[Archived] Holiday Reading

[broadsword]

Useless trivia - George MacDonald Fraser co-wrote teh screenplay for Octopussy.

[broadsword]

And I'm currently readin "BNerlin 1936 - how Hitler stole teh Olympic games"

And a bloody good read it is too.

(Written by Guy Walters.)

[den]

Edit the first post on page one?

That's the obvious one Lee. but possibly the best. People tend to pass the first page though. We could ask admin to provide a button at the top of the forums page, but then the reviews are unattached from the main topic.

[FourLaneBlue]

Useless trivia - George MacDonald Fraser co-wrote teh screenplay for Octopussy.

More useless trivia...Roald Dahl wrote the screenplay for You Only Live Twice.

[MCMC1875]

I've been trying to think of a way of putting the review in a more accessible place than "page 14". Any suggestions?

Separate thread.

[Cheeky Sidders]

Useless trivia - George MacDonald Fraser co-wrote teh screenplay for Octopussy.

And he did the exceptionally awful Red Sonja what had Sylvester Malone's wife in it.

Leave this thread alone and don't monkey about with it or create a new one.

[colin]

I've been trying to think of a way of putting the review in a more accessible place than "page 14". Any suggestions?

No problems. I'll just update the list as and when, and post it again so it should be near the end of the thread most of the time. I'll edit the old list to note the new updated location.

Sorry if I've missed out any recommendations. I'm trying to get a decent spread of contributors & a little something about the book, just so we all know what the book is about.

If the list gets too long I'll drop the older ones off. It currently stands at 20. 25 should be enough.

[colin]

list No 2

List No 3 is below

"This Thing Of Darkness" by Harry Thompson recommended by Cheeky Sidders and seconded by Colin

A brief description: 750 pages describing the voyages of The Beagle which carried Darwin around the world. Everything you need

to know about the voyages; the conditions; the attitudes of the British to the foreigners they met: and the clash of Christianity

with Darwin's theories.

+++

"Marabou Stork Nightmares" by Irvine Welch recommended by Dr Gonzo

A brief description: *************

+++

"Cloud of Sparrows" by Takashi Matsuoka recommended by Cheeky Sidders

A brief description: Very entertaining and very easy to get into so ideal holiday fodder. The violence is somewhat graphic, including a fair bit against women and children, so maybe not recommended for the particularly squeamish.Anyway, without giving any of the plot away - samurais, ninjas, geishas, gunslingers, rebels, traitors, battles, murder, assassination, prophecies, palaces and whorehouses. Oh and... er... a lot of tea.

+++

"Insomnia" by Stephen King recommended by Flopsy

A brief description: *************

+++

"Friday Night Lights" by H.G. Bissinger. recommended by Rovermatt

A brief description: It's a brilliant study of small town America and the obsessions and lives of the people who live in places like Odessa, Texas.

+++

"The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid" by Bill Bryson. Recommended by Flopsy (me too - Colin)

A brief description: had me laughing out loud a number of times.

+++

"Floodlight Dreams: How To Save A Football Club" by Ian Ridley. Recommended by me

A brief description: Born in Weymouth, he always followed its football club which was playing in the Southern League. Due to its

mismanagement he took over the club and became Chairman. It describes the 18 months he was there until he was shafted by a local hotellier/businessman.

+++

"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel recommended by Rosie

A brief description: it tells the story of a boy (the lone human survivor) shipwrecked along with a hyena, an orang utang and a Bengal tiger. Very well written and captivating in my opinion.

+++

"A History of the World in Six Glasses" by Tom Standage recommended by Four Lane Blue

A brief description: looks at how beverages such as beer, wine, spirits, tea, coffee and water pushed forward civilisation at various times. It is not as interesting as expected but seems to be slowly getting going.

+++

'Shoeless Joe" by W.P. Kinsella recommended by Rovermatt

A brief description: a truly fantastic and original piece of literature. It almost makes you want to go to Iowa. Almost.

+++

"Long Walk to Freedom," Nelson Mandela's autobiography. recommended by Wiggy

A brief description: What a fantastic account of a truly remarkable life. As it's rather long, probably perfect for a holiday.

+++

Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire." recommended by Rovermatt

A brief description: It's absolutely fantastic. Amen to that, brother. GOF should be required reading for all European citizens and a moral requirement for all heterosexual men. Bloody fantastic stuff. (sidders)

+++

Nathanial Philbrick's "Mayflower" recommended by Blue Phil

A brief description: about the new England settlement....If it's anywhere near as good as his magnificent earlier book "In the Heart of the Sea" (which I recommend to anyone ) it'll be worth it .

