Into Thin Air is absolutely fantastic
Books The BOOK thread
- Thread starter Livvie
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
You'll be sp glad you've read it Livvie, I promise, enjoy :-))
I've got a kindle and have never read books so quick in my life, it's pleasant on the eyes, easy to hold and can basically store a library on it.
Definitely try it, subsequently love it.
Anyway, read Fight Club on it as it's a nice quick read - what a fantastic book, witty and disturbing but Palanhuik's writing style is so fluid and enjoyable he conveys the story very well.
Onto In Thin Air now.
Definitely try it, subsequently love it.
Anyway, read Fight Club on it as it's a nice quick read - what a fantastic book, witty and disturbing but Palanhuik's writing style is so fluid and enjoyable he conveys the story very well.
Onto In Thin Air now.
It's one of the most difficult books i've ever read on terms of maintaining concentration. Definitely worth sticking at though..
Did you finish it?
So it's been a years since I read GRRM's "A feast for crows". Has there been any news on "A Dance with Dragons"??????
WTF is he doing.
WTF is he doing.
I'd be very surprised if he lasted the length of the series. Better not be another Robert Jordan!
I wanted a new book, but I found myself bereft of inspiration. I ended up buying 3 books from a waterstones best seller list and I didn't even pay much attention to what they were about.
They were all cheap so it wasn't much of a gamble!
I have read two of them so far.
Sister: by Rosamund Lipton
It is a story about a Woman that takes it upon herself to investigate her sister's disappearance. It's told in a form that switches between the protagonists thoughts, letters, and Police statement interviews.
I don't want to go into the story too much as I don't want to give anything away.
It was an enjoyable read, although I think some readers might not like the structure it's written in with the jumping between letter and statement etc.
The ending is a bit marmite-esque and will probably split opinions too, but it was quite bold for a first novel.
One Day: by David Nicholls
I found this reasonably entertaining, but I wouldn't recommend it.
It's about a will they/ won't they romance come friendship that spans 20 odd years. Things are a bit too coincidental and it takes a bit of a leap of faith to imagine why their initial encounter would constitute such an enduring relationship. I also found the characters a bit irritating at times.
It's a beach book at best, and at the risk of joining Andy Gray and Richard Keys in the sexist ranks, it's probably more suited to a female reader.
They were all cheap so it wasn't much of a gamble!
I have read two of them so far.
Sister: by Rosamund Lipton
It is a story about a Woman that takes it upon herself to investigate her sister's disappearance. It's told in a form that switches between the protagonists thoughts, letters, and Police statement interviews.
I don't want to go into the story too much as I don't want to give anything away.
It was an enjoyable read, although I think some readers might not like the structure it's written in with the jumping between letter and statement etc.
The ending is a bit marmite-esque and will probably split opinions too, but it was quite bold for a first novel.
One Day: by David Nicholls
I found this reasonably entertaining, but I wouldn't recommend it.
It's about a will they/ won't they romance come friendship that spans 20 odd years. Things are a bit too coincidental and it takes a bit of a leap of faith to imagine why their initial encounter would constitute such an enduring relationship. I also found the characters a bit irritating at times.
It's a beach book at best, and at the risk of joining Andy Gray and Richard Keys in the sexist ranks, it's probably more suited to a female reader.
Sister is beautifully written, but I didn't like the structure at all and some people will find it confusing. I didn't like the ending at all, and it wasn't in any way logical or believable.
I see your point. I think a lot of thriller/suspense books and films tend to stretch logic and believability so that didn't bother me much. I was a bit let down, but it didn't spoil the book for me.
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck.
finished Shantaram, decent read, very self indulgent and obviously more fiction than fact, but enjoyable none the less. could have cut the philosophical nonsense and condensed the book to 600pages. The self indulgence is further compounded by the fact he is releasing a second part this year to be followed by a prequel and a further sequel.
Next up, Girl with a Dragon Tattoo!
Fun read isn't it.
Started reading Alan sugars book last night, pretty interesting so far
You mean horribly over-rated?
Can somebody give me a book recommendation? I just want a gripping read; something that I can't put down. Preferably fiction.
So far on my list, I have 'Into Thin Air' and 'The Kite Runner.'
So far on my list, I have 'Into Thin Air' and 'The Kite Runner.'
Read 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' if you like The Kite Runner.
I haven't read The Kite Runner. Both of those were recommendations from friends of mine. I have little time for reading nowadays so if I am to purchase a novel to read in my spare time, I want it to be an amazing one.
Right. It was a conditional recommendation. If you end up liking The Kite Runner, I think you'll love A Thousand Splendid Suns (by the same author). And then I'd suggest reading Three Cups of Tea and Stones into Schools by Greg Mortensen after that, though those are nonfiction.
Henry VIII: King, Reformer and Tyrant by Derek Wilson.
It takes a special kind of writer to make some of history's most dramatic events seem like Rotary Club AGM minutes.
It takes a special kind of writer to make some of history's most dramatic events seem like Rotary Club AGM minutes.
