What are you currently reading?

rick_chasey

S'been a while that there's been a thread like this.

Curious to know what books you guys like to read when you're not cycling.

I've noticed my commute has significantly reduced the amount I read since I no longer have 70 minutes each day to sit and read on the tube.

So, not the best book you've read, or the best cycling book, but the book you're currently halfway through reading.

I'll start:

Almost finished One Day I Will Write About This Place: A Memoir by Binyavanga Wainaina.

About to start some Flemish book my mum bought, but can't remember the name. Some gritty novel.

Before that it was 23 things they don't tell you about capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang. Qu'elle surprise.

asprilla

A Life Without Limits by Chrissy Wellington. Very open and honest

Oh, it's 23 things they don't tell you about capitalism, so I'm guessing inflation is one of them.

FoldingJoe

The death of Marco Pantani by Matt Rendell.

Before that has just finished re-reading The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro.

Last fictional book I read was Margret Atwood - Oryx and Crake and then The Year of the Flood.

rjsterry

Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies - a history of the less well-known kingdoms and states of Europe.

rick_chasey

Asprilla wrote:

A Life Without Limits by Chrissy Wellington. Very open and honest

Oh, it's 23 things they don't tell you about capitalism, so I'm guessing inflation is one of them.

Quite right!

suzyb

This thread

IGMC

rick_chasey

rjsterry wrote:

Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies - a history of the less well-known kingdoms and states of Europe.

Norman Davies - he wrote that enormous book "Europe - a history" didn't he?

jeepie

Just finished No Way Down by Graham Bowery - very disappointing. Before that I read of Heart of Darkness - superb.

rjsterry

Rick Chasey wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies - a history of the less well-known kingdoms and states of Europe.

Norman Davies - he wrote that enormous book "Europe - a history" didn't he?

Yes. This one'e no slim volume either - quite tricky to read in bed without dropping it on my face.

rick_chasey

rjsterry wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies - a history of the less well-known kingdoms and states of Europe.

Norman Davies - he wrote that enormous book "Europe - a history" didn't he?

Yes. This one'e no slim volume either - quite tricky to read in bed without dropping it on my face.

Yeah. First history module at Uni I did was called Europe - from antiquity to modernity, and his book was the backbone for quite a bit of it (though we spent most of our time slagging it off).

Didn't enjoy lugging that up the hills of Sheffield.

Kieran_Burns

Foundation and Earth - Asimov

I'm more than slightly embarrassed I've not read this before. God, he's a good writer.

rick_chasey

Jeepie wrote:

of Heart of Darkness - superb.

Is good eh?

Did you watch apocalypes now just after??

the_fuggler

FoldingJoe wrote:

Before that has just finished re-reading The Miracle of Castel Di Sangro.

Great book. John Foot's book 'Calcio' on Italian football is very good too. I'd imagine his history of Italian cycling is pretty good too, but I've not read it yet.

I'm currently reading The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. Very easy to read and nicely put together.

spen666

The Beano
"How to win friends & Influence People"

notsoblue

Currently reading Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton

DonDaddyD

Irredeemable Vol 8 by Mark Waid.

jeepie

Rick Chasey wrote:
Is good eh?

Yeah. Much better than I thought it would be and really remarkably similar to the Apocalypse Now films which I absolutely love. I've been meaning to read it for ages, but like Hamlet just haven't got round to it. There is some very primitive language and characterisation of Africans which may offend. It was written 1899 and oddly given the aforementioned is regarded as anti-slavery novel by some.

rick_chasey

notsoblue wrote:

Currently reading Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton

Heard a lot of good things about that book.

rick_chasey

Jeepie wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:
Is good eh?

Yeah. Much better than I thought it would be and really remarkably similar to the Apocalypse Now films which I absolutely love. I've been meaning to read it for ages, but like Hamlet just haven't got round to it. There is some very primitive language and characterisation of Africans which may offend. It was written 1899 and oddly given the aforementioned is regarded as anti-slavery novel by some.

It's the same story!

It's also very short and very dense.

I wrote an essay about it for my Uni finals.

You might like this: (it's short, honest!) by the chap who wrote the book I'm reading:

http://www.granta.com/Archive/92/How-to ... ica/Page-1

BigJimmyB

Last of the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.

