What are you reading and book reviews [Archive] - Page 3

BBx

15-10-2009, 09:31

James Patterson - The Midnight Club
Its ok. Its about the Maffia and how they are controlling the Criminal World and killing people and stuff. Bog standard JP tbh.

James Patterson - You have been warned
Interestingly written, bit obvious. Nice easy read. Is about a Nanny/amateur photographer who witnesses a murder. Read it in less than a day.

Jeffery Deaver - Praying for sleep
Starts off a bit slow but the end gets better. Quite good actually.

Currently reading Bestial by Harold Schecter which is about the life of a serial killer in the states. Starts off a bit slow (skipped a chapter which was basically stats) getting interesting now. Was one of the books in the hotel library.

Also picked up James Patterson 8th Confession to add to mine and dad's collection :D good times. Hopefully I can read that before the end of the month so I can give it to him :)

I read a lot of 'boy' books. :/

BB x

Briggykins

12-11-2009, 09:36

Nearly finished Just After Sunset, a collection of short stories by Stephen King. Despite being a fan of the mystery/horror/thriller genre, I'm not a big fan of King's novels. His short stories, however, are usually excellent. This collection is generally decent - there are a couple of filler-type stories and the kind that don't really go anywhere - but on the whole it's a good read. Most of them deal with King's supernatural-tinged rural world which is what he's good at. However, the few that don't are hit-and-miss - Mute, about a cuckold who picks up a mute hitchhiker, is brilliant in a sort of Jeffrey Deaver kind of way, whereas The Gingerbread Girl is a pretty standard (and verb-heavy) story about someone who gets kidnapped.
Other highlights for me were N, a fairly common story that King spices up with some modern OCD and psychology elements, The Cat From Hell, which was darkly humourous in a typical King way, and Stationary Bike, a horror story about a exercise cycle which just goes to show King can find horror in anything. It's definitely worth picking up if you're in any way a horror/mystery fan, although there is quite a lot here for those who aren't as well.

_dogma_

12-11-2009, 13:53

Just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

I thought it was really good but a bit predictable. It was very easy to read but there were some bits that I didn't really understand about the company type things. It's quite graphic and violent but it's not overly done.

Fayshun

12-11-2009, 14:06

I've got Neil Armstrong's Biography but I keep leaving it on my desk at home :(

SCM

12-11-2009, 18:51

Halfway through Robert Jordans - A Crown of Swords Wheel of Time book and slowly getting closer to catching up before buying the newly released book 12 in the series :)

Mondo

28-11-2009, 03:27

Just finished One Day by David Nicholls - It follows a story of a boy and girl from the last day in university in 1988 over the course of 20 years. The book takes you through the times in the late 80's, through the 90's and early 2000's. The characters just jump out at you and really well drawn, the writing is funny and I found myself smiling and laughing at times out loud.

Well worth a read, it's like I have 2 new friends from reading the book. No doubt this will be made into a movie when the book is published in America, they'll make it set in NYC or Chicago or something.

What more can I say..... i just finished it and I am still kinda speechless.

Glaucus

28-11-2009, 04:19

The Maya

"A clear and intelligent description of the development and organization of Maya civilization." —Natural History

The Maya has long been established as the best, most readable introduction to the New World's greatest ancient civilization. In these pages Professor Coe distills a lifetime's scholarship for the general reader and student.

Since the publication of the sixth edition of The Maya, new sites have been uncovered and further excavations in old sites have proceeded at an unprecedented pace. Among the many new discoveries is the chance find of extraordinary murals dating to ca. AD 100 at San Bartolo in the Petén. New epigraphic, archaeological, and osteological research has thrown light on the identity of the "founding fathers" of such great sites as Tikal and Copan, and their close affiliation with Teotihuacan in central Mexico. The previously little known center of Ek' Balam in northeastern Yucatan has turned out to be a regional kingdom of major importance, with extraordinary stucco reliefs and a plethora of painted inscriptions.

It has now become apparent that the birth of Maya civilization lies not in the Classic but during the Preclassic period, above all in the Mirador Basin of northern Guatemala, where the builders of gigantic ancient cities (interconnected by causeways) erected the world's largest pyramid as early as 200 BC. All of these finds suggest that we must rethink what we mean by "Classic."

The seventh edition also presents new evidence for the use of wetlands by the Classic Maya, and fresh perspectives on the catastrophic demise of Classic civilization by the close of the ninth century. 175 illustrations, 17 in color.

Only twenty pages in so not sure what it's like yet.

Rich_L

04-12-2009, 12:35

Manage to pick up all six of the Dune books at the awesome little local 2nd hand bookshop for £10, they do a good deal, £2 each or 5 for £8. :)

Just finishing No 5, quite enjoying them, sometimes they go a bit weird but the whole mythology is quite cool :)

Also if you like cooking, Heat by Bill Burford is a fun read :)

Jonny69

04-12-2009, 13:41

I am reading Materials and the Environment, Ashby, 2009. Materials book with environmental content as per current scientific direction.

Kitten

04-12-2009, 13:48

Jonny69

08-12-2009, 18:08

I am just starting Prosperity Without Growth - Economics for a Finite Planet by Tim Jackson.

This is a pretty controversial brand new book on post-capitalist economics and sustainable development by Professor Tim Jackson of Surrey University. It explains the economics of how CO2 emissions and resource depletion are a result of capitalisation and how technology can't resolve current global problems.

I did a masters course module on this as part of my doctorate but I want to get a better understanding of this subject so I've got the book. At the moment when I get into environmental related conversations with people I trip up when I bring this subject up because I can't explain it well enough and it's all pretty new material. Basically I need to be able to explain it in simple terms and not be branded a socialist outlaw ;D

Jonny69

15-12-2009, 11:16

I'm struggling a bit with the economics side of things. Economies are a lot more complex than we see them. So I've had to look a bit closer at capitalism and why economic growth matters to it.

So we have Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism, and the Economics of Growth and Prosperity by William Baumol

Only got two chapters in an ebrary format as there's no point reading the whole book. 2. Capitalism: the different types and their impacts on growth and 4. Why economic growth matters should do the trick.

Glaucus

15-12-2009, 13:38

It explains the economics of how CO2 emissions and resource depletion are a result of capitalisation and how technology can't resolve current global problems.

Thing is I expect (although I haven't even looked a it) that it forgets things like renewable resources and space mining. There isn't finite resources and is just a matter of technology and price before we start tapping other stuff.

Jonny69

16-12-2009, 10:26

No it doesn't, renewable resources become finite when they are over-exploited and technology by itself can't resolve current global problems, especially with a population this size. Here isn't the place to discuss it though, we should start a new thread for that :)

semi-pro waster

20-12-2009, 16:50

Been a while since I've updated, not that I've stopped reading but none felt particularly worthwhile to highlight until I recently finished 31 Songs by Nick Hornby - a form of paean to songs he's loved or that have had a profound impact on him. He passionately and eloquently argues the merits of pop music, not the sort of book I'd normally read perhaps but I've very glad I did.

Jingo

20-12-2009, 18:19

I've just started reading Terry Pratchett's NATION - as it's not a discworld novel I was unsure what to expect but thus far it's captivating, emotive and retains all the charming wit Pratchett succeeds in conveying across all of his work.

Shall keep you posted with a finished review ;)

_dogma_

22-12-2009, 03:26

Read a couple of books recently.

Graceling and Fire by Kristen Cashore. Really good books. Could not put them down! First fantasy books I've read in a while. They're a little bit girly in places but I think the target audience is Twilight fans. I wouldn't say they're as lovey dovey as Twilight and they're a little gritty in places.

The Girl who Played with Fire by Steig Larsson. Fantastic! Better than the first. I feel the first is just an introduction to the characters and sets them up nicely for this one. Started on The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest now but not far enough into it to say much about it.

Jonny69

22-12-2009, 16:04

Prosperity Without Growth - Economics for a Finite Planet by Tim Jackson was hard work but the basic message is we've become too materialistic, consuming too much and we're not happier as a result and we're damaging the environment as a result. Our economic and social model promotes this behaviour so we're locked in. What do we do about it.

I'm now reading Crap at the Environment by Mark Watson who is a comedian. It's a bit of fun about how this guy discovered he wanted to be an environmentalist and his comedy brushes with hardcore environmentalists, Al Gore, skeptics and the press. Something light-hearted to break up the academia.

Also reading The Hitch Hiker's Guide to LCA by Henrikke Baumann. I've been struggling through the two international standards on lifecycle assessment but they're so vague and badly written I thought I'd get a book out from one of the authors which details the history of LCA and where it's come from. Might shed some light on the standards. I also have a Baumann's phd thesis which was setting up lifecycle assessment originally, so that should enlighten me somewhat (if it doesn't just send me to sleep).

SCM

28-12-2009, 00:49

Robert Jordan book 9 of Wheel of Time series - Winter's Heart slowly working my way through the backlog in this series so i can read my pressy of book 12 in the series as soon as possible.

Kitten

28-12-2009, 01:19

I'm reading 'The Lady in The Tower - the Fall of Anne Boleyn (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lady-Tower-Fall-Anne-Boleyn/dp/0224063197/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261959530&sr=8-1)' by Alison Weir.

semi-pro waster

13-01-2010, 23:10

Master Of The World by Jules Verne - intriguing science fiction, very easy reading and carries you along nicely but for some reason I thought it would be a somewhat weightier book than it was. Good for a change of pace though.

Now I'm reading Fatherland by Robert Harris, more on this when I'm done it.

Nelson

18-01-2010, 16:00

I finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last week. The first third has a gradual pace and it quite detail heavy but that just sets things up for the other two acts. I really enjoyed it and I'm lining up ...Who Played with Fire to read next.

While I wait for that though I've got Haruki Murakami's After Dark, one of the few of his I haven't read. I'm only about 30 pages in but I'm loving it already - classic Murakami.

Jonny69

18-01-2010, 19:37

Still reading The Hitch Hiker's Guide to LCA by Henrikke Baumann. It's pretty tough going and pointing out all the vagarities of life cycle assessment. The PhD and Licente theses I had from her were tough and repeated a lot of what's in HHG to LCA. Gave up :D

Got Mike Ashby's Engineering Materials 1 and Engineering Materials 2 to flick through on my desk. Bought them as they will probably prove to be quite a valuable resource.

Also bought copies of HHG to LCA and Our Common Future - World Commission as they are useful books. Read most of the latter on the train but you don't half get some funny looks reading books that look like this:

http://www.thwink.org/sustain/deadlock/E1_OurCommonFutureCover.gif

semi-pro waster

18-01-2010, 19:39

Finished Fatherland, it's a fairly entertaining read, not threatening to be a classic but well enough told. I did rather think the ending might have been a bit happier than it was but I suppose there was always the message of hope beneath it.

Now I'm reading Quest For The Faradawn by Richard Ford, described on the cover as a blend between Tolkein and Watership Down. I've got a feeling that I've either read it before or started it but I can't remember anything much about it.

loki

18-01-2010, 20:44

Just started reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Certainly bleak reading so far that's for sure

Tak

18-01-2010, 21:23

I'm working my way through the Dresden books again (Jim Butcher). Great books which aren't too obvious but the "baddie" isn't some character made up and thrown in during the last dozen pages (been reading the Scarpetta books again too :p )

Zirax

18-01-2010, 21:33

For xmas and birthdays I always ask for random books which has paid out thus far:-

One book I have just finished reading is "The way of shadows" by Brent Weeks.

The story revolves around a young kid, Azoth growing up in the slums with his fellow guild rats, learning to live by his wits with death around every corner (quite literally). Then there is Durzo Blint, the perfect assassin who has his craft down to an art. Inevitably these worlds collide and the book deals with the result of this as the stakes get raised ever higher.

Plenty of plot twists in this one, and the side characters do go through development and have an impact on the story.

All in all well worth a read :)

Jonny69

21-01-2010, 10:43

Snore time: Managing Successful Projects with PRINCE2

:(

Taught module. Exam at end.

Jonny69

22-01-2010, 11:05

^^^ It's even worse than I could have ever imagined :(

Zirax

22-01-2010, 12:09

If you are prepping for the practitioner exam, tab up all the appendix's and main chapters. They have an annoying habit in the exam of asking some weird obscure bit that nobody uses worth a stupid amount of marks :( You won't have time to go hunting for the answer, tabs makes it easy.

Nah the Prince 2 manual isn't that bad .... You should read the Management of Risk book for practitioners.

Pumpkinstew

22-01-2010, 13:10

Jonny69

22-01-2010, 14:07

If you are prepping for the practitioner exam, tab up all the appendix's and main chapters. They have an annoying habit in the exam of asking some weird obscure bit that nobody uses worth a stupid amount of marks :( You won't have time to go hunting for the answer, tabs makes it easy.
I am as it goes, week after next. Cheers for the tip :)

semi-pro waster

23-01-2010, 12:34

Just finished Quest For The Faradawn and it's a quite lovely book, published in 1982 yet probably just as relevant today. It's simply an entertaining story but the allegory behind it is worth noting, we've only got one World and if we don't take care of it then it isn't just us that will be affected.

Kitten

23-01-2010, 12:47

Over the last few weeks have read 'The Lady in the Tower - The fall of Anne Boleyn' which was excellent if you're into Tudor history (I am :D).

Then I re-read Denial by Peter James. Very good, as always, but ... OMG, very weird. I worry about him sometimes, reading what goes on in his mind.

Now reading 'The Ressurectionist'. Am about 50 pages in and not sure if I'm feeling it.

Fayshun

23-01-2010, 13:03

I'm about 150 pages into The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling.

