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    What Book Are You Reading?

    This thread is for people to post what books they're currently reading, offer long or short reviews of books they've finished up with, offer and request suggestions for future reading. I'm not sure if there will be much appetite for it, but I've seen it work well in other places so I suppose only one way to find out.

    The nice thing about here is that book suggestions we see posted in the BBV every so often tend to come from a very broad spectrum, and I've definitely picked up some great reads that I probably wouldn't have ever come across if not for recommendations on here. Hopefully if this takes off it will be similar to the Movie Review thread, i.e. a thread for people to browse through when they're looking for something to add to their "must see" lists.

    I've created a Goodreads Group that people might want to join as well.

    EDIT:

    Here is a list of books which act as a good introduction and/or history of various fields of interest. If you have any suggestions to add to it please leave a comment.

    Investing - A Random Walk Down Wall Street
    Money Management - Your Money or Your Life
    Totalitarianism - 1984
    Soccer - Inverting the Pyramid
    Atheism - God is not Great
    History of Science - A Brief History of Nearly Everything
    Sports Statistics - Moneyball
    Evolution - The Blind Watchmaker
    Roman Empire - Rubicon
    Apollo Program - A Man on the Moon
    Mormonism - Under the Banner of Heaven
    Restaurant Industry - Kitchen Confidential
    String Theory - An Elegant Universe
    US Imperialism - The Essential Chomsky
    War on Drugs - Chasing the Scream
    The Financial Crisis - The Big Short
    Relativity - A Brief History of Time
    Zen - The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are
    History of Humanity - Sapiens
    Cryptology - The Codebreakers; The Code Book
    Artificial Intelligence - AI Superpowers
    Technological Change - The Second Machine Age
    Overcoming Adversity - Man's Search for Meaning
    How to Think About the World - Factfulness
    Productivity - Getting Things Done
    Bullshit - Bad Science
    Middle East Geopolitics - The Great War for Civilisation
    US Civil War - Team of Rivals
    Mathematics - God Created the Integers
    Thinking Outside the Box - Freakonomics
    Alternative Medicine - Trick or Treatment
    CRISPR/Gene Editing - A Crack in Creation
    History of Game Development - Masters of Doom
    Last edited by Keane; 16-10-18, 11:27.

    #2
    This thread, WHA
    X can be anything, any number, that is what’s CRAZY about X.
    Because X doesn’t roll like that, because X can’t be pinned down!

    $ Free Travel Credit with Airbnb $

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      #3
      I'm just finishing up with A Game of Thrones myself. I decided to give it another go having got almost all the way through it a couple of months ago.

      At the time I found it a bit of a drudgery due to flimsy characterisation and weak prose, but assume the series gets better or people wouldn't be so wet for it. Having switched to the audiobook route this time I'm finding it a bit better as I find you concentrate less on one of what I think Martin's major weak points seem to be, i.e. his descriptive passages.

      There are still some glaringly one dimensional characters, and the passages focussing on them tend to make my eyes roll or gloss over by turns, but Tyrion in particular is a character that shows a lot of promise.

      I'll probably go for something non-fiction after this as I've been reading a lot of sci-fi/fantasy in the last few weeks (Iain Banks, Glen Cook, Patrick Rothfuss). Was thinking of reading Gomorrah.

      Comment


        #4



        SPOILER
        Her sky-ness
        © 5starpool

        Comment


          #5
          Cant find my kindle anywhere with 3 weeks. Pretty sickened Admittedly this will have no use at all to the thread.
          Pm for rakeback deals

          Comment


            #6
            Reading Derren Brown - Tricks of the mind at the moment and have to say its pretty interesting.
            "Ne jamais perdre sa passsionne...ou s'en, éloigner vite!!!!..EC

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Keane View Post
              I'm just finishing up with A Game of Thrones myself. I decided to give it another go having got almost all the way through it a couple of months ago.

              At the time I found it a bit of a drudgery due to flimsy characterisation and weak prose, but assume the series gets better or people wouldn't be so wet for it. Having switched to the audiobook route this time I'm finding it a bit better as I find you concentrate less on one of what I think Martin's major weak points seem to be, i.e. his descriptive passages.

