Books - What are you reading?

[King Herald]

Just finished this, though I first read it 25 years ago. Basically a 'fiction' story about one mans life during the fall of Rhodesia, and possibly one of the best books I've read about Africa.

[Size Nine Elm]

Famous Graham said:

I'm getting into Rankin's Rebus novels at the moment, although I did have a brief diversion to another Edinburgh based copper story - Skinner's Festival by Quintin Jardine. Both authors are enjoyable page-turners. Not exactly Shakespeare, but a good enough read.

The Quintine Jardine books are a bit Matthew Reilly - breathless, exclamation-mark-ridden stories which you can imagine being read by a 10-year-old.

Rebus starts a little shallow, but the plots and the writing improve through the first 5-6 books, and are magnificent from then on.

[TotalControl]

Mainly been business books tbh. But ast proper book was How To Get Rich by Felix Dennis. Makes me want to jump out of my window and run away to some shabby place, work my arse off and get rich. Properly motivational.

[honest_delboy]

How To Get Rich by Felix Dennis - My GF was selling my copy at a car boot sale. "didn't work for you then?" was the merry quip from some sad tt.

currently Black Man by Richard Morgan (after being tipped on PH)

just finished Generation Kill by Evan Wright

About to re-read The Road by Cormack McCarthy

[dibbly_dobbler]

Any Neal Stevenson fans out there ? I have recently finished the excellent (if somewhat circumlocutory) Cryptonomicon and I'm unsure where to go next as some of his tomes seem a bit heavyweight for a lightweight like me. Any recommendations ?

[havoc]

dibbly_dobbler said:

Any Neal Stevenson fans out there ? I have recently finished the excellent (if somewhat circumlocutory) Cryptonomicon...

I've just had that for Christmas - without giving any spoilers, what should I expect?



Del - Black Man is the one Morgan book I've not read, due to the mediocre reviews on Amazon. Have you read any of his others, and how does it compare?

Cheers,

M.

[dibbly_dobbler]

havoc said:

dibbly_dobbler said:

Any Neal Stevenson fans out there ? I have recently finished the excellent (if somewhat circumlocutory) Cryptonomicon...

I've just had that for Christmas - without giving any spoilers, what should I expect?

M.

It's a big read - not one to be undertaken lightly! Sometimes brilliant, sometimes rambling - exhaustively researched and with an awesome breadth of scope. fking hilarious at times and nearer to an obscure academic text at other times. Plenty of action sprinkled around as well. You'll love it. Just watch out for Enoch Root (ask me after you've read it - I'll say no more ... )

[honest_delboy]

havoc said:

Del - Black Man is the one Morgan book I've not read, due to the mediocre reviews on Amazon. Have you read any of his others, and how does it compare?

Cheers,

M.

I never read the amazon reviews, i'm only halfway through but i feel its the weakest of the 3 i've read, just marginally behind Altered Carbon. I thought Market Forces was excellent, "unputdownable!"

[Wildsea]

In the middle of the Long Way Down. Great book, much better than the television series, going into more depth about the people they meet and the problems they encounter.

[havoc]

honest_delboy said:

I thought Market Forces was excellent, "unputdownable!"

Yeah, a different but very cool book. Might give Black Man a go then...

[bint]

dibbly_dobbler said:

Any Neal Stevenson fans out there ? I have recently finished the excellent (if somewhat circumlocutory) Cryptonomicon and I'm unsure where to go next as some of his tomes seem a bit heavyweight for a lightweight like me. Any recommendations ?

If you liked that, go for Anathem (HUuUUUGE tome), and the Baroque Cycle which I have to confess I gave up on, MOH loves. Of course you have to read, if you haven't already, the genius that is Snow Crash.

Similar writer recommendations include Jeff Noon with Vurt and Pollen.

[hairykrishna]

I really didn't like the Baroque cycle. I'm a huge fan of Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age, Snow Crash and Anathem though.

