What book is everyone reading at the moment?

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I'm currently trying to read two books - something I don't recommend. The first is Rites of Peace by Adam Zamoyski. The sub-title sums it up: "The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna". It's a detailed and weighty tome about the inner workings of early 19th Century European diplomacy. Fascinating.

The second is fiction, entitled The Right Hand Of God and is the concluding volume of a fantasy trilogy by New Zealand writer Russell Kirkpatrick. The Preceding volumes are called Across The Face Of The World and In The Earth Abides The Flame. I find the works refreshing, details, and epic in scope, and very well written, though I find the narrative voice just a little dry for my tastes, and I am not a big fan of books that constantly jump POV between multiple people in the same group.
 
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Can't exactly say reading, but I'm currently perusing a .pdf copy of The Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini I came across on the internet.

It's quite strange, written in a coded language and filled with bizarre surreal imagery. A few examples below.



 
The Well Of Lost Plots - Jasper Fforde. I found it discarded at school and read it last year. Since then I have read all the preceding books in the Thursday Next series, so I'm re-reading it to get all the jokes I missed the first time. The author is a genius.
I also highly recommend "The Big Over Easy" it is only tangentially related to all the others, but is hilarious if you like detective stories and/or nursery rhymes.
 
"The Book of General Ignorance" by John Lloyd & John Mitchinson <----I heard about it on the SGU podcast, so of course I had to have it. Awesome!! So many mind-blowing facts. You will learn so much impressive crap to tell your friends.

Just finished reading-

"Quirkology" by Richard Wiseman <----another fascinating read.
"Non-Coloring Book" <------very funny and incisive stories/observations by the inimitable George Hrab.
"Lincoln as I Knew Him" by Harold Holzer <------It's so hard to find a book about Lincoln that isn't completely imbued with the authors personal biased view of the man, but Harold Holzer is, in my opinion, truly the best Lincoln scholar as far as presenting an objective representation. It's elegantly written and fascinating.
 
I am in the middle of, and can heartily recommend, "The Terror" by Dan Simmons, who seems to be doing the same thing as Neal Stephenson - after sharpening his skills by writing prime SF, he's turning to historical novels with a twist. This one is an account of what really happened to the Franklin expedition that vanished in the Arctic while searching for the North-West Passage. An excellent Victorian polar exploration tale around a core of... well... this is the guy who invented the Shrike.
 
Just finished The Infinity Book by John Barrow. Most of the math-related stuff eluded me, as expected, but the ideas about cosmology were fascinating.

Just about to re-read Gene Wolfe's "Torturer" series; haven't picked them up in years.
 
Prompted by the ongoing PBS series, my wife got a copy of Dickens's Little Dorrit, read it, and now I'm reading it. In the past, I've found other Dickens heavy going, and dropped a few attempts at others, but must say that I'm finding this one quite enjoyable,, not just because it's a typically grand Dickensian plot, and not just because of the sharp social commentary, but because the writing itself is pleasant to read, witty and incisive. This is prime Dickens, and I finally find myself really appreciating not only his skill at putting together a story, but at putting it into prose.
 
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - I just finished reading Deadeye Dick and was in the mood for another paperback of biting sarcasm and humor.
 
Malkuth said:
Can't exactly say reading, but I'm currently perusing a .pdf copy of The Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini I came across on the internet.

It's quite strange, written in a coded language and filled with bizarre surreal imagery. A few examples below.
Click to expand...
Oooh! Where did you find it?
 
How to Talk Dirty and Influence People ... the autobiography of Lenny Bruce.. very funny, and good read.
 
Most of the way through The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene. Will then re-read some lighter stuff, prior to starting on Out of this world by Stephen Webb.

Funny thing, it was cheaper to buy a hardback copy from a place on San Fransisco via Amazon than buy a new paperback copy locally!
 
"Kethani" by Eric Brown. Read the whole thing at one sitting. Aliens bring immortality and a small group of people in a small town over the years talk about how it's affected them. An interesting exploration of attitudes to death, identity etc but delivered in an easy-reading style and told on a small scale.
 
Swimming in a sea of Death- David Rieff- About his mom Susan Sontag and her third and final battle with cancer (MDS). It is one of the best books I have read in a while. Very honest and it is very well written.
 
Currently reading:
"Me of Little Faith" - Lewis Black
"The Shock Doctrine" - Naomi Klein
"The Jewel of Medina" - Sherry Jones

Recently read:
"Lolita" - Vladimir Nabokov
"The Quotable Atheist" - Jack Huberman
 
I am reading:

You Can Lead an Atheist to Evidence, But You Can't Make Him Think (Ray Comfort, and this is the most terrible book I have ever read, by far)
The Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (Carl Sagan, he's so cute)
 
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