Books The BOOK thread

the dark tower series by stephen king is excellent ,
and the hannibal lecter books red dragon , silence of the lambs , hannibal and hannibal rising ) by thomas harris are a good read too
I've read Hannibal Rising and am starting the Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal Rising was good alright.
 
I'm currently reading the Fountain Society by Wes Craven. It's tripe. I basically dismantled a couple of book cases and I have to finish the contents before deciding to keep them to reread or give to charity. This is going in the charity pile!!
 
I have finished The Outsiders (I didn't like much the beginning but it was interesting) and Old man's war (funny book, interesting story though I didn't care much about the characters and I don't know what to think of its explanation of interstellar travels).

I am not sure now for the rest of this year if I should try to read more classics and to-read books in fantasy and SF, or just try to read the more books I can this year to set a high personal record (but that means shorter books, probably more dubious quality ones and some incentives to not give up books).
 
Can anyone point me towards some United related epubs? I have been looked for 'SAF - Managing my Life' for ages and can't find it. For some reason it isn't on iTunes. I have a few titles but not nearly enough.
 
Having just finished (hopefully) my last professional exam i can now trade in my textbook for something more interested.

I just purchased:
The outsider - Camus
Brave new world - Huxley
Liars Poker - Lewis

Once i finish the latest Bill Bryson book i will get stuck into that lot.
 
I have started The Silence of The Lambs today. Despite having seen the film it seems a great read.
 
Yeah, it's brilliant. Also full of fascinating snippets about psychological profiling, forensics etc etc. Harris, at his best, is a truly excellent writer.
 
I knocked off the first 100 pages of Infinite Jest today. Going to take me a few weeks.

How are you finding this?

I'm 300 pages in and I think it's been brilliant so far, hard going in places but less so than I thought it would be. The first 100 pages were a slog at times as I struggled to get to grips with what was actually going on, but since then it's been quite free flowing. Absolutely hilarious as well, it's had me laughing out loud plenty of times.
 
How are you finding this?

I'm 300 pages in and I think it's been brilliant so far, hard going in places but less so than I thought it would be. The first 100 pages were a slog at times as I struggled to get to grips with what was actually going on, but since then it's been quite free flowing. Absolutely hilarious as well, it's had me laughing out loud plenty of times.

It's not been too difficult, it's just incredibly...comprehensive. So many details. I'm enjoying it though.

It's the first book I've read in a while where I've had to flick open the dictionary.
 
King of Infinite Space & Cold And Broken Hallelujah by Tyler Dilts - having read both I'm not very likely to buy a book from this author again. It seems like he specializes in abrupt endings that aren't any exciting and slow build-up to a story that doesn't really get you hooked at any point. They were both around 4 stars and relatively cheap in the Kindle store, they weren't absolutely awful in all honesty but compared to the two books I read before (especially Gone Girl) it was a very poor read.

Off to start Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch, only a few pages into the first book and I already feel like I'm going to enjoy it very much. I'll probably read Pines, then proceed to I Am Pilgrim or The Racketeer and then a new King book comes out so I'll probably come back to the second and third installment in series later on (unless it turns out to be an absolute treat and I breeze through all 3 books in a matter of days).
 
Hi guys. I'm finding it hard to read at the moment as I don't have that much time and I'm knackered in the evening, so I was looking for some more entertaining reads, i.e. police/thrillers (like Gone Girl type of stuff, but I don't know if I'd enjoy that given I've seen the film) or espionnage books. I haven't read any Le Carré so maybe that would be a good place to start with some recommendations?

Anyway, appreciate any advice you may have!
 
Hi guys. I'm finding it hard to read at the moment as I don't have that much time and I'm knackered in the evening, so I was looking for some more entertaining reads, i.e. police/thrillers (like Gone Girl type of stuff, but I don't know if I'd enjoy that given I've seen the film) or espionnage books. I haven't read any Le Carré so maybe that would be a good place to start with some recommendations?

Anyway, appreciate any advice you may have!

James Lee Burke, if you fancy a bit of crime. Dave Robicheaux, a detective with a past, a drinking problem and a well dodgy compadre take on all-comers in and around New Orleans. What's not to like, right? Seriously, very good, really atmospheric stuff, good characters and a little bit more to get your teeth into than most of that genre. Give it a twirl. Lot's of them but I've yet to come across a bad one. Take your pick.
 
