Books The BOOK thread

I'm reading Best Australian Short Stories 2003 and a book of short stories by a Melbourne writer called Paul Mitchell. Both brilliant.

Literature, and exporting good actors, are the only things we're world class at when it comes to the Arts.
 
I'm currently reading The Idiot by Dostoevsky.

You can really feel Nastasya Filippovnas presence in the room, brilliant read.
 
Currently reading 'The Jester' by James Patterson. Great until now.
 
Anyone here read Homicide by David Simon? It's a non-fictional story of a year spent with the Baltimore homicide. Some really great insights into the department and the streets. Anyone who enjoyed The Wire for it's gritty realism should definitely check this out.
 
DouLou said:
Anyone here read Homicide by David Simon? It's a non-fictional story of a year spent with the Baltimore homicide. Some really great insights into the department and the streets. Anyone who enjoyed The Wire for it's gritty realism should definitely check this out.
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Have that one on audiobook. I've been meaning to get to it but just haven't.
 
Meh, I haven't done a review in a while and I am bored so I will do one on a book I know a few caf members have read. A Song of Ice and Fire

Probably a bit unfair of me to do this review having not finished the 3rd book yet, but truth be told I don't know if I will bother. I only have up to book one of the third book, and I doubt I will go out and spend money on the others. Though I suppose it would be foolish of me not to see it through to the end, so then again I might.

As stories and plots go, it's truly epic. Probably on a scale not seen since Tolkein. It really is very, very impressive. However the prose is lacking in any poetry what so ever, and too often is the dialogue needlessly coarse, bordering on cringe worthy at times. It's hardly a secret that Martin can not write sex scenes, so for the sake of my libido won't someone please make him stop? As I said, the scale of the story itself is brilliantly bold, however the more basic aspects of the book itself suffer because of this. You can't help but feel he would have been better off not trying to squeeze so many different stories into the one series. But because he has done this, and the way he has decided to go about it, means you are given absolutely no opportunity to build a connection or bond with any of the characters. In fact the only passionate feelings you have for any of them is one of annoyance, for the rest you tend to flitter between mild indifference and not actually being able to remember who the fudge they are. In my case, I hate finishing a chapter and then turning a page to find the next instalment is on Tyrion or Daenerys. They're just two characters who do nothing but agitate and annoy me.

There is no magic in the writing, no stand out passages or lines that reach right into your soul or touch your heart. You are never going to find yourself swept up in the romance of this book, simply because both the prose and the story itself is lacking in any sort of enchantment. Indeed, if I have to read one more paragraph that is nothing but a list of the names of Knights or Lords or Bannerman I'm going to eat my own face. Seriously, it gets ridiculous at times and is completely unnecessary, all it does it confuse you and early on I had no idea who 80% of the characters were or which side they were on. You get the feeling he just enjoys making up long lists of names for the sake of it. As a reader I find myself really not caring who wins and who loses...actually that's not true, I want the dwarf to lose, but other than that I really don't care simply because I have no affiliation with any of the characters, which is disappointing.

That said, it is a good book, and it does keep you turning the pages simply because the story itself is so well planned out, and so full of twists and turns that you have to know what happens next. It does keep you guessing and wondering all the way through and I would recommend it to people. I think my disappointment stems from this feeling I can't shake that, whilst it is admittedly a behemoth of a story, it should have been so much more. It really could have been something special, a book that rivalled the best fantasy has to offer, a true all time great. Instead it joins a number of other very good book's from past and present that fall somewhat short of equalling the sum of their parts.
 
Just finnished a book called LIbrary of the Dead by Glenn Cooper,his first book.
Found it a very good read ,it is about a killer in New York called the Doomsday killer ,all the victims have in common is a post card they all got on the day they died with the date on.
The copper in charge has no idea ,no leads but some the investigation takes a strange twist and uncovers a shocking secret protected for centuries ,a secret that was once buried under an 8thCentury Monastery.
Well worth a read
 
Topper - can't find your post to quote, but you mentioned Dean Koontz.

His best novels are the ones that are less horror and more thriller.

Lightning and Strangers are my favourite.

And Cold Fire is good too.
 
That's some review Smashed. If there weren't so many words i might have read it.
Only joking
 
Have to disagree with pretty much all of that Smashed. Loved the characters, especially Tyrion, loved the grittiness of the novel, and the way it tries to be realistic and doesn't just delve into magic and mystics, instead they're kinda hidden in the story and show up in small pieces.

I guess it's hard to follow at times and there are probably too much characters, but by mid way through the second book I had no problems remembering who important characters were and who they represent etc.

