What r u reading now? is it any good? share?
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Post what are you reading now? and any comments or recommendations on it?
I'm reading A Place of Hiding by Elizabeth George...just started it today so not much to say yet....
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
In this latest from bestseller Elizabeth George, China River, recuperating from a failed love affair, agrees to accompany her ne'er-do-well brother Cherokee to the Channel Islands to hand-deliver a set of architectural drawings to an expatriate millionaire whose plans to fund a museum commemorating the war-time exploits of his Guernsey neighbors comes a cropper after he's found dead under suspicious circumstances. George spins an intricate and lively plot that spotlights the efforts of series regulars Deborah and Simon St. John to help Deborah's old friends free themselves; in the process, she introduces a fascinating cast of secondary characters, many of whom had much more obvious motives to wish Guy Brouard dead than the California siblings who seem tailor-made for a frame-up. A fine addition to George's ouevre, this thirteenth outing in her popular series will delight her fans. --Jane Adams
Product Description:
An isolated beach on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel is the scene of the murder of Guy Brouard, one of GuernseyÂ’s wealthiest inhabitants and its main benefactor. Forced as a child to flee the Nazis in Paris, Brouard was engaged in his latest project when he died: a museum in honor of those who resisted the German occupation of the island during World War II.
It is from this period of time that his murderer may well have come. But there are others on Guernsey with reason to want Guy Brouard dead: his wives, his business associates, his current mistress, the underprivileged teenagers he mentored—any of whom might have harbored a secret motive for murder. As family and friends gather for the reading of the will, Deborah and Simon St. James find that seemingly everyone on the history-haunted island has something to hide. And behind all the lies and alibis, a killer is lurking. In order to bring this person to justice, the St. James must delve into Guernsey’s dark history—both past and present—and into the troubled psyche of someone who may have exacted retribution for the most unspeakable crime of all.
In A Place of Hiding, bestselling novelist Elizabeth George marks new territory in the darker landscapes of human relationships. She tells a gripping, suspenseful story of betrayal and devotion, war and remembrance, love and loss...and the higher truths to which we must all ultimately answer.
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Value at Risk: The New Benchmark for Managing Financial Risk
by Philippe Jorion
Editorial Reviews
Book Info:
The updated edition of this international text on market risk, featuring more than 200 pages of new material and the latest information needed to understand and implement value at risk. Also features extensive restructuring, a broader scope and substantial revisions. Discusses the current uses of VAR in finance. Previous edition not cited. DLC: Financial futures.
Product Description:
To accommodate sweeping global economic changes, the risk management field has evolved substantially since the first edition of Value at Risk, making this revised edition a must. Updates include a new chapter on liquidity risk, information on the latest risk instruments and the expanded derivatives market, recent developments in Monte Carlo methods, and more. Value at Risk, Second Edition, will help professional risk managers understand, and operate within, todayÂ’s dynamic new risk environment. -
[quote]Originally posted by EricDraven:
[b]Value at Risk: The New Benchmark for Managing Financial Risk
by Philippe Jorion
uncle eric ah pek....this is your leisure reading??? or work related??? -
mathematics: a very short introduction
- A concise explanation of the differences between advanced mathematics and what we learn at school
- Offers the reader an insight into such seemingly paradoxical concepts as infinity, the square root of minus one, and curved space
- Tackles the sociological questions that arise regarding the mathematical community - e.g. 'Do mathematicians burn out at the age of 25?'
- Clear and non-technical language throughout
- The author received a Fields Medal for Mathematics in 1998, awarded for 'the most daring, profound and stimulating research done by young mathematicians'
Description
'a marvellously lucid guide to the beauty and mystery of numbers' -Gilbert Adair
This book aims to explain, in clear non-technical language,what it is that mathematicians do, and how that differs from and builds on the mathematics that most people are familiar with from school. It is the ideal introduction for anyone who wishes to deepen their understanding of mathematics.
Readership
People who regret not learning more mathematics; people who are fascinated by popular science books, but are left wishing they understood them better; people contemplating doing a mathematics-related degree; people who would like to talk about mathematics in an informed way without having to learn technical details. -
Originally posted by care bear:
Both, my work is my leisure... Yes, I know I'm boring...
uncle eric ah pek....this is your leisure reading??? or work related??? [/b]
No time to read story books ar... -
am reading Dr. Riemann's Zeros by Karl Sabbagh.. not read enough to make a decision about it yet..
this seems to be like another book i read about one of the most enduring of mathematical puzzles around, Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh....
the latter is a bit of math but nothing the layman cannot understand... and it traces the history of the mathematicians like Pythagoras, Euclid, Euler, Sophie Germaine, Gauss... and their love of mathematics...
and many will be surprised at how obsessed they were to their craft and the stories that are behind their lives.. and they were everything but dull and boring!
the latter is a strong recommendation for a good read! -
hmmm... reading this now... cant seem to find enuf energy to finish it
Lean Six SIGMA: Combining Six SIGMA Quality with Lean Production Speed
FROM THE PUBLISHER
The Breakthrough Program for Increasing Quality, Shortening Cycle Times, and Creating Shareholder Value In Every Area of Your Organization
Time and quality are the two most important metrics in improving any company's production and profit performance. Lean Six Sigma explains how to impact your company's performance in each, by combining the strength of today's two most important initiativesÂÂLean Production and Six SigmaÂÂinto one integrated program.
