Page:
skribleBRONZE Member
member
155 posts
Location: moston, manchester, England (UK)


Posted:
i love to read and discuss books. did a search couldnt find a book club so im starting one biggrin

what books have you read recently? were they any good? which books would you recommend?

i personally have just read Johnny Cash' autobiography and loved it. Beautifully written, poetic and at times moving. ubblove

this apple juice is a bit milky isnt it?!


Mr MajestikSILVER Member
coming to a country near you
4,696 posts
Location: home of the tiney toothy bear, Australia


Posted:
BIG EVENT!

i'm going traveling and have thus acquired a book to read that is not an anatomy or pathophysiology text book biggrin

its called Black Swan and its by Nassim Nickolas Taleb. its about reasoning, justifying and categorizing and how it restricts us as people. should be a good read, will report back when and if i finish it.

"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"

jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley


Firetrampold hand
898 posts
Location: Binstead, Isle of Wight


Posted:
Mt favourite book is "The Drifters" by James A. Michener. It follows the lives of 6 young hippies who meet each other in Spain and go travelling in a combi.

At the mo I'm reading "Sepulchre" by Kate Moss (not the model) and I love it. Two linked stories, one in the past and one in the now and a mysterious deck of Tarot cards.

Ask a question and be a fool for a minute...don't ask and be a fool your whole life.


WirewoodGOLD Member
journeyman
90 posts
Location: Perth, West Australia


Posted:
Ok, some more great sci-fi:
Kiln People by David Brin - set in a time when people can make short-lived 'clones' to do their more mundane tasks. An interesting concept that's explored by way of an interesting and quite humerous detective tale.
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan - like a cross between sci-fi & film noir - if you like William Gibson then you should enjoy this book.

An interesting fantasy trilogy:
The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay. While I found some of the plot devices a tad clunky (like changing gears with no clutch) I still found myself cycling into Invercargill in a snowstorm to order the 3rd part before the 2nd part had a chance to cool down. Really enjoyable (but beware of emotion sickness wink ).

Some non-fiction:
A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright. This book is the 2004 Massey Lectures and it examines past civilisations, how they came unstuck, and what we can learn from them in regard to our current circumstances.

And finally:
Eremophila and allied genera. A Monograph of the Myoporaceae by R.J. Chinnock. This book was long overdue and if you have ever tried to ID Eremophila then you'll know what I mean.

I agree with the comments about S King's Dark Tower series, it's an awesome series but I'd recommend to anyone to track down the original version of The Gunslinger as the "revised" version annoyed the cr*p out of me (I just felt it over-explained things, particularly the "vision" at the end).

"What drives life is...a little electric current kept up by the sunshine." Albert Szent-Gyorgi


Bek66Future Mrs Pogo
4,728 posts
Location: The wrong place


Posted:
If no one has mentioned them...(I'm too lazy to go and look)...the Dragonlance Chronicles are very good...by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Similar to the Lord of the Rings, but I actually like them, even more.

"Absence is to love what wind is to fire...it extinguishes the small, enkindles the great."
--Comte Debussy-Rebutin


Pogo69SILVER Member
there's no charge for awesomeness... or attractiveness
3,764 posts
Location: limbo, Australia


Posted:
 Written by :Firetramp


Mt favourite book is "The Drifters" by James A. Michener. It follows the lives of 6 young hippies who meet each other in Spain and go travelling in a combi.




oh, wow...!! I had totally forgotten about that book. I read a few of michener's hefty tomes, not long out of uni. 'alaska', 'hawaii', 'caribbean' and 'the drifters'; the drifters was my favourite of the four. makes me wanna go and re-read it... that was a long time ago, now...

--pogo (pat) [forever and always]


RicheeBRONZE Member
HOP librarian
1,841 posts
Location: Prague, Czech. Republic


Posted:
William Gibson - Burning a Chrome



(cyberpunk, sci-fi)



---------------------



Set of small stories, with Johnny Memonic,

model story for the same name film.