              There are still some glaringly one dimensional characters, and the passages focussing on them tend to make my eyes roll or gloss over by turns, but Tyrion in particular is a character that shows a lot of promise.

              I'll probably go for something non-fiction after this as I've been reading a lot of sci-fi/fantasy in the last few weeks (Iain Banks, Glen Cook, Patrick Rothfuss). Was thinking of reading Gomorrah.
              I'm on the second book myself now. I wish I hadn't of seen the tv series first though as I find myself just waiting for things to happen that I know are coming. I'll probably enjoy it more once I get to the third book.

              A lot of the characters bore me as well. Tyrion is easily the best and I enjoy Arya as well, but that's probably because she was brilliant in the series. I try and get through the chapters with Bran and Sansa as quick as possible. I'm hoping Jaqen H'ghar gets his own chapters but I doubt it.

              Comment


                #8
                I'm in the middle of two books:

                1 - By the bedside is Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, by Tom Holland. Mainly focusing on the events in the final decades of the republic, I'm really enjoying it so far.

                2 - A friend supplied me with 7 GB worth of eBooks (nice of them to do so!) and despite a shocking focus on terri-bad Sci-Fi and Fantasy rubbish (like loads of Star Wars and Doctor Who titles), when you have over 10,000 to choose from there will always be lots of great ones as well! I'm reading Fragile Things by Neil Gaimen, a collection of his short stories. Short stories are great fodder for Luas or train journeys, and I'm reading these via the Alkido app on my Nexus 7 and smartphone. Not all of the stories are great, but enough are to really enjoy the book; I've always loved short stories so really appreciate those authors who really 'get' them!


                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Keane View Post
                  I'm just finishing up with A Game of Thrones myself. I decided to give it another go having got almost all the way through it a couple of months ago.

                  At the time I found it a bit of a drudgery due to flimsy characterisation and weak prose, but assume the series gets better or people wouldn't be so wet for it. Having switched to the audiobook route this time I'm finding it a bit better as I find you concentrate less on one of what I think Martin's major weak points seem to be, i.e. his descriptive passages.

                  There are still some glaringly one dimensional characters, and the passages focussing on them tend to make my eyes roll or gloss over by turns, but Tyrion in particular is a character that shows a lot of promise.

                  I'll probably go for something non-fiction after this as I've been reading a lot of sci-fi/fantasy in the last few weeks (Iain Banks, Glen Cook, Patrick Rothfuss). Was thinking of reading Gomorrah.
                  read both the Rothfuss ones this summer. really enjoyed them.

                  currently reading Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker. 300 pages in and the story isn't bad, i'd like to know how it pans out but the writing and some of the ideas just doesn't do it for me. will soldier on though, just in case.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by shrapnel View Post
                    read both the Rothfuss ones this summer. really enjoyed them.

                    currently reading Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker. 300 pages in and the story isn't bad, i'd like to know how it pans out but the writing and some of the ideas just doesn't do it for me. will soldier on though, just in case.
                    Read both the Rothfuss books this year as well, really good. Anyone read Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy? I've read the first two and really enjoyed them, have the third one on my shelf and hopefully will get to it relatively soon.


                    Comment


                      #11
                      James Lee Burkes' Dave Robicheaux series = brilliance. Dare I say it, better then John Connolly's Charlie Parker.

                      these books.
                      Official Head Marshall of Waterford Gay Pride Festival 2015

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Keane View Post
                        I'm just finishing up with A Game of Thrones myself. I decided to give it another go having got almost all the way through it a couple of months ago.

                        At the time I found it a bit of a drudgery due to flimsy characterisation and weak prose, but assume the series gets better or people wouldn't be so wet for it. Having switched to the audiobook route this time I'm finding it a bit better as I find you concentrate less on one of what I think Martin's major weak points seem to be, i.e. his descriptive passages.

                        There are still some glaringly one dimensional characters, and the passages focussing on them tend to make my eyes roll or gloss over by turns, but Tyrion in particular is a character that shows a lot of promise.
                        I would have said that GRRM wrote some of the deepest characters I've ever read.

                        Sansa is obviously eye-rollingly stupid, but at the end of the day she's a 14 year old girl. Judging by the TV series I think GRRM was intending to make her a more sympathetic character who is a victim of her own naivety, but in the end wrote someone who really needs a good slap. Jon Snow has similar issues in the first book. He's basically a standard whiny emo teenager.

