What book are you reading atm??

RachaelVO · 05-03-2013 07:42PM

Wibbs wrote: »

Spike Milligan's book Adolf Hitler, My part in his downfall. Volume one. Funny. I remember reading it as a kid. One bit stands I recall was where Spike and a few mates were standing outside a Psychiatric Hospital in Germany around Christmas time, singing carols including one that went "god rest ye Jerry Mentalmen" Spike milligan had an odd and brilliant mind, the Goons and his 1970's TV show made Monty Python look like Terry and June at times.

Puckoon is pretty good too, and The Bible is a giggle too.

Crooked Jack · 05-03-2013 08:02PM

Risteard wrote: »

Just finished 1984 last night.

Waiting on two more to arrive from bookdepository.

Perdido Street Station and The Blade itself

What did you think of it. its my favourite book

Crooked Jack · 05-03-2013 08:04PM

I started flann obriens the third policeman today. bonkers but lovin it. got totally caught up in it during lunch and was late gettin back. i might make a pint of guinness and it my regular lunch habit til its done.

sesswhat · 05-03-2013 08:27PM

The Sisters Brothers, for the second time.

mackg wrote: »

A brief history of time, I would recommend it to anyone who is remotely interested in science.

And maybe follow it up with 'Faster than the speed of light', for a more recent insight into some of the people and politics behind modern physics. It's very readable though the theories mess with your head.

sesswhat · 05-03-2013 09:49PM

honeybear wrote: »

In a lovely chilled bookclub. It's really the social aspect that I am enjoying. Any suggestions for a book that we might enjoy? Historical fiction has been a hit so far. Any ideas?

Try 'The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet', set in a Dutch trading post in Japan, and partially based around real events.

Risteard · 05-03-2013 10:13PM

Crooked Jack wrote: »

What did you think of it. its my favourite book

Enjoyed. Founding the ending a bit sad though it would be pretty silly had it come out any other way.

One of those books you'd re-read a couple of times and pick up more I'd say.

SheldonC17 · 05-03-2013 10:22PM

Just started reading Fabrice Muambe book, good read so far..anyone read it?

Crooked Jack · 06-03-2013 07:56AM

Risteard wrote: »

Enjoyed. Founding the ending a bit sad though it would be pretty silly had it come out any other way.

One of those books you'd re-read a couple of times and pick up more I'd say.

Definitely. iv read it at least a dozen times

06-03-2013 09:46AM

Crooked Jack wrote: »

I started flann obriens the third policeman today. bonkers but lovin it. got totally caught up in it during lunch and was late gettin back. i might make a pint of guinness and it my regular lunch habit til its done.

'Bonkers' is a great word to describe 'The Third Policeman', have you read 'The Poor Mouth' yet?, doubleplusgood bonkers.

Barna77 · 14-03-2013 10:21AM

I finished A Dance with Dragons. Now the wait for the next book

At least now I won't be worried about all the spoilers....

Began with Pet Sematary

Three Seasons · 14-03-2013 10:26AM

Reading "Mastery" by Robert Green at the moment. Fascinating book.

Ush1 · 14-03-2013 10:36AM

Stephen King - Needful Things.

Mr Benevolent · 14-03-2013 11:18AM

My Godawful Life, by Sunny McCreary (aka Michael Kelly)

The first time I finished it I emailed the author to thank him for writing it. He emailed back to say that I was the first reader to contact him about the book. The poor fecker. Great book though.

Plumpynutt · 14-03-2013 11:24AM

A Moveable Feast by Hemingway

Gonna read Cloud Atlas after I think

Odysseus · 14-03-2013 11:39AM

Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare

Crann na Beatha · 14-03-2013 11:47AM

This post has been deleted.

Custardpi · 14-03-2013 12:06PM

Currently reading Tim Pat Coogan's biography of Michael Collins. Pretty decent so far, gives a good insight into the quite rough & ready (though highly intelligent) nature of the man. Amusing to learn for instance that one of his favourite methods for greeting friends was to jump upon them & bite their ears, not actually taking lumps out of them or anything but often enough to draw blood. A bit of a looper in other words.

On the other hand the account of how he constantly managed to avoid arrest through "hiding in plain sight" & the use of his intelligence network is extraordinarily impressive. I'll definitely have to read more about the intelligence work & the role of The Squad in the future. T Ryle Dwyer has a book on that topic which looks interesting.

De Valera isn't shown in a particularly good light so far in the book (at the chapter on Treaty negotiations at the moment), the name Machiavelli being mentioned by TPC in relation to how he persuaded Collins to go to London instead of him for instance, thus ensuring that the blame for not achieving a full Republic (which the British had already told Dev was out of the question) would fall on the Corkman.

Overall a pretty enjoyable read so far with lots of fascinating anecdotes to give flesh to the characters of Collins & others involved in the struggle.

nedd · 14-03-2013 12:29PM

Reading "Wool Omnibus" by Hugh Howey.

"Just finished The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared" by Jonas Jonasson

Boots234 · 14-03-2013 12:54PM

Barack Obama-Dreams from my father

14-03-2013 01:11PM

Custardpi wrote: »

Currently reading Tim Pat Coogan's biography of Michael Collins. Pretty decent so far, gives a good insight into the quite rough & ready (though highly intelligent) nature of the man. Amusing to learn for instance that one of his favourite methods for greeting friends was to jump upon them & bite their ears, not actually taking lumps out of them or anything but often enough to draw blood..........

