What are you reading?

[Nervous Wreck]

I'm reading Frank Herbert's Dune for fun. I'm also reading Louann Brizendine's The Female Brain as well as Norman Doidge's The Brain That Changes Itself. The workings of the human brain are my newest interests.

[John]

Dune is an amazing book. The last brain-related book I read was John Ratey's A User's Guide to the Brain. It's over a decade old at this point, but I think it's still worth reading..

For myself, I've been reading Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher series lately, since I've finally started playing the video games and wanted to know the backstory. Some of the translation is a bit weird, but it's been mostly enjoyable so far anyway.

 

Also, in terms of nonfiction, I've just started William Cook's In Pursuit of the Traveling Salesman, which (as the name implies) is about computational complexity. Reviews on Amazon say it's a pretty decent book, recreational in tone but with some real substance. I'm only two chapters in so far, though, so I'll have to wait and see.

Edited January 26, 2015 by John

[Sensei]

I'm reading Frank Herbert's Dune for fun.

 

Dune is actually series of 6 books made by Frank Herbert (and even more by his son).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_%28franchise%29

Reading 1st volume is just beginning.

It's hard IMHO (1st the easiest).

[Endy0816]

Reading China Miéville's the City & the City. A crazy setting with two cities existing unseen around one another.

 

Do some digging and find there's a whole area within my own city I didn't know about... What the?

[imatfaal]

Reading China Miéville's the City & the City. A crazy setting with two cities existing unseen around one another.

 

Do some digging and find there's a whole area within my own city I didn't know about... What the?

 

I live in London and Un Lun Dun is quite believable - I love China Mieville esecially embassytown and the iron council series. I hope you are just starting reading him cos then you have a great few books ahead of you.

[swansont]

Just finished As You Wish by Cary Elwes. Light reading, but a fun look behind the scenes of the making of "The Princess Bride"

[CharonY]

 

I live in London and Un Lun Dun is quite believable - I love China Mieville esecially embassytown and the iron council series. I hope you are just starting reading him cos then you have a great few books ahead of you.

 

I wished he had written more books. But then, maybe if he did I wished he didn't. Also now that Terry Pratchett died, my list of living favorite authors are getting slashed heavily....

[imatfaal]

 

I wished he had written more books. But then, maybe if he did I wished he didn't. Also now that Terry Pratchett died, my list of living favorite authors are getting slashed heavily....

 

Iain Banks and Terry Pratchett - two of my absolute favourites gone far too early; and of course Douglas Adams all those years ago

[DrP]

'Redshirts' by John Scalzi.

 

I don't often post here, but this one is recommended for any Sci Fi fan... particularly if you are a Star Trek nerd. It is very funny.

 

Certain crew members of the Starship Intrepid work out the unexplainable high mortality rate of new crew members when on away team missions. Eventually they figure out that they are part of a TV show chronicling the adventures of the 5 main crew members of the Starship Intrepid. The stars of the show never die... but if you are new to the crew and end up on an away mission with one of the main characters then you can expect not return. They plan a daring mission back through time to speak to the writers of the show in an attempt not to get killed off.

[CharonY]

 

Iain Banks and Terry Pratchett - two of my absolute favourites gone far too early; and of course Douglas Adams all those years ago

 

Bloody hell. Are you me? My thoughts precisely.

 

Edit: realized that we probably have discussed these authors at one point or another. But yeah, those were my absolute favorites and I was glad finding China Mievielle, but have not found another "go-to" author. Due to time constraints I have gotten more picky in the books that I get, since I really want to enjoy that time that I got...

Edited April 21, 2015 by CharonY

[imatfaal]

 

Bloody hell. Are you me? My thoughts precisely.

 

Edit: realized that we probably have discussed these authors at one point or another. But yeah, those were my absolute favorites and I was glad finding China Mievielle, but have not found another "go-to" author. Due to time constraints I have gotten more picky in the books that I get, since I really want to enjoy that time that I got...

 

I got myself in the trap of not having enough time to read what I wanted a few years back - the kindle cured that. Always having a book to hand meant that 5 minute gaps became reading opportunities. I buy books on kindle at a silly rate and read a fair percentage - I also do not worry about abandoning half way through if it just isn't doing it for me. I use audible as well so that exercise time and travel time is also reading time

 

I presume you have "done" William Gibson - his early stuff is just revolutionary.

[CharonY]

William Gibson? Of course. I also like his new stuff, though probably nothing was as powerful as Neuromancer when it came out (was a different time, too, I guess). I also kind of liked Richard Morgan and really like Tim Powers and Neil Gaiman (though the last couple of books had a very similar feel). My problem is that the 5 min reading time (I also got a kindle and a tablet with kindle app) is often filled with reading papers or (oh god) student reports...

