What are you reading at the moment?

Jalapeno

Neal Stephenson - SevenEves

About half-way through, bit of a plod tbh

TheBlueWolf

I was a couple of chapters into 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray' before I forgot all about it ( and other books on my Kindle). I'll start it again.

Also I got 'Terrifying Tales' by Edgar Allan Poe which is great to dip into

boogieman

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi. The story of the Charles Manson Family murders. I'm about 100 pages in and it's gripping stuff, the sheer level of police incompetence is unbelievable though. 

DesVegas

Hunger Games Part 3, ive not read the first 2 or seen the films but I am enjoying this one.

edenfield99

boogieman said:

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi. The story of the Charles Manson Family murders. I'm about 100 pages in and it's gripping stuff, the sheer level of police incompetence is unbelievable though. 

I think that's a bit unfair, I've been watching that documentary on TV and David Duchovney is doing his best!

boogieman

edenfield99 said:

boogieman said:

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi. The story of the Charles Manson Family murders. I'm about 100 pages in and it's gripping stuff, the sheer level of police incompetence is unbelievable though. 

I think that's a bit unfair, I've been watching that documentary on TV and David Duchovney is doing his best!

Ah, I guess that'd be funny, but sadly I don't know anything about the tv thing. In real life the police response and investigation was terrible though.

There were two mass murders, both with very obvious links to the other, but they were being handled by two separate teams who didn't like each other, for various reasons. Intel wasn't shared and the suspects picked up one team weren't followed up by the other for months. The main murder weapon was found by a kid and handed to the police but it was simply filed away for ages, due to miscommunication. A prisoner even shared a cell with one of the murderers, who confessed her involvement, but the police just dismissed it. 

edenfield99

boogieman said:

edenfield99 said:

boogieman said:

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi. The story of the Charles Manson Family murders. I'm about 100 pages in and it's gripping stuff, the sheer level of police incompetence is unbelievable though. 

I think that's a bit unfair, I've been watching that documentary on TV and David Duchovney is doing his best!

Ah, I guess that'd be funny, but sadly I don't know anything about the tv thing. In real life the police response and investigation was terrible though.

There were two mass murders, both with very obvious links to the other, but they were being handled by two separate teams who didn't like each other, for various reasons. Intel wasn't shared and the suspects picked up one team weren't followed up by the other for months. The main murder weapon was found by a kid and handed to the police but it was simply filed away for ages, due to miscommunication. A prisoner even shared a cell with one of the murderers, who confessed her involvement, but the police just dismissed it. 

http://gb.imdb.com/title/tt3768572/

ennspek

Just started the last Rebus by Ian Rankin. Probably my favourite series of books.

SteveRobinson

A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James



Centres around the attempted assassination of Bob Marley then follows the gangsters to the USA.

It's told through the first-person narrative of the characters (and a ghost when no one alive can speak) It's a really great book especially if you want to learn Jamaican swear words.

d8m

jpttaylor

Nearly finished SPQR by Mary Beard. Roman history isn't for everyone but I've been interested since I studied it at A-Level. Full of great tidbits and really well written.

ronnyb

Just wading through Ray Davies 'A complicated life' 768 pages long and he was..... 'complicated'. I always thought Davies's songwriting was somehow eclipsed at the time by being in the same era as the beatles and the stones.   

Grunfeld

quarky said:

I am reading this at the moment. It is a looonnnnggg read, and I am not even half way through yet. Very interesting though, and certainly a good platform to jump off into other things from (Epictetus and Seneca in particular).

@quarky -- I love that book!  Russell's writing, not just there but in all his writing, is so efficient.  The epitome of clarity. 
That said, the book is of its time.  BR is witty about Hegel but doesn't get the point.  Similarly, he misses with German existentialism.

For what it's worth I really like German existentialism.  I know that's a bit like enjoying AC/DC or Tangerine Dream but I'm past caring if it's hip or not. 
Martin Heidegger has something worthwhile to say. 
It's a difficult message because it assumes so much background knowledge BUT BR covers most of it in "History of Western Philosophy" and you'll get the gist of Heidegger if you've read that.

I love this translation of "Being and Time"
Just gonna say that while it may seem impenetrable at first, (the very opposite of Russell's clarity), it unfolds in your mind if you just keep going.   A remarkable text just bloody amazing actually.

quarky

Thanks @Grunfeld ;. Definitely looks like one to add to my list! You are right about Russell, it definitely seems like a book written WW2, especially with the references to Germany, and Greece amongst others. There is just so much information crammed into it. The only problem I have, is that I think the Kindle formatting (I use an app, not a Kindle device) doesn't do it any favours at times, but it is still a great read.

Paul_C

Paul_C said:

The Steel Remains was good, I may well pick up the others.

 I'm currently enjoying Saturn's Children - Charles Stross.

Saturn's Children very good, one of those books where knowing you've only read the first of many books by the author is a cause for celebration

Next up it's time for The Song of Phaid the Gambler - Mick Farren.

m_c

It's interesting to see philosophy books being discussed here, as I've just bought a copy of The Problems of Philosophy by Russell.

I started reading it yesterday, but given it's the first time I've ever considered anything philosophy related and I was a bit tired by the time I picked it up, I quickly realised it's going to be a read for when the brain's feeling a bit more alert.

@Grunfeld it's actually German Existentialism, that I'm interested in, but I thought I'd better start with something a bit more general/beginner friendly. It was actually Nietzsche's God is Dead statement that got me intrigued about philosophy, so if you've got any recommendations for suitable books, I'll add them to my shopping list.

ICBM

Just finished:

The Silk Roads - A New History Of The World, by Peter Frankopan

A whistle-stop tour of the last few thousand years in central Asia along and around the route of the Silk Road, basically - and how events there have critically shaped the rest of the world as well as being shaped by it. The second half which deals with the modern era should be required reading for any politician involved in foreign affairs… basically how every Western and Russian (and even a bit of Chinese) attempt at interference in the region from the Middle East to the western edge of China via Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan has been at best counterproductive and at worst outright catastrophic. For some reason there seems to be a massive blind spot about learning anything from past experience. Fascinating and somewhat depressing at the same time.

Philly_Q

ICBM said:

Just finished:

The Silk Roads - A New History Of The World, by Peter Frankopan

That's interesting.  I sort of know - or know of, really - Peter Frankopan, through work.  I had no idea he was an author or historian.

BigLicks67

Sea Room by Adam Nicolson.
 A biog/history of the Shiant Islands, which are just off the coast of the Isle of Harris in the Minch.

d8m

As of tomorrow morning...
This:




Hope I get to see the stage production eventually but until then this will have to suffice.