What are you currently reading?

phy2sll2

The Great Gatsby. Really enjoying it but suspect I've missed some (most?) of the symbolism!

"Agent Zig Zag" is next in the queue.

rick_chasey

phy2sll2 wrote:

The Great Gatsby. Really enjoying it but suspect I've missed some (most?) of the symbolism!

My Girlfriend's favourite book, and she reads an awful lot.

Initialised

Surface Detail - Iain M Banks

NGale

Bad Science by Ben Goldacre

Interesting so far

Agent57

Currently reading "Last Argument of Kings" by Joe Abercrombie. It's the third book in a trilogy, "The First Law" (the others being "The Blade Itself" and "Before They are Hanged"). It's a great read, and I really like his style. The characters are compelling, and the writing is nice and grisly at times.

Hoopdriver

The High Window, by Raymond Candler. I should say re- reading it, as I have read all his stuff many times. He is the classic hard-boiled dangling cigarette, rainy night in LA crime writer. Love it.

gbsahne001

Just back from a day's meeting in Abu Dhabi, so lots of reading time there and back; picked up "The Time Travellers Wife" at the airport, as I couldn't find anything else of interest. I've read it before but still enjoy reading it and have almost finished it.

MrChuck

Quicksilver, by Neal Stephenson. It's a big one though and I've been on it a while!

DonDaddyD

The Song of Achilles

Spoiles

I'm not big on books that win awards but I picked this up as I was drawn to it. Also, very few people know that my passion for comics is only equalled by my interest in most things ancient including empires, mythologies and Pantheons prior to Christianity. So any person that dares to tell a story that skirts the Illiad, which to me is like every comic ever written only multiplied by a bazgillion gallons of awesomeness is a brave one. These stories were perfect the first time they were told.

I loved every page turning moment of this. But more bizarrely, despite knowing how it was going to end, I found myself tearfully upset when the book did end. I also can never read this book again. So good was it the first time that if I read it a second time it won't be as good, and I don't want to do it a disservice. It is just that good.

Written from the perspective of Patroclus, Achilles's close friend and arguably deus ex machina within the Illiad, the story explores the supposed love between the two as they grow from prepubescent boys to adults. At the time of purchase I did not know that the book was partially about gay love. A third of the way in it doesn't matter. They say that the ancient Greeks had no word for homosexuals and that it was not frowned upon for a Man to enjoy another Man. This book meets that ideology with an unparalleled class. Each intimate moment within the pages is a literary masterclass of prose. What is more special is that the book treats both hetro and homosexual exchanges equally - though with closer thought I think all the hetro sex scenes are either forced through social expectations or simply forced (rape), which give emphasis to the loving moments between the star-crossed Patroclus and Achilles.

What the book also does is paint Achilles in a new gloss. Achilles is someone I have often struggled with in mythological terms. On paper he could take Captain America in a fight. Captain America - as part of the great WW2 American properganda machine, is the greatest physical and mental example of what a human could be. Captain America doesn't get shot. So why was one arrow able to drop Achilles, and yes I've read the many iterations of this: t'was the poisoned arrow that ended Hercules, t'was Apollo, t'was ne'er his ankle and maybe all three. Regardless, given Odysseus' years at sea, Hercules' 12 labours, Perseus glare at the Kraken and the steak Theseus' must have had that night. I have always felt Achilles should have done more with what he had.

So what did Achilles have? This book touches on that, builds on it and paints it into something divine. Achilles is looked at from a perspective I have never bothered to care to looking from. I'm glad I did, there is a beauty to it, to him that I surpasses all the other demi-gods and god-favoured ancient greek heroes. Achilles is both victim and master of his destiny.

Aside from giving Patroclus a deeper meaning and value to the Achilles/Illiad mythos, addressing the taboos of gay love, Casting new light on who Achilles is and getting Odysseus right - [ yes he is in it too, along all the Illiad faithful - Ajax, Hector, Sarpedon, Diomedes, Thetis, Neoplotemus etc and their character portrayals are spot on with what we know ] - what else does this book do? Well aside from being one hell of a story, it actually gives one hell of a rendition of the Illiad, giving special attention to each specific moment.

In fact in one of the reviews inside the book it says that you can tell that the author has been building her career and spending the last 10years building up enough knowledge to write this book. Upon reading it I can honestly, 'yes that's true'.

I love this book, I cried at the end. Even though it has ended I could talk about it forever.