 

I do have a huge backlog but found myself abandoning books at a much higher rate. I used to finish every book in the hopes that they get better at one point another but just cannot bring myself to do that anymore. I may be missing out on stuff that way, though. With authors like Pratchett and Banks I just knew that I could buy the book immediately and am going to enjoy the ride.

[hypervalent_iodine]

 

I got myself in the trap of not having enough time to read what I wanted a few years back - the kindle cured that. Always having a book to hand meant that 5 minute gaps became reading opportunities. I buy books on kindle at a silly rate and read a fair percentage - I also do not worry about abandoning half way through if it just isn't doing it for me. I use audible as well so that exercise time and travel time is also reading time

 

I presume you have "done" William Gibson - his early stuff is just revolutionary.

 

Love Audible. I use it to listen to books in the lab if I'm doing something especially monotonous. Makes the bus more pleasant too, since I can't read on buses without getting sick.

[kisai]

My casual reading book at the moment is Why the West Rules For Now by Ian Morris.

[zapatos]

Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanley and Livingstone by Martin Dugard

[Bill Angel]

An excellent book that I just finished reading is

 

Instant: The Story of Polaroid by Christopher Bonanos

http://www.polaroidland.net/the-book/

 

Edwin Land, the founder of Polaroid, was a role model for Steve Jobs, and the author develops a picture of Edwin Land that illustrates some of the similarities in how Land and Jobs ran their respective companies and promoted their products. The book isn't just about personalities however. The author makes an effort to explain to a general audience how the different systems for instant photography that Polaroid developed worked, as well as each of the systems' strengths and weaknesses.

[pavelcherepan]

Commentarii de Bello Gallico - absolutely fantastic read about a really interesting period in history and written by the man in charge. While no being very descriptive of the surroundings and general life in Gaul, Caesar gives some great insights into local politics in Gaul at the time and first-hand view on all the battles and sieges. It's written in a slightly weird manner with Caesar referring to himself in a third person and also uses some pronouns, specifically "he" way too often, especially considering the fact that he refers to himself as "he" too. In many cases this makes it a bit hard to understand who he's actually talking about.

 

But it's still a really awesome read, wish I'd read it sooner, and after I finish this one, Commentarii de Bello Civili is going to follow

 

EDIT: Before reading the book Caesar in my personal rankings held top marks for his skill as politician and tactician and slightly lower for strategic planning (due to being cut off from supplies and reinforcements in Greece and besieged in Egypt). After reading, though, I have even higher regard for his skill of tactician, because winning battles against overwhelming odds and such a blatant disregard for reconnaissance is nothing short of brilliance. Twice being ambushed by an army that he's been chasing? Being besieged, while besieging a city himself? Really?

Edited May 18, 2015 by pavelcherepan

[CharonY]

Are you reading it in Latin or a translation? In the original I seem to recall that the third person use was not terribly confusing at all. But then I mostly remember the first few paragraphs as we had memorize them for class, so I may be misremembering.

You may also be interested in "The Secret History of the Mongols" which was written after Ghengis Khan's death for the Mongol royal family. Or about Mongol warfare in general. Winning against overwhelming odds was kind of their thing for a very long stretch of time.

[pavelcherepan]

Are you reading it in Latin or a translation? In the original I seem to recall that the third person use was not terribly confusing at all. But then I mostly remember the first few paragraphs as we had memorize them for class, so I may be misremembering.

You may also be interested in "The Secret History of the Mongols" which was written after Ghengis Khan's death for the Mongol royal family. Or about Mongol warfare in general. Winning against overwhelming odds was kind of their thing for a very long stretch of time.

 

Unfortunately, my couple attempts to learn Latin have ended in disasters so I have to resort to the English translation, which gets a bit confusing at times. I've read quite a bit about Ghenghis Khan' campaigns in China and also quite a bit about the Golden Horde, but thanks for the suggestion, I'll definitely have a look at that one!

[CharonY]

In some ways I found the history surrounding the Mongol empire even more fascinating than that of the Romans. The latter had the most sophisticated military (for about a millennium) and much of it was down to superior organization and tactics. All backed by a strong economy. The mongols on the other hand started off as nomads (though well-versed in warfare) who initially were illiterate (until Temujin) and picked up everything required to build an empire and things like siege warfare in one go. Finally resulting in an empire that shaped European as well as Asian history on a massive scale.

[Endy0816]

 

Just started. A real page turner though.

[overtone]

"Plainwater" Ann Carson

 

"Snuff" - The last book of the Discworld series, Terry Pratchett.