Dune or Cryptonomicon?



crypto,



:R

POI THEO(R)IST


Heulynmember
30 posts
Location: Wales


Posted:
 Written by :Sealey


Mark Haddons' "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time" is amazing, just for the way it's narrated through the eyes of a kid with aspergers syndrome.



I thought this book was fantastic, and insightful.
You should read a book called geeks, freaks, and asperger's syndrome, it's amazing =]

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.


Pogo69SILVER Member
there's no charge for awesomeness... or attractiveness
3,764 posts
Location: limbo, Australia


Posted:
 Written by :Heulyn


 Written by :Sealey


Mark Haddons' "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time" is amazing, just for the way it's narrated through the eyes of a kid with aspergers syndrome.



I thought this book was fantastic, and insightful.
You should read a book called geeks, freaks, and asperger's syndrome, it's amazing =]



wow...!! I should have read back through this thread... I *LOVED* this book... my 11yo boy, lachie, has asperger's syndrome and it was wonderful to read a story told from the point of view of an aspie adolescent; so much of it reminded me of lachie.

I've passed the book onto my daughter, jess, cos she was interested in reading something about lachie's world; and lachie's mum subsequently pinched it from jess.

for anyone touched by the aspie world (and hopefully everyone else, cos a little bit of understanding goes a long way), it's a must-read.

--pogo (pat) [forever and always]


Rouge DragonBRONZE Member
Insert Champagne Here
13,215 posts
Location: without class distinction, Australia


Posted:
ive been told to read it as well...but i'm still slaving through Don Quibloodyxote frown

i would have changed ***** to phallus, and claire to petey Petey

Rougie: but that's what I'm doing here
Arnwyn: what letting me adjust myself in your room?..don't you dare quote that on HoP...


astonSILVER Member
Unofficial Chairperson of Squirrel Defense League
4,061 posts
Location: South Africa


Posted:
The Very Short Introductions from Oxford University Press.

Well, some of them. They are pretty cool. smile

'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland


flyingpenguinnimember
114 posts
Location: Oxford


Posted:
Oh come on, Don Quijote de la mancha... it is funny, and you will learn lots about Spanish society, you wont believe it but most of them are still like him....

I just wanted to recommend "gods behaving badly" such a silly and funny work i read it in 2 days... really easy and funny. Ideal for a trip on the plain or the train.

There is a one called "The wizard of the earth sea" that i just finished, I love it! very well written and lovely story. Studio Ghibli based one of their films in this book.

I had to beat him to death with his own shoes... but that's another story all together.


jemima (jem)SILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
1,750 posts
Location: london, United Kingdom


Posted:
I just finised Quirkology - The curious science of everyday lives smile I muchly enjoyed, very easy read but interesting.

www.quirkology.com

Never assume
Always Acknowledge


SeyeSILVER Member
Geek
1,261 posts
Location: Manchester, UK


Posted:
I dont understand why I've not seen this topic before?

I can cetainly agree with a few posts already made...

Catch 22 - Just brilliant, once I got into it I couldnt put it down.
Hitchhikers Guide - All 5 parts of the 'trilogy' are geneous. Douglas Adams had one of the most interesting minds thats ever graced the earth.
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time- An incredible insight.
Short History of Nearly Everything - A great starting point to most of modern science and the people involved told by an absolute legend.

I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to reading. Some of the best geek out reads I think have to be...

The Ancestors Tale - Richard Dawkins - Possibly the best explanation of evolution that I've ever come across. Its tough going in places but absolutely compelling. I challenge anyone who reads it and understandands it to suggest that there is such a thing as "a hole in the theory".
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins - Yes it is written as a rant but it explains the phenomenon of religious belief in greater detail than has ever been seen in popular literature. To be honest if I was Dawkins I'd be fuming by now too.
No Logo - Naomi Klein - Its a few years old but if you ever wanted an insight into big business this is probably the best way get it.
How Mumbo Jumbo Conquered the World - Francis Wheen - Nonsense is once again taking hold. This book is as relevant as ever for those who value reason.

