Alastair Humphreys Adventurer | Author | Motivational Speaker

Posted
8 October 2009 @ 9am

Tagged
Books, Lists

What book are you reading now?

I love reading and I plough through books at quite a speed. So I enjoyed a post on the Howies blog about books recently.
I am going to steal their idea and ask you 3 questions:

- What book did you last read?
- What are you currently reading?
- What’s next on your pile of books to read?

My answers:

- Junior Officers’ Reading Club
- Penguin History of the 20th Century (may take a while!)
- The Well-Loved Stranger

What are you reading now? Please share with us in the comments…

If you liked this post you might enjoy these too:

  1. The Ten Best Books of the Year
  2. Sharing the dream
  3. Reading recommendations
  4. Buy a book, get one FREE!


53 Comments

Posted by
Sally Johnson
8 October 2009 @ 9am

Cool idea! And I get to start it off! Woohoo!

ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand
THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand
BATTLEFIELD EARTH by L. Ron Hubbard


Posted by
Tom
8 October 2009 @ 9am

- Lolita
- A Passage to India
- A Death in the Family


Posted by
Gary Terrty
8 October 2009 @ 9am

Nice idea!

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey


Posted by
Kathy
8 October 2009 @ 9am

Err i don’t think mine are that impressive but i love reading fast books…

1. Harry Potter and the Philospohers Stone
2. It’s not about the bike (Lance Armstrong). I guess you’ve read that alistair!
3. Ten Lessons from the road! lol!


Posted by
Will G
8 October 2009 @ 9am

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver


Posted by
Al Humphreys
8 October 2009 @ 9am

hey everyone – thanks for sharing these. More books to add to my Xmas wish list…
Al


Posted by
pat
8 October 2009 @ 10am

Moods of Future Joys
Thunder and Sunshine (because the two have got to be read together, don’t they?)
Disgrace by JM Coetzee


Posted by
Al Humphreys
8 October 2009 @ 10am

Patrick, I think your comment is a Disgrace! How could you choose a Nobel Prize winning book next over the Triple Crown and downstairs loo Spectacular that is 10 Lessons from the Road?! ;-)


Posted by
Ryan
8 October 2009 @ 11am

Papillion
Castaway (by Lucy Irvine, not the Tom Hanks film)
Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon


Posted by
Neil
8 October 2009 @ 11am

- The Man Who Cycled The World – Mark Beaumont
- Solo: The North Pole: Alone & Unsupported – Pen Hadow
- Slow Coast Home – Josie Dew


Posted by
Rob F
8 October 2009 @ 11am

1. The Happy Isles of Oceania – Paul Theroux (loved this – will be working my way through a few more of these I reckon)
2. After The Ice – Steven Mithen (this will take a while!)
3. The Lost Symbol – Dan Brown (should I be ashamed?)


Posted by
George
8 October 2009 @ 11am

Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
To Kill A Mockingbird – HArper Lee
The Art of War – Sun Tzu


Posted by
Peter
8 October 2009 @ 12pm

Great question!

Past: The Mystery of the Nile by Richard Bangs
Present: Olivetti Cronicles by John Peel
Future: Some kind of history of latin american music if I can find one…


Posted by
Alex
8 October 2009 @ 12pm

The Da Vinci Code
Shackleton – R. Huntsford
A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemminway


Posted by
Helen
8 October 2009 @ 12pm

1. The Reader
2. Oryx and Crake, War & Peace, several manuscripts, On The Road, the DMZ series. I always have lots of books on the go.
3. The Year of the Flood.

And now it’s plug time! *assumes deep movie trailer voice* From the publishers of best-selling writer Alastair Humphreys comes an extensive list of fascinating adventures. Gasp! As a well-known documentary maker exposes life on the road in Africa in Walking Away by Charlotte Metcalfe! Be Astounded! As an interpid band of media warriors set up Afghanistan’s first post-war radio station in Waseem Mahmood’s Good Morning Afghanistan! Find Inspiration! As we follow the adventures of a British couple who leave a comfortable life behind in order to try and make it in the Yukon Wilderness in The Good Life by Dorian Amos!

/plug

*ahem*


Posted by
Helen
8 October 2009 @ 12pm

Point And Laugh! As a publisher forgets how to type and/or spell!


