kirsten Posted June 10, 2010 Report Share Posted June 10, 2010 Finished 'Cats Cradle' last night. I had some fucked up dreams let me tell you. Very good book though, I'll definitely be seeking out more Vonnegut.Woot!Picked up a proof of Paul Auster's 'Sunset Park' because it looked moderately intriguing. It's not anything mind-blowing so far, but super easy to read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Von Mondragon Posted June 10, 2010 Report Share Posted June 10, 2010 Just finished Yevgeny Zamyatin's We, the first ever Dystopian Novel (or second at a push), from 1921, not published in Russia til '88, very ambitious in the scale of eventual OneState control, humanity reduced to numbers. Bleak, if a bit unreal and unlikely seeming now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damo28 Posted June 12, 2010 Report Share Posted June 12, 2010 I've not read a book since I left school, but my friend lent me his newly bought copy of Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas.To be fair I'm enjoying it, I'm really enjoying the pictures in it as well Gonna watch the movie at some point as I got it on dvd for 4 the other day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth Posted June 13, 2010 Report Share Posted June 13, 2010 I'm still going with In Cold Blood, it's been 10 months, I plan to finish it very soon.I also plan to finish Ali Smith - Girl Meets Boy and Slaughterhouse 5 before the end of August/when I start uni. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarmaTsunami Posted June 14, 2010 Report Share Posted June 14, 2010 Girl Meets Boy is an absolutely gorgeous little book. If you enjoy it you will get through it in an evening no problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monster Zero Posted June 15, 2010 Report Share Posted June 15, 2010 'My Shit Life So Far' by Frankie Boyle, going half price in Waterstones the now...early days but I enjoyed the bit where he described finding an old 70's porn mag with his mate and that the women looked like they were giving birth to Kevin Keegan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidm Posted June 17, 2010 Report Share Posted June 17, 2010 Finally got round to reading 1984 by Orwell, finished it today. Fantastic as expected. Any particular recommendations for which one to go for next? Next up is 'The Satanic Verses' by Salman Rushdie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monster Zero Posted June 22, 2010 Report Share Posted June 22, 2010 Away to start 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' by Philip K Dick, which I have been meaning to read for years and years after watching 'Blade Runner' to death when I was younger. Was only 3 in HMV. Their book selection is doing bad things to both my wallet and unread book pile, thought that had gone with FOPP.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Von Mondragon Posted June 23, 2010 Report Share Posted June 23, 2010 Recent Reads; 'Drug War Heresies' factual stuff about prohibition etc, 'The Cultural/Subcultural Contexts of Marijuana Use at the Turn of the 21st Century', what it says, I can't stand it when people rant about stuff without knowledge, good article on bongs.'England, England' by Julian Barnes, pretty ace, Tycoon turns Isle of Wight into English theme park, with Royal Family, Robin Hood etc, undermines real England, deals with issues of authenticity, identity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3CR816 Posted June 25, 2010 Report Share Posted June 25, 2010 Finally got round to reading 1984 by Orwell, finished it today. Fantastic as expected. Any particular recommendations for which one to go for next? Next up is 'The Satanic Verses' by Salman Rushdie.If it's Orwell you want, Animal Farm is justifibly well-loved. My girlfriend tells me Coming Up For Air is good too.If it's more dystopian fiction you want, Brave New World is good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirsten Posted June 26, 2010 Report Share Posted June 26, 2010 Finally started reading 'From Hell' after buying it over a year ago. It's so pretty... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monster Zero Posted June 27, 2010 Report Share Posted June 27, 2010 Finally started reading 'From Hell' after buying it over a year ago. It's so pretty...Good call, amazing book... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monster Zero Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Away to start 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' by Philip K Dick, which I have been meaning to read for years and years after watching 'Blade Runner' to death when I was younger. Was only 3 in HMV. Their book selection is doing bad things to both my wallet and unread book pile, thought that had gone with FOPP....OK so other than the basic plot premise of a guy hunting androids, the only commonality between this and 'Blade Runner' the film are some of the main character names and a couple of recognisable snatches of dialogue. It's quite a good read but weird after seeing the film so many times, the screenplay was actually a new work in itself to be honest. Now reading 'A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil' by Christopher Brookmyre, never read any of his stuff before and this one was recommended as a good starting point.