This week I have been reading
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Have enjoyed all of his books up until Fear Index, thought it was absolutely awful.JiMMy 85 said:Just finished 'The Fear Index' and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Just started "The Zombie Survival Guide", which is the first of two books, the latter World War Z is the inspiration for thew new Brad Pitt movie. Interesting so far, but nothing new/ that I hadn't learnt via Walking Dead.0 -
A History of England by Simon Schama - brilliant in parts, hard-going in others (a bit like our history itself in fact)0
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My friend gave me an idea of what to expect so that probably helped. Is there another you would recommend?red_murph said:
Have enjoyed all of his books up until Fear Index, thought it was absolutely awful.JiMMy 85 said:Just finished 'The Fear Index' and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Just started "The Zombie Survival Guide", which is the first of two books, the latter World War Z is the inspiration for thew new Brad Pitt movie. Interesting so far, but nothing new/ that I hadn't learnt via Walking Dead.
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Look forward to hearing what you think of it. Parts of it are pretty tough but persevere, it's worth it.LawrieAbrahams said:
I went out and bought this on your non-recommendation. Someone bought me a John Grisham for Christmas (never read him before) and have gone from that to Infinite Jest - could hardly be more different! Only about 40 pages in and over a thousand to go but so far so good.Jints said:His masterpiece is Infinite Jest. A sprawling, massive, complex novel which is impossible to describe. I thought it was genius but at the same time can understand why some people can't get through it or hate it. It's the best book I'd never recommend to anyone!
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Just finished "Journal of the Plague Year" - Daniel Defoe.
This is a fictionalised account of 1665 and how the plague spread through central north London. Defoe wrote it in the 1720s but he was born in 1660 so was five when the plague was at its zenith. Although I doubt he knew what was going on at the time as a Londoner he must have been brought up with stories of how it wiped out entire families overnight and although this is a novel I'm sure some of the things he writes as fiction did happen.
Besides that it's quite detailed - the figures for deaths per week in the various parishes are accurate leading to some debate as to whether it really was an historical novel or just a history book written fictionally.0 -
Against The Day by Thomas Pynchon - second only to Gravity's Rainbow in the 'greatest thing I have read' stakes. Pynchon is the best. And for those bragging about Infinite Jest's thousand pages, this was 1,220
Then I quickly read Concluding by Henry Green which is absolutely superb as well - incredible, psychedelic prose meets muddled English evasion
Now onto Remainder by Tom McCarthy which to be frank is scaring me stiff, in a good way.0 -
Brought a book for once in my life, reading 'Soccernomics' only just started though0
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Don't really like Frankie Boyle, but just read his book on the flight over to Oz. Damn there's some side splitting stuff in there. One page had me literally crying with laughter - where he describes a reality tv show with Lembit Pool training for a UFC fight against some nutter from Siberia.
The man writes funnier than his act.0 -
McCarthy has a very strange mind, I liked Remainder a lot, but C less so.Leuth said:Against The Day by Thomas Pynchon - second only to Gravity's Rainbow in the 'greatest thing I have read' stakes. Pynchon is the best. And for those bragging about Infinite Jest's thousand pages, this was 1,220
Then I quickly read Concluding by Henry Green which is absolutely superb as well - incredible, psychedelic prose meets muddled English evasion
Now onto Remainder by Tom McCarthy which to be frank is scaring me stiff, in a good way.
Been meaning to get round to Pynchon for ages.
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Slightly off topic but does anyone know how/where you can get free or cheap books for Kindle?
Most of the Kindle prices are no cheaper than buying the book!0 - Sponsored links:
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Probably because authors ( the same as actors and musicians ) deserve to be paid for their job, much the same as anyone else would expect to be paid for their days work?Rufus is a dogs name said:
Most of the Kindle prices are no cheaper than buying the book!0 -
Most classics (Dickens, Zola etc) are free to download from Amazon.Rufus is a dogs name said:Slightly off topic but does anyone know how/where you can get free or cheap books for Kindle?
Most of the Kindle prices are no cheaper than buying the book!
Some others are a lot cheaper. I'm just finishing off the excellent "The One Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed out of a Window", which is available for 20p. Can't understand why its so cheap as it was selling very well at ful price but there you go.
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Tobias Jones - 'The Dark Heart of Italy'
Read it before but a fairly comprehensive look at what goes on below the surface in Italian living, covering football, TV, its years of terrorism, communism and fascism, aesthetics, corruption, an awful judiciary system, organised crime and a lot more. Was enough to very much pee off Berlusconi when it came out.0 -
Might give this read.stilladdicted said:Auschwitz : The Nazis & The 'Final Solution' by Laurence Rees - History book of the year.
How on earth did this happen? This remains a major question in my head and this book sets out to uncover the mentality and motivations of Nazis and the German people. The author was puzzled because in examining other mass atrocities, the people questioned overwhelmingly used the 'I was obeying orders' argument' to attempt an explanation of their actions. Germany was, in general, different, in that the perpetrators remained convinced, many years later, that what they had done was right. Laurence Rees explores this crucial difference and he has managed to deliver many new insights. The book remains calm, factual, accessible, challenging and endlessly harrowing.
