The GF book thread

[Jose Jones]

The last book I read was Truth by Peter Temple.

 

It’s about Stephen Villani, the Head of Homicide of the Victorian State Police investigating the murder of a prostitute at a swanky apartment block and the brutal killings of three gang members. There are bush fires approaching his dad’s farm in the country, he’s fallen out with his wife and is shagging a journalist, one of his teenage daughters is doing drugs and living on the streets. It’s just before a state election and he’s getting played by politicians, his cop bosses and dodgy businessmen.

 

It’s about corruption, bent cops, family and the bullshit of modern life. A couple of plot points are almost too quickly brushed over, but generally the writing is top notch (almost like an Australian James Ellroy) and it cracks along – I polished it off in two days thanks to a couple of plane trips.

 

Although very Melbourne-based (i.e. characters and situations easily recognisable with their real life equivalents) I reckon anyone would enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

I’ve also recently-ish read The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell.

 

It’s a fictional autobiography of Dr Max Aue an officer of the Sicherheitsdienst, or the SD – the intelligence agency of the SS.

The book follows Max as he participates in many of the major conflicts and atrocities of the Second World War. He is involved in the campaign in the Crimea and the Caucasus, Stalingrad, concentration camps and the fall of Berlin. The descriptions of massacres of Jews and Bolsheviks behind the front lines, the discussion of Nazi politics and struggle between the factions concerned with war production and bureaucrats organizing the implentation of the Final Solution, are all horribly and brilliantly realised.

 

However the concurrent personal story involving Max’s family, his fondness for bumming, incestuous lust for his twin sister the mystery of his father and what happens to his mother and stepfather lets the book down for me. The literary pretensions undoubtedly intended within these passages – the title the Kindly Ones references the Greek tragedy of Orestes – and the ending of the book as Berlin falls kind of pissed me off.

The sort of thing that Paul would hate immensely!

[The Chef]

'The Book Thief' and 'Birdsong'.

Finished the first and halfway through the second.

 

 

Cheers for the recommendations. Stopped reading when i started driving to school but am now back on the train and am loving the freedom and time to start again.

[Liverpool lad]

Action! Race War to Door Wars: Amazon.co.uk: Joe Owens: Books

 

One of the lads in work passed me this book, now I not one for books by criminals turned authors but it a good read and hard to put down at times.

[Baldi]

Always been a reader of more factual books (Biogs / Politics) and graphic novels (Love Dredd and The Walking Dead) but have just rediscovered my love of a good novel. I started off again by reading "A Week in December" by Sebastian Faulks late last year and enjoyed it. Then I got into the Stieg Larsson Millenium Trilogy (The Girl who Books) and basically devoured them in the space of 6 weeks and really loved them. I am looking for something similar (mystery/conspiracy) that I can get my teeth into. A mate recommended James Patterson "Private" but 2 other mates have said his books are dross so I am at a quandry can my fellow forumites help me out ?

[Liverpool lad]

Homocide by David Simon.

 

If you are Liverpool based you can lend my copy

[lifetime fan]

I got two for you mate.

 

Things can only get better by John O'Farrell and

 

Cash, the autobiography of Johnny Cash with Patrick Carr.

 

 

 

EDIT: Bollocks, should have read more than the first line of your post.

[Baldi]

Liked The Wire so I might give Homicide a try, I think the other thing I liked about the Millenium Trilogy was that it was set in Europe so different sensibilities than Brits and Americans. Anyone read any of the Wallander books ?

[Liverpool lad]

If you don't like it there is something wrong with you

[Stu Monty]

Dice Man.

 

It's immense.

[King Emlyn]

Dice Man.

 

It's immense.

 

It's a good book. Didn't change my life though.

[King Emlyn]

Think my favourite book is "all quiet on the Western front " I always found it very powerful; just shows that by and large we're all the same really.

[Sut]

[VladimirIlyich]

Try 'An Innocent Man' by John Grisham.

 

Its not a novel its a factual book and the best he's done IMHO.

[lifetime fan]

Dice Man.

 

It's immense.

 

It's very good but still massively overrated.

[The Chef]

1.Birdsong

2.The book Thief

[lifetime fan]

A Roddy Doyle trio.

 

The Commitmnets,

The Snapper and

The Van.

 

I was physically sick I laughed so much reading The Van.

[kopboy11]

• Atomised-Michel Houllebecq
  
• A fraction of the whole-Steve Toltz
  
• Vernon God Little-DBC Pierre
  
• Lunar Park-Brett Easton Ellis
  

[L19red]

Perfume by Patrick Suskund

[Fowlers God]

www.thebookwithnoname.com

 

I have read the first two books. Just waiting for the third to arrive-

 

Rumoured to be Tarrantino and Rodrigrez that have co written it together. Immense books, Will advise any one that these should be read.

[a stoner]

I don't really do reading but my missus does and recommends this.

The Sword of Shannara.

It's a trilogy with sequals after that and ends up about 12 books long. Should keep you quiet for a while.

[bri]

The power of the dog. American Tabloid. Black Hearts.

[Trumo]

The power of the dog. American Tabloid. Black Hearts.

 

Glorious book.

[Red '84]

I´ve enjoyed anything i´ve read by haruki murakami and am currently working my way through 2666 by Roberto Bolanos so thats my two cents.

[Mak46137]

The Atlantis blueprint. By far the most interesting book I've read in years

[paulie walnuts]

The winter of Frankie Machine

L.A Requiem

American Tabloid

The night gardener

The turnaround