Mak Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Scotland : A new History by the historian Michael Lynch - I thought this book was brilliant. Seriously? I had to read it for uni and found it turgid even for a textbook! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Last night I read Sarah Silverman's autobiography "The Bedwetter." Four out of five stars. Too breezy during the most interesting parts, but I suppose those are the ones that are hardest to truly recall. Superb book overall if you enjoy her comedy and that of her contemporaries. Speaking of which I read half of Patton Oswalt's first 'solo' book "Zombie, Spaceship, Wasteland" in the doctor's waiting room (yes, it was that slow) earlier and will probably finish it tonight. It is, so far, absolutely brilliant. What a writer. If you're expecting a comedy book (as I was) you'll be a bit confused at first, but as memoirs go these are just great. After that I'll be reading one of Ian Kershaw's collection of essays on German popular opinion during the Nazi era. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swampy Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 the great gatsby by f. scott fitzgerald one of the best, if not the best, book i have ever read. Winning. One of the greatest books ever. A lot of stuff in various "top" lists and canons is more there on reputation than anything else but Gatsby quite rightly towers above most other books in all such compilations. Might re-read it on Saturday. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckles Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 (edited) I'm about to re read "The Magic Mountain", by Thomas Mann....a masterpiece of ambiguity that works on a number of levels. If you try ,and enjoy this, then have a wee read at Solzhenitsyn's "Cancer Ward" Edited September 8, 2011 by chuckles 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagfox Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 The Angel's Game by Ruiz Zafon. Very good, kind of creepy noir thriller meets Charles Dickens with a dash of lovecraft. Must have been good finished in about a week. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StewartyMac Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Recently finished Dennis Lehane's Mystic River, the book from where the Sean Penn film came from, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Wasn't too keen on the film when I first saw it years ago, and there's good reason for that. It's pretty damn boring, as it can be difficult to replicate the depth of characterisaton of the book, and this was this particular book's biggest strength. By the end of the book, you felt all sorts of different emotions for the three main characters, who were all wonderfully created and explored. A great, great read, one of the best I've read in years 9/10 Incidentally, both Sean Penn and Tim Robbins were great choices for the parts of Jimmy and Dave, but Kevin Bacon was poorly cast as the copper, Sean. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_S_A_R Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I'm about to re read "The Magic Mountain", by Thomas Mann....a masterpiece of ambiguity that works on a number of levels. If you try ,and enjoy this, then have a wee read at Solzhenitsyn's "Cancer Ward" i've been wanting to read this for a while but i'm always a bit wary about starting huge books. i've read moby dick, 2666, gravity's rainbow, and the kindly ones over the past couple of years and it's intense reading 900 page efforts. i've got a few doorsteps in my to read pile as well, i bought life and fate by vassily grossman without realsing it's an absolute brick. i think thomas mann and tolstoy are going to have to wait. also i totally agree about the great gatsby. definitely a novel everyone should read, i don't think i've ever heard a bad word said about it. anyone who enjoyed it should try the sun also rises by ernest hemingway. it's so i good i named myself after it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckles Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 i've been wanting to read this for a while but i'm always a bit wary about starting huge books. i've read moby dick, 2666, gravity's rainbow, and the kindly ones over the past couple of years and it's intense reading 900 page efforts. i've got a few doorsteps in my to read pile as well, i bought life and fate by vassily grossman without realsing it's an absolute brick. i think thomas mann and tolstoy are going to have to wait. also i totally agree about the great gatsby. definitely a novel everyone should read, i don't think i've ever heard a bad word said about it. anyone who enjoyed it should try the sun also rises by ernest hemingway. it's so i good i named myself after it. Ok, for a more manageable read try Solzhenitsyn's, "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch".It's based on the author's experiences in the Gulag prison system, and is so atmospheric you'll want to wear some warm gear while reading it ! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam2304 Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Just finished The Five People you meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. The book follows Eddie, who dies on his 83rd birthday while trying to save a young girls life. When he wakes up in the afterlife, he meets five people who explain the meaning of his life. Some of the people he knew, some were complete strangers, but they all had a significant effect on how his life panned out. A very good book, I got through it in 2 hours and would recommend it to anybody. 9/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonofjenova Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 Finished the Milennium triology now and thoroughly enjoyed it, although there were a few slight annoyances: - Too much detail. I was close to slitting my wrists during the five page long section devoted to Salander buying furniture at Ikea. - I don't believe that anyone in the entire world likes coffee and sandwiches that much, and I say that as a devoted fan of both coffee and sandwiches. - The 'everyone is a sexist, racist bigot' stuff seems a bit heavy handed at times. They were only minor annoyances, though, as I thoroughly enjoyed the books as a whole. I've read the first two, they're thrilling enough and while away a few holiday hours. Agree re the obscene amounts of detail - the incredibly lengthy explanation of Wennerstrom's (sp?) finances really got my goat - there's far too much padding at times. Salander's a great character, though. 