The UAFC

Lee Evans biography. Very very funny man, hes books quite interesting reading and funny as well. Gets slightly tedious towards the end though

Cosmos by Carl Sagan. It's beautifully written and will give you loads of wow moments about the scale of our universe and man's struggle to understand it. I'm half way through and as soon as I finish I'm going to read it again. I don't do that too often.

Lots of things he looks forward to in the book have since happened (the book was written about 1980 or so), for instance I recently saw a documentary on the Mars rovers.

After reading the part about Percevel Lowell (after whom Pluto was called) and his observations of artificial canals on Mars I went and read the first few pages of H.G Wells "The war of the worlds" which was written at about the same time. The widespread belief then that Mars might be inhabited along with the suggestion that the canals were built in desperate attempt to save a doomed civilization must have made the plot of the novel seem very plausible and scary.

pythagoras wrote:Cosmos by Carl Sagan..

I saw this series when I was a kid and always remembered his demonstration of how time slows at speed - how if one twin took a space flight to the nearest star at the speed of light when he came back his twin would be an old man and he would hardly have aged,

Awesome stuff

Just finished Barefoot in Mullyreeny. Bryan Gallagher recounts stories of his childhood in Fermanagh in the 40's and 50's. If you aren't smiling as you read this, check your pulse!

mid ulster maestro wrote:Working through a set of Ian Rankin novels starring Inspector Rebus. Brilliant!
Mum

MUM, also a Rankin fan, if you want another Scottish police thriller have you read any Stuart MacBride? Based in Aberdeen, gritty & pretty graphic but a fair bit of humour as well.

MacBride is yet another of my regular authors who I am frustratingly up to date with and wish he'd get the finger out and knock out one a month. Keep hoping to find someone good who there is a huge number of books to get through.

bangorboy wrote:

pythagoras wrote:Cosmos by Carl Sagan..

I saw this series when I was a kid and always remembered his demonstration of how time slows at speed - how if one twin took a space flight to the nearest star at the speed of light when he came back his twin would be an old man and he would hardly have aged,

Awesome stuff

I haven't seen that tv series but would love to. According to the intro to the book, it's basically an offshoot of the tv series whch was groundbreaking at the time.

currently reading "Skagboys" by Irvine Welsh.

Anyone engaged with this.....Child 44?
First of three books, now nearly finished
PartII ......The Secret Speech. Highly
recommend.

Is that out long Mac?
Has anyone started the new book Stewart McKinney has brought out?

Gael wrote:Is that out long Mac?

Out around 3, 4yrs max. Long listed for the Booker
a couple of yrs back and also won that Ian Fleming
Steel Dagger thing.
Rumours that Ridley Scott is pushing to do the film.

Paddy Johns..... The Quiet En4cer....... Great book, great on the pitch too.

'God is not great' by Christopher Hitchens...can't really recommend it as I I'm finding it heavy going...I keep referring to the dictionary and not knowing enough of the bible doesn't help.
It's not a total loss but I'll have to read it several times to get it...if you know what I mean.

browner wrote:'God is not great' by Christopher Hitchens...can't really recommend it as I I'm finding it heavy going...I keep referring to the dictionary and not knowing enough of the bible doesn't help.
It's not a total loss but I'll have to read it several times to get it...if you know what I mean.

I'd give up if I was you.
I don't read much fiction but I've decided to give Hilary Mantel a go.
She only came into my consciousness after her misinterpreted comments about the lovely Kate Middleton.
Her books on Thomas Cromwell count as 'faction', I suppose.
I'm currently reading Wolf Hall which is excellent and not as high brow as I'd feared seeing as how it won the Booker prize.

I found Hilary's style very hard going especially all the dialogue. Couldn't figure out who was talking most of the time. Gave up on Wolf Hall in the end.

On the other hand, I found Hitchens' book an easy and entertaining read.

Each to their own I suppose ...

big mervyn wrote:I found Hilary's style very hard going especially all the dialogue. Couldn't figure out who was talking most of the time.

I found that confusing too but actaually what it is , is that 'he' is always Thomas Cromwell!