FoldingJoe

C'mon DDD. We know you're reading 50 Shades of Grey!!

clarkey cat

got a few things on the go at the moment:

Kestrel for a Knave - barry Hines
Whirlwind - James Clavell
Emperors dont die in bed - Fik Meijer
W Fotheringham - merckx; half man half bike
Disgusting Bliss - the brasseye of Chris Morris
Whitsun weddings - Phillip Larkin

greg66_tri_v2.0

The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene. It's quite conceptually challenging...

mudcow007

1985 - but i coudlnt get into it so i just watched the film instead

i cant really see why everyone get so excited about though?

DonDaddyD

FoldingJoe wrote:

C'mon DDD. We know you're reading 50 Shades of Grey!!

Why would I read that when I've got the following to unpick:

'He was Spring, golden and bright. Envious some other life I could have refused, could have torn my hair and screamed, and made him face his choice alone. But not in this one. He would sail to Troy and I would follow, even into death. Yes, I whispered. Yes.'

In the darkness, two shadows, reaching through the hopeless, heavy dusk.
Their hands meet, and light spills in a flood, like a hundred golden urns pouring out of the sun.

EKE_38BPM

The Hunger Games trilogy.

I'm about a third of the way through The Mockingjay which is the last book of the trilogy and I have to say it is a good read.
Not a particularly brilliant book (or series of books), but easy to read and unputdownable. I would recommend them.

I'm a bit gutted I missed it at the cinema. Might go to Leicester Square as that is the only place I can find still showing it and apparently the film doesn't butcher the book like the awful The Golden Compass did to the His Dark Materials trilogy.

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

The Song of Achilles

Spoiles

I'm not big on books that win awards but I picked this up as I was drawn to it. Also, very few people know that my passion for comics is only equalled by my interest in most things ancient including empires, mythologies and Pantheons prior to Christianity. So any person that dares to tell a story that skirts the Illiad, which to me is like every comic ever written only multiplied by a bazgillion gallons of awesomeness is a brave one. These stories were perfect the first time they were told.

I loved every page turning moment of this. But more bizarrely, despite knowing how it was going to end, I found myself tearfully upset when the book did end. I also can never read this book again. So good was it the first time that if I read it a second time it won't be as good, and I don't want to do it a disservice. It is just that good.

Written from the perspective of Patroclus, Achilles's close friend and arguably deus ex machina within the Illiad, the story explores the supposed love between the two as they grow from prepubescent boys to adults. At the time of purchase I did not know that the book was partially about gay love. A third of the way in it doesn't matter. They say that the ancient Greeks had no word for homosexuals and that it was not frowned upon for a Man to enjoy another Man. This book meets that ideology with an unparalleled class. Each intimate moment within the pages is a literary masterclass of prose. What is more special is that the book treats both hetro and homosexual exchanges equally - though with closer thought I think all the hetro sex scenes are either forced through social expectations or simply forced (rape), which give emphasis to the loving moments between the star-crossed Patroclus and Achilles.

What the book also does is paint Achilles in a new gloss. Achilles is someone I have often struggled with in mythological terms. On paper he could take Captain America in a fight. Captain America - as part of the great WW2 American properganda machine, is the greatest physical and mental example of what a human could be. Captain America doesn't get shot. So why was one arrow able to drop Achilles, and yes I've read the many iterations of this: t'was the poisoned arrow that ended Hercules, t'was Apollo, t'was ne'er his ankle and maybe all three. Regardless, given Odysseus' years at sea, Hercules' 12 labours, Perseus glare at the Kraken and the steak Theseus' must have had that night. I have always felt Achilles should have done more with what he had.

So what did Achilles have? This book touches on that, builds on it and paints it into something divine. Achilles is looked at from a perspective I have never bothered to care to looking from. I'm glad I did, there is a beauty to it, to him that I surpasses all the other demi-gods and god-favoured ancient greek heroes. Achilles is both victim and master of his destiny.

Aside from giving Patroclus a deeper meaning and value to the Achilles/Illiad mythos, addressing the taboos of gay love, Casting new light on who Achilles is and getting Odysseus right - [ yes he is in it too, along all the Illiad faithful - Ajax, Hector, Sarpedon, Diomedes, Thetis, Neoplotemus etc and their character portrayals are spot on with what we know ] - what else does this book do? Well aside from being one hell of a story, it actually gives one hell of a rendition of the Illiad, giving special attention to each specific moment.

In fact in one of the reviews inside the book it says that you can tell that the author has been building her career and spending the last 10years building up enough knowledge to write this book. Upon reading it I can honestly, 'yes that's true'.

I love this book, I cried at the end. Even though it has ended I could talk about it forever.

