Last Book You Read....

[saint dave]

Shout-the true story of The Beatles by Phillip Norman

good insight into the the rise of The Beatles from The Cavern and Hamburg days to the Rooftop Concert and an acrimonious split

8/10

£3 from hmv

[Thundermonkey]

2 for me.

JPOD by Douglas Copeland - 8/10

It's excellent - gaming programming, the rise of China, ballroom dancing and dead bikers. It's seriously funny.

Boyracers by Alan Bissett - 8/10

Catcher in the Boag? At first I thought it was heading down the Trainspotting-rip off route (mad adventures described in local dialect) but it turns into a fantastic tale of growing up in a shithole town with nothing to do. A real novelty reading a good book set in Falkirk.

[Colin M]

JPOD by Douglas Copeland - 8/10

It's excellent - gaming programming, the rise of China, ballroom dancing and dead bikers. It's seriously funny.

I read that a while back, it was a good read. Great how he put himself in the book as a character!

[JMDP]

JPOD by Douglas Copeland - 8/10

It's excellent - gaming programming, the rise of China, ballroom dancing and dead bikers. It's seriously funny.

Next on my list. I read "The Gum Thief" by Coupland a few months back and thought it was a great read. Very funny.

[Colin M]

Next on my list. I read "The Gum Thief" by Coupland a few months back and thought it was a great read. Very funny.

I read that as well actually, I'd say I enjoyed jPod better but both were pretty good.

[H_B]

Twelve by Nick McDonnel.

Meh. Average. Rich kids, poor kids, drugs type thing. Author is about 12 years old.

Apparently will be a film next year with Kiefer Sutherland and 50 Cent in it.

[The Shire Voice Of Reason]

"Slow Man" By Coetzee

"The Plot Against America" By Phillip Roth

[Thundermonkey]

"Slow Man" By Coetzee

"The Plot Against America" By Phillip Roth

Any good? What are they about?

[The Idiot Bástard Son]

2 for me.

JPOD by Douglas Copeland - 8/10

It's excellent - gaming programming, the rise of China, ballroom dancing and dead bikers. It's seriously funny.

What with Generation X I'd always thought he was a bit of a wánker.

Boyracers by Alan Bissett - 8/10

Catcher in the Boag? At first I thought it was heading down the Trainspotting-rip off route (mad adventures described in local dialect) but it turns into a fantastic tale of growing up in a shithole town with nothing to do. A real novelty reading a good book set in Falkirk.

You fúcking said it, mate.

[The Idiot Bástard Son]

"Slow Man" By Coetzee

"The Plot Against America" By Phillip Roth

Any good? What are they about?

Anything by Coetzee is a work of art. One of the finest writers in modern literature in my humble opinion.

[The Idiot Bástard Son]

I read Treasure Island by R.L Stevenson over the summer. Excellent read, probably my favourite book.

9/10

Anything by RLS cannot be recommended enough. He's done so much that people should read and haven't because they think they know the story, i.e. Jekyll & Hyde. Probably my favourite author.

Currently reading Orwell's 1984, only about halfway through it's proving good already! Will give a rating once I've finished it.

This is you just getting round to reading that?! One of the best books ever, and quite possibly the scariest.

The player of games by Iain M.Banks.

I actually read this in high school, but had recently bought his more recent works, the Algebraist and Matter and was struggling to get into them. I remembered that PoG was actually quite easy to get into so went out and got it as a primer to help me back into the denser Banks stuff.

In short Player of games is a brilliant sci fi concept and it's well executed. Banks is so good at the moral allegory in his work and his heroes (or 'good guys' at the very least) are often the targets of his point rather than the antagonists.

Born in Dumfermline as well , how come Kirkcaldy got stuck with the crimewriters!

anyway: 8/10

Banks is great when he does the sci-fi. It's a bit like when Clapton does contemporary work then does a blues album. Can thoroughly recommend The Use of Weapons and the immense Consider Phlebas if you haven't already read them.

[Pink Freud]

The player of games by Iain M.Banks.

I actually read this in high school, but had recently bought his more recent works, the Algebraist and Matter and was struggling to get into them. I remembered that PoG was actually quite easy to get into so went out and got it as a primer to help me back into the denser Banks stuff.

In short Player of games is a brilliant sci fi concept and it's well executed. Banks is so good at the moral allegory in his work and his heroes (or 'good guys' at the very least) are often the targets of his point rather than the antagonists.

Born in Dumfermline as well , how come Kirkcaldy got stuck with the crimewriters!

anyway: 8/10

Banks is great when he does the sci-fi. It's a bit like when Clapton does contemporary work then does a blues album. Can thoroughly recommend The Use of Weapons and the immense Consider Phlebas if you haven't already read them.

If you are both into quality sci-fi, I can't recommend Ian McDonald highly enough.