I really like this book. Mind you I did read it years ago.

Tak

01-04-2010, 13:20

Randomly decided to read The Green Mile a few weeks back - I'd seen the film (and cried) and had got the book both as the single novel and as the parts it got published as. Finished it in about 3 days (ended up crying in the bath :p )

I'm now on book 4 of The Dark Tower series. I found the first 1/4 of book 1 (The Gunslinger) hard to get into but soon I was drawn in and am now addicted - I don't have any more of the series after this though :(

volospian

22-04-2010, 13:16

I'm about 150 pages into The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. Allegedly this is the first ever steam punk novel - a version of Victorian Britain where the information age started immediately after the industrial revolution.
It's a bit heavy on detail and short on plot progression at the moment but a spook from MI5 has just been introduced so maybe it will pick up. Or perhaps it needs to be read with abottle of laudanum to hand.

I remember reading this. After Neuromancer et al, I was expecting good things, but I found it sadly lacking. I can't remember why now, but I can certainly remember thinking that it never met expectations. I leant it to someone, never got it back and never missed it...

The Neuromancer trilogy, however, is excellent. :D

volospian

22-04-2010, 13:19

I'm now on book 4 of The Dark Tower series. I found the first 1/4 of book 1 (The Gunslinger) hard to get into but soon I was drawn in and am now addicted - I don't have any more of the series after this though :(

I quite liked these when I started reading them, but I felt the latter books lost their way a bit... I know I never finished the series anyway...

volospian

22-04-2010, 13:28

Now I'm reading Fatherland by Robert Harris, more on this when I'm done it.

I thought it was very good. If you like it, try SSGB by Len Deighton

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SS-GB-Len-Deighton/dp/0586050027 (other retailers are available)

Tak

22-04-2010, 13:32

Jhadur bought me the other books as my easter gift - I'm about half way through book 5 now (I had a brief interlude with Tales of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong which I had on preorder and forgot about until it dropped through the letterbox).

I am still enjoy the series but I will say this book seems a bit more ... normal that the previous 4.
I wonder if the latter books were written in a more forced way than the earlier ones; From reading the intros by King, it seems to start with, these books were an indulgence; writing in a way that wasn't his "norm" but which he was enjoying. As the books became popular, the pressure to complete the series must have grow and maybe affected the style.

I will complete the series - maybe I'll make more sense when I've read them all.

semi-pro waster

22-04-2010, 13:50

I thought it was very good. If you like it, try SSGB by Len Deighton

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SS-GB-Len-Deighton/dp/0586050027 (other retailers are available)

Thanks for the recommendation, I may just have to try that as well.

I've just finished Ordinary Wolves by Seth Kantner which is a semi-autobiographical story of a young boy/man growing up in Alaska. It's well written and a fascinating insight into a life that most of us will never experience, from what little I do know about life in Alaska/the Arctic it is very true to life and full of convincing little details. I've actually ended up reading lots of books over the past week or so due to being stuck with little enough else to do, of them the only real one of note is Men Who Stare At Goats by Jon Ronson - I enjoyed it and yet I'm still none the wiser really as to whether it is based on real events or not, somehow I don't feel it matters either way, it's an entertaining book which while weird retains just about enough credibility to make you question whether it could be true or not.

volospian

22-04-2010, 13:56

I wonder if the latter books were written in a more forced way than the earlier ones; From reading the intros by King, it seems to start with, these books were an indulgence; writing in a way that wasn't his "norm" but which he was enjoying. As the books became popular, the pressure to complete the series must have grow and maybe affected the style.

I will complete the series - maybe I'll make more sense when I've read them all.

That's pretty much what I thought about them. maybe "lost their way" isn't the right phrase, mayb e "changed direction" would be better... I dunno, I forget the exact feelings now, but I know I lost interest. I think I got as far as book 3. I don't think the other books were out at the time and I never liked them enough to buy the next installment when it was released.

Mind you, it was the same with the wheel of time series... I got fed up of waiting for each release. I may eventually buy the last few books and re-read the whole series again when it's complete...

Kitten

22-04-2010, 14:16

Just finished Wolf Hall. Loved it, but it's my thing, history and the Tudor period. Awesome.

Also recently read a cracking book - Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Association. Fabulous little whimsy of a book, tells the story of the war through the eyes of fictional Guernsey characters. Very charming, very funny and very sad. Wonderful.

volospian

22-04-2010, 15:58

Just finished Wolf Hall. Loved it, but it's my thing, history and the Tudor period. Awesome.

Read any Sharon Penman? (http://www.sharonkaypenman.com/)

A bit earlier than tudor, but if you like that period "The Sunne in Splendour" is set during the wars of the roses, from the rise of Edward IV to the death of Richard III. Some of the other books cover the earlier period from Empress Maude to around Edward Longshanks.

Von Smallhausen

22-04-2010, 17:04

Currently going through a graphic novel phase again and am reading vol 5 of The Punisher Max series.

Excellent reads if you are into such things.

BBx

22-04-2010, 21:18

I've recently read:

The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown is a brilliant writer... couldn't put the book down and was hooked at the first page.

Twilight - the first of the books, had already seen the film and am sure I was told that more happened in the book, but I couldn't see it :/

New Moon - again, seen the film so I knew what was going to happen, tbh I was a bit bored by this one. (maybe because I am more Vampires than Werewolves).

Eclipse - didn't know what to expect with this one and it was quite good, most of the action happens at the end though and Bella is beginning to annoy me now.

Should be a good film though :)

BB x

Kitten

22-04-2010, 21:26

I thought there was lots more in Twilight book than Twilight movie but it was more internalised stuff from the characters that you can't see rather than different action. Much preferred the book.

I felt like Eclipse was a book where nothing really happened at all until right at the end, but it does pave the way for the last one. That has action pretty much all the way through!

Team Vamp here too ;)

Dan Brown...he's very popular and he has good plots, but I find him a very irritating writer. You can see stuff coming 3 pages before he finally gets around to explaining it. His books could easily lose a third of waffle and be much better. And he always goes that little bit too far, I always want him to stop before the inevitable 'twist' at the end. Enjoyed Angels & Demons best though. Haven't read TLS might have to give it a go if you say it's good.

_dogma_

23-04-2010, 00:04

Got through all of The Vampire Diaries which is quite good, very different from the tv show. I'd say better than Twilight too. Now on the True Blood series (can you see a theme here?) by Charlaine Harris. Just started the 3rd book, Club Dead. Really enjoying it so far, never watched the show so had no idea what to expect but it's a lot more adult than Twilight/Vampire Diaries. Sex is described in very graphic detail, heard there was a lot in the show but didn't realise it would be so much, feel like I'm reading a naughty book at times! :D

Tak

23-04-2010, 07:30

There is more in the show than the books :p

Read some of Laurell K Hamiltons books (esp the Meredith Gentry series) if you want lots of Fairy porn :D

SCM

30-04-2010, 00:31

Finally managed to catch up to the last current book in The Wheel of Time series so 2/3s of the way through book 12 now and even though it wasn't written by Jordan due to his untimely death still has his feel. So well done to Brandon Sanderson for the way he approached and produced this and cant wait till Book 13 later this year.

cheets

30-04-2010, 01:40

130 pages into the Ambrose tie in with Pacific, its meh, 3 different characters, pilot, marine and POW

Not a patch on BoB for £10 its a good read but need to read the stories its based on.

SCM

04-05-2010, 17:45

Ok Bok 12 of Wheel of Time finished and cant wait till November for Book 13, decided the next day to start Undeen Academicals by Terry Pratchett and ended up reading it in about 5 hours during the evening. Well worth a read and for the football fans among us lots of in-jokes to get which work so well the way Pratchett handles them.

Garp

04-05-2010, 20:20

Just finished reading the Homecoming series by Orson Scott Card, 5 books long.

He's a Mormon, and you can feel the fingerprints of faith all over the series. I must confess I found it rather off-putting that whilst there was a good story running through it (it's a lot more complex, but in simple form: humans left Earth, fleeing disaster, now a small bunch are returning) he seemed to be trying to make religious points. Yes, fine, primarily it's the Golden Rule "Do unto others as you would have done unto you", which is central to most major faiths (including mine), but still it grated. At one stage one of the travelers even writes details of the journey down on gold plate :-/

The first four books deal with them being brought out of their weird, to us, matriarchal society and their journey across the desert and journey back to Earth. The final book seems rather much an afterthought, dealing with racism and persecution, along with atheism and understanding God's plan (God known in the novels as the Keeper Of Earth).

That said Orson's ability to weave a story is still strong. If you liked Enders End Game, it's the same style of writing from him, so whilst the religious stuff irritated me, I was still drawn into the novel and enjoyed them. Just not sure I'd pick them up again.

Tak

04-05-2010, 20:35

On the last book of The Dark Tower now ... so far cried about 4 times ... once on the xtrainer at the gym :o

Jingo

04-05-2010, 21:34

I've recently read:

Twilight

New Moon

Eclipse

READ BREAKING DAWN! GO! GO! GO! :shocked: :D :D ;D

volospian

05-05-2010, 08:36

decided the next day to start Undeen Academicals by Terry Pratchett and ended up reading it in about 5 hours during the evening. Well worth a read and for the football fans among us lots of in-jokes to get which work so well the way Pratchett handles them.

Hmmm, not being much of a football fan, maybe that's why I thought it was pretty tedious. I still haven't finished it. The first ever pratchett book that I have put down mid read and not picked up again.

I've been pretty disspaointed with Mr P for a while now. The last few books have been mostly a fairly uninteresting story peppered with a few smiles, imo.

SCM

05-05-2010, 12:22

Hmmm, not being much of a football fan, maybe that's why I thought it was pretty tedious. I still haven't finished it. The first ever pratchett book that I have put down mid read and not picked up again.

I've been pretty disspaointed with Mr P for a while now. The last few books have been mostly a fairly uninteresting story peppered with a few smiles, imo.

Nation was one of his books for younger readers and i wasn't overly impressed either with it being honest but i wasn't the audiance he aimed for, his latest was a good read though but with the football tie in if you aren't keen on football could be an odd read. The problem Pratchett has is so many readers have favourite characters the demand to have them return each book is not something easily done.

Whatever he does will not please everyone and his next book is the 4th in the series to what he started with the Wee Free Men so another book aimed at the younger end of his fan base but it does mean the Nac Mac Feegles return.

As to what i am reading now got a bit lost as to what to read next didn't feel in the mood to tackle some Iain M Banks Culture books i have to read so went back to have a re-read of The Word and the Void Trilogy by Terry Brooks. Only read it once so probably a lot i missed reading through so should keep me occupied for a little while.

Tak

05-05-2010, 13:04

his next book is the 4th in the series to what he started with the Wee Free Men so another book aimed at the younger end of his fan base but it does mean the Nac Mac Feegles return.

I can't wait for this book (think its called And I shall wear Midnight) - I have loved the Feegle books even if they are aimed at young teenagers :)

volospian

05-05-2010, 13:21

I actually didn't mind the feegle books at all, considering they were supposedly aimed at a younger audience :D

I just thought that Going Postal and Making Money were fairly uninspiring, and then along comes Unseen Academicals and I was hoping it was just the character of Von Moist (or whatever his name was) that I didn't buy, but I get the same feeling from this book as well. I feel as if a sparkle has gone that was there with earlier books.

SCM

05-05-2010, 14:33

Jingo

05-05-2010, 15:53

I absolutely adored Nation!

Now I feel childish! :p

Princess Griff

05-05-2010, 17:33

James absolutely loved Nation, it really inspired him! He kept stopping me from reading my book to tell me what was happening!! Bless!!

Mei, you absolutely HAVE to read Breaking Dawn - the 4th/final Twilight book! It is the BEST of the lot and is brilliant! How they are gonna make that book into a film...God knows!!!

Tak

09-05-2010, 11:46

Have now finished The Dark Tower series :)

I am glad I read them all they are worth persevering with, I am also glad I had a break after book 4. I'd also urge anyone else reading them to read the bits by King at the beginning and end of each book - it really helps.

I picked Salems Lot off the shelf as my next book but I may go back and pick something else for a King break

Snuggle Ferret

09-05-2010, 18:38

Am on the 4th Watch book by Sergei Unpronounceable. Enjoyed book 3 and this one much more than the first 2.

Briggykins

09-05-2010, 19:46

Reading, as many of you seem to have, the third book in the Millenium trilogy (The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest). I don't really see why they're so critically acclaimed, but they're very enjoyable reads. Certainly need some commitment though.

Tak

09-05-2010, 20:44

Is that the series that start with dragon tattoo? I bought that because everyone was going on about how great it was and was bored within <100 pages. I will probably pick it up again at some point and give it a 2nd try.

Tak

11-05-2010, 12:56

I was right - King overload; tried to start Salems Lot yesterday and just couldn't get into it. Have decided to read Good Omens again instead - was smiling and chuckling to myself on the bus this morning; probably got some odd looks :D

semi-pro waster

23-05-2010, 16:27

A few more books I've read recently are In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje - rather strange book, I enjoyed it and there's some brilliant sharp dialogue in it yet it wasn't entirely satisfying for reasons I can't quite put my finger on.

Next up was The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon - a tome of a book describing the lives of two young Jewish boys creating comics in the Golden Age of WWII, it follows them through some of the important events that occurred in their adult lives too. It's one of the best novels I've read for quite a while, well worth the time to look out and to think I only read it based on a recommendation of a friend.

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegurt as part of the OcUK bookclub - a very interesting novel about a fictional substance that can turn all water below a certain temperature into ice on contact, a doomsday weapon of sorts. Some rather pointed analogies about religion are contained within it although they're not explicitly stated often.

