Thanks for the tip, mate. 
Books The BOOK thread
- Thread starter Livvie
- Start date
I was sorry to read of James Herbert's passing yesterday. James was always a bit of a 'hit-or-miss' writer for me, to be honest. However, some scenes in his novels are as genuinely frightening as anything I've read.
RIP James.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/boo...ll-thanks-for-the-scares?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487
RIP James.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/boo...ll-thanks-for-the-scares?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487
More info revealed about Stephen King's The Shining sequel, Doctor Sleep. Still sounds like the least-promising premise ever...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...-Kings-new-novel-Doctor-Sleep-first-look.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...-Kings-new-novel-Doctor-Sleep-first-look.html
Just finished 'Middlemarch' by the fantastic George Eliot.
Amazing read, I think she could be my favourite English writer of the 19th century.
And that's high praise.
Amazing read, I think she could be my favourite English writer of the 19th century.
And that's high praise.
I read Silas Marner at school and thought it was dire. Turned me right off Eliot. I may give her a second try though.
Middlemarch is considered by many to be the greatest English novel. Needless to say, I haven't sampled it yet because I'm always reading rubbish stories about ghosts and Oscar Wilde.
Have you been following the 'Re-reading Stephen King' feature in't Guardian, Steve?
Yeah mate, it's a great series, I think. Makes me want to buy a load of King books...even the ones I've read before!
I gave away all my old paperbacks when I was back last year. I'm beginning to regret that now.
Hey, nothing wrong with a bit of Wilde!
But yeah, I'd agree with it being the best English novel. It's simply outstanding.
I often feel like just dipping into The Stand. Shorts like Apt Pupil, though...I'm not sure I'd read again; some of King's writing stays with you. Kinda proves he's a better writer than many give him credit for.
Shorts like Apt Pupil, though...I'm not sure I'd read again; some of King's writing stays with you. Kinda proves he's a better writer than many give him credit for.MG said:
He's my hero - killingly funny sometimes, serious and thought-provoking at others. A man of boundless imagination.
MG said:
*thinks* I wonder if the bookshop will let me exchange Peter Ackroyd's utterly drab Tudors: A History of England Volume II for Middlemarch?
He's my hero - killingly funny sometimes, serious and thought-provoking at others. A man of boundless imagination.
*thinks* I wonder if the bookshop will let me exchange Peter Ackroyd's utterly drab Tudors: A History of England Volume II for Middlemarch?
I'd agree with your assessment of Wilde. Great writer. Lord Henry is meant to speak for him in the Picture of Dorian Gray... a dandy, witty and clever. I did a topic on the fin de siècle last year at Uni and that was one of my favourite books we did.
I've never brought any of Ackroyd's stuff. My favourite historical non-fiction writer is Alison Weir. I love her 'Elizabeth - the Queen' book about Elizabeth I (by far the most interesting monarch imo), and I want to read more of her stuff.
I'm much more of a fiction fan though.
Weir's The Lady in the Tower is absolutely wonderful, mate. Henry VIII: King and Court is very thorough, a little prosaic but interesting enough. The Princes in the Tower is really good, but terribly biased against Richard III (there seems to be tremendous in-fighting amongst historians and passionate amateurs regarding the alleged murders...).
EDIT: I feel you're right about Elizabeth. It seems to me that virtually everything she said was impressive, and she outshone and outthought all those male chancers in her Council time and again.
EDIT: I feel you're right about Elizabeth. It seems to me that virtually everything she said was impressive, and she outshone and outthought all those male chancers in her Council time and again.
Do you read historical fiction? I realise it's considered a bit 'girly' but some of them around the Tudor period are really good.
Hilary Mantel's my favourite modern author, although the Hist. Fic. I tend to read is mostly based in the Victorian age; for example, Sarah Waters' Affinity nearly broke my heart.
Dorian Gray is one of my favourite books, read it while I was quite young and it left a great impression. As you say Lord Henry if the voice of Wilde and some of his speeches are just brilliant.
She's not everyone's cup of tea, but Middlemarch is amazing.
I'll give it a go and see what I think. I'm not sure why but some of the imagery and characters in Silas just didn't get my attention and struck me as ridiculous. Could be because I was 14 and really not into reading at the time.
