What book are you reading?

[Sjakihata]

The Double by Dostojevskij

[Slyspy]

I have two on the go. Non-fiction is Sahib by Richard Holmes. Fiction is The Hundred Days by Patrick O'Brian.

Have loads of books waiting in the wings (especially after Christmas). May have to psyche myself up for The Eastern Front, 1941-45, German Troops and the Barbarisation of Warfare!

[Ludens]

"The Weekend Novelist" by Robert J. Ray. Someone told me it was an excellent book for someone with literary ambitions but little time. After reading (very slowly) through four-fifth of the book, I do not agree. But it does have some interesting points.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

At the moment I'm reading:

Franco-Prussian War: The German conquest of France in 1870-1871
by Geoffery (spelling?) Wawro.

The Art of War
by Sun-Tzu

[drone]

"Cryptonomican" by Neal Stephenson.

I picked up "The Running Man" by Richard Bachman/Steven King as a time killer at the DMV. About 60 pages to go, nothing like the movie, thankfully.

[Marcellus]

I'm just about to start Stalingrad (Beevor), as well as slowly reading 'Does anything eat wasps' (New Scientist) and a collection of the Onion from 2003-04.

[JimBob]

Stalingrad (Beevor)

Excelent book, if not mildly disturbing at times.

Right now I've got my face in alot. There's The Ecology of Freedom by Murray Bookchin, Desolation Angels by Jack Kerouac, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (on again off again), The Princeton Review's Best 361 Colleges (on again off again), as well as my continuous reading and rereading of On The Road, also by Kerouac. And more short stories and essays than I want to consider (have to read and analyze 10 of each instead of taking a final exam).

[Strike For The South]

American Spartans The US Marines combat history

and for fun Conapiracy Theories

[Brutus]

Uhm, Rituelen. Nieuwe en oude gebruiken in Nederland (Rituals. New and old customs in the Netherlands) by Jef de Jager, starting in The shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, rereading (for the 3rd time) the appendices in The Lord of the Rings, and The Histories of Gregory of Tours (on and off for months now).


Maybe I should actually start reading again for my thesis as well...

[Dutch_guy]

currently reading Ceasar by Colleen McCullough, only just started so cant comment on it yet.

Also just read a book about the Nuremberg WW2 trials, by a Russian lawyer who was a spectator during the trials - Can't think of his name at the moment.
I liked the book, he gives a bunch of information on how the high ranking Nazi leaders behaved during the trial and gives good comment on how they tried to defend themselves and how the prosecution attacked those often feeble attempts.
Good read for those who are interested.

[Reenk Roink]

Soldiers and Ghosts by J.E. Lendon.

A magnificent read...

[Lemur]

Dutch Guy, I just finished Caesar, and I'd be interested to chat with you when you're done. The author just seems to be getting stronger as she rolls along. My $0.25 summation of the whole Masters of Rome series: Great historical detail, iffy hypotheses about major historical characters, mediocre writing. In other words, enough for me to keep reading. Not everything needs to be a masterpiece.

I'm currently reading Pride of Carthage, mostly because it's the biggest Roman-era historical novel my local library had laying about. Entirely unsure of what I think of it. A few great passages, some really tedious exposition. And as always when reading a novel about Hannibal, the sheer lack of detailed knowledge about Carthiginian culture shines through. It's very different from reading about Caesar, where there's a plethora of ancient sources.

Anybody else slogging through big historical books?

[R'as al Ghul]

Clancey: Rainbow Six. Just finished re-reading Taiko and Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa.

I've also just finished Musashi and although it's good I was a
bit disappointed because of the style. I guess it's my german translation
because it reads as if it was translated 30 years ago.
I noticed a lot of paralells to Lone Wolf and Cub in the storyline.
It seems that LWaC was strongly inspired by Musashi.

I've also finished Neal Stephenson's trilogy "Baroque Circle".
I'd strongly recommend them. The best books I've read in 2005.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

I have two on the go. Non-fiction is Sahib by Richard Holmes. Fiction is The Hundred Days by Patrick O'Brian.

Have loads of books waiting in the wings (especially after Christmas). May have to psyche myself up for The Eastern Front, 1941-45, German Troops and the Barbarisation of Warfare!

I had to bite my tounge to keep from laughing there.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

At the moment I'm reading:

Franco-Prussian War: The German conquest of France in 1870-1871
by Geoffery (spelling?) Wawro.

The Art of War
by Sun-Tzu

Oh, and by the way, I also have these lined up to read next:

The Prince
by Niccolo Machiavelli

The Communist Manifesto
by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
LotR, The Return of the King
.