Posted by
Al Humphreys
8 October 2009 @ 12pm

Some suggestions from my friend Clare:

“I totally devour books, and no charity shop is safe from me, no matter how full my brompton pannier!

I have recently finished “The Broken Window” by Jeffry Deaver (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Broken-Window-Jeffery-Deaver/dp/0340993707/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255004675&sr=1-1). I like a bit of Deaver- I think his crime fiction is very clever… maybe too clever for me sometimes!

I am currently reading “The Little things” by Erica James (£3 in Sainsburies (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Its-Little-Things-Erica-James/dp/0752884336/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255004571&sr=8-1) which Is beautifully written, essentially chick-lit, relatively predictable (so far!)…. Read more

Next on my pile of books is “Iceland Inside Guide” (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Iceland-Insight-Guide-Apa/dp/9812587578/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255004747&sr=1-2) as we’re off on our exciting Iceland Honeymoon next friday and I haven’t had a chance to really look through it all!


Posted by
bastien
8 October 2009 @ 12pm

Arktika of gilles elkaim. The russian coast from north cape to eastern tip of russia near alaska in 4 years


Posted by
Rayna
8 October 2009 @ 1pm

- The Island at the Center of the World.
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Affinity Bridge or Atmospheric Disturbances


Posted by
Al Humphreys
8 October 2009 @ 1pm

Hi Bastien,
I did not know about this journey, so thanks for enlightening me. Wow!
Here’s a link for people:
http://www.arktika.org/uk/menu_expedition.htm
Al


Posted by
Tom
8 October 2009 @ 2pm

Great scott – the collective mind is working overtime today. Was about to post my current book on Twitter then saw this blog…

Last: Cycling Home From Siberia by Rob Lilwall
Current: 1001 Arabian Nights translated by Sir Richard Burton
Next: Grimms Fairy Tales


Posted by
Luke
8 October 2009 @ 2pm

Learning to Breathe – Andy Cave
The Secret Hunters – Ranulph Fiennes
Blink – Malcolm Gladwell


Posted by
Sp4rkym4n
8 October 2009 @ 3pm

Frost Bitten- Kelley Armstrong
Cycling home from siberia- Rob lilwall
Up till now- Wiliam shatner


Posted by
mattm
8 October 2009 @ 6pm

Tales from the Farm – Jeff Lemire
Cycling Home from Siberia – Rob Lilwall
Waterlog – Roger Deakin


Posted by
Paul
8 October 2009 @ 6pm

Last read :
Caves of steel / Isaac Asimov
current read (s) : Untold Stories / Alan Bennett
The God Delusion / Richard Dawkins
The Naked Sun / Issac Asimov
Next read :
The White Tiger / Aravind Adiga


Posted by
Tim
8 October 2009 @ 6pm

Bel Canto – Ann Patchett
Mother London – Michael Moorcock
God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy

Kathy, George, you are both reading great books at the moment!


Posted by
Al Humphreys
8 October 2009 @ 7pm

Here’s the shortlist for the Boardman Tasker Mountain Literature award: http://www.boardmantasker.com/site/shortlist2009.htm
(Thanks, Tomo [http://twitter.com/Tomo_Thompson])


Posted by
Rich
8 October 2009 @ 7pm

First among sequels – Jasper Fforde
Chocky – John Wyndham
Independent people – Halldor Laxness


Posted by
Graham K
8 October 2009 @ 9pm

Past – Love Letters from a Desert (book of letter written by a Scottish soldier during WW2)
Present – The Canoe Boys by Alistair Dunnett (the story of a kayak expedition from Glasgow to Skye in 1934)
Future – Dreaming of Jupiter by Ted Simon (the story of Ted retracing a 3 year motorcycle journey he first did in the 1970s …the orginal book Jupiters Travels was the reason I learned to ride a motorcyle)


Posted by
Saffia
9 October 2009 @ 9pm

Great idea, I love seeing what everyone is reading.

Love My Rifle More than You – Kayla Williams
Superpowers for Parents – Dr Stephen Briers (I need all the help I can get!)
Next…still deciding, it’s one of my favourite things, choosing the next book. Probably The Book Thief By Markus Zusak as am hosting a book club on it in Nov, or maybe Feminista by Erica Kennedy as was recommended by a fellow blogger. How was The Junior Officers’ Reading Club Al as it is on my pile?