7/10 for those. Also read A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away by Christopher Brookmyre. My girlfriend's read a few of his books and recommended this one to me - I read the first chapter waiting on the plane to take off. For those who have read the book, you might understand why I was ABSOLUTELY FUCKING FIZZING at her for letting me read it on the plane. Only big blip was that I didn't enjoy the opening chapter very much, but it's put into context as the book goes on. The books are very easy to read (this is meant as a compliment) and the characters are very impressively written. His posts on here (and other P&B'ers reviews) led to high expectations on my part, they were fulfiled. 8/10. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supras Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 (edited) Just read "Gangland" by Tony Thompson and I thought it was a really interesting book. I suppose I am quite interested in True Crime non fiction but hadn't read much on current gangs operating and I thought it was a really good, unrivalled insight. Certainly better than Ross Kemp on gangs, for example, as instead of dealing with just fuds posing and organizing attacks on bebo he actually discussed the serious people who are making money and the way they got to where they are and a fairly decent insight into their methods. There was a refreshing lack of sensationalism as well but one thing that constrains these type of books is the inability to name certain individuals for litigation reasons. So he could only really name criminals who had been caught out and the truly successful ones were discussed albeit with fully anonymity attached. The bit where he was close to having the shit kicked out him and being arrested for heroin and fire arms possession were both surprising funny. 9/10 Edited September 11, 2011 by Supras 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savage Henry Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Been reading like a whirling dervish this last week. Finished off Norman Mailer's 1000 page opus on Gary Gilmore, called The Executioner's Song, which is an interesting case study that doesn't feel anything like as long as it is. 7.1/10 Then I moved on to Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lahane, a by the numbers "thriller" from the co-writer of some episodes of The Wire (I'm going to guess he wrote most of series 2). I expected this to be fantastic, and it was pretty meh, actually. No really turns or twists. Having said that, I read it in about four hours, and I'm usually a very slow reader. 6.1/10 I'm now starting The Great American Novel by Phillip Roth and although I've only read the first 30 pages or so, it's pretty hilarious so far. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
18May1991 Posted October 2, 2011 Share Posted October 2, 2011 Finished the Milennium triology now and thoroughly enjoyed it, although there were a few slight annoyances: - Too much detail. I was close to slitting my wrists during the five page long section devoted to Salander buying furniture at Ikea. - I don't believe that anyone in the entire world likes coffee and sandwiches that much, and I say that as a devoted fan of both coffee and sandwiches. - The 'everyone is a sexist, racist bigot' stuff seems a bit heavy handed at times. They were only minor annoyances, though, as I thoroughly enjoyed the books as a whole. Just read them on holiday. Fantastic books, especially the third I thought. Took me a out 100 pages of the first book to get into it and was then hooked. Not seen the films but might give them a bash now. Good point about the coffee and sandwiches right enough. Blomqvist drinks coffee 24 hours per day. I would never sleep... The IKEA bit does go on, but I think he was just (over)emphasising the point that it was a highly unusual thing for Salander to be doing? My criticism was the very end of the third bit when loose ends are tied up (no spoilers). Not very well thought out IMO - just seemed to be tacked on as the author had run out of ideas. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mighty meadow Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 (edited) Took me years to get round to reading it but just finished CITY of GOD by Paulo Lins. Drugs, Guns, Fashion, Music, Love, Friendship, Corruption, Blood & Guts it says on the cover and that's exactly what you get. Based on true life stories in the favelas of Brazil this is one of the most hard hitting books I have ever read. There really is no let up in the violence as page after page is filled with shootings, murder and rape. There is the odd glimmer of hope here and there but ultimately just about everything ends in tragedy. Hopefully I'll find time at the end of the week to watch the film. 9/10 Edited October 12, 2011 by mighty meadow 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mak Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 (edited) Can't actually remember what other books I've read since my last post on here, but the last one that I finished was Boris Akunin's The Diamond Chariot, which is the latest Erast Fandorin mystery. Like the other books in the series, it's an enjoyable read: not mentally taxing, but good fun. I liked the fact that it gave a bit of Fandorin's back story about the time that he spent in Japan and sheds further light on why he ends up such a reserved character. I'm now reading a book called Seasonal Food by Paul Waddington. I love cooking, but was uncomfortably aware that I was pretty useless when it came to knowing what's in season when and for reasons of taste, cost and sustainability I thought that it was something that I should become more clued up on. It's actually very well written and engaging, although it may not be that much use to me at the moment as it refers to British