I'll agree with you on the sex scenes though!
 
cina said:
Have to disagree with pretty much all of that Smashed. Loved the characters, especially Tyrion, loved the grittiness of the novel, and the way it tries to be realistic and doesn't just delve into magic and mystics, instead they're kinda hidden in the story and show up in small pieces.

I guess it's hard to follow at times and there are probably too much characters, but by mid way through the second book I had no problems remembering who important characters were and who they represent etc.

I'll agree with you on the sex scenes though!
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It's a fair point. At first I did like Tyrion, but soon his damn small 'jokes', of which he makes one every second sentence, began to grate. We get it George, he's short. Actually it's not so much the jokes themselves, its the supposed reaction to them. Generic joke number 3 "Time is short...but not as short as me!" is then followed by 'Bronn threw back his head and laughed so hard he almost choked, whilst all the Burned Men stamped their feet in hysterics.' Or something. Really? They did? At that joke, which he used 3 pages a go? Right.

He was a reasonably likeable character at first but he gradually gets more and more arrogant and condescending half way through the second book. Not to mention the fact that although we're constantly reminded he is a dwarf and useless in combat, he always seems to come out of the battles unscathed whilst having killed half a dozen enemy knights who are also 3 foot taller and a great deal stronger than him.

Ok, rant over.

Do you not agree though that it is hard to build any sort of rapport or connection with the characters because you are given very little chance to?
 
Is it gay that I'm reading and rather enjoying Twilight? Please tell me I'm a man.
 
SmashedHombre said:
Do you not agree though that it is hard to build any sort of rapport or connection with the characters because you are given very little chance to?
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With certain characters yes, but a lot of that is because GRRM likes the 'shock' value of killing off characters you don't think will be killed off, which means they're gone before you ever properly get to know them.

Still, I think long term characters such as Bran, Cersei, Jamie, Tyrion are likeable in their own ways and each have their own weaknesses and bad points. The thing I like about the books is that there's no real out-right good or bad characters, bar a few such as Gregor maybe.

Take Jamie for instance, before he becomes one of the central characters, the only impression we have of him is a cold-blooded complete and utter cock who loves a bit of incest, because we see things through the eyes of people who hate him, but once he got a central role and we seen things from his perspective, he became really likeable and interesting.

I can understand your viewpoint, because at times characters can be really annoying and difficult to understand, and GRRM does seem to take them over the top at times, but overall I have to say I like the characters and the way they're developed, and it's different to a lot of fantasy novels.
 
cina said:
With certain characters yes, but a lot of that is because GRRM likes the 'shock' value of killing off characters you don't think will be killed off, which means they're gone before you ever properly get to know them.

Still, I think long term characters such as Bran, Cersei, Jamie, Tyrion are likeable in their own ways and each have their own weaknesses and bad points. The thing I like about the books is that there's no real out-right good or bad characters, bar a few such as Gregor maybe.

Take Jamie for instance, before he becomes one of the central characters, the only impression we have of him is a cold-blooded complete and utter cock who loves a bit of incest, because we see things through the eyes of people who hate him, but once he got a central role and we seen things from his perspective, he became really likeable and interesting.

I can understand your viewpoint, because at times characters can be really annoying and difficult to understand, and GRRM does seem to take them over the top at times, but overall I have to say I like the characters and the way they're developed, and it's different to a lot of fantasy novels.
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See this is my point, there is no shock value for me when certain characters get killed off simply because to me they're just a character and there is no affiliation there. The shock value only works when you begin to develop a deep connection with a character and you feel a real sense of pain and grief when they are killed, this doesn't happen for me once in A Song of Ice and Fire. I suppose it's a price you pay for having no stand out chief character, which really is rule one when it comes to plotting 99% of books. Having these brief windows of so many different characters just means you see bits and pieces of each one and never get a chance to fully explore any of them. If one character get's killed, another takes their place so you don't feel any sense of loss, you just carry on reading.

As you say, it is different from most fantasy novels, or most novels full stop, and I don't really mind it too much. I just think it's a shame that the character development is a big flaw in an otherwise great book. If he had developed a chief character and explored just one characters feelings, doubts, past etc fully then it could have made the whole book an awful lot better
 
Anybody read the Traveller and the Dark River by John 12 Hawks?
 
Has anyone read The Angel's Game yet?

The first book was incredible but I doubt this one will be able to recreate the same atmosphere, any views would be helpful as I'm considering buying it today.
 
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie is class, not as good as The Satanic Verses but worthy of a read imo.
 
