i liked shantaram but there were some massive holes in the plot. also i didnt like the way the central character came across as flawless. thought this made him a bit bland in the end.Originally Posted by ggill
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
What you say is completely true. However I think the fact that I was reading it whilst in SE Asia and the protagonist was writing about his own criminal activities altered his reflections too. All in all though, definitely worth a good read :-).i liked shantaram but there were some massive holes in the plot. also i didnt like the way the central character came across as flawless. thought this made him a bit bland in the end.
'A Swell Looking Babe' by Jim Thompson. Hard-boiled noir at its best :thumbright:
i think that ozzie actor that keeps hitting everyone bought the film rightsWhat you say is completely true. However I think the fact that I was reading it whilst in SE Asia and the protagonist was writing about his own criminal activities altered his reflections too. All in all though, definitely worth a good read :-).i liked shantaram but there were some massive holes in the plot. also i didnt like the way the central character came across as flawless. thought this made him a bit bland in the end.
Good luck everybody. Have a good one.
Reading a book at the moment that I thought I'd mention. It's called The Tomb of Agamemnon, by Cathy Gere. It's part of a series by Profile Books - The Wonders of the World. I've been collecting them all in hardback, and they're excellent little books - the sort of thing it would take a day or two to read, but usually giving a fairly well-rounded, easily digestible account of the subject matter; the book on Mycenae, for example, touches on not just the history of the site, but also that of 19th century excavations in Greece and Asia Minor and the impact that had in terms of the (frequently disastrous) political and anthropological theories developing in Europe in the latter half of the 19th century. It's popular history, but pretty much at the quality end of popular history, and all written by serious and recognised experts and academics.
http://www.profilebooks.co.uk/subject.php?subject_id=13
D-Day by Antony Beevor. His best yet, moves along at a hell of a pace.
I loaned it to a colleague who seconded that opinion.
I have D-Day lined up to read, although today I've just started Army in Exile by Gen W?adys?aw Anders - I've been trying to get hold of a copy for ages, and found one for a reasonable price in the States recently.
Q. What are ortolans?
Q. How did oasis get their name?
Q. First player to be disqualified at wimbledon?
Q. Does everyone have a phone?
Prompted by a Seabadger talking about profile books - Is it bad form to promote a book that you've written? I help run a company that does text answers, and have compiled a few books of the bizarre, funny and weird requests we get in. It's not high literature, best read in the toilet really, but 'everyone else' says its funny ;)
I'm prepared to be shot down in flames, but have a look anyway over at http://www.profilebooks.co.uk/title....leissue_id=626 You should be able to pick it up on Amazon for 4 quid.
Here's the answers, anyway:
A. Ortolans are tiny songbirds which were a French delicacy until a law banned eating them in 1999. They were drowned in brandy, roasted for 8 minutes and eaten whole.
A. Liam Gallagher suggested Oasis after seeing a picture of Swindon's Oasis Leisure Centre on an Inspiral Carpets tour poster. Before this, they were The Rain.
A. In 1995, Tim Henman was the first player to be disqualified at Wimbledon. He hit a ball in anger, accidentally clonking ballgirl Caroline Hall's head.
A. 57.8% of the world's population have never received a telephone call. Furthermore, 75.3% of the world's population has never accessed the internet.
Stalingrad & Berlin the down fall are the two best books I have read on WW2, thanks for the Heads up. Beevor & Patrick Bishop are the two best writers on modern warfare IMHO :)
Paul
Just finished the Millenium Trilogy by the Swedish author, Stieg Larsson.
Highly Recommended:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/tag/millenium%20trilogy
I'm re-reading some P.G. Wodehouse, just finished Uncle Fred in the Springtime. For those who only know Jeeves and Wooster, I would recommend the Blandings stories. IMO Lord Emsworth and his clan provide the best characters Wodehouse penned. The Uncle Fred trilogy is fantastic too.
I've been reading a book called the committee of 300 by Dr John Coleman http://www.coleman300.com/Books/Committ ... tails.aspx This one is not your average conspiracy blurb, this book was 25 years in the making and is backed up by 100% fact.
Just got through these few lately
Innocence Lost by Carlton Stowers
Spycatcher by Peter Wright
Bret the Hitman Hart Autobiography
"the suspicians of mister whicher, or the murder at road hill house"
good book, worth a read
steve
I was looking at a Gary Gibson novel ;
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stealing-Light- ... 023&sr=8-3
Seems to have mixed reviews, any one read any of his books?