Finally for a bit of light relief Gone For Good by Harlan Coben, a good detective novel with some surprising twists, at least a couple of which I didn't see coming in advance. Quite a nice quick and easy read.

I've read more that I haven't put down but those have been the recent highlights.

volospian

24-05-2010, 13:13

It is always the same with any new Pratchett character they take a while to grow on you, as Rincewinds first appearance away back in the Colour of Magic wasn't the best yet further books he had got him nailed down.

Never ever been a fan of rincewind, never read a book with him in it that I liked. Not Lipwig Van Moist or whatever his name was...

The City Guard and the Witches books, on the other hand, are all fantastic.

Haly

24-05-2010, 13:20

I'm not much of a Rincewind fan either.

Do love the City Guard ones though :) Read most of those a good few times, although not the newer ones.

Tak

24-05-2010, 13:21

Just finished Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong last night (it arrived Saturday). Also re-reading the Sookie Stackhouse series (the books the True Blood tv series are based on) and I'm reading Breaking Dawn (twilight series) but only in bed as its too bloody heavy and big to carry around in my bag :p

Zirax

27-05-2010, 19:58

Just been reading black man by Richard Morgan.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Gollancz-S-F-Richard-Morgan/dp/0575078138/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274986253&sr=8-1

It's a sci-fi book but one of the main bonus points to me is it doesn't go too far. No ray guns or big ass spaceships. I would say put it around 100-200 years from now so nothing too out there. It is a cross between sci-fi, murder detective and horror. You will get some odd looks though based on the title and front picture

The story starts with a shuttle inbound from Mars to Earth. This crashes in the ocean and we then start to discover who/what was onboard the shuttle and they are now loose. Some nice twists through the story and an absolutely epic ending :D For the love of bob don't read the end first, it will wreck the entire book.

Really impressed and it won a lot of awards 8/10

BBx

27-05-2010, 20:26

READ BREAKING DAWN! GO! GO! GO! :shocked: :D :D ;D

Yeah... so I have like a Waterstone voucher from my bday and am waiting for the bloody thing to come out in paperback :p

Hopefully it will still be on 3for2 and I can get The Lovely Bones too :)

Not sure what the third should be though...

BB x

Zirax

27-05-2010, 20:30

The Richard Morgan book is in the 3 for 2 :D

SCM

30-05-2010, 03:37

Since my last post have read The Word and the Void trilogy from Terry Brooks, fantasy set in our time with Demons trying to change the future in each book to suit themselves/the Void for the future. Knights of the Word battling them to stop them with help from a young girl who grows into a woman during the trilogy ending up playing a big part in the future when the Demons have have taken over, the world is devastated and the world is close to destruction.

This leads onto Armaggedon's Children which i am now re-reading where the Demons have been successful and war has devastated the planet, where humans now try to survive against them and their armies of corrupted men. Where someone from the past in the Word and the Void trilogy still influences the battle against the demons.

semi-pro waster

06-06-2010, 18:14

In The Dark by Mark Billingham, a fairly entertaining crime thriller with a couple of decent enough twists and an interesting story. I picked it up for £3 in HMV so really can't complain about it.

One Fine Day In The Middle Of The Night by Christopher Brookmyre, also a variation on the crime thriller but sometimes also known as tartan noir. Brookmyre is a very entertaining writer with a turn of phrase that perfectly captures a lot of the idioms that you might hear in Scotland with some sharp satire thrown in. I've read quite a few of his books now and haven't found one that I disliked, they're never going to be Pulitzer nominees but that's not really the point, for a book to entertain and even make you laugh out loud they're consistently good.

Briggykins

06-06-2010, 18:31

One Fine Day In The Middle Of The Night by Christopher Brookmyre, also a variation on the crime thriller but sometimes also known as tartan noir. Brookmyre is a very entertaining writer with a turn of phrase that perfectly captures a lot of the idioms that you might hear in Scotland with some sharp satire thrown in. I've read quite a few of his books now and haven't found one that I disliked, they're never going to be Pulitzer nominees but that's not really the point, for a book to entertain and even make you laugh out loud they're consistently good.

Very much a gaming nerd too, him. One of his books mentioned Catch the Chicken, a quake mod I'd completely forgotten about. You're right, his books don't contain complex characterisation or interesting metaphor or anything like that, but they're very entertaining and engagingly written.

Garp

06-06-2010, 23:43

SCM

09-06-2010, 13:04

I love them. So dark but well written.

He did do a great job with those and at times you look at current events wondering just for a moment if he had a crystal ball, as he managed to tie in what he wanted to what we see around us. Hence it being dark as we realise we are living through some of the events in the book minus the demons of course.

Got through the next 3 books that follow on in the timeline pretty quickly so waiting on the next book being released later in the year now and already seeing Amazon bugging me to pre-order it for a price saving.

Decided after this mini Terry Brooks reading session to go back and hit some Pratchett to cheer myself up after SKYs recent poor attempt at another Pratchett book. So City Watch trilogy hardback for me now and my laughing at times has my girlfriend going ok whats happening now ;D

Garp

09-06-2010, 18:43

I'm taking a slight diversion:

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

Technically I'm listening, rather than reading, and I'm not finished with it yet (should be before the week is out.) It's one of my Audible books this month.

Wow. Wish I'd read this book earlier. I really do. It's tragic that certain phrases get heard so often without context that they lose their real sense of meaning and switch your brain off. Phrases like "make money work for you". It's a nice sentence and all, but it's not practical, right? You just see the phrase and the lack of life lesson associated with it means you sort of write it off.
It's something those that have money can do, right? You need to have money in the first place to make it work for you.

This book rips that to shreads, strip by strip. It breaks the lies you've been taught by society/life/school/parents about working to make money, and presents a new and liberating way of looking at yourself and your finances. It looks at the myth that you need to do school>colllege>university->work to earn money, and presents clearly the truth: Those that earn more are rarely better off, often struggle just as hard to pay the bills month-to-month. Give an average man a pay rise and he'll just find new ways to leave himself poor, like buying a bigger house (a liability, not an asset).

I would strongly urge you to get hold of a copy of this book and learn from it. I'm tempted to start buying a few copies to hand out to a few older kids I know that would seriously benefit from it. If I'd only known half of this stuff when I was 18...

semi-pro waster

09-06-2010, 19:44

Very much a gaming nerd too, him. One of his books mentioned Catch the Chicken, a quake mod I'd completely forgotten about. You're right, his books don't contain complex characterisation or interesting metaphor or anything like that, but they're very entertaining and engagingly written.

I vaguely remember that mod too, I'd wondered about the gaming references but hadn't decided that he was a gaming nerd so that's interesting. I've got a couple more to read in the near future, I thought I'd read/own most of his but discovered a few more on Amazon so that's always a pleasant surprise.

Currently reading Scoop by Evelyn Waugh, seems pretty good as a satire of journalism so far but I'm only about halfway through it.

semi-pro waster

18-06-2010, 08:41

Scoop was entertaining, I'd have no aversion to reading more Evelyn Waugh if the chance comes.

Pandaemonium by Christopher Brookmyre was up next, pretty good in its way although I'm less fond of the dimensional shifting and monsters which appeared in this than the more usual Brookmyre fare of Weegies taking on the World. When an artistic world is set up then as long as it sticks within the boundaries it has set then anything goes (which incidentally one of his characters mentions in the other book by him above) then it's fine but this looked to be shifting the goalposts.

Bumf by Alan Coren is the book I've just finished and while in places quite entertaining with the surrealism there was far too much of a people who have a different skin colour or live in a different place must be laughed at 'cos they're different approach to many of the columns. Maybe it was funny back in the 70s and 80s but it's not really now, I'm not sure that I would have laughed even back then though - it's a pity really because as I say some of the surrealism is great but too many of the columns rely on this cheap hack-stuff for me to enjoy the book. This is one of the risks I suppose you take when playing roulette with someone elses book collection.

Now I'm ready to start Be My Enemy by Christopher Brookmyre, that'll round out my little Brookmyre odyssey for the moment.

Kitten

18-06-2010, 19:01

Just finished

Jeremy Hardy - My family & other strangers (http://www.amazon.co.uk/My-Family-Other-Strangers-Adventures/dp/0091927501/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276883813&sr=8-1)
Funny in parts, but he annoyed me in others by being a bit of a whiner and also for making throwaway comments or assumptions about groups of people and then complaining when other people do similar to him.

The Girl who Played with Fire - Steig Laarson.
(http://www.amazon.co.uk/Girl-Who-Played-Fire/dp/1847245560)
Follows in similar vein to the Dragon Tattoo. Also quite annoying for over detailing & also making people that 'little' bit too good to be believable. Bit of the Dan Brown syndrome. The blurb on the front says it has a 'jaw-dropping' conclusion. Well, very nearly! Good enough to hold attention, but is about 1/3 too long imo.

Currently reading 84 Charing Cross Road (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Charing-Cross-Road-Helene-Hanff/dp/0751503843/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276884026&sr=1-1)

Really enjoying this.

NokkonWud

20-06-2010, 18:50

That's the issue I had with The Girl Who Player With Fire too, much like the first book, it was too detailed, but the first one still really impressed me, the second book for some reason really struggled to hold my attention and I got about 150 pages in before stopping, I'll start it again soon. I actually got the third one the day it came out, loaned it to my Gran and I've not seen it since, waste of £14.

Stan_Lite

21-06-2010, 04:58

Not the first in this thread, I have recently restarted Robert Jordan's 'The Wheel of Time' series. Currently 2/3 through the first book. I don't get much chance to read on the rig so it's going to take me some considerable time to get through the series. It's been several years since I started the series previously (I read the first three then got distracted by something else). I'm enjoying reading it again. Due to my shocking memory, I can hardly remember any of it from before so it's like starting afresh. Must say I'm enjoying getting to know the characters again, even though some of the plot-lines do seem to be dragging on unnecessarily.

Got myself a Sony Reader Touch e-reader. Why didn't I get one ages ago? It's fabulous having so many books to hand wherever you are. It's easy to use, easy to read and so convenient. I still like the feel of a paper book in my hand but, for sheer convenience, the reader is the best £230 I've spent in a long time :cool:

volospian

21-06-2010, 12:07

Got myself a Sony Reader Touch e-reader. Why didn't I get one ages ago? It's fabulous having so many books to hand wherever you are. It's easy to use, easy to read and so convenient. I still like the feel of a paper book in my hand but, for sheer convenience, the reader is the best £230 I've spent in a long time :cool:

I was looking at these on the weekend, seem pretty cool, but I'm not sure I'd like to have to have it with me all the time. Currently I leave books around the house and read the ones that are in whatever room I happen to be in at the time, so, for example, I'll read Pratchett in bed, Michael Jecks in the bog, something about electronic theory in the study, Moorcock in the sitting room and so on... With an eBook, I'd need to carry it around everywhere...

Although for going on holiday or whatever, it'd be fantastic, but then I'm not sure I want to spend £230 on something tat I only use now and again...

Hmmm.... not convinced on them yet....

Jonny69

21-06-2010, 12:27

I've been reading Ultrahigh-Strength Steels which is a 1960's book from the American Society for Testing and Materials. Right up my street, you'd think, except it's all in imperial units which I don't understand ;D

On another note I'm reading papers about simplified tools for environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) of products and guidelines for social LCA. This is the ethics side of things across a products entire life cycle, the bit that everyone likes to sweep under the carpet and forget about ;)

Stan_Lite

21-06-2010, 12:29

I was looking at these on the weekend, seem pretty cool, but I'm not sure I'd like to have to have it with me all the time. Currently I leave books around the house and read the ones that are in whatever room I happen to be in at the time, so, for example, I'll read Pratchett in bed, Michael Jecks in the bog, something about electronic theory in the study, Moorcock in the sitting room and so on... With an eBook, I'd need to carry it around everywhere...

Although for going on holiday or whatever, it'd be fantastic, but then I'm not sure I want to spend £230 on something tat I only use now and again...

Hmmm.... not convinced on them yet....

For me, it's ideal as I work away for a month at a time and, if it's quiet, I can get through 3-4 books in that time. The reader saves me carrying loads with me every trip away. It also means I'm not confined to reading the books I've chosen to take with me - I can choose from thousands since I can read any of the 200 or so I already have or download anything I fancy from t'web.

Anyway, I won't derail this thread any further. I may start another one to see what people like or dislike about these.

Flibster

19-08-2010, 12:13

Got a few books on the go at the moment.

Stephen Clarke - A Year In The Merde, will be followed by Merde Actually, Merde Happens and finally, Dial M for Merde. May finish it off with his new book - 1000 years of Annoying the French... You may spot a pattern in these titles.. ;)

Robert Harris - Fatherland - bought it years ago, only started it last week.

Danny Wallace - Join Me, Yes Man, Friends Like These, Awkward Situations for Men

Winston S. Churchill - The Second World War - got given a first edition of the full 6 volume set for my birthday and I've only just got round to starting it.

BBx

19-08-2010, 13:18

Currently reading James Caan's autobiography: From Brick Lane to Dragon's Den

Its actually written quite well and an easy read, working in recruitment myself and for him, some bits are a bit 'hmmm so you don't practice what you preach then?!'

Only really reading it because Rob was given a copy by his recruitment consultant.. haven't got to the bit about my old company yet though.

BB x

Kitten

19-08-2010, 14:36

Stephen Clarke - A Year In The Merde, will be followed by Merde Actually, Merde Happens and finally, Dial M for Merde. May finish it off with his new book - 1000 years of Annoying the French... You may spot a pattern in these titles.. ;)

I fancy this series, let me know what it's like

Robert Harris - Fatherland

pretty sure Leo has this. I read Pompeii a few years ago and LOVED it.

