What are you reading now?

[Ish]

I'm (re)reading Olaf Stapledon's Last and First Men at the moment. Its a future history of mankind.

Its gripping stuff - which is amazing when you get to the end and realise that there are basically no characters in it (other than the narrator who you know basically squat all about and is just someone to narrate the past from a far distant perspective) and that you've covered millions of years of history.

Next on my list is (a reread again - I'm broke at the moment!) reading A Canticle of Leibowitz. One of my very favourite science fiction books that one.

[Sigur]

Nearly finished Life of Pi, been reading it pretty slowly, but it reminds me of Catcher in the Rye. (that probably sounds retarded, but whatever )

[mcbobin]

Anyone read "Growing Up With Lucy" by Steve Grand?

He's the chap that "invented" Creatures and has been beavering away at creating an artificially intelligent android shaped like a no-legged chimp...with metal arms. Mr Grand gives you an insight into the progress he's made so far ("she" can tell a banana from an apple) and lays out how we (and eventually how Lucy will) experience reality ourselves.

Teh thing is, G-Dog (that's his hip-hop alter-ego) is doing all this research by himself, funded by himself (until recently) and the poor hound is short of cash. Buying this book supports his work and maybe, just maybe you can make some small contribution to an act of majestic creation.

Alternatively, he's also written a book called (appropriately enough) "Creation" which is all about the Norns out of Creatures which is (in my mind...at least I think it's in my mind...) a better read and out in paperback. If 'Lucy isn't your bag, maybe that is?

I'm also rereading my Hellboy TPs (in anticipation of the movie - looks faithful to the source) and discovering 100 Bullets.

[007]

Tupac Resurrection. Bought it today for ?18 (oof) But it looks like it's worth it. Loads of poetry, letters and pictures. And tells alot about his life. I'm a big fan, so i'm happy.

[Grey Area]

rerererereading Iain M Banks 'Excession'. Think i'm finally getting it

Been bookmarking and going back to check names and such to work out the conspiacy.

(For anyone interested, Banks writes brilliant and baffling scifi based around a spacefaring society (the Culture). He also writes contemporary fiction that i cant get my head round at all. But if you like scifi get some Iain M Banks)

[MarkyB]

Although a little old, i've just started reading "Battle Royale", interested in seeing what differences there are to the movie

[JRMacumber]

I just finished reading a book call [b]First Contract[/b. ]For those who like lighthearted novels or books that just make you laugh, this one should be right up your alley. Written by Greg Constikyan (a name well known to oldtime gamers) is a hysterical read. It's the story about a power player CEO of an electronics firm who has his whole future yanked out from under him when aliens come to Earth, and subsequently make the entire planet into a third world nation. We are the scared and backward natives, they are the brilliant new worlders, and as has happened here in our own past, we just can't keep up with them economically. All the great technology they bring with them, and the low prices, just overwhelm us. Soon unemployement is over 50%, the Dow is down into the double digits, and things look bad. But that is when Johnson Mukerjii, the hero of the story, steps up his game and realizes that in order to survive he is going to have to beat them at their own game, and thus begins his journey to become the king of cheap and useless crap that aliens will want to buy by the starship load. Realizing his calling he says,

Quote:
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"Made in Japan," "Made in Taiwan," and now--I gestured grandly--"Made on Earth."
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This is a wonderful read, full of laughs and insights. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to chuckle and read something new.

[bowser123]

Nearly finished Life of Pi

I've just finished that, what did you make of it?

Personally I quite enjoyed it, the start and end were fantastic. Little bit nasty in the middle where he's describing the best ways to kill and then eat a fish raw though

Not sure what to make of the end though. I'm left believing neither tale, the main one purely for the

mobile cannibal island made of plant with no soil. The talking Richard Parker bit made me think Pi was mental, as was the talking to the Frenchman (and subsequent killing) that cured his blindness

.
The second tale was clearly a

take on the 1st story but with humans swapped for animals. I think this is the one most likely to be true, basically Pi has made an elaborate story with animals to help him cope with the horrors of seeing his mum killed and then himself being a killer. However the 2nd story lacks an actual Pi figure (Pi is RP, Orange Juice his mum, the sailor the Zebra, the hyena the chef) so I'm not certain of that either.

Just starting John King's Human Punk, read some of his other football stuff, should be good.

[chevkoch]

I'm down to the last 50 pages or so of Quantum Psychology by Robert A. Wilson and pondering the thought of getting Prometheus Rising by him next. Anyone read that and could comment on it?

[Bleeders]

I'm just about to make a start on The Celestine Prophecy, which looks like it could be very interesting.

[Brando]

Bruce Springsteens Biography. Tis good at the moment (but I am a biast bruce fan).

[gooner]

Books mostly.

[?pint]

The Swords of Night and Day by David Gemmell. I like it when I walk into a bookshop, and see a new book by one of my favourite authors just sitting on the shelf . Pretty good read so far.

[TheShend]

I've just finished Watchmen.

Blown.Away.

[James Harvey]

I'm rereading the first two volumes of Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka! He is the man, such a good cartoonist.