What book are you reading atm??

IvyTheTerrible

Collie D wrote: »

Almost finished American Psycho.

I saw the film years ago and found it quite forgettable and wondered what all the fuss/controversy was about. Having now read most of the book I see why. Pretty disturbing with very graphic descriptions of some pretty twisted scenes.

I am honestly at a loss as to whether I love it or hate it. One part of me thinks that if a book can affect you then it's obviously achieving what it set out to do and is brilliant writing. On the other hand I am wondering if it is just gratuitous violence/sadism for the sake of it.

Confused and disturbed.

I know lots of people loved it but it is literally the only book I have ever read where I vomited while reading it. I know it's supposed to be funny but I couldn't see it.

baron von something

Hande hoche! wrote: »

Didn't know they had released an English translation. Will have to pick it up.

just released a couple of weeks ago.easons have it in stock

conorhal

Turtyturd wrote: »

I did it the other way around and was disappointed with the film...as is normally the case. The effects and pressures of Ender's position are just done much better. Had not heard many good things about the sequels so haven't read them.

Just started Homicide: A year on the killing streets.'

A big fan of The Wire so looking forward to this.

They also wrote a book The Corner that I believe was made into a mini series. Any wire fans know if it's worth a look?

As for the Ender sequels, I'm reading Speaker for the Dead a the moment, and it's quite engrosing, largely about humankinds encounter with an aboriginal, pre-technology intelligent species on a colony world and the aftermath of what happens when 2 xeno biologist get killed. I've also read Ender in exile, both are worth reading, but are quite conceptual and thoughtful, people like that in science fiction or hate it and would really prefer a good ol space battle. In terms of quality, I'd say compare well to Enders game, perhaps a slight dip with 'Exile' as it's essentally the extended special edition of chapter 15 of Enders Game.

For a bit I sci-fi fun for anybody that's got 20mins to spare, give Robert Heinlein's original 'grandfather paradox' short story All you Zombies a read:

http://cla.calpoly.edu/~lcall/303/heinlein_all_you_zombies.pdf

It's only 7 pages long!

Sgt Hartman

Finished reading The Belgariad and The Malloreon series by David Eddings. I'm halfway through the first book of Edding's The Elenium series now. It's called The Diamond Throne. Good stuff so far, I love the way you get an insight into Eddings' personal view of religion when reading through his books. He certainly wasn't a big fan of organized religion.

conorhal

hsanz114clayton wrote: »

Nice, I was in two minds to read it but now I will Thanks!Out of good reads youve read in the past can you reccomend me any?The hunger games books I enjoyed and would also reccomend the book that the Will smith movie I am legend is based on.Its an awesome read!:)

I do love Richard Matheson (author of I am Legend), he was an amazing writer. It's easy to see why Hollywood botched the ending of the book, it was far too thoughful, but it's easy to see from the novels twist why Matheson wrote so many great Twilight Zone episodes (Button, Button).

He also wrote the screenplay for The Incredible Shrinking Man, a movie that you'd expect to be typical 50's shlock sci-fi throwaway, but is quite dark and moden and as is typical of his work, very thoughtful. The ending, and Scott's final monologue actually moved me to tears with it's hope and humanity.

As for a reccomendation. The last book I just had to give to sombody was
Jedediah Berry's 'The Manual of Detection', a book I'd describe as the perfect Terry Gilliam movie. It's a head trip.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Manual-Detection-Jedediah-Berry/dp/0099533855

Paddy Samurai

About 100+ pages in an liking it big time.So far a real page-turner.

William Gold comes into the world as his family slides down the social ladder. His head filled with tales of chivalry, instead he is branded a thief, and must make do with being squire to his childhood friend Sir Robert, a knight determined to make a name for himself as a man at arms in France. While William himself slowly acquires the skills of knightly combat, he remains an outsider - until the Battle of Poitiers when Sir Robert is cut down by the greatest knight of the age, Sir Geoffrey de Charny, and William, his lowly squire, revenges him. But with his own knight dead, no honour accrues to William for this feat of arms, and he is forced to become a mercenary.

FouxDaFaFa

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

I know lots of people loved it but it is literally the only book I have ever read where I vomited while reading it. I know it's supposed to be funny but I couldn't see it.

I had to stop reading it because I felt like I might get sick.

Maybe I was too young to fully disassociate from it and see what Easton-Ellis was doing but I just couldn't get through it.

It was a college assignment too, I had to read a different book because of that! *shakes fist*

iwantmydinner

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

I know lots of people loved it but it is literally the only book I have ever read where I vomited while reading it. I know it's supposed to be funny but I couldn't see it.

I hold my hands up to having a very low tolerance for violence/cruelty but I honestly nearly got sick reading the feckin IMDB plot summary. Was it really supposed to be funny?!

Pumpkinseeds

I'm reading Stephen King's Skeleton Crew. It's a very good collection of short stories. Strangely some of the stories were made into films and in some cases aren't even remotely like the films. It's no wonder that so few of his books translate well into movies, if he allows them to make so many changes.

Custardpi

conorhal wrote: »

They also wrote a book The Corner that I believe was made into a mini series. Any wire fans know if it's worth a look?