 

The Carson book may be (after future rereading and thought, which it deserves) the latest addition to my short shelf of "solos"; ( criteria: uniquely inspired, strange or weird, slim and concise, very well written in English, and elegant. Typical members: "Grendel", "Far Tortuga", Leguin's "Tao Te Ching", "The Miner's Pale Children", Rubin's "Principles of Mathematical Analysis", Shakespeare's "Sonnets".) It's a compilation of a couple of compilations of short quasi-essays, or possibly near-poems, or muse-addled journal/travelogue entries. It fits in my hip pocket, and enchants.

 

The Pratchett book I began to read to complete the set, expecting and finding bad news, with a heavy heart as they say. I doubt I will finish it, on principle. By the numbers, it's many people's first or only encounter with his stuff, and that's a shame - this is not the book people should remember as Terry Pratchett's work. There is a dark fascination in comparing it with his earlier writing, and the differences are not at all what I expected - instead of simpler, less dense in jokes, less layered and allusive, confused or burdened with holes in plot, he became wordy and thorough and more completely descriptive. The jokes are still there, and in essence as fun and clever and complicated as ever - but now they are set up and laid out at length, repeated for emphasis, even explained. The characters deliver their thinking in speeches, or have it described to us in detail. The reader is not trusted to pick up on things, catch a hint. He shows as of old, but then he goes on to tell, in case we missed something.

 

In a sense it reads like a draft of one of his books - it's easy to imagine him removing about a third of the prose on any given page, tightening things up, and getting to the real Pratchett pace - but the trouble goes deeper: he has lost track of his characters. Fans of Pratchett will know what is implied by this example: he has Sam Vimes bragging and boasting.

 

I was almost wanting to cry, when it occurred to me that the backstory might be calming: it's possible that Pratchett did not write all this stuff. He had help, toward the end, and in addition to being unable to edit as masterfully as Pratchett himself they may have padded his prose. That would explain a lot.

Edited July 14, 2015 by overtone

[GnothiSeauton]

Arabian Sands, Wilfred Thesiger - it is really good travel book

[Janus]

"Plainwater" Ann Carson

 

"Snuff" - The last book of the Discworld series, Terry Pratchett.

 

The Carson book may be (after future rereading and thought, which it deserves) the latest addition to my short shelf of "solos"; ( criteria: uniquely inspired, strange or weird, slim and concise, very well written in English, and elegant. Typical members: "Grendel", "Far Tortuga", Leguin's "Tao Te Ching", "The Miner's Pale Children", Rubin's "Principles of Mathematical Analysis", Shakespeare's "Sonnets".) It's a compilation of a couple of compilations of short quasi-essays, or possibly near-poems, or muse-addled journal/travelogue entries. It fits in my hip pocket, and enchants.

 

The Pratchett book I began to read to complete the set, expecting and finding bad news, with a heavy heart as they say. I doubt I will finish it, on principle. By the numbers, it's many people's first or only encounter with his stuff, and that's a shame - this is not the book people should remember as Terry Pratchett's work. There is a dark fascination in comparing it with his earlier writing, and the differences are not at all what I expected - instead of simpler, less dense in jokes, less layered and allusive, confused or burdened with holes in plot, he became wordy and thorough and more completely descriptive. The jokes are still there, and in essence as fun and clever and complicated as ever - but now they are set up and laid out at length, repeated for emphasis, even explained. The characters deliver their thinking in speeches, or have it described to us in detail. The reader is not trusted to pick up on things, catch a hint. He shows as of old, but then he goes on to tell, in case we missed something.

 

In a sense it reads like a draft of one of his books - it's easy to imagine him removing about a third of the prose on any given page, tightening things up, and getting to the real Pratchett pace - but the trouble goes deeper: he has lost track of his characters. Fans of Pratchett will know what is implied by this example: he has Sam Vimes bragging and boasting.

 

I was almost wanting to cry, when it occurred to me that the backstory might be calming: it's possible that Pratchett did not write all this stuff. He had help, toward the end, and in addition to being unable to edit as masterfully as Pratchett himself they may have padded his prose. That would explain a lot.

"Snuff" is not the last book of the series. "Raising Steam" came after that, and his final book has been yet to be released.

[CharonY]

Indeed. Also, I disagree to a large extent with the criticism. His later nightwatch novels were always less about jokes but much more about social criticism wrapped in murder mystery. And, to me, he delivered that in spades. His earlier works were more fanciful maybe, but less refined and less pointed. In the latter he has established his world but may seem a bit redundant in its description for those that have read all his book. However, for newcomers the added layer is important to get into Discworld,