What book(s) are you reading currently? - Page 229

MaxJoker · January 12th, 2018, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by movieman88

Probably a result of the popularity of The Man in the high Castle

Not in this 2012 case

Finding it a terrifically detailed academic read

Although am looking forward to the one after it

Avawordson · January 12th, 2018, 03:59 PM

The First Socialist Schism, Bakunin vs Marx in the International Working Mans Association - Wolfgang Eckhardt.

**Pinkpapercut** · January 16th, 2018, 02:42 PM

Beaver Street by Robert Rosen

Back in the 1990s I used regularly to read 'Headpress' the self-described 'Journal of Sex, Religion and Death' which was published in my home city, Manchester.

'Headpress' and Headpress publishing moved online and to London well over a decade ago and I lost track of them and the man who was the engine behind 'Headpress', David Kerekes.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to check out whether they are still around. They are, and they're still publishing material that fits best under the heading of 'Sex, Religion and Death' and one of their books, Robert Rosen's 'Beaver Street' caught my particular interest.

I don't want to spoil the book by giving Rosen's story away so I'll just say that after being cheated by a well-known person as an aspiring writer in early 80s New York, just to keep some money coming in Rosen applied for a job with a publisher through a classified ad and ended up working for and eventually editing porn magazines for the publisher of some well-known skin mags.

The book is promoted on its cover as 'a history of modern pornography' which it isn't but what it is is a fascinating tour around the personalities of the US porn scene in the 80s and 90s, an insight into the practices of the publishers and video makers and the contempt in which very many of them held their customers, the influence of porn publishing on mainstream publishing including forgotten connections between porn and the origins of Marvel Comics, and the story of the decline of the porn magazines in the face of the rise of the Web.

Given that every member of VEF is here because they have an interest in some aspect of porn or - amongst the VEF VIPs - have worked in porn, there's something in 'Beaver Street' to interest every one of us.

'Beaver Street' isn't a deep or deeply analytical book but it is an easy, informative and entertaining read from a porn insider.

Very much recommended.

**rosestone** · January 18th, 2018, 09:04 AM

'Silas Marner' by George Elliott.

Read 'Middlemarch' too, I don't tend to read fiction, but I like 19th century novels (or rather, perhaps I like them because the good ones are still in print and the bad ones have disappeared), and George-y is a new favourite. Her plots are absorbing even when they're kinda like parables, her characters are interesting (except Will Ladislaw, who is tedious), and the politics is fascinating - she wrote the books in the 1870s, but set them both in the 1830s, and there's lots of good stuff about the great reform act, role of women etc.

Top banana

**otokonomidori** · January 21st, 2018, 06:46 PM

"Moby Dick" Herman Melville

I've been meaning to read this for years - but somehow thought it would be a very heavy task. Turns out it's absolutely engrossing.

**Wendigo** · January 21st, 2018, 10:01 PM

On the subject of big marine beasties.

Meg : Nightstalkers (2017)

Volume 5 of Steve Alten's series about giant 70-80 ft prehistoric sharks sharing our seas with us, also now a 122ft Liopleurodon and several other large beasties.
The Megs are loose off Canada and the Liopluerodon is headed to Antarctica with our heroes on their trail. Throw in some hidden lakes under the Antarctic where huge Miocene Sperm Whales live, a TV reality show and time travel and that covers most of the bases to date.

The Meg film is due out in March so I had to read this first as the film also contains some elements of this book.

**Baresfan** · January 21st, 2018, 11:08 PM

Robert Crais - "The Wanted" "It seemed like a simple case--before the bodies starting piling up. Investigator Elvis Cole and his partner, Joe Pike, take on the deadliest case of their lives in the new masterpiece of suspense from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author. When single mother Devon Connor hires private investigator Elvis Cole, it's because her troubled teenage son Tyson is flashing cash and she's afraid he's dealing drugs. But the truth is devastatingly different. With two other partners in crime, he's been responsible for a string of high-end burglaries, a crime spree that takes a deadly turn when one of them is murdered and Tyson and his girlfriend disappear. They stole the wrong thing from the wrong man. Determined to get it back, he has hired a team that is smart and brutal, and to even the odds, Cole calls in his friends Joe Pike and Jon Stone. But even they may be overmatched. The hired killers are leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. A few more won't make any difference"

**rosestone** · January 22nd, 2018, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by otokonomidori

"Moby Dick" Herman Melville

I've been meaning to read this for years - but somehow thought it would be a very heavy task. Turns out it's absolutely engrossing.

My favourite Radio 4 show 'In Our Time' did a programme about Moby Dick recently, well worth a listen

**otokonomidori** · January 22nd, 2018, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosestone

My favourite Radio 4 show 'In Our Time' did a programme about Moby Dick recently, well worth a listen

Does it give away the ending? I'm 300 pages in and Captain Ahab has just appeared for the first time.

megawad · January 23rd, 2018, 12:42 AM

I am currently reading three books: "On Leadership" by John W. Gardner; "A Storm of Swords (Game of Thrones #3)" by George R R Martin; and a bio, "Sandra Day O'Connor" by Joan Biskupic.

