stevem2k

Just finished Book 11 and it's , apparently the last one is going to be a 1500+ page monster.

Steve

Frosty The Snowman

Likewise just finished 11 and thought it was a great improvement over the last few, hopefully Jordan will round off the story nicely. Really liked the new George RR Martin Song of Fire and Ice installment too.

The_Gza

Got a few over Christmas - just finished the sequel to Pandora's Star, Judas Unchained (by Peter F. Hamilton) which I really enjoyed. Actually went and bought his earlier 'Night's Dawn' trilogy off the back of reading Pandora's Star. Going to read a few non-SF books now before I start that trilogy though as they're around 1200 pages each Had a bit of a Sci-Fi phase over the last few months

First in line is Terry Pratchett's new one, Thud! I might also go back and finish off Neal Stephenson's The System of the World which I stalled about a quarter of the way into.

Frosty The Snowman

I thought Thud was very good indeed, some laugh out loud moments like some of his earlier stuff. Guards books are my favouries, I think, followed closely by the Witches.

I thought the Nights Dawn Trilogy was superb, and very long to boot. It managed to keep me riveted, I read one after another just before Christmas

Pandoras Star and Judas Unchained should arrive tomorrow

unclebuck

Anyone tried Bill Bryson?

A Walk In The Woods is my fave although The Lost Continent is a great read, as is Notes From A Small Island.

Currently just over halfway through A Brief History Of Nearly Everything, which is his latest work.

UB

SJ_Skyline

It's been a few years since I read it but "A Walk in the Woods" had tears rolling down my face when Katz (sp) threw most of their food and camping gear over the ravine and they had to survive on chocolate bars Bryson's ongoing paranoia about "Bear Attack" continues to crop up at just about every spot possible

unclebuck

That's the one. A great mixture of fact and hilarious humour, mainly due to the antics of Stephen Katz. He 'flung' the coffee filters away too, meaning they had to use toilet paper instead.

richiewong

1. Schott's Almanac

2. Da Vinci Code - pants

3. Schott's almanac again, perfect toilet reading that you can pick up time after time

scud8

iTrader: (1)

1. Chuck Palahniuk, Non-fiction (the heavy reading)
Guillermo Martinez, The Oxford Murders (the light reading)

2. Don Quixote, Possession (AS Byatt) - just hard work.
The Irvine Welch book where the baby is kidnapped and the parents get the sawn off arms back - didn't think I could stomach it.

3. John Irvine, A Prayer for Owen Meany (I'm not in any way religious - but a fantastic book)
Audrey ?, The Time Traveller's Wife
probably lots of others (Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald).

Johnny E

anything by David Gemmell.......havn't been dissapointed by one of his yet

Milamber

iTrader: (2)

Heads up boys and girls.

Stephen King releases a new book end of the month. "CELL" and amazon are doing a 45% discount.

carl

Just started reading some Robert Ludlum books and they're OK. Mainly got them because there was a big "3 great novels" version and I've had a few Ian Rankin books like that which were excellent. So I really did judge the book by its cover...

16vmarc

Currently reading The Rum Diary by Hunter S Thompson, I bought it when it came out back in 1999. Just never got round to reading Not alot happens, but its fairly steady away.

Recently read Digital Fortress, Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code and bought Deception Point today. They get repetitive after a while though. Im not expecting much from the one i got today but it was under a fiver!

SJ_Skyline

Micheal Crichton's Prey - Fantastic read, could barely put the book down.

Rohan Candappa's The Curious Incident of the WMD in Iraq - Read it in 45 minutes Funny but I didn't like the way it was written, as if it was a child telling the story.

Currently reading Mr. Browns Angels and Demons - So far so good, an enjoyable read.

Paul3446

For real life adventure try:

Joe Simpson - Touching the Void
Steven Callahan - Adrift
Bear Gryhlls - Facing Up

drumsterphil

iTrader: (1)

Reading/Just finished : The DaVinci Code (great up until the ending, an observation I've made of all of Dan Brown's books) and the World According to Clarkson (frightening amounts of good common-sense and a good chuckle to boot).

Couldn't finish - Tom Clancy - anything after Red Storm Rising

Repeat reads - To Kill The Potemkin/Mark Jospeh, Excession/Iain M Banks, Red Storm Rising/Tom Clancy, Treasure/Clive Cussler

Brendan Hughes

Currently dipping into John Man's Genghis Khan. Nicely written, with the odd LOL; "He found out what various empire-builders have found through the centuries (19th century French, 19-20th century British, neo-conservative Americans in 2003...)"

Ennoch

1)
Currently reading 'Jupiters Travels' by Ted Simon. Brilliant book, very inspiring.
I liked the series that Charlie Boorman and Ewan MacGregor did but the book was just the DVD rehashed into script form, not my CoT.

2)
Just finished 'Hunted Through Central Asia' by Paul Nazaroff. Incredible story of a man hunted by Lenin's secret police in the early 20th century.

