The GF book thread

[El Rojo]

I know loads of people who rave about Ian McEwan, yet I find it over-rated tosh. Am I alone in thinking he's not the greatest literary, yet populist author in the history of publishing?

 

Well I didn't really 'get' Saturday, thought it was all a bit self indulgent [/i] but Amsterdam was pretty okay. Atonement is a pretty straight forward story and is all the better for it, doesn't read like his other books.

[Karl_b]

Anyone got any reccomendations at the minute?

 

Since getting my dissertation out of the way Ive had a lot more time for some reading. Have recently read Silence of the Lambs, Kurt Cobain's autobiography, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and have just started reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K Dick.

[The-Sir]

shane mcgowan biography, the stand by stephen king (or any stephen king book, theyre all class) the last kingdom by bernard cornwell, deception point by dan brown

 

;)

[King Gheedorah]

Anything by Bret Easton Ellis but especially Less than Zero, American Psycho and Lunar Park.

 

Currently reading Sun Tzu, Art of War as a bit of motivation for the exams (finished with all of em last friday actually)

[El Rojo]

It's been said earlier, but it's worth mentioning again.

 

American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand by James Ellroy. Two massive, astonishing books that mix fictional and actual characters (JFK, Hoover etc) in an examination of America's dark side.

 

Brilliant, brilliant stuff.

 

I recently read A Confederacy of Dunces, which was great.

And The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald never disappoints.

 

Anyone got any new football recommendations?

[MLB]

Do Androids.. is one of the more mediocre Philip K. Dick books. Everyone reads it because of Blade Runner, but it's not a patch on some of the others.

[beatnurotic]

Calcio A History of Italian Football by Paul Foot is an excellent read. Novel wise try No Beast So Fierce by Eddie Bunker.

[biggit]

Do Androids.. is one of the more mediocre Philip K. Dick books. Everyone reads it because of Blade Runner, but it's not a patch on some of the others.

 

 

Just read 'Radio Free Albemuth', just about the last PKD book i hadn't read - excellent stuff. I've been debating shelling out the 100 pounds + for 'In pursuit of VALIS', selected writings from his 'I'm receiving messages from Sirius/KGB/CIA/post-Christian Rome' phase, but that way lies madness.

 

Recent rcommendations - Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk and Margrave of the Marshes (the John Peel biograpgy/autobiography)

[biggit]

For sheer weirdness, Robert Anton Wilsons Illuminatus and Schrodingers Cat top the list.

 

Have you read Masks of the Illuminati? RAW's best fiction I reckon, his non-fiction is great too.

[MLB]

Just read 'Radio Free Albemuth', just about the last PKD book i hadn't read - excellent stuff. I've been debating shelling out the 100 pounds + for 'In pursuit of VALIS', selected writings from his 'I'm receiving messages from Sirius/KGB/CIA/post-Christian Rome' phase, but that way lies madness.

 

Recent rcommendations - Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk and Margrave of the Marshes (the John Peel biograpgy/autobiography)

 

 

Radio Free Albemuth and the VALIS trilogy are top notch, if a little potty. I think Flow My Tears.. is probably the best overall, very closely followed by A Scanner Darkly (look out for the movie!) and Dr.Bloodmoney.

[Juniper]

I read the tv guide last night. Fantastic insight into the weeks tv shows. Great writting, fun pictures and all for 60p!!!.

[Guest Norman Bates]

I'm into biographies now, and have read quite a few the last months. Some of them have even been worth the read:

 

- Tony Cascarino's "Full Time". Surprisingly good, and very honest.

- Peter Guralnick "Mystery Train" and "Last Train to Memphis" (about Elvis Presley), thrilling and spooky

- Tony Adams "Addicted", brilliant and frightening. (Wonder if he's clean now?)

- Michael Mann: "John Wayne - the Man behind the Myth"

 

I also read a good one about Stalin, by a russian author I can't remember the name of. Scary guy, that Stalin...

[Captain]

I also read a good one about Stalin, by a russian author I can't remember the name of. Scary guy, that Stalin...

Agreed. The fucking Corporal, as referred to by Churchill, decided to create his third Reich and get rid of the Jews (and others). Josef on the other hand, decided to get rid of his own.

 

Josef Stalin was probably one of the meanest bastards to ever walk planet Earth.

[Paul]

Agreed. The fucking Corporal, as referred to by Churchill, decided to create his third Reich and get rid of the Jews (and others). Josef on the other hand, decided to get rid of his own.

 

Josef Stalin was probably one of the meanest bastards to ever walk planet Earth.

My History teacher mate is obsessed with him and his utter megalomania. Stalin was one bad dude.

[Guest Norman Bates]

Strange, strange man. Stalin was also known to be funny, witty, extremely intelligent, read 8-10 books a week and could sing a pretty good baryton. And yet, he had a dark, paranoid, evil side.

 

I got the title wrong for the last of Guralnick's Elvis' books. It's called "Careless Love". Also very, very well written, and very, very sad.

[Paul]

Strange, strange man. Stalin was also known to be funny, witty, extremely intelligent, read 8-10 books a week and could sing a pretty good baryton. And yet, he had a dark, paranoid, evil side.

 

I got the title wrong for the last of Guralnick's Elvis' books. It's called "Careless Love". Also very, very well written, and very, very sad.

Who - Stalin or my mate? When I said obsessed, I didn't mean to imply he admires him.

[aws]

Who - Stalin or my mate? When I said obsessed, I didn't mean to imply he admires him.

 

Who does he think is more evil? Stalin or Beria?

 

It's like choosing between Hitler and Himmler.

[Guest Norman Bates]

Stalin. Not your mate.

 

The evil one? That has to be Roky Erickson.

[Captain]

Strange, strange man. Stalin was also known to be funny, witty, extremely intelligent, read 8-10 books a week and could sing a pretty good baryton. And yet, he had a dark, paranoid, evil side.

 

I got the title wrong for the last of Guralnick's Elvis' books. It's called "Careless Love". Also very, very well written, and very, very sad.

Which begs the question; which books did he read?

[Kurt]

Stalingrad by Anthony Beaver is an amazing read.

 

Was going to mention that one. That is the one im reading at the moment. Very very good. I also read Truman Capote`s In cold blood a few months back. A very interesting book.

[Slam Daniels]

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett. Funny.

[Karl_b]

"Altered Carbon" by Richard Morgan. I first read this in the summer and was blown away by it and am now on my second go. It's very gritty, noir-ish SF about this insanely hard bloke on the lam in a future where your consciousness can be stored, or transferred into new "sleeves" (bodies). Fucking ace.

 

Ive just bought this off your reccomendation. Looking forward to getting into it. Im also going to re-tackle the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy after that for the first time since school. I also just got Johnny Cash's autobiography.

[Paul]

Ive just bought this off your reccomendation. Looking forward to getting into it. Im also going to re-tackle the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy after that for the first time since school. I also just got Johnny Cash's autobiography.

Let me know what you think as I don't know anyone else who's read it.

[Karl_b]

Let me know what you think as I don't know anyone else who's read it.

 

Just received it this morning. It should have been here days ago, bloody postal system. Ill let you know in a week or so what I think.

[Paul]

Just received it this morning. It should have been here days ago, bloody postal system. Ill let you know in a week or so what I think.

I'm re-reading "Woken Furies", which is the third Takeshi Kovacs novel. All are ace.