This Week I are mostly reading (contd)

epgc3fyqirnbsx

This evening I'm beginning Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. I've been looking forward to reading this, I have heard quite a few people mention it as a favourite book lately.

tim_holsters

Finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, a great read and uplifting too.

I have Shantaram lying around for about 6 months now was going to read it next but I might get Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada out of the way first. It's a bit shorter.

neveah

I have heard a few people rave about Shantaram, I've been meaning to get it but haven't had a chance. I'd be interested to hear what you think of it once you've read it.

I just finished the 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. I enjoyed it, it was a good read. I can't honestly say that it stood out for me as the 'best book ever' against some other good mystery/thriller novels that I've read. Have to say though, that Blomkvist is some chick magnet!:cool: I'll read the follow up ones at some stage but I think I'll leave it a while first.

Not too sure what to start next, I have 'Exile' by Richard North Patterson or 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime' by Mark Haddon. I can't decide, I think I'll sleep on it.....

tawfeeredux

Finished Simon Schama's American Future: A History a while back. It started off well, but kinda faded in the last half of the book i thought.

I'm now halfway thru Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian which I was really looking forward to as it seems to be regarded as his masterwork according to a lot of people. Wasn't too impressed initially as, apart from some tremendous descriptive passages, the story wasn't really holding my attention. But i'm starting to get into it now. It's a really gruesome tale though, not exactly summer reading, but then again, it's not exactly summer weather right now either.

Chinafoot

Reading Skippy Dies at the moment. Not very far into it but I'm really enjoying it.

Michael Doherty

Stieg Larsson

AudreyHepburn

Just finished The Woman in Black by Susan Hill and loved it.....very dark and sinister but also tragic.

I'm also reading The Lovely Bones.....it's different to anything else I've read but I actually really like it.

CAZ85

Agatha Christie......... Murder on the orient express! Classic

Busi_Girl08

Finished Memoirs of a Geisha. Loved it. The description of

Hatsumomo's descent into alcoholism and madness and her ultimate downfall

was brilliant.

Up next; Might give Dr Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde a bash

squeakyduck

I went into chapters yesterday to treat myself as I handed my thesis in yesterday. Started reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding. (3.99 in Chapters) I'm finding it quite a slow book to get into....I'm not really impressed by it but I bet there is a plot twist that will blow my mind nearing the end, as many people love the book!

Up next The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald againg 3.99 or Fanny Hill by John Cleland...I'm dying to know if anyone has read this....It has complete uncensored on it...the name caught my eye and gave me a little giggle....Also it's a story of a woman of pleasure! :eek: DURTY!

Whippersnapper

squeakyduck wrote: »

I went into chapters yesterday to treat myself as I handed my thesis in yesterday. Started reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding. (3.99 in Chapters) I'm finding it quite a slow book to get into....I'm not really impressed by it but I bet there is a plot twist that will blow my mind nearing the end, as many people love the book!

It's not so much the plot you need to get into, rather the dynamics of the group.

Shakeandbake!

I've just finished reading Go Like Hell - Ford, Ferrari and their battle for Speed and Glory at Le Mans by AJ Baime. A fantastic book for anyone with the slightest interest in the auto industry or motorsport. The author excellently blends the link between business and racing and how important the mantra "win on sunday, sell on monday" was. The book has a cast of legendary characters like Henry Ford II, Enzo Ferrari, Lee Iacocca, Carroll Shelby, Luigi Chinetti, John Surtees, Ken Miles, Bruce McLaren, Phil Hill etc, men who were obsessed with winning the Le Mans 24hrs despite the dangers of racing and the regularity with which drivers got killed.
Advice - GET IT! 10/10.
http://golikehellthebook.com/home

Ostrom

With a week off coming up, i stocked up on 'things i really should have read by now'. I have Heart of darkness, hard times, a new translation of notes from underground, and a collection of William Trevors short stories to keep me going.

Busi_Girl08

Finished Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on Saturday night (well, started and finished it ).

I was a bit stuck on what to read next and planned to go to the library today (3 of them actually) and load up, but then I started rummaging through the books in my Dad's study and found some good'uns.

Perfume
The Dalkey Archives
The Book of Lost Things
Freakonomics

So I started with The Book of Lost Things.:)

rgt320q

Flying through Bukowski's Factotum at the moment. Enjoying as much as, if not more than, Post Office so far.

