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March 29, 2024, 10:00:36 am

Author Topic: What are you reading at the moment?  (Read 61492 times)

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Joseph41

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What are you reading at the moment?
« on: May 02, 2018, 10:25:54 am »
+2
I just finished a book called To the Bitter End by Peter Hartcher, and I really, really enjoyed it.

It's a book on the fall of the Howard Government and the rise of the Rudd Government. This was interesting to me for a few reasons:
* I wrote my Honours thesis on media representations of the Rudd/Gillard Governments.
* Peter Hartcher penned some of the articles that I analysed.
* The book started out with development of the Howard/Costello/Downer/Turnbull/Andrews/Abbott etc. relationships, which I knew less about.

I found the whole thing fascinating from cover to cover, and am hoping Hartcher has written other books more recently (I think this one went up to 2008 only).

How about you? What are you reading at the moment?

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K888

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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2018, 10:28:33 am »
+3
Currently halfway through OoTP. Been reading it for approximately 56 months lol. Started reading it not long before uni started this year and since then, been too busy or unmotivated to read - I've probably only read like, 50 pages in the past 2 months. I see the book on my bedside table, think "I should read a few pages before I go to sleep!", then decide to skip the reading and go straight to sleep haha.

sweetiepi

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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2018, 10:36:54 am »
+3
Currently reading Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children, which has been on my to-read ever since I won a copy of the book in a school library competition in like 2014/2015 😅

I'm also going to start Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven and The Secret History by Donna Tartt- which I'm excited to start! :D
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literally lauren

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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #3 on: May 02, 2018, 10:49:53 am »
+6
Rereading Rebecca for the first time in 5 years. I've forgotten how well-written this is. Probably one of my favourite books, and certainly the best Gothic novel ever:


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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2018, 10:22:45 pm »
+1
Currently reading The Bat by Jo Nesbø (literally went onto wikipedia to copy paste that last letter). I'm only about a chapter in at the moment but it's definitely a really interesting book, also love the fact that it's a Norwegian novel set in Australia. I first read one of the most well known books in the series, the Snowman about two years ago, but only found out it's a series recently, so I'm starting from the first book, and will hopefully get through the entire series by December.

I'm also about to start reading History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides. I bought the book yesterday but has so far been too intimidated by the length of the book to read it properly, but I was flipping through it this morning and was surprised to find that it's actually quite easy to read. Hopefully I'll get it done by next week.

Recently finished a modern version written on the Peloponnesian War by Donald Kagan, both books are about the same length, but it took me the entire school holidays to finish reading it.
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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #5 on: May 03, 2018, 07:33:21 am »
+1
Well... Kinda multi-modal at the minute.
I am listening to the librivox recording of Herman Melville's Moby Dick (gotta love public domain!), and also just searching for a readily attainable copy of 'Turtles all the way down", after reading TFIOS, Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska (fav).
But while searching, I have started reading older stuff, so currently... The Brothers Karamazov.
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sweetiepi

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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #6 on: May 03, 2018, 07:43:15 am »
0
also just searching for a readily attainable copy of 'Turtles all the way down", after reading TFIOS, Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska (fav).
Have you tried seeing if a copy of Turtles is available in your local library? That might be a great way to start! ;D
I'm also really glad you find that Looking for Alaska is your fave! (I really liked that one, it was the first John Green book I bought as well haha)
I also recommend An Abundance of Katherines as well, whilst we're talking about John Green :)
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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #7 on: May 03, 2018, 07:46:47 am »
+1
Have you tried seeing if a copy of Turtles is available in your local library? That might be a great way to start! ;D
I'm also really glad you find that Looking for Alaska is your fave! (I really liked that one, it was the first John Green book I bought as well haha)
I also recommend An Abundance of Katherines as well, whilst we're talking about John Green :)
I ran through the the plot Summaries of "An abundance of Katherines, and didn't like it as much as I liked "Turtles all the way down. But I am open to suggestions, and that is next in line after Turtles... :D
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vox nihili

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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #8 on: May 03, 2018, 01:52:54 pm »
+3
I've just started reading Testing Treatments by a whole variety of authors. It basically talks about why it's so important that anything we do in medicine is tested rigorously before we do it, and discusses some of the reasons why this doesn't happen properly. Unfortunately, it's fairly sad how many treatments in medicine persist without an evidence based.

Was reading A Silent Invasion before that (which you might remember was a book that almost didn't get published for fear of defamation suits). Basically, it's a book about the Chinese government's influence on Australian politics. The author, Clive Hamilton, originally had a publisher but their legal team decided to can it because they were worried that Chinese government proxies in Australia would sue the publisher and the author out of existence. A few publishers subsequently rejected it for the same reason. Our government was poised to intervene, when finally a publisher agreed.

I think the book discusses a really important issue. There's little doubt that the Chinese government is pursuing a policy of soft power, whereby they're actively trying to infiltrate, for want of a better word, democracies the world over to change decisions made by those governments. We see that play out in the timidity with which our government often approaches questions about China. I expected the book would be quite good because it's written by an academic of some renown and, critically, who was once a Greens candidate (so you'd expect that he'd be pandering to that audience, and would be really sensitive about making a strong case). It was absolutely dreadful though. Some of the most boring, one-track and thoughtless writing I've read in a long time. 

