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Books & Reading
LargeAddick
Posts: 32,593
I used to be an avid reader, mainly because of a 1hr 40 mins each way daily commute. I’d read everything by Patricia Cornwall, Dick Francis, Peter James, Harlen Corban, Ken Follett and of course John Grisham. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett being my favourite ever novel.
Since giving up my daily commute seven years ago I don’t think I’ve read a novel, just a couple of historical books about The Somme etc. However, at the airport yesterday my wife bought the latest by Richard Osman and as it was buy one get one half price I plumped for The Hotel Avacado by Bob Mortimer.
I’m half way through after the four hour flight and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.
So the questions are, favourite author and favourite novel?
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Wolf Hall, Bring up the bodies, The mirror and the light. By Hilary Mantell.Stunning story telling and historically accurate.2
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Watched the TV series, might have to give the books a bash.usetobunkin said:Wolf Hall, Bring up the bodies, The mirror and the light. By Hilary Mantell.Stunning story telling and historically accurate.0 -
Remains of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Lonesome Dove by Larry McCurtry3 -
Lonesome Dove is probably my favorite book of all time, alongside 11/22/63 by Stephen King - would highly recommend both @LargeAddick!
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Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell; if I had to pick one it would be Sharpe's Eagle, ironically the one that began the series
Simon Scarrow and Conn Iggulden are honourable mentions for the Historical Fiction genre1 -
I've got a few favourites!
The Lord of the Rings
World War Z by Max Brooks
Also The Beach by Alex Garland and The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.
Big believer that when you read a book/where you are in your life etc plays a big part in your favourite book - I think The Beach and the Book Thief (whilst both very good) are probably not quite as good as other books I've read but they mean more to me for various reasons.
Whereas LOTR is just amazing as a story, as a piece of writing etc.2 -
No single specific book - but the Sci-fi (ish) writer Philip K. Dick. Probably the Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch one of the best and some of his psycological observations in books like Ubik and Valis. Books to make you really think.2
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My favourite author is John Wyndham. My favourite novel is Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis. Still makes me laugh out loud 45 years after I first read it.3
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Favourite book Skinny Legs n All by Tom Robins.Favourite author John Niven by a mile. I’ve got every book and love every one of them. Especially The Second Coming.Honourable mentions to
the outsider by Camus
jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
slaughterhouse five by Vonnegut.0 -
Funny thing, taste. Lonesome Dove is right up there for me too. Wonderful book and I must re-read it soon. But I thought 11/22/63 was absolute tosh!Rufus is a dogs name said:Lonesome Dove is probably my favorite book of all time, alongside 11/22/63 by Stephen King - would highly recommend both @LargeAddick!1 -
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usetobunkin said:Wolf Hall, Bring up the bodies, The mirror and the light. By Hilary Mantell.Stunning story telling and historically accurate.
Try her book on the French revolution as well - A Place of Greater Safety. Just as good and arguably even slightly better than the Wolf Hall trilogy.1 -
Not new but I’ve always enjoyed anything by David Lodge and David Nobbs. Light hearted stuff that is quite funny.Also recommend Ben Elton. Surprisingly good.1
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ForeverAddickted said:Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell; if I had to pick one it would be Sharpe's Eagle, ironically the one that began the series
Simon Scarrow and Conn Iggulden are honourable mentions for the Historical Fiction genre
Anything by Cornwell is good. If you havent tried his other books, I thoroughly reccommend them0 -
Don't read a lot of fiction, but two standout as favourites from the past:
1. Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose
2. Barbara Kingsolvers' The Poisonwood Bible1 -
Still like a good book, TV off, glass wine , music in the background and a book is a great way to end the day.1
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I don’t think I could pick a favourite book, but my favourite authors are:
John Steinbeck
William Boyd
Henning Mankell
Dick Francis
Bernard Cornwell
Robert Harris
Philip Kerr
just off the top of my head!
