Gentleman's Club book thread

D'Agger

trashcan wrote: »

I'm reading the new Roy Keane bio - here's a quote in it relating to that book -

"The lad who went to the world cup with the England team, Dr Steve Peters, has written a book called the Chimp Paradox, about the chimp in your head. The chimp is running the show. I tried to read it - I'm open minded - but my chimp wouldn't let me"

Good man Roy, made me chuckle anyway

It's a good read in fairness but I'm not surprised with Keane dismissing it as it does appear silly at times i.e. the very basic analogies in it are simplistic but there are moments/paragraphs that you'll immediately relate to and think to yourself 'yeah...that's a common pitfall of mine'

TBQH - I've zero time for Keane anymore based on what I've heard him saying in the run up to his book launch. The man degrades everybody and the work they do around him, in doing so churning out his very own brand of búllshít.

He was a great player, but he's now a mouthpiece that produces nothing of value to me

NoCrackHaving

Winter in Madrid and Dominion by CJ Samson, both highly recommended if you like spy stories with a different setting to the usual Cold War/Jason Bourne etc. ones.

Dominion in particular has a very interesting take on alternate history and has an Irish angle also.


Also am I the only one who doesn't enjoy the GOT books, just finished Clash of Kings and just find the actual prose/writing to be pretty crap for lack of a better expression. George R Martin might be able to create a massive 'world' but his writing leaves a lot to be desired.

Boom_Bap

Boom_Bap wrote: »

My missus swears by Norwegian Wood. I've always meant to pick it up for a read.

his best book imo. some people just don't really like his style though. very mellow.

trashcan

D'Agger wrote: »

It's a good read in fairness but I'm not surprised with Keane dismissing it as it does appear silly at times i.e. the very basic analogies in it are simplistic but there are moments/paragraphs that you'll immediately relate to and think to yourself 'yeah...that's a common pitfall of mine'

TBQH - I've zero time for Keane anymore based on what I've heard him saying in the run up to his book launch. The man degrades everybody and the work they do around him, in doing so churning out his very own brand of búllshít.

He was a great player, but he's now a mouthpiece that produces nothing of value to me

I can't comment on the Chimp book, just thought it was a cracking one liner in fairness. Whether it was Keane himself or Roddy Doyle I don't know. The Keane book is ok, fairly standard football fare though. Not just a matter of him settling scores and slagging off people, despite what you might think. (I'm not a huge fan either - just bought it on my kindle on a whim.)

Business Cat

Business Cat wrote: »

Different beast altogether to The Shining but I have to admit, I enjoyed it, Dr S, more than The Shining.

Very easy to read, no need to re-read TS before hand as anything that mattered from TS is told in mini flashbacks.

IMO the best of Kings recent works.

Speaking of which, The Dark Tower Cycle are my favourite books of all time and a couple of months ago I got stuck into them again. Read The Gunslinger through to Wizard & Glass in less than 3 months which during the book neglecting funk that Im currently in was good going.

Picked up Wolves of the Calla Wednesday night so thats on the plate for the immediate future.

If you havnt read em Id highly recommend them, to anyone.

11/22/63 by Stephen King is a great book imo if you haven't read it.

Antibac

glasso wrote: »

11/22/63 by Stephen King is a great book imo if you haven't read it.

Brilliant book. Thought it was let down a bit by the ending though.

Liam McPoyle

^^

My thoughts exactly.

I love Kings dystopian world in The Dark Tower cycle and would have loved if the world when JFK survived was more heavily featured.

Still enjoyed it well enough though.

Tokyo

Another Jon Krakauer book, this time it's 'Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith'

the book goes into the history of Mormonism, and investigates isolated Mormon communities where fundamentalists still practice polygamy. Definitely worth a read IMO.

Slattsy

Isnt it quite common that a lot of folk are let down by the end of Kings books. Its like they're too rushed, by all accounts.

I read Cell recently, thought it was awful.
The Stand and Salems Lot are class.

Going to Easons tomorrow, i might make a wee shortlist from this thread.

MissKittenfire

Business Cat wrote: »

^^

My thoughts exactly.

I love Kings dystopian world in The Dark Tower cycle and would have loved if the world when JFK survived was more heavily featured.

Still enjoyed it well enough though.

You're a CAT! *Jaw Drops*

Well a business cat :-)

I'm currently reading. Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam. And just finished Stephen King's Doctor Sleep which is the sequel to the shining. It was really good. Danny is older and meets Abra stone who has the brightest shining.

Just started MaddAddam it's still Zeb and Toby. It's set in a dystopia.

Also I dip in and out Of Katherine Mansfield's short Stories and Alan Bennett. :-)

Barna77

Finished The Shining.

Wow. As I had high expectations on it, it felt a bit weak at the beginning, or maybe because I knew what was going to happen. But tension rises and the end.... Basically read more than 100 pages in two days. Loved it.

