The GF book thread

[rubble-rouser]

Glorious book.

 

Just finishing 'Blood's a Rover' (3rd installmernt of American Tabloid trilogy). Wow!

[Charles Penrose]

Homocide by David Simon.

 

If you are Liverpool based you can lend my copy

 

Is that the one starring Jeffrey Dahmer?

[Tom R]

Two best books I've read this year

 

Birdsong. read it before years ago but it reminded me that it's still one of the greatest books of all time

One Day - excellent book. Really hit home and just really clever concept: covers two people on the same day for 20 years. Quality read.

[Total Longo]

Two best books I've read this year

 

Birdsong. read it before years ago but it reminded me that it's still one of the greatest books of all time

One Day - excellent book. Really hit home and just really clever concept: covers two people on the same day for 20 years. Quality read.

 

Birdsong is the greatest novel of all time. His latest one is brilliant as well.

[Baldi]

Birdsong is the greatest novel of all time. His latest one is brilliant as well.

 

May give that a try as I loved " A Week in December" also has anyone read The Glass Books of the Dream Eatersby GW Dahlquist

[Paul]

Bump 'n' merge.

[Paul]

Recent reads I've enjoyed:

 

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and its sequel Red Seas Under Red Skies. These are basically just great fucking yarns full of twists and turns set in a fictional world. It's kind of a cool, thriller-ish version of the fantasy genre that follows a group of thieves and con men called The Gentleman Bastards. They were given to me for Christmas by a mate and were absolutely spot on. Incredibly readable without being at all clichéd or predictable. The third in the trilogy is coming next year, I think.

 

Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane. This sees him return (probably for the last time) to the Kenzie and Gennaro characters some twelve years after the events of Gone Baby, Gone when Amanda McCready, who they found as a four year old in that novel, has gone missing again. It's a bit on the short side, but still fucking great. A proper page turner and gritty as fuck.

 

I also read The Thing by Alan Dean Foster which is a novelisation of the film as recommended on here by Sut. I also ordered the book it was based on (can't remember what it's called now) which was getting a re-press, but it's since been cancelled. This is good though.

 

The Life and Times of Bobby Z and Savages by Don Winslow now mean I've read everything of his. Both are good if not quite up there with his best. However, you know what you're getting with him: great plots, decent characters and plenty of grit.

 

Long Lost by Harlan Coben is the first thing of his I've read, but it was very enjoyable. The concept requires a bit of suspension of disbelief in so far as the characters are a bit super-rich/super-qualified, but it's basically a cracking thriller that turns into something unexpected near the end.

 

Kenny's new book was obviously very good and I still intend to go back to Blood's a Rover (tried three times now and still struggling; it's a fucker because it's the only thing of his I haven't read and he's one of my favourite writers). I've just started The Snowman by Jo Nesbo which is a Scando thriller that's had good reviews and sales and is being touted as a Stieg Larrson type thing. Mrs Paul loved it so I'm currently tucking in.

[DT]

I've been reading a book called 'The carpet king of Texas' written by Paul Kennedy who is from Liverpool. And I love it. It's mainly about this American carpet salesman who is visiting Liverpool for a conference and you follow him around trying to satisfy his sexual needs in strange and sometimes funny ways. There's also a local crackhead and his son and a young prostitute involved and they all influence each other's lives in different ways.

 

I would have to recommend it to anyone, especially from Liverpool as they would know all of the places depicted in the book.

 

[Sut]

Recent reads I've enjoyed:

 

I also read The Thing by Alan Dean Foster which is a novelisation of the film as recommended on here by Sut. I also ordered the book it was based on (can't remember what it's called now) which was getting a re-press, but it's since been cancelled. This is good though.

 

Who Goes There? by John Campbell.

 

Entire text of which is here.

[Paul]

Who Goes There? by John Campbell.

 

Entire text of which is here.

 

Ta.

[El Rojo]

Leight*n B*ines - Ifadadn'tabinforthemobandtheCIAandCubanexiles

 

“The best books I’ve read recently have been by James Ellroy: American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand,” said B*ines, relaxed after training in Ev*rton’s Finch Farm complex. Ellroy writes obsessively about the murder of his mother, his issues with drugs and the role of the underworld in American history. His highly stylized prose is not, you imagine, a team bus staple.

 

“Finding out about him, he was a dark, complex character,” B*ines said. “His books are amazing. I just got hooked on them.”