On a less geeky note I'm reading "Are You Dave Gorman?" by Dave Gorman and Danny Wallace. Its a great (true!) tale about a drunken bet between 2 friends that takes over their life. Its told from both of their points of view and is very funny as a result.

I'd also recomend "Join Me" by Danny Wallace. Its a (again true) story of a man who accidentally created a cult and then had to come up with a purpose for it. It totally resotored my faith in the fact that people could do good for its own sake.

willworkforfoodjnrSILVER Member
Hunting robot foxes
1,046 posts
Location: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England (UK)


Posted:
Join Me is absolute genius, love that book so much!

Working hard to be a wandering hippie layabout. Ten years down, five to go!


VixenSILVER Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,276 posts
Location: Oxfordshire/Wiltshire, United Kingdom


Posted:
Has anyone read any of Christopher Brookmyres books? Just about to start 'A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away' xxx

tHeReS gOoD aNd EvIl iN EaCh InDiViDuAl fIrE, iDeNtIfIeS nEeDs AnD fEeDs OuR dEsIrEs.


Mr MajestikSILVER Member
coming to a country near you
4,696 posts
Location: home of the tiney toothy bear, Australia


Posted:
i read a book called "water for elephants" in two days a week ago. a lovely fictional book about a very old man in a nursinghome recalling his youth as an employee on a circus train.

just one of those books that you can power through and enjoy enough to go back and read any part again straight away.

presently i'm almost half way through 'Hells Angels' by Hunter S Thompson. my frist Thompson book and i have to say i love his style, have another of his books already to begin after i finish this one smile

i really dont read enough books, but when i start one i dont put it down often til its done!

"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"

jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley


Pogo69SILVER Member
there's no charge for awesomeness... or attractiveness
3,764 posts
Location: limbo, Australia


Posted:
Originally Posted By: Mr Majestiki read a book called "water for elephants" in two days a week ago. a lovely fictional book about a very old man in a nursinghome recalling his youth as an employee on a circus train.

just one of those books that you can power through and enjoy enough to go back and read any part again straight away.


that sounds fabulous... just added it to my "wish list"... smile

--pogo (pat) [forever and always]


Mr MajestikSILVER Member
coming to a country near you
4,696 posts
Location: home of the tiney toothy bear, Australia


Posted:
awesome! you totally should! i still want to get it back and read it again but my gfs mum has it frown

its by Sara Gruen.

"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"

jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley


PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
I read through this and I have to say, I loved most of the books people say they hated. Steinbeck captures the depression era life so well, linguistically, stylistically, setting, tone...He's a beautiful writer and I've always enjoyed all of his stuff, especially Of Mice and Men. He and Jack London really captured the working American human element vividly.

Along these lines I also *loved* The Great Gatsby.

Gabriel Garcia Marquez was one of my favorite authors when I was in Uni. He wrote one of the best short stories ever, "The Continuity of Parks" and I loved "Hopscotch" His long winded style is so Victorian it hurts, much along the lines of Dickens. Yet unlike Dickens (who is one of my least favorite authors) he at least tended to use the space well, instead of marking it with circular filler.

I am a fan, though, of the darker side of things, and I love short stories (I taught short story lit for a semester at college).
Nathaniel Hawethorn and Poe.
I am a sucker for "dark trash genre" novels, so Laurell K. Hamilton books I eat like breakfast cereal. They are so wonderful for when I just need a brainless escape.

I also have to say that I read Memnoch The Devil by Anne Rice out loud to friends I was living with and we were all just wow-ed by it. These are people who *hate* books and reading and they turned off the tv for it. I wouldn't be surprised if it gave birth to a religious cult someday.

I agree with The 5 People You Meet in Heaven. It was beautiful and goosebump inducing, and tear jerking and thought provoking.

I loved Frank Herbert's Dune, for the first book, the 2nd was okay...after that it lost me. Then when his son picked it up..eh.

