** Official Currently Reading Thread ***

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gurusan

gurusan

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** Official "Currently Reading" Thread ***

Searched and found somewhat dead threads sort of like this, decided to start one afresh for the avid readers of OcUK.

What are you currently reading?

For me:
Gomorrah - Robert Saviano
Sure you have heard of this due to recent publicity. Superb writing style and translation...book is fascinating yet horrifying. Almost hard to believe it's non-fiction...some of it has really got to me and as a result I'm almost having trouble finishing it :/

The Beach - Alex Garland
Saw Danny Boyle's movie ages ago and thought it was an incredible story....saw it on the bookshelf in Borders and decided to try it out..and it's great. The writing style is a sort of a very succinct and straight-to the point 1st person recounting of events but very descriptive and instantly transports you to the beaches of Thailand. So far I'm gripped and can see myself finishing the book in a day or so (just bought last night).
 
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Just finishing up Gavin Thorpe - Angel Of Darkness as it's been reissued and I missed it the first time round. Really eye opening read for any Warhammer fans (used to be a player now I just stick to the books)
 
John Grisham - The Street Lawyer

It's a terrible book that is completely self-indulgent and poorly written. I'm toward the end of the book and so far nothing much has happened. The main character has seen the error of his ways and become a street lawyer, began to help mankind rather than sue it, and is spouting the most horrible rubbish I've ever heard for a new 'radical' after only a month.

Do not read this book. It is horrible beyond belief. Grisham should be ashamed of himself for writing this after The Firm.
 
Hellsmk2 said:
John Grisham - The Street Lawyer

It's a terrible book that is completely self-indulgent and poorly written. I'm toward the end of the book and so far nothing much has happened. The main character has seen the error of his ways and become a street lawyer, began to help mankind rather than sue it, and is spouting the most horrible rubbish I've ever heard for a new 'radical' after only a month.

Do not read this book. It is horrible beyond belief. Grisham should be ashamed of himself for writing this after The Firm.
Click to expand...

That's a bummer. A bit how I feel about the late Michael Crichton's latest books. :( He'll be remembered well though, he did write some incredible novels.
 
Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk - the same guy who wrote fight club. It's pretty good so far - a little weird but I'm into that :p
 
David Eddings - Queen of Sorcery (Book Two of the Belgariad)

Read this series when i was much younger, but've forgotten it almost completely. It's really enjoyable reading through again :)
 
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I'm currently reading Footfall by Larry Niven and Jery Pournell, so far (about a tenth of the way in) it's looking good, but still in the build up/character introduction phase.
 
David Mitchell - Number9Dream

Set in Tokyo, it follows the journey of a 20 year old Japanese guy trying to find out the identity of, and meet, his father, having never met him before. It flips between video game-esque fantasy worlds, and the real world, as he imagines what he might do and then actually does it. It's ridiculously imaginative, and also looks at Japanese society as a whole in the same way a Murakami book might, but is actually written by an English guy. Really good book.

Diane Raymond - Existentialism and the Philosophical Tradition

An in-depth look at existential philosophy and its concepts and the key philosophers with extracts from people such as Heidegger, Kierkegaard, Sartre and Nietzsche. A great introduction to some brilliant philosophers and philosophy in general.
 
The Charlemagne Pursuit - Steve Berry. He latest novel in the Cotton Malone series, with Malone trying to find out how his father died in a submarine disaster. The usual Berry mix, just a bit of light reading.
 
Stephen Fry - Moab Is My Washpot

Fry's autobiography based on his early years. It charts his early childhood and his memories spanning from prep-school, to public schooling, finally concluding with his unrequited love, and subsequent mania before toddling off to Cambridge. It's written with a grace and perspective which can't help but endear. I recommend it highly.

9/10


Neil Strauss - The Game

This is the famous book to do with pick-up artists, how they developed their techniques, workshops, etc. with a few life-problems and relationship issues thrown in. I've found by and large that it's very easy to read and I've genuinely laughed at a few parts of it, although I find myself constantly asking how much of it was actually real. I did slightly lose interest towards the end if truth be told, as I was wondering where it was all leading to. If you're bored and don't know quite what to read; it's worth a look as it can be picked up for pennies.

6/10


Simon Schama - An American Future: A History

Based on the wonderful BBC series which aired recently of the same name prior to the elections. It looks at the contemporary issues facing America and asks how they got there and what this holds for the future. It is beautifully written but certainly not meant for a light afternoon's read! If you like your history and contemporary issues, it's worth investigating for yourself.

TBC
 
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The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

Billy Bryson's autobiography of sorts. Its his take on 50s America (which was a rather weird and wonderful place) when he was growing up.

Its one of the best of his books (I don't read a lot but I've read most of them) and that's saying an awful lot.

Not sure I've come across another author who can consistenly make me larf.
 
WW2, a photographic history, edited by hal buell. My brother bought it to me for christhmas and im only geting into it now, some fantastic photos from the various theatres of the war. That and hitlers praetorians, a book about the waffen ss in combat on both fronts of the war.
 
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - I don't usually read a lot but since new year I made an oath to read more and make better use of my brain and improve my English as I seem to have never really thought I'd miss it outside of school but this book is absolutely fantastic!

At first i couldn't really understand what was going on until I realise that sections are split up into the main story and annotations of the book which the book is about.

It's proving a hard read but Now I get what it's trying to do, and that's confuse me!

It's doing it's job well and I'm loving it.

10/10!

I've got the boxset as well so I've still got the others to go through.
 
Well, I will post another book in this thread as I finished "The Remains of the Day" last night. About to read "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey.

Rich
 
The Truth by Pratchett

It's probably the best discworld novel I've read, very funny throughout with some real laugh out loud lines.
 
The last Templar by Raymond Khoury, and jeez i cant get the beginning part out of my head, where a NYPD officer had his head chopped by a medieval long sword, awesome so far.
 
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