Kind of related, I'm reading Pooh and the Philosophers.
It's endearing, entertaining and enlightening.
Properly excellent light reading.

Got half a dozen books at Christmas, the one I am reading atm is 'Bang! A History of Britain in the 1980s' by Graham Stewart.

The End of Mr. Y
Was not expecting the end at all, nor the epilogue, an intriguing read.

That was a bit of a weird one. I enjoyed it but at the same time it felt like the author had two ideas for two different stories, but couldn't figure out how one began or how the other ended, so she just got some sellotape and stuck them together in the middle. It's a good book, but... disjointed.

I also recently read a philosophy book called "The Craftsman" by Richard Sennet. I did get to the end of it but it reminded me of the reason that I never read philosophy books - they send me into a blind rage. It was quite interesting and all, but in the second chapter he was pontificating about Linux (always something of a risk for a non-technical author, to say the least) and made a shitload of confidently-stated factual errors that didn't really help to instil a sense that he had any idea what he was talking about. Then at the end of it he presented his core claim, noting that it was his most controversial idea in the entire book. This claim was basically "almost anybody can be good at doing something for its own sake" and I had to put the book down to do a double facepalm for several minutes.

I'm now reading an maths and engineering book instead (How Round Is Your Circle?) which hasn't so far made me angry at all. Also it comes with cool videos made by the author:
How round is your circle?! http://www.howround.com - YouTube

That was a bit of a weird one. I enjoyed it but at the same time it felt like the author had two ideas for two different stories, but couldn't figure out how one began or how the other ended, so she just got some sellotape and stuck them together in the middle. It's a good book, but... disjointed.

I just think the ending comes out of nowhere, I see what you mean but to me it almost felt like something a bit M. Night Shyamalan, like it was this big twist. Maybe I wasn't clever enough to see it coming.

I also recently read a philosophy book called "The Craftsman" by Richard Sennet. I did get to the end of it but it reminded me of the reason that I never read philosophy books - they send me into a blind rage. It was quite interesting and all, but in the second chapter he was pontificating about Linux (always something of a risk for a non-technical author, to say the least) and made a shitload of confidently-stated factual errors that didn't really help to instil a sense that he had any idea what he was talking about. Then at the end of it he presented his core claim, noting that it was his most controversial idea in the entire book. This claim was basically "almost anybody can be good at doing something for its own sake" and I had to put the book down to do a double facepalm for several minutes.

I'm now reading an maths and engineering book instead (How Round Is Your Circle?) which hasn't so far made me angry at all. Also it comes with cool videos made by the author:
How round is your circle?! http://www.howround.com - YouTube

Interesting, as both a mathematician and engineer (non-practicing), I shall give it a read.

Well, after reading that I thought, "Hey, this philosophy jazz is pretty interesting", so I downloaded Kant's Critique of Pure Reason. I gave up after 100, arduous pages. So something in between that wraps up the comparison of different philosophies in a neat fiction based package.

(a) Most translations into English are pants, and even the better ones can't capture the original, so you need a little additional material just to explain the language differences.

(b) Reading the Critique without either a bit of introduction from someone who's understood it or some secondary literature is essentially pointless (unless you're a natural born philosopher).

(c) The bit you apparently did get through is probably the best bit of the Critique (and one of the best texts ever written) and is richly, life-changingly rewarding if you understand it.

Happy to help if you're still interested. :)

The End of Mr. Y
Was not expecting the end at all, nor the epilogue, an intriguing read.

I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance in 2013, quite fancy reading more like that, any recommendations?

Read GEB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gödel,_Escher,_Bach

I have a copy if you like Nurse H
About Maths, Music, Zen, Philosophy, Lewis Carrol and mainly artificial intelligence.

Slightly OT but can anyone reccomend a good iphone app for audiobooks? Mostly for when I'm cycling on my own or driving.

Finally managed to finish Riddley Walker after the 3rd attempt. Farthest I'd managed to get in before is page 22, but it turns out if you persevere until about page 50 then it gets a whole lot easier to understand. It's set in a post-apocalyptic Kent, and the whole thing is written in a degraded form of English with a new idiom and a fair few neologisms, so it can make for tricky reading. Totally worth it though. There's a great little story-within-a-story at the beginning of the book which it turns out you can find pretty easily on the internet, which is a great taster of the larger book:

Hart of the Wood

There is the Hart of the Wud in the Eusa Story that wer a stag every 1 knows that. There is the hart of the wood meaning the veryes deap of it thats a nother thing. There is the hart of the wood where they bern the chard coal thats a nother thing agen innit. Thats a nother thing. Berning the chard coal in the hart of the wood. Thats what they call the stack of wood you see. The stack of wood in the shape they do it for chard coal berning. Why do they call it the hart tho? Thats what this here story tels of.

Every 1 knows about Bad Time and what come after. Bad Time 1st and bad times after. Not many come thru it a live.

There come a man and a woman and a chyld out of a berning town they sheltert in the woodlings and foraging the bes they cud. Starveling wer what they wer doing. Dint have no weapons nor dint know how to make a snare nor nothing. Snow on the groun and a grey sky overing and the black trees rubbing ther branches in the wind. Crows calling 1 to a nother waiting for the 3 of them to drop. The man the woman and the chyld digging thru the snow they wer eating maws and dead leaves which they vomitit them up agen. Freazing col they wer nor dint have nothing to make a fire with to get warm. Starveling they wer and near come to the end of ther strenth.

The chyld said, "O Im so col Im afeart Im going to dy. If only we had a littl fire to get warm at."

The man dint have no way of making a fire he dint have no flint and steal nor nothing. Wood all roun them only there wernt no way he knowit of getting warm from it.

