Books The BOOK thread

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Don't all kids think there's a haunted house in their neighbourhood? Can you remember yours? What if, as a child, you knew something bad really had happened in that house? What if you actually saw it? Then you tried to forget it for the next thirty years. And then, one day, you had to go back inside that house?
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A smooth read, owing much to Stephen King's easy storytelling style - not to mention his early books - but The Guardians was yet another coming-of-age tale with nothing new to distinguish it. A no-surprises, 'templated' modern Horror novel, heavily indebted to King's IT & The Body (filmed as Stand By Me, in 1986). Surely Horror writers can do better than retreads of someone else's work? Surely the 'the dark secrets lurking behind the clean, white picket fences of small-town America' trope has been done to (grisly) death?
6/10
 
bill.s.preston said:
It's very good. What others would you recommend?
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A good read was one called The Damage Done, twelve years of hell in a Bangkok prison. Another was Hard Time about a Brit in a US jail. But one of the best books I have ever read was one called Legionaire by Simon Murray, basically a bloke who decides one day to join the Legion and keeps a diary and becomes the first Brit to make it in the legion.
These books won't win any arty farty awards but they will keep you entertained for a couple of days at least mate. I have downloaded Marching Powder on your say so Bill by the way!
 
I was re-reading The Four Feathers over the weekend. I've only seen one of the film adaptations over the years but really Hollwood should have known better than to go near it, for even under perfect conditions the medium will fall noticeably short IMO.
 
Just about to finish The Sicilian by Mario Puzo. A cracking read. It's about a bandit in Sicily during the time Michael Corleone is in exile after executing the Turk and the copper. Michael's in it (Don Corleone has agreed to bring the bandit to America coz Sicily is too dangerous for him now), but it's mostly about the bandit and his relationship with the most powerful mafia don in Sicily.
 
Badunk said:
Just about to finish The Sicilian by Mario Puzo. A cracking read. It's about a bandit in Sicily during the time Michael Corleone is in exile after executing the Turk and the copper. Michael's in it (Don Corleone has agreed to bring the bandit to America coz Sicily is too dangerous for him now), but it's mostly about the bandit and his relationship with the most powerful mafia don in Sicily.
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I wasnt mad about this one mate. I think I was expecting a direct follow on from The Godfather and was left a little cold. Was still a good stand alone read but just felt a bit cheated by it.
 
The film was good though, I thought.
 
SilentWitness said:
Hey all, i'm wondering if any of you can recommend some good novels which are based on soldiers within world war 1 or 2? I'd appreciate it.
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A Foreign Field is a good book. Based on British soldiers that got trapped behind enemy lines in WW2 I think.
 
Badunk said:
Just about to finish The Sicilian by Mario Puzo. A cracking read. It's about a bandit in Sicily during the time Michael Corleone is in exile after executing the Turk and the copper. Michael's in it (Don Corleone has agreed to bring the bandit to America coz Sicily is too dangerous for him now), but it's mostly about the bandit and his relationship with the most powerful mafia don in Sicily.
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I read this years ago, back in 2000 - I remember exactly because I was in Australia at the time. Dont remember much about it other than that I enjoyed it a lot.
 
A Brief History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

I liked this. Has some interesting and funny histories on people and their theories and really gives you a readable look at some topics that would otherwise confuse the hell out of me. I did find in patronising in some parts though but definitely recommend it.
 
Stookie said:
A good read was one called The Damage Done, twelve years of hell in a Bangkok prison. Another was Hard Time about a Brit in a US jail. But one of the best books I have ever read was one called Legionaire by Simon Murray, basically a bloke who decides one day to join the Legion and keeps a diary and becomes the first Brit to make it in the legion.
These books won't win any arty farty awards but they will keep you entertained for a couple of days at least mate. I have downloaded Marching Powder on your say so Bill by the way!
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Thanks for the tips. I might look into the Legionaire one, sounds interesting.
I hope you enjoy Marching Powder.
 
Finally I finished ASOIAF. Some of the best books I have ever read. Absolutelly worthy reading and I highly recommend them to everybody.
 
Just finished Jeffrey Deaver's The Bone Collector, have wanted to read Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme series for quite a while now but was put off because the first book in the series was The Bone Collector and I have seen the movie so many times that I could act in it and know the story inside out, however I went ahead and read it and I'm glad I did, really enjoyed this. Looking forward now to the next in the series The Coffin Dancer. Just wish I could get Denzil Washington's voice out of my head when I'm reading Lincoln Rhymes dialogue.
 
