What are you reading?
 

I've been on a massive noir kick recently and have been burning through several authors at an alarming rate. In the last few months, I've caught up on all of Michael Connelly's and Robert Crais's books (Harry Bosch and Elvis Cole are their respective main characters - the two author's are friends IRL and the characters have cameo's in each others stories) and have read quite a few of Ian Rankin and James Ellroy's stories (and for a laugh, Lawrence Block's Bernie Rodenbarr is always good filler).

Lately I've been reading books by a bloke called Dennis Lehane (probably most known for penning "Mystic River") who writes gritty detective thrillers (Mystic River is not part of his main series, which stars Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro) - these books are significantly more brutal than the other authors I've listed above but are pretty damn awesome - his first novel, "A Drink Before The War" is not his best by a long shot but they definitely warrant being read in order.

Santa bought me Bryce Courtenay's "Sylvia" which I'm slightly ambivalent about but will probably get finished before I go back to work.

On the sci-fi side, I'm filling in the gaps waiting for the next Robin Hobb and GRRM books by reading Lois McMaster Bujold - her books are filling the sour taste left from some of David Weber's Honor Harrington books which have turned into just rambling messes.

/me stares at the pile of Tad Williams and China Mieville in the corner

iWoz - although I've seen it all before on Pirates of Silicon Valley, and read it in the Silicon Boys and the Valley of Dreams and some Apple book I got about 6 years ago at Xmas time.

I finished reading Forest Mage (Robin Hobb) and instantly cursed the timing, given the next one isn't due until July - want it now, damnit.

I'm also re-reading my way through the Discworld novels (with many thanks to the librarian chiQ).

Other recent ones are John Case's latest, Dance of Death (or Ghost Dancer for the US version), The Algebraist by Iain M Banks, and The Templar Legacy by Steve Perry - part of the rush of books about that period after the success of The Da Vinci Code, but pretty good in it's own right.

Lastly, but by no means least, re-reading the first of the Midkemian books (Magician, Silverthorn, Darkness at Sethanon). I think I'll carry on that with the next series after the current Discworld attack.

Did LordP just call chiQ an Orangutan?

Currently: Wilbur Smith - Men of Men

The Game - Neil Strauss.

Sophie's Choice

"The World According To Clarkson Volume 2: And Another Thing" by Jeremy Clarkson.

In the rotation (I just basically grab whichever one is nearest and pick up where I left off) at the moment is...

D. M. Stafford, "Te Arawa: A History of the Arawa People" (the definitive work on Bay of Plenty Maori history)

Brian Maracle, "Crazywater: Native Voices on Addiction and Recovery" (horror stories of Native American alcoholism and the impact of alcoholism on native communities in Canada)

Brian Cruver, "Enron: Anatomy of Greed" (an insider's view of the corporate meltdown)

Ron Palenski, "Dan Carter" (Xmas present :) )

Tom Clancy, "Debt of Honor" (hey, it's the holidays... I need some mindless pulp to read while beside the pool)

Currently - Daniel Defoe: Robinson Crusoe.
- Hadn't read this through school/uni, so decided to give it a crack. It's a good read, but only in an 'important literary work' kind of way. It's hard to have empathy with an 18th-century bigoted zealot racist.

Next - Michael King: The Penguin History of New Zealand.
- Decided I wanted to read this after being embarrassed when asked by people overseas about NZ's history, and found I had massive gaps or hazy fragments. Big ups to the xmas gift-givers who are probably lurkers reading this _b :)

And after that - Ben Elton: Chart Throb.
- Another xmas gift, and probably just the frivolous fluff I'll need after the previous two.

Edit: oh, and soon to be bought with a view to 'snack-reading' my way through it is - Stephen Fry: The Ode Less Travelled.
I love Stephen Fry (just not in that way), and this book looks like an awesome study of how to write poetry. It seems to dispense with the wank (both the intellectual elitism and the touchy-feely "just give it a go, anything you write is fantastic" BS) and just get on with the basic mechanics and some good tips and tricks.

Just finished:
New Zealand Autocar Jan '07
L.E. Modesitt Jr. - The Eternity Artifact (Fairly meh)
Mike Carey - The Devil You Know: A Felix Castor Novel (Amusing)
Fiona McIntosh - Odalisque: Percheron Book One (Robin Hobb fans will like this one)

Current:
John Birmingham - Weapons Of Choice: World War 2.1 (Tight writing, consistent, doesn't actually have time-travel despite what the read-up looks like - recommended)
Alastair Reynolds - Pushing Ice (gritty space opera)
WROX Press: Professional C# 2005 (Clear, mostly concise, great examples, good techniques reference)

Next:
Neal Asher - The Voyage of the Sable Keech
John Birmingham - Designated Targets: World War 2.2

Just finished "wintersmith"

Crivins ya scunner!

hahaha that book is wicked. :)
Read the mystery method next.

I'm reading: Who cut the cheese? which is a lead on from 'who moved my cheese?'

