LeftBack Posted April 30, 2013 Share Posted April 30, 2013 Currently re-reading Mario Puzo's The Godfather...it's sometimes easy to forget that the book is even better than the films and that it has more back story in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Also just bought this and getting the urge to get straight into after reading the first chapter. Set in Leningrad during the siege in WWII. Thoroughly recommended by me. Fantastic book on so many levels. Tale of two total opposites sent on a bizarre mission by an NKVD officer and their attempts to complete it and survive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notbrainwashed Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted May 3, 2013 Share Posted May 3, 2013 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley Read that for the first time in 30 years a few months back. Still thought it was a great book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigolo-Aunt Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Hitting the hay soon - going to start this..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC Posted May 6, 2013 Author Share Posted May 6, 2013 About to start Skag Boys by Irvine Welsh. Sort of prequel to Trainspotting so hopefully pretty good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ortarkod Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 Inverting the Pyramid-reads like one long Lawson post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AWM Posted May 24, 2013 Share Posted May 24, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maiden Gorgie Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 Futebol - The Brazilian Way of Life by Alex Bellos. Superb read so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
superjack Posted June 16, 2013 Share Posted June 16, 2013 Currently re-reading Mario Puzo's The Godfather...it's sometimes easy to forget that the book is even better than the films and that it has more back story in it. I followed your lead and downloaded this onto my kindle. what a brilliant read, will start the Sicilian in a few days once i'm finished with Dirk Pitt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewart MacD Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 I didn't know about this volume. Must look for it. I'll have a re-read of one or two of the others which are around the house somewhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewart MacD Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 I haven't bought the new Tom Thorne novel but will order from The Book Depository if I can't find it here. I'm waiting for the new Ian Rankin and Val McDermid books, which are both in the last stages of pre-publicationaccording to the authors' Twitter accounts. Currently almost finished "Crime and Guilt" by Ferdinand von Schirach. (short stories). Recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Gin Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 Just finished this: In The Shadow of Papillon by Frank Kane http://www.amazon.co.uk/In-Shadow-Papillon-Venezuelas-Prison/dp/1845962516/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top Pretty good. Venezuelas prison system sounds utterly brutal. Didn't feel a great deal of sympathy for the author though as he came across as a bit of a tit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creepy Lurker Posted June 17, 2013 Share Posted June 17, 2013 At the moment I'm dividing my time between Victor Hugo's Bug Jargal, which I'm only reading because I have to for uni next semester but is actually very good, and Colin Bateman's Divorcing Jack, the first in his Dan Starkey series. I'm not really enjoying the latter; it's set in Belfast in the mid-nineties and is meant to be a satire of the peace process narrated by a cynical journalist who gets caught up in a terrorist plot, but its problem is that I just don't find the protagonist very likeable. If on the next page, he suddenly got shot and died and that was the end of the story I don't think I'd give a shit to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougal Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Been on holiday recently and read the following books All were pretty good. Now reading this, 100 pages to go. It's alright but it's quite a book, part of a triology and looks like still an awful lot of unanswered questions at the end of the first book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmfc_steve Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 (edited) Book Description Publication Date: 4 Aug 2011 In the middle of the eighteenth century, British entrepreneurs unleashed the astounding energies of steam and coal and the world changed forever. Factories, railways and gunboats then propelled the West's rise to power, and computers and nuclear weapons in the twentieth century secured its global supremacy. Today, however, many worry that the emergence of China and India spell the end of the West as a superpower.How long will the power of the West last? In order to find out we need to know: why has the West been so dominant for the past two hundred years?With flair and authority, historian and achaeologist Ian Morris draws uniquely on 15,000 years of history to offer fresh insights on what the future will bring. Deeply researched and brilliantly argued, Why The West Rules - For Now is a gripping and truly original history of the world Edited June 18, 2013 by hmfc_steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamhammer Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 It's a slog, I'm not gonna lie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The White Cockade Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC Posted June 18, 2013 Author Share Posted June 18, 2013 Skag boys suoerb . Any fan of trainspotting must read it. Just finished the lost world Arthur Conan Doyle. Anyone know of any good books on rafa nadal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gigolo-Aunt Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Started this at the tail end of last week. Only read about the first 100 pages or so but its an excellent read. Need to get back in to it though tonight - been getting in to a bad habit of watching box sets till stupid o clock with the reading suffering. The Borgias is the recent one..