The Havannah Room - i couldnt put it down - and the last book i read from cover to cover was Janet & John go fishing.....
Its a blkes book - a great twist.
I read Wilde's "The Canterville Ghost" almost by accident recently. I had a few books in "Stanza" on my phone, and thought I had downloaded The Picture of Dorian Gray. Started reading it, thought it remarkably lighthearted, and then realised my mistake
"Once in New York, you are sure to be a great success. I know lots of people there who would give a hundred thousand dollars to have a grandfather, and much more than that to have a family ghost"
"I don't think I should like America."
"I suppose because we have no ruins and no curiosities ?"
"No ruins ! no curiosities !" answered the Ghost; "you have your navy and your manners"
"..the twins, who were usually called The Stars and Stripes, as they were always getting swished"
"Many American ladies on leaving their native land adopt an appearance of chronic ill-health, under the impression that it is a form of European refinement"
It's at least equally withering on the English.
TT
I just finished "Groundrush" by Simon Jakeman, a story of BASE jumping when it was in it's infancy in the UK in the eighties, quite a compelling little story. Well worth the effort of getting hold of a copy !
Richie :D
After 18 months I've finally finished Peter Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy, each volume 1200 pages long. It must be said I stopped several times in each volume to read other books but always returned.
Night's Dawn is a traditional space opera sci-fi, based in the 27th Century. I won't précis the plot; you can find that on Amazon.
Peter Hamilton keeps the pace moving pretty well and I never felt that such immense volumes were too much or he was stuffing padding in going for the 'value per lb' approach. It was a good read with some interesting ideas dealt with regarding the nature of life after death and how our future might progress following the path it currently is.
Certainly recommended for sci-fi fans.
Interesting to know. I am working my way through Iain M Banks' Culture novels at the moment - love them and Banks' sense of humour (which can be an aquired taste). Have you tried those and if yes how would Hamilton's work stack up in comparison?
Cheers,
David
I've read all but Bank's latest sci-fi volume which I'll buy when it's out in paperback. He is excellent and a more literate writer than Hamilton. Actually much more literate, but Hamilton is a good story-teller and keeps the pace going. It's nice to have sci-fi that isn't US-centric (and I apologise for using that business-speak term).
Hi,
I'm after a bit of advice here, I just started the Banks book "The Algebraist" which I think is one of the culture series ? It seems OK so far and wondered whether the rest of the Culture series are OK too ? Can they be read as a stand alone or does the whole series have to be read in sequence ? Are they Sci Fi books for people who read Sci Fi, or "Sci Fi for the Common Man"
Cheers,Excuse all the questions,
Richie
I'm about 2/3 of the way through the Culture novels at the moment (having recently finished Excession). There are some very subtle, low-level references to elements in other books but I would say these are incidental and do not really influence the plot. I reckon you could happily read them in any order you like. As it is, I chose to start at the beginning because: a) I wasn't sure if they were written as a sequence and; b) I like to read an author's work in order of publication - sometimes you can tune into the writer's development which adds an extra element of interest.
D.
Timeline by Michael Crichton - excellent book and made into a movie which was recently on Sky MOvies but not as good as the book.
The Algabraist isn't a culture novel (but it is very good), but as said above, you can read the culture novels in pretty much any order.Some novels are clearly about culture agents doing XYZ, but others (I'm thinking of Inversions, particularly) make no mention of it at all, and it's only if you've read other books that youll put 2+2 together. Inversions was the second Banks book I ever read, so it took me a while. And yeah- they're great reads for the every man. I like my Reynolds & Hamilton, but Banks characters, particularly the machines, are just too much fun, and the endings usually have a good twist in there.
I'm a hundred pages into 'Matter' which is a Culture novel but thus far the Culture had been mentioned only in passion. 'Inversions' is my favourite Banks' novel. Feersum Enjin is a weird one but worth tackling.
A 1950's autobiography of the French revue star Mistinguett.
Very interesting if you're into that sort of thing.
Next is "The Borzoi Handbook"
Readers Wife's :D
Bought and read, Cormac McCarthy's Child of God yesterday. Recommended
:shock: :shock: :shock:
I just finished this book two days ago... weird!
A strangely engaging book. I recommend it also... but check if its your thing first.