Awkward Situations for Men - Danny Wallace]
Got a free preview copy of this - is on my list to read!

From Me :

What to do when someone dies - Nikki French

This is very good from an excellent writing team (hubby & wife) though written from the one perspective. All starts when the main character's husband is killed in a car crash with another woman - who she's never heard of. Sets her off trying to figure out who she is and despite everyone believing that he was having an afffair, she's determined to prove differently. Not the happiest book in the world, but she manages to write about the The little things in life and make it engaging and interesting.

The Tent, The Bucket and Me - Emma Kennedy

Emma Kennedy's childhood camping holiday adventures. Very funny in places, but you do get the impression that some of it has been 'plumped' for sellability, if you understand my meaning. Like a full conversation in French that she remembers from being about 8, and of course, non-French speaking.

Still worth a read though and easily to break up as each chapter sort of stands alone from the rest. Good for the car or the bathroom ;)

1984 - George Orwell

Never read it before - not sure how I haven't. It was brilliant. I got really engaged with Winston and got increasingly frustrated at the pointlessness and injustice of it all. If you haven't read it, you should, it's really good.

You don't have to be Evil to work here but it helps - Tom Holt

Just reading this now, so will update later when I have finished.

Flibster

19-08-2010, 16:37

I fancy this series, let me know what it's like

I've read the first 3 before and have the audio books. I enjoy them. The first one in particular. Not read Dial M for Merde or 1000 years of annoying the French yet.

semi-pro waster

19-08-2010, 19:52

I've read quite a few books since my little Brookmyre odyssey back in June, most recent of which was Everville by Clive Barker, the second in the Art Trilogy. A pretty good book overall; entertaining, engaging and well written - unfortunately the third book in the trilogy hasn't been written yet and he described this one as the hardest book he's ever written so the trilogy may in fact end up a duology or whatever the correct phrase may be which would be a shame.

Currently reading The Quiet American by Graham Green and enjoying it, I'm amazed that it's only in the past year I've discovered any of his work, I knew of him as a writer but for some reason never searched his works out and I probably should have done.

Next up will be Dune for the OcUK Book Club - a book that I feel I'm long overdue to read.

semi-pro waster

05-09-2010, 11:43

Finished Dune by Frank Herbert and it's a book that largely lives up to the hype, it's a magnificently sprawling epic of a book with so much potential for side stories and tangents leading from the main thread as evidenced by the multiple other books subsequent. I think I'll need to give it a few reads to get more from it but not for a long while yet, there's so many other brilliant books to read first.

The Wicker Man by Robin Hardy and Anthony Shaffer was next, the novel inspired by the film. I've never watched the film for reasons I'm not quite sure of but knew the gist of the story of course. Quite an interesting and well written book for the most part although that the characters were almost all named after plants or nature got a bit comical - I kept expecting a character named Toadstool or Dockleaf to make an appearance. I suspect in some ways it will be more engaging than the film as there's some discussion or moral about religions that will rather naturally be skimmed over in the film.

No idea what's up next for me.

Fayshun

05-09-2010, 12:36

Dune by Frank Herbert

I read that when I was about 14, I think it might be time to revisit it...

Pumpkinstew

06-09-2010, 13:27

I found Dune in a charity shop a few weeks ago and plan on reading it soon. I think I read Heretics of Dune back in my teens and it was a bit over my head.

I've just finished Twilight Watch. I'm always amazed at how Sergei Lukyanenko manages to go from fairly low-key and almost humdrum moments to pyrotechnic clashes within a few sentences. More than keeps to the standard of Night Watch and Day Watch.

Before that was Cloud Atlas. Not David Mitchell's best and I can't decide whether his choice of telling half a story from a number of different protagonists and then returning later to finish the other half with a 'thread' linking one half-story to the next is really clever or really gimicky. Or maybe it can be both - a clever gimick.

camerajuan

09-09-2010, 01:36

Just finished Awkward Situations For Men by Danny Wallace. More of a collection of his Shortlist columns up until fatherhood neared but still a damn funny read like I've come to expect from DW.

Also managed to read the entire The Children of Hurin on a megabus from London. Nice twist & really good way to get me into more of Tolkien's other Middle Earth stuff. Definitely buying a few more soon. The Silmarillion comes to mind.

My **** Life So Far Frankie Boyle's bio is next on my list to start as I picked it up in Asda for £3m awesome!

Garp

09-09-2010, 02:47

Dune is great. Frankly the rest rather much goes downhill. He lost track of various ideas, realised he certain ideas would kill almost any plot.. and then got extremely weird.

Tak

09-09-2010, 06:49

Currently reading Fire by Kristin Cashore - I had gone in to waterstones for 2 other books, seen this and read the back, but was "behaving" so put it back. Got to the counter to find they were doing a 3 for 2 on all fiction so went and picked it back up again.

Really loving it so far :)

Garp

09-09-2010, 07:26

I'm being rather geeky at the moment.

Learning Python and Algorithms in a Nutshell both from O'Reilly media. Former is a language I've been meaning to pick up, and mostly I'm just reading it rather than trying to actually use it. The latter is intended as a resource to give me something to do with the former by way of additional learning exercises. Its impractical to use python for stuff at work at the moment because it would take too long when I can do it far faster in perl.

Zirax

09-09-2010, 17:41

Stephenie Meyer - The Host

I didn't realise until recently that this is the author of the twilight series. Well it starts off good, alien invasion with parasitic life forms that take over control of the host. We follow the story of one specific parasite and the conflicting emotions that the "host" gives to her. Well in a nutshell it starts off interesting and then rapidly descends into a full blown mushy love story. At this point the story stops, nothing about the rest of the planet is explored at all.

Granted there are a few little tiffs but considering the whole planet has been bloody enslaved, it's rather pointless.

Never read a book of hers before and certainly won't bother reading another. Could be your thing though if you are after a mushy book. 2/10

semi-pro waster

02-10-2010, 11:35

Forgotten to update this for a while but the last three I can remember were:
Status Anxiety by Alain De Botton - it's an interesting book, well written, clearly and coherently put together with some lovely quotations yet I found it was a slight disappointment - I suspect because I was hoping for a different perspective on life or at least a slightly different way of thinking, it didn't really offer anything that I hadn't already thought myself so I suppose in a way I should be glad to have some of my opinions validated by being held by another but it's a bit of an anti-climax really. Still worth reading but maybe my hopes were a bit high for the book.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman - very good book, the idea of displaced gods fighting against modern distractions isn't perhaps an especially novel idea but the way it is narrated is what makes the story enthralling. It's certainly now one of my favourite books written over the past decade or so along with Kavalier & Klay which I mention earlier in the thread.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - I enjoyed reading it and it was entertaining but it felt like rather lightweight fluff, I get the feeling that maybe was the intention though as there are some heavier themes about social class and attitudes to race within the book but dealt with by a feather touch really.

Currently starting The Fist Of God by Frederick Forsyth for a change of pace.

BBx

05-10-2010, 13:21

READ BREAKING DAWN! GO! GO! GO! :shocked: :D :D ;D

I AM READING THIS NOW!!!!! :D

And omg its the most :S book of the lot and I'm not even halfway through yet. There is a lot of mind talking so not sure how this is going to represented in the film without looking silly.

Also read:

The Lovely Bones

Obviously the book is better than the film. Really good book. Its about a girl who is murdered and how she is watching over her friends and family before going through the pearly gates.

BB x

Gilly

12-10-2010, 09:42

I'm reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians - The Titan's Curse. I watched The Lightning Thief with my little un and we both really enjoyed it so I'm going to read the books to him, want to know how gruesome they get, he's only 6.

Read the first two books in a week, they're simplistic but difficult to put down.

Also managed to read the entire The Children of Hurin on a megabus from London. Nice twist & really good way to get me into more of Tolkien's other Middle Earth stuff. Definitely buying a few more soon. The Silmarillion comes to mind.

The Unfinished Tales might be a better bet for you, the Silmarillion is more of a history tome than a storybook.

Will

12-10-2010, 19:38

I've got several on the go at the moment.

The complete poems of John Keats - always loved some of his poems so thought why not be a bit more "classical" and go through them. :)

Also the last part of the Larsson trilogy - the girl who kicked the hornet's nest.

And, a book recommended by someone at work - A Week in December.

Mohinder

12-10-2010, 21:10

I'm reading The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon at the moment, having just finished his first one, Shadow Of The Wind.

Both excellent but quite similar - I'd be interested to see if all his novels follow the very similar path. It'd be a shame but I reckon they might. We shall see. Outstanding books though individually.

Fayshun

14-10-2010, 11:35

The Jigsaw Man - Paul Britton.

Paul Britton is a forensic psychologist who has been one of the foremost psychological profilers in the UK.

It was lying about at work, so I half-hinched it ;)

BBx

14-10-2010, 12:28

I finished Breaking Dawn and it was probably the best one of the series.

Ending was a bit lame though but ok.

Next book is the Girl with the Dragon Tatoo.

BB x

Kitten

14-10-2010, 18:16

Since the last update, I've read a few that I probably can't recall...that good, huh? ;D

Recently I read:

Heat Man Diary! (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celeb-Diaries-Sensational-Inside-Celebrity/dp/0091928095/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1287076290&sr=1-1)

Does what it says on the tin. Funny to see the rise of the non-celebrity-celebrity and see just how much HEAT magazine had to do with it, and the reasons they did it. Also interesting to see how people responded differently depending on the reasons that they featured in the magazine. Frith justifies his actions with some paper-thin arguments.

The Lancashire Witches
(http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lancashire-Witches-Histories-Stories/dp/0719062047/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1287076395&sr=1-1)

This is a study of England's biggest and best-known witch trial which took place in 1612, when ten witches were arraigned and hung in the village of Pendle in Lancashire. The book has essays by experts in both history and English literature/Renaissance studies, and includes summaries to explain the key points of each essay. Material on modern Wicca and paganism, including present-day Lancashire witches, brings the subject up-to-date

Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years by Sue Townsend (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Adrian-Mole-Prostrate-Sue-Townsend/dp/0141034734/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1287075979&sr=8-2-fkmr0)

Lifelong Mole fan, was made up to realise this was out in p/b. Is the usual stuff but with a much darker edge to it. Bittersweet. Will, there's a review of this on that link that refers to 'A week in December'.

Currently reading : A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Place-Secrets-Rachel-Hore/dp/1847391427/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287076200&sr=1-1)

The night before it all begins, Jude has the dream again ...Can dreams be passed down through families? As a child Jude suffered a recurrent nightmare: running through a dark forest, crying for her mother. Now her six-year-old niece, Summer, is having the same dream, and Jude is frightened for her. A successful auctioneer, Jude is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband. When she's asked to value a collection of scientific instruments and manuscripts belonging to Anthony Wickham, a lonely 18th century astronomer, she leaps at the chance to escape London for the untamed beauty of Norfolk, where she grew up. As Jude untangles Wickham's tragic story, she discovers threatening links to the present. What have Summer's nightmares to do with Starbrough folly, the eerie crumbling tower in the forest from which Wickham and his adopted daughter Esther once viewed the night sky? With the help of Euan, a local naturalist, Jude searches for answers in the wild, haunting splendour of the Norfolk woods. Dare she leave behind the sadness in her own life, and learn to love again?

This would be good for fans of Kate Mosse, I'm really enjoying it.

Stan_Lite

15-10-2010, 05:33

The Unfinished Tales might be a better bet for you, the Silmarillion is more of a history tome than a storybook.

I found the Slimarillion tough going. It was interesting but not easy to read.

I'm currently rereading The Fionavar Tapestry - a fantasy trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay. I read this several years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it and always intended reading it again.
Basically, 5 people from Earth are transported to another world by the good Mage and save the other world from the evil God (+ demi-God + evil Mage etc.). Most of it is fairly standard for the genre tbh but it's extremely well written and the plot is very engaging - as are the main characters.

I may well follow it up with Tigana by the same author. It's a deeper, more serious work and also extremely well written. It's no wonder Kay has won multiple awards in the genre.

semi-pro waster

21-10-2010, 22:00

I've now finished Fist Of God - quite entertaining in a "what if" kind of way, it was written after the first Gulf War but before the second so it's perhaps even more interesting now with the benefit of hindsight than it would have been contemporaneously.

After that was Cross Country by James Patterson, nothing particularly complex here but an easy to read thriller following Alex Cross who's a character that pops up in a number of his books.

Second last book was Tales Of 10 Worlds by Arthur C. Clarke - as well written as you'd expect with some intriguing ideas, unfortunately though they're all (very) short stories and I couldn't help wanting to find out a bit more about them as I don't much like stories that feel unfinished.

Today's book was How To Be An Alien by George Mikes, a rather funny little book which details how one particular foreigner finds the English (British) and their idiosyncracies. It's written with the right amount of love for the subject matter so that it doesn't appear churlish but instead is entertaining and that's sometimes a difficult line to walk. In an odd way I'm reminded of Paid Servant by E.R. Braithwaite which I think I forgot to mention reading before about the experiences of another man who immigrated to Britain and some of the problems that he faced as well as how he dealt with them (with dignity and no small amount of humour in case you were wondering).

semi-pro waster

09-11-2010, 23:44

A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is one I've finished a couple of days ago, took me longer than most books I've read recently. It's pretty damn good though, I've tried to read Nicholas Nickleby a couple of times and never made it beyond the first 50 pages or so but this book persuaded me that it might be worth making the attempt again - it's amazing to think that it was written a couple of centuries ago and yet a lot of the themes could still be valid today.