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tian447 Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 Just finished Duma Key by Stephen King. Wasn't too sure that I was enjoying it as much as I usually do with King but I bashed on (not helped by the fact I was reading it mainly at work, and could only read a chapter or 2 at a time, with frequent interruptions). The final few chapters made that book for me. Once I'd finished, I had a genuine feeling of elation and thrill - my heart was going like hell and the hairs on my arms were standing up. It tied up the story nicely, and was very well written. The man is a legend Immediately after spending 15 minutes contemplating what I'd just read, I started The Stand. Will keep you updated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cigaro Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 (edited) Onto Riding Rockets by Mike Mullane now. Edited June 19, 2013 by Cigaro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T.F.Robertson Posted June 19, 2013 Share Posted June 19, 2013 Just finished Duma Key by Stephen King. Wasn't too sure that I was enjoying it as much as I usually do with King but I bashed on (not helped by the fact I was reading it mainly at work, and could only read a chapter or 2 at a time, with frequent interruptions). The final few chapters made that book for me. Once I'd finished, I had a genuine feeling of elation and thrill - my heart was going like hell and the hairs on my arms were standing up. It tied up the story nicely, and was very well written. The man is a legend Immediately after spending 15 minutes contemplating what I'd just read, I started The Stand. Will keep you updated I enjoyed "Duma", also. "The Stand", for me, is the best thing he's ever done. I'm currently 2/3rds the way through this. Excellent, it is! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boof Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 Just finished The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr. Absolutely fascinating insight into the science of smell and the egos of the scientific peer-reviewing community. Luca Turin (the Emperor) is an utter genius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASSASSIN Posted July 3, 2013 Share Posted July 3, 2013 ive had this sitting in my room for years so decided to start it today read 1st chapter and its realy good so far im a fan of all chris ryans books but god knows why i left this one sitting for so long waiting to be read Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3fingersreid Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 (edited) Reading "the Ice Man" by Phillip Carlo about a mafia hit man (Richard Kuklinski) he was one ruthless evil bassa Good reading tho Edited July 10, 2013 by 3fingersreid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Wiseau Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Currently reading A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. It had been bought up by HBO and you can see why - definitely got an Entourage type feel to it, although it doesn't half hammer its points home. Don't think they're making the series anymore, but worth reading, I'd say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The People's Chimp Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 (edited) Skag boys suoerb . Any fan of trainspotting must read it. I've had the hardback sitting since the week it was released, not been that arsed to start but seems that's my loss. Edited July 10, 2013 by The People's Chimp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 I've had the hardback sitting since the week it was released, not been that arsed to start but seems that's my loss. It's nothing groundbreaking, but it really gives quite a good understanding into how young, unemployed, working class guys in the 80's were struggling in Thatcher's Britain and turning to skag for an escape. If you are a fan of Trainspotting you'll enjoy seeing how the characters developed into what they eventually became. Renton was a clever ***** who went to uni in Aberdeen (don't have to be clever to do that amirite) etc and it shows how easy it was back then for young guys to slip into oblivion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Private Womble Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 J P Donleavey - The Ginger Man Put it down for ages as I found it quite a hard read, now I can't put it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpie Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Finished recently Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, amazing story of survival during WW2. Finishing this morning David Baldacci latest The Hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Gin Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Marching Powder by Rusty Young. Fascinating insight to life in an utterly bizarre Bolivian Prison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwidoug Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I haven't bought the new Tom Thorne novel but will order from The Book Depository if I can't find it here. I'm waiting for the new Ian Rankin and Val McDermid books, which are both in the last stages of pre-publicationaccording to the authors' Twitter accounts. Currently almost finished "Crime and Guilt" by Ferdinand von Schirach. (short stories). Recommended. Book Depository is great. I've bought around 20 books from them this year and just ordered two more. Just finished re-reading No Mean City and starting Chic Murray's book, both via the BD. A Town Like Alice for afters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 What is the book depository? After trying out a kindle etc, I've come to the conclusion you just can't beat a proper book in your hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tazio Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 J P Donleavey - The Ginger Man Put it down for ages as I found it quite a hard read, now I can't put it down. Once you get into his writing style it gets easier. He is a seriously sick guy though. The Beastly Beatitudes Of Balthazar B is s good one of his. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Private Womble Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Once you get into his writing style it gets easier. He is a seriously sick guy though. The Beastly Beatitudes Of Balthazar B is s good one of his. I'll put that on my list. 20 000 leagues under the sea, is next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cigaro Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 What is the book depository? After trying out a kindle etc, I've come to the conclusion you just can't beat a proper book in your hand. Website. Bought a few from there and always been pretty impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jambo1980 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I'm just about to start Ian Rankin's A Question Of Blood. I've read 14 of the Rebus books so far this year (including one of the short stories books) and am really enjoying them. Good characters, good stories and it's nice to have a reminder of home. Have also read Walter Isacsson's Steve Jobs, Neil Young's Waging Heavy Peace and Argo so far this year - all good reads. The best book I read last year was Stephen King's 11/22/63. It's the only one of his books I've read so I may read some more of his work once I've finished the Rebus books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 Absolutely loved this. Can't help but read Vito as Marlon Brando and Sonny as James Caan. Really fleshes out the Luca Brasi character too. I suggest that the film be made by Tarantino. Next up: then and Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorgiewave Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I'm just about to start Ian Rankin's A Question Of Blood. I've read 14 of the Rebus books so far this year (including one of the short stories books) and am really enjoying them. Good characters, good stories and it's nice to have a reminder of home. Have also read Walter Isacsson's Steve Jobs, Neil Young's Waging Heavy Peace and Argo so far this year - all good reads. The best book I read last year was Stephen King's 11/22/63. It's the only one of his books I've read so I may read some more of his work once I've finished the Rebus books. What did you like about it? I'm 134 pages in and struggling to get into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Just finished "Utopia" by Thomas More It's one of those classic books that is referred to far more than it's read but it's actually extremely readable, witty and concise. It was published in 1516 but because it was written in Latin modern readers can enjoy it translated into modern English as opposed to slogging through archaic Tudor English. I've just started "The Black Swan" and it looks good so far although it might be heavy going. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Swan_(Taleb_book) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamboX2 Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Just finished "Utopia" by Thomas More It's one of those classic books that is referred to far more than it's read but it's actually extremely readable, witty and concise. It was published in 1516 but because it was written in Latin modern readers can enjoy it translated into modern English as opposed to slogging through archaic Tudor English. I've just started "The Black Swan" and it looks good so far although it might be heavy going. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Swan_(Taleb_book) I read Utopia as part of my advanced higher english dissertation. Compared the concept of utopia with the dystopias of Brave New World and 1984. A strange book, at the time i struggled with it. Its great how Utopia means "no place" and the travellers name means "no man" (i think). If you are interested in that utopia/dystopia stuff try News From Nowhere by William Morris. Set in 21st century Britain. Was wondering, has anyone read Behind the Iron Curtain by Johnathon Wilson, considering it. Worth a read? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Getintaethem Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 The Forgotten Highlander is worth a read. The true story of a Brittish Soldier captured in Burma during WWII. After surviving the concentration camp at the bridge over the River Kwai, he was sent to a Japanese "hell ship", which was subsequently torpedoed, after spending a week adrift on a raft he was recaptured to be sent to a labour mine 10 miles from Nagasaki when they dropped the atom bomb. The book leaves you wondering if he was the luckiest or unluckiest poor b**tard ever to walk this earth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cigaro Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Just about to start The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe. Reviews of it seem excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart McNeill Posted July 17, 2013 Share Posted July 17, 2013 Just bought the third GOT book. Really can't wait for the TV series. Wanna know what happens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jambo1980 Posted July 18, 2013 Share Posted July 18, 2013 What did you like about it? I'm 134 pages in and struggling to get into it. My wife had read it and absolutely raved about it, so I ended up reading it too. I took a wee while to get into it too, but ended up loving it. He does a brilliant job of making you feel like you are actually there in the 60s. The level of detail is impressive. You really start to care about the characters and what happens to them. The story builds really well and becomes very tense towards the end. The links to It were a nice touch, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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