Alkaline Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Plough on, it's well ace, love the faux footnotage.Aye, i'll keep going with it. It tends to be the one i read when my kindle is charging, so it only get's read once every couple of months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroopy121 Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Not long off a Chuck Phalanuik kick. Read Rant (AMAZING, 10/10), Haunted (10/10) and Fight Club (8/10).Trying to read We Need to Talk About Kevin before I see the film but really struggling to get into it!xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaaakkkeee Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 I'm getting further in to Choke and it's really very good. Denny's a bit of a dickhole though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flights Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 I've recently re-read Breakfast of Champions by Vonnegut which I think I now rate more highly among his novels. Really enjoyed it.. Epicly good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 'Calcio' by John Foot is the main book on the history of Italian football that we sell. There's also 'Forza Italia: The Fall and Rise of Italian Football' by Paddy Agnew. Those would probably be good starting points. Also if you haven't read 'Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football' by Phil Ball then you should because it's brilliant.I've heard very mixed things about Calcio, mostly bad, which is a shame. Heard good things about Morbo, so I'll give that a go, and Forza Italia, as NoidRoid says it's good, and he's not usually wrong, except about liking Chelsea. And Barca. What a shit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Forza Italia isn't exactly a history of Italian football, it really just focuses on the period that the journalist is living in Italy but that does cover most of the 80's and 90's, from what I remember, when Serie A was seen as clearly the top dog in europe. There's quite a bit of personal stuff about the writer's experiences of moving to Italy and fitting in with the culture their which I found interesting. Tbh it's probably worth reading just for the chapter about Maradona. I spoke about it on here before, if you're interested in tactics and how the game has developed all over the world, Inverting the Pyramid by Jonathon Wilson is a must read. Has anyone read the Garrincha biography? I've often heard it called one of the best football books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murrr Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Calcio is a fantastic tome, imo. Bloody massive but well worth the investment. It's a more extensive, rewarding read that Forza Italia I reckon.Currently reading Simon Kuper's Why England Lose/Soccernomics. Pretty, pretty good. A more satisfying read than Freaknomics with some novel debunkings of footballing myths. After that I'll be onto ex-Watford 'keeper Richard Lee's book, which looks brilliant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 If you fancy a laugh, and can get it cheap/free, Theo Walcott's autobiography is funny as hell. I'm not sure why someone his age has an autobiography, but it's written in true simpleton footballer style, and he talks about how he chatted up his girlfriend in a shopping centre, and then bought her a Ferrari. Proper gritty stuff, Theo. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but his life sounds dull. He's too squeaky clean to have an interesting autobiography. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Easy Wishes Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 If you fancy a laugh, and can get it cheap/free, Theo Walcott's autobiography is funny as hell. I'm not sure why someone his age has an autobiography, but it's written in true simpleton footballer style, and he talks about how he chatted up his girlfriend in a shopping centre, and then bought her a Ferrari. Proper gritty stuff, Theo. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but his life sounds dull. He's too squeaky clean to have an interesting autobiography.Sounds like Ashley Cole's book. I paraphrase... "I was in my Range Rover ELITE XYZ, the one with the solid platinum alloys on it, when my agent called to tell me that Arsenal weren't willing to meet my demands of £60k a week and instead they were offering £55k a week. I was outraged! How could they do this to me? Normally I listen to hip hop really loudly, up at about volume 25 or 26 on my way to training to get me pumped (the 28-speaker surround sound in my Range Rover ELITE XYZ is banging) but I was so angry that I could only actually listen to it at about 11 or 12!" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsten Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 I've recently re-read Breakfast of Champions by Vonnegut which I think I now rate more highly among his novels. Really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed Call of the Weird by Louis Theroux. It's about him going around the US and revisiting people he met when making his documentaries. It was just as engaging as his TV shows. I'd definitely recommend it.Ah Breakfast of Champions, how I love thee! Call of the Weird is also ace. Have you read much/any of Jon Ronson's stuff? Trying to read We Need to Talk About Kevin before I see the film but really struggling to get into it!xxI had the same problem a few years ago when I first attempted it. Couldn't make it past fifty pages. Went back to it a couple of years later and immediately enjoyed it, which was weird. I'd say stick with it, though. I recently told my mum to read it and she wasn't impressed initially but really got into it about halfway through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stroopy121 Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Yeah it was recommended to me by as friend who's judgement I generally trust. Will sit down tonight and try to hammer through for an hour or two and see if I take to it, otherwise I'll shelf it in favour of something new.Also, new christopher Brookmyre book on it's way soon! Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.................xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diarmaid Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Sounds like Ashley Cole's book. I paraphrase... "I was in my Range Rover ELITE XYZ, the one with the solid platinum alloys on it, when my agent called to tell me that Arsenal weren't willing to meet my demands of £60k a week and instead they were offering £55k a week. I was outraged! How could they do this to me? Normally I listen to hip hop really loudly, up at about volume 25 or 26 on my way to training to get me pumped (the 28-speaker surround sound in my Range Rover ELITE XYZ is banging) but I was so angry that I could only actually listen to it at about 11 or 12!"As if it needed to be any clearer that Ashley Cole is a cunt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Ah Breakfast of Champions, how I love thee!Call of the Weird is also ace. Have you read much/any of Jon Ronson's stuff?I have no idea who he is. Tell me something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsten Posted March 7, 2012 Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 I have no idea who he is. Tell me something.He's a journalist who has written lots of really interesting (and funny) articles and books. He's one of my favourite people ever. His books are...Clubbed Class: This was his first book and I think it was written when he was quite young before he really knew what he was doing with life. It's worth a read if you find you enjoy his writing, but is just about his travelling exploits and the blagging he did on his adventures.Them: Probably the book most similar to 'Call of the Weird' and one of his best. It chronicles his various encounters with 'extremists', including a charming KKK leader and Ian Paisley (who insists on constantly referring to Ronson as 'the Jew'). It's batshit mental at times, hilarious at others, but really interesting the whole way through. The Men Who Stare At Goats: They turned this into a film that wasn't very good and had Ewan McGregor play Ronson (although, not really, as he had a different name and wasn't acting as a nerdy Welsh Jewish guy). It's about the US Army's experimentation with psychological techniques and new age concepts, ie: trying to kill goats by staring at them. I didn't enjoy the book as much as 'Them', but I know people who say it's their favourite of his so it's still worth a read. Out of the Ordinary and What I Do: These are both collections of articles and essays Ronson has written over the years. The first half of both books are made up of light-hearted diary style articles he wrote for the Guardian, mainly dealing with his family and own neuroses. Very very funny - his son Joel is a child comedy genius. The second half of the books consist of lengthier articles. There's one about that Who Wants To Be A Millionaire court case and another about his time spent with Jonathan King. The Psychopath Test: The latest book, recently out in paperback, and possibly my favourite. It focuses around Hare's Psychopathy Checklist and the idea that people such as CEOs of big businesses are all psychopaths. Again, he investigates this himself and meets up with really mega-rich, scary business wankers and tries to decide for himself if they are psychopaths. Ridiculously interesting book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 I feel I have to give him a read now after you wrote so much! They do sound interesting.I've seen the stare at goats film actually, I thought it was alright. I'll see if I can find any of them over here, otherwise I'll go for Them and / or Psychopath Test next time I order from amazon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murrr Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 The Psychopath Test is currently available on Kindle for £1.99 in the UK. *buys* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flights Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 After my recent Philip K Dick-a-thon, I decided to read some one else. I've started re-reading The Hunger Games to get set for the movie(s). Mintal good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted March 10, 2012 Report Share Posted March 10, 2012 Just started "Dark Blood" by Stuart MacBride, found it in a corner shop for 3.99 so thought it was worth a go. I've read a few of his before, while they're not exactly books that challenge your brain they're pretty fun to read, very noir and with lots of blood and guts. Airport reading, essentially. