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Just finished: [i]Stoner[/i] by John Williams. Not about the Malvern-based shed-obsessive, but a quietly gripping story of one man's lot in life.
Reading now: [i]The Son[/i] by the Philipp Meyer - an ambitious & expansive take on the bloody history of Texas. It doesn't match [i]Blood Meridian[/i] (nothing does...), but very good nonetheless.
Up next: Carson McCullers [i]The heart is a lonely hunter[/i]. I'm on a sustained run of Americana.
Loch of the Green Corrie, by Andrew Greig.
Very moving account of himself, Norman MacCaig, Scottish identity, and the mountains. Highly recommended
Tim Lebbon - Echo City. very good SF/fantasy
The new Dan Brown book, but I stopped about a chapter in and not picked it back up since then, hence the fact that I don't know it's name 😆
terry goodgkind - magicians 1st rule
its kind of ok but a bit annoying and trying to hard to shock and the characters are a bit all over the place im having trouble finishing it even tho only got a few pages, my uncle has given me the 14 other books in the series !!
PJ O'Rourke, All The Trouble In The World.
I'm a militant athiest lapsed Catholic anarcho-lefty.
Which means I agree with approximately half of what he writes, but feel guilty about it.
Inferno? I'm reading it at the moment and to be honest, it's a bit crap
Actually just finished Blood Meridian not long ago. Jaw droppingly good, one of those books that leaves you feeling drained at the end.
Now reading Weaveworld by Clive Barker. He's not the greatest writer of prose, and some of the schlocky horror is a little bit cringeworthy, but he does come up with some great ideas, and fleshes them out well.
Currently reading "The Lure". It's about the FBI busting some cyber crims.
Just finished reading "Satellite Infested Heavens", a collection of sci-fi short stories.
I might actually get round to reading "On the Road" soon. It's been in my book hopper for a while now.
The Twelve by Justin Cronin
The Passage was awesome, hoping that this will be more of the same.
Fredrik Colting - 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye.
The so called 'sequel' to Catcher in the Rye. Apparently there is also a real sequel, written by salinger himself, which can now be published because he's dead.
Just finished Jim Thompson's autobiography [url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Vintage-Crime-Black-Lizard/dp/0375700307/ref=sr_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1380034057&sr=8-20&keywords=jim+thompson ]Bad Boy[/url] which was brilliant.
Now on Joe Nesbo 'Nemesis'
[i]I might actually get round to reading "On the Road" soon[/i]
Keep it in the hopper and imagine it to be as good as it's reputation. It ain't!
The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.
This, an amazing individual, they don;t seem to make them like this any more:
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Edit - oops - sorry for the mahoosive picture.
Of Mice and Men ( the whole family are reading as it's my daughters English this term) I really loved it, I was the only one.
also just finished A Possible life by Sebastian Faulks.
re-read the The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien for the 4th time, still makes no sense but is a really good read. Very surreal.
Wasp Factory by Iain Banks was good, took a while to get into but had a really strong ending.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, a short book, but a tough read, well worth sticking with, gives you a real feel for the way the Europeans "helped" westernise the African nations...
Hundred Year Old Man looks a good read.. might check that out.
The psychopath test by Jon Ronson, loved it!!!!!!
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I read a possible life by Sebastien Faulkes a while ago. Couldn't stop thinking about the last story for weeks. Absolutely heart wrenching.
It was amazing that they were so differently written.
I've found everything by Faulkes to be excellent. Others I've read are Birdsong and Engleby.
Everything I can get hold of regarding office design and temporary architecture and tents (thesis :?).
also, The Metronomic Society by Michael Young.
R W Carter - Spitting Tubes and the Point of Fire
To quote the website "A Spinal Tap makeover of North Shore, Spitting Tubes and the Point of Fire is an illustrated 435 page novel that plays with what being an eager newcomer is really like..."
http://spittingtubes.co.uk
A mate's 1st novel only 100 pages in and it's had me creasing.