3)
Couldn't finish 'To the Baltic with Bob' by Gryff Rhys Jones. Just didn't flow, just ramblings.
I couldn't finish 'Stalin' by Robert Service, but I will finish it...it is just a very heavy book. 600 pages of 5 point writing! Got about 2/3rds through, very enlightening.

4)
Bill Bryson's books tend to be really good.
I like travel books by Paul Theroux and Colin Thubron. Well educated writers who seep into the culture, both me and my dad really like these but my dad can't stand them...too slow moving!
I like Iain Banks's Scif Fi Culture stuff, thePlayer of Games is the best. His book, Raw Spirit, a travel round Scotland searching out malts is also a fantastic read...a petrolhead, whickey connesuir and great writer...what more could you ask for?

If you are interested in motorsport hisory, two books I really recommend are 'Fangio' by Greald Donaldson and 'Enzo Ferrari' by Richard Williams. Very good biographies.


It's amazing how much more I enjoy reading now that i have left school, I tend to read at least one book a week although I try to read more. I never had that interest back then...

legb4rsk

A late comer,just got into this thread.It's excellent.
I go to the library a lot & charity shops.The problem is if you are a heaten like me it's hard to know where to start when looking for a good read.Recomendations from like-minded people are a great way of broadening you reading.

Quote:
Originally Posted by OllyK
Looks like JRR's work is generally considered boring!


Yawn! I just can't be arsed with interminable trips through some cobwebbed, pompous, humourless netherworld inhabited by troll-like creatures.

Don't go to 'Muppet Show' then!

I like Iain Rankins 'Inspector Rebus' novels.He is a bit like a hard version of 'Frost'

As someone else has said,I haven't yet finished 'Jonothan Strange & Mr Norrell' . I keep persevering but it is very wierd.

Best book I have read recently is 'Life of Pi' absoutley fantastic story ,unlike anything you've ever read before .Highly recommended by me.

stevem2k

I got through it in the end , but it truly was a slog .. didn't really see what the fuss was about either ...

Milamber

iTrader: (2)

I am sooo near the end of this..... and I 1st mentioned it! Got to say I like the way that the tone starts turning darker and darker as madness descends...

CooperS

Stephen Covey - 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

&

The World According to Clarkson

XRS

I'm reading Ian Rankin's Rebus novels - up to number 9 ATM. Really enjoying them - he cracks me up sometimes

I also enjoyed all of Harlan Coben's stuff as well as the usual LOTR, Philip Pullman, Dan Brown, John Grisham and Harry Potter. All good for taking the mind off the day-to-day drudgery

Apparition

Hey All, I'm blown away that this old thread of mine is still doing the rounds. More so since seeing a prog today on TV about semi illiterate people. Made me realise what they are missing out on. Reading is something we can all take for granted. Treasure it, Whatever we read and derive pleasure from has to be a plus.
What has really pleased me about this thread...... There have been no uppity contributions, no one making out that their choice is better than someone elses. That pleases me no end. Obviously books provide a level playing field.
Keep reading
Yve x

legb4rsk

Apparition, maybe we(Scoobynet) should start a 'Library Corner'.
It probably would be a first for a car forum!
Would put a lie to all those who think Subaru drivers are a bunch of illiterate morons.(I can read,I didn't say I could spell or punctuate )
May also be the anitdote after a visit to 'Muppets'.

Milamber

iTrader: (2)

Has anyone read my previous recommendation of "Replay" by Ken Grimwood yet?

Milamber

iTrader: (2)

Now finished "forever odd" by Dean Koonts and moving on to "Cell" by stephen king.

lpski1

i have, the cover being different though.

really enjoyed it, you get really involved with the book, hard to put down that one. will read it again too.... and what if !!!



thanks to this thread, ive also read 'catcher in the rye', currently reading 'to kill a mocking bird'

Catcher, wasnt quite what i thought, interesting all the same, lots of americanisms that began to grind a bit though, plus his repeated quotes. I maybe missing something, not sure what all the fuss is about though. !

i was also recommened to read 'shogun - James Clavelle', ordered myself an original leather bound copy from ebay, 2 volumes, its gone AWOL in the post though fingers crossed it will get sent back across the pond and this time i'll pay for DHL.

Castrol

1 Armaghedon - Hastings/Auschwitz - Rees/Sarah's Quilt - Turner/William at War - Crompton/The Complete Calvin & Hobbes - Watterson

2 Some Harry Potter book - forget which. 4 lines was enough!

3 Far From The Madding Crowd - Hardy/The Sound and the Fury - Faulkner/To Kill a Mocking Bird - Lee/The Sportswriter - Ford

WRX_Dazza

just finished reading:
James Patterson's : Mary, Mary

couldn't finish:
Roddy Doyle : Oh, Play that thing. - (loved his other books, by the way)

just about to embark on Simon Scarrow - The Eagle's Prophecy (great author)