Last book you read

[J1]

I figured it might be interesting to see what other MDB fans read. So hence this question: what was the last book you read? Was it good? What did you (not) like about it? Who should read it?

[Lycaon]

The last book I finished is HP and The Deathly Hallows, the one I'm reading atm is called "The Lies of Locke Lamora."

Anyone likes David Gemell in here?

[Lycaon]

the one I'm reading atm is called "The Lies of Locke Lamora."

That's a great book! They are all so cynical and selfish, I love it. What do you think about it?

Well, there are too many deaths for my liking but so far it's kind of ok. It's not the best I've read in my live, but it certainly is unique. The theme is really brilliant.

[Lycaon]

@ Sartavos, 'Waylander is great indeed, briliant character. But since David Gemmel died that so long ago, he wont be able to finish the Troy trilogy I'm affraid...

[Larth]

Am reading "White Line Fever" by Lemmy at the moment..

[catherine]

uhm...let's see....Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

[Oblivion]

Diego Marani - Nuova Grammatica Finlandese (New Finnish Grammar)

the title is really weird, being it a novel...but it's great...profoundly sad, dark, real.

[Lycaon]

Le Tour Du Monde en 80 Jours by Jules Verne, classic one:)

[Larth]

Reading "Journey" by James A. Michener again. An exciting book..

[Pervasive Invader]

I'm reading the BRUCE DICKINSON biography "Flashing Metal With Iron Maiden & Flying Solo" by Joe Shooman
It's a very in-depth and insightful read.
****1/2 stars

[J1]

I just started in "Ivoren Wachters" ("Ivory Guardians") by Simon Vestdijk (I found my old collection of cheap editions of Dutch literature classics in my parents' attic the other day).

[Larth]

I'm reading "Cujo" by Stephen King again. Third time or so..

[BornTooLate]

'Papirvegger' by the swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist.

[Lycaon]

Scott Lynch - Red Seas under Red Skies. Very good book. As far as I know the film rights of this book has already been sold. Who else read this by the way?

[Larth]

"Ghosts caught on film" by Melvyn Willin

It's a book with and about photos that might show ghosts. I can recommend it and even if I'm more on the sceptical side as far as this subject is concerned, I must say that some of these pictures can't be explained logically.



Creepy..

[Lycaon]

Ironhand's Daughter by David Gemmell, just as good as the rest of his work. Briliant writer, too bad he passed away.

[Lycaon]

Haven't read anything lately, too busy writing my own stories.

[Larth]

"Der Steppenwolf" by Hermann Hesse

Very intelligent book..

[J1]

Reading "Satanic Verses" by Salman Rushdie, .

He is from the Middle-East.. He is arabian..!!!

Actually, no, he is not. Salman Rushdie is British, born in India. He is not from the Middle East and he is definitely not Arabian.

but i do not like him...
He is extremist..

He has opinions and is not afraid to voice them, but to call him an extremist is unfair, I think. Extremists are people who try to kill others for expressing an opinion. Why do you think he is an extremist?

[J1]

Recently read Bill Bryson's Shakespeare. A nice, light summation of what we do know about the man.

He's a delight to read I think. Recently read "A Brief History of Nearly Everything" which gives a great overview of, well, nearly everything, in terms of what we as humans know (and don't know) about the world and the universe, how it all ticks.

[J1]

ooooh.
I think that there is misunderstanding..
I do really know an auther called "Salman Ruchdie" here in Middle-East, he have an extremist opinions about the western people, he had prisoned in alot of arabian country as Algeria, Eygpt,and Syria.
I'd read for him a book called "HUM LAISU ASDIKA'A" it means "THEY ARE NOT FRIEND" he talks about the western people..
But i think the mistake i did is that his name is "Slyman Rushdie" not "Salman Ruchdie"

Peculiar. A Middle-Eastern author with almost the same name as a well known British Islam-critic, who writes anti-Western books. Sounds to me like "Slyman Rushdie" (or whatever he calls himself) is not his real name (otherwise it is a rather amazing coincidence).

[Lycaon]

Currently reading "The Name Of The Wind," by Patrick Rothfuss. I really have to recomend it to people that like Scott Lynch. If you don't know Scott Lynch or don't know him, still read The Name Of The Wind. One of the best debutes I ever read.

[J1]

Btw, has anyone read Naomi Klein`s "No logo"? Any opinions?

I've just started in it, so no opinion yet, but will write sth when I finish (could be a while, I tend to read three or four books in parallel)

[Lycaon]

The first law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Quite a comprehensive tale with lots of amazing characters that really come to life. It truly becomes clear as you come closer to the plot that good and evil is a matter of where you stand, which makes the books feel more realistic, even though it's pure fiction.
Great style, well developed story. Would recommend it to any one that want's to read fantasy that feels like real life and can take some blood and gore.