-flugzeit
Weirdly my girlfriend was away this weekend, so I've been on my own and I'm 27.:shock: :shock: :shock:
I just finished this book two days ago... weird!
A strangely engaging book. I recommend it also... but check if its your thing first.
-flugzeit
This book is about a 27 year old loner :?
I just hope that your girlfriend has a pulse... :wink:Weirdly my girlfriend was away this weekend, so I've been on my own and I'm 27.:shock: :shock: :shock:
I just finished this book two days ago... weird!
A strangely engaging book. I recommend it also... but check if its your thing first.
-flugzeit
This book is about a 27 year old loner :?
-flugzeit
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane - and enjoyed it.
I'm reading 'Tom Maschler - Publisher' - he was the MD and Chairman at Cape. The book is full of interesting anecdotes about authors and publishing including the fact that Kingsley Amis found hailing a taxi terrifying (when he was not being carried drunk into one) and Geoffrey Archer asking whether he might have a chance of winning the Nobel Prize! Lots of interesting photographs in the book too.
dunk
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
Reading Ozzy's autobiography, I Am Ozzy. Bloody hilarious. I knew he got up to some stuff but what I knew was tip of the iceberg!
Paul
GOT...TO...KILL...CAPTAIN STUPID!
The above is what I actually said, nothing about Mr Deaver at all ? :? :? I haven't got a clue who he is either, Not sure what point you're trying to make here ??
Mr Nice - Howard Marks, autobiography of an educated drug dealer from Swansea. Makes an excellent read and quite mad how from dealing a few shrubs he ended up shipping tonnes of the stuff on tankards around the world. At one point he was on the most wanted list of the FBI..
Read '..Dragon Tattoo', and just saw the excellent Swedish film version of it last night - brilliant!
In the middle of reading no. 2, 'The Girl who Played with Fire' - which is even better than '..Dragon Tattoo'.. but go see the movie!
Carl Hiassen: "Lucky You."
Satirical crime fiction. I've just re-read it and it's one of his best.
The Fourth Estate by Jeffrey Archer, basically a thinly disguised account of the lives of Robert Maxwell and Rupert Murdoch. Good read
I started to read this thread from the beginning the other day as i was looking for a few suggestions. I read Ken Folletts "Pillars of the Earth" and it is a "historical fiction" set in the 11th Century. I thought it was a great read - absolutely riveting. There is a sequel to it, set two centuries later called "World Without End" but i will leave that for a forthcoming trip.
I read Pillars on my "nook" which is the Barnes and Noble eBook reader. I bought it on my last trip to New York and to be honest - I have known about Electronic Ink for a long, long time - I bought it on a whim. It has proved to be a great thing. I will be getting one for the girlfriend as she loves it.
HOWEVER - and here's the rub - you cannot download e books from Barnes and Noble unless you are in the US. As they can only be downloaded while you are in the US. I circumvent this really easily by using a US proxy, but why should i have to? I understand "intellectual property" rights but this is just silly. I can fly to the US, fire up my e book reader, jump on the net - download whatever i want and fly back to the UK and read it. Bonkers.
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Great book, as is The Death Zone Dickinson) and Touching My Father's Soul (Norgay) which also cover the same climb from different perspectives.
Half way through The Places in Between by Rory Stewart, having started it yesterday evening. It's staggeringly good.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Places-Between- ... 0330486330
Crikey; at £65+ it better be brilliant. :shock:
Whoops. Slightly more reasonably priced on this link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Places-Between- ... t_ep_dpt_1
Quite a difference there!
I read Eric Newby's A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush when it came out. That was utterly compelling. Nowadays the whole region is obviously out of bounds.
If you enjoy a 'light' read, Chris Evans ' It isn't what you think' is surprisingly good !
Didn't like the guy at all in his early days, read how well he treated his wife during his divorce , read the book, met him at a local pub, had a chat, and must admit my views have changed :mrgreen:
An excellent book as well. There's also Robert Byron's The Road to Oxiana, which covers some of the same territory and is well worth reading.
I'm just reading "The long march 1935" by Dick Wilson.
Long out of print, I read it first about 30 years ago, and managed to find another copy on eBay. It tells the story of the early Chinese communist armies trek across China. Politics apart, it makes for an amazing read. The hardships they endured were truly awful.
If you can ever find a copy I'd highly recommend it.
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