[url= http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3761/9917084704_4ec1de8f88.jp g" target="_blank">
I actually have bought it as it was in a charity shop and want to see what crap he was writing. At least the Welsh air ambulance got a few quid from his book.
Just finished The Long Earth, Pratchett/Baxter. Interesting, funny but a bit rambling. Will be scouring the shelves for something else tonight. Am thinking historical.
sir bradley wiggins - 'my time' and about to start simon king - wild life
Been reading a few Denis Johnson books recently - currently on [i]Already Dead[/i]. Very good - although it doesn't have the wow factor of the shorter stuff I've read from him.
Have Pynchon's [i]Bleeding Edge[/i] waiting for me at the post office depot. Looks to be a very timely novel - the high priest of paranoia weighs in just when we've learned they really are watching our every move. Didn't really care for his last one and wasn't sure he'd write another novel, so interested to see what form he is in.
Lee childs 2nd jack reacher book.
Just read Douglas Adams' Last Chance to See and now reading Mark Cowardine's follow-up.
CaptainFlashheart - Member
Just finished The Long Earth, Pratchett/Baxter. Interesting, funny but a bit rambling.
The Long War's a very good follow-up. Looking forward to the new Discworld book (Raising Steam) that's due out soon.
Pick me up
It's a really really* bad romcom about a girl working in a coffee shop, the title right, it's pick me up as in cofffee AND at the same time about sweeping someone off their feet....yeah it's pretty much at that sort of level...
* did I say it was bad?
Just started The Wasp Factory. Only a couple of chapters in but struggling to get into it tbh.
Stick with it.
Honestly, it'll all make so much sense when you finish it.
Northumbria - History and Identity 547-2000. Edited by Robert Colls.
Im reading "The World Was My Lobster" by George Cole - i love a auto biography i does?
The Chimp Paradox, in the hope it will make me a technical riding god (or just an improvement)
Just finished one about Pablo Escobar written by his brother. Was £2 in HMV and it was amazing reading.
I'm on book 3 of "the many coloured land/saga of the exiles" by Julian May. Don't really know how/why I got this far - I'm not that into it. Too many thinly drawn characters, holes in the plot line etc etc but I'm not giving up now I've got this far.
World War Z - finding it pretty awesum (worth noting that it is [u]nothing[/u] like the movie)
Just finished the Twelve that Coyote has started, it was OK but took a while to get going, not as gripping as the passage.
Reading Caingorm John about autobiography now which is really interesting account of Mountain Rescue.
The modern antiquarian by Julian Cope
A quite astonishing book actually. I've had it for years and had left it under a pile of other books until I unearthed it a few days ago. I'm not entirely sure about how to describe it but I reckon it's essential reading for anyone who feels at home in our landscape.
I quite liked those books in a not-really-sure why fashion, read a few of the next series as well. She definitely did something right to get the pages turning - the story's a bit different I guess.thepurist - MemberI'm on book 3 of "the many coloured land/saga of the exiles" by Julian May. Don't really know how/why I got this far - I'm not that into it. Too many thinly drawn characters, holes in the plot line etc etc but I'm not giving up now I've got this far.
Pies and Predjudice at roughly one page per poo.
i had need to be discussing the modern amtiquarian just yesterday. a firm, if somewhat frustrating, favourite in our house.
i'm reading oliver statler's japanese inn which i'd never heard of but a mate gave me a loan of. i can now give simple explanation of the meiji restoration. hurrah!
Mountains Of My Life - Walter Bonatti
Black Swan Green by David Mitchell (not the one off the telly), it is [i]epic[/i].
I loved The Wasp Factory but as the pages of review excerpts at the front testify it's not for everyone.
Just read Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the Worlds Fittest Men, and Discovering myself, by Rich Roll. Sounds like a Singletracker! Unreal what people can do.
Now onto Stephen King 'Joyland' which is great.