Now not sure if going for Dr Sleep straight away (heard it's not as good) or something different in between.

Also, as some of the posters here are, am reading "I am pilgrim". 200 pages in and finding it a good old yarn. Good mix of spy stuff (more Bourne gritty than James Bond), CSI, 9/11 IS/ Al Quaeda and other post-imperialist fundamentalism etc. Very readable.

Manach

Re-reading "Storm of Steel" by Ernst Jünger. Probably the best memoir that came out of WWI. It carries none of the soul-searching on war, but vividly describes the sense of brotherhood, excitement and life on the edge that was present in the day by day struggle on the Western Front.

'As though walking through a deep dream, I saw steel helmets approaching through the craters. They seemed to sprout from the fire-harrowed soil like some iron harvest.'

boobar

Finished the latest Jack Reacher novel Personal....not bad but not as good as some earlier Lee Child offerings.

Reading The Snowman by Jo Nesbo....a must for crime fans.

Liam McPoyle

Im thinking of getting an e-reader so Im looking for suggestions. As much as I love physical books, space is a premium for the foreseeable so Im thinking this will do for the time being.

Anyone any thoughts on the best one to go for?

Ive been looking at Nooks and Kindles.

I will be using it for graphic novels a good bit so Im leaning towards a colour one.

Advice welcome!

DazMarz

Just started reading Pandemic by Scott Sigler.

It's the third book of a trilogy that started with Infected and continued with Contagious (both published in 2008). The third installment was only published this year.

I was a huge fan of the other two novels. The basic premise is that a strange, alien race is going to invade earth. But rather send their armada over the galaxy, they intend instead to build a portal on Earth through which they can transport their entire invasion force in an instant. To do so, they send a single, tiny satellite that will orbit Earth. On this satellite, there are 20 pods containing alien "seeds" that will infect humans with alien colonists that will control them, get them to travel to the site of the portal, before grotesquely hatching to complete their task.

A neat blend of Alien, The X-Files, First Blood and with a disturbing amount of vicious gore splattered all across the pages (the incubation and growth of the aliens within human bodies is horrendously grim), these novels whip along at a terrific pace and are excellent pieces of techno-thriller-noir-pulp.


Also worth a mention is another of Sigler's novels, Ancestor. If Stephen King and Michael Crichton had a bigger, more vicious and meaner baby, this is what you get. Superb action, brilliant characters and, once again, enough gore and killing to turn your stomach.

For the faint hearted, this ain't.

Keano

Business Cat wrote: »

Im thinking of getting an e-reader so Im looking for suggestions. As much as I love physical books, space is a premium for the foreseeable so Im thinking this will do for the time being.

Anyone any thoughts on the best one to go for?

Ive been looking at Nooks and Kindles.

I will be using it for graphic novels a good bit so Im leaning towards a colour one.

Advice welcome!

I use a paperwhite and its fantastic.

LegacyUser

Business Cat wrote: »

Im thinking of getting an e-reader so Im looking for suggestions. As much as I love physical books, space is a premium for the foreseeable so Im thinking this will do for the time being.

Anyone any thoughts on the best one to go for?

Ive been looking at Nooks and Kindles.

I will be using it for graphic novels a good bit so Im leaning towards a colour one.

Advice welcome!

Nook HD seems like a fairly good bet if they're still as cheaply (or cheaper!) as they were a year or so ago. There's a certain amount of flexibility regarding what you can do regarding things like firmware that I don't think you can do with the Kindle, can get the Kindle app for android onto it pretty easily too, iirc.
I'd imagine whatever incarnations of the Kindle Fire are about now would be better if you wanna avoid the hassle of dealing with changing firmware and whathaveyou.

I've a Nook Simple Touch, don't use it as much as I hoped but it should be bloody handy for travelling. With a few modifications I'm able to use it as an extremely crappy web browser too!

Antibac

Business Cat wrote: »

Im thinking of getting an e-reader so Im looking for suggestions. As much as I love physical books, space is a premium for the foreseeable so Im thinking this will do for the time being.

Anyone any thoughts on the best one to go for?

Ive been looking at Nooks and Kindles.

I will be using it for graphic novels a good bit so Im leaning towards a colour one.

Advice welcome!

Do you have an iPad?

Timberrrrrrrr

Business Cat wrote: »

Im thinking of getting an e-reader so Im looking for suggestions. As much as I love physical books, space is a premium for the foreseeable so Im thinking this will do for the time being.

Anyone any thoughts on the best one to go for?

Ive been looking at Nooks and Kindles.

I will be using it for graphic novels a good bit so Im leaning towards a colour one.

Advice welcome!

