- Location
- Seattle
- Name
- Andrew
You're right about that. Dry and often capable of manifesting psychotic episodes on the part of the reader. Or was it my relationship with my mother?
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What books are you reading for pleasure these days?
- Location
- Fairfax, VA
- Name
- Chris
LOL.
I'm a bit of a Clive Cussler fan. I'm reading "Atlantis Found" (again it turns out) in Libby on loan from my local library.
I'm a bit of a Clive Cussler fan. I'm reading "Atlantis Found" (again it turns out) in Libby on loan from my local library.
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- Location
- Beaumaris, Melbourne, Australia
- Name
- John ...
IMHO, both Freud and Jung were wrong, but Freud was less wrong than Jung ...You're right about that. Dry and often capable of manifesting psychotic episodes on the part of the reader. Or was it my relationship with my mother?
At least Freud was right at the level of a block diagram, i.e. how a mind appears to function.
One wouldn't be too far wrong if one stated that everything we know about psychology has been discovered or worked out since about 1960. However, that would be doing a gross injustice to all before then. Same could be said for many other disciplines.
Newton was wrong. Einstein was right. However, we still use Newtonian physics to calculate the trajectory of space craft because a) it's far simpler, so less prone to error; and b) it's close enough.
Epistemology is one of my great interests ...
- Location
- Central Ohio, USA
- Name
- Andrew
Just started diving into Prepared by Mike Glover.
- Name
- Miguel Tejada-Flores
An entertaining semi-steampunk fantasy, "Emilie & the Hollow World", by Martha Wells, the author of the inventive Murderbot sci-fi series.
- Name
- Miguel Tejada-Flores
At the risk of going slightly off-topic - and mentioning a TV series instead of a book - there is an immensely clever and entertaining mystery series, "Vienna Blood" - a British-Austrian co-production which originally appeared on BBC Two in Britain in 2019, and was recently broadcast/distributed via PBS over here in the U.S. - about a cerebral young medical doctor who is a student of the relatively 'radical' (at the time) theories of Sigmund Freud - and uses psychological analysis to solve intriguing crimes and murders. He (the young doctor protagonist) is partnered with an older, gruff by-the-book police detective who operates largely on instinct and the ability to use violence to coerce suspects, but gradually comes to believe in the benefits of psychoanalysis as a crime-solving tool. If you are a fan of intelligent murder mysteries - and handsomely mounted historical productions - it's seriously entertaining, and not 'dry' at all.
I LOVE the entire murderbot series. What a gem of a character and world.
- Location
- Beaumaris, Melbourne, Australia
- Name
- John ...
"WordPress for Dummies" from our local library.
- Location
- Cheshire, England
- Name
- Martin Connolly
Well, after suffering through yet another lengthy passage of philosophical navel-gazing, I have decided life's too short to spend more time with these characters that I really don't care about. I'll peruse the bookshelves again.
- Location
- Marlow, UK
I never want to give up on a book part-way through, and very seldom do, but on the rare occasions I abandon a book before the end I find it very liberating. As you say, life's too short ...
-R
-R
- Location
- Gloucester, UK
- Name
- Mark
Been going a bit crazy on the book front recently; mixture of Kindle and paper.
"It's Not Rocket Science" by Ben Miller.
Clever bloke, funny comedian but I don't think it's possible to make such a complex subject 'fun'. Good attempt though.
"Murder Before Evensong" by The Reverend Richard Coles.
The Church of England in the 80's. Witty, beautifully observed and poorly paced.
"The Official Highway Code" (UK law book for all road / highway users)
It's surprising what's changed since I last read it (5 years ago) and how many of my assumptions were wrong.
"Chew" by John Layman and Rob Guillory (actually re-reading this one)
The first volume in one of the best graphic novel (OK, comic) series I've read in many years.
Now back to the Pratchetts.
"It's Not Rocket Science" by Ben Miller.
Clever bloke, funny comedian but I don't think it's possible to make such a complex subject 'fun'. Good attempt though.
"Murder Before Evensong" by The Reverend Richard Coles.
The Church of England in the 80's. Witty, beautifully observed and poorly paced.
"The Official Highway Code" (UK law book for all road / highway users)
It's surprising what's changed since I last read it (5 years ago) and how many of my assumptions were wrong.
"Chew" by John Layman and Rob Guillory (actually re-reading this one)
The first volume in one of the best graphic novel (OK, comic) series I've read in many years.
Now back to the Pratchetts.
- Location
- Cheshire, England
- Name
- Martin Connolly
I've started on Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie. My wife has been recommending it for years so I thought it was about time.
Panolyman
Top Veteran
- Location
- Wild West Wales
- Name
- Brian
I'm reading "Instructions for a heatwave" by Maggie O'Farrell.
It's set during the hot, dry summer of 1976 which I remember so well, working down here in Pembrokeshire and living in a roasting hot caravan.
Given the current heatwave here, it's quite opportune, though it's more about family relations and intertwining lives than the weather.
It's set during the hot, dry summer of 1976 which I remember so well, working down here in Pembrokeshire and living in a roasting hot caravan.