Have you tried Don Winslow? His California Fire and Life is well worth a read. It's a very clever crime caper with one of the best plot twists I've come across in the genre. He is a fine writer who glides effortlessly across the genres; another book of his, The power of the Dog, is quite a different beast, but well worth reading.
Anyone mind recommending me books like To Kill A Mockingbird with characters like Atticus Finch?
Just finished Nabokov's autobiography Sleep, Memory.
Interesting.
I don't mind Nabokov, I don't think he is as good a story teller as some of the Russian greats (Bulgakov, Pushkin, Chekhov, Dostoevsky etc are all better at, say, characterisation) but he is a fine writer with a talent for imagery. He also has that natural satire and comedy that all fine Russian writers seem to possess.
His ability to describe the minute is almost unrivalled though, for example him describing seeing letters in colour was dead fascinating- but at times it is a hard read. His approach to memory is not very linear, time jumps all over the place and makes it tricky to follow. His sentences approach mammoth proportions at times an' all, but he has an amazing ability to always leave them perfectly structured. This, along with his metaphysical, recondite style is probably why I do like him to be honest- despite lacking in some areas.
Not really a fan of autobiographies, but I may try and pick up a few more now. Roald Dahl's Boy might be next on the list I reckon.
Interesting.
I don't mind Nabokov, I don't think he is as good a story teller as some of the Russian greats (Bulgakov, Pushkin, Chekhov, Dostoevsky etc are all better at, say, characterisation) but he is a fine writer with a talent for imagery. He also has that natural satire and comedy that all fine Russian writers seem to possess.
His ability to describe the minute is almost unrivalled though, for example him describing seeing letters in colour was dead fascinating- but at times it is a hard read. His approach to memory is not very linear, time jumps all over the place and makes it tricky to follow. His sentences approach mammoth proportions at times an' all, but he has an amazing ability to always leave them perfectly structured. This, along with his metaphysical, recondite style is probably why I do like him to be honest- despite lacking in some areas.
Not really a fan of autobiographies, but I may try and pick up a few more now. Roald Dahl's Boy might be next on the list I reckon.
the books are excellent, the swedish movies are pretty good too, i´d watch them (available with english subtitles) before the crappy american versions appear.
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.
A great read. Mantel has an unusual writing style which can be hard to appreciate (at first) but this was a fascinating novel.
A great read. Mantel has an unusual writing style which can be hard to appreciate (at first) but this was a fascinating novel.
I think it was Boy (if not then some other Dahl book) that had a bit about a boy being bullied into warming the toilet seat for his senior in boarding school. Not proud of it but I did that to my juniors in school. Mild stuff compared to what the others did or what I had to do to for my seniors but now that I look back what a tool i was.
Just finished it the other day, very good.
Also got the movie from the library, which was pretty good.
On a Swedish kick now, reading the first Wallander book, Faceless Killers. Enjoying it.
Then have the following lined up:
The Sunset Limited - Cormac McCarthy
The next 2 Millenium books by Stieg Larsson
Dune - Frank Herbert
Back From the Brink - Paul McGrath
good to know.
The books are great. The story is still fresh in my mind. Will wait for a few months before I watch the movies.
Currently got POTE, the Odessa file to finish and then fountainhead.
I started watching with the subtitles, then put on the English dub track to see what it was like. Go with the English track. With the subtitles you miss a hell of a lot of dialogue, they're really bad.
Not been reading as much as I'd like to lately.
Determined to finish Hitchen's 'God is not Great' and then start with the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card.
Determined to finish Hitchen's 'God is not Great' and then start with the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card.
I'm taking a break from Anthony Powell's A Dance to the Music of Time, and I'm re-reading John Banville's The Book of Evidence. Great book.
'Sail', James Patterson - Fantastic book, very exciting, incredibly gripping, could not for the life of me put it down, I highly recommend it. 9/10
Next up, Val McDermid's 'The Grave Tattoo'
Next up, Val McDermid's 'The Grave Tattoo'
Anyone read Jo "the new Larsson" Nesbo or Clive Cussler? My wife and dad have just bought me books from each of them and I'm curious to know people's thought before I start.
I picked up a few Cussler books recently.
Pretty decent adventure type stuff but nothing to get too excited over.
Wilbur Smith-esque then?
Not read any Wilbur Smith, so unable to make the comparison, sorry.
was thinking of picking up this book , when u said unusual writing style , is it the way she plays with words or she is not writing in english !!
Hi LLMU
First off, you've no worries about the style of language itself - although the book is set in the 16th century, the wording (and dialogue) seems very modern, without being in any way anachronistic.
By 'unusual', I guess I meant that Mantel's style seems to me to be a little different to that of mainstream, successful authors. Her storytelling is straightforward enough to follow though sometimes (as in Beyond Black) it can appear to be a 'stream of consciousness'; her work might get under your skin.
In my view, she's a tremendous writer and, I think, Wolf Hall is her best novel. The characterisation, in particular, is wonderful. It's a superb book.
SteveJ, definitely my next read then