Love love love my kindle but it was stolen by Mrs Timberrrrrrrr a couple of months ago (guess what she s getting for xmas) and cannot recommend one enough. If you wanted to go a bit more expensive then a galaxy nexus is great fr reading and also gives you the full functionality of having a tablet as well.

Apolloyon

I am reading four books at the moment.

'Last Argument of Kings' by Joe Abercrombie (on my kindle).

If you enjoy David Gemmel or George R. R, Martin than this might be for you. This is the last of the 'The First Law' trilogy and is one of the many books I took a risk on since I got an e-reader. I would definitely say I am adventurous in my reading choices since I bought one.

I am also reading 'Persian Fire' by Tom Holland. I started reading this a few years ago on holiday but never got around to finishing it. So far, it's been very good and thought provoking.

My third book is 'American Gods' by Neil Gaiman (which I am rereading). My third book theme is reading books by a particular author. So I have a fair few to get to after this! 'American Gods' is a very absorbing read mixing myth with everyday American life.

My fourth book is also a reread and the theme is standalone novels. It's 'Jennifer Government' by Max Barry. A dystopian future based on an economic twist. Interesting characters crossing over with terrible, terrible decisions makes for some horrific and humourous scenarios...most often at the same time.

As for anyone thinking about an e-reader, I would recommend that choice. I got sucked into the whole internet hole for years and my reading really suffered. Since I bought one, my reading habits have reignited. I can take my kindle anywhere and the charge lasts for weeks. Definitely worth it for me as I am back in the world of books again!

py2006

I was a Stephen King fanatic in my younger years. Trying to get myself back into it lately. What a fine writer he is.

Also lately I have been reading a bit from the likes of Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens (the guy would make Jesus doubt himself) and Richard Krauss. I find the whole subject of the universe and the arguments (evidence) against a god totally fascinating at the moment.

Slattsy

Re-read Salem's Lot. Thought it was tripe this time around. His writing is so childish to me now.
Goes to show how quickly tastes change over the course of 8/10 years.

Need something more intense and stimulating so going to give The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) a go.

keane2097

Slattsy wrote: »

Need something more intense and stimulating so going to give The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) a go.

Started that a few months ago but got distracted and never went back to it. Would be interested in hearing a couple of updates as you get into it.

Liam McPoyle

Burd got me a Kindle for Christmas so I've a mahoosive list to get through of stuff that wasn't all that easily accessible.

I got Cabal by Clive Barker for £2 and Jack Ketchums The Girl Next Door for a similar price due to some special offer that was on. Reading Cabal ATM. I recently watched the directors cut of Nightbreed (movie version of Cabal) so I'm havin fun comparing them.

the evasion_kid

Currently reading "iron john" a book about men by Robert bly

Pawwed Rig

Business Cat wrote: »

I got Cabal by Clive Barker for £2.

Funny coz I got Cabal last night on the kindle from a separate recomendation. Never read Clive Barker before so interested to see if he's any good.

Liam McPoyle

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Funny coz I got Cabal last night on the kindle from a separate recomendation. Never read Clive Barker before so interested to see if he's any good.

I like him, you should check out his "Books of Blood" anthology of shorts, excellent stuff.

Pawwed Rig

Not sure about that book tbh. I finished it last week. Well written etc etc but maybe too clean and polished. That said I've been reading alot of indie writers who have barely run a spell check over their work recently so maybe I just got used to that:pac:
I did like this quote which opened Part 4
'The sun rose like a stripper, keeping its glory well covered by cloud till it seemed there'd be no show at all, then casting off its rags one by one'

Check out Joseph Duncan on amazon. The Fearlander series is a good take on zombie apocalypse and the Oldest Living Vampire series is a good bit of competition for Anne Rice imho.

ancapailldorcha

Trying to get through The Lord of the Rings. There's so much padding, it's unbelievable.

syklops

Icon by Frederick Forsyth. Set mostly in Russia around 1999.

I hope he writes one called "Lottery Numbers", I'll be buying that.

Littlekittylou

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Trying to get through The Lord of the Rings. There's so much padding, it's unbelievable.

The Hobbit has more they are this forest for ****ing ages.

Still awesome though.

Pawwed Rig

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Trying to get through The Lord of the Rings. There's so much padding, it's unbelievable.

Wait until you get to Tom Bombadill. I am sure JRR was on drugs when he wrote that part.

ancapailldorcha

Littlekittylou wrote: »

The Hobbit has more they are this forest for ****ing ages.

Still awesome though.

The Hobbit was only 300 pages long in fairness.

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Wait until you get to Tom Bombadill. I am sure JRR was on drugs when he wrote that part.

I'm about a quarter of the way through. I agree completely. I kept thinking, why did they pour millions into making films of this?? And the songs and the pointless information that you forget a few pages in.

JaseBelleVie

HHhH by Laurent Binet.

