[uberman]

John Boyle - Galloway Street 6/10

About an irish kid growing up in 50s Paisley

[Colin M]

Finished reading Meadowland by Thomas Holt. He has written a number of historical novels based around Ancient Greece, this one was a little more recent in history, telling a story of the Viking discovery of America, 400 years before Columbus got there.

It was pretty dull to be honest, plot went round in circles without really ending up anywhere. Holt's style is detailed and fairly contrived, but this one lacked both the humour and emotion of his earlier efforts.

[Swampy]

Can you recommend any of his better ones? I do like historical novels...

I just finished Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan. Cyberpunk, noir, crime, detective, speculative fiction... an excellent book once you get past the opening few chapters.

After that, I read "A Land of Two Halves" by some guy who's name I can't remember; a travel book/memoir about New Zealand. Pretty light-hearted but informative as well. I greatly enjoyed it. So much so that I finished it in two commutes and then an hour after I got home. Sadly, this oversight has left me with nothing to read and I don't get paid until tomorrow, so I'm reading newspapers atm

Edit: BTW, I never finished the Ewan McGregor/Charley Whatshisname motorcycling-across-the-world book as, despite being a huge fan of the travel genre, I found it unbelievably boring. I gave up shortly after they got to Russia, or perhaps before. After they'd stayed with the Ukranian family (who made the book interesting), I just lost the will to continue. I'm told that the TV show was excellent, so I'll watch that sometime. As for the book, a colossal yawnfest. I have nothing against a bit of introspection but I just found it to be astonishingly self-indulgent from both authors with very little by way of substance.

This post has been edited by Swampy: 06 April 2006 - 09:26

[Colin M]

Swampy, on Apr 6 2006, 10:23, said:

Can you recommend any of his better ones? I do like historical novels...

Best to start with his first, The Walled Orchard. It's told from the perspective of comic poet Eupolis in Ancient Greece. His other better ones are Alexander At The World's End and Song For Nero, both also recommended.

[Swampy]

Excellent - will order the first one of those over my lunch break. Cheers

[Colin M]

I have read "The Lincoln Lawyer" by Michael Connelly. Twas a story about a lawyer who operates out of his Lincoln town car, and was ultimately a courtroom drama where he has to defend a man who starts off seeming innocent, until various events lead the lawyer to question him, and his own ethics.

Some of the plot devices were fairly standard for the style, but it was still well written and gripping enough, and intriguing to piece together. It also gave a more interesting insight into the operations of a defense lawyer, a world apart from the boring "righteous quest for justice" mindset of yer Grishams and co.

I'd give it 8/10.

[Baggio]

Colin M, on Apr 13 2006, 09:46, said:

I have read "The Lincoln Lawyer" by Michael Connelly. Twas a story about a lawyer who operates out of his Lincoln town car, and was ultimately a courtroom drama where he has to defend a man who starts off seeming innocent, until various events lead the lawyer to question him, and his own ethics.

Some of the plot devices were fairly standard for the style, but it was still well written and gripping enough, and intriguing to piece together. It also gave a more interesting insight into the operations of a defense lawyer, a world apart from the boring "righteous quest for justice" mindset of yer Grishams and co.

I'd give it 8/10.

I like Michael Connolly's books for a good easy to read crime thriller. The Poet is an excellent one.

I've just started Round Ireland with a Fridge. Bad idea to read on the train as I discovered this morning. Who's that crazy giggling lady in the corner

[andy3000]

skinnyjean, on Apr 13 2006, 09:49, said:

I like Michael Connolly's books for a good easy to read crime thriller. The Poet is an excellent one.

I've just started Round Ireland with a Fridge. Bad idea to read on the train as I discovered this morning. Who's that crazy giggling lady in the corner

I read "One Hit Wonderland" a couple of years ago, it really was laugh out loud funny. You really can just hear Tony Hawks saying some of the things. Who would have thought Norman Wisdom was "Big in Albania"!

Anyway, I've just finished "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" by Lynne Truss. It's about punctuation. While that sounds incredibly dull it is rather humorous, with some nice examples of mispunctuation, while also being educational in the correct usage; if only some people on this forum would read it. I'd give it 7/10.