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gypsum_Fantastic Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 just finished rereading one flew over the cuckoos nest, well deserving of its status as a classic, now reading, Redemption Song, A Joe Strummer biography. Interesting stuff:up: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Now reading 'A Tale Etched in Blood and Hard Black Pencil' by Christopher Brookmyre, never read any of his stuff before and this one was recommended as a good starting point....Excellent choice, definitely one of his better ones. Though I find even his weaker books are still a fun read.I'm getting through Moby Dick just now. Really enjoying it but the little interruptions of the story to go over the anatomy of a sperm whale in great detail are starting to bore me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaki Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 The World Cup has slowed up my reading but in the break days I've started reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It's rather bloody good, obviously. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monster Zero Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Excellent choice, definitely one of his better ones. Though I find even his weaker books are still a fun read.I'm getting through Moby Dick just now. Really enjoying it but the little interruptions of the story to go over the anatomy of a sperm whale in great detail are starting to bore me.Which other Brookmyre ones would you recommend? 'Moby Dick' is one of many books in my pile of 'classics' that I have felt I should read but have yet to tackle. I think I have had it at least 7 years now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaki Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 Which other Brookmyre ones would you recommend? A Big Boy Did It and Ran Away followed by A Snowball in Hell. Don't read these 2 the other way around. The first one has some great references to young guys being in bands and the problems associated with that. The second is particularly enjoyable if you hate vacuous celebrity culture. I also particularly enjoyed Not the End of the World which is set in LA.Edit, what a particularly enjoyable post that was. Brookmyre is particularly enjoyable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted July 6, 2010 Report Share Posted July 6, 2010 I liked all the Jack Parlabane books (Quite Ugly One Morning, Country of the Blind, Boiling a Frog, Be My Enemy and Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks) but I think my favourite is One Fine Day In The Middle Of The Night.A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away is quite good for local interest (Aberdeen features heavily), though the local council seemed to get quite hung up on the fact that it slagged off Aberdeen while totally missing the point that everyone in the book liked the place except the psychopathic wanker that was the bad guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3CR816 Posted July 7, 2010 Report Share Posted July 7, 2010 I liked all the Jack Parlabane books (Quite Ugly One Morning, Country of the Blind, Boiling a Frog, Be My Enemy and Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks) but I think my favourite is One Fine Day In The Middle Of The Night.A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away is quite good for local interest (Aberdeen features heavily), though the local council seemed to get quite hung up on the fact that it slagged off Aberdeen while totally missing the point that everyone in the book liked the place except the psychopathic wanker that was the bad guy.I loved the opening describing a drive from Portlehen to Bridge of Don (if I remember correctly), but I wasn't a fan of the book as whole. Kinda felt the satire fell a bit flat. I finished it though, so I enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaki Posted July 7, 2010 Report Share Posted July 7, 2010 I loved the opening describing a drive from Portlehen to Bridge of Don (if I remember correctly), but I wasn't a fan of the book as whole. Kinda felt the satire fell a bit flat. I finished it though, so I enjoyed it.I find most of his books move away from satire and eventually descend into action/adventure farce more fitting to a Steven Segal film... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkaline Posted July 7, 2010 Report Share Posted July 7, 2010 I'm currently reading The Crow Road for the umpteenth time.I've also just bought The Road and Child Of God by Cormac McCarthy and also Riddley Walker by Russell Hobban. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsen B Posted July 7, 2010 Report Share Posted July 7, 2010 Just finished Skippy Dies by Paul Murray, which was pretty extraordinary and I've just taken the first book from the top of my big pile of "to read"s, which is The Testament of Gideon Mack by James Robertson, which seems an intriguing update of the old Scottish dualism concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vega Posted July 8, 2010 Report Share Posted July 8, 2010 I'm currently reading The Crow Road for the umpteenth time.I've also just bought The Road and Child Of God by Cormac McCarthy and also Riddley Walker by Russell Hobban.Heck yeah for The Road and The Crow Road - tis good stuff. Not got round to reading any other Cormac McCarthy stuff apart from No Country For Old Men which was also good. Will read his other stuff eventually. Let me know how Child of God goes, Phil. Currently chomping my way through Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson. About 250 pages in and they've only just finished the Democratic candidate primaries/party convention, etc. Overall I like it, but there are some evenings where I just don't feel like reading it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monster Zero Posted July 9, 2010 Report Share Posted July 9, 2010 Anyone wanting to read more Cormac McCarthy should read 'Blood Meridian', ace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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