Roomic Cube

Read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas the other day in an airport.

2 chapters from the end of The Hobbit at the moment, and then onto Children of Húrin me thinks

Pyongyang

Roomic Cube wrote: »

Read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas the other day in an airport.

Brilliant book. If you're a Thompson fan (like I am) get yourself a copy of Screwjack. That will absolutely melt your brain. Guaranteed.

This week I am reading The Underdog by Joshua Davis. Very entertaining read so far.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Underdog-Joshua-Davis/dp/0552154393

Busi_Girl08

Finished The Book of Lost Things last night. It was good, but the ending left me disappointed.
I suppose I should have expected it, really

and I saw the twist with Jonathan Tulvey being the King from a mile off

, I guess I just expected something different while reading it. Ah well.

Up next; Perfume.

8mv

Just finished three books
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - excellent, but I'm a sucker for Tudor era novels.
The Bush Tragedy by Jacob Weisberg - very good. Not full of vitriol as I expected (and hoped, tbh) but an interesting study of Ws life and family and the back stories of some of the people who engineered his rise to the White House. Blame for the Iraq fcuk-up is shared between Bush and all the dangerous, screwed up people he surrounded himself with.
The Great War For Civilisation by Robert Fisk - amazing. This one is, as you would expect, full of vitriol and righteous anger, aimed at all governments and dictators who have manipulated and exploited people for political and financial gain in the Middle East. This book is quite an epic, so I read one chapter every so often. Highly reccommend.

Now for part three of this Millenium Trilogy. The first two were pretty good - not the best thrillers I've ever read but I should allow for the fact that they are translated from the original. Lisbeth Salander is an interesting character, though.

Travel is good

Roomic Cube wrote: »

Read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas the other day in an airport.

2 chapters from the end of The Hobbit at the moment, and then onto Children of Húrin me thinks

I have "Fear & Loathing" on my bookshelf, must get around to it. I must have a bit of a Beat thing going on as I have "The Post Office" too by Charles Bukowski & plan re-reading "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac.

A boards book club member recommended this book & I've just started it:
"Life's Lottery" by Kim Newman

You have to make various life decisions as you go through the book, to see which way your life would turn out. I'm really enjoying it!

The Amazon review is here:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/0671015974/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

squeakyduck

Whippersnapper wrote: »

It's not so much the plot you need to get into, rather the dynamics of the group.

The ending of LOTF (lord of the flies) blew my mind. Although it did take a long time to get into. I flew through the second half because I panicking for Ralph himself.

Now I'm beginning to read The Great Gatsby, and then maybe after that some Fear and Loathing!

Pyongyang: what is Screwjack like? is it interior stuff like Fear and Loathing? I was looking at all his writings the other day in Chapters. Huge book.

kylith

Busi_Girl08 wrote: »

Up next; Perfume.

That is a fantastic book I really must read it again. The film's not awful either.

emeraldstar

kylith wrote: »

That is a fantastic book I really must read it again. The film's not awful either.

Just finished it! I enjoyed it but thought the first half was far better than the second.

Busi_Girl08

emeraldstar wrote: »

Just finished it! I enjoyed it but thought the first half was far better than the second.

I'm 40 pages from the end, and I have to disagree. I'm finding the 2nd half so far much better than the first. Not to say that the first half was bad/boring, I did enjoy it, I just now feel more engaged in the story now

BopNiblets

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan, hardcore seedy futuristic cyber detective story, cool stuff so far.

Asphyxia

I'm reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo at the moment, more than half way through probably be finished it tomarrow. Certain parts can be fairly graphic which makes me have to put it down but other than that I am enjoying it.

I will probably start to read The Girl Who Played with Fire afterwards, I have a couple of books to read yet so i'm excited now! Happily getting back into been swamped with books

girvtheswerve

Magician Raymond E Feist.

Loving it so far!

dnsmybolix

Just read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompsom, brilliant book very very funny!

Busi_Girl08

Finished Perfume, loved the ending.

Also read Of Mice and Men. Really enjoyed it. I liked the fact that it wasn't unnecessarily fluffed up. It just got right to the point.

Next: The Butcher Boy.

Bagmagnet

Reading 'The Place of Dead Roads' by William S. Burroughs..