Having no Internet for 6 months let me plough my way through a whole bunch...

The Algebraist - Ian M Banks (good hard sf)
Learning The World - Ken Mcleod (new sf)
Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds (more good hard sf)
most of The Dresden Files books - Jim Butcher (funny stories about a modern day wizard in chicago)
The DaVinci Code - Dan Brown (I'm sure you know all about this one)
The Gun Seller - Hugh Laurie (different, but funny)
Silent Bob Speaks: The Collected Writings of Kevin Smith (really funny!)

Currently reading Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds (next one on from Revelation Space)

re-re-re-re-re-reading American Gods - Neil Gaiman

The Interstellar Patrol series by Christopher Anvil from the 60's (re-released by Baen)

We Few (the final, I assume, in the "March" series) by David Weber and John Ringo

The Shadow of the Lion - Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint and Dave Freer

Watch Across the Rhine - John Ringo

and I generally pick up old, loved books and re-read bits of them (like Belgariad, any of the Feist books, Sven Hassel, Gemmell, etc).

Finished Wintersmith yesterday and the Art of Discworld today. Back to reading Wizards and Glass (Dark Tower series - Stephen King).

heheh - finished that a wee while back. The wife is reading it atm.

Also just finished Al Pacino Biography "A Life on the Wire"... very interesting.

Currently reading Lee Child's The Hard Way. (Jack Reacher rocks!)



Then it'll be onto some more re-reading of Pterry.

Swords against the Senate : Rise of the roman army and the fall of the republic.

Reading in short bursts. I've fallen out of the habit of reading for stretches and am currently suffering post xmas sugar rush ADD. Good book though.

Plowing through Hunters of Dune.
I wanted a nice wrap up of Dune, but not like this. Not like this...

Then I'll probably start re-re-reading the Death Gate Cycle of books again.

Are these Herbert Junior and his hack partner in crime? I read two or three of those prequels then underwent a series of retro-phrenological experiments in an effort to purge the memory of them from my mind.

getting the train to work has given me new found reading time , so this year I have read more books then I have in the previous 10. Im currently reading Crime & Punishmen - Fyodor Dostoevsky. I read The Brothers Karamazov mid year and really enjoyed it so thought id read this over christmas.

Salman Rushdie's The Ground Beneath Her Feet & Carl Hiaasen's Nature Girl.

Jack Higgins - Without Mercy
Lorenzo Carcaterra - Sleepers

NZGames

i bought the Bill Clinton autobiography from the Warehouse for 15 bucks last night. Ive wanted to read it for some time now and havent seen it for less than 50 anywhere :)

Im reading this right now.

Jugs magazine...

C

Scar Tissue

I don't usually have much time for reading due to all the tv time I require, but recently made the effort to read the Gordon Ramsay Autobiography "Humble Pie"...was quite interesting. I like that guy.

After pottering thru Dark Tower for 3 years I've decided to finish them. I'm 2/3 thru Wolves of the Calla and got the final 2 lined up.

I'm reading "The Code Book" by Simon Singh, after reading his books "Big Bang" and "Fermat's Last Theorem" in record time (for me).

Currently reading Cell by Stephen King. So far so _b

Battleaxe by Sara Douglass

A very good book however there is three in the series and the first book finishes on a high and you desperately want to read the 2nd book.

My issue at the moment is I can't find it!!!

The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins, quite interesting to see how skewed the reviews are, I want to say dishonest even.

and

Sin City, my sister bought me the set of books for christmas, read The Long Hard Goodbye so far, really impressed how well the film captured the book. There are only like 5 pages that didn't make the film.

a series of unfortunate events
books 1 - 3

just finished 'Call of the Weird' Travels in American Subculture.

Recently finished the Alphabet of Manliness. Now I'm reading The God Delusion.

The World of Karl Pilkington, published by Ricky Gervais

got through about half of that book. He makes very good points, but what ruins it for me is that he gets just as passionate about it as some of the fundies, with the arm flailing and the name calling.

Presently re-reading Fiests Empire trilogy and might go on to re-read the Riftwar saga.

Over the last year or so:-
The elements of moral philosophy - James Rachels
Prosperity for all? - Brain Roper
How to defend humane ideals - James Flynn
The road to serfdom - F.A Hayek
NZ Government & Politics - Raymond Miller
Unhealthy Societies - Richard Wilkinson
Under the Influence - John D. Goldhammer
Wealth of Nations - Adam Smith
Capital - Karl Marx
Crown of Stars (series) - Kate Elliot
Capitalism & Freedom - Milton Friedman
Principals of Economics - R.H Frank & Ben Bernanke
The Republic - Plato
Utilitarianism - J.S Mill
The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
Nature - J.S Mill
Leviathin - Thomas Hobbes
Aristotle:-

• Metaphysics
• Nicomachean Ethics
• Politics

And, of course,
The Hollow Men - Nicky Hager