                        Perhaps the increased ages of all the children in the TV series is colouring your perceptions of how emotionally developed they should be?
                        "I can’t find anyone who agrees with what I write or think these days, so I guess I must be getting closer to the truth." - Hunter S. Thompson

                        Comment


                          #13
                          ...
                          "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Currently reading "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster. My wife told me I had been neglected by my parents since this was never read to me as a child. I must say it's a great children's book.
                            "I can’t find anyone who agrees with what I write or think these days, so I guess I must be getting closer to the truth." - Hunter S. Thompson

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide to... View Post
                              Reading Nate Silver's The Signal and The Noise at the moment. About predicting events. Easily the best book i've read in ages. Highly recommend it.
                              Very sharp guy. Posted a bunch on 2p2 back in the day.

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Originally posted by ionapaul View Post
                                I'm in the middle of two books:

                                1 - By the bedside is Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, by Tom Holland. Mainly focusing on the events in the final decades of the republic, I'm really enjoying it so far.
                                Ha, I have Rubicon beside my bed for the last few weeks as well! Really must get around to reading it, I hear it's great.

                                Originally posted by shrapnel View Post
                                read both the Rothfuss ones this summer. really enjoyed them.

                                currently reading Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker. 300 pages in and the story isn't bad, i'd like to know how it pans out but the writing and some of the ideas just doesn't do it for me. will soldier on though, just in case.
                                Yeah I really enjoyed the first half of The Name of the Wind but thought it stuttered a lot in the second half. I heard it took him four more years to release the second one after that and since there isn't even a projection of when the third is due out yet I'm tempted to hold fire on launching into the second one for a while.

                                Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide to... View Post
                                Reading Nate Silver's The Signal and The Noise at the moment. About predicting events. Easily the best book i've read in ages. Highly recommend it.
                                Having paid actual money for this I really ought to take a look at it!
                                Last edited by Keane; 02-11-12, 12:23.

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Originally posted by davepoke/her View Post
                                  I'm on the second book myself now. I wish I hadn't of seen the tv series first though as I find myself just waiting for things to happen that I know are coming. I'll probably enjoy it more once I get to the third book.

                                  A lot of the characters bore me as well. Tyrion is easily the best and I enjoy Arya as well, but that's probably because she was brilliant in the series. I try and get through the chapters with Bran and Sansa as quick as possible. I'm hoping Jaqen H'ghar gets his own chapters but I doubt it.
                                  The second book has a good few differences from the tv show, mostly for the better imo.

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Reading Charles Darwin; the origin of species by natural selection at the minute. Amazing to think how ground breaking/controversial it must of been

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Originally posted by AndyFatBastard View Post
                                      I would have said that GRRM wrote some of the deepest characters I've ever read.

                                      Sansa is obviously eye-rollingly stupid, but at the end of the day she's a 14 year old girl. Judging by the TV series I think GRRM was intending to make her a more sympathetic character who is a victim of her own naivety, but in the end wrote someone who really needs a good slap. Jon Snow has similar issues in the first book. He's basically a standard whiny emo teenager.

                                      Perhaps the increased ages of all the children in the TV series is colouring your perceptions of how emotionally developed they should be?
                                      I was tempted to respond to this with a detailed list of reasons why I think the book was pretty crap, but I suppose there's no point raining on other peoples' parades and I know it's well loved.

                                      I think a lot of the better loved fantasy series are guilty of having characters who have simplistic motivations and act predictably to be honest (don't get me started on Wheel of Time) but some of the better ones in that regard are Glen Cook's Black Company, Roger Zelazny's Amber series and obviously Steven Erikson. You should give them a spin if you haven't already.

                                      I haven't actually seen any of the TV series besides half of the very first episode, I suppose I should probably give it a go.

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Originally posted by Downtown View Post
                                        Reading Charles Darwin; the origin of species by natural selection at the minute. Amazing to think how ground breaking/controversial it must of been
                                        Reading the Origin of Species as well just finished its brilliant, I got started by reading Richard Dawkins after seeing him on The Panel one night. If you like that I'd say get The God Delusion as well but read The Selfish Gene first they are brilliant!!

