BOOKS - What are ASF members reading?

[Boyou]

Have been reading a short story collection by John Varley.

An excerpt from one of them.'The Persistence of Vision" A fictional account of one man's visit to a community of people born deaf and blind who evolved their own excuisite way to overcome it.

"The Strength of the organism was communication.There's no way around it.Without the elaborate and impossible- to- falsify mechanisms for communication built into Keller (the community),it would have eaten itself in pettiness,jealousy, and any dozen other "innate" human defects

The nightly Together was the basis of the organism.Here ,from after dinner ,till it was time to fall asleep,everyone talked in a language that was incapable of falsehood.If there was a problem brewing,it presented itself and was solved ,almost automatically. Jealousy? Resentment? Some little festering wrong that you're nursing?You couldn't conceal it at the Together,and soon everyone was clusterd around you and loving the sickness away.It acted like white corpuscles,clustering around a sick cell,not to destroy it,but to heal it.There seemed to be no problem that couldn't be solved if it was attacked early enough,and with Touch,your neighbours knew about it ,before you did and were already labouring to correct the wrong, heal the wound,to make you feel better ,so you could laugh about it.There was a lot of laughter at the Togethers."

Cheers Ya'll

 

[derty]

Not really enough time to sit at home and read - but do listen to audio books while out bush.

in the last two weeks I have listened to:
William Gibson - Neuromancer
Aldous Huxley - Brave New World
Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five

 

[white_crane]

Just finished The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.
A fiction novel about the disintegration of a family running a religious mission in the Congo (Zaire) around the time of the country's fight for independence. I enjoyed it.

Currently reading Nightmares and Dreamscapes by Stephen King.

 

[Old Mate]

Currently going through Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I'm sure a few of you are familiar with it.

 

[Julia]

Just finished The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver.
A fiction novel about the disintegration of a family running a religious mission in the Congo (Zaire) around the time of the country's fight for independence. I enjoyed it.

.

I tried one of Barbara Kingsolver's novels but just couldn't get into it. Seemed very wordy which sounds like a silly thing to say about a book. The friend who recommended it is really keen about her writing.

 

[white_crane]

I tried one of Barbara Kingsolver's novels but just couldn't get into it. Seemed very wordy which sounds like a silly thing to say about a book. The friend who recommended it is really keen about her writing.

I haven't read any of her books before. This one maybe drags on a little bit at the end, but I enjoyed the style of writing. The book reads as if you were reading diary entries from the characters themselves - complete with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.

 

[It's Snake Pliskin]

I'm reading Naked Economics - Undressing the dysmal science by Charles Wheelan.
It isn't a technical book, it is a book for laymen and gives understanding to how things work.

 

[It's Snake Pliskin]

Started reading The Age of Fallibility by George Soros. He seems a very decent man from his thoughts so far.

 

[It's Snake Pliskin]

Has anyone read books by David Foster Wallace? Curious as to how people like them.

 

[GumbyLearner]

Bought the book over ten years ago

Reading it again

Seven days to remember : the first Labor government in the world : Queensland, 1-7 December 1899 / Ross Fitzgerald

http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/162500

 

[McCoy Pauley]

I've been re-reading The Gatekeepers recently (almost finished it), regarding the difficult birth of Australia's pay-television industry. Good read. Maybe hard to find now as I purchased it in 2000.

 

[basilio]

Have been reading "Family Romance a memoir" by John Lanchester.

Fascinating read. It is John's story which pieces together his parents history and some amazing secrets.

Excellent writing, great insight into Ireland of the 20-30's and absolutely riveting on the life of nuns in the 50's. John's mother was a nun who "escaped" .

There is a lot more to the story than this outline. John uncovers many secrets in his family search and the impact of these on him and everyone concerned is an insight into the human condition.

Well worth a read . (you may even find the English edition in remaindered bookshops )

 

[freddy2]

and fittingly, with le tour ,its not about the bike -lance armstrong.couldnt put it down.

For a different perspective read "From Lance to Landis: Inside the American Doping Controversy at the Tour de France".

http://www.amazon.com/Lance-Landis-Inside-American-Controversy/dp/034549962X

 

[weird]

For a different perspective read "From Lance to Landis: Inside the American Doping Controversy at the Tour de France".

http://www.amazon.com/Lance-Landis-Inside-American-Controversy/dp/034549962X

"Its not about the bike", is a great book. Unfortunately my brother has been diagnosed with cancer recently, and immediately when I found out thought about this book ... not that it is a prescription, just good to know some people survive and still manage to triumph ... actually very sad really when thinking about everyone else, including my brother.

Recently read, Freakonomics , very interesting read.

 

[derty]

Listened too recently:
Atlas Shrugged: Ayan Rand (A long but great read - capitalism ftw!)
History of the British Speaking Peoples Vol 1-4: Winston Churchill (fascinating)
Starship Troopers: Robert Heinlein
The Map that Changed the World: Simon Winchester
Catcher in the Rye: JD Salinger
The Weapon Shops of Isher: A. E. van Vogt
Guns, Germs and Steel: Jared Diamond
The Bro Code: Barney Stinson (Fictional character from How I Met Your Mother - played by Neil Patrick Phillips (Doogie Howser))

 

[Julia]

"Heaven and Earth" by Professor Ian Plimer.
Debunks much of the current popular beliefs about anthropogenic climate change.

 

[noirua]

"Heaven and Earth" by Professor Ian Plimer.
Debunks much of the current popular beliefs about anthropogenic climate change.

Hi Julia, I'm coming to like two books by Sharyn Munro, The woman on the mountain at http://www.sharynmunro.com

 

[DocK]

Recently finished Breath, by Tim Winton. I enjoyed it while reading it, and found it hard to put down, which is always a good sign. The most telling point though is that it has stuck with me, and I find myself reliving it in my mind from time to time. Would highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it already.

Not sure what to dive into next. Haven't read the Stieg Larsson trilogy, and have heard good things, so might start with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - any reviews?

 

[Julia]

DocK, I had the same reaction to "Breath". Like all Tim Winton's books, it has many layers. I have no interest in surfing, yet read all his descriptive passages about this with absorption. I don't know any other Australian writer who has such a gift for creating a physical picture in the minds of the reader.

And then there's the immensely touching 'coming of age' experiences of the young boy with his increasing sexual awareness, also handled so evocatively.

Another two books which have also stayed with me, though they are quite different, are;

"Butterfly" by Sonya Hartnett
(all of Sonya Hartnett's books are beautiful.)

"Smoke in the Room" by Emily Maguire

Both of these have made several literary 'must read' lists for 2009 and I found they both brought that sense of regret when one comes to the end.


I've just finished "Vital Signs" by Professor Ken Hillman, Professor of Intensive Care at the University of NSW, an internationally recognised specialist in intensive care medicine.
This is an absorbing and thoughtful account of individual stories from intensive care, drawing attention not just to the severe illnesses treated, but to the moral and ethical dilemmas faced by the staff.
I learned a good deal from reading this clearly written book.

 

[Sean K]

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga.

'A masterpiece' The Times
'Blazingly Savage and Brilliant' Sunday Telegraph
'One of the most powerful books I have read in decades' USA Today
'Took me less than a week to read, normal time frame runs into months' kennas

Winner Man Booker Prize 2008