The first book to provide a step-by-step roadmap for profiting from the best elements of Lean and Six Sigma, this breakthrough volume will show you how to:
-- Achieve major cost and lead time reductions this year
-- Compress order-to-delivery cycle times
-- Battle process variation and waste throughout your organization
Separately, Lean Production and Six Sigma have changed the face of the manufacturing business. Together, they become an unprecedented tool for improving product and process quality, production efficiency, and across-the-board profitability. Lean Six Sigma introduces you to today's most dynamic program for streamlining the performance of both your production department and your back office, and providing you with the cost reduction and quality improvements you need to stay one step ahead of your competitors. -
currently not reading any books
i have more than enuf materials to read from the net
the last book (hardcopy) i touched was
Internet Politics: Surveillance and Intimidation in Singapore
by James Gomez -
Rich Dad Poor Dad - What the Rich Teach Their Kids about Money, that the Poor and Middle Class do not!
What can i say? I need the help.
Think no introduction needed for this book, self-explanatory
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next book i wanna read
Asian Cyberactivism: Freedom of Expression and Media Censorship -
I'm currently reading:
The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
If you like to historical fiction, especially about England, then Bernard Cornwell is definitely your choice.
Set in the 9th and 10th century, the story talks about Uhtred, son of Uhtred, a dispossessed English nobleman, captured as a child by Danish Vikings. It talks also about how King Alfred, son and his grandson fought against the Vikings to rescue their kingdom. -
I'm reading "From Here to Eternity" by James Jones. Its quite hefty.
I was brought into it after reading Thin Red Line. So if you are interested in Military fiction, albiet the less actionable kind, you might want to reach for this.
On a side note, I'm also reading "Open World: The truth about Globalisation" by Philippe Legrain. It serves as my non-fiction salad. I usually take it with me to the toilet, not that its shyte but its certainly easier going than "From Here to Eternity".
What do you know? There's more than one way to spell s.h.i.t. -
I'm currently reading The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time. A current bestseller that you can easily find in all bookstores.
It's supposed to be the first hand narrative of a 15 yr old autistic boy investigating the murder of a dog but ended up discovering about what happened to his family. Innocent, charming and funny, and gives great insight into the mind of this very intelligent kid with photographic memory but fears human interaction and is quite incapable of love.
Very easy reading too. If you've read Vernon God Little, it's a bit similar (without the swear words). Recommended!
Check it out:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385512104/002-5898142-0368869?v=glance -
Originally posted by lao_chio:
I think it's quite clever too. I like it myself. It was much better than some "DaVinci Code". Seriously, I thought that DaVinci Code was fluff and too Hollywoodish for my liking.
I'm currently reading [b]The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time. A current bestseller that you can easily find in all bookstores.
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Originally posted by lao_chio:
I liked it too!!
I'm currently reading [b]The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time. A current bestseller that you can easily find in all bookstores.
It's supposed to be the first hand narrative of a 15 yr old autistic boy investigating the murder of a dog but ended up discovering about what happened to his family. Innocent, charming and funny, and gives great insight into the mind of this very intelligent kid with photographic memory but fears human interaction and is quite incapable of love.
Very easy reading too. If you've read Vernon God Little, it's a bit similar (without the swear words). Recommended!
Check it out:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0385512104/002-5898142-0368869?v=glance[/b] Nice narrative...really captured the world of this 15 year old boy and autism. They are not stupid!! 
My brother has autism so I could really relate to the character and his experiences with people...
Very easy to read.. I recommend this one too!
For anyone who wants its available for borrowing in the share a book thread!
Happy readings! -
Now reading Open House by Elizabeth Berg...In this superb novel by the beloved author of Talk Before Sleep, The Pull of the Moon, and Until the Real Thing Comes Along, a woman re-creates her life after divorce by opening up her house and her heart.