Worked on this in an academic and professional manner over the years and the 'I was following orders' agrument might hold up if they were not constantly finding more and more brutal and humiliating ways to innocent kill human beings.0 -
Latest Dan Brown book due out soon ...Algarveaddick said:Reading something called "The last secret of the Temple", by Paul Sussman. Hard to describe, a mystery thriller set in the Middle East conflict, some kind of hidden religious icon and nazi involvement a la Raiders of the lost Ark, but more grown up. Historical religious conflict a la Dan Brown, but far more well written. Can't see where it is going, but it is very compelling.
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Great plots, poor writing in my opinion (I have only ever read bits of them though). Found out that sadly Paul Sussman died last year, interesting life including presenting the much missed (Not really) "Spanish Archer" on satellite TV...Fanny Fanackapan said:
Latest Dan Brown book due out soon ...Algarveaddick said:Reading something called "The last secret of the Temple", by Paul Sussman. Hard to describe, a mystery thriller set in the Middle East conflict, some kind of hidden religious icon and nazi involvement a la Raiders of the lost Ark, but more grown up. Historical religious conflict a la Dan Brown, but far more well written. Can't see where it is going, but it is very compelling.
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Just finished The Secret Life of Bletchley Park. Interesting how and why they kept the breaking of the Enigma codes from the Germans for so long.
On now to The Silent State - Heather Brooke - She who rumbled the MP's expenses malarkey.
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Weird - never heard of the 100 year old man book until about an hour ago when a mate told me how good it was.Jints said:
Most classics (Dickens, Zola etc) are free to download from Amazon.Rufus is a dogs name said:Slightly off topic but does anyone know how/where you can get free or cheap books for Kindle?
Most of the Kindle prices are no cheaper than buying the book!
Some others are a lot cheaper. I'm just finishing off the excellent "The One Hundred Year Old Man who Climbed out of a Window", which is available for 20p. Can't understand why its so cheap as it was selling very well at ful price but there you go.
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I love Pynchon - think I've read his entire oeuvre.Leuth said:Against The Day by Thomas Pynchon - second only to Gravity's Rainbow in the 'greatest thing I have read' stakes. Pynchon is the best. And for those bragging about Infinite Jest's thousand pages, this was 1,220
Then I quickly read Concluding by Henry Green which is absolutely superb as well - incredible, psychedelic prose meets muddled English evasion
Now onto Remainder by Tom McCarthy which to be frank is scaring me stiff, in a good way.
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Latest Dan Brown book due out soon ...
good for lighting fires, that's about it.
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good for lighting fires, that's about it.IdleHans said:Latest Dan Brown book due out soon ...
Apologies if my tastes are somewhat down market to most on here but I enjoy a bit of fictional easy reading.
I'm sure plenty of others share this but don't bother to post on here as they know they'll receive some flak...
Takes all sorts, as Bertie Bassett would say.
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Apologies if my tastes are somewhat down market to most on here but I enjoy a bit of fictional easy reading.Fanny Fanackapan said:
I'm sure plenty of others share this but don't bother to post on here as they know they'll receive some flak...
Takes all sorts, as Bertie Bassett would say.
Mills and Boon? Come on Fanny we should be told :-)
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Just started reading Autobiography Of A Recovering Skinhead; the Frank Meeink Story. It's about an Irish/Italian guy who was heavily into the US white power skinhead scene before he realised it was all bollocks. Only a couple of chapters in but it's ok so far.0
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Those are the only two I've read. Mason & Dixon next, I think (at least, that's the one I bought). What treats lie in store!LawrieAbrahams said:
I love Pynchon - think I've read his entire oeuvre.
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Apologies if my tastes are somewhat down market to most on here but I enjoy a bit of fictional easy reading.Fanny Fanackapan said:
I'm sure plenty of others share this but don't bother to post on here as they know they'll receive some flak...
Takes all sorts, as Bertie Bassett would say.
Not a criticism of your taste, each to his own. But after all the hype about the Da Vinci Code I was finally persuaded to read it by a mate who had been banging on about it for ages. Goodish story, I'll grant you, but the quality of writing made me embarrassed for the bloke. I finished it, but I'll never pick up another of his.0 -
Not a criticism of your taste, each to his own. But after all the hype about the Da Vinci Code I was finally persuaded to read it by a mate who had been banging on about it for ages. Goodish story, I'll grant you, but the quality of writing made me embarrassed for the bloke. I finished it, but I'll never pick up another of his.IdleHans said:
Apologies if my tastes are somewhat down market to most on here but I enjoy a bit of fictional easy reading.Fanny Fanackapan said:
I'm sure plenty of others share this but don't bother to post on here as they know they'll receive some flak...
Takes all sorts, as Bertie Bassett would say.
No probs, IH .
Light reading = escapism in my book
I'm just happy that I haven't had to resort to the BIG PRINT editions yet !
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The Guardian article below, and two Charlton stories:
guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2013/feb/08/the-joy-of-six-football-boots0 -
Asda are selling a hell of a lot of books at £1 a copy at the moment, all fairly simple Jack Higgins et al stuff for the sunbed this summer, but well worth a couple of quid when or if you go in next time.0
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Just started 11/12/63 by Stephen King, anyone on here read it?
Only a few chapters in but already struggling to put it down!0 -
read it when it came out ... very good readRufus is a dogs name said:Just started 11/12/63 by Stephen King, anyone on here read it?
Only a few chapters in but already struggling to put it down!0