Posted by
Alex
11 October 2009 @ 8pm

Last read
Right Ho, Jeeves – P. G. Wodehouse

Currently reading
Three Men in a Float – Dan Kieran & Ian Vince

Coming up next
The Medway and its Tributaries – R H Goodsall


Posted by
Steve
12 October 2009 @ 11am

Last Read: Foundation – Asimov.
Currently reading: The Vanished Man – Jeffery Deaver
Next: See what tickles my fancy – I’m starting to feel like reading one of Stephen Ambrose’s books (Band of Brothers et al).


Posted by
Clare
12 October 2009 @ 11am

Ryan- How great is Papillion? I’ve never read anything like it before- what a brilliant book! Al- you must try to read it- this gentleman has a tenacity like I’ve never seen before!


Posted by
Al Humphreys
13 October 2009 @ 7pm

Clare – I agree, it’s a stunning book!


Posted by
Al Humphreys
13 October 2009 @ 7pm

Hi Saff,
I think you would hate the Junior Officers’ Reading Club! I quite enjoyed it, though he tries a bit hard to be re-writing Dispatches…


Posted by
Lee hughes
16 October 2009 @ 10pm

:59 seconds
The mind in the cave
Quirkology


Posted by
André Branco
16 October 2009 @ 10pm

- FLOW, by Mihaly Csizentmihalyi
- UTOPIA, Thomas Moore [not liking it]


Posted by
André Branco
16 October 2009 @ 10pm

Just read:
- 50/50 — Secrets I learned running 50 marathons in 50 days, and how you too can achieve super endurance!, by Dean Karnazes
- Steppenwolf, by Herman Hesse

Reading:
- FLOW, by Mihaly Csizentmihalyi
- UTOPIA, Thomas More [not liking it]

Next reads:
Still undecided from dozens of already-bought options… =)


Posted by
collegegarden
16 October 2009 @ 11pm

Currently reading-Crow Country by Mark Cocker. Read it, or let the corvids pick your bones clean! There’s more to the British countryside than meets the eye.


Posted by
Bryan Hojo
17 October 2009 @ 3am

Into thin air, John Krakauer
Driving mr Albert, Michael Paternity
Born to run ,Christopher McDougal

Also on chapter 7 of 10 lessons from the road.


Posted by
Liz
17 October 2009 @ 9am

The Carpenter’s Pencil – Manuel Rivas
All The Pretty Horses – Cormac McCarthy
????? – The to read pile is VERY big. I normally pick what I’m going to read next on the basis of how I feel after the latest book I’ve read. :-)


Posted by
Martin
17 October 2009 @ 2pm

Ransom – Jay McInerney
The Way of the World – Nicolas Bouvier
The Balkans – Misha Glenny


Posted by
Richard
17 October 2009 @ 8pm

The Pilgrim by Paulo Coelho got me started on the walking and thinking!!


Posted by
Richard
17 October 2009 @ 8pm

Sorry, The book is called ‘The Pilgrimage’. Plan to do the Way of St James in the Spring.


Posted by
Al Humphreys
18 October 2009 @ 8pm

I’ve compiled everyone’s contributions into one for me to add to my Christmas wish list…

ATLAS SHRUGGED – Ayn Rand
THE FOUNTAINHEAD – Ayn Rand
BATTLEFIELD EARTH – L. Ron Hubbard
Lolita
A Passage to India
A Death in the Family
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kesey
Harry Potter and the Philospohers Stone
It’s not about the bike – Lance Armstrong
The Name of the Rose – Umberto Eco
As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner
The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver

Disgrace – JM Coetzee
Papillion
Castaway – Lucy Irvine
Running Through the Wall: Personal Encounters with the Ultramarathon
The Man Who Cycled The World – Mark Beaumont
Solo: The North Pole: Alone & Unsupported – Pen Hadow
Slow Coast Home – Josie Dew
The Happy Isles of Oceania – Paul Theroux
After The Ice – Steven Mithen
The Lost Symbol – Dan Brown
Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
To Kill A Mockingbird – HArper Lee
The Art of War – Sun Tzu
The Mystery of the Nile – Richard Bangs
Olivetti Cronicles – John Peel
Some kind of history of latin american music if I can find one…
The Da Vinci Code
Shackleton – R. Huntsford
A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemminway
The Reader
Oryx and Crake
War & Peace
On The Road
The DMZ series.
The Year of the Flood.
The Broken Window – Jeffry Deaver
The Little things – Erica James
Arktika – gilles elkaim.
The Island at the Center of the World.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Affinity Bridge
Atmospheric Disturbances
Cycling Home From Siberia – Rob Lilwall
1001 Arabian Nights – Sir Richard Burton
Grimm’s Fairy Tales
Learning to Breathe – Andy Cave
The Secret Hunters – Ranulph Fiennes
Blink – Malcolm Gladwell
Frost Bitten – Kelley Armstrong
Up till now- Wiliam Shatner
Tales from the Farm – Jeff Lemire
Waterlog – Roger Deakin
Caves of steel
Untold Stories – Alan Bennett
The God Delusion – Richard Dawkins
The Naked Sun – Issac Asimov
The White Tiger – Aravind Adiga
Bel Canto – Ann Patchett
Mother London – Michael Moorcock
God of Small Things – Arundhati Roy
First among sequels – Jasper Fforde
Chocky – John Wyndham
Independent people – Halldor Laxness
Love Letters from a Desert (book of letters written by a Scottish soldier during WW2)
Present – The Canoe Boys – Alistair Dunnett
Future – Dreaming of Jupiter – Ted Simon
Love My Rifle More than You – Kayla Williams
Superpowers for Parents – Dr Stephen Briers
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
Right Ho, Jeeves – P. G. Wodehouse
Three Men in a Float – Dan Kieran & Ian Vince
The Medway and its Tributaries – R H Goodsall
Foundation – Asimov.
The Vanished Man – Jeffery Deaver
Band of Brothers – Stephen Ambrose
59 seconds
The mind in the cave
Quirkology
FLOW, – Mihaly Csizentmihalyi
UTOPIA – Thomas Moore
50/50 – Secrets I learned running 50 marathons in 50 days, and how you too can achieve super endurance! – Dean Karnazes
Steppenwolf, – Herman Hesse
FLOW, – Mihaly Csizentmihalyi
Crow Country – Mark Cocker.
Into thin air – John Krakauer
Driving Mr Albert – Michael Paternity
Born to run – Christopher McDougal
The Carpenter’s Pencil – Manuel Rivas
All The Pretty Horses – Cormac McCarthy
Ransom – Jay McInerney
The Way of the World – Nicolas Bouvier
The Balkans – Misha Glenny
The Pilgrimage – Paulo Coelho


Posted by
Matt
31 October 2009 @ 7pm

1. Louis de Bernieres- Red Dog
2. Ryzard Kapuscinski- Shadow of the Sun (!!!)
3. Isabel Allende- House of the Spirits


Posted by
Al Humphreys
7 November 2009 @ 10pm

Matt,
I love Ryzard Kapuscinski…


Posted by
Heather
22 November 2009 @ 5am

I love this collection of book recommendations! Especially given the demographic of your blog followers.

- A Million Miles In A Thousand Years by Donald Miller
- Born To Run (A hidden tribe, superathletes, and the greatest race the world has never seen) by Christopher McDougall
- A New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren


Posted by
Al Humphreys
22 November 2009 @ 11pm

Thanks for your additions, Heather


Posted by
simon
3 February 2010 @ 6pm

last: Moods of Future Joys
current: Thunder & Sunshine – I am currently in Uzbekistan – vicariously
next: 10 Lessons

Not meaning to be a creep or anything, but as I saw them in Waterstones on a recent trip back to the UK… It just so happens I am reading your trilogy, saw the post whilst flicking through your website and enjoy the serendipity of being able to promote your books as inspirational page turners.


Posted by
simon
3 February 2010 @ 7pm

Just realised… I also Have “Allen Carr’s Easyway to give up smoking” on my to-read pile. Which should it be? “10 Lessons from the Road” or the use of my lungs?


Posted by
clarence
7 February 2010 @ 8am

1. World War Z
2. A Scanner Darkly
3. Live and Let Die


Posted by
Happygerbaloon
8 February 2010 @ 8am

- A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
- Interview with The Vampire by Anne Rice
- Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace


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