Given the current heatwave here, it's quite opportune, though it's more about family relations and intertwining lives than the weather.
- Name
- Hendrik Demey
Re-reading "The Star of the Sea" by Joseph O'Connor. Sometimes heavy going, not a book You can read during a long session, needs frequent pauses, but very diversified in writing style, adapted to the characters.
The book describes the Irish potato famine of the 1800s and the exodus to the USA.
The book describes the Irish potato famine of the 1800s and the exodus to the USA.
- Location
- Gloucester, UK
- Name
- Mark
Thank you. I’ve been meaning to read about this for a while. Currently the Kindle version is on offer for 99p on Amazon.co.uk.
Edit: link to the book on Amazon.
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- Location
- Fairfax, VA
- Name
- Chris
Well, I've slipped into something a bit more comfortable of late.
I discovered "All Creatures Great and Small" when I was very young. I've prolly read the series at least 3 times now.
Was spelunking through my library's digital offerings via Libby the other day, and it jumped out at me. It's been a number of years since I last visited with James, Siegfried and Tristan, so I thought, why not....
I discovered "All Creatures Great and Small" when I was very young. I've prolly read the series at least 3 times now.
Was spelunking through my library's digital offerings via Libby the other day, and it jumped out at me. It's been a number of years since I last visited with James, Siegfried and Tristan, so I thought, why not....
- Location
- Gloucester, UK
- Name
- Mark
I’ve been a little remiss in not posting on this thread. Apart from the usual sci fi short stories I always have with me via Kindle on my phone, I’m getting back into good ol’ fashioned paperbacks.
Just finished this one.
Not a typical whodunnit. Traditionally with this genre the characters revolve around the deaths. Here it’s the other way around with insights into individuals’ behaviour and the human condition. Tricky to explain without spoilers. Suffice to say persevering through the slow start and the ecclesiastical references brings rewards.
Just finished this one.
Not a typical whodunnit. Traditionally with this genre the characters revolve around the deaths. Here it’s the other way around with insights into individuals’ behaviour and the human condition. Tricky to explain without spoilers. Suffice to say persevering through the slow start and the ecclesiastical references brings rewards.
- Location
- Marlow, UK
I’ve read several books about aviation this year – pilots’ memoirs mostly – and this one came up most recently on the list. As a history of ejector seats it’s a bit niche I suppose, and I chose it because I’ve read and enjoyed ‘Spitfire’ by the same author and this one had good reviews. The Martin-Baker company is discussed at length throughout the book, and it so happens that my mother now lives a few hundred metres from their factory at Denham, so that was another reason.
I can’t say I exactly enjoyed the book as people who eject out of aircraft quite often end up with serious injuries, and the author doesn’t spare us all that detail. He also takes us through some quite harrowing accounts of what happens to pilots ejecting in wartime (imprisonment and torture in many cases).
Surprisingly, John Nichol barely mentions his own ejection, and I assume that’s because he’s already written about it in an earlier book. Briefly, he became Martin-Baker customer number 6,089 when the RAF Tornado he was navigating was shot down over Iraq in the first Gulf War. His name is on the factory wall in Denham along with all the other pilots whose lives the company has saved over the years. The count currently stands at 7,697, according to the Martin-Baker Twitter feed.
So, it was an interesting and informative read rather than an enjoyable one. I look forward to reading another of the author’s books soon – perhaps 'Lancaster' or 'Tornado'.
-R
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I can’t say I exactly enjoyed the book as people who eject out of aircraft quite often end up with serious injuries, and the author doesn’t spare us all that detail. He also takes us through some quite harrowing accounts of what happens to pilots ejecting in wartime (imprisonment and torture in many cases).
Surprisingly, John Nichol barely mentions his own ejection, and I assume that’s because he’s already written about it in an earlier book. Briefly, he became Martin-Baker customer number 6,089 when the RAF Tornado he was navigating was shot down over Iraq in the first Gulf War. His name is on the factory wall in Denham along with all the other pilots whose lives the company has saved over the years. The count currently stands at 7,697, according to the Martin-Baker Twitter feed.
So, it was an interesting and informative read rather than an enjoyable one. I look forward to reading another of the author’s books soon – perhaps 'Lancaster' or 'Tornado'.
-R
I scored 18 of the 20(21) books in the Aubrey–Maturin series, second hand, sometime last autumn and had thoughts on starting on it this summer vacation, but forgot the bring a couple. I bought and read the tree first ones some years ago, but getting close to the entire series for about what one book would cost put off the hassle of doubling up on some of them.
Ended up buying a copy of "Elephant Song" by Wilbur Smith from a magazine rack at a supermarket to have something to read, havent read anything of his in a decade of two. Not his finest work but decent enough but with an abrupt and somewhat unfinished ending.
Ended up buying a copy of "Elephant Song" by Wilbur Smith from a magazine rack at a supermarket to have something to read, havent read anything of his in a decade of two. Not his finest work but decent enough but with an abrupt and somewhat unfinished ending.