Would highly receommend.

rjsterry

Rick Chasey wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies - a history of the less well-known kingdoms and states of Europe.

Norman Davies - he wrote that enormous book "Europe - a history" didn't he?

Yes. This one'e no slim volume either - quite tricky to read in bed without dropping it on my face.

Yeah. First history module at Uni I did was called Europe - from antiquity to modernity, and his book was the backbone for quite a bit of it (though we spent most of our time slagging it off).

Didn't enjoy lugging that up the hills of Sheffield.

This was bought for me by my archaeologist brother. It's very readable for what could be a very dry subject, but the intricacies of medieval hereditary titles are pretty difficult to follow. There are something like 13 different definitions of Burgundy, which each refer to a different state or group of territories. England is pretty unusual in having geographical boundaries that have remained so static for so long.

rick_chasey

BigJimmyB wrote:

Last of the Dragon Tattoo trilogy.

Would highly receommend.

They're ultra-graphic who-dunnits right?

Couldn't move on the tube without seeing someone buried in a dragon tattoo book last summer.

rick_chasey

rjsterry wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies - a history of the less well-known kingdoms and states of Europe.

Norman Davies - he wrote that enormous book "Europe - a history" didn't he?

Yes. This one'e no slim volume either - quite tricky to read in bed without dropping it on my face.

Yeah. First history module at Uni I did was called Europe - from antiquity to modernity, and his book was the backbone for quite a bit of it (though we spent most of our time slagging it off).

Didn't enjoy lugging that up the hills of Sheffield.

This was bought for me by my archaeologist brother. It's very readable for what could be a very dry subject, but the intricacies of medieval hereditary titles are pretty difficult to follow. There are something like 13 different definitions of Burgundy, which each refer to a different state or group of territories. England is pretty unusual in having geographical boundaries that have remained so static for so long.

It's not that well written - it assumes the reader has a pretty solid knowledge of old-skool European history and it does dart all over the place.

For me, it's more of a reference book than one I'd read cover-to-cover. Pick the bit that takes your fancy, and go for it.

rjsterry

Rick Chasey wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies - a history of the less well-known kingdoms and states of Europe.

Norman Davies - he wrote that enormous book "Europe - a history" didn't he?

Yes. This one'e no slim volume either - quite tricky to read in bed without dropping it on my face.

Yeah. First history module at Uni I did was called Europe - from antiquity to modernity, and his book was the backbone for quite a bit of it (though we spent most of our time slagging it off).

Didn't enjoy lugging that up the hills of Sheffield.

This was bought for me by my archaeologist brother. It's very readable for what could be a very dry subject, but the intricacies of medieval hereditary titles are pretty difficult to follow. There are something like 13 different definitions of Burgundy, which each refer to a different state or group of territories. England is pretty unusual in having geographical boundaries that have remained so static for so long.

It's not that well written - it assumes the reader has a pretty solid knowledge of old-skool European history and it does dart all over the place.

For me, it's more of a reference book than one I'd read cover-to-cover. Pick the bit that takes your fancy, and go for it.

Are you still talking about his other book? I don't get that impression from this one.

sufferingpete

Just finished

Cherry-Garrard, Apsley (1922). The Worst Journey in the World.

absolutely awesome.

I Don't know what to read next.

Gussio

London Under by Peter Ackroyd. Making me want to do some urban exploration.....

rick_chasey

rjsterry wrote:

Are you still talking about his other book? I don't get that impression from this one.

The Europe book, yeah.

Underscore

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi.

Been a while since I've read much modern SciFi - found a lot of it to be a bit same-y and too many authors trying too hard to be William Gibson, so been catching up on the classics of various genres: Mark Twain, HG Wells, Alexandre Dumas, etc. - but first impressions (I'm about 20% of the way through) is good, if you like near-future, dystopian fiction.

rjsterry

Gussio wrote:

London Under by Peter Ackroyd. Making me want to do some urban exploration.....

I read Hawksmoor a while back. I really struggled to get much out of it

MattC59

The Quantum Universe: Everything that can happen does happen

essex-commuter

Just finished 'You've Gone Too Far This TIme Sir' - Danny Bent. (Excellent)

Just started 'Can't Sim, Can't Ride, Can't Run: From Common Man To Ironman - Andy Holgate (Very good so far)