Samantha's husband has left her, and after a spree of overcharging at Tiffany's, she settles down to reconstruct a life for herself and her eleven-year-old son. Her eccentric mother tries to help by fixing her up with dates, but a more pressing problem is money. To meet her mortgage payments, Sam decides to take in boarders. The first is an older woman who offers sage advice and sorely needed comfort; the second, a maladjusted student, is not quite so helpful. A new friend, King, an untraditional man, suggests that Samantha get out, get going, get work. But her real work is this: In order to emerge from grief and the past, she has to learn how to make her own happiness. In order to really see people, she has to look within her heart. And in order to know who she is, she has to remember--and reclaim--the person she used to be, long before she became someone else in an effort to save her marriage. Open House is a love story about what can blossom between a man and a woman, and within a woman herself.
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I just finished "eleven minutes"..
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
"Once upon a time, there was a prostitute called Maria"-thus begins Coelho's latest novel, a book that cannot decide whether it wants to be fairy tale or saga of sexual discovery, so ends up satisfying the demands of neither. In his dedication, bestselling Brazilian novelist Coelho (The Alchemist) tells readers that his book will deal with issues that are "harsh, difficult, shocking," but neither his tame forays into S&M nor his rather technical observations about female anatomy and the sad but hardly new fact that many women are dissatisfied with their sex lives will do much to shock American readers. In Maria, however, the author has created a strong, sensual young woman who grabs our sympathy from the first, as she suffers unrequited love as a child, learns a bit about sex as a teenager and, at 19, makes the ill-advised decision to leave Rio on a Swedish stranger's promise of fame and fortune. Maria's trials and triumphs-she goes from restaurant dancer to high-class prostitute-would make for an entertaining if rather prosaic novel, but Coelho, unfortunately, does not leave it there. Instead, he embarks on a philosophical exploration of sexual love, using Maria's increasingly ponderous and pseudo-philosophical diary entries as a means for expounding on the nature of sexual desire, passion and love. At the end, the story boils down to a rather predictable romance tarted up with a few sexy trappings.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Product Description:
A new, international bestseller by the author of The Alchemist tells the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, whose first innocent brushes with love leave her heartbroken. At a tender age, she becomes convinced that she will never find true love, instead believing that "Love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer ..." A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune. Instead, she ends up working as a prostitute.
In Geneva, Maria drifts further and further away from love as she develops a fascination with sex. Eventually, Maria's despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this odyssey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between pursuing a path of darkness, sexual pleasure for its own sake, or risking everything to find her own "inner light" and the possibility of sacred sex, sex in the context of love.
In this gripping and daring new novel, Paulo Coelho sensitively explores the sacred nature of sex and love and invites us to confront our own prejudices and demons and embrace our own "inner light." -
ooohhh, Coelho....my favourite author....so simple and yet so meaningful!
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Now reading - Elizabeth Bergs - What We Keep-
Ginny Young crosses the country for a reluctant reunion with the mother she has not seen in 35years. During the long hours of her flight, she returns in memory to the summer when she turned 12 and her family turned inside out. ...What we Keep is about ties that are buried but not broken, wounds that are dressed but never heal, and love that changes form but somehow survives.... -
The 5 people you meet in heaven.
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reading 3 books now... one almost finished.. took me many years to finish coz it was lost for a while
Cold Chisel - The Pure Stuff
about the legendary australian band Cold Chisel and their comeback... their ups and downs and the band dynamics... strictly for fans of the band only
The Fuck-up by Arthur Nerseisian
it's a loser story which makes you thank God it didn't happen to you.. where a loser gets dumped by his girl, getting fired for asking for a raise to posing as a gay man to keep his job at a porno theater... quite funny and tragic in its almost surreal desperation
Dr. Riemann's Zeros - Karl Sabbagh
not very interesting and requires one to know pretty complex math to understand some of it.. which will make about 70% of people drop it like a hot potato
will update when i start on new books -
you were reading The fuck up last year!!!!
I recall.....cos I've been looking for that book because you mentioned it that time....I cant find it anywhere in any of the shops!!! -
yah.. i lost it for a while.. my room's a mess.. which is why the Cold Chisel book, i've found after again after... 4 years
so finishing it up
got another pile of books to start up soon.. should finish these three soonOriginally posted by care bear:you were reading The fuck up last year!!!!
I recall.....cos I've been looking for that book because you mentioned it that time....I cant find it anywhere in any of the shops!!! -
finally finished The Fuck-Up and the Cold Chisel book.. there is a happy ending to the former after his life went on a freefall and he became a bum on the street... and the Cold Chisel book? typical rock band thing.. not too bad tho'
now, i am enchanted by Totto-chan, The Little Girl at the Window by Tetsuko Kuroyanagi...
i've just started it and already, it's brought a smile to my face
also, started on A Brief History of Time... something which will probably take me forever to read coz i want to understand what Hawking is trying to say.. so far, so good -
I am reading the posts in this topic right now
