Darragh666's Reading Log

darragh666

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams.
A good book but I always expect more from Douglas Adams. Fans of Adams always hype the books up too much for me.


Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.
A great read. A essential read for sci-fi fans. It is an easy read and even easier to get caught up in.

darragh666

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

It is a short book which can be picked up quite cheaply. I think I got mine for 2euro on the book depository.

First impressions after reading is that it is good book. Then upon reflection it is a great book. I think it will be more enjoyable the second time.

It is a commentary on a part of American society I know very little about. It shows some of the downside to the high society class of the 1920's.


I would recommend it to anyone, especially considering how short it is.

darragh666

Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut.

Kurt Vonnegut is easily my favorite author. I so far have read seven of his books. Jailbird is very good, its written in a style of a rambling memoir. This makes it fun and also informative. Vonnegut is a very witty writer whose characters have interesting insights into various political or social view points.

While slaughterhouse 5 and Cats Cradle remain my top two Vonnegut novels this could easily be my third favorite. Kurt himself rated this book quite highly when he graded his own works.

darragh666

And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer.

Part 6 of the hitchhikers guide trilogy, I read it to finish the series. I didnt think mostly harmless was great and found the ending unsatisfactory so I was hoping And Another Thing would tidy things up a bit, which it did. The first few chapters are enjoyable and does a nice job of bridging the gap between 5 and 6 but thats about all it does. The rest of the book is quite dull. The parts involving Arthur Dent are good but sadly the dull parts outweigh the good parts.

It is written in a similar manner to Douglas Adams but it lacks the humor. It seems to try too hard and as a result the jokes fall flat. There is also a rather embarrassing character who is stereotypically Irish and given far too much time.

The ending was alright, hoping for something a little better.

Overall a dull book which can be a chore at parts to read and would only recommend it to fans of the Hitchhikers guide but with low expectations.

darragh666

Farewell My Lovely by Raymond Chandler.

A classic 1930/40s private detective story. This is the second Philip Marlowe mystery and I enjoyed it even more that the first one The Big Sleep.

It is a fun read especially if you dont usually read crime or mystery novels. There is plently of action and it is well paced. A definite recomendation for someone in the mood to read something different.

There is some 1930s slang which can be confusing for the first chapter or two but you pick up quickly enough. In fact you'll find yourself running an inner monologue in the film noir style after reading.

darragh666

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft.

Ive been quite busy with college assignments so I decided a collection of short stories wouldnt distract me too much. It might have worked too well because after finishing one story I would go a few days without starting another.

Lovecraft's stories would be written from a scientific or logical point of view with most stories involving a right thinking or balanced individual discovering a horror which would defy logic. It can make for an interesting read compared to other sci fi stories.

Most of the stories are good especially the longer ones near the end of the book like 'The Call of Cthulhu' 'The Whisperer in Darkness' 'The Colour out of Space' and 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth'.

Some of the stories near the beginning are similar to each other or have influenced other works which can make them a little tedious to start and most stories being written in the 20's or 30's the language can seem a little dated.

Overall an enjoyable collection of stories some of which Ill probably enjoy rereading individually in the future. Recommended for fans of Edgar Allen Poe or older horror/ sci fi works.

darragh666

Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Its a short novella. About 80 pages or so. A fine read.
Not much to say. The plot builds towards a 'twist' which is pretty well known considering how influential the story has been.

That said it is well written for a story first published in 1886 and considering how short and cheap it is to pick up I would recommend it.

darragh666

Soon I will be invincible by Austin Grossman


It is a story set in a world of superheros and villains. The are two narrators one a new new hero and the other an infamous super villain. The book is light hearted and focuses on the aspects of super humans that comics dont address such as relationships among other super people and the repetitive nature of good guys versus bad guys.
A good book but I would only recommend to fans of comics and the superhero genre. The story would not be exciting enough for other readers.

darragh666

The Invisible Man by HG Wells

A great read and has aged well considering it was first published 114 years ago.

It is even better than The Time Machine which I have previously read.

Imaginative and well paced, a recommended read.

darragh666

Junkie by William S. Burroughs

A semi autobiographical account of Burroughs' early life as a junkie. This was his first solo novel. The only other Burroughs book I've read was And The Hippos Boiled In Their Tanks which he wrote with Kerouac prior to Junkie.

It is an interesting book, especially for those who enjoy the Beat generation. Having watched shows like The Wire the life of junkie does not seem as shocking as it might have been in the 50's when this was first published. However it does provide an interesting look at the life of a junkie in the 40's and 50's.

The type of people that used or sold junk were not vicious or from troubled backgrounds as modern shows depict them. They were mostly bored individuals who developed a 'habit'. They seemed to be functioning addicts who faced the troubles of junk but had enough sense to survive long enough to take more junk.

Burroughs lived a very interesting life even compared to other junkies. A recommended read.

darragh666

Dune by Frank Herbert

A book that regularly appears at the top of greatest sci fi lists and has been hugely influential, even influencing star wars.

I really enjoyed reading this book and it does deserve much of the attention it receives. That said it would not be on the top of my sci fi list. Maybe after a little time and reflection I will like it more but for now im not as obsessed or emotionally attached to it as some fans seem to be.

A very good book and I would recommend it but dont expect a life changing read.

darragh666

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly

Lord Of Chaos by Robert Jordan

darragh666

A Game Of Thrones by George R R Martin.

darragh666

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman


A brilliant piece of sci-fi. It is set in a future where humanity are at war with an unknown alien race, and due to relativity a solider could fight for a few months in space and return home to find centuries have passed on earth.

Highly recommended.

darragh666

Naked Lunch by William S Burroughs.

Didnt get it.

darragh666

A Clash of Kings by George R R Martin

Dont need to say much about this. Really enjoyed this book.

darragh666

Dracula by Bram Stoker.


Very enjoyable. With all the modern twists on vampires it is nice to read the classic interpretation. This was the first book I read on my new Kindle and Dracula was one of the free books available. Using the kindle is very enjoyable and the dictionary feature is a pleasure to use when reading books that can contain archaic language. Dracula was easier to read that some of the older books Ive read but the dictionary was still useful.

Took me a while to read, not sure if that is because Ive been busy and im familiar with the story or because its difficult to look ahead to the end of the chapter and force yourself to read on.

Having read The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen recently I especially liked reading about Mina Murray.

darragh666

A Crown of Swords by Robert Jordan

Book seven of The Wheel Of Time. Enjoyable but starting to show some signs of a drop in quality. Book eight is supposed to be quite bad. Ill probably put off reading it for a while.


20th book read this year.

darragh666

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne.

Decent book but a few too many descriptions of fish.

darragh666

A Storm Of Swords - 1: Steel and Snow by George RR Martin.

Book three of A Song Of Ice and Fire.

Really liked this, it is right up my alley. Plenty of reviews online so I need not say much.

darragh666

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis


The first book of The Chronicles of Narnia. A short and quick childrens book which is full of symbolism and makes for interesting analysis.

darragh666

A Storm of Swords - 2: Blood and Gold by George R.R. Martin.


The second half of book three. A gripping read and even more exciting than the first half.

darragh666

Dying Of The Light by George R R Martin.


A sci-fi book with a bit of a fantasy feel to it, a good read.

darragh666

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis.

darragh666

A Feast For Crows by George RR Martin.

darragh666

A Dance with Dragons part 1 by George RR Martin

and of course

A Dance with Dragons part 2 by George RR Martin



Gonna be a long time till the next one.

darragh666

Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes


Highly recommended.

darragh666

The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson.

darragh666

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis.

darragh666

The night watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

darragh666

Foundation by Isaac Asimov.