Books - What are you reading?

[Goaty Bill 2]

p1doc said:

just read heart of a dog by Bulgakov very bizarre but great read
now reading arsene lupin omnibus-loving the battles against holmlock shears lol

'Bulgakov' corrected

Absolutely unputdownable

'The Master and Margarita' is of equal genius (and near equal insanity), and not to be missed.

Edit : speeling

Edited by Goaty Bill 2 on Saturday 30th September 13:11

[Eddie Strohacker]

Levin said:

Do you have any suggestions on how to approach 'Bonfire of the Vanities'? I couldn't get into it but as I (think) I said in my original post, perhaps in another time or in another place. I like your phrasing on it, though: we dance to different beats.

Blimey, it must be thirty years old now! I can't have read it in the last ten. I suppose it may have lost something in the passage of time, since at heart it's a satirical look at the excesses of the eighties, so you'd probably want to transport your mind to that time - greed, getting rich, individualism and so on. There's themes of racism, corruption & hegemony & I look at the characters as allegorical ciphers for those themes.

In the end though, it might just be that Wolfe's style doesn't match with what you look for in a novel, we all like different stuff, it would be terribly boring if it weren't like that.

[AstonZagato]

‘Bonfire of the Vanities’ gave me palpitations when I read it in the 80s. I was working for a US investment bank and was in full-on ‘Master of the Universe’ mode. I didn’t enjoy Sherman McCoy’s fall from grace. Nor was I supposed to...

[Eddie Strohacker]

And of course it was made into a terrible movie, just as Captain Corelli's Mandolin was, whilst I'm on about my favourite books.

[g3org3y]

K12beano said:

g3org3y said:

First book of his I've read, almost half way through. Intriguing so far. Will report back when finished.

Interested to know your final verdict.

That was the third one I read - much enjoyed "Kafka On The Shore" - but was very hooked by the first I read: "1Q84" wasn't so taken by Dance......

Finished.

Not the best book I've read this year. Ultimately didn't find the characters or the story that interesting. Ending a bit of a let down.

Seems to get much praise online and research suggests this particular novel is part of a series. It is however stated that this can be read as a standalone novel with no detriment to characters or storyline. I suspect that if I had read the prequel 'A Wild Sheep Chase', my opinion of this book may have been different.

As it is however, I'm decidedly 'meh' about it. I may consider reading some of his other stronger novels, but at this moment I won't go out of my way to do so.

[Legend83]

Got a dual read going on at the moment - Wuthering Heights by Bronte (I think most know this one!) and Double Cross by Ben Macintyre, the story of how the WW2 spy network was critical to the success of D-Day.

Both quite heavy, but both enthralling.

[p1doc]

Goaty Bill 2 said:

'Bulgakov' corrected

Absolutely unputdownable

'The Master and Margarita' is of equal genius (and near equal insanity), and not to be missed.

Edit : speeling

Edited by Goaty Bill 2 on Saturday 30th September 13:11

loved master and margarita ,what do you think about his other books?

[coppice]

JonJon2015 said:

I'm currently revisiting The Very Best of Russell Bulgin, which I dust off every so often to remind myself how motoring journalism should be.

None better . I reread my copy every year to remind myself how good motoring journalism can be. And if you like RB I would recommend David E Davis anthology very highly.A very , very different man to Russell (American , of course , old school) but exquisitely funny and insightful .

The depressing thing is to endure the cliched and formulaic pap which passes for so much motoring journalism now - ' Sat in the vice like grip of the Recaro, I revelled in the rifle bolt action of the shift and savoured a smidge of oversteer as I felt Stuttgart's finest rotate and dart into the apex like a raptor.'

Vomit .

[p1doc]

just picked up meg by steve alten for 50p at local hospital-surprisingly good read with multiple sequels

[Goaty Bill 2]

p1doc said:

Goaty Bill 2 said:

'Bulgakov' corrected

Absolutely unputdownable

'The Master and Margarita' is of equal genius (and near equal insanity), and not to be missed.

Edit : speeling

loved master and margarita ,what do you think about his other books?

I am buried in unread books
Those are the only two of his I have read, but 'The White Guard' and 'A Country Doctor's Notebook' are top of my Bulgakov list for search and consume.
I fear many of his other works, short stories mostly, plays aside, from what I can gather, will be much more difficult to track down in English translation.