Haven't read the book but saw the mini-series which is readily available on DVD. Absolutely fantastic, very gritty. Some of the actors that would later feature in The Wire appear in it.

Collie D

Custardpi wrote: »

Haven't read the book but saw the mini-series which is readily available on DVD. Absolutely fantastic, very gritty. Some of the actors that would later feature in The Wire appear in it.

Thought it was better than Homicide. Have never watched any of the TV series but have read Homicide and The Corner and found The Corner to be the better read (really gets close to the characters in a way I feel Homicide didn't) - although both are really good reads.

I think there have been a couple of revisions so would recommend the most recent as it gives updates on the characters in later life. Some feelgood, happy endings and some (as you would imagine) not so happy.

eisenberg1

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

I'm reading Stephen King's Skeleton Crew. It's a very good collection of short stories. Strangely some of the stories were made into films and in some cases aren't even remotely like the films. It's no wonder that so few of his books translate well into movies, if he allows them to make so many changes.

Jesus, a real blast from the past, I remember reading it, must be from the mid 80's, again King at his best IMO

eisenberg1

"Saigon" by Anthony Grey.

Read it years ago and came across it by chance for the kindle, a great read and a good insight to the whole of the Vietnam saga, from early 1900's French Indo-China to the fall of Saigon.

on the river

Child of God by Cormac McCarthy

groovie

beano345 wrote: »

Stephen kings "the wastelands" part of the dark tower series...the man has one fcuked up genius of a mind!

I reading The Drawing Of The Three atm, it's pretty mental alright.

Barna77

Collie D wrote: »

Almost finished American Psycho.

I saw the film years ago and found it quite forgettable and wondered what all the fuss/controversy was about. Having now read most of the book I see why. Pretty disturbing with very graphic descriptions of some pretty twisted scenes.

I am honestly at a loss as to whether I love it or hate it. One part of me thinks that if a book can affect you then it's obviously achieving what it set out to do and is brilliant writing. On the other hand I am wondering if it is just gratuitous violence/sadism for the sake of it.

Confused and disturbed.

I read it a couple of months ago. Yeah, disturbing and honestly a huge disappointment.

apieceofcake

I was reading Peter Robinson's 'Children of the Revolution', but it was actually giving me a headache there were so many characters in it!! I gave up reading it, which isn't like me.

Moved onto 'Apple Tree Yard' by Louise Doughty....really enjoying it so far, gripping and well-told.

Steve F

Reading Happy Days...otherwise known as Alex Fergusons Bio

FullblownRose

Dominion by CJ Sansom, and The Ghost Hunters by Neil Spring.

Peregrine

The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets by Simon Singh.

frenchmartini

The final part of the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. Love it ��

Killer Wench

Sleepy wrote: »

Killer Wench, assuming you've published it as an ebook, why not throw up a link?

My new book is published. Enjoying my small fame. :cool:

Custardpi

Barna77 wrote: »

I read [American Psycho] a couple of months ago. Yeah, disturbing and honestly a huge disappointment.

I guess it depends on which angle you come at it from. Personally I thought it was a great book. The main point of the story is not the violence itself but a satirical attack on the vacuousness & crass materialism of '80s Yuppie culture - a world in which failing to get a table in the restaurant of the minute is as big a deal as somebody being brutally murdered. Once you approach it as social commentary rather than just horror fiction it makes a lot more sense.

Pumpkinseeds

I've just started reading Guilt. I love Johnathan Kellerman books, especially the Alex Delaware series.

Vojera

frenchmartini wrote: »

The final part of the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. Love it ��

Love those books. I loved the next two trilogies as well. I was told by a few people that I could skip the Liveship Traders trilogy but I didn't and strongly recommend that you don't either. While it's not a direct sequel, it is hugely important to the Tawny Man trilogy (which is about Fitz again).

I'm about to read the next ones after that. They're great books.

Barna77

Custardpi wrote: »

I guess it depends on which angle you come at it from. Personally I thought it was a great book. The main point of the story is not the violence itself but a satirical attack on the vacuousness & crass materialism of '80s Yuppie culture - a world in which failing to get a table in the restaurant of the minute is as big a deal as somebody being brutally murdered. Once you approach it as social commentary rather than just horror fiction it makes a lot more sense.

Agreed on the satire attack on that culture. Never read it as a horror book.
But got sick of the endless descriptions of clothes, or naming people who look like someone else.
I wanted to finish it asap.

cloudatlas

Into thin air by Jon Krakauer

tallus

A Storm of Crows. I don't want any more surprises when Game of Thrones comes back next week.

Merkin

Just finished Born Under a Million Shadows by Andrea Busfield which I really enjoyed. I'm fascinated by Afghanistan and this was a lovely little book comparable to some of Khalid Hosseini's books but a lot lighter and full of humour.

Half way through An Education by Lynn Barber now. I loved the film of the same name but the book's title is misleading, only Chapter 2 covers the subject matter of the film, the rest is autobiographical and self-serving drivel by a thoroughly unlikeable person.

stefan idiot jones

Chopper 2.

Not a literary genius by any means but this guy has a great sense of humour if you can believe it all.