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Excellent book. Have read everything Tom Robbins (RIP) wrote. Jitterbug Perfume I think my favourite.Greenhithe said:Favourite book Skinny Legs n All by Tom Robins.Favourite author John Niven by a mile. I’ve got every book and love every one of them. Especially The Second Coming.Honourable mentions to
the outsider by Camus
jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
slaughterhouse five by Vonnegut.0 -
John Niven, Charlie Owen, DC Alden, John Birmingham, Bernard Cornwell, John King, Irvine Welsh, John Grisham, JD Kirk
I do my best to read a bit every day, my wife is an intelligent woman who does a hard job and one way she relaxes is by watching some of the most mind-numbing awful hateful reality shite imaginable and doing a couple of hours reading while she is watching that nonsense is my way of not switching my brain off but definitely goong somewhere else for a bit.4 -
For anyone a bit concerned about what's happening over in the States Sinclair Lewis's It Can't Happen Here, written in 1935, is 'thought provoking'. It's about someone called Buzz Windrip winning an election for President and then becoming a dictator.3
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Favourite author: Charles Dickens
Favourite novel: David Copperfield1 -
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Only read Tale of Two Cities by Dickens when I was a kid, absolutely loved it.captainbob said:Favourite author: Charles Dickens
Favourite novel: David Copperfield2 -
When around 21 I was working as a courier and had quite a bit of spare time on my hands waiting for the next job.
I randomly bought a book by an author I'd never heard of before and was one of them books that you could not put down.
Finished it in one or two days and thought that it would make a fantastic movie.
The author was Nicholas Pileggi and the book was Wiseguys.
Within a couple of years Goodfellas came out and everything clicked into place.1 -
Favourite novel either The Drifters by James A Michener or Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. Both powerful reads.While I've read a lot of novels over the years, I mostly read non-fiction, travelogues, history books.
One of the best authors who writes fiction and non-fiction books is Geoff Dyer. A very funny writer.2 -
Great Expectations is a good Dickens entry point - great story, great characters, not quite as long as the doorstops!CaptainRobbo said:
Only read Tale of Two Cities by Dickens when I was a kid, absolutely loved it.captainbob said:Favourite author: Charles Dickens
Favourite novel: David Copperfield1 -
That was my introduction to Dickens at school. Always ready or re-read one a year. Bleak house is my favourite I thinkEveshamAddick said:
Great Expectations is a good Dickens entry point - great story, great characters, not quite as long as the doorstops!CaptainRobbo said:
Only read Tale of Two Cities by Dickens when I was a kid, absolutely loved it.captainbob said:Favourite author: Charles Dickens
Favourite novel: David Copperfield3 -
Just finished Mark Billingham's Detective Miller 2 parter that I enjoyed so I may venture onto DCI Tom Thorne books.
Currently reading the Sunrise by Victoria Hislop which I'm enjoying.
The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer by Joel Dicker was a good read too.
Only started getting into reading in the last couple of years and now one of my favourite pass times.1 -
Since the digital age I've done very little serious reading, I largely blame Charlton Life for that. In the past I was quite an avid reader, mainly factual rather than fiction.
Favourite Writer: Bill Bryson
Favourite Book: Robert Pirsig - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Favourite All Time Read - Stig of The Dump. Read it eight times as a kid, I loved it so much. Gave up half way through the ninth as I found I could recite large chunks anyway. "If you went to near the edge of the pit the ground would give way..."0 -
I can see you getting a couple of rats as pets and starting ballroom dancing winning the Sheppey and greater Swale trophy for best foxtrot by the end of the seasonCAFCBourne said:Just finished Mark Billingham's Detective Miller 2 parter that I enjoyed so I may venture onto DCI Tom Thorne books.
Currently reading the Sunrise by Victoria Hislop which I'm enjoying.
The disappearance of Stephanie Mailer by Joel Dicker was a good read too.
Only started getting into reading in the last couple of years and now one of my favourite pass times.
They are decent books, not all Chatham men eat crayons when they aren't stealing lead from roofs or hare coarsing ;-)1 -
I agree with that. Incidentally, the graveyard which features in the opening pages can be found in Cooling in North Kent where you can see the lozenge-shaped small headstones (infant deaths) which in the book mark where Pip's siblings lie.EveshamAddick said:
Great Expectations is a good Dickens entry point - great story, great characters, not quite as long as the doorstops!CaptainRobbo said:
Only read Tale of Two Cities by Dickens when I was a kid, absolutely loved it.captainbob said:Favourite author: Charles Dickens
Favourite novel: David Copperfield
'David Copperfield' was Dickens' favourite novel and is largely based on his own childhood and youth. I would recommend this as the second novel to read by him.
After that, I think most readers would pick out 'A Tale of Two Cities' and 'Bleak House' as top of the league.
One mentioned less often is his first novel, 'Pickwick Papers', which is set principally in Kent and is Dickens at his most light-hearted.
If you want to time travel back to Victorian England, the closest you can get to this is to read Dickens and wallow in his detailed, evocative descriptive language.1 -
Stephen Leather - Spider Shepherd series is very good!
James Swallow - Nomad and the 5 books that follow it are excellent
A season with Verona - Tim Parks is an excellent football diary following the club over a season0
