Designer1 Posted September 15, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted September 15, 2015 The Mountain Shadow (sequel to Shantaram) comes out in October. Very much at the top of my must read list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted September 24, 2015 Share Posted September 24, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Just finished Men In Space by Tom McCarthySet in a Central Europe rapidly fragmenting after the fall of Communism, "Men in Space" follows a cast of dissolute Bohemians, political refugees, football referees, deaf police agents, assassins and stranded astronauts as they chase a stolen icon painting from Sofia to Prague and beyond. The icon's melancholy orbit is reflected in the various characters' ellipses and near misses as they career vertiginously through all kinds of space: physical, political, emotional and metaphysical. What emerges is a vision a world in a state of disintegration. It was thoroughly absorbing, a flexible narrative that circles through a mosaic of characters, lot of symbolism in the art if you like that but I just enjoyed the wry yet melancholic mood of it. Will be checking out some of his other stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakemineVanilla Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek (1944)Brilliantly prescient book on the perils of trading liberty for security by allowing government central-planners to dictate all aspects of life.He explains how a post-war federal Europe controlled by its strongest state would substantially weaken democracy.But the ending is very satisfying because it turns out it is entirely the Germans' fault, as the Prussians' successful militarist system of government made totalitarian systems look workable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted October 7, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted October 7, 2015 The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek (1944)Brilliantly prescient book on the perils of trading liberty for security by allowing government central-planners to dictate all aspects of life.He explains how a post-war federal Europe controlled by its strongest state would substantially weaken democracy.But the ending is very satisfying because it turns out it is entirely the Germans' fault, as the Prussians' successful militarist system of government made totalitarian systems look workable. That sounds like a really good book, but I'm afraid (my) life's too short to read stuff that will make me depressed and angry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakemineVanilla Posted October 7, 2015 Share Posted October 7, 2015 The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich Hayek (1944)Brilliantly prescient book on the perils of trading liberty for security by allowing government central-planners to dictate all aspects of life.He explains how a post-war federal Europe controlled by its strongest state would substantially weaken democracy.But the ending is very satisfying because it turns out it is entirely the Germans' fault, as the Prussians' successful militarist system of government made totalitarian systems look workable. That sounds like a really good book, but I'm afraid (my) life's too short to read stuff that will make me depressed and angry.Funny enough, that is what I was expecting but it is written in a very gentlemanly and gentle style which presents its case quite modestly, and rather less aggressively than those who are to be heard quoting it these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 started this today, it's a subject I always enjoy reading about, did plenty of research for it as a student etc, and know this historian already so I'm pre-disposed to liking it. It's new this year and is focused chiefly on oral and written testimony from amongst others the more marginalised voices. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC_Hitz Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 started this today, it's a subject I always enjoy reading about, did plenty of research for it as a student etc, and know this historian already so I'm pre-disposed to liking it. It's new this year and is focused chiefly on oral and written testimony from amongst others the more marginalised voices. I'll be buying that, cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PongRiddims Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Reading is hard work man, how do you all stay so committed to a book if it doesn't have many pictures in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MakemineVanilla Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Reading is hard work man, how do you all stay so committed to a book if it doesn't have many pictures in?The pictures are all in your head! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PongRiddims Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 Reading is hard work man, how do you all stay so committed to a book if it doesn't have many pictures in?The pictures are all in your head!No, just the voices. I've read Mr Nice, Freaky Dancing and the Stone Roses War and Peace. They were good, lots of pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 I read these two recently. Both brilliant non-fiction. Funny, sad, harrowing with a shocking waste of life. The Corner in particular continues to haunt me. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Designer1 Posted October 23, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted October 23, 2015 Just started American Gods - very good so far. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 I'm about a quarter of the way through 'Waves' by Virginia Woolf which I'm really enjoying, has a nice flow to it. Also reading a book on Psychogeography, still not entirely sure what it is, in precise terms, but still quite interesting when taken as a game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V01 Posted December 15, 2015 Share Posted December 15, 2015 On 10/23/2015 at 15:28, Designer1 said: Just started American Gods - very good so far. Loved it, Anansi boys is great too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted December 15, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted December 15, 2015 American Gods is a masterpiece. And contains some of Gaiman's more grim 'horror/explicit' scenes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PongRiddims Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 Can anyone recommend a decent business or management book please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted December 16, 2015 VT Supporter Share Posted December 16, 2015 No, they're all shite. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V01 Posted December 16, 2015 Share Posted December 16, 2015 This bloke called Sun Tzu has a book that's recommended... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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