So what Books are forumites currently reading?

stubs

River class frigates and the Battle of the Atlantic. A technical and social history by Brian Lavery.

Sage 50 Payroll manual by HM Revenue and Customs

The Dreaming Void by Peter F Hamilton

t0pc4t

I'm reading Saturn's Children by Charles Stross, the ideas aren't as mind blowing as Accelerando (the last sci fi by him I read) but I'm finding it more enjoyable.

@stubs, dreaming void is pretty fine but I think my fave works by PFH are still the Nights Dawn trilogy.

stubs

t0pc4t wrote:

@stubs, dreaming void is pretty fine but I think my fave works by PFH are still the Nights Dawn trilogy.

Agreed Nights Dawn is proper space opera I need to reread all the books again pretty soon. Struggling to get going with Dreaming Void but will persist.

t0pc4t

it's worth staying with, on my hols this year I read through the commonwealth ones again and then did the void trilogy, spot on once he hits his pace but as usual with PFH that can take a while.

Do you like Neal Asher? I'm probably more stoked about his latest book than new PFH stuff at the moment.

Northwind

Just about to finish the Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson... An alternative-history thing, absolutely fantastic. I'm going to have to resist the urge to go back and read Red/Green/Blue Mars again now.

Peter Hamilton's in more dire need of a mean editor than anyone else out there I think... Boy can write, he just can't stop! Except for in Night's Dawn, "And then aliens happen and everything is fine, the end" Seems like the more succesful he got, the more ridiculously bloated the books got. Paid by the yard?

paul.skibum wrote:

Iain Banks Transition is next on my bookshelf to read - I like Iain Banks - not so much Iain M Banks - grew out of scifi I think or just read too much of it as a younger man.

Did Transition not get an M? It should have...

rubertoe

Power Poker by Daniel Negranau!

Not everyones cup of tea - but i like poker so it is mine!

dabbleonabike

The Man Who Cycled The World by Mark Beaumont, its a good one.

I watched the TV programme (nominated for a Scottish BAFTA apparently) when it was on and it was quality, saw the book in Waterstones the other day so thought i'd purchase it. Top read.

One thing that confused me, BAFTA stands for British Academy of Film and Television Awards, the emphasis being on British, so how do you have a Scottish BAFTA?

cooldad

dabbleonabike wrote:

One thing that confused me, BAFTA stands for British Academy of Film and Television Awards, the emphasis being on British, so how do you have a Scottish BAFTA?

That would be the one subsidised by England.

stubs

t0pc4t wrote:

it's worth staying with, on my hols this year I read through the commonwealth ones again and then did the void trilogy, spot on once he hits his pace but as usual with PFH that can take a while.

I have put it to one side at the mo just got into Alistair Reynolds Terminal World lay in bed last night picked it up to read for 10 mins next thing I know its 1am. Sign of a good book

Do you like Neal Asher? I'm probably more stoked about his latest book than new PFH stuff at the moment.

Not got one of his yet he is on my list of authors to try. I usally get some book tokens for chrimbo so will probably treat myself.[/quote]

stubs

Northwind wrote:

Just about to finish the Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson... An alternative-history thing, absolutely fantastic. I'm going to have to resist the urge to go back and read Red/Green/Blue Mars again now.

Peter Hamilton's in more dire need of a mean editor than anyone else out there I think... Boy can write, he just can't stop! Except for in Night's Dawn, "And then aliens happen and everything is fine, the end" Seems like the more succesful he got, the more ridiculously bloated the books got. Paid by the yard?

He cant stop can he I can think of several authors who need a couple of hundred pages slashing from there latest books.

t0pc4t

Northwind wrote:

Just about to finish the Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson... An alternative-history thing, absolutely fantastic. I'm going to have to resist the urge to go back and read Red/Green/Blue Mars again now.

Peter Hamilton's in more dire need of a mean editor than anyone else out there I think... Boy can write, he just can't stop! Except for in Night's Dawn, "And then aliens happen and everything is fine, the end" Seems like the more succesful he got, the more ridiculously bloated the books got. Paid by the yard?

paul.skibum wrote:

Iain Banks Transition is next on my bookshelf to read - I like Iain Banks - not so much Iain M Banks - grew out of scifi I think or just read too much of it as a younger man.

Did Transition not get an M? It should have...