I'm going through a John Grisham frenzy, read 6 of his novels in the last 6 weeks. I think he is a great storyteller even though all of his books centre around the legal profession. The Brethren is my favourite so far, full of very witty satire and thrilling at the same time. Right now I'm reading one called The Testament and can't get enough of it.
Read Cormac McCarthy's The Road prior to my Grisham frenzy, fantastic novel and then No Country For Old Men. Will revert back to McCarthy when my Grisham obsession wanes.
Read Cormac McCarthy's The Road prior to my Grisham frenzy, fantastic novel and then No Country For Old Men. Will revert back to McCarthy when my Grisham obsession wanes.
I read Crickley Hall a few years ago. I enjoyed it for a scare alright but not brilliant. He died very young!
RIP
Reading Inferno by Max Hastings right now. Not a bad read. A single volume history of WW2. So nothing in deep detail. He does include a lot of quotes out of diaries,letters, etc of people involved and not the big names, but just the average soldier,the civilians living in the various nations involved.
I was happy to see at one point he did something many historians will not, and that was admit that he was looking at things from a perspective not available to those who were involved at the time. Too often when I read historic books the writer forgets that what everyone knows now was not what the people involved then knew.
I was happy to see at one point he did something many historians will not, and that was admit that he was looking at things from a perspective not available to those who were involved at the time. Too often when I read historic books the writer forgets that what everyone knows now was not what the people involved then knew.
Just finished this one and have to agree. On the surface it's about baseball, but really it's a love story. Cracking book that I flew through in 4 days (it's over 400 pages).
Try Blood Meridian. McCarthy's best work IMO.
Will get a copy, thanks. Have a copy of All the Pretty Horses so will give that a go first.
Reading a great novel right now called, Snow Falling On Cedars by David Gutterson.
A long shot, but does anybody have a recommendation for a biography of Harold Wilson or a book examining his time in government?
Don't expect the same type of easy read that you get with No Country for Old Men and The Road, though. Definitely the type that you'll go back and re-read paragraphs, pages and chapters quite frequently to make sure you haven't missed something.
I just got around to finishing 'The Cold Six Thousand' by James Ellroy. It's not 'American Tabloid' obviously, but I liked it a lot more than I thought I would after reading some of the reviews. The infamous style in which it was written was a lot more brash and apparent at the beginning, but as the book wore on and was broken up with the transcripts and inserts between chapters it seemed less noticeable. A solid 8/10.
Blood's A Rover is even more jarring but a fantastic read. Ellroy really captures all the shit that was going down back then.
Finished all the books so far written of A Song Of Ice and Fire. I found myself struggling near the end. I read them nearly all in a row so I was suffering a bit at the end. Great story though.
Finishing up a book I started before The Cold Six Thousand before I start Blood's A Rover, but
I'm going to miss Ward Littell. Thought he was a brilliant character.
Just finished Patrick De Witt's The Sisters Brothers. Excellent novel, I think the appraisal on the cover from the Irish times sums it up well "So good, so funny and so sad."
Have my eye on A Single Shot by Matthew F. Jones next. Film adaptation starring Sam Rockwell is being released soon.
Have my eye on A Single Shot by Matthew F. Jones next. Film adaptation starring Sam Rockwell is being released soon.
The Sisters Brothers was great. Can't wait for the movie adaptation -- I think it lends itself perfectly to a screenplay.
Yeah I was thinking about who could play the characters in a film as I got more into it. Would love if the Coen Brothers gave it a shot.
Man there isn't a better kickstart for your drive than Epictetus. I need The Handbook fecking tattooed onto me somehow.
I think John C. Reilly bought the rights and intends to take the leading role himself.
I actually quite like him, can certainly imagine a lot of people worse suited to the role.
Gardens of the Moon - Steven Eriksen (Malazan Bk. 1) - Brilliant read. Started a month back, and now nearing the end of the series (Dust of Dreams), but the 1st book is the best. The wholse series is very good. Immensely big and rambling with multiples storylines/plots and not even in chronological order... it is very confusing. Just read through and dont attempt to understand the link and nearing the lcimax, they will jell together.
If you have an e-reader, I can e-mail you over a file containing most of Kings books? Obviously it will disgust you and you will want to delete it straight away.
Just finished One Shot by Lee Child. Enjoyed the pace and story. Not fantastic but good to lose yourself in for a bit.