much the book that should have been. It is eccentric, self deprecating, warm and extremely amusing. Basically it is everything Morrissey's should have been if he wasn't such a whining bell end.

Just read Adam "Nergal" Darski's biography "Confessions of a Heretic"

Lead singer and guitarist with Polish Black/Death Metal band BEHEMOTH he talks frankly about a whole host of subjects including his battle with Leukemia. Intelligent and articulate, he comes across well and makes no apologies for his attitudes and opinions on certain matters including appearing as a judge on Poland's version of "The Voice" and dating Poland's version of Kylie Minogue for a time.

Of little or no interest to anyone not into Metal or specifically a fan of BEHEMOTH, which rules out Rowley, Galted, Shah and everyone else on here.

Currently finishing David Copperfield (the Dickens book, not the c*nt).

The second Dickens I've read, and the first for nearly 30 years (after being very much put off by the dreadful Hard Times). Have to say that I can see what the fuss is, his prose is excellent despite the odd lapse into melodrama and, in parts, very funny. Suffers a bit from poorly developed characters, a tendency to sanctify young women, and a reliance on coincidence after coincidence. Will give Great Expectations a go sometime soon.

Galted wrote:Currently finishing David Copperfield (the Dickens book, not the c*nt).

The second Dickens I've read, and the first for nearly 30 years (after being very much put off by the dreadful Hard Times).  Have to say that I can see what the fuss is, his prose is excellent despite the odd lapse into melodrama and, in parts, very funny.  Suffers a bit from poorly developed characters, a tendency to sanctify young women, and a reliance on coincidence after coincidence.  Will give Great Expectations a go sometime soon.

Women are great, just because you're dating a State sponsered drug-addled former hammer thrower with 54" biceps doesn't mean that the exhalation of women is a bad thing.

After finishing "Confessions of a Heretic", I started reading "No country for Old Men". I have read four pages (it was late and I was tired) but I can say without fear of contradiction that, all being well, I will read some more pages at some stage.

As predicted, read some more pages however it could be that the copy I have "downloaded" for Kindle isn't official and has made reading very tiresome or maybe I'm just fed up with it. having watched the film, I'm aware of where it's headed (nowhere satisfactory) so I've binned it off and started "Others of my Kind" by James Sallis...not loving it but again, it's been downloaded for free however it's not a patch on his other stuff

Finished David Copperfield. The last few pages were similar to the first 700 apart so my opinion remains the same.

You should give Bleak House a go, Galted. It's a whopping length, but very good and up there with Great Expectations as his best work.

Currently reading Brideshead Revisited. A bit slow to start with but its cracking along now.

superflyweight wrote:You should give Bleak House a go, Galted.  It's a whopping length, but very good and up there with Great Expectations as his best work.  

Currently reading Brideshead Revisited.  A bit slow to start with but its cracking along now.  

Will give it a go after GE. Really enjoyed Brideshead Revisited, though I had seen the series some years before and, when I read it, I had Jeremy Irons's voice narrating.

Dickens is sh*te. Like the ballet and opera. All sh*te.

I'm currently reading two books as I'm a maverick who doesn't play by the rules.

One is called 'Among You' by Jake Wood - he did 3 tours with the TA. 2 in Iraq and 1 in Afghanistan. He also worked at a bank as an analyst when he wasn't with the TA. He comes back with chronic PTSD. It's a bit sh*t at the moment and he needs to up his game if it is to make it onto my top 50 War Books list.

The other one is 'Ardennes - Hitler's last gamble' by the brilliantly named Antony Beevor. It's f*cking ace, like all Beevor's books on WWII. It is currently residing at 11 on my top 50 War Books list but if the second half is as good as the first, then it may well edge into the top 10.

Is the first one about coxy?

Galted wrote:Is the first one about coxy?

No, it's about Jake Wood.

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:Is the first one about coxy?

No, it's about Jake Wood.

Jake Wood is clearly not a real name, like Max Power and Uriah Heep.

Galted wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:Is the first one about coxy?

No, it's about Jake Wood.

Jake Wood is clearly not a real name, like Max Power and Uriah Heep.

Is Galted a real name?

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:Is the first one about coxy?

No, it's about Jake Wood.