[Fragony]

.
LotR, The Return of the King
.

Well I'll be damned, after all the praise I gave Harry Potter you are still reading a tale about to youth-friends from a world full of fairy's that go to all sorts of trouble to climb a mountain with a bloody ring?

for shame!

[Dutch_guy]

Dutch Guy, I just finished Caesar, and I'd be interested to chat with you when you're done. The author just seems to be getting stronger as she rolls along. My $0.25 summation of the whole Masters of Rome series: Great historical detail, iffy hypotheses about major historical characters, mediocre writing. In other words, enough for me to keep reading. Not everything needs to be a masterpiece.


Anybody else slogging through big historical books?

So far after having read te first 80 pages of the book I'm starting to like it more and more, which is a good thing since the start of the book was rather slow.
This is my first book in the masters of Rome series and if all the books are like this one, keep getting better and better once you keep reading , then I might continue the series.

Though I should continue reading, can't really be certain considering I've only just started.

Thanks for the advice though Lemurmania.

Also I've just finished the 3rd book in the Emperor ( by Con Iggulden (sp ? ) series ( fiction novel about Caesar's entire life )which I enjoyed reading a lot.
Anyone else read the series. ?

I would recommend it if you like the era and don't mind a few historical changes for the sake of the story, and don't worry it's nothing major

[Mouzafphaerre]

Well I'll be damned, after all the praise I gave Harry Potter you are still reading a tale about to youth-friends from a world full of fairy's that go to all sorts of trouble to climb a mountain with a bloody ring?

for shame!

.
That's the Incompatible language films, not the books!
.

[Redleg]

Reading a Fanasty Novel now for pure recreational reading. To The Green Angle Tower, by Tad Williams

http://www.tadwilliams.com/angel_tower.html

My next reading will be a history book - just haven't decided which one.

[KukriKhan]

Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/spring99/gunsgerms.htm
Actually, picking it back up after a hiatus. Idaho recommended it, so I got it last spring; fascinating examination of how chance tech advances let some groups leap-frog others.

I hear someone made a TV presentation of it, but I've not seen it. I wonder if it was any good.

[Beirut]

Anybody else slogging through big historical books?

I posted before that I'm re-reading The Arms of Krupp. I think that qualifies. Great book.

By some insanity, I've lost my biography of W.T.Sherman by Liddell Hart in my 10x10 bedroom. You'd think that wouldn't be possible but it is. I was re-reading that one as well and was half way through.

When I'm finished with Krupp, and if I still can't find Sherman, I'm going to finally read Livy's The War with Hannibal which has been on my shelf for a year.

[master of the puppets]

just Sabriel, and Catcher in the Rye again.

oh yeah and i'm just finishing up "The Stand" great peice of work.

[aw89]

At the moment I am reading "Ivanhoe" by Sir Walter Scott. I got about 100 pages left, its quite good realy, although a quite heavy read.
But I am a fan of older english (100-200 years ago 'ish written) so it's rather a joy then a curse.

[matteus the inbred]

Burning Angel, by James Lee Burke. after that i will read the second part in an interesting mediaeval fantasy trilogy, The Wounded Hawk, from The Crucible Series, by Sara Douglass...

just read Tim Severin's (English readers may recall him as the adventurer and archaeologist who builds traditional Celtic boats and recreats insanely long voyages at great risk to life and limb...) first novel in a trilogy about Vikings, really good stuff, including a good treatment of the legendary battle of Clontarf.

Anybody else slogging through big historical books?

big historical books that i never managed to get through include somebody-or-other's (possibly Bertram Wolfe) biography of Henry VI...gah. too much finance...

[Prodigal]

<-----WW1 junky

The Unknown Soldier by Neil Hanson

The one book I'd recommend for some mental relaxation is Summer of night by Dan Simmons, damn fine fun.

Lemurmania, I gave up on pride of carthage, can you recommend something that's accurate in relation to carthaginian customs etc? A friends been raving about a book he found on it, but he's gone off to south america for 6 months without telling me the title or author

[Scurvy]

Nostradamus ate my hamster --> Robert Rankin, very funny

[Prodigal]

Nostradamus ate my hamster --> Robert Rankin, very funny

Can you pweeeease laugh with your mouth shut, the scurvy thang ain't purdy, & it sure as sheet ain't funny

edited cos I can't spell YOUR =P

[Scurvy]

Can you pweeeease laugh with your mouth shut, the scurvy thang ain't purdy, & it sure as sheet ain't funny

am i supposed to understand that?

[jimmyM]

Picture of dorian Gray - Oscar wilde, or trying to finish...

also broggling round looking for Anna Karenina, sure it was round here somewhere...