Hi guys. I'm finding it hard to read at the moment as I don't have that much time and I'm knackered in the evening, so I was looking for some more entertaining reads, i.e. police/thrillers (like Gone Girl type of stuff, but I don't know if I'd enjoy that given I've seen the film) or espionnage books. I haven't read any Le Carré so maybe that would be a good place to start with some recommendations?

Anyway, appreciate any advice you may have!
Did you read the ASOIAF series yet ?
 
James Lee Burke, if you fancy a bit of crime. Dave Robicheaux, a detective with a past, a drinking problem and a well dodgy compadre take on all-comers in and around New Orleans. What's not to like, right? Seriously, very good, really atmospheric stuff, good characters and a little bit more to get your teeth into than most of that genre. Give it a twirl. Lot's of them but I've yet to come across a bad one. Take your pick.
The name Robicheaux rang a bell so I looked it up, I saw one of the adaptations a while ago (In the electric mist), which I didn't love at the time but I don't remember it that well. If the overall atmosphere in the books is the same as what Tavernier tried to go for in the film, I could see how it would work, so I'll keep this in mind!
Did you read the ASOIAF series yet ?
Yep read all of them and was bored by the end, probably won't bother with the others to be honest. I don't really fancy fantasy/heroic fantasy at the moment, I've read a lot over the years, so I'm looking at thrillers/espionnage books more.
 
Hi guys. I'm finding it hard to read at the moment as I don't have that much time and I'm knackered in the evening, so I was looking for some more entertaining reads, i.e. police/thrillers (like Gone Girl type of stuff, but I don't know if I'd enjoy that given I've seen the film) or espionnage books. I haven't read any Le Carré so maybe that would be a good place to start with some recommendations?

Anyway, appreciate any advice you may have!

Gone Girl film is the same as the book, you won't have any surprises if you read the book. It was a great read when I didn't know the story, wouldn't be equally enjoyable now. There were a few small differences, especially towards the end but the point of it was the same.
 
The name Robicheaux rang a bell so I looked it up, I saw one of the adaptations a while ago (In the electric mist), which I didn't love at the time but I don't remember it that well. If the overall atmosphere in the books is the same as what Tavernier tried to go for in the film, I could see how it would work, so I'll keep this in mind!

Yep, saw that, a terrible let-down. Books better, as they generally are. John Connolly also good, the Charlie Parker series, something like 'The White Road' a good place to start.
 
Hi guys. I'm finding it hard to read at the moment as I don't have that much time and I'm knackered in the evening, so I was looking for some more entertaining reads, i.e. police/thrillers (like Gone Girl type of stuff, but I don't know if I'd enjoy that given I've seen the film) or espionnage books. I haven't read any Le Carré so maybe that would be a good place to start with some recommendations?

Anyway, appreciate any advice you may have!
Read Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon. It's a police mystery set in hippie 70s LA. It's hilarious.
 
Pines by Blake Crouch goes mental after two thirds is gone, not feeling it right now but hopefully he will pull it together by the end of the book or else I am going to be left disappointed with two more books in the series still left.
 
After going through a hell of a lot of books over the summer, I've hit a bit of lull since starting a new job a few weeks ago. Been stuck in Catch 22 for a while and I'm struggling to keep interested. It's strange, as every time I force myself to read a bit more I do find it hilarious, but narratively it's all over the place and characters just seem to come and go. Will try and read another 50 or so pages of it before the weekend before making a decision on whether to stick with it or to come back to it at a later date.
 
Hi guys. I'm finding it hard to read at the moment as I don't have that much time and I'm knackered in the evening, so I was looking for some more entertaining reads, i.e. police/thrillers (like Gone Girl type of stuff, but I don't know if I'd enjoy that given I've seen the film) or espionnage books. I haven't read any Le Carré so maybe that would be a good place to start with some recommendations?

Anyway, appreciate any advice you may have!

Raymond Chandler is a great read. Some brilliant lines too.

The Parker series of books by Richard Stark (aka Donald Westlake) are also excellent, quick reads. Real economy of language but moreish.

The Wire writers are always good - Richard Price, George Pelecanos & Dennis Lehane.
 
Has anyone read the new Ellroy, Perfidia? @SteveJ?

Read the first chapter and a few of the characters from his last LA books have already popped up, mostly all I remember is the names though. Is it important I remember who they all are, or is it just a neat call-back (or forward!) he's put in?

Worried as you don't usually get away skipping the details with Ellroy. :lol:
 
Haven't bought it yet, mate. I suggest you refresh your memory on the characters, via Wikipedia. :D
 
I just bought Scholes's book from iTunes but it's a bleeding PDF. I doubt I will read it. I wanted an epub.
PDFs are annoying.