Next up is "The Constant Gardener" by John le Carre

This post has been edited by andy3000: 13 April 2006 - 09:04

[Colin M]

skinnyjean, on Apr 13 2006, 09:49, said:

I like Michael Connolly's books for a good easy to read crime thriller. The Poet is an excellent one.

I've just started Round Ireland with a Fridge. Bad idea to read on the train as I discovered this morning. Who's that crazy giggling lady in the corner

I'll probably check that out

Round Ireland with a Fridge is fantastic! His style is hilarious. Definitely read the followups Playing The Moldovans at Tennis and One Hit Wonderland afterwards - both guaranteed to continue the trend of strange looks on public transport

[Buttocks Brown]

I'm reading Laidlaw by William McIlvanney at the moment. Not really one for crime thrillers but this is excellent. There's been a murder...

[H_B]

andy3000, on Apr 13 2006, 10:04, said:

Anyway, I've just finished "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" by Lynne Truss. It's about punctuation. While that sounds incredibly dull it is rather humorous

I always wondered who actually bought that book.

Now I know!

[andy3000]

Hieronymous_Bosch, on Apr 13 2006, 10:53, said:

I always wondered who actually bought that book.

Now I know!

Actually, I didn't buy the book. I borrowed it from my girlfriend!

[Baggio]

Colin M, on Apr 13 2006, 10:12, said:

Round Ireland with a Fridge is fantastic! His style is hilarious. Definitely read the followups Playing The Moldovans at Tennis and One Hit Wonderland afterwards - both guaranteed to continue the trend of strange looks on public transport

I've read the one about the tennis playing Moldovans! It's hilarious!

[Reina]

andy3000, on Apr 13 2006, 10:58, said:

Actually, I didn't buy the book. I borrowed it from my girlfriend!

I bought it It's alright, humourous in places even, but not as good as I thought it would be.

[andy3000]

Debbie, on Apr 13 2006, 11:26, said:

I bought it It's alright, humourous in places even, but not as good as I thought it would be.

I also felt she was showing off a little with her punctuation to prove a point.

[H_B]

andy3000, on Apr 13 2006, 11:30, said:

I also felt she was showing off a little with her punctuation to prove a point.

To be fair, without reading a word of it I knew that would be the case. Label me surprised

[uberman]

Monster - Sanyika shakur aka monster kody scott, the autobiography of an L.A gang member
An insight into gang life in south central Los Angeles, crips and blood gang wars, 8/10

[MarreZ]

Im reading the new Marian Keyes book - anyone out there. I ran out of things to read on holiday a couple of years ago and read Angels, and it was the shiznit.

They might be womens books, but they are bloody good

[Ayrgirl]

MarreZ, on Apr 19 2006, 08:59, said:

Im reading the new Marian Keyes book - anyone out there. I ran out of things to read on holiday a couple of years ago and read Angels, and it was the shiznit.

They might be womens books, but they are bloody good

reading Marian Keyes - further under the duvet, a collection of short stories and articles previously published in magazines - quite funny

going to read "anyone out there" next

[MarreZ]

ayrgirl, on Apr 19 2006, 09:38, said:

reading Marian Keyes - further under the duvet, a collection of short stories and articles previously published in magazines - quite funny

going to read "anyone out there" next

Have you read, Angels, Watermelons and Rachels Holiday? If not you should get them pronto, they are all about the same group of sisters, and are fantastic

[Monster]

tonland, on Apr 19 2006, 08:29, said:

Monster - Sanyika shakur aka monster kody scott, the autobiography of an L.A gang member
An insight into gang life in south central Los Angeles, crips and blood gang wars, 8/10

Yo bitches! Buy mah book or i'll bust a cap in yo' ass. Word.

[Baggio]

Spanky Rodriguez, on Apr 19 2006, 10:41, said:

I'm currently 3 years behind the rest of the world and reading the Da Vinci Code. I've had it for absolutely ages but never bothered to read it so i thought that i would get round to it before the film comes out

don't bother. it's rubbish.

[Monster]

skinnyjean, on Apr 19 2006, 10:52, said:

don't bother. it's rubbish.

Beat me to it. Pile of crap. Haven't a clue what all the fuss was about....

[H_B]

skinnyjean, on Apr 19 2006, 10:52, said:

don't bother. it's rubbish.

I quite liked it.

Apparently the film has been panned by those getting a sneak preview though.