1984 - George Orwell.

Well, welly, well, well. What can be said about this 'modern' classic that hasn't been said? Perhaps, simply that this book deserves that title - classic. It is nothing short of a classic, from the basic element of any novel: superbly written, excellent plot and character progression.

However it also features another key element that is quite simply the essence of a classic novel, an idea that is simply beyond it's time, visionary. Orwell did this majestically, he envisioned society and how it was looking. He had seen Hitler and the Third Reich rise and fall. But he knew it would not be the end, communism knocking at the door and capitalism a myriad of corruption founded on piracy. So, in typically Orwellian fashion he presented the Big Brother ran state and with each passing decade Orwell's warning to humanity creeps earily into existence. The fact is, we already live in 1984 we just cannot see it yet. It is horrifying. For a novel that is not a horror, it's the scariest I've ever read.

It's a relatively quick read because it simply sucks you in. But don't expect an easy ride, you will be challenged on a mental level and once finished you will not stop thinking about it, for weeks, months indeed for the rest of your life. Because it will become a benchmark to you with every change you note in society. It's the best book I've read this year of the 'typical' classic novel - and I've recently read Great Expectations. So, if you want to be challenged and are prepared for a deep-thinking novel, 1984 is perfect and as it is constructed in an easy to read fashion it isn't a task. Enjoy one of the true classics.

- Adam.
 
AdZzUtd said:
1984 - George Orwell.

Well, welly, well, well. What can be said about this 'modern' classic that hasn't been said? Perhaps, simply that this book deserves that title - classic. It is nothing short of a classic, from the basic element of any novel: superbly written, excellent plot and character progression.

However it also features another key element that is quite simply the essence of a classic novel, an idea that is simply beyond it's time, visionary. Orwell did this majestically, he envisioned society and how it was looking. He had seen Hitler and the Third Reich rise and fall. But he knew it would not be the end, communism knocking at the door and capitalism a myriad of corruption founded on piracy. So, in typically Orwellian fashion he presented the Big Brother ran state and with each passing decade Orwell's warning to humanity creeps earily into existence. The fact is, we already live in 1984 we just cannot see it yet. It is horrifying. For a novel that is not a horror, it's the scariest I've ever read.

It's a relatively quick read because it simply sucks you in. But don't expect an easy ride, you will be challenged on a mental level and once finished you will not stop thinking about it, for weeks, months indeed for the rest of your life. Because it will become a benchmark to you with every change you note in society. It's the best book I've read this year of the 'typical' classic novel - and I've recently read Great Expectations. So, if you want to be challenged and are prepared for a deep-thinking novel, 1984 is perfect and as it is constructed in an easy to read fashion it isn't a task. Enjoy one of the true classics.

- Adam.
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Nice summary. Read 1984 a few times now, never stops to fascinate me.

Have you read Fahrenheit 451? It's brilliant!
 
Mihajlovic said:
Nice summary. Read 1984 a few times now, never stops to fascinate me.

Have you read Fahrenheit 451? It's brilliant!
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I haven't mate, I'll add it to my list though. Next up Huxleys: Brave new world. Then I'll give Fahrenheit 451 a crack.

Anyway, my next review is:

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep - Philip K. Dick.

Continuing my recent journey into the dystopia/post-apocalyptic world, I found DADOES - A short novel which is quite simply another work of art. While it isn't as deep as the aforementioned 1984, it still provides a solid insight into a futuristic world in which Humanity has succumbed to it's own downfalls. In this particular case, nuclear war has ruined the planet and much of the population's of all life-forms. Most humans have escaped to mars and founded a new colony of life - those left on earth are outcasts and 'infected' by the toxic dust which it is in the atmosphere. Sound familiar? Well it should, Dick's novel was the inspiration and story for the film Bladerunner - need I say more?

But indeed I do, Dick presents the novel as an action-thriller with subconscious undertones of life, the struggle to survive. Androids who escape their masters and live on earth are criminals - Dick presents a world where robots have become so advanced they wish for nothing more than to continue living - they have developed emotions - they are becoming human. Which itself is visionary - go and youtube robots + japan and you'll see this is a reality and no longer a possibility.

Androids are retired and slowly our protagonist questions this, surely they just want to live too? The damning point is, quite simply, everyone - human and animal living in San Fransico and indeed, anywhere on earth are slowly dieing. Androids are just as outcast as the humans who don't live on Mars. It's a catch 22 - and it's brilliant.
 
