uberman Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Grass - Phil Sparrowhawk 10/10 The author started out working as a bookie in his dad's shop and went on to become a successful bookie, gambler and business man with contacts in the far east, he then met Howard Marks who he successfuly smuggled hashish for on various occasions, he became so good at it and made to many contacts that Howard Marks ended up going through the author to set up his own deals! He also owned numerous legit businesses and tells off meeting Royalty, Mother Theresa and of Manchester United players visiting one of his brothels to enjoy the facilities, he became number 2 on the FBI's most wanted list and was eventually caught in the middle of a large deal in Thailand and sent down for a few years. Fast paced, very funny and highly entertaing, one of the best books I have ever read. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uberman Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 brilliant book, the memoirs of a prison executioner, the author was responsible for executing 55 criminals in Thailands Bang Kwang (Bangkok Hilton) prison, he tells of the crimes the executed commited, his opinions of it and the emotions he went through as he pulled the trigger to end their lives. 10/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungo Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Just finished reading "I am legend" by Richard Matheson. Pretty good , very different from the movie that it spawned.Felt I sould read it after hearing that the film ruined the story...and it did , - in the movie the main character is an all action hero who saves the world,but in the book he is a pisshead who is completely bonkers! Quite good - 7/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel Hutchwright Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Richard Ford ~ A Piece Of My Heart This is the debut novel of the author who subsequently won the Pulitzer Prize for the novel Independence Day. It follows 2 characters who eventually coverge on an uncharted island on the Mississippi; one who's travelled from California in pursuit of a destructive passion for a former flame (she's a bit of a lady), and the other who's travelled from Chicago because he's suffering from some form of ennui and has recently dropped out of his law studies whilst on the verge of completing them and starting practice. The focus of the novel alternates between these two characters but I thought the former was far stronger and I found it difficult to really care about the latters depression. The secondary characters are great though, in particular Mr Lamb the curmudgeonly old so and so who organises turkey hunts on the island. I'm a big fan of Fords later novels but this isn't quite of the same calibre, and I thought it showed that he'd yet to develop into the novelist he later became. It's still a really good read though. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bring Back Paddy Flannery Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 i've made a promise to myself that i will read some more classic novels. it really helps when you study journlism. just finished the catcher in the rye by j.d salinger which was surprisingly good. i felt that it was a little short and at some points i found it hard to relate to the character of holden caulfield. it's a shame that salinger never allowed this to be made into a film as it has the potential to be a huge hit. just started on trainspotting which at first i found a little awkward as it is written in the sighthill ned dialect. after a couple of chapters i'm starting to get used to it and finding it hard to put the book down. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Half A Person Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Just finished reading 'The Exception' as recommended by ICTChris and I thought it was pretty good, although it didn't really live up to its billing as a 'thriller'. As an examination of workplace psychology and relationships, I thought it was brilliant and showed how easy it can be to get unconciously drawn into the circle of bullying despite good intentions . However, I couldn't really warm to any of the characters -I felt they were all generally quite cold; whether that's in spite of or because of their complexity, or a consequence of translation or the Danish character, I dunno. Also read 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak, which is my favourite read of the year so far. It's very much a book lover's book- one to read curled up on the couch. It's fucking heartbreaking though, but I recommend it highly. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Scorpio Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 Finished Tim Lovejoy on Football yesterday. I very enjoyable and amusing read throughout. Would recommend it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Half A Person Posted March 11, 2008 Share Posted March 11, 2008 Christine Falls by Benjamin Black (a pseudonym of John Banville) I thought this was a decent read - a 'serious' crime novel which provided a lot of evocative imagery and carefully constructed intrigue, but little in the way of thrills.It's set in 1950's Dublin and features drunken poets, smoky bars, goldhearted whores and dimwitted henchmen; all the usual hallmarks of a crime novel, however this one displays a bit more literary pretension than is necessary. Some parts are so swamped with melancholy introspection I skipped paragraphs without missing anything. The characters are sparsely sketched and the minor players seem a touch cliched, however, the plot (nonexistent in much of Banville's other work) is clever and elaborate although the 'twist' is obvious from a third into the book. A decent read, as I said, good if you want a 'slow-burner'. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uberman Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Cullen Thomas - Brother one cell 3/10 The author thought it would be a good idea to post a kilo of hash from the Phillipines to South Korea, where he worked as as an english, it wasn't a good idea as he was caught by the police as he collected it from the Post Office and sentence to 4 years in prison. Not a lot seemed to happen in prison, he worked, served his time and was released, a bit boring compared to the other prisoners abroad books I've read 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Half A Person Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Cullen Thomas - Brother one cell 3/10The author thought it would be a good idea to post a kilo of hash from the Phillipines to South Korea, where he worked as as an english, it wasn't a good idea as he was caught by the police as he collected it from the Post Office and sentence to 4 years in prison. Not a lot seemed to happen in prison, he worked, served his time and was released, a bit boring compared to the other prisoners abroad books I've read What, no bum rape! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uberman Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 What, no bum rape! No bum rape, no beatings, no drug taking. The only amusing part was when he told of a prisoner who cut a hole in his mattress and put moisturising cream in it and shagged it 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbhaf Posted March 12, 2008 Share Posted March 12, 2008 Also read 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak, which is my favourite read of the year so far. It's very much a book lover's book- one to read curled up on the couch. It's fucking heartbreaking though, but I recommend it highly. I would back up that recommendation, I really enjoyed The Book Thief as well. Although I struggled with the idea of Death being the narrator, kept picturing Death from Bill and Ted... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Half A Person Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 (edited) Just finished ' A Quiet Belief In Angels' by RJ Ellory. This, quite simply, has all the hallmarks of a classic. It's probably one of the best books I've read. I was staggered to find out it was an English author because he brings to life 1940's Georgia. From the first page I was hooked and read this in two days. If you like 'To Kill A Mockingbird' or even films like Stand By Me, then you'll love this. The tone and indeed , setting, brings to mind Steinbeck - and that is not an crazy comparison- it's that good.The feel of it, the plotting , the characterisation...words cannot describe how brilliant this book is. Ostensibly, it's a murder mystery seen through the eyes of a young boy who, as he grows older, witnesses more and more killings, but when you read it you realise it's so much more than that - it's the story of his life and how the killings shape who he is. The only reservation I had about it was that the last 'twist' seems a bit tacked on and clumsy. I would have preferred not knowing to the way the killer was revealed. However this does not detract from what I feel is an amazing novel. A must read. Edited March 13, 2008 by halfaperson 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uberman Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 (edited) 10/10 7 years in Venezuela's prison system, tremendous read. untitled.bmp Edited March 24, 2008 by uberman 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnash Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. It starts badly as Dawkins fails miserably to justify his position as an atheist. In fact, on several occasions he contradicts himself by admitting that the existence of god is not disprovable. After getting through the first few chapters (which confirmed my own beliefs as a PAP agnostic) he gets on to what he's very good at - taking religion to pieces. This part of the book is enlightening, shocking and funny. 7/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monster Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Reading 'Calcio' by John Foot. It's a history of Italian Football and it's culture from the beginning to the present day, and it's one of the most impressive books about football I have ever read. Famous players, managers, owners and the politics of calcio are all explored with rigourous detail and a good degree of impartiality, despite the fact that the author makes clear from the start that he married an Italian from a family of Inter fans. If you like football and its impact on society and culture, buy it. 9/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayBees Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Woody Guthrie: A Life by Joe Klein Pretty damn good account of the American folksinger/songwriter/author/hobo/working class hero Guthrie and his tragic demise to Huntington's Disease. 8/10 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morrison Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Not long finished Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. it in a charity shop and thought it was worth a go - it involves a Holy Grail among other things, and was fairly enjoyable. Coming towards the end of 'Shardik' by Richard Adams now. One of my friends recommended it after hearing I'd recently read Lord of the Rings, and it's drawn me right in. The story revolves around a mythical bear that reappears, bringing truth back to the land, so the people believe. Reading this has taken up a fair share of my evenings and weekends recently. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uberman Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Hello all, this looks like a good thread to plug my ebay listings uberman book emporium new stuff added daily 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StewartyMac Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Currently reading The Ghosts of Sleath by James Herbert. Not read a Herbert novel in ages, and only just started this one, but it's started promisingly enough. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.