January 16th, 2018, 02:42 PM	#2283
Pinkpapercut Rust Never Sleeps Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: North of the Channel, west of the hills, south of the mountains Posts: 984 Thanks: 31,846 Thanked 20,519 Times in 986 Posts	Beaver Street by Robert Rosen Beaver Street by Robert Rosen Back in the 1990s I used regularly to read 'Headpress' the self-described 'Journal of Sex, Religion and Death' which was published in my home city, Manchester. 'Headpress' and Headpress publishing moved online and to London well over a decade ago and I lost track of them and the man who was the engine behind 'Headpress', David Kerekes. A couple of weeks ago I decided to check out whether they are still around. They are, and they're still publishing material that fits best under the heading of 'Sex, Religion and Death' and one of their books, Robert Rosen's 'Beaver Street' caught my particular interest. I don't want to spoil the book by giving Rosen's story away so I'll just say that after being cheated by a well-known person as an aspiring writer in early 80s New York, just to keep some money coming in Rosen applied for a job with a publisher through a classified ad and ended up working for and eventually editing porn magazines for the publisher of some well-known skin mags. The book is promoted on its cover as 'a history of modern pornography' which it isn't but what it is is a fascinating tour around the personalities of the US porn scene in the 80s and 90s, an insight into the practices of the publishers and video makers and the contempt in which very many of them held their customers, the influence of porn publishing on mainstream publishing including forgotten connections between porn and the origins of Marvel Comics, and the story of the decline of the porn magazines in the face of the rise of the Web. Given that every member of VEF is here because they have an interest in some aspect of porn or - amongst the VEF VIPs - have worked in porn, there's something in 'Beaver Street' to interest every one of us. 'Beaver Street' isn't a deep or deeply analytical book but it is an easy, informative and entertaining read from a porn insider. Very much recommended. __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. That's To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. 's bottom and I'd love it for a pillow Last edited by Pinkpapercut; January 16th, 2018 at 03:15 PM..

January 21st, 2018, 10:01 PM	#2286
Wendigo Former Staff Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Blighty Posts: 113,773 Thanks: 259,883 Thanked 1,139,274 Times in 113,893 Posts	On the subject of big marine beasties. Meg : Nightstalkers (2017) Volume 5 of Steve Alten's series about giant 70-80 ft prehistoric sharks sharing our seas with us, also now a 122ft Liopleurodon and several other large beasties. The Megs are loose off Canada and the Liopluerodon is headed to Antarctica with our heroes on their trail. Throw in some hidden lakes under the Antarctic where huge Miocene Sperm Whales live, a TV reality show and time travel and that covers most of the bases to date. The Meg film is due out in March so I had to read this first as the film also contains some elements of this book. __________________ RIP Doctor Who To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. 23 November 1963 to 25 December 2017, sacrificed on the altar of identity politics. The show is dead to me, but my DVD's live on If you can re-up dead links please consider adding this to your signature. It helps when looking at reports of dead posts. Please PM me re any dead images although it is likely if it is outside Celebs I may no longer have the content

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January 12th, 2018, 03:59 PM	#2282
Avawordson Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 20 Thanks: 58 Thanked 133 Times in 17 Posts	The First Socialist Schism, Bakunin vs Marx in the International Working Mans Association - Wolfgang Eckhardt.

January 18th, 2018, 09:04 AM	#2284
rosestone Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 2,256 Thanks: 79,772 Thanked 37,954 Times in 2,261 Posts	'Silas Marner' by George Elliott. Read 'Middlemarch' too, I don't tend to read fiction, but I like 19th century novels (or rather, perhaps I like them because the good ones are still in print and the bad ones have disappeared), and George-y is a new favourite. Her plots are absorbing even when they're kinda like parables, her characters are interesting (except Will Ladislaw, who is tedious), and the politics is fascinating - she wrote the books in the 1870s, but set them both in the 1830s, and there's lots of good stuff about the great reform act, role of women etc. Top banana

January 21st, 2018, 06:46 PM	#2285
otokonomidori 緑の男 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Jockistan, UK. Posts: 8,316 Thanks: 39,023 Thanked 122,410 Times in 8,316 Posts	"Moby Dick" Herman Melville I've been meaning to read this for years - but somehow thought it would be a very heavy task. Turns out it's absolutely engrossing.

January 21st, 2018, 11:08 PM	#2287
Baresfan Vintage Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 1,060 Thanks: 2,313 Thanked 14,181 Times in 1,013 Posts	Robert Crais - "The Wanted" "It seemed like a simple case--before the bodies starting piling up. Investigator Elvis Cole and his partner, Joe Pike, take on the deadliest case of their lives in the new masterpiece of suspense from the #1 New York Times-bestselling author. When single mother Devon Connor hires private investigator Elvis Cole, it's because her troubled teenage son Tyson is flashing cash and she's afraid he's dealing drugs. But the truth is devastatingly different. With two other partners in crime, he's been responsible for a string of high-end burglaries, a crime spree that takes a deadly turn when one of them is murdered and Tyson and his girlfriend disappear. They stole the wrong thing from the wrong man. Determined to get it back, he has hired a team that is smart and brutal, and to even the odds, Cole calls in his friends Joe Pike and Jon Stone. But even they may be overmatched. The hired killers are leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. A few more won't make any difference"

January 23rd, 2018, 12:42 AM	#2290
megawad Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: USA, midwest. Posts: 201 Thanks: 87 Thanked 1,955 Times in 196 Posts	I am currently reading three books: "On Leadership" by John W. Gardner; "A Storm of Swords (Game of Thrones #3)" by George R R Martin; and a bio, "Sandra Day O'Connor" by Joan Biskupic.