Books The BOOK thread

If anyone has never read Nietzsche, treat yourself to Thus Spake Zarathustra.

If you like horror or 'the weird' then anything by Laird Barron or something recent by Caitlin Kiernan should hit the spot.

Erotica - head for the Coming Together series (choose your volume for your kink) which also benefits some charities.

Season with Verona might be my favourite ever footie book.
 
The imagery is wonderful; great writing, let alone the philosophical stuff. I wonder why FN wasn't truly famous during his lifetime?
 
I've got a kindle now and have been downloading as much free books as I can, any free books on there that are particularly worth reading? I've already finished reading Grimm's fairy tales and am going through Oscar Wilde at the moment, just finished 'the importance of being earnest'. So preferably quick, lighthearted reads like those would be nice. I'm not in the mood for a serious novel.
 
Silva said:
I've got a kindle now and have been downloading as much free books as I can, any free books on there that are particularly worth reading? I've already finished reading Grimm's fairy tales and am going through Oscar Wilde at the moment, just finished 'the importance of being earnest'. So preferably quick, lighthearted reads like those would be nice. I'm not in the mood for a serious novel.
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Plenty of free books at Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
 
onesaf said:
Plenty of free books at Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
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Most of the things on there would take some effort to put onto the kindle though, I was looking for things I could get at the touch of a finger. I do already have a couple of hundred books downloaded, I was just hoping some of you could direct me to quick reads that were published before 1923.
 
SteveJ said:
The imagery is wonderful; great writing, let alone the philosophical stuff. I wonder why FN wasn't truly famous during his lifetime?
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He went against some pretty big figures in philosophy, philology and music. Plus he lived a very strange, secluded life. He moved around often, lived mainly in poverty and was incredibly anti-social. He devoted his life to his writing and didn't care for any personal fame or fortune. I suppose he could have mastered anything he wanted and almost certainly he could have been an excellent writer of fiction and popular with it too, had he wished. He also suffered quite intensely throughout his adult life with various ailments. All in all, he was mad for a good portion of the time. The 19th Century wasn't too keen on mad folk even though it had more n'a'few.
 
Right, so that's...

Heart of Darkness
V
Gravity's Rainbow(a few other Onesaf sent my way..)
Doctor Faustus (if and when I can find it...)
How about Lolita as well?
 
Lolita's alright Spoons. Hyped to the feck though.

How about some Kleist? - Michael Kohlhaas is amazing. Short too.
 
Oroonoko is pretty decent.

Also the Leopard is pretty fecking good.
 
Spoony Kobayashi said:
Please, lesbians, midgets and Japanese women. Please, please, please...
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Nah, it's a history book. But, as you mention it, I do have a character named after me in a book called "The Spudgun Circus" and, believe me, it's as bizarre as they come. I used to visit a website called "The Bollocks" some years ago and the owner eventually wrote a novel about some of the people who were regulars there. It's quite funny in a twisted sort of way.
 
Adzzz said:
Lolita's alright Spoons. Hyped to the feck though.

How about some Kleist? - Michael Kohlhaas is amazing. Short too.
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I understand its personal opinion, but " Lolita's alright Spoons. Hyped to the feck though" is a seriously dismissive way to sum up, what many consider to be one of the most beautifully written novels ever. It is Vladimir Nabokov's best written work, even if the story itself is not his best.
 
Moriarty said:
Just got my first book published (as co-author) this year. Won't make me rich but it's very gratifying.
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Congrats! I know how gratifying that must feel.

My mom just wrote her first book (albeit a school textbook) and got the first copy in her hands a couple months ago. People underestimate how much goes into writing a book!
 
Livvie said:
Congratulations. :)

Where can we buy it?
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Amazon has it. It's called "Murderous Tommies" and I wrote it with my old friend Julian Putkowski, who was instrumental in obtaining pardons for soldiers executed in the Great War. The book is a forensic examination of the cases in which 13 men and one officer were tried and executed for murder between 1914-1918.

The publisher, Pen & Sword Books, have published one of the chapters in their online magazine "Warfare". If you're interested, here's a link:

http://www.warfaremagazine.co.uk/articles/murderous-tommies/69
 
Moriarty said:
Amazon has it. It's called "Murderous Tommies" and I wrote it with my old friend Julian Putkowski, who was instrumental in obtaining pardons for soldiers executed in the Great War. The book is a forensic examination of the cases in which 13 men and one officer were tried and executed for murder between 1914-1918.