Because I am just a bit of a geek, and have entered all of my book purchases and reading history for the last ten months into a database of my own design, I can fairly reliably inform you that I have 16 unread Russian works ahead of me amounting to over 7000 pages. Added to which 74 other books totalling just over 20k pages. As I have only consumed a measly 14k pages in the last 10 months (since records began, as they say), the task ahead of me is both daunting and much looked forward to. However,the list of books to be added grows almost daily.
At present rate of consumption, I have nearly two years of books ahead of me.
Life will ultimately prove to be too short.

[RepeatOffender]

The Mordecai Trilogy by Kyril Bonfiglioli.

Absolutely hilarious.

[micky g]

RepeatOffender said:

The Mordecai Trilogy by Kyril Bonfiglioli.

Absolutely hilarious.

I agree, brilliant reads, I mentioned the same on here a while back!

[RepeatOffender]

Just bought All the Tea in China by the same author.

[SystemParanoia]

Detective Dot

[Levin]

Finished 'Berlin Ghetto: Herbert Baum and the Anti-Fascist Resistance', by Eric Brothers. I remembered correctly the link to Siemens, Baum's employer, but I was wrong in believing all of the group was based within Siemens.



I don't imagine many people would have been as prepared to risk their lives in the leaflet-bombing operations of the Baum Group, or their (ultimately futile) attack on the Soviet Paradise exhibit in 1942. Above is a scan of a postcard produced after the exhibit moved from Berlin's Lustgarten. I'm unsure which part of the exhibit it shows but, if it happens to be the "farmer's house", then it could well be the very building the Baum Group attempted to torch.

Hans Fallada's 'Alone in Berlin' bears some similarity in terms of organised resistance to Nazism from within Berlin and, though it was inspired by a different group I'm glad I read this book while Fallada's plot is still relatively fresh in my head. Onwards, but possibly not upwards in terms of emotion, it's 'After Auschwitz' by Eva Schloss. Schloss is a stepsister of Margot and Anne Frank; thankfully, she is still with us today.

[p1doc]

Goaty Bill 2 said:

I am buried in unread books
Those are the only two of his I have read, but 'The White Guard' and 'A Country Doctor's Notebook' are top of my Bulgakov list for search and consume.
I fear many of his other works, short stories mostly, plays aside, from what I can gather, will be much more difficult to track down in English translation.


Because I am just a bit of a geek, and have entered all of my book purchases and reading history for the last ten months into a database of my own design, I can fairly reliably inform you that I have 16 unread Russian works ahead of me amounting to over 7000 pages. Added to which 74 other books totalling just over 20k pages. As I have only consumed a measly 14k pages in the last 10 months (since records began, as they say), the task ahead of me is both daunting and much looked forward to. However,the list of books to be added grows almost daily.
At present rate of consumption, I have nearly two years of books ahead of me.
Life will ultimately prove to be too short.

lol my kids say I have gone bookmad-main problem is local independent bookshop kid love to go to so when they get a book I get a book...owner's son is very helpful and always giving suggestions

[blindswelledrat]

Legend83 said:

Got a dual read going on at the moment - Wuthering Heights by Bronte (I think most know this one!) .

Could you be any more gay?
Whilst it's literary merits are undeniable, how any man would voluntarily read what amounts to a 400 page romance novel is quite beyond me!

[Legend83]

blindswelledrat said:

Could you be any more gay?
Whilst it's literary merits are undeniable, how any man would voluntarily read what amounts to a 400 page romance novel is quite beyond me!

Ha! I have been asking myself that same question (not the "could I be any more gay" one) but the writing is quite brilliant, and I am enjoying the themes of obsession and supernatural goings on.

It's about as far removed from Fifty Shades of Grey as one can get in a novel of "passion".

Plus I always make sure I drink a beer and fart whilst reading it.

[gadgetmac]

Legend83 said:

blindswelledrat said:

Could you be any more gay?
Whilst it's literary merits are undeniable, how any man would voluntarily read what amounts to a 400 page romance novel is quite beyond me!

Ha! I have been asking myself that same question (not the "could I be any more gay" one) but the writing is quite brilliant, and I am enjoying the themes of obsession and supernatural goings on.

It's about as far removed from Fifty Shades of Grey as one can get in a novel of "passion".

Plus I always make sure I drink a beer and fart whilst reading it.

Please tell me that tucked inside the book you are hiding a porn mag from the wife.

[Legend83]

gadgetmac said:

Please tell me that tucked inside the book you are hiding a porn mag from the wife.

It's on my iPad so I can switch windows at will .