I just finished a book called To the Bitter End by Peter Hartcher, and I really, really enjoyed it.

It's a book on the fall of the Howard Government and the rise of the Rudd Government. This was interesting to me for a few reasons:
* I wrote my Honours thesis on media representations of the Rudd/Gillard Governments.
* Peter Hartcher penned some of the articles that I analysed.
* The book started out with development of the Howard/Costello/Downer/Turnbull/Andrews/Abbott etc. relationships, which I knew less about.

I found the whole thing fascinating from cover to cover, and am hoping Hartcher has written other books more recently (I think this one went up to 2008 only).

How about you? What are you reading at the moment?

He has written some books since! I read one of his books (I think it was called the Sweet Spot) some time ago. Basically about how Australia managed to survive the GFC and the policies that have made this country successful, with the classic warning for the future attached. 
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Joseph41

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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #9 on: May 03, 2018, 01:56:23 pm »
0
He has written some books since! I read one of his books (I think it was called the Sweet Spot) some time ago. Basically about how Australia managed to survive the GFC and the policies that have made this country successful, with the classic warning for the future attached. 

Does this focus mostly on the policies, or the politicians behind them?

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vox nihili

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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #10 on: May 03, 2018, 09:04:03 pm »
+1
Does this focus mostly on the policies, or the politicians behind them?

To be honest with you, I can't really remember. I've had a quick read of a synopsis and basically it talks about how Australia became a successful country, by tracking those "big moments" in our history. It sort of looks at the cultural foundation of our politics and why that has generated such a high standard of living for this country.
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EEEEEEP

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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #11 on: May 03, 2018, 09:10:19 pm »
0
The author is a Director of the NYU Human Microbiome Program and Professor of Microbiology at the New York University School of Medicine.

This is a really eye opening book about how we are somewhat *mistreating* people via giving people antibiotics and breeding a generation of super bugs. The real life case scenario  that he talks about where (no antibiotics may no longer stop previously stoppable bacteria).

With the overuse of antibiotics through prescription and in animal production, it may breed a generation of "fragile" humans with weak immune systems!

He argues that for something like a simple cold or cut, we may not need antibiotics. He also argues that it isn't beneficial for us in the long term!


I'm not sure if I'm educated enough to believe his premise, but it is a sort of eye opening book from someone who obviously has lots of experience in the area!
« Last Edit: May 03, 2018, 09:18:04 pm by EEEEEEP »

vox nihili

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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #12 on: May 03, 2018, 09:57:16 pm »
+1
The author is a Director of the NYU Human Microbiome Program and Professor of Microbiology at the New York University School of Medicine.

This is a really eye opening book about how we are somewhat *mistreating* people via giving people antibiotics and breeding a generation of super bugs. The real life case scenario  that he talks about where (no antibiotics may no longer stop previously stoppable bacteria).

With the overuse of antibiotics through prescription and in animal production, it may breed a generation of "fragile" humans with weak immune systems!

He argues that for something like a simple cold or cut, we may not need antibiotics. He also argues that it isn't beneficial for us in the long term!
(Image removed from quote.)

I'm not sure if I'm educated enough to believe his premise, but it is a sort of eye opening book from someone who obviously has lots of experience in the area!

Annoyingly popping up in this thread again.

Wasn't aware of this book, but the central premise is really strongly evidence based. We're already seeing the devastating consequences of antibiotic misuse on wards in Australia.

Anyway unhelpful comment but happy for you to start one of your threads if you want to discuss it :)
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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #13 on: May 04, 2018, 12:23:43 am »
+1
To be honest with you, I can't really remember. I've had a quick read of a synopsis and basically it talks about how Australia became a successful country, by tracking those "big moments" in our history. It sort of looks at the cultural foundation of our politics and why that has generated such a high standard of living for this country.

Basically,  We are a mni britain?
#Republican... :d
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Re: What are you reading at the moment?
« Reply #14 on: May 04, 2018, 01:03:54 am »
+4
To throw a small spanner into the political workings of this thread, here I am with the fiction recommendation!  ::)

Just finished the book “Wonder” by R J Palacio. Please excuse any writing errors, it is currently 1 in the morning and I haven’t slept in about 36 hours.

Beautifully and simplistically written, the author gives insight into the life of a young boy born with severe deformities in and around his face. I’ve been really struggling with my own self image and esteem for a long time now, and reading this book really put into perspective the way seemingly innocent, unconscious actions can hurt people. It shows the cruelty of man through a child struggling to find his way in a world that hates and pities him through no fault of his own, but also the fact that the simplest kindness can change a persons whole world for the better.
It’s a book written to make people think, and even though the writing style is childish and simple, like that of the ten year old protagonist, the thought and philosophy behind it is wonderfully complex and moving. Rating that one 5/5. Do recommend.
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