Granny Danger Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 (edited) '1984' and 'Animal Farm' are both masterpieces.Absolutely. Orwell offers so much as a writer.The Road to Wigan Pier and Down In Out In Paris and London are both brilliant observations of society in an almost documentary form. Coming UpFor Air and Keep the Aspidistra Flying are tremendous insights into English middle class life after and prior to the second war. All very readable. Can only think of one other 'serious' novelist and social commentator of the time who is so easy to read; Steinbeck. Absolutely wonderful books though his later autobiography was very, very disappointing. Edited August 2, 2014 by Granny Danger 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bold Rover Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Orwell was in Hairmyres Hospital at the same time as an old uncle of mine. 1950s. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blootoon87 Posted September 25, 2014 Share Posted September 25, 2014 Kill Your Friends by John Niven. Had a bit of a British 'American Psycho' feel about it, but set in the music industry in 1997. Very funny book, apparently it's being adapted into a film with that boy Nicholas Hoult in it. Hmm. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tongue_tied_danny Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 HHhH - Laurent Binet A gripping account of the assassination of Heydrich in 1942. This is brilliantly written and is as much about the author's own fascination with the tale and his attempts at researching it as it is about the story itself. It was originally written in French but has been flawlessly translated into English. There seems to be a few WW2 buffs on here so I'd recommend it to any of them. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ya Bezzer! Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Absolutely. Orwell offers so much as a writer. The Road to Wigan Pier and Down In Out In Paris and London are both brilliant observations of society in an almost documentary form. Coming UpFor Air and Keep the Aspidistra Flying are tremendous insights into English middle class life after and prior to the second war. All very readable. Can only think of one other 'serious' novelist and social commentator of the time who is so easy to read; Steinbeck. Absolutely wonderful books though his later autobiography was very, very disappointing. Orwell's essays are very good as well. Some are actually quite funny (working in a book shop) others are very poignant (being present at an execution). I recently discovered the Partially Examined Life podcast which I have been quite enjoying listening to as I did 2 years of philosophy at university. They set a text and then discuss it in the podcast so I've decided just to start at the beginning and read the texts and then listen to the discussion. I'm on to Podcast 4 so the next thing I will read is Camus' 'An Absurd Reasoning' and 'The Myth of Sissyphus'. The three previous texts (Socrates, Descartes, Hobbes) I'd already read at university but this one is new to me. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMartyn86 Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Ian Rankin- Standing in Another Man's Grave. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmothecat Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Just read part 1 of Chris Bryant's biography of parliament. Readable and quite interesting without ever getting really compelling. Got both parts for Christmas, quite looking forward to getting into the second part. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alert Mongoose Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Reading Robert Goddard's latest. Really is my favourite author. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mighty meadow Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) Some of the recent books I've read ... A Bit Scott-ish: Pedalling Through Scotland in Search of Adventure, Nature and Lemon Drizzle Cake by Mike Carden http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bit-Scott-ish-Pedalling-Scotland-Adventure/dp/0955660211 Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sputnik-Sweetheart-Haruki-Murakami/dp/0099448475/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420540285&sr=1-1&keywords=sputnik+sweetheart North Korea Undercover by John Sweeney http://www.amazon.co.uk/North-Korea-Undercover-John-Sweeney/dp/0552170348/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420540336&sr=1-1&keywords=north+korea+undercover Showbusiness: The Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Nobody by Mark Radcliffe http://www.amazon.co.uk/Showbusiness-Diary-Rock-Roll-Nobody/dp/0340715669/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420540408&sr=1-4&keywords=mark+radcliffe Running With The Firm by James Bannon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Running-Firm-James-Bannon/dp/0091951526/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420540545&sr=1-1&keywords=running+with+the+firm Currently reading ... Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music, Music. Boys, Boys, Boys by Viv Albertine http://www.amazon.co.uk/Clothes-Clothes-Music-Music-Boys/dp/0571297757/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420540638&sr=1-1 Next up it's ... Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colorless-Tsukuru-Tazaki-Years-Pilgrimage/dp/1846558336/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1420540715&sr=1-1&keywords=marukami Edited January 6, 2015 by mighty meadow 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raidernation Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Been trying to get back in the habit of reading again (used to read all the time, but it kinda fell away when I was in the throes of depression) Started easy with lots of James Patterson and John Sandford, back to one a day with these, so time to try something with more "meat on the bones". Got a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card for a Birthday present, so suggest away P&B 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hampden Diehard Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Trying to get through some classics that would be "good for me to read." "Ragged Trousered Philanthropist" by Robert Tressell - Start of last century politically-driven book on the impoverished in the UK. Hard going, I felt. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. Superb. Not a classic as such, but absolutely riveting: I've re-read, "The Accursed Mountains" by Robert Garver; that's my third time. It's about travels in Albania just after Communism fell there in the early 1990s. What a mental, mental place! Fifty years of isolation after the Second World War left the country in a feudal state. Before the Communists took over, all men had facial hair and the worst insult you could give was "A curse on your moustache!". I can't recommend this book enough. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gullane No 4 Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Been trying to get back in the habit of reading again (used to read all the time, but it kinda fell away when I was in the throes of depression) Started easy with lots of James Patterson and John Sandford, back to one a day with these, so time to try something with more "meat on the bones". Got a $50 Barnes & Noble gift card for a Birthday present, so suggest away P&B A Thousand Splendid Suns............Khaled Hosseini Mad Bad and Dangerous to Know........Ranulph Fiennes 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weesiecodal Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 (edited) I got a couple of books for Christmas. Finished Stephen King's Revival last night....... Meh. I used to love his early stuff. I remember when he issued The Green Mile in wee novellas, one a month for 6 months. I'd jump on the train to Dundee and be outside waterstones for it opening. I loved The Stand, Pet Sematary, Christine, It and even his books of short stories. For me, he kinda started losing his edge around Delores Claiborne and since then he just hasn't got it back. I still read most of his books, but they just aren't as un-put-downable as the early ones. They're still decent enough but just not great. I really rate his Dark Tower series though. Just started the other book, Downfall, how Rangers fc self-destructed, by Phil Mac Giolla Bhain (Is that pronounced McGillivan?) It's shaping up to be a good read, but it's too subjective, coming too much from a celtic point of view. (Anti Irish, anti catholic) I hate both sides equally, so for me, I would be enjoying it more if it was more objective, but Ive just started it so it might improve as it goes on ETA a better read could well be the reviews of "downfall" on Amazon.... I think it's reasonably clear to see who supports which side ???? Edited January 6, 2015 by Weesiecodal 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Trying to get through some classics that would be "good for me to read." "Ragged Trousered Philanthropist" by Robert Tressell - Start of last century politically-driven book on the impoverished in the UK. Hard going, I felt. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. Superb. Not a classic as such, but absolutely riveting: I've re-read, "The Accursed Mountains" by Robert Garver; that's my third time. It's about travels in Albania just after Communism fell there in the early 1990s. What a mental, mental place! Fifty years of isolation after the Second World War left the country in a feudal state. Before the Communists took over, all men had facial hair and the worst insult you could give was "A curse on your moustache!". I can't recommend this book enough. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is a brilliant read. I've read on several occasions (though not for years) and always take more out of it each time. Not called the 'socialists' bible' for nothing. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oht Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Read a few over Xmas. Professor of Truth by James Robertson. Good read, based on a fictional version of Lockerbie and Jim Swire. I would rate Robertson's other books higher (particularly 'The Land Lay Still') but good if you like his books. Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes. A book on Australia's convict history with some first hand accounts. Fascinating stuff as I'm living here and recognise the place names; most Aussies who like their books know of this one. Bonfire of Vanities by Tom Woolfe. Set in 80s NY its kind of like for NY what Dickens was to 1800s London. A tale that takes you from the greed and one upmanship of Wall St and the elitist classes to the dregs of the Bronx and the racial tensions within. Really enjoyed it. Fergie's autobiography (Xmas present). I wouldn't have bought it but it's not bad! I mean, it is terribly written with lots of made up quoted conversations he couldn't possibly remember (or maybe that's how they are meant to be written) but surprisingly addictive. Comes across as slightly more likeable in this no less. Focuses on the 2000s after his return to the game so I might read the earlier one as I reckon I'd be more interested in his earlier life and the Man U of the 90s. Bit of everything above. I'd recommend BoV first and then Fergie if you like autobiographies. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgecutter Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) ETA a better read could well be the reviews of "downfall" on Amazon.... I think it's reasonably clear to see who supports which sideIndeed. Average rating of 3*. Out of 206 reviews, 18 have given it 2, 3 or 4*.This is a tale that demands to be read, despite the predictable shrieks of disapproval from the terminally deluded. Hate monger spreading his agenda. Unintelligent failed journalist. Dont waste your money And the best review title: 1.0 out of 5 stars: Would you like a book written by Hitler on the Jewish faith? Edited January 19, 2015 by Hedgecutter 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
50/50 Winner Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Dead Gone by Luca Veste Debut novel by a half Italian/half Scouse writter which is set in Liverpool. It's about a serial killer who gruesomely murders his victims as part of a series of unethical and deadly psychological experiments. I really enjoyed this book and got through it in a couple of days. I would recommend it to those who like Iain Rankin, Val McDermaid or Stuart McBride. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Burton Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Just finished the last book in Joe Abercrombie's first law trilogy. Was a decent enough read and similar to games of thrones. Just like games of thrones most characters have both good and bad characteristics. The politics isn't quiet as in depth as games of thrones but the battles are written much better. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footiechick Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 If you haven't read "Do No Harm" by Henry Marsh you must. It's not only about brain surgery (which turns out to be so interesting) but life and death too. It is excellent. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JogaBonito Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Sounds quite similar to"complications" by Atul Gawande. Dr Gawande is a surgeon in Massachussetts, and in this personal memoir he writes how surgeons are people too. That they are pretty much learning on the job and as such, mistakes can happen as a lot of last minute improvisation happens. It's really well written and gives you an idea on how ER should be like. Currently nearly finished "A short history of nearly everything" by Bill Bryson. Read "walk in the woods" by BB and wanted more from him and this was recommended by a few people. Apparently BB gets quite a few wrong in this book, but the informal, comedic style and sheer volume of interesting tid-bits more than make up for its flaws. You'll learn many things from astronomy, geology, chemistry, biology.. it's great. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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