The Book/Reading Thread!

[AUSloth]

Originally Posted by Podblack

I'm going to be interviewing him for my podcast!

When?

[Revren]

I picked up "The Wave" by Morton Rhue (Todd Strasser) from an op-shop last week. A short novel based on a school experiment "Third Wave" instigated by Ron Jones in California.
He tried to show how the German people allowed Nazism to rise.

I have just received "The Pig that Wants to be Eaten", (I assume people noticed that the author referred to the pig as bovine in the titled chapter??), and " The Duck that Won the Lottery".
Work is quiet and I will have time to read.

[Worldslaziestbusker]

Finally finished
In the mid twenty-first century, five people strive to meet their
goals of personal, digital longevity. Their disparate motivations and
methods converge on Paul Durham, humble servant to a manic vision of
how the universe works. His experiments and business model launch a
new existence for human consciousness.
In “Permutation City” Greg Egan has written an exploration of what it
means to be human that surpasses anything I have ever read. I was
staggered not only by the concepts he incorporated into the story but
also the completeness with which he was able to explore them. This is
stunning science fiction both in content and form.
To allay suspicions that I am a mindless Greg Egan fan, I will say
that there was some expository dialogue on page sixty-one that seemed
a little clumsy. Other than that, this is a compelling, heady read.
With his capacity to write such a convincing treatment of what
immortality might mean to humanity, the world is lucky that Greg Egan,
to date, hasn’t shown any Hubbardic tendencies. Keep this book out of
the hands of anyone with religious leanings or other conditions that
cause them trouble in dealing with reality as the rest of the
population experiences it. If “The Matrix” could send people into
mental hospitals, this book could see them stay there.

[Podblack]

Originally Posted by AUSloth

When?

Already done! I'm thinking of putting it out today, since I've had internet issues and haven't got the bandwidth to use Skype (most frustrating) and this one is already ready to go. So, just a matter of editing and putting out on Token Skeptic - we also talk about education as well as his book.

[sjd3]

hey, I'm reading at the moment a book called "The Darwinian Tourist", by Christopher Wills, it's a really good book, and really relaxing to read, about a biologist who talks about his travels, and what he's seen and pretty much evolution on a whole, as I said, a really great book, I recommend anyone to read it if they can.

[Xeno]

About a month ago I bought Taleb's Black Swan, after being disappointed no-one had bought it for me for xmouse, despite strenuous hints. I was most of the way through the preface before I put it down thinking what a load of crap. The non-sequiturs and false analogies were getting to me. I might read it eventually but it is the disappointment of my high expectations which has left it sitting under other papers on my desk.

At the moment I am reading Roger Brown's on-line book on the nature of knowledge, Axioms. No surprises but interesting to go through it in detail.

[two dogs]

I've not been reading much of late. A couple of days ago I finished

A Walk in the Woods
by Bill Bryson

and quite enjoyed the combination of detailed research, and quirky humour, that I'd expected from reading his other works.

In my younger years, I was an avid bushwalker, and the book got me thinking about doing some long walks in Australia, like the Bibbulmun Track in W.A. (~1000km), or the Larapinta Trail in the N.T. (~250km).

However, I'm not as young as I like to think I am, and I'm considering starting with an "assisted" walk on the Larapinta Trail, where one has only to carry a day pack, the tents and food being provided by tour operators. I've driven out that way, and was awed by the scenery; I reckon it'd be even more awesome being amongst it.

[sjd3]

off to a huge bookshop, ready to spend my money on an enormous amounts of books....any suggestions before i leave?

[wearestardust]

Originally Posted by sjd3

off to a huge bookshop, ready to spend my money on an enormous amounts of books....any suggestions before i leave?

Our of left field, but ... if you are in any way inclined to history, I strongly recommend Pter H. Wilson's Europe's Tragedy: a New History of the Thirty Years War. I am reading it at the moment and it is one of the best history books for the layperson I have ever read.

[sjd3]

just came back, instead of buying heaps, I just bought myself one: "Allies and Enemies, How the world depends on bacteria" by Anne MacZulak, I heard that Borders were having a huge sale somewhere, so I'm going to go back and spend the rest of my pocket money on more

Thanks @Wearestardust, when I'll go to borders i'll try to pick it up