[Lycaon]

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Beautiful integer story about a young girl in Nazi Germany with Death as narrator. Everything said you need to know.

[Lycaon]

I'm currently reading "The Complete Illustrated Works Of Edgar Allan Poe and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Speaking of short stories.

[Lycaon]

Finished reading “Vi, De Druknede” (We, The Drowned) by Carsten Jensen a few days ago. I was a bit sceptic at first and I mainly bought the book because I wanted to read a standalone book and this one was rather cheap. But already after the opening sequence I had to admit the book actually was quite promising. Translated from Danish, to Dutch, to English:

Laurids Madsen had been to heaven, but thanks to his boots he came down again.
He did not come as high as the top of the mast, approximately as high as the crows nest of a full-rigged ship. He had been at the gates of Paradise and had seen the holy Peter, but the guardian of the gate to the afterlife had only shown him his behind.

To keep things short, the book tells the story of a few prominent (fictional) characters of the Danish harbour city between 1848 and 1945. And although the story mainly focuses on the main events in their lives (starting a war single handed, getting ownership of James Cook’s shrunken head, killing ones stepdad and getting away with it, getting your ship stuck in ice, being captain of a ship that’s prey of the German air force, etc.) you see the city changing over time between the lines. And not all for the better.

I genuinely liked reading this, not only because of the story but also because it’s written by someone who understands his job as a writer. The style of writing, the balance between what is told and implied and the ability to bring so many characters to life and do so convincingly are a proof a craftsmanship.

Next up: Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich.

[Lycaon]

Just put Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilych to a close. Its quite a short story, yet it tells a lot. In short, the way I interpreted the story - and I think many interpretations are possible -, it is about the disinterest in Ilych's uninevintable deaht and their inability to grasp the scale of Ilychs mental and physical pain. Ilych comes to see his whole life from a different perspective on his deathbed and the way he feels about this is tormenting him. This process is described very convincingly, and this - I think - is the engine on which the story runs.

[muskurov]

Wintersmith - Terry Pratchett

how was it? did you enjoy it?
it's next in my read-list

[muskurov]

(gerade rausgefunden: die empfohlene lesereihenfolge http://www.thediscworld.de/index.php/Ka ... any-Romane)

I've read The Wee Free Men quite a while ago. Maybe I'll try the Hat Full of Sky next.

thanks

[Danhod]

Paris - Eugene Atget

Hardcover at £7.19 - it's really worth getting! if not for reading, then for future value!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Paris-Taschen-A ... 274&sr=1-1

Really surprised at the quality for the price, though it only took an hour or so to finish

[UnAs]

I just finished The Idiot(first book) by Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky!
it´s quite good..now it´s time for second book!

[Lycaon]

The Child Thief by Brom. Intruiging, Interesting and amusing, yet I feel he didn't completely succeed in letting the concept live up to its expectations.

[Lycaon]

Nice choice of books Lee. I'm ashamed to admit I have yet to read anything from Kafka's hand.

[UnAs]

The Process is fantastic book..you definitely should read this!

[muskurov]

The Process is fantastic book..you definitely should read this!

totally agree

finished The Windup Girl - a good story about a dystopian futuristic world. I hated the characters but the plot was so enchanting it kept me reading.
now I need something new. any recommendations ?

[muskurov]

I like Clavell very much. Have read the complete Asian Saga and loved it. Although it was not in the right order. It was in the dark ages before internet.

I've never read anything by Irving Wallace and will give them both a try, thank you

it's hard to define any taste, when it comes to books. I read any genres except biographies. I tend to read more fiction since reality often just pisses me off.

I tend to favour authors who have a sense of irony in their writing style.

irony is always deeply appreciated

[UnAs]

The Process is fantastic book..you definitely should read this!

totally agree

finished The Windup Girl - a good story about a dystopian futuristic world. I hated the characters but the plot was so enchanting it kept me reading.
now I need something new. any recommendations ?

I recommend you Lanark by Alasdair Gray!
I just finished reading it and i must say it's really great book!

[muskurov]

Another great title just came to my mind: "Nighttrain to Lisbon" by Pascal Mercier (true name Peter Bieri).

thank you, She-Wolf, sound compelling. my knowledge of the Portuguese revolution is very limited. Plus it won't be a problem finding the book since the building, which I work in, has a huge Hugendubel at its first three floors. I'm a regular there - nice coffee too

I recommend you Lanark by Alasdair Gray!

will definitely check it out, thanks

[Danhod]

Taschen: Motel Fetish 2nd edition / Horror Cinema

Stupid cheap prices on Amazon so buy buy buy!!! The reversible dust jacket on Motel Fetish is genius... And very handy...