EDIT - I just managed to get it onto my PC and it isn't a PDF. It is an epub but I can't change the size of the font and all the pages are double pages. What a load of shit. I can't be arsed reading it as it means moving the page around. Great player. Shit book. Don't buy it online.
 
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Just finished The World According to Garp. Great book. Very funny and even touching at some parts.
 
I have finished Suite Francaise by Nemirovsky. I didn't like the first part because she set some unlikable characters, but the second part was more enjoyable.

I have finished too Visitors by Orson Scott Card. Mostly a pleasant reading if you don't mind lot of characters making smart talking but the last third was infuriating and the last chapter was in a way the confession that the author didn't have a clue what some of his characters should have done so he just made some things to fill the pages... so toward the end we don't have only a group of characters doing interesting things while the others just wait.
 
Laura Lippman's Every Secret Thing. It's rubbish that genre writers don't get the top literary awards, IMO.
 
Just picked up A'rebours by Husymans and Hunger by Knut Hamsun.

They've been on the list for a long old while; and curiously they're pretty much opposite from each other thematically (from what I understand). Looking forward to both.
 
Done with the Wayward Pines trilogy, must say I enjoyed it and was positively surprised that Crouch managed to squeeze something out of a story that seemed finished after the first book. I didn't like the ending though.

I have finally got down to The Shining which I have been meaning to do for years. I've already read most King's books (big fan) but skipped Shining until now because I didn't want to associate it too much with the movie that I've watched numerous times. Now I think I don't remember precisely how the movie panned out so it's like a new story to me. 80 pages in I have to admit it's absolutely brilliant, the way he builds up the atmosphere and shows around the setting of the story is simply magnificent. I will read this and then move on to Doctor Sleep, then probably Revival.

Managed to get plenty of interesting books on Kindle store sales so my backlog is staggering but since most of them have been between a dollar and a three I don't mind. I want to get two of the other Flynn novels (Sharp Objects and Dark Places) and possibly My Sister's Grave soon. I read books at work in my spare time so my pace has been better than at any point before right now.
 
This year has been a productive years when it comes to reading books for me. Have read 33 books so far (without counting a book that I re-read and 2 books which I have abandoned) which might be my all time personal record (or at-least my record since I was in 6th-7th grade).
 
Just finished reading The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, I recommend it to anyone. Certainly makes you think.
 
I knocked off the first 100 pages of Infinite Jest today. Going to take me a few weeks.
Finished it?

I just started with it. Reminds me of when I started Gravity's Rainbow....took me a couple of years to finally finish it, largely due to the fact that I would go from 0-96, put it down, then rinse and repeat a month or so later. Total mindfeck sometimes. But immensely rewarding.

Let's hope IJ is similarly satisfying.
 
After going through a hell of a lot of books over the summer, I've hit a bit of lull since starting a new job a few weeks ago. Been stuck in Catch 22 for a while and I'm struggling to keep interested. It's strange, as every time I force myself to read a bit more I do find it hilarious, but narratively it's all over the place and characters just seem to come and go. Will try and read another 50 or so pages of it before the weekend before making a decision on whether to stick with it or to come back to it at a later date.
Stick to it. I couldn't put it down when I started it. Was 15 at the time,and that book was an inspiration in many ways. My favourite out of everything I've read, and this is despite revisits and having evolved as a person over time.
 
Finished it?

I just started with it. Reminds me of when I started Gravity's Rainbow....took me a couple of years to finally finish it, largely due to the fact that I would go from 0-96, put it down, then rinse and repeat a month or so later. Total mindfeck sometimes. But immensely rewarding.

Let's hope IJ is similarly satisfying.
Yeah i finished it. Didn't fall in love with it, it never really opened up for me and its density was oppressive. DFW was an extraordinary talent no doubt. The whole time I was itching to get back to Knausgaard. I started The Secret History yesterday and I'm 300 pages in already. Terrific book, if not a bit over the top.
 
Just finished with some books by Haruki Murakami and i really enjoyed it. Actually i more than enjoyed it, i was hooked from beginning to end.
"Kafka On The Shore" might be my favorite book ever.
"1Q84" was great also. All three of them.

Going to buy some more books from him today. Anyone got any recomondations on wich books i should read next?
Dont know to much about him. Are all his books like the one i mentioned, with a "supernatural" touch?