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaaakkkeee Posted March 14, 2012 Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 The Mrs loves Stuart Macbride books. I'm going to be on a bus journey to Edinburgh on Friday so I should get Choke finished. I'll take the Walking Dead novel with me for the return trip. I think I've given up on Zombie Survival Guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaki Posted April 6, 2012 Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 Now on Star Island by Carl Hiassen. I always like his stuff, he's a good guy.This was a good one for a light read. I then went onto The Wind Up Bird Chronicle by Murakami. I aborted it after about 100 pages on the basis that I couldn't give a shit what mystery was unfolding, didn't care about the character and just didn't like the writing style (and it was about 800 pages long). Not for me but thanks for the gift anyway Moose. I preferred the SOAD album you bought me the Xmas before...I then read God Hates us All by fictional author Hank Moody of the series Californication. Don't judge me because I didn't like Murakami but am happy to read a book by someone who doesn't exist - I didn't want to read it but it was also a gift and my girlfriend had quite enjoyed it. It was alright, if instantly forgetable. It certainly wouldn't propel an author to stardom. Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane was next. This is the latest book in the Kenzie and Gennaro series and is a sequel of sorts to Gone, Baby Gone. It had been slated by fans but I thought it was as good, if not better, than the rest. Some of the cutting one-liners were brilliant and his social commentary was at an all time high.I've now started Glue by Irvine Welsh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsum_Fantastic Posted April 6, 2012 Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 The Mrs loves Stuart Macbride books.I'm going to be on a bus journey to Edinburgh on Friday so I should get Choke finished. I'll take the Walking Dead novel with me for the return trip. I think I've given up on Zombie Survival Guide.Rise of the govenor is ok, you will enjoy it if you are a fan. Why havent you finished Zombie survival guide? Have you read World War Z? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaaakkkeee Posted April 6, 2012 Report Share Posted April 6, 2012 It was just a bit boring. It was like being at school. I know it was meant to be realistic but I found it boring. I wanted to read it before WWZ, but haven't gotten that far yet.Rise of the govenor seems okay story-wise but is written really bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanClews Posted April 12, 2012 Report Share Posted April 12, 2012 Just finished the Neutronium Alchemist by Peter Hamilton, and about to start the Sleeping God.Proper British Sci-Fci, an alien race that causes the dead to come back to possess the living. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsten Posted April 18, 2012 Report Share Posted April 18, 2012 Finally finished London Fields after giving it a little break. By about 3/4 of the way through it, I was totally into it but didn't think much of the ending, which seems to be happening a lot to me recently. Some spectacular turns of phrases, though. I also started and finished James Franco's 'Palo Alto' today. I bought it out of curiosity from Fopp as it was £2 and I wanted to see if it was any good. It's a collection of short stories narrated by teenagers from Palo Alto. They are all about drugs, booze, sex and violence. They are well crafted and nicely worded but they do read a bit like they have been written someone who has taken a creative writing course after reading loads of Raymond Carver... I'd be interested to read more of his stuff, though, especially if he wrote a novel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoonie Posted April 20, 2012 Report Share Posted April 20, 2012 Just finished Murder on the darts boart by Justin Irwin which is his story of quitting as head of Childline to spend a year trying to qualify for the darst world championships. If you're not that big into darts then it might not be such a good read, but I throroughly enjoyed it. Some great stories and situations which darts players will relate to and nice reading about some of the pros he meets and how they take to him. He does tend to be constantly looking for a class divide tho, even when there's no evidence of one, since he's a graduate and worked in the charity sector, but that aside, it's entertaining stuff.Just started on Skagboys, Irvine Welsh's prequel to Trainspotting which came through my door this week. I forgot I'd bought it on pre-sale so i was a welcome surprise, except that it's a hardback and therefore like a breezeblock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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