+++

The Prester Quest" by Nicholas Jubber. ISBN 0-553-81628-4. Published by Bantam books. Recommended by me

A brief description: Partly a sort of hippy narrative about his journey from Rome to Ethiopia, but mostly absolutely crammed full to the brim with history and observations of the regions his journey took him through.

+++

"Ancient Rome , the rise and fall of an empire" Simon Baker . Recommended by Blue Phil

A brief description: I took this on holiday and was very surprised at its quality and readibility (if that's a word) .It's apparently based on a BBC series.

++++

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy recommended by Debs

A brief description: This is a story about a father and his child travelling along a road searching for some sort of better world in a burning post apocolyptic USA. There is no explaination in the book about what caused the end of the world, and suprisingly that doesn't matter. The story focuses on the relationship between the two of them and particularly the father's desire to protect his son both physically and morally from other desperate survivors driven to gruesome acts to stay alive. I found it a very disturbing and thought provoking book.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards Recommended by Paul

A brief description: Having said that the daughter's Downs Syndrome, while central to the story is not the dominant aspect of the book. It is much more about people's relationships. I feel this is a tremendously well written piece of work, the author's insight with regard to the challenges and joys of raising a disabled child are staggering, though she has no direct experience and for this alone it is well worth reading

+++

"A Short History Of Just About Everything", by Bill Bryson. Recomended by Den & Flopsy

A brief description: It depends on your taste of course, but the book covers most of the sciences, everything that goes to make the universe and the human being. It's all laid out in a very easy to follow, but very interesting format. Entertaining stuff, amusing too.

+++

Flashman series of books by George McDonald Fraser. Recommended by Cheshire Blue, Cheeky Sidders, & Four Lane Blue

A brief description: They are top drawer reads and historically very close to the truth. Try to read them in order if you can. A very entertainng insight into how the British ran their campaigns during the expansion of the empire.

+++

"Berlin 1936 - How Hitler Stole The Olympic Games" by Guy Walters. Recommended by Bryan

A brief description: And a bloody good read it is too.

+++

Edited November 14, 2007 by colin

[Paul]

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards Recommended by Paul

A brief description: Very good and very insightful.

I should have expanded a bit, but didn't want to earlier. Firstly the book seems to be kicking around on a 2 for £10 offer in lots of places. Seen it in three motorway services this week. The story, set in the USA, begins in 1964 and works its way through to 1989, centres on five main characters and the impact on their lives of one man's decision. David Henry is a doctor whose wife gives birth to twins, the boy is "normal" but the daughter has Downs Syndrome - so you see my interest from the start. Almost immediately after the birth Henry makes the decision to tell his wife their daughter was still born. Over 25 years we see the impact this has on Henry, his wife, their son, daugher and anther character who I won't name for fear of spoiling the book.

It took me a while to pick up the book and read it, I wasn't sure of the subject matter. Having said that the daughter's Downs Syndrome, while central to the story is not the dominant aspect of the book. It is much more about people's relationships. I feel this is a tremendously well written piece of work, the author's insight with regard to the challenges and joys of raising a disabled child are staggering, though she has no direct experience and for this alone it is well worth reading.

Overall an excellent page turner with two serious themes running through it, well written, very descriptive and at no time does it slip into the potentially wishy washy sentiment that it would be easy to employ.

Edited November 9, 2007 by Paul

[rebelmswar]

These are the books that I have read over the last few weeks, hope it gives someone a good book to chew on.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.

What a great read this was, it kept me up to 0315 and I finished it in one sitting. I have watched Blade Runner but this book puts it all into another level, leaves you asking why the hell did they not put all of this in the film?

The Turner Diaries by William Luther Pierce (under the pseudonym Andrew Macdonald)

I read this because I was curious. JESUS!!! If the militias in the US have any thoughts like this it is only a matter of time before we are in hell. This book was called the blueprint for the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995.

How Few Remain by Harry Turtledove

This was a fun read on alternate history that I killed in two days, it is now in a series of about 12 books, this being the first. CSA wins the civilwar and abolishes slavery on thier own. The US hates the CSA and has another war with them.

Fatherland by Robert Harris

A very good book about an alternate Europe and the SS as the local police of Germany in the 60's

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

This is superb, the movie Last Man on Earth made a pretty good wack at this book but it has to be read and re-read to understand the greatness of this book. A man dealing with living by himself as the last man on earth that is not a vampire.

[Dave S]

These are the books that I have read over the last few weeks, hope it gives someone a good book to chew on.

Fatherland by Robert Harris

A very good book about an alternate Europe and the SS as the local police of Germany in the 60's

I read this a few years ago. Around the same time I read 'Inside the Third Reich' by Albert Speer.