Now I'm reading Comeback by Dick Francis, not quite on the same level of brilliance but an entertaining enough read as expected, his novels tend to contain no real surprises - they're not any less pleasant for that though. It's like pulling on an old sweater - maybe not fashionable now but comfortable and strangely comforting.

semi-pro waster

18-12-2010, 23:17

I've recently finished All The Trouble In The World by P.J. O'Rourke - I always enjoy his writings, deeply sardonic and caustic, he may often be at the opposite end of the political spectrum to me but his opinions are fascinating for all that, indeed perhaps because of that. I also like that he's got a good line in self-deprecating humour and you get the feeling that he doesn't take himself or anything much else too seriously.

Today I finished off Not The End Of The World by Christopher Brookmyre - a fairly typical Brookmyre novel with dark humour, references to Scotland that many won't appreciate and you don't need to (but are usually funny if you do), rants against organised religion and a fair share of bloody violence.

Next up will be something by Carl Hiaasen, not sure what yet as I've just picked up 3 of his novels fairly cheaply.

I've got to say it feels awfully lonely in here, is there anybody out there? I'm scared of the dark and solitude...

Kitten

19-12-2010, 18:50

Yes! I'm currently reading 'the lovely bones'. Not sure why it's taken me so long to get to it. Recently finished Alan Davies' book (teenage dreams?) which was alright but unless you're into Arsenal or were a boy growing up in the 70s, was a bit hit & miss.

Creature

20-12-2010, 16:29

Finished reading the Emperor series a week ago, by Conn Iggulden. I'd be reading the first one for about 2 months as I could never really get into it, but then I bought the final one in the series and decided to read them all through one after the other. It took about 3 months in total from start to finish but it was very much worth it, such an enjoyable series, even though some parts aren't 100% truthfull to history but that's not hugely important.

Mum bought me Captain of Rome for my birthday, and although it has started off well, having just finished an entire series on Roman history, I may need to hold off reading this for now to give my mind a break from it. It's also the second in the Masters of the Sea series, so i'll probably pick up and read the first one anyway.

Next up will either be the Conqueror series, again by Iggulden, or I might finally get round to ready Harry Potter. I tried to read the first one about 6/7 years ago, and found it all a bit dull, stopping after the first few chapters. I'm a big fan of the films though, so I thought it'd be a good idea to read them and learn more about the world. I did the exact same with Lord of the Rings, and I still read it every year or so.

semi-pro waster

27-12-2010, 14:14

Wahey there is life out there. :D

Strip Tease by Carl Hiaasen was my choice first, entertaining enough with a nice line in dark humour although you get the feeling that Mr Hiaasen could churn out these novels in his sleep.

The Three Muskateers by Alexandre Dumas was todays book and it's as great as it always has been, just a nice entertaining romp detailing a time gone by.

I received a couple of books for Christmas but they're both along QI sort of lines so not something I'm likely to read in one sitting. I think next up will be the Richard Hannay compendium which is the five stories involving that protragonist by John Buchan - the best known of which is The Thirty Nine Steps - a truly fantastic book.

Kitten

27-12-2010, 15:07

Currently about to start 'Heartstone' on my brand new Kindle \o/

Del Lardo

30-12-2010, 03:52

I'm rather late to the game but I've just finished Millennium I - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I can't say this about very many books, especially not a Crime/Fiction book, but I literally couldn't put it down. I started reading it on a flight a few months back a struggled to get started but I was pretty much exhausted, I started it again last night at 2am as I couldn't sleep and finished it at 2am this morning, there was sleeping and a trip to the cinema in between but that wasn't by choice ;D

It's not often that a book lives up to the hype but this one really has and I hope that the second and third books can live up to the expectations I have after reading the first.

Tak

30-12-2010, 13:33

I'm really gonna have to give that book another go - so many people I know think its brilliant but it had sent me to sleep in under 100 pages.

Del Lardo

30-12-2010, 17:27

It does take a while to get going and there is a lot of superfluous information (which I quite like) but it really does drag you in once you get going.

Jingo

06-01-2011, 15:42

Burble

06-01-2011, 16:34

I'm tempted with Idiot Abroad. I absolutely loathe and despise Ricky 'GUFFAW GUFFAW GUFFAW' Gervais so didn't make it through the first episode before deleting it and the series link.

Edit - Sod it, I've bought the Kindle version.

Jingo

06-01-2011, 18:04

Well this is 99% Karl so I'm sure you'll enjoy his somewhat alternative take on travelling! :)

Burble

09-01-2011, 23:03

I'm about 1/3 way 'An Idiot Abroad' and I'm glad I bought it. I'm not a fan of Karl Pilkington but for me his ramblings come over much better in written from than any other.

It's very, very easy reading and I could see me reading it cover to cover in 90 minutes or so but it's a book I'm sure I'll go back to again.

semi-pro waster

09-01-2011, 23:26

Finished the Richard Hannay compendium about a week ago, there's a lot of reading material in there. Good stories all although you've got to remember the context of the time they were written as there are a fair few terms and attitudes expressed that we'd find anachronistic.

Next up was Scat by Carl Hiaasen. I think this is one of his kids books as the humour is slightly less dark, it just feels less involving although there's a nice appearance from a character who is in one of the previous books.

Tomorrow I'll be starting Master & Commander by Patrick O'Brian. I've read a few of his other novels and seen the film of this one but oddly I can't remember reading this one at the moment, if I discover I have then I may switch to something else.

Kitten

10-01-2011, 07:30

Are you using your bookmarks? :D

Tak

10-01-2011, 08:14

I got Mennonite in a little black dress as a review book from waterstones - wasn't sure I was going to like it but I am loving it :)

Kitten

10-01-2011, 08:20

I got that too, haven't started it yet but found it on the coffee table shelf yesterday!

semi-pro waster

10-01-2011, 13:43

Are you using your bookmarks? :D

Know your place. :-p

I'm not just being rude, that's the one I'm using. Thank you, it's a pretty definite fastening on the bookmark so it'll never just fall out.

Burble

10-01-2011, 13:53

I can't see me buying any more Karl Pilkington stuff. He comments in the first chapter that he expected the Pyramids in Cairo to have a rendered wall. WTF? Oh come on, I know he's a bit dense but if that's an attempt at comedy it fails.

Garp

10-01-2011, 23:57

Pagan Christianity http://www.amazon.com/Pagan-Christianity-Exploring-Church-Practices/dp/141431485X

Interesting book so far, but not without it's faults. It's written by a pair of Christian authors trying to pull apart Christian practices and traditions, focusing around the church, looking at the roots of the traditions and trying to establish where and why we actually do them, and oftentimes the Pagan roots behind it. So far no mention of the obvious things like Christmas being moved to December 25th to cover up an existing Pagan winter celebration.

It's reasonably well written, aimed more at a plain language narrative rather than a detailed study, but I can't help but keep arguing a little bit with it in stages. Some of their assertions don't hold water completely. E.g. They pretty much assign the Altar and it's presence in Communion as being reflective of Pagan rituals and Roman court practices. Communion covers the last supper and sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross as the final sacrifice to God for atonement of sins. It seems more likely the roots behind the use of an Altar is tied in to Judaism and their use of an Altar for sacrifices.
That said I have no evidence for my viewpoints, but what they offer seems pretty weak to me.

Del Lardo

11-01-2011, 04:08

Just finished Men at Arms by Lord King Pratchett and I think it's been superb throughout...

I've really become endeared to Gaspode, and it's great to have the progressive Carrot storylines alongside the building of the Watch :) I think the Watch & Death books are my favourite thus far :)

AGREED

Also been reading through An Idiot Abroad: Karl Pilkington's Diaries and it's far funnier than the tv series imo- after years of radio I can hear his voice mumble every word! ;D

Sam Vimes is by far my favourite character of all books and for me Night Watch remains the pinnacle of the Discworld series. I would love to see it made into a film though only if it was rated 15/18 and kept the darkness that ran throughout the book.

semi-pro waster

17-01-2011, 21:04

Master & Commander was pretty good, much like the rest of Mr O'Brian's books that I've read. Well told, detailed descriptions and a good sense of period.

Now I'm reading Archer's Goon by Diana Wynne Jones - it's a book I've not read in about 15 years or more and I've had a hankering to read it for a couple of months so last time I put in an order with Amazon I bought it. I'm enjoying it all over again, it's fairly simple as it's intended for children but quite funny.

Will

17-01-2011, 22:26

A week in December by Sebastien Faulks - absolutely captivated by it so far but I do like Faulks' writing style.

I'm also enjoying some John Keats poetry.

I am next going to read the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam - which is something I've been meaning to read for many years that my father insisted I should read - I now have a wonderful hardback copy of it (I got it for Christmas) which I shall devour.

I'm also reading diet and nutrition books by various doctors and nutritionists - but that's more of a filler bit of reading.

volospian

18-01-2011, 10:22

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

Well.... not sure what to make of this book... it's a fantastic (as in, it's full of fantasy) and rather surreal story about SpecOps LiteraTec operative Miss Thursday Next and her fight against the ArchVillain Acheron Hades.

My initial thoughts are...

Characterisation
The main character, Thursday Next, isn't really well fleshed out. I'm nearly half way through the book and I still feel no real connection with her. No reason to care if she lives or dies, and this seems to be the same story for the other characters. Too many come and go, with minimal descriptions and little in the way of endearing features. Hades seems to be about the best character so far, but that's only through the attitude expressed by the character in the narrative, not through any kind of connection with the "person".

Plot
The core plot is a good idea, and has a lot of potential (I won't give anything away ;)). The issues lie, for me, with the fantasy world in which Miss Next inhabits. This is no Narnia or Middle Earth. The novel is set in England in the 80's, but Fforde has just gone wild with his imagination. It's like he has picked up every "real world" fantasy idea ever created, poured the lot into a bucket, mixed well and tipped the lot straight into the book. This world has a myriad of alternative timelines, mega corporations controlling the governments, warewolves and vampires, time travel, impossible science fiction inventions, you name it, it's in the book. Indeed, the only thing you'll recognise about this world is the place names.

Sadly, it's all a bit like making a cake and throwing in everything you can find in your kitchen cupboards. The outcome could certainly be described as a cake, but I'm not sure it would taste that good.

style
Hmmm, style... well, the book is quite well written for the most part. I prefer a bit more description of people and events while Fforde tends to focus on the fantasy elements and describes the unusual, leaving the rest to your imagination. This is fine for the most part, but when later narrative relies upon those mundane details, the initial lack of information seems sloppy. He has also written the book with an odd mix of British and American terms and images. The cars seem to be largely American offerings, areas are referred to as "blocks" and so on. I'm not sure whether the intention is to suggest that in this fantasy world, England is, or has been, part of the USA, or the book has just been written to try and sell in an American market. Whichever, I find it annoying and distracting from the narrative.

Conclusion
I bought the book because a lot of reviews said that "if you like Pratchett, you'll love Fforde". Well, I do... and I don't. All this fantasy sort of spoils it for me. It's just a bit too crazy. The world is so far away from reality that I find myself wondering why he bothered to set it in the "real world" at all. Also, Fforde is not funny. There are, as far as I can see, no jokes in this book. The only real link between the writers is the fantasy setting, and for me, the discworld works, while Ffords world doesn't quite hit the mark.

Very slowly I am picking my way through the forest of fantasy and deciphering what is relevant to the plot, and what is just embellishment. The plot is there, the characters, while weak at the moment, do show some promise and some of the fantasy elements are essential to make the plot believable.

I just think that if Fforde had managed to rein in his imagination a bit, and kept the dictionary to one side of the atlantic, the book would be an easier read, and more enjoyable for it.

Rating
6/10

semi-pro waster

05-02-2011, 16:41

Archer's Goon was as great as I remembered it, it felt good to read it again.

Next was The Talbot Odyssey by Nelson DeMille - I'd never knowingly heard of the author before but I had it recommended by someone at work who I occasionally swap books with. I can't quite decide what I thought of it, I liked it in many ways as it's a good solid thriller but slightly disappointingly for me I managed to guess who the bad guys were pretty early on and what would happen. I suppose it's a good sign in that it was pretty logical and coherent which is something that many thriller writers don't seem to put too much stock into as they'll introduce something at the end to tie up the story and you could never guess what is happening.

Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson is the last book I finished as part of the OcUK book club - quite enjoyed it, slightly less than Hells Angels but more than The Rum Diaries. I haven't watched the film for a while but from what I recall of the film it actually goes pretty well with the book.

Now I'm reading Skin Tight by Carl Hiaasen - not particularly different to anything else he's written thus far but that's partly the point, it's a nice easy option.

Psymonkee

05-02-2011, 17:10

Currently reading my way though the Stuart MacBride series of books featuring DS Logan McRae.

Quite visceral in places but a good read :)

semi-pro waster

09-02-2011, 22:43

Skin Tight wasn't a long read, much the same as the rest but that's not really a criticism.

The Return of Heroic Failures by Stephen Pile was next as one of those random books that is lying about the house here. It's the sort of thing I rather enjoy reading for a change, full of the curiosities and idiosyncrasies not to mention outright stupidity displayed at times by people. Enough to raise a wry smile at least realising how idiotic some people can be.

I think I'll be reading The Name Of The Rose by Umberto Eco next, no idea what it's like but I've had it lying about for a while now and might as well start it.