[muskurov]

"The Equality Illusion" by Kat Banyard



Very good and well researched book. You might like it, even if you are new to feminism.

[Lycaon]

"The Equality Illusion" by Kat Banyard



Very good and well researched book. You might like it, even if you are new to feminism.

Care to share some of its main pointers?

[muskurov]

Care to share some of its main pointers?

The book serves basically as an introduction to feminism. The author (Kat Banyard ) does a very good job describing the current situation of oppression against women.
Chapter one is about the damaging body image forced on young girls by beauty standards and the beauty industry (anorexia, bulimia, plastic surgery, objectification).

Chapters two and three are my favourite. They deal with discrimination and sexual harassment at school and work. Kat Banyard has a very good view on the inequalities that women face with regards to childcare and work.

Then come the chapters for domestic violence and sex industry. I find them good, but without significantly new observations. The whole book is full of interviews and real stories, which are sometimes violent and hard to swallow.

Part two of the book give some ideas how best to solve the problems defined in the previous chapters. My expectations here were much greater, but still there are many ideas and examples.

[Lycaon]

Sounds intruiging, especially chapter one. I do wonder however whether those interviews and shocking examples actually add a representational level to the casus.

One thing I am particulairy interested in: what does the author think about division of sexes as a cultural translation of a fixed evolutionary drive? If it is the case that a human appears being either a man or a women because of our brain's nature, how can we bypass prejudgements made on natural basis and treat sexes equally?

[muskurov]

I do wonder however whether those interviews and shocking examples actually add a representational level to the casus.

I don't think they are intended to prove the points of the book as much as to touch the emotions of the reader and involve him further more.

One thing I am particulairy interested in: what does the author think about division of sexes as a cultural translation of a fixed evolutionary drive? If it is the case that a human appears being either a man or a women because of our brain's nature, how can we bypass prejudgements made on natural basis and treat sexes equally?

As much as I can speak from the name of the author she doesn't concern herself with physical evolutional differences between sexes. I'm not sure what do you mean by brain's nature, but she discusses that it is hard to say that boys for example are better in science or math than girls. The researches which "prove" that "fact" are done with 10-12 years old children which have been already through a different paths of education. For one to say that a gender is better at something than the other, the subjects of experiment should be treated equally from their birth. The element of society, media and other influences should be eliminated.

[Lycaon]

I do wonder however whether those interviews and shocking examples actually add a representational level to the casus.

I don't think they are intended to prove the points of the book as much as to touch the emotions of the reader and involve him further more.

One thing I am particulairy interested in: what does the author think about division of sexes as a cultural translation of a fixed evolutionary drive? If it is the case that a human appears being either a man or a women because of our brain's nature, how can we bypass prejudgements made on natural basis and treat sexes equally?

As much as I can speak from the name of the author she doesn't concern herself with physical evolutional differences between sexes. I'm not sure what do you mean by brain's nature, but she discusses that it is hard to say that boys for example are better in science or math than girls. The researches which "prove" that "fact" are done with 10-12 years old children which have been already through a different paths of education. For one to say that a gender is better at something than the other, the subjects of experiment should be treated equally from their birth. The element of society, media and other influences should be eliminated.

What I mean with the nature of a brian is the significant diferences of male and female brain in hormones, the number of vibors in the corpus callosum (connecting left and right brain side) and the functioning of the pathways in the brain itself. This, I think could well be argued, leads to a different kind of behavior, upon which people respont differently. Hence the inequality between men and women in society. That, and the status quo problem following from this of course.

Treating both sexes exactly the same from birth sounds quite interesting. I guess that would be a good thing. Yet it will be hard to rule prejudgments out completely, since from what I have heard study has shown that baby daughters are cuddled more because people have a more emotional feeling to girls, leading to the girls becoming more emotional and wanting more hugs on later age than their sexual counterpart.

What do you think, or any one else for that matter, what would be a solid solution for the inequality problem in genders?

[muskurov]

Fatema Mernissi's Le Harem et l'Occident

Sounds interesting.

what would be a solid solution for the inequality problem in genders?

It's not an easy matter to change the current situation. The process will take a lot of time. For example hundred and forty years after the civil war, American society is still fighting racial discrimination. Every government and maybe UN should take this problem seriously. With the current financial, political, environmental troubles this subject is pushed aside, but gender inequality is not a problem for only half of the humanity it is holding back the entire society.

There are improvements last few decades when it comes to equal wages for female professionals. Still when it comes to childcare many companies [even in the developed countries] see women as a threat to their income and growth.