The 3 of them ready for Aunty they wer ready to total and done when there come thru the woodlings a clevver looking bloak and singing a littl song to his self:

My roadings ben so hungry
Ive groan so very thin
Ive got a littl cook pot
But nothing to put in

The man and the woman said to the clevver looking bloak, "Do you know how to make fire?"

The clevver looking bloak said, "O yes if I know any thing I know that right a nuff. Fires my middl name you myt say."

The man and the woman said, "Wud you make a littl fire then weare freazing of the col."

The clevver looking bloak said, "That for you and what for me?"

The man and the woman said, "What do we have for whatfers?" They lookit 1 to the other and boath at the chyld.

The clevver looking bloak said, "Iwl tel you what Iwl do Iwl share you my fire and my cook pot if youwl share me what to put in the pot." He wer looking at the chyld.

The man and the woman thot: 2 out of 3 a live is bettern 3 dead. They said, "Done."

They kilt the chyld and drunk its blood and cut up the meat for cooking.

The clevver looking bloak said, "Iwl show you how to make fire plus Iwl give you flint and steal and makings nor you dont have to share me nothing of the meat only the hart."

Which he made the fire then and give them flint and steal and makings then he cookt the hart of the chyld and et it.

The clevver looking bloak said, "Clevverness is gone now but littl by littl itwl come back. The iron wil come back agen 1 day and when the iron comes back they wil bern chard coal in the hart of the wood. And when they bern the chard coal ther stack wil be the shape of the hart of the chyld." Off he gone then singing:

Seed of the littl
Seed of the wyld
Seed of the berning is
Hart of the chyld

The man and the woman then eating ther chyld it wer black nite all roun them they made ther fire bigger and bigger trying to keap the black from moving in on them. They fel a sleap by ther fire and the fire biggering on it et them up they bernt to death. They ben the old 1s or you myt say the auld 1s and be come chard coal. Thats why theywl tel you the aulder tree is bes for charring coal. Some times youwl hear of a aulder kincher he carrys off childer.

Out goes the candl
Out goes the lite
Out goes my story
And so Good Nite

Coming pas that aulder wood that girzly morning I fealt my stummick go col. Like the aulder kincher ben putting eye on me. No 1 never had nothing much to do with the chard coal berners only the dyers on the forms. 1ce a year the chard coal berners they come in to the forms for ther new red clof but in be twean they kep to the woodlings.

Can anyone recommend a book as brilliant as Fire Season by Philip Connor?

I really fancy that kind of read right now, but I don't want to re-read.

Please thank you please.

Spritz - speed reading plugin
https://gun.io/blog/openspritz-a-free-speed-reading-bookmarklet/

based on

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/27/spritz-reading_n_4865756.html

http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920001393.do

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I'm reading:
'Pathfinders: The Golden Age of Arabic Science', by Jim Al-Khalili
'Running Free' by Richard Askwith
and about to start (when one of the two above are finished)
'Connectome' by Sebastian Seung.

I just finished:
'Life at the Extremes: The Science of Survival' By Frances Ashcroft
'Arctic Dreams' By Barry Lopez

Overall- 'Arctic Dreams' is excellent dip in fodder- where you can put the book down for a bit, and come back to it without issue. It also makes me desperate to do some exploring.
'Life at the Extremes' is just brilliant. Read it if you're vaguely interested in physiology.
'Running Free' isn't as good as 'Feet in the Clouds' but still inspiring stuff (if you're a runner).
'Pathfinders'- is difficult to get going, but it is full of pretty fascinating stuff.

On that note- I'd really like a couple of good novels.
In the past I've always liked Murakami content wise, but would suggest that I'm pretty open to a good read. So if you have any suggestions, I'd be quite keen to hear them.

Am reading Metamorphosis and other short (ish) stories by Kafka. Really great, not heavy going either.

"On that note- I'd really like a couple of good novels." - eyebrows

I always suggest Paul Auster, there are no bad Paul Auster novels

Man in the Dark was...I mean...I wouldn't say it was bad per se...but I sure as hell wasn't glad that I'd read it.

Am reading Metamorphosis and other short (ish) stories by Kafka. Really great, not heavy going either.

One of my favourites that we were required to read in school.

Will have a read up around Paul Aster.

Auster is boss.

Just kicked off with bring up the Bodies having had a wee Mantel break after being floored by Wolf Hall. Initial thoughts are that it's a little less willfully imprenetrable than WH. Could just be early stages exposition and re-establishing characters though. Am already hooked. Simile of the day: "When Stephen comes into a room, the furnishings shrink from him. Chairs scuttle backwards. Joint stools flatten themselves like pissing bitches".

Love it.

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt. Amazing. So beautifully written and a cracking story.

One of those rare books you don't want to end.

Just read The Martian, it's awesome.

On the off chance, does anyone have a copy of Fever! by John Fuller?

Man in the Dark was...I mean...I wouldn't say it was bad per se...but I sure as hell wasn't glad that I'd read it

Well, I've not read that, but New York Trilogy, Leviathan and The Book of Illusions are well worth reading. I've got a couple more on the "to read" shelf.

Finally managed to finish Riddley Walker after the 3rd attempt. Farthest I'd managed to get in before is page 22,

The best I've read in the same vein is Fearsum Endjin by the late lamented Iain Banks, stunning book. Kind of a Gormengahsty thing, but with lammergeiers. Awesome read.

Currently into Freakonomics in the downstairs bog and a Dick Francis in the upstairs crapper.

The best I've read in the same vein is Fearsum Endjin by the late lamented Iain Banks, stunning book. Kind of a Gormengahsty thing, but with lammergeiers. Awesome read.

Currently into Freakonomics in the downstairs bog and a Dick Francis in the upstairs crapper.

Just finished Fearsum Endjin myself a few weeks back - Bascule is an incredible character. Lammagiers are cool as fuck.