Tak

10-02-2011, 07:02

Maneater II: Prey

werewolf book - first was a random "that looks interesting" book and I really enjoyed it. Didn't realise there wsas a 2nd until I walked past it in the shop

Kitten

03-03-2011, 13:33

Ok, as it's World Book Day I think I should update :

Have recently finished:

But Can You drink the Water? (http://www.amazon.co.uk/But-Can-You-Drink-Water/dp/B003PPCSJ8) on the Kindle. It's about an 80's Liverpool family who go to live in South Africa. Pretty funny, and just 70 pee at the moment on amazon!

As a kid, one of my favourite authors was Judy Blume, so I was excited to get Summer Sisters (http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Sisters-Judy-Blume/dp/0440226430) I'd had it a long time but never got round to reading it for some reason.

It was what I expected, didn't quite grab me as they did when I was little, but then I'm old and cynical now. Still a good read, especially for anyone raised on Superfudge, Starring Sally J Freedman as herself, or Forever!

Next on the list is a freebie to preview from Waterstones : The Sonambulist (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Somnambulist-Essie-Fox/dp/1409123324)

Not available until end of May, it's quite interesting & atmospheric, but I'm half way through and nothing actually seems to have happened yet. Keeping with it though, so hopefully it will.

Finally, I'm also reading the story of my new hero - Mrs Chippy's Last Expedition : The Remarkable Journal of Shackleton's Polar-Bound Cat (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mrs-Chippys-Last-Expedition-Shackletons/dp/0747538190)

As described by Amazon : "this is the journal of Mrs Chippy, the cat who accompanied the carpenter Harry "Chippy" McNeish on the Shackleton's "Endurance" expedition in 1914."

Pumpkinstew

03-03-2011, 14:30

I finished Game of Thrones quite recently because I heard HBO were making a TV adaptation. Cracking novel. Had it's claws into me from the first dozen pages or so. It's over 800 pages and still feels like quite a lean read and has a large number of characters all with their own agenda and motivations. It's not really the kind of Tolkien high fantasy that most authors churn out, more a sort of alternative medievel history... err. .with Dragons. The story doesn't reach any kind of resolution though so if you plan on reading it you're on board for the long haul of the entire 5 (or more)tomes of a Song of Ice and Fire.

I'm about half way through The Lovely Bones now. Again I was prompted to swipe this from my wife's shelf because I was interested to see Peter Jackson's movie and wanted to read the source first.
I'm not really enjoying it truth be told. It all feels a bit wishy washy for a book featuring a serial rapist and muderer. I'm reading about some fairly unpleasant or suspenseful events but the text just isn't translating it into drama for me. Maybe I've become too used to the more direct, visceral style of writers like Richard Morgan and Iain Banks. Maybe the last 150 pages will change my mind.

Kitten

03-03-2011, 15:04

semi-pro waster

07-03-2011, 22:41

The Name Of The Rose by Umberto Eco was indeed next and it's a fairly decent story (now a major film starring Sir Sean of Connery apparently), I felt a little bit too long was spent on irrelevancies relating to what a monk might have believed at the time but I'm sure it is fascinating if you like that kind of thing.

Next up a selection of novels I picked up in a charity shop - when did books from charity shops stop costing about 20p? I was prepared for spending a couple of quid and left the better part of £10 lighter. :eek:

All Fun And Games Until Someone Loses An Eye by Christopher Brookmyre - if you liked any of his other books you'll like this one, if not avoid. It's entertaining and surprisingly touchingly incisive in places but fundamentally little different to the rest.

Chasing The Dime by Michael Connelly, a novel involving a scientist working on nanotechnology in computing. Quite an interesting premise but ultimately a little unsatisfying as the ending seemed a little bit rushed, it tied up the ends in some ways a little too neatly but left a lot of unanswered questions about characters motivation.

Trainspotting was going to be next of the novels. Unfortunately it's in Italian, it's been a long time since I've tried to speak Italian but I suspect the vernacular of Edinburgh junkies is well beyond my limited abilities in another language. I didn't even notice when I picked it up, if I'd even thought about it I would probably have assumed that Romanzo was the publisher given that the title and authors name were in English plus there was no blurb on the back to give me a clue. I'm just glad I discovered it before I left the house as otherwise people would have wondered why I was creasing myself laughing. If anyone does read Italian then you're more than welcome to it.

Currently reading Brick Lane by Monica Ali - a book that I've sort of meant to get round to reading for years but never quite have until now. Seems pretty good so far.

volospian

08-03-2011, 09:20

The Name Of The Rose by Umberto Eco was indeed next and it's a fairly decent story (now a major film starring Sir Sean of Connery apparently)

Blimey, that's an old film, made in about 1986 or something... it was actually a good film, if I remember rightly...

semi-pro waster

08-03-2011, 19:14

Blimey, that's an old film, made in about 1986 or something... it was actually a good film, if I remember rightly...

I'm sure your memory is correct and I can imagine it being a good film if they skipped some of the drier bits.

I've also realised I've been a complete plum, I'm not reading Brick Lane at all, I'm reading White Teeth by Zadie Smith. Previous comment about it seeming good so far still remains true, I'm not sure how I got them confused though, I suspect it's because I've meant to read both for a long time and they're both critically lauded but even so... :o

semi-pro waster

18-03-2011, 19:46

White Teeth was great, actually worthy of most of the praise it has received. If I was being picky I'd say the ending was a bit abrupt but it does leave you able to use your own imagination about what happens with the families after.

White Fang was next, it's labelled as a childrens classic which I think does it a slight disservice as anyone of any age could read it and enjoy it.

Just received my latest Amazon order (hopefully with BD getting their miniscule share of the value) so I now do have Brick Lane to read, along with Don Quixote, The Count Of Monte Cristo and The Other Hand by Chris Cleave. Last book will be the first to get read here as the next one for the OcUK Book Club.

Pumpkinstew

19-03-2011, 15:39

I loved the Lovely Bones. Thought it was evocative, beautiful and terribly sad, though I know what you mean about not really conveying the feel of violence and horror that is inherent considering the premise.

Finished it a little over a week ago.
Yes, it is sad. My problem is it's exclusively sad. No other emotions really get conveyed - anger, bitterness, hope, relief, a little happiness. It's all wistful regret and melancholy. OK, so you can argue this is because the story is told with Susie's voice but it all felt a bit one note to me. At the risk of being flamed I may be the wrong side of the gender divide to fully appreciate it.

And now for something completely different...
I'm now reading Blackwater, an expose' of the mercenary companies rise to prominence in the US 'War on Terror'. It's a little too left leaning in tone to be balanced but that doesn't detract from what is a frankly frightening investigation into what happens when you put a private army in foreign territory and remove almost all oversight and culpability.

semi-pro waster

14-04-2011, 18:25

It's been a little while but I did read The Other Hand, it's a rather lovely little book in many ways taking a number of quite serious and potentially depressing themes but yet it manages to feel quite positive oddly despite the ending. There's some lovely curious phrasing which perfectly helps you to understand the characters, it probably shouldn't work but it does as a novel.

Then Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, I'm almost sure I've read some of it before but enough was new to make me think I'd not read it all the way through.

Currently I'm reading The Count Of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - until I received the book I'd never quite realised what a tome it is. I suppose having read The Three Musketeers a few times I assumed it would be a similar sort of size but it's 800+ pages long, I'm just over half way now and enjoying it but it's going to continue to occupy me for some time.

Kitten

14-04-2011, 19:38

I've been reading this (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heresy-S-J-Parris/dp/0007317662) on the kindle. It's pretty good, historical murder mystery type of thing. Kept me interested, anyway, very similar to the CJ Samson's I reviewed a while back.

Next I think is 'The Mist' Novella by Stephen King. Been told the book is excellent.

semi-pro waster

22-04-2011, 12:24

Finally finished The Count Of Monte Cristo, it's an impressive book for both scale and vision. It felt like somewhat of an achievement to finish it though with some decidedly unsympathetic characters and a bit of moralising.

Next up will be something easy, at the moment it looks like Wild Justice by Wilbur Smith which is some random novel I picked up in the books that are being taken out of circulation by the library. I don't think I've read anything by him yet but it looks like it'll be fairly undemanding.

Kitten

22-04-2011, 17:03

Well I got sidetracked by doing some research & reading 'Love, Sex and Tescos Finest Cava (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Tescos-Finest-Cava-ebook/dp/B004DI7P8K) which is a kind of 'memoirs of internet dating' - by a bloke...turns out he lives about 5 miles from me which made it more interesting. Is funny though.

Today I read The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Jesus-Scoundrel-Christ-Myths/dp/1847678254) by Phillip Pullman. Seemed apt for today. Only took about an hour to read & interesting concept.

Back to The Crimson Petal and the White (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crimson-Petal-White-Michel-Faber/dp/1847678939/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303488155&sr=1-1)

Love reading in the sunshine!

Briggykins

23-04-2011, 21:07

Not actually reading this, but definitely need to get my hands on it: best children's book evar! (http://www.amazon.com/Go-****-Sleep-Adam-Mansbach/dp/1617750255/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1303589227&sr=8-1)

Will

24-04-2011, 20:17

Just finished "A Week in December" by Sebastien Faulks, good fun.

Getting my way through "The Girl who kicked a hornet's nest" to finish off the Millenium trilogy.

I've also got a couple of medical books about cholesterol and fat... but I doubt that';s interesting to you all :p

semi-pro waster

25-04-2011, 18:57

Wild Justice was as undemanding as expected, it also wasn't particularly good. There is nothing especially wrong with the idea although it's hardly groundbreaking plotwise but a lot of the descriptions felt somewhat forced - as if the author was trying too hard to fit them in. I'd also guessed who the baddie was well before half-way through the book and the "twists" that were thrown in were pretty clumsy to cast much doubt on who it was - maybe I've just read too many of this type of book though.

Now I'm reading Abarat by Clive Barker, too early to make any real judgements but I've got hopes of being entertained at least as I've enjoyed most of what I've read of his so far.

Kitten

25-04-2011, 19:30

Back to The Crimson Petal and the White (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crimson-Petal-White-Michel-Faber/dp/1847678939/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303488155&sr=1-1)

Love reading in the sunshine!

OMG, this book is amazing!

Garp

25-04-2011, 21:42

I've been sprinting my way through the Dragonriders of Pern novels by Anne McCaffrey.

Dragonflight, Dragonquest, Dragonsong, Dragonsinger and Dragondrums read in the last week, now onto The White Dragon.

Not challenging reading, but I do still love them. She has a good way with spinning a yarn and creating interesting characters.

Burble

25-04-2011, 22:10

'Love, Sex and Tescos Finest Cava (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Tescos-Finest-Cava-ebook/dp/B004DI7P8K) which is a kind of 'memoirs of internet dating' - by a bloke...turns out he lives about 5 miles from me which made it more interesting. Is funny though.

This is next on my list.

Jingo

28-04-2011, 18:03

http://img829.imageshack.us/img829/3797/nuttyc.jpg

What I used to be read to go to sleep as a little baby - found again at a local car boot sale for 20p! Pointless nostalgia <3

semi-pro waster

04-05-2011, 22:01

Finished Abarat and then realised it's part of a quadrilogy and it hasn't been finished yet - argh. As for the book itself, it's reasonable enough but it reads more like a childrens book than any of Clive Barker's previous works that I've read, apparently the second book in the series is rather more "grown up" though. I'm now going to try and forget about it until after the fourth book is published and then I can read them all.

Next was The Seeds Of Time by John Wyndham, a collection of short stories that he wrote for publication over a number of years. Most of them are quite interesting in their own way and some were a bit different from the more standard sci-fi themes which is what he was aiming for.

Currently I'm reading Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka - only started it today so don't have any especially firm opinions yet but it seems like it could be entertaining.

BBx

05-05-2011, 12:33

I started The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo on holiday and am about a 1/3 of the way through.

Difficult to get into :/ and obviously am not finding it as a 'unputdownable book'

Unlike my last book: He's Just Not that Into you ;)

LOL

BB x

Pheebs

07-05-2011, 10:15

I couldn't do any of those series. Bought them all thinking "YAAAAAAAY Thrillers! WHOOP!" But it's just about some punky kid who knows more than she should.

Didn't get past the first handful of chapters before discarding!

Just read The Enemy though... zombie book Marie leant me. Think it's pretty much a kiddiewinkle book... very easy to read through (managed it in a couple of nights reading) but I just like zombies and it was a new idea for me to indulge my brain in.

Mmmmmmmmm braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiins

Need a good book now... *goes on the search*

volospian

10-05-2011, 08:18

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Prattchett

Hmmm... I know it's aimed at the younger readers, but you'd harldy notice that in the way it's written. I don't think it's supposed to be a childrens book, more aimed at "young adults" perhaps. It's OK. The plot is fairly predictable, the ending undramatic and rather underplayed, almost as if he just wanted to get it over with. Some of the characterisation seems flat and rather forced. All in all, this book seems to be just "going through the motions". Not his best work by far, not even the best Tiffany Aching book.

At least I finished it, mind, which is more than can be said for Unseen Academicals.

6/10

Wossi

20-05-2011, 11:53

Brandon Sanderson - Alcatraz vs The Evil Librarians.

Only found his works after The Wheel Of Time and so far loving it, it's very very bizzare and a few WTF? moments but I am in fits of laughter which I see as a good sign. Got the rest of the series for afterwards.

Since getting a Kindle I seem to be reading a lot more than I normally do.

Kitten

17-06-2011, 10:49

Really loved "The Crimson Petal and the White" but at 900 or so pages, it's not short.