Just finished "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. It's about two women and their life in Afghanistan, being married to the same violent husband, in a time of war and changes. A tale about their life and the difficulties they have to face. Brilliant book!! Very upsetting and interesting at the same time. Got so hooked I read it in a couple of days..


I'm now about to start reading Barack Obama - Dreams from my father.
 
If you like 1984 or Brave New World then you have to also read Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut. Another excellent dystopian novel.

Nice reviews btw.

Currently reading Naked Lunch. Very weird book about drugs, homosexuals and did I say drugs...
 
Just finished 'Legend' by David Gemmell. Fantastic read. Slightly disappointed with the ending if I had to find a criticism of it but that shouldn't detract from what is a thoroughly good and enjoyable read.
 
AdZzUtd said:
1984 - George Orwell.

Well, welly, well, well. What can be said about this 'modern' classic that hasn't been said? Perhaps, simply that this book deserves that title - classic. It is nothing short of a classic, from the basic element of any novel: superbly written, excellent plot and character progression.

However it also features another key element that is quite simply the essence of a classic novel, an idea that is simply beyond it's time, visionary. Orwell did this majestically, he envisioned society and how it was looking. He had seen Hitler and the Third Reich rise and fall. But he knew it would not be the end, communism knocking at the door and capitalism a myriad of corruption founded on piracy. So, in typically Orwellian fashion he presented the Big Brother ran state and with each passing decade Orwell's warning to humanity creeps earily into existence. The fact is, we already live in 1984 we just cannot see it yet. It is horrifying. For a novel that is not a horror, it's the scariest I've ever read.

It's a relatively quick read because it simply sucks you in. But don't expect an easy ride, you will be challenged on a mental level and once finished you will not stop thinking about it, for weeks, months indeed for the rest of your life. Because it will become a benchmark to you with every change you note in society. It's the best book I've read this year of the 'typical' classic novel - and I've recently read Great Expectations. So, if you want to be challenged and are prepared for a deep-thinking novel, 1984 is perfect and as it is constructed in an easy to read fashion it isn't a task. Enjoy one of the true classics.

- Adam.
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Have just begun reading it!
 
McLovin said:
Have just begun reading it!
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Enjoy, it's feckin' ace.

My next review is from a book I read just before I went all post-apocalyptic.

Three Men In A Boat Jerome K. Jerome

This short novel was somewhat of a mystery to me upon purchase. I read the blurb and decided what the hell, I'll give it ago. I'm glad I did - it's one of those books that make you feel good, it allows you to laugh at the world. A world which is long gone now but somehow still seems alive. It's quintessentially English and therefore brimming with English humour - similar I would say to P.G Wodehouse's "Jeeves and Wooster" series (another excellent humorous novel )
"Three Men In A Boat" follows - well three men in a boat, upon their trip down the Thames - yet the humour also comes not only from their escapades but many, many anecdotes about the trivialities of life including how putting up a shelf isn't as easy as it seems too the different natures of young men and women stretching to a variety of Dogs fighting in a hotel. The three men themselves are quite hapless which creates many comedic moments throughout the novel and eventually it becomes quite clear these three gentleman want nothing more than a pint and some decent food upon the riverbank.
It's an excellent, light, witty and charming read which can be enjoyed in a day. It's definitely a summer read and perfect for those lazy afternoons. A very enjoyable read and sure to get you laughing.
 
My next review is from a book I read just before I went all post-apocalyptic.
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Hey AdZz ... I've read all the book you've mentioned in the page so far. Loved them ALL as well. They were more dystopian than Post Apocalyptic per se. Here are some recommendations for some great post apocalyptic books -

1. 'Alas Babylon' - Pat Frank - A very realistic take on D-Day and the aftermath thereof.
2. 'The Road' - Cormac McCarthy - Unlike any other novel of its kind. Slow paced, but each line drives home the hopelessness of trying to survive when everything is gone. Masterpiece !!
3. 'I am Legend' - Richard Matheson - Before the fecked up movie there was a gem of a novella about the last man alive and his battle against neo-zombies and vampires that want him dead. The ending gives the title its true meaning, which Hollywood trashed so horribly.
4. 'The Stand' - Stephen King - An epic story of Good vs Evil that follows the journey of the last survivors of a global pandemic. Great characters and an uber cool villain.

Get your hands on these .. Happy days !!
 
FINALLY started with ASOIAF and haven't been able to put it down since. Definitely worth all the hype. Finished 'A Game of Thrones' in a few days and tearing my way through 'A Clash of Kings'. Its so addictive that I find myself reading it (at work), between breaks, in the loo, while travelling, and any other time I possibly can. Why the hell did I wait so long ?
 
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