What are you currently reading?

[Tomblands]

I am reading American Phyco by Bret Easton Ellis really great read but find myslef looking at people that annoy me in a very strange way 8O if you have seen the film forget all about it the book is way better and more happens in it!!

 

Another really good book to read is The courious incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon.

 

 

The bank machine just beside my old flat in Dundee had, for the last 2 months of my stay there, "Feed Me a Cat" written on it.

 

I finally finished "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac after taking 2 or 3 attempts to get through it (not down to the book, more to me being lazy). Excellent book, and a must read before any US Road Trip. I particularly enjoyed the last section of the book whilst they were in Mexico.

 

I then blitzed my way through "The Call of the Weird" by Louis Theroux. It's a followup to some of the people featured in his Weird Weekends series to see how their lives have changed in the years since the TV series. I found it very difficult to put down, but I loved his Weird Weekends...anyone who hasn't seen then may be a little lost.

 

"The Libertines Bound Together: The Story of Peter Doherty and Carl Barat and How They Changed British Music" by Antony Thornton and Roger Sargeant. Basically, its the story of how Peter and Carl met right up to the eventual demise of The Libertines. I would actually throw this at many of the Pete Doherty haters who believe anything they read on the "Bizzarre" column in The Sun...mainly to see if they change their view on Pete after reading about him, and partly to hurt them for being so dense. There are some excellent anecdotes and photos in the book, any Libertines fan should already have this.

 

After watching Long Way Round again, I picked up "Chasing Shadows Across the World" by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman which is the book of their journey from London to New York going east. Very interesting read, gives a bit more insight into some of the friction between team members on the trip and goes into a bit more detail about sections of the trip (like meeting Ted Simon in Mongolia).

 

And I just started "Notes from a Big Country" by Bill Bryson.

 

So in the past 4 months or so, I've read more books than I have in the last 5 years.

[peeriesooky]

I am reading American Phyco by Bret Easton Ellis really great read but find myslef looking at people that annoy me in a very strange way 8O if you have seen the film forget all about it the book is way better and more happens in it!!

 

Another really good book to read is The courious incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon.

 

 

loved that book, tho i did find myself wondering whit it said aboot me dat i liked it so much as u surely shudna 'enjoy' reading aboot da gruesome ways in which he kills folk etc, but u kinda do

 

also, me and my sister also started wondering aboot how bret easton ellis wis able to write in such detail aboot da killing methodology etc as it almost sounded too realistic (had he actually done these things???? efter aa, he used tae work in an office etc in a role very like patrick bateman)

[BigMouth]

The Alphabet of Manliness by Maddox

 

The funniest book that I have read in a very long time - well worth a read and cheap as chips at Amazon.

 

Just don't let the girlfriend/wife/lover see it !!

[Mia]

I am reading American Phyco by Bret Easton Ellis really great read but find myslef looking at people that annoy me in a very strange way 8O if you have seen the film forget all about it the book is way better and more happens in it!!

 

Another really good book to read is The courious incident of the dog in the night time by Mark Haddon.

 

 

loved that book, tho i did find myself wondering whit it said aboot me dat i liked it so much as u surely shudna 'enjoy' reading aboot da gruesome ways in which he kills folk etc, but u kinda do

 

also, me and my sister also started wondering aboot how bret easton ellis wis able to write in such detail aboot da killing methodology etc as it almost sounded too realistic (had he actually done these things???? efter aa, he used tae work in an office etc in a role very like patrick bateman)

 

We are thinking along the same lines!! I am disturbing myself a bit reading this book aswell because I am laughing at what he is doing as some of it is pretty funny!

 

My boyfriend is reading glamorama at the moment which is by bret ellis easton aswell so we make a right pair me reading a book about hack and slash and him reading a book about blowing things up!!

[Jordan]

'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad. Pretty grim stuff but very good nonetheless. It's got lots of words that I don't know so I'm reading it alongside a dictionary, which is good cos you get to learn lots of new stuff. Anyone else here read it? I'm studying it for my degree so any opinions would be helpful

[Yowe]

I'm reading a series of books starting with The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. The story is set in Botswana and is about the life and adventures of Mma Ramotswe, a 'traditionally built' lady with a strong character. It's nice easy to read stuff which conjures up wonderful images of the sights, sounds, smells and people of Botswana. Perfect reading for lunchtimes at work(and sometimes sneaky half hours when I'm bored and no ones looking).

[aWordinyourEar]

I must admit I was put off the number 1 ladies detective agency when I heard it read on radio 4... personal taste of course, but I found it a bit patronising, especially the way every African speaker tended to repeat themselves and the previous speaker ad nauseam.

 

I've been thoroughly enjoying Peter Carey's Jack Maggs, loving its keenly observed details and Dickensian Prose. Finding the ending not as strong as the rest of the book, but its always a page-turner.

 

I am also enjoying my first Japanese manga cartoon book, Hikaru No Go, about a teenage kid who gets hooked on the game Go. Fascinating portrayal of the generation that seems to be emerging that is less taken in by the idea of working for a company for life, and seeing the value in an old game instead.

[Ally]

Having avoided it for about 5 years (as I’m a snobby bar steward), I've recently picked up The Beach. It's pretty good, although the element of surprise is missing, having seen the movie a couple of times.

 

The story developes at quite a pace, and the central character from whose perspective the tale is told is quite likeable, much more so than that yank who played him in the film.

[BigMouth]

Learn SQL in Ten Minutes

 

What it really means is 10 minutes for each of the 400 chapters - not quite 400 but it feels like it.

[ArabiaTerra]

Holy War Inc by Peter L Bergen

 

Everything you ever wanted to know about Osama bin Laden. Pretty good tho' it is a bit out of date (early 2002). Another gem from Oxfam.

[Yowe]

Having avoided it for about 5 years (as I’m a snobby bar steward), I've recently picked up The Beach. It's pretty good, although the element of surprise is missing, having seen the movie a couple of times.

 

You obviously haven't finished it yet then

[Ally]

You obviously haven't finished it yet then

 

I'm half way through as of last night. The chapter I'm just starting has an illustration of a big shark on the front, so I'm guessing what happens next, based on the film, is that someone gets bit and everything turns bad from there - would be happy if there was a different ending though - I'm really enjoying it actually!

[BigMouth]

Just finishing - Guerilla Data Analysis Using Microsoft Excel

 

Just Starting - VBA and Macros for Microsoft Excel

 

Both by Bill Jellen of Mr Excel fame. He does a podcast too and if you have need of Excel then this guy knows his onions.

 

Edit: http://www.mrexcel.com

[Ally]

You obviously haven't finished it yet then

 

You were right! Finished it the other week there. Much better than the movie. Odd the Danny Boyle (whom I believe was the director) would make such fundamental changes to the plot. Really enjoyed this book actually. Only downside was that it was hard to imagine the Richard character as anyone other than Decaprio. On the plus side, however, the Daffy character as Bobby Carlisle works well.

[Marjolein]

I'm reading Yesman by Danny Wallace, it's so funny.

I started reading it ages ago but I hate finishing books so I usually stop before I reach the end, I don't know why, I know it's annoying but it means I can still read it, I've still not finished The curious incident of the dog in the night either.