Moved onto another enormous tome next, atjust under 1000 pages The Passage by Justin Cronin (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Passage-Justin-Cronin/dp/0752897845)

"Cronin's massive novel transcends its cliches and delivers a feverishly readable post-apocalyptic-cum-vampire chiller. It's not only a brilliantly told story, with thrilling plot twists and graphic action sequences, but a moving psychological portrait of survivors facing up to the poignant fact of a lost past and a horrifically uncertain future." (THE GUARDIAN )

Unusual book, you have to persevere, but it is a rewarding read. Can't say too much because it's split into different 'books' and to explain any of the story will give it away.

Redeemer34

21-06-2011, 22:19

Currently rereading magician by Feist. Was the first fantasy I ever read thanks to my wife. Since then that's all i read, been working through the wheel of time series.

Garp

22-06-2011, 00:05

Currently rereading magician by Feist. Was the first fantasy I ever read thanks to my wife. Since then that's all i read, been working through the wheel of time series.

I've been reading Wheel of Time, currently on Crown of Swords, but taking a break. It's quite a slog at times!

semi-pro waster

10-07-2011, 13:22

It seems that it's been a while since I've remembered to update this so a quick run down of the last few books I've read.

Fountain Society by Wes Craven - I wasn't quite sure what to expect here as although I've enjoyed a few of his films I had no idea what he was like as a writer, the answer is fairly decent, it's not a great novel and there are a few things that could probably have been done better but it's not bad at all.

American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis - it's funny in places, there's nothing particularly that stands out as being inconsistent in style but I found that I didn't engage with the characters much so had little interest in it. If it's to show the vapidity of that world then it's a marvellous demonstration of that but aside from that I didn't get anything much from it.

Jarka Ruus by Terry Brooks - a book that I picked up randomly in a library sale, it's quite entertaining and I've ordered the next couple of books to see how it develops. It's not the best fantasy novel ever I'm sure but it's more than reasonable.

The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson - very funny in places with a great turn of phrase yet there was something about it that left me a little bit flat, as if it should have led to more than it did. Here again it may well have been the intention but I couldn't help hoping for a bit more of a conclusion than was reached.

Cross Fire by James Patterson - I picked it up in the airport as I wanted something undemanding to read and it is that, if you've read a few of the Alex Cross books you can probably predict most of the major points in the storyline without even trying.

Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton - I was recommended this by someone and it's a good book although probably as much a comment on society as it is a story. Written well over half a century ago it's probably still relevant in many ways regarding relationships in society.

10lb Penalty by Dick Francis - it's ok, it's much like any other Dick Francis book though so if you like them then you'll probably like this, if not...

Jingo

18-07-2011, 09:52

Currently rereading magician by Feist. Was the first fantasy I ever read thanks to my wife. Since then that's all i read, been working through the wheel of time series.

Good old Pug :)

My mum has been ploughing through the whole Feist collection in order and is itching for the next release - I enjoyed them but haven't read many of them as I found them entertaining but not gripping; I'll return one day as I'm keen to experience the addicition felt by others world wide :)

Currently reading I shall wear midnight in the Discworld series, the book of five rings which I read annually, and Invisible Cities by Calvino to satisfy some academic whimsy.

Pickers

18-07-2011, 10:41

I bought myself Sam Bourne - The Last Testament. Going to start reading it shortly. I liked "The righteous men" by the same author and this week at school is looking pretty chilled so reckon I'll get this one polished off soon!

semi-pro waster

27-08-2011, 12:05

It's been a while since my last update and I've finished another half dozen books in the meantime, if there's more I can't remember them at the moment.

Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad - I didn't know much about this when I picked it up although I've read Heart Of Darkness. It's quite an interesting book, somewhat bleak but gripping, I found I was often not quite sure how the narrator felt towards the titular character but ultimately I think he was concerned for him.

Tanequil by Terry Brooks, the second in the High Druid of Shannara series. Like the first it's quite entertaining while never being especially challenging, good for easy reading anyway.

Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre. His first published novel, I can't believe I've missed it up to this point but it gives good background for much of his later novels.

Straken by Terry Brooks. The last in the series, it finishes off the story fairly well but it does I suppose also leave it open potentially for further books about other characters in the series. I'd recommend the series overall if you're looking for a relatively undemanding set of fantasy novels.

Accidental Empires by Robert X. Cringely. Quite an intriguing book about the history of the computing industry, most of the basic facts are correct as far as I'm aware although as he himself points out he doesn't need to include everything as he's giving a commentary instead of a complete history. It's a bit dated now (I read the 1996 edition) and there may be an updated version but that impacts little on the main points, with the benefit of hindsight you can see he was quite far off with some of his predictions but also spot on with others.

Sum: Tales From The Afterlives by David Eagleman. A very short book I've just read as part of the OcUK Book Club. Some of the ideas about what happens when we die are quite novel and some aren't so unusual but all are well imagined and thought provoking, it doesn't come to any definitive conclusions but it was never supposed to, it's effectively just a springboard for more thoughts.

The Man In The High Castle by Philip K. Dick is my current book.

Tak

18-10-2011, 17:30

Didn't think it deserved its own thread and it is book related - Snuff (the new discworld book) is £5 in hardback in tesco this week, in case anyone was after a copy :)

Joe 90

18-10-2011, 18:36

Not seen this thread since I got my kindle so I'll have to make an addition...

I'm about half way through The Circuit by Bob Shepherd

https://kindle.amazon.com/work/the-circuit-ebook/B0028868YE/B003GK21IK

It's about private security in the middle east surrounding Afghan/Iraq & Bob is ex-SAS so gives an interesting insight in to it all.

I'd recommend it to anyone who has even just a slight interest in the military or the conflict in the middle east. A lot of what is in there was seen over here in the media, but it gives a more accurate perspective on it all.

Del Lardo

21-10-2011, 15:44

Didn't think it deserved its own thread and it is book related - Snuff (the new discworld book) is £5 in hardback in tesco this week, in case anyone was after a copy :)

Read it in a couple of days and it's very good. Back on form after the terrible* Unseen Academicals.

*relatively

Justsomebloke

22-10-2011, 14:25

I'm about 3/4's through a book on Manson & the Tate/LeBianca murders, I've just hit the trial chapter.
It's been a great read & once again reveals loads of things I've never heard of connected to the murders & the events leading up to the murders. The book is written from the prosecutors point of view/notes/experience.
If anybodys interested I'll post the author/title etc

Kitten

22-10-2011, 23:15

its not Helter Skelter is it?

Justsomebloke

23-10-2011, 00:38

Yes it is Kitten, Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry.

Kitten

23-10-2011, 11:51

brilliant book! very scary, but a great read.

vix

23-10-2011, 17:03

Having discovered the Kindle store, i have been reading non stop for a few months now. I love crimey, police procedural stuff but also discovered those with paranormal elements,sd tooley, Lee driver, Terri Reid. I was just wondering if anyone could recommend anything like that? Crime and ghosts basically!

Tak

23-10-2011, 17:58

No ghosts but a good long running crime series is 87th precinct by ed mcbain - my dad use to read them and I got hooked

semi-pro waster

27-10-2011, 22:04

A month to the day from the last update and I've finished The Man In The High Castle along with several other books, it's an odd book which starts with the premise that the Allies had lost WWII and I can't say too much more without worrying about ruining it but it does leave a slightly unsettling feeling as if it's just a bit too off kilter to be comfortable.

I think Imajica by Clive Barker was up next and that's a bit of a behemoth of a book, very good, very detailed fantasy. Just allow yourself to get swept up in the journey.

Sons Of Heaven by Terence Strong is one I picked up cheaply as it was taken out of circulation at the library, it's reasonable as a thriller, nothing particularly exceptional but a solid enough work in the genre.

Eternity Road by Jack McDevitt is another from the same source and it's passable enough as a work of science fiction but perhaps a little bit too easy to guess most of the plot points well before they come up.

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick is even weirder than the other book of his I've read recently, it's very good and somewhat disorientating as you're left wondering quite what's going on but then again that's precisely the point of it. I'd recommend it but I don't think it's a book that everyone would enjoy, you've maybe got to be in the right frame of mind for it.

The last book I've read recently is Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd, my mum lent it to me as she thought I'd appreciate it, partly as it's set in London. It's quite a good book, well written and as with many books I find there's definitely added interest in recognising locations although I felt the ending was a little bit unfinished.

I'm currently reading The Leopard by Jo Nesbo - sometimes compared to Steig Larsson although I've never read any works by them. So far it seems a fairly standard detective novel, nothing great but entertaining enough to pass the time, final judgement reserved for the moment of course. :)

Kitten

30-10-2011, 11:14

Vix, it's not what you've suggested but I recently read 'into the darkest corner' which is OCD based psychological thriller & it is brilliant. I think you &. I have both had experiences that make this too close to home sometimes so don't read if you think it will freak you out, but if you can, you'll enjoy it, it's brilliant.

For supernaturally thriller stuff try Peter James early stuff, Twilight (not that one :p), Sweetheart, Dreamer, Possesion. if you like them I can suggest a few more. His latest books are straight thrillers, pretty good too, all have 'dead' in the title : dead simple, dead tomorrow, dead man's grip. Thriller wise, Nikki French is good, and there was a great recent book called 'A place of secrets' by Rachel Hore - that was linked to spooky happenings, as is Labyrinth & Sephulcre by Kate Mosse. Oh and I think you'd love Incubus -ask Mawee to send it on when she's finished!

vix

02-11-2011, 17:14

Cheers Kitten :)

semi-pro waster

06-11-2011, 20:16

The Leopard was alright, pretty standard detective fodder I suppose although with a few decent twists that I didn't see coming - I find with such books it's best to turn your brain off anyway so the plot can be a surprise. It does commit one of the cardinal crimes in stories for me though and has characters giving you their thoughts as they are being killed off, that's never sat particularly comfortably with me.

Rivers Of London by Ben Aaranovitch is the most recent one I've finished and it's very good indeed, I knew nothing about it before and just picked it up on a whim while wasting time in Bath. The closest book I can describe it to in concept is probably American Gods by Neil Gaiman but I think if anything it's even better - very funny, quite clever in places with some interesting references, acerbic in a peculiarly British way and well plotted. I suspect I'll get the next book from him which seems to give some continuation but I'll leave that until after my exams.

Kitten

13-11-2011, 23:20

Thought some of our readers might be interested in this...been available for a while in the US & you never know, we might get some decent titles, especially at the beginning when they're publicising it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html/ref=tsm_1_tw_s_kiuk_luhpmh?ie=UTF8&docId=1000577623

Glaucus

15-11-2011, 00:06

Nothing :(, I'm in one of my no read states.
Got two books started and another three ready to go and a stack on amazon wish list. I don't understand me and reading. I won't have the feeling to read for months, then I'll pick a book up and read about 3 books in two weeks.

Glaucus

15-11-2011, 00:09

Jonny69

03-02-2012, 17:51

I just finished Glamorama by Brett Easton Ellis. I'd read all his previous books and got American Psycho before it was released because my friend's dad published it over here. I enjoyed all his books up to then, especially the way they all cross over with the plots and characters. I really struggled with Glamorama though and, finally, 12 years after I bought it, I have finished it. Not sure whether I enjoyed it or not. I didn't really 'get' what was going on. I couldn't quite make out what was supposed to be real and what was imagined. I know that was the intention of the plot, but for me it didn't work.

Easton Ellis has published two more books in the meantime. I thought I'd skip Lunar Park, which is his attempt at a ghost story; not really my thing. I've gone straight in for a copy of Imperial Bedrooms which is a sequel to Less Than Zero, revisiting the characters 25 years after Less Than Zero ended.

Kitten

06-02-2012, 20:22

Tony and Susan (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tony-and-Susan-ebook/dp/B003MQMO8U/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328555956&sr=1-1)

Odd book - Just looked at the Amazon reviews, and people either love it or hate it.

Fifteen years ago, Susan Morrow left her first husband Edward Sheffield. One day, comfortable in her home, and her second marriage, she receives, entirely out of the blue, a parcel containing the manuscript of her ex-husband's first novel. As Susan reads, she is drawn into the fictional life of his character Tony Hastings. And as we read with her, so are we.

Tony and Susan is a dazzling achievement: simultaneously a riveting portrayal of the experience of reading and a page-turning thriller, written in startlingly arresting prose. It is also a novel about fear and regret, revenge and aging, marriage and creativity. It is simply unique.

The 'book' that Susan receives and you begin to read with her is gripping, I couldn't put it down, but I feel that it lost the way a bit, and wasn't quite as good as it could have been. It's a very clever idea, and I'm glad I read it (I read it in one afternoon).

Hmmmm. Jury's out.

semi-pro waster

11-02-2012, 12:47

It's been a very long time since I've updated what I've been reading and I can't remember all the books I've read in the meantime but the last five or so have been.

White Male Heart by Ruaridh Nicoll - a book about a strong and somewhat disfunctional friendship between two teenage boys in the Highlands of Scotland that ultimately destroys them both in different ways after one of them has a love affair with a woman that moves into the area. It's well written and interesting but somewhat unsettling at the same time, I enjoyed it in some ways but won't be in a hurry to read it again.

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch - the follow up to Rivers Of London, still entertaining and along broadly similar lines to the original but doesn't have quite the same charm for me. Worth reading and I'll probably get the next when it is published to complete the set but my expectations have been somewhat dampened.

Fire Season by Philip Connors - a sort of auto-biography of a man who spends his summers in a fire lookout tower in New Mexico. Some good social commentary and a fascinating potted history of how the approach to fire has changed in the forestry service. Very well informed and with good points to make about what must be an immensely rewarding job if you can hack it.

Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami - I'm not quite sure where to start with this one, it's deeply weird but involving, well written and explores ideas that most people probably don't even consider. Highly recommended.

