Thread: What book are you reading right now?

I'm getting stuck into the John Wells series - author Alex Berenson.

Very much on a par with Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon stuff.

Originally Posted by Necron99

American Psycho

That's a good book. Everyone should read it, much more than a gore book; social comment and insight.

Haven't read much recently, should pick up a good novel, always relaxing...

Originally Posted by Boon Mee

I'm getting stuck into the John Wells series - author Alex Berenson.

Very much on a par with Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon stuff.

Yes, very good and I look forward to the next one which unfortunately only comes out in February next year.

"Catcher in the Rye author J. D. Salinger wrote the short story The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls and left depository copies with a few academic libraries with the understanding that the work would not see mass distribution until the mid-21st century. The only authorized place to read the story is in a special reading room at Princeton where electronics are not allowed and a librarian continuously babysits the reader. A PDF of the story, as well as two other unpublished stories, appeared on private bittorrent site what.cd where a huge bounty had been placed for the work. Incredibly, the uploader (or someone connected to the uploader) bought an unauthorized copy on eBay for a pittance. The file, Three Stories, is making the bittorrent rounds but can also be read on mediafire."

You should know that 3 unpublished stories (including The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls) by J.D. Salinger were just leaked onto whatcd 2 hours ago : literature

^I hope they're better than Catcher in the Rye...

^ are you trolling willy and DK ?

^One of the three stories is said to be a prequel (hate that word) to Catcher In The Rye, but I have yet to locate this treasure trove.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

They seemed, and this is perfectly understandable (I'm sure the English stuff I read is similar), closing linked to a culture and social vales/change that was distant from me...

Interesting. The Catcher In The Rye centers on a New England private (public to Brits) boarding school. These schools were exact copies of British public schools. Headmaster, Masters, cloisters, forms, prefects, rowing crew, English 'football', etc.

I had the great misfortune to be incarcerated in one of the most highly regarded ones for several years before I was finally kicked out. I then was incarcerated in two others for briefer periods as I perfected the art of getting dismissed.

A bleak period in an otherwise happy childhood. I'm surprised a Brit can't relate.

Originally Posted by Davis Knowlton

but I have yet to locate this treasure trove.

http://www.btloft.com/torrent/Three-...er-pdf.torrent

there is a torrent link - maybe batty could d/load them for you and email them

It's probably a few elements, Davis: I didn't go to a school like that; the school was obviously situated in a society, at a particular moment in time, with particular social values - none of these resonate for me. The writing also feels old fashioned, but further back than the time it was written; maybe New England at that time was more akin to 100 years previously in London. I also didn't like or find any of the characters (especially the main one) believable or was able to relate to them. I have found this with novels from Bellow, Updike, Roth, etc. Most writers seem to very much reflect their time, their culture their history, so many don't travel well. Others writers link to social values and times (because they are a product of them), but also go further, add something more which may help to interest readers outside of the 'local net' - thus, somebody like Delillo may be not so popular in the US but find an international audience (I like his work), and Elis may resonate with me because I'm from London which has similar cultural elements to the main themes of his classic work.

Somebody like Roth or Updike does nothing for me. I'm not saying they're bad writers, of course not (although Updike is massively over-rated, imho...), but their work is distant from me thus harder to enjoy.

I like Martin Amis' work, but it's very London centric, 80's centric, and I've met very few Americans, particularly from different generations (older or younger) who like his work.

Originally Posted by baldrick

maybe batty could d/load them for you and email them

My name is Betty, turnip face!

If Davis has problems with connection speed or downloading torrents then I'd be happy to do so.

The torrent link is for pdf .

Here's a direct link for the salinger short stories in both epub and mobi.
Just click the orange '' download '' , then on ''3sal'' ( if you dont see it , it should be in downloads folder .)

Zippyshare.com - 3sal.zip

A good read ?

don't know I had too massive a backlog of books to even consider them .

I'm struggling with Filth.

Irvine Welsh has a very twisted mind and he writes in Jockanese.

The Secret History of MI6
by Keith Jeffery.

Another 4000 odd page spook insight. Unlike the CIA, MI6 has no in house histories.
So they opened up their archives to a historian given a brief to write a full history of the first 50 years. Turns out the early secret service didn't keep a lot of records taking a burn after reading approach. Still lots and lots of interesting tidbits and stories, but unfortunately a terrible writer with a very jumbled style makes it hard reading.

I'm reading David Ignatius' spy novels - I've read three so far, and just started the fourth. All quite detailed insights into the workings of the CIA.

Just read defoes robinson crusoe for the first time, great yarn.

just started hawkins brief history of time, good.

A Brief History of the Third Reich - Martyn Whittock

Very interesting summary of events of one of the strangest political manias to grip a nation and the world.

Anybody read this:



Any good?

I read: "The Fear Index" by Robert Harris on the 'plane over...It was a pretty good read and all the better for a single sitting.

Originally Posted by Bettyboo

Anybody read this:



Any good?

I read half of it a few months back when I left my Kindle up the jungle. It's ok and I will get around to finishing it soon.

Not a Good Day to Die
Sean Naylor

A recount and post mortem of the first major US ground force engagement in Afghanistan, Operation Anaconda.
Basically a major clusterfuck.
Good read if you like that sort of thing.

torrents are out there.

Originally Posted by friscofrankie

Roberto Bolano

I enjoyed 2666.

Originally Posted by Kurgen

I read half of it a few months back when I left my Kindle up the jungle. It's ok and I will get around to finishing it soon.

Funnily enough, I have it on my Kindle too. I'm pretty sure that I read it, think it was kinda samesame to Black Dog and half a dozen others of his. My memory is shocking...

Just reading the classic "Heart Of Darkness" again, by Joseph Conrad.

a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land.

So good, I'm rationing myself to just a few pages at a time.