Books - What are you reading?

If you have a spare couple of hours have a listen to Sam Harris interviewing him. They literally go round and round in cicles about what makes something ‘true’ or not. FWIW I was in the Sam Harris camp. Jesus Christ it was a ballache.
On second thought maybe don’t bother!

After that I sort of wrote him off, does the book have any merit?

Just bought a job lot of Wodehouse -happy reading

Has anyone read Karoo by Steve Tesich? He was the screenwriter for Breaking Away and I heard this novel being discussed on Book of the Week on R4 they other week and all three of them loved it and couldn't believe it wasn't better known. It's on the way now.

Well I'm trying to get into it because I liked what I'd seen of him in interviews and had listened to a couple of his podcasts. It's a real struggle.

Talking of which I've paused my reading of the Karl Ove Knausgard series to have a crack at this but might just go back in for the fourth book.

I'm reading the Crimson Empire trilogy by Alex Marshall which is the wackiest, nuttiest and funniest "epic fantasy" I have ever read. Hilarious

I'm like Andy I've always enjoyed his writing - I really enjoyed the crossing found it quite Twain like. If you've got that far then I'd carry on.

War & Peace......very good, not as hard as I was lead to believe!

....just got to the halfway point!!

Re-reading One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich, if there is a better ending paragraph in literature I would like to read it!

... the Haitian Revolution of 1791–1804

Off topic for book thread, but the Revolutions podcast on Haiti is the dogs bollox. I got addicted. Following the series felt a bit like my initial excitement with Breaking Bad, where no character is a hero but rather a flawed individual facing his unique set of obstacles, and with it his own set of moral dilemmas.

So, since I smashed up my clavicle I've been doing a lot of reading.

The Butchering Art - about Joseph Lister and what he did to modernise surgery. Excellent read. Perhaps not the best book to take with you to read whilst waiting for surgery on your clavicle.

The Ashes of London - historical murder mystery set in the aftermath of the great fire - really good read and great if you love the city.

Millenium - Tom Holland on the machinations of Christian kings around the (original) millenium. Usual breathless stuff. Very readable history.

Just starting Revenger by Alastair Reynolds...

See trainwankering is good for something.

Oh and South by Frank Owen. Really good post apocalyptic novel. The Road lite.

I'm sure I've asked this before but can't find the post. Can anyone recommend some decent, intelligent, non-cheesy sci fi or post apocalyptic stuff? I read The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin recently and enjoyed it a lot. I also really like Philip K Dick, Ray Bradbury etc so suggestions for similar stuff would be great! Really not interested in "space operas" with characters romping around shooting aliens with lasers etc. I've ordered South, thanks for the tip @MrSweary

Ever read the Hyperion books by Dan Simmons? Some of my faves. Also there are some good non-shooty Culture novels. Look to Windward, Player of Games and Excession are all excellent.

Old but good is Solaris by Stanislaw Lem or the Cyberiad.

Someone else recommended me Hyperion but it really doesn't sound like my kind of thing! I've read Player of Games and didn't really enjoy it.

The Sparrow, by somebody, I forget her name, is good scifi(ish) stuff

Mary Doria Russell.

Barbarian Days, surfing memoir by William Finnegan that I grabbed because of the title but it's super sprawling and absorbing

I grabbed it to show a surfer collegue, read the first page and let's just say he never got to even see the book. Gifted another surfer collegue the book for christmas, she read it in one sitting and now apparently this summer I'm learning to surf; "We'll just push you and a board into some ankle biters and eat pancakes afterwards..."

'Ali' was an interesting read, better written than 'Ambition'. Both recomended for people interested in boxing though.
'American Gods' by Gaiman was an excelent book, hoovered it. Not even into fantasy but these crossovers into the real world are okay.

If you enjoyed Gaiman, I’d check out The city and the City by China Mieville. Currently reading perdido station by him, although I think it’s not quite as absorbing as City and the city

I finished perdido street station the other day actually, found the first half a little slow going but really picks up in the second half. Will try and pick up City and City.

I'm not sure how far i am thought it (kindle, not really book) but i felt like i really liked it to start with, then i waned a little, but now i'm a bit more into it. I think it's essentially too long by about a third. City and the City is much less fantasy/sci-fi. Got a more kafka / noir thing happening. It has a cracking, very original chase sequence in it that really stuck in my head.

Would second that. Also can recommend Kraken which is more in the American Gods vein.

Just finished Requiem For A Dream by Hubert Selby Jr. I've read his other books and have seen the film, I don't know why I decided it would be a good holiday read. Note to self: don't get addicted to heroin.

You probably won't.

Thanks for the support.

Or a direct copy of Neverwhere...