Whats everyone reading?

[TordelBack]

Pratchett and Baxter's The Long War.  A lot better than the first one, an easy read with a more seamless mixture of Pratchett's quirky characters and Baxter's hard science world-building.  The premise is more thoroughly worked here, and it's even easy share the protagonists' frustration that some of the settings couldn't be more fully explored, which is a good thing.  However, the title is a bit of a cheat (although a welcome one IMO), and even the characters themselves acknowledge that is largely just an extended set-up for the concluding volume, to which I look forward.

[ming]

I'm just finishing off Dan Simmons' Endymion Omnibus.  I read the Hyperion Omnibus during a wet week away last year and it's been an enjoyable epic read (not that it took long to plough through).  Not sure what to follow this up with, though...

[Tiplodocus]

D-DAY - The Battle for Normandy by Anthony Beevor.

I'd not read much about the actual battle for Normandy before (though plenty about D-DAY and a new a little boys own stuff about CAEN and FALAISE).

It's heart wrenching stuff with the level of slaughter prompted often by nothing more than sheer incompetence on the parts of the Generals.  Monty, in particular, comes over as a complete and utter twat.

[von Boom]

D-DAY - The Battle for Normandy by Anthony Beevor.

I'd not read much about the actual battle for Normandy before (though plenty about D-DAY and a new a little boys own stuff about CAEN and FALAISE).

It's heart wrenching stuff with the level of slaughter prompted often by nothing more than sheer incompetence on the parts of the Generals.  Monty, in particular, comes over as a complete and utter twat.

Beevor is a great writer. If you've not read Stalingrad or The Fall of Berlin 1945 I can definitely recommend them. Beevor is very good at keeping his views balanced and realises that everyone loses in war.

[Third Estate Ned]

While looking at some of the suggestions on this thread I came across these hardback Penguin horror volumes with ace cover art. Does anyone have any of these? They look great.

http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/classics/penguinhorror.html

I came across them mulling over whether or not to bother with trying H.P Lovecraft. I'm intrigued but I also read somewhere about him espousing a white supremacist perspective, which comes through in his work. Does this really come across, because the idea completely puts me off wanting to delve into any of his books. Especially when the other titles in that series look tempting.

[Greg M.]

I came across them mulling over whether or not to bother with trying H.P Lovecraft. I'm intrigued but I also read somewhere about him espousing a white supremacist perspective, which comes through in his work. Does this really come across, because the idea completely puts me off wanting to delve into any of his books.

Lovecraft undoubtedly held racist views, but that side of him is much more prevalent in his correspondence to other authors than it is in his actual fiction. His fiction does contain occasional remarks as to the perceived inferiority of certain ethnicities or nationalities, but in that respect I wouldn't say it comes across as notably worse than many other white writers of Lovecraft's era (though certainly no better either.) Fears about race clearly did inspire some of his fiction, but it's all expressed metaphorically – 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth', for instance, is likely fuelled by Lovecraft's fears about miscegenation, but you can happily ignore all that and enjoy a tale of horrible fish-men who want to interbreed with the locals.

[Mabs]

Wow. I managed to purchase The House on the Borderland from the Kindle store for only...0.00p! That's what you call a bargain!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0083Z2VII/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1384966365&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165

[Dark Jimbo]

I came across them mulling over whether or not to bother with trying H.P Lovecraft. I'm intrigued but I also read somewhere about him espousing a white supremacist perspective, which comes through in his work. Does this really come across, because the idea completely puts me off wanting to delve into any of his books.

I wouldn't say 'white supremacist', although he clearly had a few misgivings about the Asians. There are maybe two instances in the whole ouvere where I thought 'ah yes, bit racist, that.' And that's it. I can imagine how someone reading about Lovecraft might get a skewed perspective on what his writings might be like but it honestly isn't an issue unless you're of an exceedingly sensitive state of mind, in which case you probably shouldn't be reading any pre-1950s fiction.

Get the 'Penguin modern classics' editions of The Call of Cthulhu and other weird stories,' (2002) 'The Thing on the doorstep...' (2002) and 'The dreams in the Witch house...' (2005), edited by S.T Joshi. Between the three books you'll have every single Lovecraft story (bar one) but best of all each tale has an introduction which explains where Lovecraft got the idea, what/who he was inspired by, what it might have inspired in turn, and has a wealth of notes and annotations. It's all fascinating reading in its own right and invaluable in putting the stories in context; both the horror/pulp genre of the time and Lovecraft's jazz age New England, as well as the man's own worldview.

[Dragonfly]

Wow. I managed to purchase The House on the Borderland from the Kindle store for only...0.00p! That's what you call a bargain!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0083Z2VII/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1384966365&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX110_SY165

Hope you enjoy it, it's one of my top ten reads ever. It will be interesting to see what you make of it. I definitely prefer it to Lovecraft but enjoy his work too.

[Dragonfly]

D-DAY - The Battle for Normandy by Anthony Beevor.

