Reply to: What are your recent good reads?

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Who moved my Blackberry?

[OwlHoot]

Last week read The Afghan Campaign, by Steven Pressfield, a novel about Alexander the Great's three year campaign to conquer Afghanistan.

Absolutely brilliant, and so vivid you could imagine you were there, battling ten foot snow drifts while crossing the Hindu Kush. I actually started to feel quite chilly in that part, and had to turn the hot tap with my toe to top up the bath.

Also, Creature of the Night, a novel by Kate Thompson, intended for teenage readers admittedly but very well written and highly readable nonetheless.

Shortened synopsis from that Wikipedia page:

Bobby, the fourteen-year-old narrator, is a thief and a hooligan. When his mother moves him and his young brother to a cottage in rural Ireland ... and is given work by a local farmer. The cottage they are living in is on a path between two fairy forts. The family is warned by the farmer’s mother to put out a bowl of milk for the fairies every night, but rashly they consider this a mere superstition ...

[Lockhouse]

Into Thin Air: A personal account of the Everest disaster - updated 2nd edition: Amazon.co.uk: Jon Krakauer: Books

Highly recommended (no pun intended).

[Clare@InTouch]

Requiem for a Dream - not exactly a happy story, but the writing is superb.

[SpontaneousOrder]

Best stuff i read was a compendium of John Steinbeck novels, especially Tortilla Flat and Cannery Row. Really enjoyable stories and great characters. Got them all for a tenner from one of those book club things that come round clientco's every once in a while.

'East of Eden' is on my todo list.

[barrydidit]

I meant hard because of the atrocities that happened. Funnily enough my experience with Moby dick was exactly the same as yours!

Another +1 re Herman Melville. The only book I ever gave up on in disgust. And that was on a family holiday in france when it was the only entertainment I had - 2 weeks ploughing through it and he still hadn't caught the bloody thing

For the ww2 stuff I've read Beevor's Stalingrad and Berlin. I like his style mixing large scale tactical movements with first hand contemporary accounts to illustrate the effect of events on individuals. I've got halfway though Churchills (6 volume) memoirs but that's really heavy going albeit with some gems hidden in there, particularly the correspondence with Roosevelt.

Best stuff i read was a compendium of John Steinbeck novels, especially Tortilla Flat and Cannery Row. Really enjoyable stories and great characters. Got them all for a tenner from one of those book club things that come round clientco's every once in a while.

[Gibbon]

If anyone like ancient history then I recommend Tom Holland's books (rubicon, persian fire, etc). Excellent mix of history and narrative to pack in the facts with the probabilities and the drama to make it an enjoyable read.

Lightweight fluff.

Lucan is a much better read.

[MyUserName]

I don't know if you mean hard because it;s hard work, or hard because the atrocities suck. But it reminded me that I started reading Moby Dick but had to give up because it was just too much effort (the old language). It was a shame because i really wanted to read it, noting that Captain Piccard felt compelled to quote it all the time.

I meant hard because of the atrocities that happened. Funnily enough my experience with Moby dick was exactly the same as yours!

[mudskipper]

The Age of Wonder: Amazon.co.uk: Richard Holmes: Books

Started it ages ago, but stuff got in the way - just got round to picking it up again - amazing what can be achieved with a bit of arrogance and self-belief.

[Cliphead]

This Thing of Darkness

[mickey]

Beavor's WWII is absolutely brilliant if you like history.

Thanks for the Chris B idea.

I think Beevor is way too depressive for the winter months

[Spacecadet]

Almost finished Taken on Trust by Terry Waite.
Fantastic book, Waite is a surprisingly good writer and keeps the action going between his "hostage story" and his biography.

[NotAllThere]

Most recent one that I would really recommend is 'the theoretical minimum' by Loenard Susskind. Anyone with an interest in physics who didn't take it beyond a level, or even an a level student, will enjoy it.

On my "to do when I've got the time to go through the exercises" list.

Just read "The Carpet Makers" by Andreas Eschbach - the English translation; the original is German.

[doodab]

Most recent one that I would really recommend is 'the theoretical minimum' by Loenard Susskind. Anyone with an interest in physics who didn't take it beyond a level, or even an a level student, will enjoy it.

[SpontaneousOrder]

Beavor's WWII is absolutely brilliant if you like history.

Reading Chris Brookmyre's Bedlam at the mo. Very, very good (like almost all of his), esp if you're a bloke, like technology, and grew up in the 80s

If anyone like ancient history then I recommend Tom Holland's books (rubicon, persian fire, etc). Excellent mix of history and narrative to pack in the facts with the probabilities and the drama to make it an enjoyable read.