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry
                                          by Jon Ronson

                                          Pretty interesting stuff
                                          We're all mental
                                          People say I should be more humble I hope they understand, they don't listen when you mumble
                                          Get a shiny metal Revolut card! And a free tenner!
                                          https://revolut.com/referral/jamesb8!G10D21

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            Reading Brave New World Revisited at the minute. BNW was always one of my favourite books and Huxleys own perspective on how accurate he was with his predictions and the speed of the change is absolutely amazing. Genius.

                                            Comment


                                              #23
                                              Originally posted by Alanfox View Post
                                              Reading Brave New World Revisited at the minute. BNW was always one of my favourite books and Huxleys own perspective on how accurate he was with his predictions and the speed of the change is absolutely amazing. Genius.
                                              BNW is one of my favourite books ever and though I'd heard of it way back when and intended to pick it up I'd completely forgotten that revisited even existed.
                                              Another one for the list!
                                              Turning millions into thousands

                                              Comment


                                                #24
                                                Originally posted by AndyFatBastard View Post
                                                Currently reading "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster. My wife told me I had been neglected by my parents since this was never read to me as a child. I must say it's a great children's book.
                                                Aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourself there, you'll have plenty of scope for that stuff in a couple of years time
                                                Turning millions into thousands

                                                Comment


                                                  #25
                                                  Originally posted by ionapaul View Post
                                                  I'm in the middle of two books:

                                                  1 - By the bedside is Rubicon: The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic, by Tom Holland. Mainly focusing on the events in the final decades of the republic, I'm really enjoying it so far.

                                                  2 - A friend supplied me with 7 GB worth of eBooks (nice of them to do so!) and despite a shocking focus on terri-bad Sci-Fi and Fantasy rubbish (like loads of Star Wars and Doctor Who titles), when you have over 10,000 to choose from there will always be lots of great ones as well! I'm reading Fragile Things by Neil Gaimen, a collection of his short stories. Short stories are great fodder for Luas or train journeys, and I'm reading these via the Alkido app on my Nexus 7 and smartphone. Not all of the stories are great, but enough are to really enjoy the book; I've always loved short stories so really appreciate those authors who really 'get' them!
                                                  Actually reading Tom Hollands new book in the Shadow of the Sword. Good take on the rise of certain religions fortunes as dependent on the empires of those who worship them from around the 6th century.

                                                  Fairly bloody time in history with the roman empire collapsing and the political situation struggling to find some sort of equilibrium. It is a period I knew very little comparatively about so tempered with the rise of the biggest religions in the world a very big and interesting topic.

                                                  For anyone who has read any of Tom Hollands previous works you can expect the same deep research to come though but written in a resonable easy to digest style for such a complex topic.

                                                  Comment


                                                    #26
                                                    I'm reading IQ84 by Haruki Murakami. The usual madness, although not hitting the heights of Norweigan Wood.
                                                    "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                    Comment


                                                      #27
                                                      Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post
                                                      I'm reading IQ84 by Haruki Murakami. The usual madness, although not hitting the heights of Norweigan Wood.
                                                      What's the name of that Lyndon Johnson book you were reading again?

                                                      Comment


                                                        #28
                                                        Originally posted by Keane View Post
                                                        What's the name of that Lyndon Johnson book you were reading again?
                                                        There were 4 of them. The author's name is Robert Caro and the most recent book was The Passage of Power. It covers LBJ's run against Kennedy in the 1960 Democratic primary, his defeat, acceptance of the vice-presidential nomination, his time as VP, JFK's assasination and LBJ's first 4 months as president.

                                                        The third volume, Master of the Senate, was probably the best. The second is skippable except for the account of the primary battle with Coke Stevenson for the 1948 Texas Senate election. Still reckoned the dirtiest election in American politics.
                                                        "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                        Comment


                                                          #29
                                                          I've been flying through books recently making my way through an odd mix heres a few I've finished in the last few months that I'd recommend:

                                                          China Mieville's Embassytown which was astonishing, strange as anything I've read. That was my first of his to read and I'm looking forward to reading more from him.