I believe that former professional footballer and thespian Vinnie Jones employs a similar method of salutation when reacquainting himself with old friends.

Call Me Jimmy · 14-03-2013 09:48PM

Just finished The Doors Of Perception be yer man Huxley. Pretty class but mainly because I'm interested in the topic, really makes ye think.

Custardpi · 14-03-2013 10:00PM

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

Just finished The Doors Of Perception be yer man Huxley. Pretty class but mainly because I'm interested in the topic, really makes ye think.

Great book, very influential. Title inspired by William Blake & in turn inspired the name of band The Doors. I remember borrowing it about 10 years or so ago from my local library. Some previous user (presumably unbeknownst to library staff) had written a couple of paragraphs on one of the blank pages at the start of the book, advising that the best way to appreciate it was to read it while on LSD or a similar halucinogenic & giving some handy tips for first time users of such substances. Being a bit of a chicken when it comes to that kind of thing (I still am) I elected to read it with the aid of my normal brain chemistry only, quite enjoyed it in any case.

meoklmrk91 · 23-03-2013 03:14AM

MurdyWurdy wrote: »

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - about the woman behind the HeLa cell line - the first immortal cell line. The author has focused on telling her story for the first time and got quite close to the family as well as some interesting details on what the cells were used for etc. Definitely worth a read - very interesting.

Just finished these after buying it off this recommendation, a great read, a really special book.

Smidge · 23-03-2013 03:22AM

Custardpi wrote: »

Currently reading Tim Pat Coogan's biography of Michael Collins. Pretty decent so far, gives a good insight into the quite rough & ready (though highly intelligent) nature of the man. Amusing to learn for instance that one of his favourite methods for greeting friends was to jump upon them & bite their ears, not actually taking lumps out of them or anything but often enough to draw blood. A bit of a looper in other words.

On the other hand the account of how he constantly managed to avoid arrest through "hiding in plain sight" & the use of his intelligence network is extraordinarily impressive. I'll definitely have to read more about the intelligence work & the role of The Squad in the future. T Ryle Dwyer has a book on that topic which looks interesting.

De Valera isn't shown in a particularly good light so far in the book (at the chapter on Treaty negotiations at the moment), the name Machiavelli being mentioned by TPC in relation to how he persuaded Collins to go to London instead of him for instance, thus ensuring that the blame for not achieving a full Republic (which the British had already told Dev was out of the question) would fall on the Corkman.

Overall a pretty enjoyable read so far with lots of fascinating anecdotes to give flesh to the characters of Collins & others involved in the struggle.

Haven't read the biography you are reading atm but have read a lot over the years about Collins and others involved at that time and it was pretty much a general consensus that Dev was not well like(to put it mildly:rolleyes:). Dev did come across as a bit power hungry with "the cause" as an after thought at times!

starviewadams · 23-03-2013 03:23AM

Pushers Out:The Inside Story of Dublin’s Anti-Drugs Movement' by Andre Lyder.

Fascinating insight into how the Gardai/Govt/HSE didn't give two shítes about the escalating heroin problem in inner city Dublin in the 90's,as long as the problem was confined there.

Ruudi_Mentari · 23-03-2013 04:13AM

James Herbert died this week (RIP) so it might be a good time to time to break out The Rats...

hey don't fret I mean the book.

Takingiteasy · 23-03-2013 04:56AM

Re reading The Yacoubian Building by alas al aswany. Great book, beautiful story, well written.

ibarelycare · 26-03-2013 12:01PM

A Dance With Dragons. About 1/4 of the way through it. I've been really slow at reading this series but have enjoyed it a lot. Can't wait for the show to start back next week

Has anyone here read The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas? My sister passed it onto me saying it was really good, but the reviews in the Kindle store are VERY mixed so not sure what to think!

Merkin · 26-03-2013 12:10PM

ibarelycare wrote: »

Has anyone here read The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas? My sister passed it onto me saying it was really good, but the reviews in the Kindle store are VERY mixed so not sure what to think!

I rarely abandon a book but I also think life is too short to wade through inane, badly written treacle. I bought this book about a year ago and abandoned ship about 1/3 of the way through, not for me at all.

Finished The Seamstress by Maria Duenas a few days ago which I didn't enjoy. I was keen to know more about the Spanish Civil War but this just lost it's way and the protagonist was a total subwit.

Have about twenty pages left of Tell Me No Secrets by Julie Corbin and I'm transfixed, a really good psychological thriller and I'm dying to know what happens.

Davyhal · 27-03-2013 09:29AM

Powering through the books these days!

Yesterday I read "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson and "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde.

Jekyll and Hyde was alright. I know it is supposed to be one of the Big 3 when it comes to classic horror (along with Frankenstein and Dracula) but I thought it was nothing special. Maybe my experience would have been different if I had not known how it worked out, but realistically, who these days does not know the story of Jekyll and Hyde?

The Importance of Being Earnest was brilliant! Rarely do I laugh out loud whilst reading, but I caught myself doing so a few times while reading this play, especially in the second act. Clever clever wordplay.

What book are you reading atm??

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