I finished reading Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and although science fiction isn't really my thing, I quite enjoyed it. I really liked the ending in particular, it all came together and I was doubting that it would at one stage. It's simply written but it gives you something to think about, which is all I ask from a novel, really.

For some reason I've never watched Blade Runner so that's next on my to-do list, although I gather that it is only very loosely based on the book.
 
Just ordered this

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Looking forward to reading that.
 
Finished 'Old Man's War', by John Scalzi - nice military science fiction. It was a very quick easy read unlike other books in this genre. I'm not sure if this had any influence on Avatar or vice-versa but there are some common themes at play here. Can see Hollywood picking up on this in the near future.
There are three more books in the series, has anyone here read them?

Torn on what to read next, It's probably going to be either -

Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook
or
Emperor - The Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden
 
Finished The Lion - Nelson DeMille which is the fifth book in six in the John Corey series and really the direct sequel to The Lions Game which was the second book. I really liked these two books, and although they are best read in the order in which they came in the series these are the two stand outs. They are written beautifully from both the Hero and the Villains point of view on a chapter by chapter basis with more chapters going to our hero John Corey. Corey is a former NYPD detective serving on a joint task force with the FBI and CIA to try to catch terrorists. The villain is Asad Khalil a Libyan terrorist who holds a pretty deep grudge.

It's got action, intrigue and plenty of dark humour from both main characters, Corey in particular. I would strongly recommend the series to anyone who likes this action suspense cop drama genre, and if you start with Plum Island (book 1 in series) and don't really like it, keep going till you get to these gems!
 
The_Red_Hope said:
A Song of Ice and Fire. You might know it from the 'Game of Thrones' show on HBO.
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Oh that one. Sounded strange at first. I've read all 5 books so far. Sometimes, I feel chapters unnecessarily stretched out. For instance Arya Stark/Blind Bravosi girl/Cat/Whatever the hell she is.

I quite like Tyrion, the bad pig riding midget haha.
 
fishfingers15 said:
Oh that one. Sounded strange at first. I've read all 5 books so far. Sometimes, I feel chapters unnecessarily stretched out. For instance Arya Stark/Blind Bravosi girl/Cat/Whatever the hell she is.

I quite like Tyrion, the bad pig riding midget haha.
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You have read 5 books and don't know what ASOIAF is?!
 
Stick said:
A Brief History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

I liked this. Has some interesting and funny histories on people and their theories and really gives you a readable look at some topics that would otherwise confuse the hell out of me. I did find in patronising in some parts though but definitely recommend it.
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That was a cracker and I've re-read it a few times, but I've tried some of the other Bryson books after and they were all terrible.
 
Irwinwastheking said:
That was a cracker and I've re-read it a few times, but I've tried some of the other Bryson books after and they were all terrible.
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Did you dislike the writing style or the subjects of them? I've only read two of his. A Walk in the Woods I found to be very good so I picked up the Short History. I'll try a few more of his but I'm stuck on The Selfish Gene at the minute. Can't really get into it despite liking the way Dawkins writes. Probably just readers block at the minute.
 
I bought three books recently that I've yet to read. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, The Plague by Camus and A Clockwork Orange. Not sure which to go for first.
 
Irwinwastheking said:
Finished The Lion - Nelson DeMille which is the fifth book in six in the John Corey series and really the direct sequel to The Lions Game which was the second book. I really liked these two books, and although they are best read in the order in which they came in the series these are the two stand outs. They are written beautifully from both the Hero and the Villains point of view on a chapter by chapter basis with more chapters going to our hero John Corey. Corey is a former NYPD detective serving on a joint task force with the FBI and CIA to try to catch terrorists. The villain is Asad Khalil a Libyan terrorist who holds a pretty deep grudge.

It's got action, intrigue and plenty of dark humour from both main characters, Corey in particular. I would strongly recommend the series to anyone who likes this action suspense cop drama genre, and if you start with Plum Island (book 1 in series) and don't really like it, keep going till you get to these gems!
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I love DeMille and John Corey is a brilliant character, very funny indeed. I think Up Country was my first DeMille, then Spencerville followed by Charm School. I loved them all. I have literally just finished Wild Fire featuring John Corey and I have the privilege of Startinig from the beginning since I started the books out of order. I've got Rivers of Babylon in front of me now waiting for the train home!

