Gigolo-Aunt Posted January 24, 2011 Posted January 24, 2011 The patent cure for foot-rot in the camps is interesting. Didn't the author die at a football match in Inverness? According to Wiki, he is still alive. Born in 1919, good bloody age. Quote
Say What Again Posted January 24, 2011 Posted January 24, 2011 Read about half of the following last night. For anyone who likes their military books - cant speak highly enough of it. Singapore sounded a complete farce. Almost bought that in Waterstones a few weeks back. Decided to pick something else up, but will get to reading this at some point. Quote
Mr X Posted January 24, 2011 Posted January 24, 2011 It's 'The Big Lebowski' if Shakespeare had written it. It's hilarious and unbelievably well done. Obviously it helps to be obsessed with 'The Big Lebowski' like I am but it's a great read. For example; WALTER "In sooth, then, faithful friend, this was a rug of value? A star in a firmament, in step with the fashion alike to the Whitsun morris-dance? A worthy rug, a rug of consequence, sir?" THE KNAVE "It was of consequence, I should think; verily, it tied the room together, gather?d its qualities as the sweet lovers? spring grass doth the morning dew or the rough scythe the first of autumn harvests. It sat between the four sides of the room, making substance of a square, respecting each wall in equal harmony, in geometer?s cap; a great reckoning in a little room. Verily, it transform?d the room from the space between four walls pre- sented, to the harbour of a man?s monarchy" WALTER "Indeed, a rug of value; an estimable rug, an honour?d rug; O unhappy rug, that should live to cover such days!" Quote
benny Posted January 25, 2011 Posted January 25, 2011 Great read so far,halfway through.True Grit was superb as well.Two classic westerns in the last couple of weeks. Quote
Coco Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 Still reading D-Day, but now also The K Foundation Burn A Million Quid. Not sure that there are going to be any answers, but that is maybe the point. Quote
tedarmy Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 just started the evolution of a cromagnon by john joseph. Quote
Lt.Speirs Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 Reading Ian Rankins mortal causes at the mo, forgot how much I enjoyed the Rebus series. Quote
Grado Posted January 26, 2011 Posted January 26, 2011 Just started First Blood by David Morrell seems ok Quote
Sterling Archer Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Just finished the fascinating Quirkology, very interesting read. Reading Superfreakonomics now. Quote
2NaFish Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 the book of dave. so far i've either loved or hated books by will self, but i'm not decided on this. not as funny or insightful as something like great apes, but decent enough. and whilst the mockney in the future chapters is enjoyable at first, its becoming a chore. Quote
Del1812 Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 The Dark Stuff - Nick Kent. One of the best written books I've ever read. It is about the demons of some of the world's most talented musicians put together through profiles, interviews and Kent's own experiences working for the NME. Each musician has a chapter. Some are better than others but the good ones are impossible to put down. The extensive opening chapter on Brian Wilson is the best: closely followed by Jerry Lee Lewis, Sid Vicious and the Rolling Stones. Quote
neave Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Re dirty havana/tropical animal, can I just say "this" as mine arrived from amazon this morning. As for Hunter, I loved his stuff and devoured it all a few years ago, and as much as I liked the political stuff, I think that (maybe) the rum diary was my favourite Hunter S read. The great shark hunt is a brilliant collection of his stuff, it includes things like fear and loathing on the campaign trail so it's a great way to cover a lot of bases. I'm just about to start the foundation pit by Platonov. I've heard it's pretty dense stuff, and this is a new translation, which is more faithful to the original Russian. With comparisons to Beckett, and a heavily stylised original - insofar as it is redolent of the doublespeak of life under a dictatorship - with Platonov "deforming language" and making historical and biblical references, I don't think it'll be the lightest read... Oooft. Let me know how that turns out - if you survive it I'll probably give it a try. Anything with similarities to Beckett gets me interested. Quote
Say What Again Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 Read it before years ago, but about to start it again today. I was looking for a book to take to work this morning, and this tatty old paperback fits perfectly into my coat pocket. Quote
Dusk_Till_Dawn Posted January 27, 2011 Posted January 27, 2011 This just arrived through the post today: Halfway through this book - it's absolutely immense. Anyone with any interest in Balkans politics (or politics in general) should have a read. Quote
benny Posted January 29, 2011 Posted January 29, 2011 Next on my list. Great read,ideal holiday reading.Now on. Quote
