O/T Book review thread.

[London_White]

Just about to wade into 'All Hell Let Loose' the Max Hastings second world war opus.
If anyone on here has read it please don't spoil the ending for me.

[eric olthwaite]

Just about to wade into 'All Hell Let Loose' the Max Hastings second world war opus.
If anyone on here has read it please don't spoil the ending for me.

The Germans win.

[London_White]

Well they're certainly looking good early doors.
Secret has always been to get round the back of the defence early on.

[SimonB]

Just to update my progress I have finished the following books so far this year -

Half Life - Roopa Farooki (Pakistan)
Summertime - J M Coetzee (South Africa)
The redeemer - Jo Nesbo (Norway)
Inquisition - Alfredo Colitto (Italy)
Snuff - Terry Prachett (England)
The House of the Mosque - Kader Abdolha (Iran)
The Dream Merchant - Isabel Hoving (Holland)

so only 45 books to go.......

I am currently reading -

Parrot & Oliver in America - Peter Carey (Australia)
11.22.63 - Stephen King (America)

And I have the following lined up -

The Anatomist - Federico Andahazi (Argentina)
Pearl of China - Anchee Min (China)
The Cave - Jose Saramago (Portugal)
Exile - Jakob Ejersbo (Denmark)
The Age of Reason - John-Paul Sartre (French)
The Savage Detectives - Roberto Bolano (Chile)
The Hand of Fatima - Ildefonso Falcones (Spain)
The Weekend - Bernhard Schlink (Germany)
IQ84 book 1 - Haruki Murakami (Japan)

[famousallwhitestrip]

Great thread this Guys , here is my ten penath

Most moving book = Bird Song not ashamed to say I cried,, also try The Boy in The Stipped Pyjamas

Best adventure books / author Wilbur Smith 1st River God, 2nd When the Lion feeds, 3rd Men of Men, 4th A Sparrow Falls

Best Sci Fi = Footfall sorry cant remember author also and for been thouht provoking, interesting & educational the Harry Turtledove alternative history series, World at War, be warned they are a bit long and slow but for Sci Fi fans well worth reading, start with In The Balance, they are good bed time books

Easy reads= The Da Vinci Code,,, Fever Pitch ,, most John Gresham books are well worth a read,
Very easy reads Jack Higins is early ones are OK ie The Eagle has Landed, Tho you might have now seen the film which was poor,
For those of you who are left of centre try finding a copy of Robert Tressle The Ragged Trouserd Philanthropist,,, at first it seems to have dated a lot, but persevere it still rings true in todays broken society.

For those who dont mind 2nd hand books Try online at Alibris Books

A Total change = The Clan of the Cave Bear,,, very very well researched and years ahead of what is just comeing out in modern documentarys

and finaly the the most Damaging Book, = the one that David O Leary wrote, and when my skin gets a bit tougher, I will read Ridsdales book too, but I think I need this Nightmare to end first,

I would be interested in other peoples views and feedback on Turtldove, has he has done some on the american Civil war and I wouldnt mind giving them a try,,,,,

M,O,T, PS sorry for poor spelling

[BC]

Aziz?

[eric olthwaite]

Aziz?

Yay!

[Man Called Sun]

... when my skin gets a bit tougher, I will read Ridsdales book too, but I think I need this Nightmare to end first,

It's hilarious if you remember that the man writing it is utterly delusional and stupid, and that everything he says is the opposite of what happened.

[Quiffy]

Just to update my progress I have finished the following books so far this year -....

IQ84 book 1 - Haruki Murakami (Japan)

i'm on that at the minute. it's good, so you're right to leave it to the end, like the centre of a pizza.

[Mustafaster]

Just to update my progress I have finished the following books so far this year -....

IQ84 book 1 - Haruki Murakami (Japan)

i'm on that at the minute. it's good, so you're right to leave it to the end, like the centre of a pizza.

I'm a huge Murakami fan, reckon he must be up for a Nobel in the next few years.
But that is way below his best imo. Just too long for me. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle however ...

[SimonB]

Just to update my progress I have finished the following books so far this year -....

IQ84 book 1 - Haruki Murakami (Japan)

i'm on that at the minute. it's good, so you're right to leave it to the end, like the centre of a pizza.

I'm a huge Murakami fan, reckon he must be up for a Nobel in the next few years.
But that is way below his best imo. Just too long for me. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle however ...

The wind up bird chronicle is a great read, I too love Murakami and am looking forward to the IQ84 series despite the relatively poor reviews it has received.

[FER]

11.22.63 - Stephen King (America)

I'm (almost exactly) half way through this one. Pretty good read so far. Fell off a bit when the main protagonist met the woman (he says vaguely, trying not to give owt away), but picking up a bit now. King is stepping further and further away from his 'known' genre with each of his books I read, however, this has still got me wanting more.

[eric olthwaite]

11.22.63 - Stephen King (America)

I'll fuck that one off on the basis that the stupid cunt can't even get the date right.

Just finished Doctor Zhivago by Pasternak. Bloke has a mostly shit life during shit times, shacks up with a few birds, dies miserably.

Alright, I s'pose.

Next up, Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis, followed by a return to my long-term hike through Russian classics with Dostoyevsky's The Idiot.

[SimonB]

11.22.63 - Stephen King (America)

I'm (almost exactly) half way through this one. Pretty good read so far. Fell off a bit when the main protagonist met the woman (he says vaguely, trying not to give owt away), but picking up a bit now. King is stepping further and further away from his 'known' genre with each of his books I read, however, this has still got me wanting more.

The concept behind the book makes it a good read imo (I am also about half way through) and you are right it is a bit away from horror, although it does have a touch of it jimla And King must truly hate Derry!

[FER]

King must truly hate Derry!

Yeah, shame it's fictional. JIMLA!!!

[Dods]

Not a book review, but there's some free books on Amazon.

Download a free PC Kindle, and you can then download loads of classics for free.

Just browse for the free books then download them!

[Quiffy]

Not a book review, but there's some free books on Amazon.

Download a free PC Kindle, and you can then download loads of classics for free.

Just browse for the free books then download them!

and here's another way to search for freebies for a kindle...

http://uk.kinlib.com/

[Blackwhite]

and free books over at Project Gutenberg also, as well as other outlets.

[MrWhite]

I got Stewart Lee's How I escaped my certain fate: The life and deaths of a standup comedian for Christmas and enjoyed it so much I bought the recently released 'EP' book detailing the time surrounding his Milder comedian tour that came later. It's a mixture of a description of his circumstances surrounding the writing of the shows, transcripts of the shows themselves and a few other bits and pieces. If you like Lee's standup it's fascinating to know the thought process that goes behind his material, and little private thoughts that otherwise we'd never know about.

[Quiffy]

Just to update my progress I have finished the following books so far this year -....

IQ84 book 1 - Haruki Murakami (Japan)

i'm on that at the minute. it's good, so you're right to leave it to the end, like the centre of a pizza.

I'm a huge Murakami fan, reckon he must be up for a Nobel in the next few years.
But that is way below his best imo. Just too long for me. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle however ...

this thread has dropped down to page 3 in the time it's taken me to finish 1Q84 and i hope it's not your suggestions, but you have a point. i still like Murakami's style but the storyline seemed to cross the line from oddly dreamlike into contrived bollocks.