The "what are you reading?" thread.

[devnulljp]

I am re-reading a book I enjoyed a lot, Guns, Germs, and Steel

That's a good read. As are his other books.

[1bottlerocket]

I agree. I really enjoyed his writing.

[Dullboy]

Life by Keef Richards

[superslidetail]

Guitar Effects Pedals: The Practical Handbook Updated and Expanded Edition by Dave Hunter

[erer]

Finishing up the third Black Company book. Then on to the new book by Mark Lawrence, The Liar's Key.

[dronevil]

I'm taking Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft for some late night reading at the cabin. We're heading to the lake tomorrow morning for a week long stay

[Yggdrazil]

I love Lovecraft; read it all when younger; I have 3 big volumes containing all is work

Actually reading that

French version of Jimi Hendrix, Starting at Zero: His Own Story

[anemochore]

Dare me.jpg (72.79 KiB) Viewed 3730 times

[HorseyBoy]

Figured we must have all been reading stuff over the last year and a bit and this thread was due for a revival.
I'm almost finished with this:



Being Australian, I'd avoided reading Patrick White because he was always one of those writers thrust upon me as an example of "the great Australian writer". He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1973. Turns out he's really fucking good. "Voss" (which was published in 1957) is about a German explorer with a Christ complex, Johann Ulrich Voss, who sets out with a motley crew of ex-convicts and "gentlemen" to cross the Australian continent in 1845. Before he goes, he meets a young woman, Laura Trevelyan. Once the expedition is underway he writes a letter to her proposing marriage, and when he and the rest of his party disappear, Voss and Laura start communicating in mutual visions and dreams. It does not end well for either of them.
Apparently the character of Voss was partly based on the Prussian explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, who disappeared in the Australian desert in 1848, but even if you don't give a shit about Australian history, it's full of beautiful writing and really worth a read. I started reading it after it was mentioned in another book I really enjoyed, William Finnegan's surfing memoir, "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life":



Fun fact: He's not the Bill Finnegan who invented the Klon. At least, I think he's not…

[chankgeez]

He's definitely not that Bill Finnegan.