                                                          Robert Wilson's Javier Falcon Novels, I really loved his Small Death in Lisbon a few years ago and these crime novels set in Seville are being made into a TV series by Sky Atlantic having enjoyed the first of them I've been through 3 of them and they are very good at what they do just a little bit better than your average crime novel.

                                                          Robert Harris is incredible I've finished the Fear Index, Enigma and Fatherland recently and somehow had missed that there is a second Cicero novel called Lustrum and a new one coming. Compulsively readable and very smart. Only problem with him is that I can't put them down and end up losing a couple of hours sleep.

                                                          Friends had been telling me to read Jonathan Franzen's the corrections for years and half way through the reading it this year I gave out to the lad who'd given me a copy for letting me have it sit on the shelf for 5 years! Most entertaining he has a very witty, cutting and brutally honest view of modern family life. Not sure if it will have the same appeal to the under 30's but he should be read as an eye into the world of the generation born in the 60's. His new novel Freedom is every bit as entertaining and caustic.

                                                          I read the first of Cormac McCarthy's Borderline trilogy, beautiful and heartbreaking, a genuine experience

                                                          I always have a couple of non fiction and poetry books on the go but happily I'm now out of the habit of reading more than one novel at a time.
                                                          Currently I'm on Iain M Banks new Culture novel, for some reason I read them at a much slower pace than most other books its taken a fortnight to get halfway through but it is no chore, so far its shaping to be right up with the best of the Culture novels.
                                                          Turning millions into thousands

                                                          Comment


                                                            #30
                                                            Originally posted by Gimmeabreak
                                                            I want to attempt to read Ulysses. Has anybody tackled it?
                                                            Its well worth it but there are parts that are tough going.
                                                            Read Declan Kiberd's Reading Ulysses its a great guide.

                                                            A good strategy is to read the first chapter and then skip to Calypso and read the next few before going back to Nestor and especially Proteus where most people get put off before ever meeting Leo Bloom.

                                                            I'd also highly recommend the RTE audio production from the 80's its a fantastic dramatisation that you can read along with.
                                                            Our Cousins have access to my copy of the CD's
                                                            Turning millions into thousands

                                                            Comment


                                                              #31
                                                              Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post
                                                              China Mieville's Embassytown which was astonishing, strange as anything I've read. That was my first of his to read and I'm looking forward to reading more from him.
                                                              I've heard great praise for Perdido Street Station but put it down after a few pages because I hadn't a breeze what he was on about. Must try again as he's meant to be brilliant.

                                                              Anyone ever read Cosmic Banditos?

                                                              Comment


                                                                #32
                                                                Have always wanted to read Ulysses but I don't know if I fancy reading a book prior to reading it so I can grasp it, another I am interested in trying is a Brief History of Time by Hawking but I've been told you need a reasonably good grasp of physics to get it??
                                                                Anyone try it??

                                                                Comment


                                                                  #33
                                                                  Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post
                                                                  I'm reading IQ84 by Haruki Murakami. The usual madness, although not hitting the heights of Norweigan Wood.
                                                                  Gave up on that one after 200 pages. Starts off great but goes nowhere fast.

                                                                  Comment


                                                                    #34
                                                                    Originally posted by brady23 View Post
                                                                    Have always wanted to read Ulysses but I don't know if I fancy reading a book prior to reading it so I can grasp it, another I am interested in trying is a Brief History of Time by Hawking but I've been told you need a reasonably good grasp of physics to get it??
                                                                    Anyone try it??
                                                                    I have a lovely hardcopy of Hawking's next big book, The Universe in a Nutshell. It is reputedly a bit more difficult than A Brief History of Time, but even given that, I'm not too embarrassed by admitting I gave up before getting halfway through the book, and I don't consider myself a dummy! I would be wary about diving into anything similar to that again without working my way up to it, i.e. some sort of 'Dummy's Guide' to physics first, something a little more complex, and so on. And those Hawking's books are written for the general public, would hate to open up an academic textbook!

                                                                    Ulysses is no bother at all in comparison. Haven't tried Finnegan's Wake though, nor am I likely to.