[Sugar Ape]

Don't know if I posted this earlier in the thread, but I'm fucked if I'm looking back through 48 pages, anyway just finished re-reading The Monster Of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi and it is fucking ace.

 

Douglas Preston usually publishes supernatural/thriller novels in tandem with Lincoln Child and his books are decent, whilst staying in Italy to do research for a book with his family, he discovered the house and grounds he was staying in was a past murder site for Italy's most notorious serial killer ' The Monster Of Florence ' who had never been caught and killed 16 people between 1968 and 1985.

 

He became fascinated by the story and teamed up with a local journalist Mario Spezi to investigate the murders. The book is really good, quite creepy and displays the comical inefficiency of the Italian police. It is also really easy going and just sucks you in once you start.

 

There is some relevance to the Amanda Knox case as well because the prosecutor who convicted her caused Preston all kinds of trouble and after reading this book I doubt her conviction.

 

Only £5.49 delivered from Amazon

The Monster of Florence: Amazon.co.uk: Douglas Preston, Mario Spezi: Books

 

And you can read more about the Monster Of Florence on Wiki

Monster of Florence - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Liverpool lad]

Is that the one starring Jeffrey Dahmer?

 

Nope, it is about his time spent shadowing police officers and detailing their stories. Fantastic book

[VladimirIlyich]

Recent reads I've enjoyed:

 

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and its sequel Red Seas Under Red Skies. These are basically just great fucking yarns full of twists and turns set in a fictional world. It's kind of a cool, thriller-ish version of the fantasy genre that follows a group of thieves and con men called The Gentleman Bastards. They were given to me for Christmas by a mate and were absolutely spot on. Incredibly readable without being at all clichéd or predictable. The third in the trilogy is coming next year, I think.

 

Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane. This sees him return (probably for the last time) to the Kenzie and Gennaro characters some twelve years after the events of Gone Baby, Gone when Amanda McCready, who they found as a four year old in that novel, has gone missing again. It's a bit on the short side, but still fucking great. A proper page turner and gritty as fuck.

 

I also read The Thing by Alan Dean Foster which is a novelisation of the film as recommended on here by Sut. I also ordered the book it was based on (can't remember what it's called now) which was getting a re-press, but it's since been cancelled. This is good though.

 

The Life and Times of Bobby Z and Savages by Don Winslow now mean I've read everything of his. Both are good if not quite up there with his best. However, you know what you're getting with him: great plots, decent characters and plenty of grit.

 

Long Lost by Harlan Coben is the first thing of his I've read, but it was very enjoyable. The concept requires a bit of suspension of disbelief in so far as the characters are a bit super-rich/super-qualified, but it's basically a cracking thriller that turns into something unexpected near the end.

Kenny's new book was obviously very good and I still intend to go back to Blood's a Rover (tried three times now and still struggling; it's a fucker because it's the only thing of his I haven't read and he's one of my favourite writers). I've just started The Snowman by Jo Nesbo which is a Scando thriller that's had good reviews and sales and is being touted as a Stieg Larrson type thing. Mrs Paul loved it so I'm currently tucking in.

 

I'm a big Harlan Coben fan and I'd recommend his books to anybody,excellent writer.

 

Michael Connelly,Elmore Leonard,George Pelecanos and Carl Hiassen are others I'd recommend.

[Karl_b]

I think it's over a year since I contributed to this thread and I could never recall everything I've read although I have posted in other threads about The Dark Tower series, Discworld (must bump that) and James Ellroy's latest.

 

I recently read Naomi Klein's No Logo and The Shock Doctrine and was predictably impressed by both as my political and social sympathies lie on the same side of the spectrum as hers. The level of research and understanding that went into both books is fantastic and it has further enhanced my feelings about many things, particularly Nike, Starbucks et all. I appreciate that I'm seeing her work from a biased perspective but there's a lot to be learnt from her writing and these are books that have helped strengthen my own beliefs.

 

A young architectural/social/political critic that I really enjoy reading the work of is Owen Hatherley (I fear I may be turning into somewhat of a fanboy actually). His book The New Ruins of Great Britain is about the 'regeneration' of Britain and the soul-less 'iconic' (ha!) architecture that is the legacy of New Labour from 1997 onwards. His damning of the profit driven, user ignored buildings of the period are ones I completely sympathise with. He explores the political situation that gave rise to such developments with damning criticism but equally praises places such as Liverpool One and the Greenwich Millennium Village as having some merits. The company I work for has a couple of buildings/projects briefly mentioned, one in particularly poor terms although I'm glad to say it was designed at least 15 years before I even started at the company! I'm rarely envious of people but his ability to write so well about subjects that I'm passionate about does make me a little jealous.