I always thought that was kind of the point with Achilles - he had all the talent, but failed to achieve due to a rather high opinion of himself and a tendency to throw a hissy fit - the moral being that even with superhuman talents, you still have to put in some effort in life.

Also, you'd have to have all the characters from the Illiad in the story - it wouldn't do to f*** about with Homer.

EKE_38BPM

mudcow007 wrote:

1985 - but i coudlnt get into it so i just watched the film instead

i cant really see why everyone get so excited about though?

Do you mean Orwell's 1984? Its the only book I ever re-read. Absolutely fantastic book. Give it another go.
If you mean something else, ignore me.

DonDaddyD

rjsterry wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

The Song of Achilles

I always thought that was kind of the point with Achilles - he had all the talent, but failed to achieve due to a rather high opinion of himself and a tendency to throw a hissy fit - the moral being that even with superhuman talents, you still have to put in some effort in life.

Also, you'd have to have all the characters from the Illiad in the story - it wouldn't do to f*** about with Homer.

Dude the Illiad is epic and long. Most seem to skirt over it, isn't 20 or so books in length?

To be accurate this includes snipets of the Cypria, Illiad, Aethiopis - included a little reference to Neoptolemus's (I would have thought that was an Egyption name) death.

The book is about Patroclus and the love shared between him and Achilles. Its not telling the story of the Trojan War, but it does pay great homage to it.

You should read it.

ETA: I never really thought there was any moral to the story of Achilles, he was destined to kill Hector and after that would die due to the machinations of the Gods. There always seemed to be a grey area as to how great he really was. Sadly there is often no higher purpose to these Greek Heroes beyond their feats and then they die through some unceremonious means (Hercules for me was probably the saddest).

But then to be regarded as the best you have to go out on top while at your peak and not wither away. Achilles did that, he spent what 10years of his prime fighting in the biggest war of his generation killing the best warriors of that time.

Still this book takes the given image of Achilles and does something else with it.

rjsterry

DonDaddyD wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

The Song of Achilles

Spoiles

I'm not big on books that win awards but I picked this up as I was drawn to it. Also, very few people know that my passion for comics is only equalled by my interest in most things ancient including empires, mythologies and Pantheons prior to Christianity. So any person that dares to tell a story that skirts the Illiad, which to me is like every comic ever written only multiplied by a bazgillion gallons of awesomeness is a brave one. These stories were perfect the first time they were told.

I loved every page turning moment of this. But more bizarrely, despite knowing how it was going to end, I found myself tearfully upset when the book did end. I also can never read this book again. So good was it the first time that if I read it a second time it won't be as good, and I don't want to do it a disservice. It is just that good.

Written from the perspective of Patroclus, Achilles's close friend and arguably deus ex machina within the Illiad, the story explores the supposed love between the two as they grow from prepubescent boys to adults. At the time of purchase I did not know that the book was partially about gay love. A third of the way in it doesn't matter. They say that the ancient Greeks had no word for homosexuals and that it was not frowned upon for a Man to enjoy another Man. This book meets that ideology with an unparalleled class. Each intimate moment within the pages is a literary masterclass of prose. What is more special is that the book treats both hetro and homosexual exchanges equally - though with closer thought I think all the hetro sex scenes are either forced through social expectations or simply forced (rape), which give emphasis to the loving moments between the star-crossed Patroclus and Achilles.

What the book also does is paint Achilles in a new gloss. Achilles is someone I have often struggled with in mythological terms. On paper he could take Captain America in a fight. Captain America - as part of the great WW2 American properganda machine, is the greatest physical and mental example of what a human could be. Captain America doesn't get shot. So why was one arrow able to drop Achilles, and yes I've read the many iterations of this: t'was the poisoned arrow that ended Hercules, t'was Apollo, t'was ne'er his ankle and maybe all three. Regardless, given Odysseus' years at sea, Hercules' 12 labours, Perseus glare at the Kraken and the steak Theseus' must have had that night. I have always felt Achilles should have done more with what he had.

So what did Achilles have? This book touches on that, builds on it and paints it into something divine. Achilles is looked at from a perspective I have never bothered to care to looking from. I'm glad I did, there is a beauty to it, to him that I surpasses all the other demi-gods and god-favoured ancient greek heroes. Achilles is both victim and master of his destiny.

Aside from giving Patroclus a deeper meaning and value to the Achilles/Illiad mythos, addressing the taboos of gay love, Casting new light on who Achilles is and getting Odysseus right - [ yes he is in it too, along all the Illiad faithful - Ajax, Hector, Sarpedon, Diomedes, Thetis, Neoplotemus etc and their character portrayals are spot on with what we know ] - what else does this book do? Well aside from being one hell of a story, it actually gives one hell of a rendition of the Illiad, giving special attention to each specific moment.

