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Read any good books lately?
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I'm reading the latest Kathy Reichs book "Bones are forever". She's a bit like Patricia Cornwell but considerably more graphic, I admit to sometimes skimming over the gruesome cadaver and autopsy descriptions but good characters and like Cornwell, she writes using her own experience.
Just finished "Swimming to Antarctica" by Lynne Cox - great read and she has done some awesome swims.
I'm a big fan of David Baldacci, read loads of his books but my favourites are the Camel Club ones.
I'm waiting on the new Justin Cronin to arrive...the end of October I think...I'm contemplating sending for the latest Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson - it's the second last book in a series of 10...but I'm not sure if I could be bothered as it's 900 pages long and getting really bad reviews...but it's kind of a "I've come this far I might as well finish" kind of thing.
Currently working my way through the game of thrones series - on book 3 at the minute...the only reason is that our son recently was an extra in the tv series and I want to know what's happening by the time I get to see the show he's in lol.
I'm not normally ensconsed in so much fantasy but that's the way it's going at the minute.
I've given up on Lee Child and the Jack Reacher books - they were getting very formulaic...plus I was disgusted to find that they had cast the midget Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher in the upcoming film - ridiculous!
I have to disagree on Hunger Games - I had to force myself to finish all three, I got a bit bored. Plus the Big Brother/autocratic regime/downtrodden populace theme has been done quite a few times already.
I also loved the Twilight books
Great escapist fun if you were a gawky teen like me!
The most straightforward David Mitchell book is Black Swan Green but I think his best one is probably Cloud Atlas. But you can start with anyone as they're not linked at all.
Are there really new Thomas Covenant books? I gave up a considerable chunk of life reading the first 6 and tbh I bloody hated them by the end. It was only stubbornness and the fact that I'd already bought them all that made me finish them.
I'll add The Snow Child to my list, thanks for the tip
I think the only one on the Booker shortlist I'll be reading is the Hilary Mantel one, but that will have to wait until it's in paperback.
Has anyone joined librarything.com? I joined recently but ended up with two accounts cos I lost the password for the first one and didn't provide an email account to start with
. Good fun though if you like books.
Little Nemo there is the last 4 in the Thomas Covenant series out now http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=stephen+donaldson+the+last+chronicles+of+thomas+covenant&sprefix=stephen+don%2Caps%2C171 There was supposed to be 3 but apparently he had too much to say. The books are massive...and like I say the latest is getting pretty bad reviews...but I'll probably read them to get the series finished.
Just downloaded Winter of the Word on my kindle, Ken Follett, 2nd in the trilogy (Fall of Giants was the first)... it was 20p!!!
Haven't read any on the booker shortlist, but might give them a go... quite fancy Hilary Mantel one too but I'm with Little Nemo.... I won't pay a fortune for it, I'll wait til it's cheap!
GFB - Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher??? REALLY??? OMG!
Not sure about that.
My first David Mitchell was Cloud Atlas which I loved so I would say it's as good a place to start as any - also, think it was shortlisted for , or won a few awards.
Yeah - Hunger Games - not great literature and not necessarily the most original concept - couldn't help finding them compulsive reading though. For me the need to move on to the next was simiar to Pillip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy, and Steig Larson's Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy - I'm obviously a sucker for a threesome!
Sorry too - no judgement meant on those who like Twilight saga (there are 4 aren't there? so that could be my problem) Just really not my thing.
In our house we call Tom Cruise 'Stubby Man'
I'm waiting for the Booker books to get cheap - still catching up on last year's prize winners. Has anyone read the Orange Prize winner - Song of Achilles?
Just finished reading The Secret Race by Tyler Hamiliton and Dan Coyle - utterly gripping, disturbing and enlightening account of the dark side of cycling over the last 10 years or so. Hamiliton comes across as credible and believable, without an axe to grind.
Just started the new Kathy Reichs, love her books. Chris Carter is also great but the level of gore ( justifiable I think ) in his writing makes Reichs look like a Mills and Boon novel.
Nearly finished Sue Roe's The Private Lives of the Impressionists. What a fantastic book! Those French painters - especially Monet! Getting up to all sorts - it's a really interesting read and has little to do with the technicalities of art, just a great human story.
I've nearly finished Itch, by Simon Mayo. Fun read, recommended!
I've had plenty of opportunity to get into 'Game of Thrones' since I injured my ankle as I've been reading it whenever I've been doing my 'contrast bathing'. Getting good.
Yes, it's a real epic. I'm avoiding watching it on Sky just so that I can read it. I'm not sure it was worth twisting my ankle for though
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The other book that funnily enough I can't put down at the moment for totally differant reasons is a book called 'Factory Physics' which is just about the best study on the dynamics of manufacturing systems that I've ever seen. It makes all the usual 'Lean Manufacturing' and 'Toyota Systems' books look like they were written by playschool kids. I know this makes me seem really sad & geeky, but it is genuinely fascinating being able to define problems I see everyday in work in terms of fundamental equations.
I'm facsinated by Poland, especially Szczecin in the Middle Ages & my husband got me this book called Poland A History by Adam Zamoyski (Count Adam Stefan Zamoyski). Harper Press. £15.99. Hard-Back. 426 pages of sheer bliss! Have read it 3 times so far!
I love Adam to bits, he's a smashing lad & added a bit of his own personal Polski humour into the book too!
Read " the let right one in" recently. A book which was the basis for a successful film. Enjpyed the book, not a genre I would pick up usually. will next rewatch the film to see what they have done with it.
Next book will be androids dreaming of electric sheep.
Ben Denis Aaronovitch - Rivers of London; Moon over Soho; Whispers Underground.
They are a good read, not brilliant, not the best story teller but good enough. He doesn't look anything like his fictional cop. The thing I find least believable is the language of Grant, the main character, he's sposed to be London but sounds too much like a middle class Londoner trying to be working class and screwing up badly. The language doesn't flow as well as it could.
http://www.the-folly.com/books/
I like the sound of 'Androids Dreaming of Electric Sheep' I will have to google that one.
Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep? is by Philip K Dick, a sci-fi writer. It was the basis for the film Blade Runner
I just found it too much. It was really hard going, it was like he didn't know where it was going but I think he knew how he wanted to end it just not how to get there. Was actually very dull. Sorry.
Enjoy.
No, no, no! I'm not going to read them!!!
I finally caved and got myself a Kindle. I am now exploring the wonderful world of free or v. cheap books. I've managed to get a few books that I read years ago and don't have any more so it's been nice to reread them.
I still find it a slightly odd way to read though, the end always seems to come v. suddenly. I prefer real books where you know where the last page is.
I've downloaded Les Miserables (free on Kindle) to read again before I go and see the Anne Hathaway film...I couldn't get through the book before without crying (actually weeping and wailing!!) - so I'm not sure if I'll make it through in the cinema...will remind myself on the story first.
I've never managed to make it through Les Miserables - the book - managed the musical though!
LN - having a Kindle has widened my reading - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies being one I wouldn't have bought but quite enjoyed in an odd way
Just reading Stephen King 11/22/63 - tis a good read - about going back in time to stop the assassination of Kennedy
I'm halfway through reading Nabokov's Pnin. it's hilarious.
it's no unlike curb your enthusiasm.