River of Gods is set in late 21st century India, and is a funny, sexy, mad Bolliwood soap opera of a novel, with quantum mechanics thrown in for good measure. 8/10

Brasyl is probably even better, and is set in three different time periods in Brazil.

It centres around an Irish Jesuit priest, a bisexual favella kid and a repugnant reality TV producer. Oh yes, and a multiverse of other Brazils. 9/10

Enjoy!

Edited August 26, 2009 by Pink Freud

[Super J's]

Joy In The Morning by P.G. Wodehouse. Jeeves stories are just wonderful reading.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. Not as laugh out loud funny as some of his others but still very good.

Edited August 26, 2009 by Super J's

[The Idiot Bástard Son]

If you are both into quality sci-fi, I can't recommend Ian McDonald highly enough.

River of Gods is set in late 21st century India, and is a funny, sexy, mad Bolliwood soap opera of a novel, with quantum mechanics thrown in for good measure. 8/10

Brasyl is probably even better, and is set in three different time periods in Brazil.

It centres around an Irish Jesuit priest, a bisexual favella kid and a repugnant reality TV producer. Oh yes, and a multiverse of other Brazils. 9/10

Enjoy!

Thanks for the recommendation, scarface.

[Mel Hutchwright]

"Slow Man" By Coetzee

"The Plot Against America" By Phillip Roth

Any good? What are they about?

Anything by Coetzee is a work of art. One of the finest writers in modern literature in my humble opinion.

The only Coetzee novel I've read is Disgrace, which I thought was something of a masterpiece. I've no idea why I haven't subsequently read any of his others, but that's something that I'll need to remedy.

Regarding The Plot Against America, it's an alternate history novel where the antisemitic Charles Linbergh defeats Roosevelt in the 1940 US presidential election, and the repercussions this has on the Jewish community, including a fictionalised version of the Roth family itself, in Newark, New Jersey.

I thought it was a really impressive novel, but then I invariably do when it comes to Phillip Roth as he is such a fine writer.

Apologies to The Shire Voice Of Reason for butting in incidentally.

[Pink Freud]

Thanks for the recommendation, scarface.

I'm sure I asked you not to call me that? Maybe not.

[Francesc Fabregas]

Boyracers by Alan Bissett - 8/10

Catcher in the Boag? At first I thought it was heading down the Trainspotting-rip off route (mad adventures described in local dialect) but it turns into a fantastic tale of growing up in a shithole town with nothing to do. A real novelty reading a good book set in Falkirk.

I've read it a couple of times. There's a few inconsitencies (a 15 year old boy would never have gotten in to Rosies; the boys would not be sitting in the car talking about Physics; why would anyone have invited them to that party, even if it was a joke?) and the symbolism is quite heavy-handed, but it's a decent enough read. Possibly the only time that Stenhousemuir has ever been mentioned in a novel.

You can tell that Bissett, as you mentioned, has read Salinger, Welsh and probably watched plenty of John Hughes films (the director, not the football manager).

[Mak]

And bear in mind, I speak as someone who managed to read all of a Quintin Jardine book.

I remember reading one of his books a few years ago, was pretty odd. You know someone's struggling for a plot when he includes a member of the current monarchy as a character.

[sonofjenova]

Read four books over the last three months - hardly an achievement by others' standards, but it is for me.

Anyway...

The Metamorphisis - Franz Kafka. 7/10 - was a bit of a heavy read but the idea behind it is genius.

Vernon God Little - DBC Pierre. 7/10 (again) - starts a bit slowly, but emerges as a scathing critique of people's perceptions of America as well as the pervasive reality tv zeitgeist. Very likable narrator as well, I found.

Glue - Irvine Welsh. 7/10 (common theme, eh?) - not a radical departure from novels such as Trainspotting, but still gripping and funny enough to keep you reading. I liked the conclusion as well.

The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman. 7.5/10 - I didn't really get this book till the middle, when it became obvious that it's a searing critique of religion disguised as a children's novel. Each charge meted out to religion is a joy; however, a few plot lines end fairly messily and the novel perhaps suffers from its covert message. Overall it's very clever and well written enough to overcome these limitations.

[Thundermonkey]

I've read it a couple of times. There's a few inconsitencies (a 15 year old boy would never have gotten in to Rosies; the boys would not be sitting in the car talking about Physics; why would anyone have invited them to that party, even if it was a joke?) and the symbolism is quite heavy-handed, but it's a decent enough read. Possibly the only time that Stenhousemuir has ever been mentioned in a novel.

You can tell that Bissett, as you mentioned, has read Salinger, Welsh and probably watched plenty of John Hughes films (the director, not the football manager).

That one I'll give you but the others? I suppose the Rosies thing doesn't ring true only because we are from the area. If it was set in Dundee I'd be none the wiser about the likelyhood.

The parties and the physics things though - oh aye.