Books - What are you reading?

[davepoth]

Pixel Pusher said:

Certainly, 44, which probably explains why I didn't enjoy it TBH. All that angst.

I had expected so much more given the (urban?) myths etc.

Edited by Pixel Pusher on Tuesday 14th February 01:42

It's all about context - that book is effectively literary "Ground Zero" for teenagers. When it was published in 1951, it was just around the time that the idea of the "teenager" was coming into existence, and this was the very first time that the classic teenage precis of "I hate everything and everyone, they're all st" had been put into a novel.

[Digga]

Just finished Julian Barnes' "Sense of an Ending". Short, nicely written, interesting plot, odd ending. 8/10

Now reading Sean Ryder's autobiographey "Twisting my melon" which is interesting on two elvels - he's a good story teller and also because I was living in the same locale in 89/90 and remember a bit of the scene - although the text is (I guess because it was dictated) more like a transcript of a conversation and not alwyas that easy to read.

[theironduke]

Twilight









I do have a goot excuse..honest.

Do I hand in my PH membership and sell the TVR now or later?

[twink]

In a day I've got through half of a book called Hard Time by Shaun Attwood. He was in the local Waterstones a while ago talking about it, it was described as a lot like The Shawshank Redemption. He was bang on too but his is a true story about going through Arpaio's prison system. He was a lovely bloke to chat with too. I'm on the second copy of his book now because my dad pinched the first one and it's now being passed round a LNG plant in the Saudi desert.

If you liked Shawshank, give it a go, it's rather brilliant.

http://shaunattwood.com/index.php?option=com_conte...

[kiteless]

Currently going through this:



It's very good: good plot (if a little hokey), good characters, and the story flows nicely in a way that the next chapter is a "must read before I put it down".

As an aside, Mrs k has just got a copy of the unabridged version of Bram Stoker's "Dracula". I sampled a couple of pages today whilst she was out. First impressions are good.

[RizzoTheRat]

I think the Taiwanese are trying to tell us something, my new phone came with Kobo installed and a copy of Sun Tzu's The Art Of War already loaded. Only on the preface so far, which is a bit of a history of Sub Tzu, but it looks an interesting read.

[james_tigerwoods]

I've just bought "Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves" by Matthew Reilly - I have all of his books and this is the only readon why I bought it as I've enjoyed his early books.

I've read the first 10 pages and already wondering what on earth possessed me to buy this book, even at £7 for the hardback version, as I know I'll read it and think "what a load of crap".

The worst part is that I know, full well, that I'll read it, complain about how bad it is, never re-read it and I'll buy his next book...

[Vladikar]

The last book I read was: "The boy in the striped pyjamas" and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you could recommend any book to someone who rarely reads - what would it be and why?

[bint]

Vladikar said:

The last book I read was: "The boy in the striped pyjamas" and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you could recommend any book to someone who rarely reads - what would it be and why?

I thought about this recently, I've put my name down recently for the 2012 World Book Night and to give away books to encourage people to read.

There's a fairly varied list of books you can give away, a lot I had read, but my first choice is Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Reason being that I feel it apples to a variety of
people and is something anyone can pick up without struggling to get into it quickly.

[Pixel Pusher]

Vladikar said:

The last book I read was: "The boy in the striped pyjamas" and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

If you could recommend any book to someone who rarely reads - what would it be and why?

The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz

About an escape from a Siberian Gulag. Just an incredible story.

[andy_s]

The Devotion of Suspect X

[AstonZagato]

andy_s said:

The Devotion of Suspect X

I read this recently as I had a trip to Tokyo and I thought it would be an appropriate book. Nicely constructed but the twist was rather obvious, imho.

[anonymous-user]

John Irving - Last Night in Twisted River
fantastic, a proper author who can create a scene without resorting to mindless dialogue.

[Aizle]

I've just finished reading Alex Roy - The Driver.

Fasinating read about his driving (suprisingly). From Gumball, lapping New York and trying to beat the record from New York to LA.

Very well written, couldn't put it down.

Also done in an E39 M5 just like mine which may have helped.

[JMGS4]

The one-eyed gunner by Gary Chisholm
ISBN: 9781927003022

He is Larry Sutherland, a farm boy from Nova Scotia. This is his story – a story about a man who lived through unimaginable horrors. A story about a man who epitomizes courage and valour, a man who risked his life so that we may live in freedom.

In aviation, it takes at least five kills to be considered an Ace. During the Second World War, in all Bomber command, there were only three Heavy Gunner Aces. This is the story of Larry Sutherland, Canada’s Top Gunner Ace.

[cazzer]

Pixel Pusher said:

Well I have just completed Catcher In the Rye.

If you ever felt obligated to read this "classic" because you think you should, don't bother.

It's ste.

I think you will find I have regularly said that on multiple threads where the pile of literary crap has raised its ugly head.

J.D.Salinger is dead. So I won. He wrote a st book, stole some of my life when I read it. But he's dead and I'm not. I win.

Meanwhile, reading "The Moon's a Balloon" the autobiography of David Niven.

[Dr_Gonzo]

Pixel Pusher said:

The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom by Slavomir Rawicz

About an escape from a Siberian Gulag. Just an incredible story.

Totally agree. On a similar vien, another good read is 'Alive' by Pier Paul Morgan, about the the Andes plane crash surviours. The book gives a much deeper into what really happened than the film.

[anonymous-user]

cazzer said:

Pixel Pusher said:

Well I have just completed Catcher In the Rye.

If you ever felt obligated to read this "classic" because you think you should, don't bother.

It's ste.

I think you will find I have regularly said that on multiple threads where the pile of literary crap has raised its ugly head.

J.D.Salinger is dead. So I won. He wrote a st book, stole some of my life when I read it. But he's dead and I'm not. I win.

Meanwhile, reading "The Moon's a Balloon" the autobiography of David Niven.

but when you die the scores are level and on the basis that you still have that time debt, Salinger gets an extra time winner.

i quite liked it btw, but its not a patch on Hemmingway...

[Pete Franklin]

hairykrishna said:

g3org3y said:

g3org3y said:

Currently reading:


Enjoying it so far!

Finished this morning and what a surprisingly good book! The plot sounds dubious: protagonist wakes up in hospital blindfolded. On removing his bandages he realises he is the only person who can see, the rest of the population blinded by a meteor shower. In the meantime, the Triffids (carnivorous walking plants) have started to take over.

Sounds odd, sounds cheesy sci fi but in actual fact a really brilliant little book. Certainly goes a lot deeper than the plot summary would suggest. An interesting alternative to Wells' WOTW.

One of my favourite books of all time. The recent BBC adaptation was a travesty.

Agree with this- expected it to be naff but it’s very well written and surprisingly serious. Some interesting moral dilemmas in there as well. Fond memories of this book.

Just finished “Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell- It’s a Dystopia mixed in with some interesting historical references- 5 stories in one spread out over completely different periods and genres. Really compulsive reading. I would highly recommend it.

[BeansOnToast]

The Day the Devils Dropped in: The 9th Parachute Battalion in Normandy D-Day to D+6: Merville Battery to the Chateau St Come

Only 60 odd pages in.