What are you reading?

schamotnik · Post by **schamotnik** » Mon Jan 07, 2008 9:18 pm

I love Murakami.. you just can't put his books down... luckily I still haven't read all of his books yet..

*Grand* wrote:a lovely lady bought me a book today will start to read it later tonight. it is called Chronicler of the Winds...

anyone???

think I bought this for my father 2 or 3 years ago haven't read it though.. however I have read pretty much all of mankell's crime fiction.. absolutely brilliant stuff.

rtype · Post by **rtype** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 8:45 am

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/books/whatisthewhat.html

everyone should read this..

Valentino Achak Deng, real-life hero of this engrossing epic, was a refugee from the Sudanese civil war—the bloodbath before the current Darfur bloodbath—of the 1980s and '90s. In this fictionalized memoir, Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) makes him an icon of globalization. Separated from his family when Arab militia destroy his village, Valentino joins thousands of other 'Lost Boys,' beset by starvation, thirst and man-eating lions on their march to squalid refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, where Valentino pieces together a new life. He eventually reaches America, but finds his quest for safety, community and fulfillment in many ways even more difficult there than in the camps: he recalls, for instance, being robbed, beaten and held captive in his Atlanta apartment. Eggers's limpid prose gives Valentino an unaffected, compelling voice and makes his narrative by turns harrowing, funny, bleak and lyrical. The result is a horrific account of the Sudanese tragedy, but also an emblematic saga of modernity—of the search for home and self in a world of unending upheaval.

BLZDub · Post by **BLZDub** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:56 pm

Half of a yellow sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. It's pretty good, bit slow to get going but Richard and Judy liked it so it must be good.

andreamia · Post by **andreamia** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 4:42 pm

rtype wrote:http://www.mcsweeneys.net/books/whatisthewhat.html

everyone should read this..

Valentino Achak Deng, real-life hero of this engrossing epic, was a refugee from the Sudanese civil war—the bloodbath before the current Darfur bloodbath—of the 1980s and '90s. In this fictionalized memoir, Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) makes him an icon of globalization. Separated from his family when Arab militia destroy his village, Valentino joins thousands of other 'Lost Boys,' beset by starvation, thirst and man-eating lions on their march to squalid refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, where Valentino pieces together a new life. He eventually reaches America, but finds his quest for safety, community and fulfillment in many ways even more difficult there than in the camps: he recalls, for instance, being robbed, beaten and held captive in his Atlanta apartment. Eggers's limpid prose gives Valentino an unaffected, compelling voice and makes his narrative by turns harrowing, funny, bleak and lyrical. The result is a horrific account of the Sudanese tragedy, but also an emblematic saga of modernity—of the search for home and self in a world of unending upheaval.

this is an amazing selection. and may i say one of the best book cover designs of the year.

dubluke · Post by **dubluke** » Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:03 pm

essential read

http://www.amazon.com/One-Day-Life-Ivan ... 093&sr=8-1

solzehnitsyn was imprisoned in a gulag labour camp in Stalin's Russia for 9 years, for merely remarking to his Colonel that the battle plan for his platoon would lead to a massacre, a political commissar from Moscow (one was assigned to each army unit - in order to quash any anti-Russian sentiment..and to shoot any retreating soldiers for 'cowardice'), overheard this and reported him for spreading 'Anti Russian sentiment'. This book is based on his experiences, put into the form of a description of a fictional charcater's day in a Gulag
i found it very interesting, and an amazing insight into the hard times that many Russians experienced

if you enjoyed the first, and want a more detailed read - if feel you can brave it (very long and intricate - but amazing) also read the Gulag Archipelago - http://www.amazon.com/Gulag-Archipelago ... 335&sr=1-3

another percy - Things Fall Apart - Chinua Achebo

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad (essential for anyone who has seen Apocalypse Now - this was the basis for the epic film)

things fall

frebentos · Post by **frebentos** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:10 pm

Currently reading

Other quality stories included are "The Overcoat" hailed as one of Gogols finest short stories and "The Nose" a hilarious satire, poking fun at 19th Century Russia.

schamotnik · Post by **schamotnik** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 3:28 pm

very good read even if you're not into blur..

andreamia · Post by **andreamia** » Thu Jan 10, 2008 7:07 pm

i secretly wish i could make a living designing book covers.

too bad there's this bullshit:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/sto ... d=11038811

i know it's ecologically minded, but damn. the digital age is encroaching upon even this. not to mention it threatens an entire facet of graphic design and typographic tradition.

boots manuva · Post by **boots manuva** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 2:06 pm

Excellent insight into the restaurant world and life of the chef.

andreamia · Post by **andreamia** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 4:41 pm

boots manuva wrote:Excellent insight into the restaurant world and life of the chef.

YES!

bright maroon · Post by **bright maroon** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 1:09 pm

and still working on this..the long haul type..

..got this for christmas..not to read..is artwork

spooKs · Post by **spooKs** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 4:27 pm

haeckel is sick!

whineo · Post by **whineo** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 5:14 pm

I have a mortal fear of Jellyfish

pdomino · Post by **pdomino** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 3:24 pm

Sounds a bit mad, but a wicked interesting read, like osme of these threads. Latest edition of ....

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

dubengineer · Post by **dubengineer** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 1:51 pm

datura · Post by **datura** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 1:56 pm

i just finished the His Dark Materials trilogy..was good, a bit of a sappy end though.

Toying between starting Flowers for Algernon or The Stars My Destination next..

dubengineer · Post by **dubengineer** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 2:26 pm

spooKs wrote:haeckel is sick!

HAte These f.....s!! Or the parts of them invisible to human eyes floating round in the otherwise perfect water at the beach where im trying to heal my bones after intense booze + loud music + weeeeeeeding for 2 years non stop..

spooKs · Post by **spooKs** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 11:50 pm

scary yeah, when you're swimming but they're well cool creatures though!

pic of a portuguese man o' war my girlfriend's brother found on a beach in west wales the other day:

EDIT: how fucking crazy are these things!!!???

http://www.beachhunter.net/images/thing ... oa_bch.jpg

http://evandunn.com/db4/00322/evandunn. ... War-02.JPG

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/121/3722 ... 7ddc_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/208/4645 ... 7e91da.jpg

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"commonly thought of as a jellyfish but is actually a siphonophore—a colony of specialized polyps and medusoids."

deamonds · Post by **deamonds** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 10:10 am

Quite a good read, am enjoying so far...

method x · Post by **method x** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 12:16 pm

William Gibson - "Mona Liza Overdrive"
Cyberpunk classics)

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