Jake Wood is clearly not a real name, like Max Power and Uriah Heep.

Is Galted a real name?

What about Victoria Wood?

DAVE667 wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:Is the first one about coxy?

No, it's about Jake Wood.

Jake Wood is clearly not a real name, like Max Power and Uriah Heep.

Is Galted a real name?

What about Victoria Wood?

English fast bowler, Mark Wood?

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:Is the first one about coxy?

No, it's about Jake Wood.

Jake Wood is clearly not a real name, like Max Power and Uriah Heep.

Is Galted a real name?

Yes.

My full name is Galted Ramone Fannycleaver.

Galted wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:Is the first one about coxy?

No, it's about Jake Wood.

Jake Wood is clearly not a real name, like Max Power and Uriah Heep.

Is Galted a real name?

Yes.

My full name is Galted Ramone Fannycleaver.

Used to be Galted Ramone Gashsplitter but he changed it so as not to be confused with the Berkshire Gashsplitters

DAVE667 wrote:

Galted wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:

Mind the windows Tino. wrote:

Galted wrote:Is the first one about coxy?

No, it's about Jake Wood.

Jake Wood is clearly not a real name, like Max Power and Uriah Heep.

Is Galted a real name?

Yes.

My full name is Galted Ramone Fannycleaver.

Used to be Galted Ramone Gashsplitter but he changed it so as not to be confused with the Berkshire Gashsplitters

Don't even mention those thieving, backstabbing bastards to me.

This reading thread will be five and a half years old next Wednesday and it only contains 14 pages.

Just goes to show that the vast majority of people on here are slack jawed mouthbreathers who contribute nothing to society save for a few turds every day.

Clearly I'm referring to people who aren't me, Tina or you, Galted. The rest of 'em, I'm not overly fussed about...especially that Shah.

Very beautifully put, SerialDAVE. Perhaps if you used this writing ability more this thread would have many more posts.

I doubt it very much, GALTED. These drug addled frigwidgets are too busy sitting around in bubble baths, surround by scented candles and whale music, plotting to destroy Christendom by putting explosives in Nokia phones and flipflops, throwing homosexuals from high buildings to try and cover their own very obvious leanings. Others are just out and out racists spoiling for a fight.

That would be a great opening chapter.

It would tail off substantially after that

You'd just need to spice it up with a disembowelling every few chapters.

Won't sell many children's books with that sort of thing, Galted,

How I escaped My Certain Fate by Stewart Lee.

Very funny indeed.

Finished Great Expectations, it's pushed David Copperfield off top spot on my list of top 3 Dickens books. Bloody good stuff, apart from the silly names and excess of coincidences. I will read Bleak House next as suggested so that the list can become a top 4.

Currently into the second chapter of Wuthering Heights. Hope it picks up soon as it's just been a mess of long-winded waffle.

Reading All the light we cannot seeAnthony Doerr ; an American author who has won a few literary prizes recently . I am not surprised : haven't read any of his other works but I will - this one is absolutely brilliant.
World War 2 story told from the point of view of a young blind French girl and a German soldier ...it moves me . Keep turning the pages but not wishing for an end...

Red or Dead by David Peace. About the great Bill Shankley. Written in a style designed to irritate and seems to mock Dan Brown.
Bill got up. Bill went to the cupboard. He opened it. Bill took out the table cloth. Bill spread it out on the table.... etc. Two pages of that to read about Shanks making breakfast. FOUR pages about him washing his car. F*cking well gave up in the end and am going to re read seven books by the brilliant James Crumley

After seeing the trailer for Dark tower I picked up a copy of The Gunslinger. Only 100 pages in but really enjoying so far

Also picked up a copy of The Shining and IT as well which I've never read either

Currently reading Empire VII: The emperors Knives by Anthony Riches. Enjoyed the first 6 and the 7th seems to be just as good.

Before that it was Seveneves by Neal Stepherson. One of my favorite books in a long time. Haven't read many sci fi books, which considering im a big fan of the genre in movies and TV, is quite surprising. After this though will definitely add a few more sci fi books to the collection.