                                                                    Comment


                                                                      #35
                                                                      Originally posted by shrapnel View Post
                                                                      Gave up on that one after 200 pages. Starts off great but goes nowhere fast.
                                                                      You kind of have to surrender to his books. They can be very funny too. I'm always suspicious that we're losing something in the translation.
                                                                      "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

                                                                      Comment


                                                                        #36
                                                                        Originally posted by ionapaul View Post
                                                                        I have a lovely hardcopy of Hawking's next big book, The Universe in a Nutshell. It is reputedly a bit more difficult than A Brief History of Time, but even given that, I'm not too embarrassed by admitting I gave up before getting halfway through the book, and I don't consider myself a dummy! I would be wary about diving into anything similar to that again without working my way up to it, i.e. some sort of 'Dummy's Guide' to physics first, something a little more complex, and so on. And those Hawking's books are written for the general public, would hate to open up an academic textbook!

                                                                        Ulysses is no bother at all in comparison. Haven't tried Finnegan's Wake though, nor am I likely to.
                                                                        I think our best bet for a fun and enjoyable way of improving our physics enough to tackle them would probably be watching repeated episodes of the Big Bang Theory, I'm sure if we could hang on Sheldon's every word we'd be laughing

                                                                        Comment


                                                                          #37
                                                                          Bookmarked Malazan Book of the Fallen and Robin Hobb after discussion in BBV at some point, what should I start with? After books 5 and 6 of GOT obv.

                                                                          Comment


                                                                            #38
                                                                            Originally posted by Gimmeabreak
                                                                            I want to attempt to read Ulysses. Has anybody tackled it?
                                                                            It took me nearly a year to get through when i was travelling 10 years ago (and yes, i skipped some of the more abstruse bits) but it was a profund* experience.

                                                                            I'd still say it was the most amazing book i've ever read (and i've had two or three on the go at any one time for 30-odd years).

                                                                            I'm currently reading Declan Kiberd's book (Ulysses and Us - The Art of Everyday Living) and its making me want to read it again more than ever.

                                                                            b.
                                                                            * I cried at the end. Whether it was from the breathless beauty of Molly Bloom's soliloquy or just that i'd finished the damn thing i don't know. I was in China at the time and may also have been a bit homesick.

                                                                            Comment


                                                                              #39
                                                                              Originally posted by bohsman View Post
                                                                              Bookmarked Malazan Book of the Fallen and Robin Hobb after discussion in BBV at some point, what should I start with? After books 5 and 6 of GOT obv.
                                                                              Malazan are miles ahead of any other fantasy books I've read, just be sure not to quit half way through the first book.

                                                                              Comment


                                                                                #40
                                                                                I was tempted to respond to this with a detailed list of reasons why I think the book was pretty crap, but I suppose there's no point raining on other peoples' parades and I know it's well loved.
                                                                                Go for it. I can take it. I understand that it's possible to not enjoy the book. There are a lot of annoyances that can cancel out the brilliance if you find them too annoying. Also a lot of the time it's hard to see the wood for the trees, that's why it's so much better on reread.
                                                                                "I can’t find anyone who agrees with what I write or think these days, so I guess I must be getting closer to the truth." - Hunter S. Thompson

                                                                                Comment


                                                                                  #41
                                                                                  Originally posted by Raoul Duke III View Post
                                                                                  You kind of have to surrender to his books. They can be very funny too. I'm always suspicious that we're losing something in the translation.
                                                                                  i know what you mean, but just lost interest. Might try the French version just in case it is translation related.

                                                                                  Comment


                                                                                    #42
                                                                                    Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post
                                                                                    Its well worth it but there are parts that are tough going.
                                                                                    Read Declan Kiberd's Reading Ulysses its a great guide.

                                                                                    A good strategy is to read the first chapter and then skip to Calypso and read the next few before going back to Nestor and especially Proteus where most people get put off before ever meeting Leo Bloom.

                                                                                    I'd also highly recommend the RTE audio production from the 80's its a fantastic dramatisation that you can read along with.
                                                                                    Our Cousins have access to my copy of the CD's
                                                                                    Kiberd's view of the book, as one for the common people, is what chimed most with me.

                                                                                    Here's a review of his Ulysses & Us book and it sums it up well IMO.

                                                                                    I am very tempted now to try and read it with the RTE audio book which i have heard is very excellent.