Void is a bit better on that score, the ending is not so rushed. My boss and I were just discussing nights dawn a minute ago and we both agreed the naked god has a loda of filler and then it just ends in a really rushed manner.

finished saturns children, good but not quite as mind blowing as accelerando, now re-reading Consider Phlebas, which is as good as I remember

if you have not read any Neal Asher, get some down ya, man's on fire at the moment.

Start with either Gridlinked or The Skinner.

Redhog14

Bella Bathhurst - The Bicycle Book, good informative and well written, clue is in the title.
Jack London - White Fang - who woud have thought a book about a wolf could be so good.

Northwind

t0pc4t wrote:

Void is a bit better on that score, the ending is not so rushed.

Haven't tried those yet... Was kind of put off by the first 3 in the Commonwealth. Especially Misspent Youth, ouch. I'll put Neal Asher on Teh List though.

That said, wasn't very impressed with Stross, think it was Singularity Sky I tried? Anyway, thought it was pish, one or two really decent ideas but mostly pish. Accidentally announced this very loudly when he was standing 2 feet away. He was very good about it :oops:

t0pc4t

funny one Stross, I got into him him via sci fi (agree Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise weren't too good) and some of it is very good (Saturns Children, Glasshouse, Accelerando) but it's more his not sci fi stuff that has been better.

If you haven't already done so I'd have a look at Alastair Reynolds, I do rather like his stuff but he doesn't seem to have done one for a while.

Asher is a must, he's on fire at the moment.

Northwind

Aye, I like Alastair Reynolds... Bit inconsistent mind and he did give the Revelation Space sequence the most incredibly awful ending since "and then they woke up and it was all a dream" but it was good on the way. Got his last one in the heap to get to once I'm done with Surface Detail. (which, incidentally, is so far pretty fantastic)

t0pc4t

Ooh yeah Surface Detail is pretty fine for sure.

stubs

Surface Detail is good though the end felt a tiny bit of a letdown I just expected it to go somewhere else. Thats the good thing about Banks though you never quite get the ending you think is coming.

IcarusGreen

I'm on the 3rd book from the 'a song of ice and fire' saga.

The first book is 'A game of thrones' which has been made into a superb tv series but as always, the book is far better.

The second book is 'A clash of kings'.

I'm 1/2 way through the third, 'A storm of swords'.

They're all good books but I'm finding that the 3rd is a bit slow so far, hopefully it will get better in the second half.

butcher of bakersfield

Fahrenheit 451. Some good dialogue in parts. But not setting my pants on fire. I think it' just heating up though....I have bigger expectations for the rest of the book. We shall see.

Also just finished Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen. Nothing ground breaking. But found it a very enjoyable read. Kinda like a 'good' hollywood movie.

mongoosed

Supernatural Scotland,a history of ghosts and myths etc in Scotland.

allen.coulson

Fragrant Harbour - John Lanchester - nice one.

dabbleonabike

Not strictly reading it right now but too excited to not tell people i will be reading, soon, the new Sir Terry Pratchett Discworld novel, "Snuff."
I have it pre-ordered and i am fair excited.
Sir Pratchett is a genius, too bad his minds turning to mush.

stubs

dabbleonabike wrote:

Not strictly reading it right now but too excited to not tell people i will be reading, soon, the new Sir Terry Pratchett Discworld novel, "Snuff."
I have it pre-ordered and i am fair excited.
Sir Pratchett is a genius, too bad his minds turning to mush.

Got it pre-ordered as well. Agree such a shame dont know how long he can keep writing.

97th choice

Lee Child - The affair.

Whilst drinking coffee.

t0pc4t

Black Man by Richard Morgan, forgot it's quite a stonker.

Stevo_666

Now starting 'Handling the Undead' by the bloke who wrote 'Let the right One In'. Swedish zombies :?: :!:

streetvw

just started a new novella "The Severed Nose" by Jeff Strand, that has been sent to me by the wife's uncle, he tells me it's a pretty dark comedy and has started pretty well

jay12

"A short history of nearly everything" by Bill Bryson

if your interested in science or just want to know more about the earth and the universe etc. then it's a pretty good read and you learn quite a lot

streetvw

OK finished "the severed nose" was awesome little novella less than 50 pages :shock: now on to "Graverobbers wanted (no experience necessary)" by the same author
http://jeffstrand.wordpress.com/books/graverobbers/

Stevo_666

Since 'The Walking Dead' moved from Freeview to one of the Sky channels, I'm now reading the book 'The Walking Dead - Rise of the Governor' to try to make up for it...