I'd not read much about the actual battle for Normandy before (though plenty about D-DAY and a new a little boys own stuff about CAEN and FALAISE).

It's heart wrenching stuff with the level of slaughter prompted often by nothing more than sheer incompetence on the parts of the Generals.  Monty, in particular, comes over as a complete and utter twat.

Beevor is a great writer. If you've not read Stalingrad or The Fall of Berlin 1945 I can definitely recommend them. Beevor is very good at keeping his views balanced and realises that everyone loses in war.

I'd like to put a second recommendation in for the Beevor Stalingrad book. Read it a few months ago and was absorbed in it. It is the only one of his books that I have read so would be interested in his others.

[Dragonfly]

I came across them mulling over whether or not to bother with trying H.P Lovecraft. I'm intrigued but I also read somewhere about him espousing a white supremacist perspective, which comes through in his work. Does this really come across, because the idea completely puts me off wanting to delve into any of his books.

I wouldn't say 'white supremacist', although he clearly had a few misgivings about the Asians. There are maybe two instances in the whole ouvere where I thought 'ah yes, bit racist, that.' And that's it. I can imagine how someone reading about Lovecraft might get a skewed perspective on what his writings might be like but it honestly isn't an issue unless you're of an exceedingly sensitive state of mind, in which case you probably shouldn't be reading any pre-1950s fiction.

Get the 'Penguin modern classics' editions of The Call of Cthulhu and other weird stories,' (2002) 'The Thing on the doorstep...' (2002) and 'The dreams in the Witch house...' (2005), edited by S.T Joshi. Between the three books you'll have every single Lovecraft story (bar one) but best of all each tale has an introduction which explains where Lovecraft got the idea, what/who he was inspired by, what it might have inspired in turn, and has a wealth of notes and annotations. It's all fascinating reading in its own right and invaluable in putting the stories in context; both the horror/pulp genre of the time and Lovecraft's jazz age New England, as well as the man's own worldview.

Those are the versions of the Lovecraft material that I currently own and I find the notes and annotations to be as interesting as the stories themselves. Just out of interest what is the story that is missing from these collections? I've probably got it elsewhere but would be interested to know what it was!

[Hawkmumbler]

Currently steaming through Grandville. Ecky thump it's a bit good!

[Third Estate Ned]

I came across them mulling over whether or not to bother with trying H.P Lovecraft. I'm intrigued but I also read somewhere about him espousing a white supremacist perspective, which comes through in his work. Does this really come across, because the idea completely puts me off wanting to delve into any of his books.

I wouldn't say 'white supremacist', although he clearly had a few misgivings about the Asians. There are maybe two instances in the whole ouvere where I thought 'ah yes, bit racist, that.' And that's it. I can imagine how someone reading about Lovecraft might get a skewed perspective on what his writings might be like but it honestly isn't an issue unless you're of an exceedingly sensitive state of mind, in which case you probably shouldn't be reading any pre-1950s fiction.

Get the 'Penguin modern classics' editions of The Call of Cthulhu and other weird stories,' (2002) 'The Thing on the doorstep...' (2002) and 'The dreams in the Witch house...' (2005), edited by S.T Joshi. Between the three books you'll have every single Lovecraft story (bar one) but best of all each tale has an introduction which explains where Lovecraft got the idea, what/who he was inspired by, what it might have inspired in turn, and has a wealth of notes and annotations. It's all fascinating reading in its own right and invaluable in putting the stories in context; both the horror/pulp genre of the time and Lovecraft's jazz age New England, as well as the man's own worldview.

Thanks to D.J. and G.M. for the guidance. I like the look of the the hardback "The Thing on Doorstep.." which contains the Joshi notes, so I'll go for that.

[Spikes]

D-DAY - The Battle for Normandy by Anthony Beevor.

I'd not read much about the actual battle for Normandy before (though plenty about D-DAY and a new a little boys own stuff about CAEN and FALAISE).

It's heart wrenching stuff with the level of slaughter prompted often by nothing more than sheer incompetence on the parts of the Generals.  Monty, in particular, comes over as a complete and utter twat.

Beevor is a great writer. If you've not read Stalingrad or The Fall of Berlin 1945 I can definitely recommend them. Beevor is very good at keeping his views balanced and realises that everyone loses in war.

I'd like to put a second recommendation in for the Beevor Stalingrad book. Read it a few months ago and was absorbed in it. It is the only one of his books that I have read so would be interested in his others.

Indeed. Read all these courtesy of the local library, and they come highly recommended. Ian Kershaw's books in a similar vein are worth checking out. Weighty tomes for sure, but certainly great reads.

[Richmond Clements]

I wouldn't say 'white supremacist', although he clearly had a few misgivings about the Asians. There are maybe two instances in the whole ouvere where I thought 'ah yes, bit racist, that.' And that's it.

The man was a disgusting racist.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/On_the_Creation_of_Niggers