The descriptions Harris makes of the New Berlin are the same as Speers plans for the post war rebuilding of the Reich.

Other factors are researched in a similar way.

[Gav]

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy recommended by Debs

A brief description: I've read it. I thought it was fantastic although very disturbing. I've read most of Cormac McCarthy's books and this one is very different, being set in a post apocolyptic world. Some of the themes and grittiness are similar to his earlier books, as is his writing style, which I love but I know it's not to everyone's taste

+++

This is a story about a father and his child travelling along a road searching for some sort of better world in a burning post apocolyptic USA. There is no explaination in the book about what caused the end of the world, and suprisingly that doesn't matter. The story focuses on the relationship between the two of them and particularly the father's desire to protect his son both physically and morally from other desperate survivors driven to gruesome acts to stay alive. I found it a very disturbing and thought provoking book.

[Gav]

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy recommended by Debs

A brief description: I've read it. I thought it was fantastic although very disturbing. I've read most of Cormac McCarthy's books and this one is very different, being set in a post apocolyptic world. Some of the themes and grittiness are similar to his earlier books, as is his writing style, which I love but I know it's not to everyone's taste

+++

This is a story about a father and his child travelling along a road searching for some sort of better world in a burning post apocolyptic USA. There is no explaination in the book about what caused the end of the world, and suprisingly that doesn't matter. The story focuses on the relationship between the two of them and particularly the father's desire to protect his son both physically and morally from other desperate survivors driven to gruesome acts to stay alive. I found it a very disturbing and thought provoking book.

By the way, this is Debs not GAV! I can't be bothered logging out and in again as me.

[rebelmswar]

"O my brothers"

I have just finished reading A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, what a good read that was. I am sure that many of you have read it before but if not give it a go, as always the film can not do it justice. Make sure that you read the UK version though, as in the US you can get fobbed off with the version missing the final chapter (make sure yours has 21 not 20). For reasons of effect the US publisher made the story end on a note more like the film, if you read the last chapter the whole novel means a lot more.

Also make sure you get a NADSAT dictionary from here This is the way teenagers speak in the book and it can get a malenky bit confusing for your gulliver. You will learn skorry though and in no raz you will get the hang of it.

A novel of government meddling and what can happen with the loss of free will.

Edited November 13, 2007 by rebelmswar

[Paul]

"a Short History of Tractors in UKRAINIAN" by Marina Lewycka.

Funny and sad from one sentence to the next this is a rather extraordinary book dealing with ageing, family feuds, sinelity, second world war attrocities, the contribution of immigrants to the UK, Eastern Europe's view of the West and of course a short history of tractors!

It's very difficult to give a precise so I'll just nick the bit on the back cover:

'Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blonde Ukrainian divorcee. He was eighty-four and she was thirty-six. She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside'

Valentina with her proclivity for green satin underwear and boil-in-the-bag cuisine will stop at nothing in her pursuit of Western wealth.

Read it!

[Alex Rover]

"a Short History of Tractors in UKRAINIAN" by Marina Lewycka.

.....the contribution of immigrants to the UK,

Ban him!

Sorry.....couldn't resist . This is one of the best threads started in ages. Fantastic and thanks for the recommendations all.

[rebelmswar]

I know it may seem incomprehensible that I finished another book but this one was recommended to me and I thought what the hell. I looked at the cover with slight dread when I got it from the library and was kind of nervous that it would be a complete waste of time.

The book is called “Never Let me Go” by the author of “The Remains of the Day” Kazuo Ishiguro.

To put it lightly I have never yet had a book disturb and sadden me as much as this one did. Don’t get me wrong it is not nasty or anything like that, it is just so distressingly passive the way the narrator goes on with the story and how normal this all is to her. I had no clue the book was about what it was when I started and all through it there was this faint undercurrent of dread. I finished it at 0130 last night and had to go wake up my wife and lie there holding her I was so distressed.

I am not saying don’t read it, I am saying do read it and carefully, it may change how you feel about things.

If anyone has read it please give me your thoughts.

[colin]

list 3, two taken off the top & two new ones added below

"Cloud of Sparrows" by Takashi Matsuoka recommended by Cheeky Sidders

A brief description: Very entertaining and very easy to get into so ideal holiday fodder. The violence is somewhat graphic, including a fair bit against women and children, so maybe not recommended for the particularly squeamish.Anyway, without giving any of the plot away - samurais, ninjas, geishas, gunslingers, rebels, traitors, battles, murder, assassination, prophecies, palaces and whorehouses. Oh and... er... a lot of tea.