I'm not ready to go into details, but when it comes to education I think the whole system should be changed. Humanity waists a lot of it's brain potential. Of course this always reminds me of the "Chicken or Egg problem". If we want our children to be open minded and prejudice free we should change ourselves and their role models, teachers. So it is of course not possible to raise a whole new generation which will treat every person equally. It will happen slowly and with time.

Raising awareness is a good start, but I don't participate enough in it. I don't know if I'm lazy or there is just not enough time. The most I do is to raise awareness among my friends and acquaintances. What surprises me is that there are still a lot of men who think that the main goal of Feminism is to get something away from them. To limit their freedom. Ignorance is not bliss, it is society's cancer.

[Lycaon]

That sounds like an interesting book to read, She-Wolf. And it is sad that women are so significantly more judged on appearance compared to men. I guess the problem is that the women most praised are women who are successful, partly because of their looks. Superstars, supermodels and high ranked business women also come to mind. What pretty is becomes a roll-model, and if you don't account for what the roll-model demands you are looked down on.

Muskurov: I recognise myself as well in not doing enough to break the current, a sad thing indeed. It seems as with many things the difference between being able to argue for a certain case and to act accordingly are two different categories.

[UnAs]

Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky : The Double.
Really great work..

[muskurov]

The prose was AWFUL. The story idea was mediocre at best.

Could not agree more. Just read the first one and did not had the will to go further. I read in internet how the "plot" develops, because I was hoping it'll end with someone's gruesome death. It didn't.

I just don't 'feel' it when reading it on a screen

I have one reader also and use it regularly. The nostalgia for paper books hits me from time to time, but I mostly prefer the ease of use and mobility of the e-reader.

[muskurov]

"You Are Not So Smart" by David McRaney

I've just picked the book up from a WHSmith at the airport. It was among the best-sellers, but and I was dared by the title
It is very entertaining and funny written book with many examples of self delusion. It consists of 40+ cases of psychological biases. Every chapter begins with a common misconception and the truth behind it. For example:

"Chapter 32: The Misinformation Effect

MISCONCEPTION: Memories are played back like recordings.
TRUTH: Memories are constructed anew each time from whatever information is currently available, which makes them highly permeable to influences from the present."

Then in the text that follows is described a research done to examine what happens in our brain, and why many people are unaware of this. If you don't have anything else to read pick this one up.

[UnAs]

Last night finished The Castle by Franz Kafka!
Nice piece of work!

[muskurov]

Physics of the Future by Michio Kaku

A fabulous, thought-provoking, book on physics of the future. Prof. Kaku has done a tremendous job providing a very accessable view on modern and future physics. Overall the book is inspirational, but it also touches many of the problems humanity is facing in this century (global warming, energy and food shortage).

Small part of the book you can hear in this lecture:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=219YybX66MY

[muskurov]

Good reviews, She-Wolf

So you like Haruki Murakami, me too. I'm finishing his 1Q84 and probably will start the Rat Trilogy soon after.

[muskurov]

Next I'll take Norwegian Wood, as soon as I finish this technical book on Computer Networks.

Yeah, Norwegian Wood sounds like something you'll enjoy

[muskurov]

Last book I loved and would recommend is Henri Poincaré's "Science and Hypothesis". I admire Poincaré since my student years. Although it has a rather general title the book is specified in mostly physics and mathematical theories and ideas.

[muskurov]

Morrissey's Autobiography audiobook to be read by … Morrissey

[muskurov]

The New Persian Kitchen

yes, it is a cook book and a fantastic one. loved the delightful stories mixed between the recipes and giving deeper understanding of the persian heritage.

[UnAs]

Hermann Hesse - Demian

Great stuff indeed!

[UnAs]

Robert W. Chambers - The King in Yellow

Very nice book..i love it..

[DarkFlyer]

Yesterday finished reading "The Last Executioner" written by Chavoret Jaruboon a prison guard who executed 55 criminals in Thailand between 1985 and 2002. An interesting book combining biography, criminal stuff and thriller maybe a bit chilling at places - contains detailed descriptions of executions performed by submachine gun.

[muskurov]

Randall Munroe's "What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions"

it's a funny, sometimes sarcastic and very educational

[firebird]

Jules Verne "The Light at the end of the world" - just a funny coincidence, or an inspiration or something similar (sorry if this question already was asked once)?

[DarkFlyer]

"Once a jolly hangman" - biography of Darshan Singh who hanged about 1000 people during his more than 50 year career in Singapore. It contains some interesting thoughts about the death penalty, hard born criminals, justice system of Singapore, etc.