                                                                                    Might take you up on that offer SP. Its long though isn't it?
                                                                                    Last edited by BennyHiFi; 02-11-12, 22:26.

                                                                                    Comment


                                                                                      #43
                                                                                      Thread is going better than I expected

                                                                                      Comment


                                                                                        #44
                                                                                        Just finished The Constant Gardener by La Carre. Was made into a film but never got to see it. Bit of a slow starter, interview by police seems to go on for ever...but a really good book.
                                                                                        Reading A Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez at the moment, finding some of it very heavy going. Although the imagery he creates is pretty unique.
                                                                                        Jayzus, Sheila! I forgot me feckin' trousers

                                                                                        Comment


                                                                                          #45
                                                                                          Read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, really excellent series. Highly recommended.

                                                                                          Just finished 16 "Jack Reacher" books by Lee Child, there is a new one but I don't have a copy yet.

                                                                                          Love Reacher as a hero but Tom Cruise playing him in the upcoming movie is a pure sell out. I don't understand how a 5ft 5in guy is going to represent a 6ft 5in "built like a brick shithouse guy.

                                                                                          Halfway through Animal Instinct by James Vance now and it's a pretty smart read so far.

                                                                                          Comment


                                                                                            #46
                                                                                            Eddy Merckx, The Cannibal by Daniel Friebe

                                                                                            Comment


                                                                                              #47
                                                                                              Originally posted by BennyHiFi View Post
                                                                                              Kiberd's view of the book, as one for the common people, is what chimed most with me.

                                                                                              Here's a review of his Ulysses & Us book and it sums it up well IMO.

                                                                                              I am very tempted now to try and read it with the RTE audio book which i have heard is very excellent.

                                                                                              Might take you up on that offer SP. Its long though isn't it?
                                                                                              Runs to close on 24 hours I think the mp3's are 1.4 GB and the RS links I put up have disappeared. I don't have enough free drop box for that but I'll re up to RS in the next few days.
                                                                                              Turning millions into thousands

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                                                                                                #48
                                                                                                Originally posted by Strewelpeter View Post
                                                                                                Runs to close on 24 hours I think the mp3's are 1.4 GB and the RS links I put up have disappeared. I don't have enough free drop box for that but I'll re up to RS in the next few days.
                                                                                                I might get that off you on a usb key or something as well, sounds exactly my cup of tea.

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                                                                                                  #49
                                                                                                  Re-reading the Fat duck cookbook atm, fantastic book for anyone interested in food. Not much of a cookbook to be fair, but fascinating insight into Heston's thought processes. The appendices alone are worth a book on their own,all about flavour perception and how our brain interprets food. Also going through We need to talk about Kelvin, very information dense, but well written.
                                                                                                  Low fee Euro/UK money transfer, 1st transfer free through my referral
                                                                                                  https://transferwise.com/u/bfa0e

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                                                                                                    #50
                                                                                                    Reading the second Black Company book by Glen Cook these last few days - Shadows Linger. Just as good as the first one so far, about half way through it now. Recommend the series highly.

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                                                                                                      #51
                                                                                                      "The Freemasons: The true story of the World's most powerful secret society." by Jasper Ridley.

                                                                                                      Very interesting, more than I thought it would be tbh...reads well as a general history of certain era's also.

                                                                                                      Also just finished reading "With Michael Collins" by Batt O'Connor. A book I had been trying to get my hands on for ages. Great read. Batt O'Connor was from Brosna in North Kerry and became a confidant and friend of Michael Collins post 1916 (having being imprisoned in Britain for being an Irish volunteers member)..his house on Brendan Road in Donnybrook (very near donnybrook fair for those who know the area) was where Collins spent a lot of time during the war of Independence and the book goes into great detail about that exact time. Batt was a master craftsman. A stonemason by trade, he became well known in the construction world in Dublin having returned from America. He built what is now the French embassy on Ailesbury road and many other houses in the Ballsbridge/Donnybrook area of Dublin which are still standing. He was somewhat of an expert at building "secreted rooms" or hiding places for volunteers who were on the run during the Tan war. He became a TD after independence and died in 1935.
                                                                                                      "Ne jamais perdre sa passsionne...ou s'en, éloigner vite!!!!..EC

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                                                                                                        #52
                                                                                                        Just finished the second book in the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, very very good. Think I enjoyed it more day to day than GOT, no boring chapters to slog through in order to reach the good stuff.