The title is an acronym for Himmlers Hirn heißt Heydrich ("Himmler's brain is called Heydrich").

Details the life and subsequent assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. Excellent so far, I'm really enjoying it. It jumps between a biography of Heydrich and of the author's stream-of-consciousness as he tells the story of how he came to write the novel.

The Peanut

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Wait until you get to Tom Bombadill. I am sure JRR was on drugs when he wrote that part.

Never really minded that section; I always found the

long, long chapters with Frodo and Sam trying to get to Mordor really boring. Interactions with Gollum aside, it was just a lot of whinging imo.

I feel sorry for anyone who conquers LOTR and then feels up to the challenge of The Silmarillion; now that is one horrible head-wreck.:mad:

ancapailldorcha

The Peanut wrote: »

Never really minded that section; I always found the

long, long chapters with Frodo and Sam trying to get to Mordor really boring. Interactions with Gollum aside, it was just a lot of whinging imo.

I feel sorry for anyone who conquers LOTR and then feels up to the challenge of The Silmarillion; now that is one horrible head-wreck.:mad:

I might leave the Tolkein stuff at the end of this if the Silmarillion is that bad.

Should have just got the films instead.

Barna77

I read The Silmarillion years ago after LOTR. Bloody hell.

Never read The Hobbit though

Pawwed Rig

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

The Hobbit was only 300 pages long in fairness.

Yet they managed to make 3 very loooooonnnnggg booooring films out of it

ancapailldorcha

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Yet they managed to make 3 very loooooonnnnggg booooring films out of it

I'd not seen the original trilogy but I saw the Hobbit films before the book and they're abysmal, perfectly summed up by CGI Billy Connolly as Dain. The only redeeming feature is Benedict Cumberbatch's Smaug which was awesome. I decided to read LOTR before watching the films. If I had a decent size screen, I'd just go for the Blu-Rays. The Battle of the Five Armies is about the last 20 pages of the Hobbit btw...

The Peanut

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I'd not seen the original trilogy but I saw the Hobbit films before the book and they're abysmal, perfectly summed up by CGI Billy Connolly as Dain. The only redeeming feature is Benedict Cumberbatch's Smaug which was awesome. I decided to read LOTR before watching the films. If I had a decent size screen, I'd just go for the Blu-Rays. The Battle of the Five Armies is about the last 20 pages of the Hobbit btw...

I must say I've always enjoyed the LOTR movies; they don't have the same degree of padding as The Hobbit at all. The Hobbit was milked shamelessly though. Pity; I saw it as a play some years ago by in The Opera House in Cork by an English touring company and it was absolutely superb.

JaseBelleVie

JaseBelleVie wrote: »

HHhH by Laurent Binet.

The title is an acronym for Himmlers Hirn heißt Heydrich ("Himmler's brain is called Heydrich").

Details the life and subsequent assassination of Reinhard Heydrich. Excellent so far, I'm really enjoying it. It jumps between a biography of Heydrich and of the author's stream-of-consciousness as he tells the story of how he came to write the novel.

Finished reading this a few days ago, and it is brilliant. Well worth reading if anyone has even a passing interest in this era of history. Brilliantly written and executed, this is well worth having a read of. I picked it up for like €10 in Easons.

I've moved on and I'm now currently reading a complete biography of Reinhard Heydrich. Hitler's Hangman: The Life Of Heydrich by Robert Gerwarth. So far, so fascinating and so chilling. For a man who didn't become a fervent Nazi until very late on in his "career", he soon became the embodiment of everything that was horrendous and shocking about the Nazis. Considering also that he was only 38 when he was killed, he was staggeringly young for someone who held such an infamous and horrifying reputation and who left such a horrible legacy.

If you like that era read Robert Harris...Fatherland its basically about what could have happened had the Germans won the WW2, in fiction form.

JaseBelleVie

mariaalice wrote: »

If you like that era read Robert Harris...Fatherland its basically about what could have happened had the Germans won the WW2 in fiction form.

I'm fascinated by that period of history. It was a key area of study of mine in Uni for elective modules that I did.

Must give that a look when I get this current book finished.

I'm notorious for having loads of books sitting waiting to be read. The current pile consists of:

Skagboys by Irvine Welsh
Judging Dev by Diarmuid Ferriter
Bertie: The Autobiography by Bertie Ahern
The Drumcondra Mafia by Michael Clifford/Shane Coleman
The Rocky Road by Eamon Dunphy
Roy Keane: The Second Half by Roy Keane/Roddy Doyle
A Life Too Short: The Tragedy Of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng
Blue Blood: A Life In The NYPD by Edward Conlon
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill
Decision Points by George W. Bush
My Life by Bill Clinton

and numerous others. That should only take me until I'm 30. :P

ancapailldorcha

This is why I bought Roy's second book. Should be a decent read.