Currently working my way through Mark Billingham's Tom Thorne series. Currently on the 8th of about 14. The1st few were good, the rest are okay but a bit repative. Doesn't help that I'd worked out who the killer/surprise twist was half way through. And that I can't work out weather is like Thorne or not, at first he was a mysterious, lived the job etc (like Micheal Connelly's Harry Bosch). Now he just comes across as a miserable git, who's actually a bit of a t**t.
Will carry on and hope that they get back to the first ones.

Currently reading the Orwell classic '1984'. Quite ironic given the events in Catalonia at the moment. Along with the whole Trump v Kim Jong-un saga. Could have easily been called '2017'

1985...The recently discovered sequel by George Orwell..

Now the people are watching Big Brother..

DEvoured Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson with one sleep in the middle

Another heads-up for Stewart Lee's "How I Escaped My Certain Fate". I have re-read this a few times over the last few years, and although at first I was unconvinced at his high level of pedantic footnotes and over-analysis of comedy, I have overcome these reservations and decided that it is a feast of a book. Lee has a brilliant vocabulary and his perspective is fascinating to me. He also talks about music and comics which I absolutely loved.

ChequeredJersey wrote:DEvoured Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson with one sleep in the middle

Read the first in that series (The way of kings) a few years back. Really enjoyed it. Was a long'un though! Definitely more than one sleep to get through it...

Just finished Parting Shot by Linwood Barclay.

Worth reading if your traveling, as easy to read. Fairly intresting story, good ending.

lfc91 wrote:

ChequeredJersey wrote:DEvoured Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson with one sleep in the middle

Read the first in that series (The way of kings) a few years back. Really enjoyed it. Was a long'un though! Definitely more than one sleep to get through it...

currently reading through the mistborn series, enjoying it. i gave up on wheel of time before sanderson took over so my first try of his books.

compelling and rich wrote:

lfc91 wrote:

ChequeredJersey wrote:DEvoured Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson with one sleep in the middle

Read the first in that series (The way of kings) a few years back. Really enjoyed it. Was a long'un though! Definitely more than one sleep to get through it...

currently reading through the mistborn series, enjoying it. i gave up on wheel of time before sanderson took over so my first try of his books.

Apart from being bad at Mat's voice, I think he did a great job with WoT, injected it with momentum it sorely needed and moments in the last 3 books were amazing.

Sanderson has flaws, and some of them are clear in Mistborn, but I love that series


I am now re-reading Wheel of Time and just finished How To Stop Time by Matt Haig which is great.

Got a lot of books around that need reading though, not sure what is next. Maybe some Ishiguro, or I might finish the second half of the weirdness that is 1Q84 or some VanDerMoss

i stopped on wheel of time around book 4/5 cant quite remember, just seemed to be going nowhere with each book just resetting

compelling and rich wrote:i stopped on wheel of time around book 4/5 cant quite remember, just seemed to be going nowhere with each book just resetting

Now I was fine through book 4 : five and six I've enjoyed better on second read ...seven and eight have annoyed me for several reasons but I am still compelled to keep reading. For all the flaws , the world creation and multiplicity of characters has me hooked.
Main trouble is the difficulty in remembering who is actually aiding/hunting/betraying who at any one time and who just isn't what they seem - tough when some of them disappear for a couple of books at a time !

Book nine next...

I find 1 a bit derivative, then it improves through 2, is genuinely very good at 3, at its individual best at 4, still very good at 5, still very good though with a touch of fatigue at 6, flawed but with some excellent highs at 7, too slow at 8, way too slow but redeemed by two excellent scenes in 9, truly awful bar maybe a few bits in 10, slightly better but still slow in 11

Then Sanderson takes over, and 12 is excellent, 13 pretty good except a few character voices and 14 a solid finish to a series that must have been incredibly hard to tie up. New Spring is somewhere in the tail end

I'd rank them:

4, 12, 5, 3, 6, 13, 14, 3, 2, 0 (New Spring), 9, 7, 11, 1, 8, then a lot of space and fan fiction etc, then 10. 

Then Eragon, the most blatant rip off of Eye of the World with a  touch of the biggest Star Wars cliches, ever

i think part of the problem was knowing there was so many to come, if your struggling through one i kept thinking how the hell am i going to do another 10 of them.

for my sins ive read paolinis books and tend to agree, all books lend ideas from elsewhere but maybe not so blatant as the eragon series. thought the ending was poor as well