I also have to admit, I think that things like The Chronicles of Narnia and JRR Tolkein being favorites of my youth (and still) shaped me as a reader now. If I read one book by an author that I like, I not only need to read all of them, but I must own them as well. It's a strange form of OCD I s'pose. Eventually I thin the heard, as I move past an author but I thank goodness for free book swaps and second hand stores! lol
John Grisham was like that for awhile for me.
My newest one is Christopher Rice who writes murder mysteries that focus on the gay struggle and human element that are so complex and so well written that they really spin and twirl the mind.

Ray Bradbury. Something Wicked This Way Comes...omg. Well, Ray Bradbury but that book is amazing. Hey, did you know that Forry Ackerman who discovered Ray Bradbury and was the person who coined the phrase Sci-Fi (and really pushed for it as an acceptible genre, thus creating the paths for geeks like me to exsist) died last week? *sigh*

I usually read 3 books at a time.
I just finished a Laurell K. Hamilton, Lick of Frost. Not sure what I am going to replace it with.
I am still reading Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen (not fond of Gaimen as a novelist but his short stories and graphic novels blow my mind).
I am also reading A Book of Virtues which is a study of courtesans virtues in history. Fascinating.

Also want a light, raunchy, supposedly true book? The Secret Diary of a Call Girl by Belle Du Jour is very poignant, frank and very funny.

Okay, I'm done babbling now.
I love reading.

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


EveishGOLD Member
*Tickles pretty strangers*
610 posts
Location: Australia


Posted:
I have just finished "Round Ireland with a Fridge" by Tony Hawks. Its the true story of a guy who takes a fridge hitch hiking around Ireland. His friend makes a bet with him that he can't do it, so he rises to the challenge and ends up on a crazy mission. Its a great read. I love travel stories ubblove

What if I should fall right through the centre of the Earth and come out the other side where people walk upside-down?!


BansheeCatBRONZE Member
veteran
1,247 posts
Location: lost, Canada


Posted:
I love Good Omens! One of my fav's...
I have just started reding Christopher Moores books, sort of in that genre. Hilarious.
Got a few new books that i will tell ya about tomorrow...

"God *was* my co-pilot, but then we crashed, and I had to eat him..."


BansheeCatBRONZE Member
veteran
1,247 posts
Location: lost, Canada


Posted:
oh oh oh, but on the theme of travel stories, i have to recommend the best one ever ever, by Douglas Adams. It is called Last Chance to See. Best book ever. I have given away dozens of copies... funny, poignant, lol cry out loud, get motivated... His description of some "latvian" travellers he meets has stayed in my mind for a good decade. so witty! And it has pictures too.

I miss Douglas Adams. RIP.

"God *was* my co-pilot, but then we crashed, and I had to eat him..."


Mother_Natures_SonSILVER Member
Rampant whirler.
2,418 posts
Location: Geelong, Victoria, Australia!


Posted:
Anything by Douglas Adams is a great read... I like Dirk Gentlys Holistic detective agency, though of course all the Hitchhikers guide books are great.

Raymond E. Feist if you're a fantasy fan. Magician is the first. I usually get through the thing in about 3 sittings which tells hugely of it since I think its a 600 page book... Its linked into a much, much larger series of books, I believe he's up to 25 now... and if ever one gets the urge to read all those, a re-read of the first one becomes IMMENSELY more complicated, there are hidden references left right and centre.. amazing.

hug


hamamelisBRONZE Member
nut.
756 posts
Location: Bouncing off the walls., England (UK)


Posted:
I'm re-reading Arthur Ransome books at the moment- Swallows and Amazons, for anyone who doesn't know.. Read and loved 'em as a kid, and finding they're still pretty good as a (so called) adult. Adventure stories that are actually realistic, but still have stuff happening.

He had the weirdest writing technique- would write out a plan of the plot, divide it up into chapters, then write the individual chapters starting with whichever one looked easiest, then the next easiest.. so writing it in a completely mixed up order. Most odd, but it seems to have worked for him wink

THE MEEK WILL INHERIT THE EARTH!


If that's okay with you?