                                                                                                        Didn't even get halfway through Malazan first time but will give it another bash soon, there seems to be no middle ground, people either haven't read it or are crazy about it.

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                                                                                                          #53
                                                                                                          Originally posted by Zosma View Post
                                                                                                          Just finished the second book in the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, very very good. Think I enjoyed it more day to day than GOT, no boring chapters to slog through in order to reach the good stuff.

                                                                                                          Didn't even get halfway through Malazan first time but will give it another bash soon, there seems to be no middle ground, people either haven't read it or are crazy about it.
                                                                                                          Just get yourself to the end of the first book. It's a slog early on but becomes an unbelievable page-turner with 2-300 pages to go.

                                                                                                          I'm actually going through it again myself at the moment having got it on Audible.

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                                                                                                            #54
                                                                                                            Did a re-read (audiobook) of Gardens of the Moon with a view to catching back up to where I left off in the series (either book 5 or 6) and ploughing on through the rest in the new year. If ever there was a book that gets better and better the more times you read it it's GOTM. Think that's my fourth time through it and it's just so, so good.

                                                                                                            For anyone struggling through it, keep going until you start hearing the word "convergence" getting tossed around, it quickly becomes a page-turner at that point.

                                                                                                            Also almost finished the second Black Company book, Shadows Linger (Glen Cook). Not as good as the first one, with the whole
                                                                                                            SPOILER
                                                                                                            black castle thing
                                                                                                            not really as menacing as
                                                                                                            SPOILER
                                                                                                            The Lady
                                                                                                            was throughout the first book, but still pretty good. Cook does a great job of creating characters with believable motivations, who act according to them. Sounds simple, but so many authors get this wrong.

                                                                                                            Also rereading Nine Princes in Amber at the moment. Don't know why but it's been stuck in my head to give it another spin for a couple of months so said I'd give it a whirl. Loved it the first time round and enjoying it very much again. Really love Zelazny's deadpan style, and again his characters are believable and interesting.

                                                                                                            Both Cook and Zelazny tend to keep their casts relatively small but really focus on getting that sense of authenticity in their main characters. Both series are mainly written from a first person POV as well. Not exactly your typical fantasy stuff especially in Zelazny's case, but I'd recommend them for anyone looking for something a bit different.

                                                                                                            Corwin is one of my favourite ever literally characters

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                                                                                                              #55
                                                                                                              I'm reading A Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I must say it's really living up to its name so far. It starts off very hard to read, but as deeper meanings are revealed it really comes together. I love how in each scene each character from four different generations seem to be slowly turning into each other as they age.
                                                                                                              "I can’t find anyone who agrees with what I write or think these days, so I guess I must be getting closer to the truth." - Hunter S. Thompson

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                                                                                                                #56
                                                                                                                ...
                                                                                                                "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

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                                                                                                                  #57
                                                                                                                  Originally posted by Hitchhiker's Guide to... View Post
                                                                                                                  Reading The Racketeer; the new John Grisham, as the current light reading. Seems like a return-to-form for him, although only about ten chapters in. (generally available via all good cousin bookstores)

                                                                                                                  Ugh, aren't all his books essentially the same?

                                                                                                                  Reading Outposts by Simon Winchester. Post-colonial colonies. No mention of Northern Ireland though.
                                                                                                                  "We are not Europeans. Those people on the continent are freaks."

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                                                                                                                    #58
                                                                                                                    About 100 pages to go in american psycho. Great craic altogether

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                                                                                                                      #59
                                                                                                                      ...
                                                                                                                      "We're not f*cking Burundi" - Big Phil

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                                                                                                                        #60
                                                                                                                        Originally posted by BobSloane View Post
                                                                                                                        About 100 pages to go in american psycho. Great craic altogether
                                                                                                                        Approachinsg the best bit imo.


                                                                                                                        About to start this one, I've had it for almost a year;

                                                                                                                        SPOILER


                                                                                                                        from the guy who wrote;
                                                                                                                        SPOILER


                                                                                                                        which I liked a lot, even if its exaggerated

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