In fact in one of the reviews inside the book it says that you can tell that the author has been building her career and spending the last 10years building up enough knowledge to write this book. Upon reading it I can honestly, 'yes that's true'.

I love this book, I cried at the end. Even though it has ended I could talk about it forever.

I always thought that was kind of the point with Achilles - he had all the talent, but failed to achieve due to a rather high opinion of himself and a tendency to throw a hissy fit - the moral being that even with superhuman talents, you still have to put in some effort in life.

Also, you'd have to have all the characters from the Illiad in the story - it wouldn't do to f*** about with Homer.

Dude the Illiad is epic and long. Most seem to skirt over it, isn't 20 or so books in length?

To be accurate this includes snipets of the Cypria, Illiad, Aethiopis - included a little reference to Neoptolemus's (I would have thought that was an Egyption name) death.

The book is about Patroclus and the love shared between him and Achilles. Its not telling the story of the Trojan War, but it does pay great homage to it.

You should read it.

I probably should, although with my current levels of sleep deprivation, I prefer things with pictures at the moment. Neoptolemus => Neo = New; Ptolemaios = 'warlike'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_(name)

jonginge

DonDaddyD wrote:

Dude the Illiad is epic and long. Most seem to skirt over it, isn't 20 or so books in length?

Technically, yes. More like chapters, though.

To paraphrase Wrath of Khan:

Khan: The Iliad is not so long as we were led to believe

macleod113

Simon Scarrow's - Prateorian. Its book 11(ish) of a roman series following the exploits of 2 Roman soldiers. 1 older, 1 younger. very pleasing and easy read. not difficult to follow. think the Bernard Cornwell Sharpe books but based in Rome (Empire)

DonDaddyD

rjsterry wrote:

I probably should, although with my current levels of sleep deprivation, I prefer things with pictures at the moment. Neoptolemus => Neo = New; Ptolemaios = 'warlike'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_(name)

Thanks!

I'm just happy that at a glance I was able to see the Egyption link in the name.... now I'm going to read about the historic links between Egpyt and Ancient Greece...

EKE_38BPM

DonDaddyD wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

I probably should, although with my current levels of sleep deprivation, I prefer things with pictures at the moment. Neoptolemus => Neo = New; Ptolemaios = 'warlike'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_(name)

Thanks!

I'm just happy that at a glance I was able to see the Egyption link in the name.... now I'm going to read about the historic links between Egpyt and Ancient Greece...

Egyptian

greg66_tri_v2.0

EKE_38BPM wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

I probably should, although with my current levels of sleep deprivation, I prefer things with pictures at the moment. Neoptolemus => Neo = New; Ptolemaios = 'warlike'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_(name)

Thanks!

I'm just happy that at a glance I was able to see the Egyption link in the name.... now I'm going to read about the historic links between Egpyt and Ancient Greece...

Egyptian

=/= to someone who comes from the mysterious land that is spoken of as "Egg-pit".

DonDaddyD

EKE_38BPM wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

I probably should, although with my current levels of sleep deprivation, I prefer things with pictures at the moment. Neoptolemus => Neo = New; Ptolemaios = 'warlike'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_(name)

Thanks!

I'm just happy that at a glance I was able to see the Egyption link in the name.... now I'm going to read about the historic links between Egpyt and Ancient Greece...

Egyptian

I hate pedants.

EKE_38BPM

DonDaddyD wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

DonDaddyD wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

I probably should, although with my current levels of sleep deprivation, I prefer things with pictures at the moment. Neoptolemus => Neo = New; Ptolemaios = 'warlike'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptolemy_(name)

Thanks!

I'm just happy that at a glance I was able to see the Egyption link in the name.... now I'm going to read about the historic links between Egpyt and Ancient Greece...

Egyptian

I hate pedants.

Sort you're speeling out, than!

UndercoverElephant

Ah, back from holiday - read Dave Gorman Vs the Rest of the World followed by the Grapes of Wrath. Both very good, in very different ways, both with quite odd endings.

notsoblue

Game of Thrones, love it.

TheEnglishman

notsoblue wrote:

Game of Thrones, love it.

Yea - I wish he'd hurry up and finish the next one!

UndercoverElephant

notsoblue wrote:

Game of Thrones, love it.

Currently going through the DVDs, probably should have read the books. Good, though.