Lemonade Posted March 27, 2015 Report Share Posted March 27, 2015 Read this one too, and really enjoyed it. A bit repetitive at times, but really interesting.If you liked that and want a laugh, read Pointless by Jeff Connor which I read a few years back and it had me in bits!http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pointless-Jeff-Connor/dp/0755313534/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427375734&sr=1-1&keywords=pointlessNo Kindle version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoonie Posted March 28, 2015 Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 Boo!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted April 3, 2015 Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 Tearing through Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. I only started reading them to appease my annoying younger friend who kept insisting I read them, I didn't really expect to enjoy them (and the first few were a bit of a slog) but I'm glad I stuck with them. Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows have both been superb. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Broonbreed Posted April 4, 2015 Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 A journey to the end of the night - Louis Celine Pretty good so far, about a quarter of the way through. Semi autobiographical account of french WW1 and other things around that time. Cynical, slightly bastardly fellow tells us about other, usually more, bastardly people and how war is a load of shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skubbs Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 The girl with all the gifts - halfway through, and enjoying it so far. I've heard mixed reviews, some saying it's boring others saying they were hooked. I do enjoy a good zombie/dystopian future novel hence my love for Philip K Dick (please don't shorten that to "love for dick" in a quote... I know what you lot are like) Any recommendations along these lines? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroopy121 Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 Robert Rankin Is really good, I think. I can't copy links for some reason, but The Japanese Devil Fish Girl and Other Unnatural Attractions is pretty awesome. Douglas Adams-esque comedy steampunk/sci-fi but without the socio-political commentary in there. Much more light-hearted, so might not fill your need for dystopian Dick, though. xx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 Currently reading Vagabond, the second of Bernard Cornwell's (of Sharpe fame) Grail Quest series. Feels a bit like he's just taken Richard Sharpe and planted him in 14th century Europe but it's OK. Not really enjoying it as much as I did the Sharpe books. Might be the slightly unsympathetic eye of history on that era though. France, England and Scotland are all just acting like shits to each other so I don't really care about the wider conflict of the 100 years war. At least in Napoleonic Europe you were rooting for Sharpe's side more often than not (even with it's own share of unsympathetic characters placed throughout the British army in those books). Having said that I do have a general interest in that period of history. I like medieval castles and shit so it's the main reason I'm still reading the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Broonbreed Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 If you haven't read 1984, that's pretty much the epitome of dystopia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkaline Posted April 6, 2015 Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 The girl with all the gifts - halfway through, and enjoying it so far. I've heard mixed reviews, some saying it's boring others saying they were hooked. I do enjoy a good zombie/dystopian future novel hence my love for Philip K Dick (please don't shorten that to "love for dick" in a quote... I know what you lot are like) Any recommendations along these lines?If you like weird dystopia then China Mieville's Bas Lag series is really good with added steampunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 (edited) I started Sarah Silverman "The Bedwetter" yesterday at dinnertime, by bedtime I was 75% through it. So I'll probably have that finished off pretty soon. Next on my list I have Is the Baw Burst? A Long-Suffering Supporter's Search for the Soul of Scottish Football in which a guy visits every stadium in the Scottish football leagues to take in a match. Edited April 7, 2015 by Lemon Raspberry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colb Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Rise of the Super Furry Animals - its written in a mate of the band style almost as bad as Paolo Hewitt's, but it's not about Paul Weller so it's not as irritating. Next up is either the Kim Gordon or Yo La Tengo biographies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaki Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Recently read 'First Time Solo' by Aberdonian writer Iain Maloney. It's about an Aberdeenshire farmer who joins the RAF during WW2 and tells the story of his training and forming a jazz band. I wasn't that keen on his writing style - he used a lot of short or one word sentences for impact but it didn't really seem to fit. There were some good passages and one liners and it was obviously well researched but I can't say it really grabbed me much. It was not bad for a debut and I'd read more from him to see how he develops. I then tried 'Jazz' by Toni Morrison Great writing but I couldn't get into the story so shelved it for now. Hoovered up 'Dead I Well May Be' by Adrian McKinty and really enjoyed it. It's the second one of his I've read and both have really stuck with me. The stories are probably fairly stock yet enjoyable anti-hero crime but the way he tells them and his understanding of the human condition sets him apart. If you like noir and a want a bit more to think about than Stuart MacBride and Lee Child I'd recommend this guy. Now reading 'The Cider House Rules' by John Irving. Lovely so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoonie Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 I finished a couple of management-type-self-help-type books over the weekend; Top Dog: Impress and Influence Everyone you Meet by Andy Bounds and Procrastination: Stop F#cking Procrastinating And Do Some F#cking Work! by William Wyatt. The former wasn't bad, some decent tips and practical stuff in there. The latter was nothing new at all, just a repackaging of plenty of other things I'd read before. Gonna get into Grey Granite by Lewis Grassic Gibbon, the last of the Scots Quair when I get to the gym tonight and then re-read some classics; Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R. Covey and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Some great stuff in both of them and nice to get a refresher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsten Posted April 7, 2015 Report Share Posted April 7, 2015 Next up is either the Kim Gordon or Yo La Tengo biographies.Ooh, is there a new YLT book out or is this Big Day Coming? I haven't read it but keep meaning to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Just finished Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. The story is epic, brutal and horrifying but it's also fucking hard to read. Someone needs to teach that guy about correct punctuation and grammar! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 I've just started "Along Came A Spider" by James Patterson. I've only read one of his books before but I liked it. This is number 20 of my 50 book challenge. The others I've read so far this year, on a four point scale from shite to great: Stephenie Meyer - "Twilight" (shite) Holly Goddard Jones - "The Next Time You See Me" (alright) Iain Hyslop - "Is the Baw Burst?: A Long Suffering Supporter's Search for the Soul of Scottish Football" (shite) Sarah Silverman - "The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee" (alright) JK Rowling - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)" (great) Roddy Doyle - "The Snapper (The Barrytown Trilogy, #2)" (good) Roddy Doyle - "The Commitments (The Barrytown Trilogy, #1)" (alright) Lee Price - "Turning My Back on the Premier League" (good) David Wong - "John Dies at the End" (shite) R.D Reynolds - "The Death of WCW: 10th Anniversary Edition" (alright) Michael Connelly - "The Black Echo" (Harry Bosch, #1) (good) Thom Fell - "Acceptable in the Eighties" (good) J.K Rowling - "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (Harry Potter, #6) (great) Chuck Palahniuk - "Pygmy" (shite) James Crosbie - "Peterhead Porridge: Tales From The Funny Side Of Scotland's Most Notorious Prison" (alright) Richard Wiseman - "59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot" (shite) Chris Jericho - "The Best in the World: At What I Have No Idea" (alright) Richard Bachman (Stephen King) - "Thinner" (good) Stephen King - "22/11/63" (great) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoonie Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Currently re-reading Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven R Covey. Well worth a look if you've not read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain America Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 I've just started "Along Came A Spider" by James Patterson. I've only read one of his books before but I liked it. This is number 20 of my 50 book challenge. The others I've read so far this year, on a four point scale from shite to great: Stephenie Meyer - "Twilight" (shite) Holly Goddard Jones - "The Next Time You See Me" (alright) Iain Hyslop - "Is the Baw Burst?: A Long Suffering Supporter's Search for the Soul of Scottish Football" (shite) Sarah Silverman - "The Bedwetter: Stories of Courage, Redemption, and Pee" (alright) JK Rowling - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7)" (great) Roddy Doyle - "The Snapper (The Barrytown Trilogy, #2)" (good) Roddy Doyle - "The Commitments (The Barrytown Trilogy, #1)" (alright) Lee Price - "Turning My Back on the Premier League" (good) David Wong - "John Dies at the End" (shite) R.D Reynolds - "The Death of WCW: 10th Anniversary Edition" (alright) Michael Connelly - "The Black Echo" (Harry Bosch, #1) (good) Thom Fell - "Acceptable in the Eighties" (good) J.K Rowling - "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" (Harry Potter, #6) (great) Chuck Palahniuk - "Pygmy" (shite) James Crosbie - "Peterhead Porridge: Tales From The Funny Side Of Scotland's Most Notorious Prison" (alright) Richard Wiseman - "59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot" (shite) Chris Jericho - "The Best in the World: At What I Have No Idea" (alright) Richard Bachman (Stephen King) - "Thinner" (good) Stephen King - "22/11/63" (great) James Patterson is my favourite "airport novel" writer. I really enjoyed a bunch of his Alex Cross series. I'm sure you'd enjoy them as well if you haven't already! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 (edited) James Patterson is my favourite "airport novel" writer. I really enjoyed a bunch of his Alex Cross series. I'm sure you'd enjoy them as well if you haven't already! The only one I read was "Alex Cross's Trial", which tecnhnically isn't even an Alex Cross book but it was really, really good. A proper page-turner. Edited April 23, 2015 by Lemon Raspberry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colb Posted April 23, 2015 Report Share Posted April 23, 2015 Ooh, is there a new YLT book out or is this Big Day Coming? I haven't read it but keep meaning to.Big Day Coming - it's pretty good so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoonie Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 Beasted through Irvine Welsh's newest one A Decent Ride about Juice Terry and his taxi driving and shagging adventures. Pretty good and now reading The Sex Lives Siamese Twins which is a change from his Edinburgh-based stuff and entertaining whilst ridiculous so far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Broonbreed Posted May 7, 2015 Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 Finished Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell yesterday. Read it in a day, could not put it down. Very good, very Orwellian. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 I read Nick Hornby - "Juliet, Naked" and Roddy Doyle - "The Van" last week. I'm becoming a big fan of Roddy's. Just starting James Joyce "Dubliners". Third attempt at it. I've never get very far through it before. It's nicely written and easy enough to read, it's just not very interesting. I also plan to read Joyce's "A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man" this year as part of my 50 book challenge, then next year I'm going to attempt to tackle "Ulysses". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Broonbreed Posted May 8, 2015 Report Share Posted May 8, 2015 I read Nick Hornby - "Juliet, Naked" and Roddy Doyle - "The Van" last week. I'm becoming a big fan of Roddy's. Just starting James Joyce "Dubliners". Third attempt at it. I've never get very far through it before. It's nicely written and easy enough to read, it's just not very interesting. I also plan to read Joyce's "A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man" this year as part of my 50 book challenge, then next year I'm going to attempt to tackle "Ulysses". Dylan Thomas' "A portrait of the artist as a young dog" is a nice collection of shorts. Worth a read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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