I have to say, after seeing it praised for a year on Reddit, I can't get into East of Eden. Putting it down and moving on. I've never been as into Steinbeck as some people and think he is just not to my style.
Books The BOOK thread
- Thread starter Livvie
- Start date
Anyone read the latest Salman Rushdie novel? It has been nominated for the Booker Prize. Worth reading?
It just came out. That and the Atwood book getting nominated despite either just being released or not even released yet was weird IMO.
Can anyone recommend any good books on Ireland? I read a book called "Making sense of the troubles" which I really enjoyed. So I'm looking for something similar or one that talks about IRA in more depth? x
I've no real knowledge on the subject but saw these books recommended on another forum.
The Provos: The IRA and Sinn Fein https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0747538182/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_T-JuCb4VBNZJB
Second one: Loyalists.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0747545197/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_raKuCbRS45YGB
Brits: The War Against the IRA https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/074755806X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_McKuCbP145F0
Rebel Hearts by Kevin Toolis
The Faithful Tribe by Ruth Dudley Edwards
I've no real knowledge on the subject but saw these books recommended on another forum.
The Provos: The IRA and Sinn Fein https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0747538182/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_T-JuCb4VBNZJB
Second one: Loyalists.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0747545197/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_raKuCbRS45YGB
Brits: The War Against the IRA https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/074755806X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_McKuCbP145F0
Rebel Hearts by Kevin Toolis
The Faithful Tribe by Ruth Dudley Edwards
Awe amazing, thanks Steve x
No problem.
Have you read anything else by Steinbeck? Cannery Row and Tortilla Flat are my personal favourites.
Mice and Grapes in high school. Admittedly I'd just read Pynchon's Vineland (my favorite author) and just like after I finished Suttree I found it hard to get into most other authors after that. I'll check out Cannery Row though I've seen it mentioned in here before.
You're right just checked the release date, came out 10 days ago! All these awards are a sham anyway. Been through so many shite books, movies and series just because they won some award.
Just read the old man and the sea. Enjoyed it a lot.
I'm reading the Papa Pachelli cozy mystery series. There are 36 books in total. I've read book 36 which I liked a lot plus books 1-5. I'll post my review of book 5 later today.
Finished Camus's Plague. Masterpiece.
Currently reading The Republic by Plato bit dense and hard to follow still enjoying it so far.
Thinking of reading Dr Zhivago by Pasternak or any Dostoyevsky novel next, I've only read Crime and Punishment.
Currently reading The Republic by Plato bit dense and hard to follow still enjoying it so far.
Thinking of reading Dr Zhivago by Pasternak or any Dostoyevsky novel next, I've only read Crime and Punishment.
Finished reading the Mysteries of Udolpho. I should now avoid the books that were only popular during their time even if this title is referenced in few books, like in Northanger Abbey.
Why has it taken me so long to read an Agatha Christie Book. Nearly finished Murder on the Orient Express and I've loved it. Looking forward to seeing who the murderer (or murderers) is. I've a few ideas but at this point I've pretty much made everyone a suspect
Will definitely look at reading some more of her works when I've finished this one.
Will definitely look at reading some more of her works when I've finished this one.
I've decided to read War and Peace on my phone. The sub chapters are detectable on my phone, which is a big reason.
Why has it taken me so long to read an Agatha Christie Book. Nearly finished Murder on the Orient Express and I've loved it. Looking forward to seeing who the murderer (or murderers) is. I've a few ideas but at this point I've pretty much made everyone a suspect
Will definitely look at reading some more of her works when I've finished this one.
I recommend The Mystery of the Blue Train. It's underrated but quite atmospheric and is a fast read.
I've got the Murder of Roger Ackroyd to read next, but I'll check out that one aswell, thanks.
Finished Murder on the Orient Express, enjoyed it. The ending became fairly clear before the big reveal, to me anyway, but a very enjoyable read.
You should watch the Albert Finney movie, not that Kenneth Branagh shite where he becomes Jason Bourne. Astonishing performance by Finney given how much dialogue he has.
Roger Ackroyd is even better. You must share whether you guessed right again, or not.