Thanks to my dad for recommending him.
 
Scrumpet said:
I bought three books recently that I've yet to read. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, The Plague by Camus and A Clockwork Orange. Not sure which to go for first.
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Those are three cracking books. Can't really differentiate between how much I liked them, I would pretty much read them in the same order you posted.
 
miler7 said:
Loved the first 2 hunger books read the 1st on the way to nYC and the 2nd on the way back. Bit disapointed in the 3rd but only 7 chapters in so far so fingers crossed/ :)
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Sorry to break this to you, but it's not going to get better in the last 20+ chapter. Much much more forgettable than the first two. Still good to have some sort of closure to the whole thing though.
 
Scrumpet said:
I bought three books recently that I've yet to read. Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, The Plague by Camus and A Clockwork Orange. Not sure which to go for first.
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Good choices. I'd take "The Plague" over the rest. My favorite Camus.
 
I'm looking to get into Camus soon. Absurdism is something I've neglected during my studies.
 
Stick said:
Did you dislike the writing style or the subjects of them? I've only read two of his. A Walk in the Woods I found to be very good so I picked up the Short History. I'll try a few more of his but I'm stuck on The Selfish Gene at the minute. Can't really get into it despite liking the way Dawkins writes. Probably just readers block at the minute.
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I find it mind numbingly repetitive. I read one recently, at home, and somehow it still turned into a Darwin wankathon. He has a very limited range, and all his boo seem to revolve around a very similar theme and he seems to work hard to steer every subject towards his favorite subject matter. I really did like him when I first discovered his work, but I've read about 3 more since and been more disappointed each time.
 
Uzz said:
I recently finished the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I'm going to write a review of it later. Has anyone else read it? I'm assuming the Randall Flagg member has.
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I have read it and loved it, haven't got round to reading the recent release The Wind Through the Keyhole which is a side story based on Roland Deshain's early years will probably read it within the next few weeks.
 
onesaf said:
I have read it and loved it, haven't got round to reading the recent release The Wind Through the Keyhole which is a side story based on Roland Deshain's early years will probably read it within the next few weeks.
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Initially, I loved the series. Now that a bit of time has passed my love for it has waned.

The first 4 books were phenomenal. Great storytelling, great character development and you really felt you were a part of Roland's ka-tet following them on their journey. The last 3 books really don't compare to the first 4. The other thing is there is a real noticeable change in the tone and writing of the last 3 books. I initially thought it was just me who felt that way but reading online, a lot of the readers felt a change in writing style or storytelling.

It's a shame and there a few things, thinking back, that I really dislike about the last 3 books. I feel there a few subplots that were underdeveloped. I don't want to ruin it for other people so I'll use spoiler tags in my next post but what did you think of the last 3 books?
 
RIP Maeve Binchy, a wonderful author of some timeless novels. Grown up chick lit, but with real story and great characters. I read some of the books after my wife bought them and I had nothing else int he house, and I thought they were great stories.
 
Uzz said:
Initially, I loved the series. Now that a bit of time has passed my love for it has waned.

The first 4 books were phenomenal. Great storytelling, great character development and you really felt you were a part of Roland's ka-tet following them on their journey. The last 3 books really don't compare to the first 4. The other thing is there is a real noticeable change in the tone and writing of the last 3 books. I initially thought it was just me who felt that way but reading online, a lot of the readers felt a change in writing style or storytelling.

It's a shame and there a few things, thinking back, that I really dislike about the last 3 books. I feel there a few subplots that were underdeveloped. I don't want to ruin it for other people so I'll use spoiler tags in my next post but what did you think of the last 3 books?
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I had actually read all seven books in a period of about 4 weeks and was totally hooked in to the whole storyline and just couldn't get enough of the books, I really enjoyed the 5th book 'Wolves of the Calla' and the story of Father Callahan (Salom's Lot), I do intend to read the series again at some time and try to be a bit more critical as I'm sure they are not as perfect as I remember them in my head. Without spoiling it for anyone did you like the ending? (I did, but there were 4 or 5 of my colleagues who were all reading the series and they all hated it, in fact one of them swore he would never read another King book because of it :wenger: )
 
I'm right into ASOIAF now. Just started part two of Storm Of Swords, Blood and Gold. I feel I've got nowhere to talk about it though. Obviously the GOT thread is a no no and I imagine the book thread is chock full of spoilers about the fourth and fifth books.

Loving it though. Fantastic books.
 
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