+++

"Insomnia" by Stephen King recommended by Flopsy

A brief description: *************

+++

"Friday Night Lights" by H.G. Bissinger. recommended by Rovermatt

A brief description: It's a brilliant study of small town America and the obsessions and lives of the people who live in places like Odessa, Texas.

+++

"The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid" by Bill Bryson. Recommended by Flopsy (me too - Colin)

A brief description: had me laughing out loud a number of times.

+++

"Floodlight Dreams: How To Save A Football Club" by Ian Ridley. Recommended by me

A brief description: Born in Weymouth, he always followed its football club which was playing in the Southern League. Due to its

mismanagement he took over the club and became Chairman. It describes the 18 months he was there until he was shafted by a local hotellier/businessman.

+++

"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel recommended by Rosie

A brief description: it tells the story of a boy (the lone human survivor) shipwrecked along with a hyena, an orang utang and a Bengal tiger. Very well written and captivating in my opinion.

+++

"A History of the World in Six Glasses" by Tom Standage recommended by Four Lane Blue

A brief description: looks at how beverages such as beer, wine, spirits, tea, coffee and water pushed forward civilisation at various times. It is not as interesting as expected but seems to be slowly getting going.

+++

'Shoeless Joe" by W.P. Kinsella recommended by Rovermatt

A brief description: a truly fantastic and original piece of literature. It almost makes you want to go to Iowa. Almost.

+++

"Long Walk to Freedom," Nelson Mandela's autobiography. recommended by Wiggy

A brief description: What a fantastic account of a truly remarkable life. As it's rather long, probably perfect for a holiday.

+++

Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire." recommended by Rovermatt

A brief description: It's absolutely fantastic. Amen to that, brother. GOF should be required reading for all European citizens and a moral requirement for all heterosexual men. Bloody fantastic stuff. (sidders)

+++

Nathanial Philbrick's "Mayflower" recommended by Blue Phil

A brief description: about the new England settlement....If it's anywhere near as good as his magnificent earlier book "In the Heart of the Sea" (which I recommend to anyone ) it'll be worth it .

+++

The Prester Quest" by Nicholas Jubber. ISBN 0-553-81628-4. Published by Bantam books. Recommended by me

A brief description: Partly a sort of hippy narrative about his journey from Rome to Ethiopia, but mostly absolutely crammed full to the brim with history and observations of the regions his journey took him through.

+++

"Ancient Rome , the rise and fall of an empire" Simon Baker . Recommended by Blue Phil

A brief description: I took this on holiday and was very surprised at its quality and readibility (if that's a word) .It's apparently based on a BBC series.

++++

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy recommended by Debs

A brief description: This is a story about a father and his child travelling along a road searching for some sort of better world in a burning post apocolyptic USA. There is no explaination in the book about what caused the end of the world, and suprisingly that doesn't matter. The story focuses on the relationship between the two of them and particularly the father's desire to protect his son both physically and morally from other desperate survivors driven to gruesome acts to stay alive. I found it a very disturbing and thought provoking book.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards Recommended by Paul

A brief description: Having said that the daughter's Downs Syndrome, while central to the story is not the dominant aspect of the book. It is much more about people's relationships. I feel this is a tremendously well written piece of work, the author's insight with regard to the challenges and joys of raising a disabled child are staggering, though she has no direct experience and for this alone it is well worth reading

+++

"A Short History Of Just About Everything", by Bill Bryson. Recomended by Den & Flopsy

A brief description: It depends on your taste of course, but the book covers most of the sciences, everything that goes to make the universe and the human being. It's all laid out in a very easy to follow, but very interesting format. Entertaining stuff, amusing too.

+++

Flashman series of books by George McDonald Fraser. Recommended by Cheshire Blue, Cheeky Sidders, & Four Lane Blue

A brief description: They are top drawer reads and historically very close to the truth. Try to read them in order if you can. A very entertainng insight into how the British ran their campaigns during the expansion of the empire.

+++

"Berlin 1936 - How Hitler Stole The Olympic Games" by Guy Walters. Recommended by Bryan

A brief description: And a bloody good read it is too.

+++

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. Recommended by Rebelmswar

A brief description: What a great read this was, it kept me up to 0315 and I finished it in one sitting. I have watched Blade Runner but this book puts it all into another level, leaves you asking why the hell did they not put all of this in the film?

