What are you reading now?

[Tevot]

Dipping into the short stories of Elizabeth Taylor with pleasure and admiration. Masterful, economic writing. I hope her reputation does not fade into obscurity.

I remember a neighbour of ours getting into Elizabeth Taylor's books - I can recall even now the cover of "Angel" - around the time of her death. This must have been in 1976 or thereabouts. My mum caught the bug and rated her very highly. "A Game of Hide and Seek" was another novel well received back in the day...

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I recently read two highly political books: Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff, about Donald Trump's Whitehouse (and rather monotonous after a while) and Rule Britannia - Daphne du Maurier's take on Brexit, written in 1972.

I've now moved on to Night Train to Lisbon, which is quite different and as fine a piece of literature as one can hope to find - so far, at least.

[Tevot]

I recently read two highly political books: Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff, about Donald Trump's Whitehouse (and rather monotonous after a while) and Rule Britannia - Daphne du Maurier's take on Brexit, written in 1972.

Hello there,

I wasn't aware of the Daphne Du Maurier novel Alpie - it sounds intriguing !

I'm currently reading "Mao: The Real Story." which makes extensive use of Soviet archives to explain his rise and his relationship particularly with Stalin up to 1953. This is one of quite a few books I have on kindle which I guess is a practical and convenient way of storing and reading novels, biographies and histories.

That said I have a fairly extensive collection of books (the majority histories / politics / work related) a good many of which I have managed to read over the years whilst others alas sit and collect dust on the shelves. A downside is having to cart these books with us whenever we need to relocate.

I have on occasion used Gutenberg.org to read materials on-line and whilst I find it a pain to navigate it has yielded some interesting and free reads in the past - including a collection of short stories by Ambrose Bierce. Another gem was Sheridan LeFanu's "Schalken the Painter" - which as writing I feel to be a model of clear, concise, economy. Indeed the 1979 BBC TV adaptation follows the short story almost to the letter.

How do Forumites read ? - conventionally, with a mighty tome and a cup of cocoa; or using Kindle or other devices ?

Best Wishes,

Tevot

[french frank]

How do Forumites read ? - conventionally, with a mighty tome and a cup of cocoa; or using Kindle or other devices ?

From preference, the cup of cocoa route. But so much is online, many things downloadable as pdf's, that reading on the desktop is frequent - though mostly (and thankfully) it's usually for reference (most recently Parthey & Pinder's 1848 edition of the Antonine Itinerary). I don't think I could get used to reading on a 'device' for enjoyment.

[Richard Barrett]

Most of my non-work-related reading is done in bed after everyone else is asleep, because I often have trouble getting my mind to calm down if I don't have something to read. Looking at any kind of screen won't do that. It isn't the best way to take in information of course, so it will tend to be novels, quite often of the science-fiction variety, although I do end up sometimes with "difficult" bedtime books, about mathematics for example, which I'm sure at that time of day serve more of a soporific function than an informative one. Usually I'm too busy with other things at other times of day, unless there's something that absolutely demands to be read.

[Beef Oven!]

Hello there,


How do Forumites read ? - conventionally, with a mighty tome and a cup of cocoa; or using Kindle or other devices ?

Kindle, iPad or iPhone. With Scotch. Mostly in bed in the wee small hours!

[Stanfordian]

Most of my non-work-related reading is done in bed after everyone else is asleep, because I often have trouble getting my mind to calm down if I don't have something to read. Looking at any kind of screen won't do that. It isn't the best way to take in information of course, so it will tend to be novels, quite often of the science-fiction variety, although I do end up sometimes with "difficult" bedtime books, about mathematics for example, which I'm sure at that time of day serve more of a soporific function than an informative one. Usually I'm too busy with other things at other times of day, unless there's something that absolutely demands to be read.

Cor blimey! Mathematics at bedtime. Now there's a disturbing thought! The act would be more likely to engender nightmares rather than restful sleep for me! I'll stick to reading my bedside table book 'Participles in Rigvedic Sanskrit: The Syntax and Semantics of Adjectival Verb Forms'.

Seriously I too like to read at bedtime. Sometimes something light, sometimes something heavy, it doesn't seem to matter too much! The radio is always on: Radio 2, Talk Sport, Absolute Rock or CFM.

[Joseph K]

At bedtime too, with an actual, physical book. Recently it's been the Oxford History of Modern Europe. Before that it was One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which was enjoyable enough, though I couldn't get Jack Nicholson out of my head while reading it, having seen the film quite a few years ago.

After this history book I've promised myself that I'll spend the next 10 years reading about nothing but music. Because I need to know more about it.

[Richard Tarleton]

I too read an actual physical book before turning the light off. Generally fiction, biography or history, though I did recently read A Brief History of Time, mostly in bed, which helped to clear the mind of everything else . I've recently finished Barry Gough's magnificent Churchill and Fisher. I'm currently re-reading Tom Robbins's Jitterbug Perfume - great novel.

[vinteuil]

.

... currently working my way through 'The Correspondence and Other Papers of James Boswell Relating to the Making of the Life of Johnson' [Yale Edition of the Private Papers of James Boswell, Research Edition - Correspondence: Volume 2].

After which I am promising myself a long overdue re-read of Theodor Fontane's late masterpiece, „der Stechlin“*. Sadly I don't have the German, so it will have to be in translation...

Don't have any of the gizmos which might enable me to read electronically, so it'll be Proper Books. Which I like, ennyway.


*

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/DerStechlin

.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Stechlin_(Roman)

.

[verismissimo]

Roger Lancelyn Green's The Tale of Troy. Superb. Such a good story!

Plan to read his Tales of the Greek Heroes next. Making up for an inadequate education.

[LMcD]

Currently reading 'Crete The Battle and the Resistance' by Antony Beevor. He manages to make sense - well, as much as can be made - of even the most complicated historical/political campaigns/cock-ups, effortlessly blending personal experiences with the overall picture.

[Pianorak]

... . .Theodor Fontane's late masterpiece, „der Stechlin“*. . .

<<The Barbys are a more "exotic" family — the Count's late wife was Swiss. . .>> Swiss! Can't get more exotic than that.
Thanks for mentioning Der Stechlin - Kindle download £0.49p (alas, in German).

James Rhodes: Instrumental - A Memoir. Probably not for the easily shocked.

[Petrushka]

Currently reading 'Crete The Battle and the Resistance' by Antony Beevor. He manages to make sense - well, as much as can be made - of even the most complicated historical/political campaigns/cock-ups, effortlessly blending personal experiences with the overall picture.

Beevor's latest book. Arnhem, is just out and on my wish list. Hoping someone gets it for my birthday next week otherwise will buy it myself. A long time friend of my father, both now gone, alas, was taken prisoner there so I will have a special interest in this one.

[LMcD]

Beevor's latest book. Arnhem, is just out and on my wish list. Hoping someone gets it for my birthday next week otherwise will buy it myself. A long time friend of my father, both now gone, alas, was taken prisoner there so I will have a special interest in this one.

£12 (RRP £25) with next-day delivery if you're signed up to Amazon Prime. Not that I'm trying to tempt you...

I'm in the process of being well and truly gob-smacked at the extraordinary goings-on that preceded the German attack on Crete....