That's unfair. The Kenneth Branagh performance was more faithful to the original Poirot. Poirot rarely shouts and goes berserk like Albert Finney did.
Was not expecting that ending.
I did have suspicions of Caroline most way through the book, never occurred to me for one moment it was Sheppard, right in front of you all the time!
Did you guess right whilst you were reading it?
Did you guess right whilst you were reading it?
I shall read The Mystery of the Blue Train next.
Regarding Roger Ackroyd, I never had a clue, and unlike you I didn't guess the solution to Orient Express as well.
Blue Train is underrated, in my opinion. It never hits the high notes, plot-wise. However the victim is well fleshed out. It's a love or hate book, mind.
Thanks, I'll start it tomorrow and let you know what I think.
Are the Marple books good aswell? Or do you prefer the Poirot ones?
I prefer Marple, but I don't like all of her books. I didn't like The Moving Finger. I really wish there had been more of her books.
So the Guardian released this list of its "best" books of the 21st century. First putting fiction and non-fiction on the same list is lame.
It's massively biased towards British authors and Guardian favorites and IMO aesthetically offensive. Their top 10 is just silly and putting Harry Potter on the list instead of the books below is just
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/21/best-books-of-the-21st-century
Missing from the list are some of the best books I've ever read let alone in the 21st century. These are all arguably better than their entire top 10 and its criminal they were not included:
2666 by Roberto Bolaño
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Against the Day & Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon
The Zero by Jess Walter
The Last Samurai by Helen Dewitt
Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Sieg Larrson
It's massively biased towards British authors and Guardian favorites and IMO aesthetically offensive. Their top 10 is just silly and putting Harry Potter on the list instead of the books below is just
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/21/best-books-of-the-21st-century
Missing from the list are some of the best books I've ever read let alone in the 21st century. These are all arguably better than their entire top 10 and its criminal they were not included:
2666 by Roberto Bolaño
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Against the Day & Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon
The Zero by Jess Walter
The Last Samurai by Helen Dewitt
Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Sieg Larrson
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List is an abomination.
What happened to the cool mid-2000s Guardian.
What happened to the cool mid-2000s Guardian.
Yep it's pretty bad.So the Guardian released this list of its "best" books of the 21st century. First putting fiction and non-fiction on the same list is lame.
It's massively biased towards British authors and Guardian favorites and IMO aesthetically offensive. Their top 10 is just silly and putting Harry Potter on the list instead of the books below is just
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/sep/21/best-books-of-the-21st-century
Missing from the list are some of the best books I've ever read let alone in the 21st century. These are all arguably better than their entire top 10 and its criminal they were not included:
2666 by Roberto Bolaño
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Against the Day & Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon
The Zero by Jess Walter
The Last Samurai by Helen Dewitt
Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon
Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
Feast of the Goat by Mario Vargas Llosa
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Sieg Larrson
It's a typical Guardian list...unfortunately.
It's sometimes daunting deciding what to read, so much stuff out there it's hard to know where to start.
But once you start, it gets easier. Especially once you find a few writers you like.
I dont know exactly what you're looking for, but if you have any interest in science fiction, I think Philip K Dick (do androids dream of electric sheep, Ubik, a scanner darkly) is a great place to start. And I think everyone should give kurt vonnegut a try (slaughterhouse 5, sirens of titanic).
I'm trying to read through some of the classics at the minute. Reading another Agatha Christie one then I think I am going to try To Kill a Mockingbird and Great Expectations.
I am open to all genres really. I did try reading Lord of the Rings but my god Tolkien waffles on. Just tell me it's a tree and move on. Don't spend 4 pages telling me about said tree
Do NOT read great expectations. Do NOT
If you want to read Dickens try a tale of two cities
It's DickensIs it bad?
But yeah, even if you for some reason like Dickens, it's still one of his weakest works
It's Dickens
But yeah, even if you for some reason like Dickens, it's still one of his weakest works
I'm no literary expert but I thought Dickens was a good writer?
It's about taste. He's not a bad writer in an empirical sense. But i don't like how and what he writes
I see.