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1. Universe in a Nutshell - Steven Hawkings -> excellant read - M-theory (the theory of everything) Rocks what ever the heck it is, but the scope if you can dig spatial non primia fascia stuff is overwhemly intellectual. Recommended Strongly
2. 11th Commandment - Jeffrey Archer -> run of the mill spy thriller - not bad - read every Fredrick Forsythe book published at the time by 15 - there's better.
3. The Making of a Philsopher - Martin McGinn -> I studied philosophy at uni - i wish i had this book while writing some of my papers, would have made my life alot easier. Recommend it, good introduction to thinking about thinking, reasoning and language - have to presume it would be heavy in area's for people not used to reading philosophy (had to re-read a couple of paragraphs) but worth it.
Next on the Agenda - Ulyssee's - James Joyce -> i think it was a directory about a sentence that is 69 pages long that made me buy it, it certainly looks like a journey.
What about yourself? Any recommedations or crticisms!
Not that I've read the whole thing, or even all of it that I intend to. But I was looking to expand my list of authors, and this looks like a good starting point.
Ulyssee's
if we're recommending I have to recommend a classic of a different sort. The Crock of Gold by James Stephens. The full text is available online, just search google.
Read it when i was 16, excellant book.
If you've read his earlier books (Neverwhere and Stardust) and liked them, you'll love this. If you read them and weren't enamoured, don't be put off.. he's matured as a writer and American Gods is in a different league.
Current Book: "Reading Lolita in Tehran"
Just finished: "Lady of Avalon"
Foundations for a New Civilization by Will Crichton and Carl Semmelroth.
The Greatest Minds and Ideas of All Time by Will Durant.
Logic Synthesis and Verification by Soha Hassoun.
Language, Proof and Logic by Jon Barwise and John Etchemendy.
Beyond Translation - Essays Toward a Modern Philology by A. L. Becker.
The Powers of Philology - Dynamics of Textual Scholarship by Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht.
A Guide to Old English by Bruce Mitchell and Fred C. Robinson.
That's all I'll own up to after digitalghost's list.
Ivana
yeah, I read that this year, great book I thought, havn't read anything else by him.
Currently reading the book the film "Gangs of New York" was based on, called "Gangs of New York" funnily enough, written in the 1920s, but a good read. Especially the stuff about the draft riots, very interesting.
Also reading a book called "Greenback: The Almighty Dollar and the Invention of America" by Jason Goodwin about the history of money in the US, so now I know why you Americans say 'bits' and 'quarters' and where the term 'pieces if eight' comes from. Fascinating book.
Anything by Pratchett.
Nick
Quote (as best as I can recall) in a review that caught my eye:
"If your ad agency is bragging about all their Clios, fire them."
One of the funniest books I have ever read.
En La Humedad Del Secreto - Antologia Poetica de Roque Dalton
Am I the only one who thought The Lord of the Rings is a great story that was poorly written? The third book is almost unreadable.
Atomised - Micheal Hollenbeuq -> amazing book though hauntingly realistic - delve's into the workings of the self in the modern world.
Making History - Stephen Fry -> interesting alternative to the existance of Hitler.
A potrait of the English - Jeremy Paxman -> Breaks down all the bull# to get to what individuals in the UK really are in the world of multi-cultural times.
Cryptonomicon - Tech, History, WWII Code breaking and a great story
Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut
Beyond Belief - about the secret gospel of thomas and why christianity is the way it is. maybe a little heavy, but fascinating work
Am I the only one who thought The Lord of the Rings is a great story that was poorly written? The third book is almost unreadable.
Heretic! Howeber, since my wife claims that they're *all* unreadable I am forced to concede that brilliance and taste are apparently not incompatible with that particular heresy. ;)
Cryptonomicon - Tech, History, WWII Code breaking and a great story
Got that one on reserve at the library just waiting for me to pick up.
Plan to start again soon - hehehe
Leo
Just started Ulysee's < slow with a capital oooohhhhhhhww
Couldn't you just watch the cartoon ;)
Just finished "Forty Words for Sorrow" by Giles Blunt a bloody good detective novel and also the first book I've ever read set in Canada!
I suppose you're not even referring to Silmarillion? I'd advice you to skip that one then, but do finish the third book of "the ring", it's worth the effort...oh, and "The Hobbit" is a nice little adventure too ;)
Currently, i'm finding great joy in (decoding) the utterly bad language (English, even) of "Porno" - then again, i like Lewis Carroll's stories and Anthony Burgess' "Clockwork Orange" too.
/claus
boo hoo - pretty interesting account of how badly they screwed up.
and
Free as in freedom - insight into the life of Richard Stallman, a good read.
Currently reading Reaper Man by Pratchett :)