Alan_R Posted January 29, 2011 Posted January 29, 2011 Not one of his better works but I enjoy Cussler. A bit of escapism, they are always a good read. Quote
Marvin Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 (edited) Go on, disappear again. or Edited January 30, 2011 by Mr Nice Quote
elvisisgod Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 Don't know how to put the photo of the book up but i'm halfway through "When pride still mattered. A life of Vince Lombardi" just in time for the superbowl! Its a damn fine read if you know anything about american football or the man himself. It expands a lot on his personal history and career, focusing on his drive and determination to succeed, often at the expense of a settled, happy family life. Reading about the ever-present tension between himself and his son, and the troubled life of his wife makes it a compelling read, as well as the college football & NFL history. Hopefully I'll finish it before the Pack win it all in Dallas this year! Quote
Libertonian_II Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 "Surface Detail" Ian M Banks - another superb Culture novel SF doesn't seem to be too popular on here? Quote
Gizmo Posted January 30, 2011 Posted January 30, 2011 What are the culture novels like Libertonian? Are the quite accessible? Just finished this: Didn't do much for me. Currently reading this: Late to getting to this book, but I really like the concept and some of the startling conclusions reached. It's a good chapter a night type book. Also nipping a chapter at a time of this: Love books on video gaming, computers etc. If anyone else does, Game Over is a fantastic book - and the shows Micro Men (about the Spectrum/Sir Clive Sinclair v BBC Micro/Chris Curry) and Pirates of Silicon Valley (Apple/Jobs v Microsoft/Gates), are both brilliant dramatised histories of the rivalries in the early home computer days. Quote
Sterling Archer Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 Just read the basement by Stephen leather, it's an 150page novella that was pretty cheap so I thought I give it a shot. Really enthralling but I was disappointed by the twist at the end. Didn't fit at all. Quote
The People's Chimp Posted February 3, 2011 Posted February 3, 2011 Oooft. Let me know how that turns out - if you survive it I'll probably give it a try. Anything with similarities to Beckett gets me interested. Aye, I'll let you know, but in the meantime I, er, put it off and started Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, which I've had lying about for ages. Very readable and done in about 3 sittings. Quote
...a bit disco Posted February 3, 2011 Posted February 3, 2011 "Surface Detail" Ian M Banks - another superb Culture novel SF doesn't seem to be too popular on here? Talking of sci-fi.... Brilliant future shock science fiction series. Quote
Coco Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 D-Day was tremendous. Love those soldier point of view books. Did lack enough from the German side, just a sprinkling of comments, so was not fully authoritative. But very good. Now reading Larry McMurtry's 'Books - a memoir'. Not proving as interesting as I thought it might. And also have some John Steinbeck short stories on the go. Quote
Sraman Posted February 4, 2011 Posted February 4, 2011 Stuart Adamson In a Big Country by Allan Glen. Not exactly a biography but interesting all the same. Quote
Marvin Posted February 5, 2011 Posted February 5, 2011 just got this delivered today - almost finished reading Mr Nice for second time so will start my new book when y current one is read. Must say though after 5 mins flicking through the pages there is so much I can relate to. So cant wait also received in post so looking forward to reading that too :thumbsup: Quote
Marvin Posted February 5, 2011 Posted February 5, 2011 (edited) just got this delivered today - almost finished reading Mr Nice for second time so will start my new book when the current one is read. Must say though after 5 mins flicking through the pages there is so much I can relate to. So cant wait also received in post so looking forward to reading that too :thumbsup: Edited February 5, 2011 by Mr Nice Quote
hmfc_steve Posted February 6, 2011 Posted February 6, 2011 (edited) Not as high browed as it sounds ... very readable...if u find this stuff interesting ! Synopsis In this guided tour down the centuries, Richard Morris shows how each new encounter with infinity has furthered the advancement of physics and mathematics. This is a mathematical detective story which is informative and educational. Edited February 6, 2011 by hmfc_steve Quote
Boomstick Posted February 7, 2011 Posted February 7, 2011 Score and More: The Sandy Jardine Story. Quote
Say What Again Posted February 8, 2011 Posted February 8, 2011 Just started this after seeing his name mentioned on the crime author thread. Quote
benny Posted February 9, 2011 Posted February 9, 2011 Just started this after seeing his name mentioned on the crime author thread. Read that years ago and really enjoyed it.Not everyone will though. Quote