The publisher, Pen & Sword Books, have published one of the chapters in their online magazine "Warfare". If you're interested, here's a link:

http://www.warfaremagazine.co.uk/articles/murderous-tommies/69
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Oh, it's a factual book - fascinating subject.

If you're on Twitter, I'll retweet promos for you.
 
CircusMonkey said:
I understand its personal opinion, but " Lolita's alright Spoons. Hyped to the feck though" is a seriously dismissive way to sum up, what many consider to be one of the most beautifully written novels ever. It is Vladimir Nabokov's best written work, even if the story itself is not his best.
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I didn't find it particularly beautiful. I found it quite poorly paced. 'Seriously dismissive' is actually you being seriously hyperbolic, it is not as if I said the novel is bad, it's worth reading, it's mainly enjoyable but it is made to be so utterly unbelievably good by so many that the hype is just over the top.
 
Adzzz said:
I didn't find it particularly beautiful. I found it quite poorly paced. 'Seriously dismissive' is actually you being seriously hyperbolic, it is not as if I said the novel is bad, it's worth reading, it's mainly enjoyable but it is made to be so utterly unbelievably good by so many that the hype is just over the top.
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you referred to the book as being "alright". I understand that the pacing, subject matter, even character development is not to everybody's liking, but his use of language together with the level of description within each paragraph is some of the finest. It is Nabokov's best work in English.

Too much has been made of the story's controversial subject matter, which has often lead to actual writing craft within the book being ignored.
 
Incredibly late but I finally got round to picking up World War Z. Only read the first couple of chapters but I'm enjoying it so far. I nice easy read to I'll probably get through in a few days.
 
CircusMonkey said:
you referred to the book as being "alright". I understand that the pacing, subject matter, even character development is not to everybody's liking, but his use of language together with the level of description within each paragraph is some of the finest. It is Nabokov's best work in English.

Too much has been made of the story's controversial subject matter, which has often lead to actual writing craft within the book being ignored.
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Yes, but alright doesn't mean it's bad, nor does mentioning it's over-hyped, because it is.
 
Silva said:
I've got a kindle now and have been downloading as much free books as I can, any free books on there that are particularly worth reading? I've already finished reading Grimm's fairy tales and am going through Oscar Wilde at the moment, just finished 'the importance of being earnest'. So preferably quick, lighthearted reads like those would be nice. I'm not in the mood for a serious novel.
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Did you read A Song of Ice and Fire ? I'm on the last book and I recommend it its well written captivating funny. Best series I've read so far
 
Red_devil_ said:
Did you read A Song of Ice and Fire ? I'm on the last book and I recommend it its well written captivating funny. Best series I've read so far
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I wouldn't call it quick and lighthearted though. And not really free either.


This year, I will try to read more "recommanded" books especially since I usually have a better opinion of them when I finish them that any random book of the month. Though there are also books I just don't understand their popularity.
 
Dracula is free but it's quite long and really starts to drag out.

Is the Great Gatsby free? It's pretty short. I didn't think much of it but it's apparently a classic.
 
I have no words...

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From Lousy Book Covers:
http://lousybookcovers.tumblr.com/
 
celia said:
I wouldn't call it quick and lighthearted though. And not really free either.


This year, I will try to read more "recommanded" books especially since I usually have a better opinion of them when I finish them that any random book of the month. Though there are also books I just don't understand their popularity.
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Well everyone has different taste and preference. Some books are more what you would enjoy and others might enjoy something quite different. It's definitely not quick and lighthearted but I don't think that was the author's aim at all.
 
Reading Peter Ackroyd's History of England series...surprisingly boring.
 
onesaf said:
No probs mate, hope you have found some books to your liking.
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Would you PM me that link too? As I near the end of A Song of Ice and Fire I wouldnt mind having a go at some ebooks.
 
SteveJ said:
Reading Peter Ackroyd's History of England series...surprisingly boring.
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Go for Hobsbawm instead, gives a picture of history in a wider context, unless you're specifically just after England.
 
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