Wasp Factory is the absolute definition of "not for everyone" 😆 Still, could be worse, could be Dead Air- not for anyone.
Working through David Brin's first Uplift trilogy, was a Kindle offer a little while back, I thought "Wonder why I've never read any of this". Turns out I'd already read the first one, Sundiver, I just forgot absolutely everything about it. But it's pretty good, bit slow and draggy but otherwise really enjoying it.
Long Earth next I think.
Just Read:
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Reading Now:
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Next Read:
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On holiday, so just chewed my way through a nice, lightweight read - emergency amazon purchase. "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" or something. A surprisingly emotional twist at the end though! 😳
Loving the Long Earth books.. I can't put 'em down.. Probably a bit over CFH's head I imagine..
Not long finished Dan Brown - The Lost Symbol. Utter tosh. Only read it because it was a present from The Wife.
Waiting for the latest Mo Hayder book to arrive from Amazon. Also looking forward to Raising Steam by Pratchett.
Eight(seven+1) loch of the green corrie is one of greigs best. I am reading Amandas Bed by John Aberdein on the strength of a good review from greig.
Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton. Darkly humorous, the final headline feeling like a punchline to a very long joke.
legend - Member
World War Z - finding it pretty awesum (worth noting that it is nothing like the movie)POSTED 2 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST
Defo agree. Not a zombie fan really, but that was a great book. Great style and premise for story telling
'Wasted' by Mark Johnson. True story of his wasted (in more ways than one) life with drug abuse.
Just read: Coetzee's [i]The Childhood of Jesus[/i].
Just started: Lowry's [i]Under the Volcano[/i].
Next up: Pynchon's [i]Bleeding Edge[/i].
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Praesagium-ebook/dp/B00E7Z6QEI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375251573&sr=8-1&keywords=praesagium ]Praesagium[/url] 😉
Just made a start on the first Wheel of Time book,The Eye of the World.
If it doesn't get better soon it's going in the bin
Very glad rogerthecat mentioned PLF. He was an amazing man!
An Adventure is very good. I'm just about to start The Broken Road in the next few minutes. It will make more sense if you have read A Time Of Gifts and Between The Woods And The Wayer first, though.
Just finish and enjoyed 'The world versus Alex Woods' by Gavin Extence. Reminded me of Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night.
PG Woodhouse and Blandings at the moment.
Iain M Banks Surface Detail, master of the grand
I've not long finished reading (over a period of time) the Peter May [i]Lewis Trilogy[/i] [[i]The Black House / The Lewis Man / The Chessmen[/i]]. Easy reading but he really immerses you into the landscape of the Outer Hebrides with his writing.
Mrs Pondo persuaded me to start The Storyteller by Jodi Piccoult, and d'you know what? It weren't bad at all! 🙂
Jaw droppingly good, one of those books that leaves you feeling drained at the end.
Hell, yes! I pretty much had to lie down.
sausagefingers - MemberJust made a start on the first Wheel of Time book,The Eye of the World.
If it doesn't get better soon it's going in the bin
Run while you still can. It gets better, then it starts repeating itself, then it gets worse, then it's intermittantly good and terrible depending on which character it's following, then it's all terrible again, but perfectly timed so at the exact point it becomes incredibly awful, you've invested so much time and frankly bloody hard work in the series that you can't walk away. It's like a bad marriage, you read the next 4 or 5 (enormous, pointless) books basically for the sake of the kids. And the worst thing is, when it's good, it's actually pretty damn good, which drives home just how piss-awful it is all the rest of the time.
On the plus side, eventually he dies, and then Brandon Sanderson takes over and makes it all better. Not to mention [i]shorter[/i]. I think the lesson here is clear, we must kill George RR Martin.
Just started Cronin's The Passage, well behind everyone else on the thread, not my usual choice of read but g/f & brother rave about it. Having just finished 5 of Fforde's Thursday series, which is light hearted daftness, it's a bit darker 😯
I'm about half way through The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson which is very funny, once you get into it.