seasons and I won't actually be living in Britain again until May. That said, this particular part of France has a pretty similar climate. Ultimately, I won't be changing my entire way of life: I like stuff like bananas and mangos too much to buy only local, seasonal produce. Waddington's passionate advocacy of doing so has definitely motivated me to make more of an effort, though. Edited October 12, 2011 by Mak 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banterman86 Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 (edited) I read a few books recently A Lion's Tale The Autobiography of pro-wrestler Chris Jericho, following his time wrestling in Japan, Mexico,Canada,and eslsewhere. really entertaining read, Jericho comes across as a decent sort, and he had quite a lifestyle in his twenties, traveling the world doing what he loved for crap money but good partying One Day Why was this such a big deal? Not criticisng the book, which was a decent read, but this book seemed to have developed a bit of an aura about it, not sure why. I liked the concept of picking one day each year, it often read like a collection of short stories, and meant that there wasn't time wasted in overly lengthy exposition overall ie his marriage, her affair and so forth. cahpters opened he was married, divorved whatever. no wasted time. good stuff I'd quite happily see the format ripped off by another writer again ebcause it makes the novel easy to read. The Facebook Serial killer Part 1 A free download for the Kindle. Not that great, and verging on torture porn at times, but it passed a few train journeys, and cost nowt so it'd be a bit unfair to stick the boot into it I have downloaded a few new books - Alan Bissett's new effort Pack Men, a book called Happy Hour is for amateurs which looks to be a "fratire" type piece, and will look to download The Spirit Level and this years Pulitzer wnner, a Visit from the Goon squad. Edited October 12, 2011 by banterman86 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightswoodBear Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 After watching the HBO series, I decided to try out A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin. I really enjoyed it and the TV series seemed to pretty much stick to the book. Most of the main characters are younger than in the TV show, but I can see why they changed that aspect. I've now started the 2nd in the series A Clash of Kings 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_S_A_R Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 since my last post on this thread months ago i've read.... journey to the end of the night by louis ferdinand celine: a fictionalized account of celine's experiences in WWI, colonial france, ford's detroit and working as a doctor in the slums of paris and a mental hospital. celine is a bit of a pesimist and the entire novel is misanthropic but it's always funny and never depressing. there are probably only 2 or 3 sympathetic characters in the book out of maybe 100, everyone is constantly trying to get one over everyone else and they all know it. it definitely deserves its status as a 20th century classic, celine obviously has a few nazi issues but he was a great writer. the death of artemio cruz by carlos fuentes: a mexican industrialist and media baron looks back on his life as he lies dieing. the deathbed scenes are stream of conciousness style and a bit of a slog - probably a good representation of dieing a painful death - but the flashback scenes are fanstastic. you get a non linear look at cruz's life starting off as a serf in a plantation, through the mexican revolution to the creation of his empire and the effects of great wealth. the main character reminded me of tony soprano a bit, an individual completely corrupted. the book of laughter and forgetting by milan kundera: a collection of stories describing life under communism in czechoslovakia in the 50s and 60s. it's a bit hit and miss but when it hits it's very good. kundera as ever seems impossibly wise and soothing. spring snow by yukio mishima: the first part of mishima's sea of fertility tetraology. it's set in 1912 tokyo and is about a schoolboy japanese aristocrat falling in love and trying to find his way in the world. it takes place during a time when japan was opening up to the world and western values and ideas were beginning to take hold and it's interesting seeing the last days of the traditional japanese way of life. mishima was a complete loonball and staged probably the most spectacular public death of the 20th century for himself so i'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series to see how it progresses. a fraction of the whole by steve toltz: an australian philosphical comedy from a few years ago, 700 pages but a quick, enjoyable read. a young man tells the story of how his father and his uncle became the most loved and hated men in australia. his uncle was murderous criminal who tried to kill sports stars, his dad tried to make everyone in australia a millionaire. his uncle was loved, his dad hated. very, very funny. babylon by victor pelevin: a drug addled tale of the birth of an advertising industry in post soviet russia. it starts off as a fairly realistic narrative and ends up a quasi-mystical fantastic conspiracy. modern russia seems a fucked up place. old goirot by honore de balzac: an entertaining tale of society life in 19th century paris. i find balzac much more readable than english writers of the same period. his frenchness seems to give him a bit of sardonic wit and cruelty you don't find in dickens or hardy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banterman86 Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Is Never let me Go good stuff? I;ve seen it praised to the hilt on here before, and conciously avoided the film so I could read the book, but I'm not big on sci fi 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_S_A_R Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 i've not read it but i've heard good things. beyond the central conceit of the plot it doesn't look to be sci fi at all. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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