 

I've been reading through the Sherlock Holmes books as the girlfriend bought me the entire set for my birthday last year, I'm about half way through them and they're ace. I didn't expect to enjoy them as much as I did, I'm not a big fan of 'classic' fiction and often find the prose of older books not to my taste but these are timeless. It's interesting to note how the recent BBC series takes references and influences and updates them, it's really very well done.

 

John Ajvide Lindqvist's latest (the author of Let the Right One In) which is called Harbour is a decent enough horror story about a small coastal town in Sweden which is haunted by the sea. As with his previous two novels the characters are elegantly defined and the relationships between them are what makes the story. However, the horror element left me a bit cold, it was intentionally subtle but didn't hold up to his two previous books.

 

I've just this morning finished Nighwatch which is number 29 of the Discworld series and instantly amongst my favourites.

 

My current coffee table book is CCCP: Cosmic Communist Constructions Photographed by Frederic Chaubin, which does what it says on the cover really. It's a study of buildings in former Soviet states built between 1970 and 1990 (ish), all of which are slightly fantastical and bonkers. Between this and a book called The Lost Vanguard which is a study of modernist period Russian architecture I could quite happily create a holiday itinerary to last months but the good lady isn't all that keen on the idea.

 

I haven't had all that much time for reading the past few months as I'm reading towards my final (no really, actually final this time) exams later in the year. I don't think this is the place to compare the JCT Standards and Design and Build forms of contract though so I'll spare you all.

[Sut]

I've started reading the Flashman novels by George MacDonald Fraser again.

[Anubis]

Who Goes There? by John Campbell.

 

Entire text of which is here.

 

Nice one.

[Trumo]

Since the relevant threads have all been locked, I can only post here that I finally received my copy of An Epic Swindle from Amazon today. Looking forward to reading this as I like surprises.

[clone number 3]

I've started reading the Flashman novels by George MacDonald Fraser again.

 

Epic series of books. Love 'em.

[VladimirIlyich]

If you like humourous fiction novels give Carl Hiaasen a try hes a good read.

[Sut]

Thomas Berger's Little Big Man books are also cracking reads. Apparently the company who made Sharpe for TV had the rights a while back to the Flashman novels. I'd love to see how they'd do it on screen.

[mlwilliams]

Reading 'Under the Dome' by Stephen King and about a third of the way through. Absolutely brilliant book, definitely one of my favourites.

[Lee909]

Two books well worth reading,found both parts to be very very funny.

 

Wally by Name...

A Monkeys Tale Volume One

Product Description

Having been required to resign from the Leicester City Constabulary for the heinous crime of 'gross impertinence to a member of the public', the author crossed the road to the Army Recruiting Office and enlisted into the Royal Military Police. It was a decision that, despite the odd knock back, he was never to regret.

 

The volumes recount the adventures, mishaps, misdeeds and observations of a character of some notoriety, charting his journey from the NAAFI canteen to the Officer's Mess via Germany, the UK, Malta, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and the Far East. The tongue in cheek tales are told in a ribald, sometimes bawdy, occasionally cruel and unfailingly irreverent fashion that befit a person with a chip on both shoulders. Described by one officer as 'arrogant, selfish, self-centred and pig headed', he never discovered any reason to change.

 

 

A Minority of One: A Monkey's Tale Continued

Product Description

Notwithstanding his swift progression through the ranks, the author's contempt for those he considers unworthy of positions of authority remains undiminished. An inability to bear fools gladly, his outspoken manner and a reputation as a fighter of lost causes does little to endear him to his commanders.

 

His primary concerns are to enjoy life to the full and the well-being of the men in his charge. He claims a modicum of success on both fronts.

 

To the bewilderment of many and the utter disgust of others, the Army sees fit to commission the man so adept at swimming against the tide. It's said that, on moonless nights at the Royal Military Police Training Centre in Chichester, the ghostly sound of resentful retching into galvanized buckets may be heard to this day.

 

 

10/10 for each book.

[Sut]

A Spectacle of Dust Pete Postlethwaite's autobiography. A really good read and his affection for Liverpool is clear.

 

Fletch Gregory McDonald's first novel about the investigative reporter. Excellent.

 

Just started A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes. So far, so good.

[James]

Just finished The Dinner by Herman Koch. Amazing book, can definitely see myself reading it again some time.