PeleBRONZE Member
the henna lady
6,193 posts
Location: WNY, USA


Posted:
hammelis, alot of authors do that. Rarely are long stories written straight through. I know that I start with an idea, then flesh it out if it sticks. Most of the time that ends up being a middle piece, so the rest is built up around it.

Fantasy and Horror are especially known for it where things don't need to be fully cohesive in tension points, and so can be laced in later.
In one of my classes we were told that's what editing is for, making the pieces fit. I had always assumed it was to fix my horrible grammar wink

I forgot to mention, if anyone is a writer, or a fan of Stephen King, his book "On Writing" is quite amazing. I learn something new every time I read it.

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK


MynciBRONZE Member
Macaque of all trades
8,738 posts
Location: wombling free..., United Kingdom


Posted:
Originally Posted By: Mother_Natures_SonAnything by Douglas Adams is a great read... I like Dirk Gentlys Holistic detective agency, though of course all the Hitchhikers guide books are great.

Raymond E. Feist if you're a fantasy fan. Magician is the first. I usually get through the thing in about 3 sittings which tells hugely of it since I think its a 600 page book... Its linked into a much, much larger series of books, I believe he's up to 25 now... and if ever one gets the urge to read all those, a re-read of the first one becomes IMMENSELY more complicated, there are hidden references left right and centre.. amazing.

And just finiished the main series now I believe

I just checked out another Author (The Guy writing the final episode of Robert Jordans wheel of time series, Since he died last year)
Brandan Sanderson, Mistborn series. 3 books and awsome, some good puzzles and misdirection a great little find.

A couple of balls short of a full cascade... or maybe a few cards short of a deck... we'll see how this all fans out.


willworkforfoodjnrSILVER Member
Hunting robot foxes
1,046 posts
Location: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England (UK)


Posted:
Its not totally done - its the end of the current cycle, but theres 2 more riftwars to come I think... Great set of books

Working hard to be a wandering hippie layabout. Ten years down, five to go!


GlitterTitsCorean Spinner
34 posts
Location: Corea, Maine


Posted:
sounds like everyone is reading some pretty good stuff!! I love Robin Hobbs Liveship trilogy,i didn't care much for the assassins trilogy though, i think i just got stuck on characters.

some of my favorite books:
Memory, Sorry and Thorn trilogy by Tad Williams
~AMAZING books, great detail, great reads

The Dragon Rider books by Ann McCafrey
~Started reading these when i was in elementary school and i'm still hooked.

Door into Ocean~probably one of my most favorite books of all time.

I read a ton, basically anything i can get my hands on, i'm not gonna lie, i'm a sucker for those Twilight books (man they're awesome). i also enjoy stuff by Aldo Leopold, David Eggers, and Robert Frose.

I just finished Hour of Blue by Robert Frose, i would highly recommend it to any tree hugging hippie out there who could be into a book about a conspiracy among trees

Fruit don't talk...they listen...and wait.


Mother_Natures_SonSILVER Member
Rampant whirler.
2,418 posts
Location: Geelong, Victoria, Australia!


Posted:
Originally Posted By: willworkforfoodjnrIts not totally done - its the end of the current cycle, but theres 2 more riftwars to come I think... Great set of books

https://www.crydee.com/raymond-feist/book-series

This should have all info on the books. The two in the "Rift war legacy" that are not yet out are probably never going to be released because they're tied up with copyright stuff with Sierra (The company that made the Krondor game)

The end of the current cycle isn't for another 5 books yet... Depending on what you classify a "cycle"

Since he's still using Pug as the main character of his books I'd have thought that was a "cycle" but I never quite understood the term...

hug


hamamelisBRONZE Member
nut.
756 posts
Location: Bouncing off the walls., England (UK)


Posted:
I know very few writers just start at the beginning and go through to the end- Ransome used to write a little list of 'Chapters 5,7,2,9,1,8,3,4,6' before he started, and follow that plan though.. Which is just plain confusing.. wink

Especially in the days before word processors..

Currently reading books on Irish mythology, pretty interesting.

THE MEEK WILL INHERIT THE EARTH!


If that's okay with you?


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