+++

"A Short History of Tractors in UKRAINIAN" by Marina Lewycka. Recommended by Paul

A brief description: Funny and sad from one sentence to the next this is a rather extraordinary book dealing with ageing, family feuds, sinelity, second world war attrocities, the contribution of immigrants to the UK, Eastern Europe's view of the West and of course a short history of tractors! It's very difficult to give a precise so I'll just nick the bit on the back cover:

'Two years after my mother died, my father fell in love with a glamorous blonde Ukrainian divorcee. He was eighty-four and she was thirty-six. She exploded into our lives like a fluffy pink grenade, churning up the murky water, bringing to the surface a sludge of sloughed-off memories, giving the family ghosts a kick up the backside'

+++

“Never Let me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro. The author of “The Remains of the Day” Recommended by Rebelmswar

A brief description: To put it lightly I have never yet had a book disturb and sadden me as much as this one did. Don’t get me wrong it is not nasty or anything like that, it is just so distressingly passive the way the narrator goes on with the story and how normal this all is to her. I had no clue the book was about what it was when I started and all through it there was this faint undercurrent of dread.

Edited November 14, 2007 by colin

[Wolverine]

I am getting towards the end of This Thing of Darkness. Absolutely fascinating book. I find FitzRoy quite a tragically unlucky character while Darwin comes across as one of those infuriating people who always seem to come up smelling of roses.

This is not my normal sort of book but I would highly recommend anyone to try it!

[Flopsy]

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, is defiantely a must read, theres only 7 of the damn things so they should be keeping you occupied for a month or so.

Synopsis - Gunslinger from a parallel universe like ours (he's basically a Knight with a wild west theme) is on quest to reach the Dark Tower and defeat the Crimson King, to help him on his quest he finds three companions in our universe.

If you've read lots of Kings novels you will have noticed a series of names and incidents that occur which dont particularly mean a lot to that story, this series makes it all clear.

the first book is hard work, but they get so much better as King matures as an author.

Insomnia - Old people stop sleeping, start halucinating, see strange men and aura's, get given a mission to prevent a mass murder. Really good if you've never had insomnia, scarily accurate and utterly brilliant at times if you've had a really bad case, like I had. recently.

[rebelmswar]

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, is defiantely a must read, theres only 7 of the damn things so they should be keeping you occupied for a month or so.

Synopsis - Gunslinger from a parallel universe like ours (he's basically a Knight with a wild west theme) is on quest to reach the Dark Tower and defeat the Crimson King, to help him on his quest he finds three companions in our universe.

If you've read lots of Kings novels you will have noticed a series of names and incidents that occur which dont particularly mean a lot to that story, this series makes it all clear.

the first book is hard work, but they get so much better as King matures as an author.

Insomnia - Old people stop sleeping, start halucinating, see strange men and aura's, get given a mission to prevent a mass murder. Really good if you've never had insomnia, scarily accurate and utterly brilliant at times if you've had a really bad case, like I had. recently.

Have to agree with you with the gunslinger series very very clever and well done. Not so much for Insomnia, I was happy with the ties in's to the Dark Tower series though and in all it was a decent read.

Now the Talisman by the same author was good didnt you think?

[Debs]

I know it may seem incomprehensible that I finished another book but this one was recommended to me and I thought what the hell. I looked at the cover with slight dread when I got it from the library and was kind of nervous that it would be a complete waste of time.

The book is called “Never Let me Go” by the author of “The Remains of the Day” Kazuo Ishiguro.

To put it lightly I have never yet had a book disturb and sadden me as much as this one did. Don’t get me wrong it is not nasty or anything like that, it is just so distressingly passive the way the narrator goes on with the story and how normal this all is to her. I had no clue the book was about what it was when I started and all through it there was this faint undercurrent of dread. I finished it at 0130 last night and had to go wake up my wife and lie there holding her I was so distressed.

I am not saying don’t read it, I am saying do read it and carefully, it may change how you feel about things.

If anyone has read it please give me your thoughts.

I read this book a couple of years ago and recommended it towards the begining of this thread. It can't really be reviewed, as explaining what it is about will spoil the read. It is very disturbing and you're absolutely right that it's the acceptance of the narrator that makes it so thought provoking.

My reading update is that I'm half way through This Thing of Darkness and am really enjoying it.

[colin]

"Friday Night Lights" by H.G. Bissinger

&

"Life of Pi" by Yann Martel

reserved over t'net c/o Manchester City Council.

[Cheeky Sidders]

My reading update is that I'm half way through This Thing of Darkness and am really enjoying it.

Bloody wise words, our kid. Best book ever committed to print. My sis and brother-in-law have also succumbed and have loved it. Debs you must be approaching the reunion with Jemmy - have those tissues ready. Bloody heartbreaking.

[Wolverine]

I have just finished it and it is no understatement to say I don't think I will ever read a book as good. It engaged me on a personal level - a rare thing for a book!