Calum's Road by Roger Hutchinson - a biography of sorts about a man who built a road in Raasay because no-one else was going to do it for him. To state it so baldly does it somewhat of a disservice as it's a great little story about a mans determination and achievement yet at the same time to describe it thus is functional in a way he'd probably have approved of. A intriguing character was Calum MacLeod and someone who just didn't seem to believe that things couldn't be done, he just got on and did them.

Kitten

27-04-2012, 10:10

Recent reads:

About read this again as, one of my favourites, I was giving it out for World Book Night :

The Book Thief (http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0552773891)

I just love this book. Still have a few copies if anyone wants one or I'll be leaving them Treasure Hunt stylee in random places in a few days (Sam & Si, I have your copies safe!)

This is from Amazon about the book & I think sums it up perfectly. Sounds like a bundle of laughs, I know, but it is beautiful and if you can stick through the first few chapters, and the unusual way it is written, I think you'll be glad you did:

Nine-year-old Liesel lives with her foster family on Himmel Street during the dark days of the Third Reich. Her Communist parents have been transported to a concentration camp, and during the funeral for her brother, she manages to steal a macabre book: it is, in fact, a gravediggers’ instruction manual. This is the first of many books which will pass through her hands as the carnage of the Second World War begins to hungrily claim lives. Both Liesel and her fellow inhabitants of Himmel Street will find themselves changed by both words on the printed page and the horrendous events happening around them.

Despite its grim narrator, The Book Thief is, in fact, a life-affirming book, celebrating the power of words and their ability to provide sustenance to the soul. Interestingly, the Second World War setting of the novel does not limit its relevance: in the 20th century, totalitarian censorship throughout the world is as keen as ever at suppressing books (notably in countries where the suppression of human beings is also par for the course) and that other assault on words represented by the increasing dumbing-down of Western society as cheap celebrity replaces the appeal of books for many people, ensures that the message of Marcus Zusak’s book could not be more timely. It is, in fact, required reading -- or should be in any civilised country. --Barry Forshaw

Game of Thrones #1 - A Song of Fire & Ice (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Game-Thrones-Song-Fire-Book/dp/000647988X)

Probably read it/seen it. Enthralling! Blurb doesn't do it justice. If you've seen the show, the book adds so much to it because you learn a lot more about the characters, situations, how they they feel etc. I watched the first Series, then read the book, then watched the Series again and I loved it.

From Amazon:

The first volume of A Song of Ice and Fire, the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. GAME OF THRONES is now a major TV series from HBO, starring Sean Bean.

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.

The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

The Hunger Games (http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Hunger-Games-Suzanne-Collins/dp/1407109081)

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been clse to death before-and survival, for her, is second nature. The Hunger Games is a searing novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present. Welcome to the deadliest reality TV show ever...

You've probably seen it/read it/heard about it, so I won't go into detail, but as above, it gives you a much better insight into some of the things covered in the movie. Well written, I really enjoyed it. There's some great YA fiction about at the moment (and an even greater amount of snobbery around it!) and this is a great example of it.

vix

28-04-2012, 17:21

I've just read The Woman in Black and I wasn't that impressed. Seems like nothing really happened. I cam see how it would make a jumpy film though :)

Pheebs

28-04-2012, 20:06

Kitten - Game of Thrones is on my book list!! Glad to see it's good :)

Sam has just introduced me to Terry Pratchett.... I think I have a few books to keep me occupied for a loooong looong time!

Vix - Great theatre play... saw me Pa leap about 3 foot in the air a few times :D

Dymetrie

28-04-2012, 22:46

I've just read The Woman in Black and I wasn't that impressed. Seems like nothing really happened. I cam see how it would make a jumpy film though :)

The book isn't actually that good.

BUT!

The play is awesome, and I saw it several times about 10 years ago. Definitely looking forward to see what Mr Potter does with it :)

Kitten - Game of Thrones is on my book list!! Glad to see it's good :)

Sam has just introduced me to Terry Pratchett.... I think I have a few books to keep me occupied for a loooong looong time!

Vix - Great theatre play... saw me Pa leap about 3 foot in the air a few times :D

Currently reading Game of Thrones and (despite the length) I'm finding it to be an amazing read :)

Much heavier than Pratchett, of course, but they're both fantastic!

Pheebs

29-04-2012, 01:00

I think I'll read both a pratchett and game of thrones at same time so depending on how dozy I feel I can chill out or indulge! :)

Kitten

29-04-2012, 04:52

Woman in black movie is very jumpy! Great fun, but think it will lose a lot of it's 'scariness' off the big screen.

I've never been able to get into Pratchett. My step-dad was a huge fan but it just never worked for me. Tried several times since, even tried audiobooks/TV to kick start but still not getting it.

volospian

02-05-2012, 13:49

I've never been able to get into Pratchett. My step-dad was a huge fan but it just never worked for me. Tried several times since, even tried audiobooks/TV to kick start but still not getting it.

I like Pratchett, but I must say I'm not a fan of everything he does, not by a long shot. I hate the Rincewind and Moist Von Lipwig characters. I also have issues with some of his "single book" characters, such as those in Unseen Academicals (the only Pratchett book I have put down half way though and never finished) or Pyramids (although that wasn't a bad book, to be fair).

I think he has got a few characters down well. The three witches, the core of the Watch (Carrot, Nobby and Colon, but not necassarily Vimes), the wizards and so on. However, it's only really those books that feature those characters as integral to the core story that I really enjoy. I'm not even a big fan of Vimes and feel the latter "watch" books suffer from too much focus on Vimes and reduce the other members to disappointing bit parts.

Also, the later books all seem to suffer from too much in your face moralising. I'm fed up of over egged references to racism, sexism etc. in his stories. Just make me laugh, man!

Mockingbird

02-05-2012, 17:54

The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif

An account of the consequences of British imperialism and the fierce political battles of the Egyptian Nationalists through the love story of Anna Winterbourne and Sharif al-Baroudi. Told through the voice of Amal, Sharif’s grandniece, Anna and Sharif’s story is set against the continuing political turmoil of the middle East.

Kitten

02-05-2012, 19:26

Anyone here on Goodreads that I don't know about *peers accusingly*

Tak

02-05-2012, 23:11

I seem to be on there now considering I was added by someone :p I haven't had time to look at it properly yet but I will do :)

vix

05-11-2012, 21:51

I'm currently reading the DCI Banks series by Peter Robinson. Initially I chose it because it's a long series, and also set in my home counties. The writing is so descriptive that, having lived, worked and driven in the areas he describes, I can really visualise it.

Then, I realised that it has been made into a TV series, and the second series has just started. Ha!

Kitten

05-11-2012, 22:01

I've been reading lots lately, forcing myself even when I'm not totally into it. Reading more stuff I wouldn't usually.

Currently reading 'Reservation Road' which is heartbreaking but so well written.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/338993.Reservation_Road

Vix, my Mum had loads of PR books & audiobooks, if you want any, holler and I'll see what she's still got (she charities everything).

vix

05-11-2012, 22:22

Ooh yes I'll lap up anything going spare and will throw some money to a charity for them :) Fanks :)

Kitten

05-11-2012, 22:50

Just pass 'em on. I'll ask at the weekend :)

volospian

07-11-2012, 09:55

I've just read "Vespasian: Tribune of Rome" by Robert Fabbri

It's not a bad book, actually. It's hardly the "Masters of Rome" series, but if you like your historical fiction books easy reading and high on the action content, it's a good place to start.

I'd say it was bit like aSharpe novel, except it wasn't really. Not as cheesy and predictable as Sharpe, but that sort of non stop, slightly unbelievable, action rollercoaster.

Yeah, I'll be reading the second for certain.

semi-pro waster

06-01-2013, 14:49

I've read a few books over the holiday season but the most recent and probably memorable is Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger which offers an insight into a world that is almost completely alien to me. I'd heard of it before but picked it up by accident, it's about high school American Football in a small town in Texas which is essentially obsessed with it - it's both fascinating and worrying in roughly equal measure.

There's an epilogue from the author where he reflects on it after a decade and notes that some changes have been effected in the town but that in writing what he considers a fair exposition of the town he's been viewed as a traitor. I don't know precisely how much is true or how much artistic licence was taken but either way it's worth reading for an understanding of how it is/was. If you've ever watched Varsity Blues there are some parallels that can be drawn.

Stan_Lite

09-01-2013, 09:25

Currently reading the "Song of Ice and Fire" series by George R. R. Martin.

I got the "A Game of Thrones: The Story Continues: The complete 5 books (A Song of Ice and Fire)" Kindle edition, which is the first 5 books all in one. I've got to about 1/3 of the way through the second book and am enjoying it so far. I like the way the story is told with each chapter being told from the viewpoint of one of the various main characters in turn. There does seem to be a bit of 'stretching out' of some plot lines but, for the most part, the story barrels along very well. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series and then watching the TV series as well. A bit of a deviation from the usual fantasy standard with less emphasis on magic and sorcerers etc and more politics and fighting (as well as some adult content). A welcome deviation in my opinion :)

Kitten

10-01-2013, 09:24

LOVE GoT. Books & series both fantastic.

Tak

10-01-2014, 10:58

I'm getting rid of a load of books and this is the first batch in case anyone is interested :)

https://www.facebook.com/Takhisis/posts/10152648841902203?stream_ref=10

Kitten

10-01-2014, 16:08

Shared on FB :) I'm on a physical book ban now and am charity'ing several bags a month :/ have you tried 'http://www.webuybooks.co.uk'? They only really buy popular books but it's worth a try for any you don't get interest in :)

I don't really post in here anymore but I post regularly on Goodreads. Helps me keep track!

Tak

10-01-2014, 20:35

I haven't - I'll give them a look, and thanks for the share xx

Garp

13-01-2014, 07:44

Stan_Lite

13-01-2014, 10:05

Finished the Mistborn trilogy by Brian Sanderson a few weeks ago (and went on to read the stand-alone "Alloys of War"). Very good, well written with a clearly thought out set of plot lines that all tied up perfectly at the end of the 3rd book. It focuses around the central character Vin, a member of a criminal gang of slaves, who discovers she's what is called an Allomancer, one who is able to burn metals she has swallowed to achieve a variety of effects, e.g. super strength, telekinesis (against other metal objects) and so on; and her fight to overthrow the oppressive 'God' Emperor.

I read that last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. A little different from the standard fantasy format.

I'm currently most of the way through the Five Kingdoms series by Toby Neighbours. Whilst the story is decent enough, the writing is amateurish, bordering on childlike and the proof-reading appears to have been done by someone illiterate - the number of mistakes (especially in book 5, which I'm on now) is very distracting. The author has stretched the story too much as well. There is a fair amount of repetition and blatant eking out in the latter stages. The only reason I started reading it is because the first 3 books were available as one choice in the Amazon Prime lending library and, by the time I'd finished that, the 4th book was available there too. I bought the last 2 books because they were only a couple of quid each (even that's a bit pricey). I will finish the series since I've paid for the last 2 books but I won't be buying any more books by this author.

Garp

14-01-2014, 00:02

I'd have to say the same about the Sorcerer's Ring series by Morgan Rice, which I ended up getting for just a couple of $s and even bought the next few books (in my defence they were short and very cheap), hoping I could ignore the bad writing enough for the plot to drag me along. Here's what I ended up writing on Amazon (along with a 1 star):

"I want to like the series, the premise is good but the narrative is diabolically bad. Lots of short declarative statements fills the prose, leaving a very disjointed staccato feel to the story. So little attention to detail is paid to many key plot elements that it's rather maddening. Often it seems like things seem to have whatever size they need to for that particular sentence, for example a dragon creates a huge canyon with its footprint that the characters are able to climb down into, and yet they end up fighting the self-same dragon inside its own footprint...?
Full Plate armor seems to frequently be made of paper, and the fight sequences rarely present anything even remotely resembling sense, with barely trained kids fighting and defeating experienced warriors whenever it suits the narrative.

Time also seems to have little or no meaning, as soon as the character is no longer directly involved in the narrative, frequently presenting situations so anachronistic that it's hard not to just give up on the story there and then."

I originally commented this on response to someone else's critical review:

"Time apparently only has meaning when the characters are at the center of the story, otherwise time seems to just stop for them, or pass slowly at best.
The fight sequences routinely make no sense either. Soldiers described as being in full plate armor (which inclues metal gauntlets) somehow have their hands or heads chopped off seemingly casually by a sword, or worse bitten off by his pet.
Thor seems to also get away with just following his heart and has everyone worship him. At one point a character gets kidnapped by a sizeable contingent of warriors and Thor goes riding off to the rescue with a small group of fellow soldiers. No attempt to contact superiors, no attempt to get additional help (that would have been very quickly provided under the circumstances, along with an experienced officer.) When he gets back everyone just congratulates him rather than punish him for effectively going AWOL.

Beyond the lack of attention to detail, dialogue is utterly bizarre. Characters just randomly say stuff to progress the plot (or occasionally to get an "Awww" moment?), regardless of whether it's in character or not. The narrative frequently delves into rather short declarative statements, particularly when anything approaching romance is concerned. Unfortunately (due to how it's handled) that romance comes up quite frequently as the author seems utterly intent on providing a love match for a significant number of characters, major or minor, who all seem to fall in love in just a couple of paragraphs. The only comparison I can make is to Anakin and Padme's romance in Star Wars Episode 2, which has very similar aspects of inanity about it, but at least there was implied time passing there vs 5 minutes :-/

After 6 books (why did I keep reading so far?!) I still honestly have no feel for any of the characters apart from possibly Thor or Gwendolyn who seem less likely to do things radically out-of-character, even though we frequently find the story being narrated by (possibly too) many of the other characters."