Reply to: CUK Book Club: Currently reading...

[DoctorStrangelove]

Done: funny old place the Caucasus . Written in 1994 before the advent of Putin.

Next: "A delicate truth" by J. Le Carre.

I must be getting old: I'm finding this one quite confusing. Have to leaf back through it remind myself WTF is going on, who's doing the needful going, and who the feck anyone is. And then, suddenly, it's 3 years later. .

It's odd how these books somehow grind to a halt for weeks for some reason. 20/11/24.

Done, finally. Odd sort of book really. I may have to read it again before it meets Oxfam.

Next: "The Night Manager" by J. Le Carre (1993).

In a fit of complete insanity (though who would notice?) I bought two copies of this 4 weeks apart for no readily apparent reason, it being ticked off on the list in my pocket. Ho very hum.

[sadkingbilly]

His early ones were pretty good. His latest one had interesting moments, but over all pretty poor.

yep, not so great.
his collaboration with C stross was good, that's why i tried him.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Done: off to Oxfam with it.

Next: "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen E. Ambrose. This one's about the Lewis & Clarke expedition "from sea to shining sea" some 20 years before Douglas did it in the opposite direction whilst collecting samples of vegetation.

So far it's full of stuff about The Evil British, as one might expect.

100 pages in before the journey begins.

And by page 331 we've reached the Pacific having canoed down the Columbia River.

If the Native Americans had any sense they'd have killed them all. But there you go.

Journey ends at page 440, then there's 100 pages of What Happened Next.

Spoiler: it doesn't End Well for Lewis.

Done: off to Oxfam with it.

Next: "Crazy Horse & Custer" by Stephen E. Ambrose. 1975. When he still had curly hair as witnessed by his appearance on World at War.

It's all about General Custard. The Glory Hunter. And Crazy Horse, the chap who did away with him.

483 pages in this one as opposed to 438 in the previous one, which was written 20 years later.

I almost decided to read "When Britain burned the Whitehouse" but thought better of it.

The Septic exceptionalism is becoming somewhat tedious.

From the sounds of it the Native Americans had a fairly decent life until it was fecked up by something approaching genocide.

[NotAllThere]

now reading 'down and out in the magic kingdom' by cory doctorow.

His early ones were pretty good. His latest one had interesting moments, but over all pretty poor.

[sadkingbilly]

now reading 'down and out in the magic kingdom' by cory doctorow.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Done: very probably off to Oxfam with it.

Next: "Second Foundation" by I. Asimov. This one was 3/6d. (That's 17.5p by the way).

More Mule.

I remembered recently that in the long ago when I originally read this stuff I thought there really was an "Encyclopaedia Galactica" that you could look in to find the references.

Ah, the innocence of youth. Must have been about 11 or 12 at the time.

I'm not sure but I think it was the first of the trilogy that I read, long long ago. Possibly indicated by it being 3/6d as opposed to the 5/- of Foundation & Empire.

Done: off to Oxfam with it.

Next: TBD.

[sadkingbilly]

qntm- especially "There is no antimemetic division".
Derek Künksen - The Quantum Magician

DK very good, - thanks - will read more.
qntm on my list.
just reread the Hyperion Cantos by dan simmons, which my namesake has a bit part in. - as good as i remember the first time around.*

*god botherers may disagree

[DoctorStrangelove]

Done: well 80% of it, the Merchants story isn't included. Fixed by buying "Foundation" for £9.99.

Next: "Foundation & Empire" by Isaac Asimov: this one was 5/-.

Done: very probably off to Oxfam with it.

Next: "Second Foundation" by I. Asimov. This one was 3/6d. (That's 17.5p by the way).

More Mule.

I remembered recently that in the long ago when I originally read this stuff I thought there really was an "Encyclopaedia Galactica" that you could look in to find the references.

Ah, the innocence of youth. Must have been about 11 or 12 at the time.

[vetran]

Rachel Reeves CV it was in the fiction section!

Next Mandelson's Mortgage application and B'liars Dodgy Dossier.

Truthfully still on the black widowers not had time to finish.

[NotAllThere]

Patriot by Alexei Navalny

It's surprisingly upbeat and even funny. It reminds me of the old joke:

English - I will die for my country
French - I will die for honour
Italian - I will die for love
Russian - I will die

[DoctorStrangelove]

That was the theory: I bought "Foundation" by I. Asimov this afternoon: it was a bit more expensive than 5/-, costing £9.99 which is 40 times the old price.

A bargain so I can read "The Merchant Princes", the story omitted from "The 1000 year Plan".

Done: very probably off to Oxfam with it.

Next: TBD.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Having ground to a halt on the above:

"The 1000 year Plan" by Isaac Asimov / "No world of their own" by Poul Anderson in an ACE Double of 1955.

Turns out "The 1000 year plan" is, in fact, "Foundation", or rather 80% of Foundation, the last section being missing.

My copy of "Foundation" was "borrowed" by someone 30 years ago and I'm too mean to pay £10 for a replacement (the original was probably 3/6d or even 5/- ).

That was the theory: I bought "Foundation" by I. Asimov this afternoon: it was a bit more expensive than 5/-, costing £9.99 which is 40 times the old price.

A bargain so I can read "The Merchant Princes", the story omitted from "The 1000 year Plan".

Meanwhile the reading of "Foundation & Empire" has ground to a halt with the advent of The Mule. .


I resisted the opportunity to purchase some Poul Anderson epics, and easily resisted the temptation to purchase "Lucifer's Hammer" or "The Mote around Murchison's Eye"* despite both being in charity emporia in that Swansea.

*Correction: this one is in Neath. And it's still there even yet.

[DoctorStrangelove]

Having ground to a halt on the above:

"The 1000 year Plan" by Isaac Asimov / "No world of their own" by Poul Anderson in an ACE Double of 1955.

Turns out "The 1000 year plan" is, in fact, "Foundation", or rather 80% of Foundation, the last section being missing.

My copy of "Foundation" was "borrowed" by someone 30 years ago and I'm too mean to pay £10 for a replacement (the original was probably 3/6d or even 5/- ).

Done: well 80% of it, the Merchants story isn't included.

Next: "Foundation & Empire" by Isaac Asimov: this one was 5/-.

[Snooky]

I just read Slow Horses

very good

gonna try some John Le Carre now

Milan.

Hopefully you've also been watching the series on Apple TV? I'm currently working my way through season 4

[NotAllThere]

Cheers, I'll check out qntm and DK.
read all the rest*
don't get the fuss over cixin liu. I found it turgidly bogged down in social angst.

*up to Oct '24

I liked the first book. But yes, the second and third are a bit harder going. qntm can be read online. qtm.org