Say What Again Posted February 9, 2011 Posted February 9, 2011 Read that years ago and really enjoyed it.Not everyone will though. Only just started it and having to adapt to his writing style just now. It's all very short, sharp sentences, with paragraphs of no more than 3 pages long. There are 206 paras in the book! I'm still at the stage of character introduction, but good to hear you enjoyed it as the person who gave me the book did too. Quote
Commander Harris Posted February 9, 2011 Posted February 9, 2011 Compendium 1 of The Walking Dead (which has the first 48 issues) arrived at my door yesterday afternoon. Couldn't put it down and finished it last night, excellent stuff. Now I need more! Might have to just buy a few of the trade paperbacks to keep my going as don't think the next compendium is due for a while. a lot of people dismiss comics but this has been a really good read, without spoiling anything the writer is not afraid to kill off central characters so just about anything can and does happen. Keeps it interesting over such a long series. Quote
Coco Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 (edited) Been in a lighter reading mood so have been reading the following: a) the 2 Chris Evans autobiographies - enjoyable froth. John Robb - The Stone Roses - and the Resurrection of British Pop. Possibly the worst written book I've ever read, but enjoyable enough with lots of stories I hadn't heard before. c) Couple of Chekhov short stories. Next up is John Carlin's White Angels which I see from a sticker on the front I managed to pick up somewhere for ?2. Looking forward to it. Edited February 17, 2011 by Coco Quote
Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC Posted February 17, 2011 Author Posted February 17, 2011 Story of a couple who try and rebel against Hitler by leaving postcards with anti-war messages all around Berlin after losing their son in the war. Quite an enjoyable read. Gives you a good idea of the paranoid atmosphere around Germany at the time. Quote
Sterling Archer Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 Just finished The Great Gatsby Less than zero Now reading Glamorama Quote
Tommy Wiseau Posted February 17, 2011 Posted February 17, 2011 Been in a lighter reading mood so have been reading the following: a) the 2 Chris Evans autobiographies - enjoyable froth. John Robb - The Stone Roses - and the Resurrection of British Pop. Possibly the worst written book I've ever read, but enjoyable enough with lots of stories I hadn't heard before. c) Couple of Chekhov short stories. Next up is John Carlin's White Angels which I see from a sticker on the front I managed to pick up somewhere for ?2. Looking forward to it. So true about the John Robb book. The best crap book I've ever read. I must have got through it 6 or 7 times when I was younger - spelling mistakes and all sorts in it though. Dreadfully written. Will be teaching some Chinese politics/history soon so got involved in a wee bit of this for the next week or so: Looks like an interesting read. Quote
Coco Posted February 20, 2011 Posted February 20, 2011 White angels was okay. Author was clearly in love with Real Madrid and his commentary on the Galacticos was a bit sickly sweet. My favourite anecdote was about Ronaldo ... when Beckham signed his comments were along the lines of: "that's terrific, he's a great player. And he attracts so many women, there will be some left over for me!" Next up is David Reynolds' America Empire of Liberty - a New History. Quote
Gigolo-Aunt Posted February 20, 2011 Posted February 20, 2011 Recently read.... Currently reading (and its excellent) Quote
Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC Posted February 21, 2011 Author Posted February 21, 2011 After all the hype I'm finally getting started on this series. Looking forward to it. Quote
Boomstick Posted February 21, 2011 Posted February 21, 2011 After all the hype I'm finally getting started on this series. Looking forward to it. Really good series. I've just finished A Study in Scarlet, the first Sherlock Holmes book and loved it so have downloaded the complete works. I'm re-reading The Stand just now which is as good as I remembered and has a lot I missed first time round about 5 years ago. Quote
2NaFish Posted February 21, 2011 Posted February 21, 2011 Really good series. I've just finished A Study in Scarlet, the first Sherlock Holmes book and loved it so have downloaded the complete works. you'll not regret it. wonderful, wonderful stories. just finished will self's book of dave which was excellent. gonna read on the origin of the species then re-read some jeeves and wooster. Quote
Gigolo-Aunt Posted February 23, 2011 Posted February 23, 2011 Started reading this at lunchtime today - its bang on the money so far - really funny. Quote
Coco Posted February 23, 2011 Posted February 23, 2011 Started reading this at lunchtime today - its bang on the money so far - really funny. I liked this one by the same author Quote
Mr Romanov Saviour of HMFC Posted February 23, 2011 Author Posted February 23, 2011 You get through some amount of books, Gig! Quote
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