Edited by hairykrishna on Saturday 30th January 23:50

[g3org3y]

This:



Bored, bored, bored.

[colonel c]

Casino Royale, Live and let Die & Moonraker.
Never read Ian Fleming before. Live and let Die very unPC these days. Fantastic.

Waiting to start The Gathering Storm. Book 12 of the Wheel of Time series. This time penned by Brandon Sanderson who is to finish the series after Robert Jordan’s sad death. I think only another two more book to go in the series.

[Pints]

Have just finished the latest from Dan Brown. The Secret Code, I think it's called.
Pretty much what's to be expected from Brown.

[Stuart70]

Dan_1981 said:

Just finished reading "A Quiet Belief in Angels" by R.J Ellory.

Apparently its won some awards, and people seem to think its amazing.

Personally I thought it was a load of bks, that went on and on, the story could have been squeezed into a bok half the size if he didn't insist on spending 3 pages describing the weather, and how the wind felt in his pissing hair.

Very poor.

Absolutely agree with you Dan, that book was awful. Waste of trees!

On better books

Michael Palin's 2nd instalment of diaries - great understated and funny man, and the book is one of those where you can hear the author's voice as you read, lovely stuff!

Just finished 1 + 2 of the Stieg Larsson books - very good, twisting thriller genre. Will be definitely be reading the third.

Read, but have not seen the film of, The Road. That Cormac McCarthy chap really is a happy bunny of a boy is he not? Very, very good, but a bit more dystopia than is easy to deal with on a sunny Sunday morning!

Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon) - one of the greatest films ever, ever, and a great noir book too. If you haven't read Hammet or Raymond Chandler, you are missing out.

On a related theme, anything by Christopher Brookmyre, tartan noir, as it was known. Fun, funny and well plotted. Buy them all, give them as presents, give them to strangers...

Re-reading Post Office by Bukowski, very well written, but not a role model for the kids. Worth seeking out if your thing is skid row drunk, sex, fighting and job loss in LA in the 40's and 50's. No? Ah well

Think it is time for a quick sprint through Catcher in the Rye in honour of the departure of the reclusive JD. Let's hope they don't publish a whole lot of third rate phoney stuff from his attic in the months and years to come.

Must read more factual stuff, but never have the concentration, interest. Ho hum...

[CRA1G]

Highly Recommended "Another Day in Paradise" By Mark Reece,His first book based on a true story (His Own)A fascinating insight revealing his car dealing world of Ferraris and expensive classic cars and his ultimate demise of Prison.!It makes for a very revealing and interesting read of "Fast cars,love,passion,sorrow and betrayal.Not easy to find in the book shops but well worth a read for any PH. www.anotherdayinparadise.co.uk

[Herbie58]

Dan_1981 said:

Just finished reading "A Quiet Belief in Angels" by R.J Ellory.

Apparently its won some awards, and people seem to think its amazing.

Personally I thought it was a load of
bks, that went on and on, the story could have been squeezed into a bok half the size if he didn't insist on spending 3 pages describing the weather, and how the wind felt in his pissing hair.

Very poor.

Completely agree. I found the floral prose completely overdone, rather uninspired and badly written. In short. It bored me stupid.

[elster]

My dad gave me a copy of The biography of Francis Chichester.

Which so far is fantastic. A proper Autobiography over the current celebrity type.

[dibbly_dobbler]

bint said:

dibbly_dobbler said:

Any Neal Stevenson fans out there ? I have recently finished the excellent (if somewhat circumlocutory) Cryptonomicon and I'm unsure where to go next as some of his tomes seem a bit heavyweight for a lightweight like me. Any recommendations ?

If you liked that, go for Anathem (HUuUUUGE tome), and the Baroque Cycle which I have to confess I gave up on, MOH loves. Of course you have to read, if you haven't already, the genius that is Snow Crash.

Similar writer recommendations include Jeff Noon with Vurt and Pollen.

Thanks Sarah

I will definitely go for Snow Crash - heard good things about it before