[Archived] Holiday Reading

[rebelmswar]

I do know what you mean, he is a story teller and you get the sense he just doesnt want to stop telling the the story even if a book should have eneded 20 pages before.

That said I liked the endings to IT and The Stand. I agree with you on Dreamcatcher. Thinner had an awsome ending as did Cujo and Misery and the Mist were pretty well done.

The Mist novella ending was good - I liked it leaving it up to us to think what they found in Denver and if they even got there.

But the movies ending was just awsome. King himself said that the ending was superior to his own, something like "I loved it but even I am not ballsy enough to do that"

Which I think is not accurate as in what he did in Cujo. The Stand annoyed me in the way that RF went down in Vegas, and I think its what King suffers with. He spends hundreds of pages building this indestructable force and then thinks "Bugger, I do have to end this book somehow" He then tries desperately to find some unlame way of doing it.

IT's ending disappointed me as it was such a "Ohhh! Lots of people are afraid of this, let's do it!" moment. Again undefeatable force turns into a lame duck.

He always seems to end things well as Bachman as Running Man was a very solid ending too. Copped out in Long Walk though, Rage ending was great too (sadly out of print and he refuses to allow it again due to school shootings)

[colin]

A bit of a change of direction, but I'd like to recommend "Risk," (The science & politics of fear) by Dan Gardner.

He's a Canadian writer so draws much of his material from North America, but most of what he describes is applicable to western society in general.

He looks at our daily fears and dreads and worries and analysises them from both a "human" nature view point & a statistical bent.

Shark attacks; Madeline McCann; paedophiles lurking on the internet; mad cow disease; cancer; road rage; drugs; terrorists; crime?

The lot of them are blown out of all proportion, either by the media who love a good "out of the ordinary" story, or by various organisations which have their own agendas to push.

Be very, very afraid of your own ignorance & paranoia.

[rebelmswar]

A bit of a change of direction, but I'd like to recommend "Risk," (The science & politics of fear) by Dan Gardner.

He's a Canadian writer so draws much of his material from North America, but most of what he describes is applicable to western society in general.

He looks at our daily fears and dreads and worries and analysises them from both a "human" nature view point & a statistical bent.

Shark attacks; Madeline McCann; paedophiles lurking on the internet; mad cow disease; cancer; road rage; drugs; terrorists; crime?

The lot of them are blown out of all proportion, either by the media who love a good "out of the ordinary" story, or by various organisations which have their own agendas to push.

Be very, very afraid of your own ignorance & paranoia.

Thanks for the tip I love this type of book.

[yeti-dog]

I'm about to finish a book called 'The Power of the Dog' by Don Winslow and it's been fantastic.

A big sprawling crime epic spanning 30 years of the war against drugs in America:obsessed DEA agents and drug cartel leaders locking horns. It's violent,brutal and thought provoking.

It's the first Winslow book I've read but I strongly recommend it.

[thenodrog]

'50 people who fouled up football' by Michael Henderson is proving quite a good read. I'd recommend it for anybody interested in the game.

Finished it. A very good insight into the world of English football. Anybody over 40 with an interest in football's inside stories will love this book although I'm sure that everybody's '50' will no doubt vary from the authors.... mine did.

Edited May 16, 2011 by thenodrog

[FourLaneBlue]

For a very interesting author, try Jeffrey Eugenides. Somewhat bizarre at times, but his "Middlesex" and "The Virgin Suicides" are both superb.

Anyone know of any really good football books of the last couple of years?

[47er]

What's the best thing to have come out of Burnley? No--its not the M65! Its Stephen Booth!

Crime series set in the Peak District. Characters lovingly drawn, countryside beautifully recreated and gripping finales to boot! I love this writer!

Oh!----latest one-"The Devils Edge" but they are all uniformly terrific. Just as good as Peter Robinson but for some reason, less well-known.

[colin]

'50 people who fouled up football' by Michael Henderson is proving quite a good read. I'd recommend it for anybody interested in the game

Agree, an excellant and entertaining book.

[RoyRover]

I've recently read a book called The Corner, by the creators of The Wire. It's one of the best books I've ever read. It's an extremely depressing story of one real year in the projects of Baltimore and the drug problem that has crippled the city and can be applied to every city across the U.S. It's a fantastic book and I would recommend it to anyone.

I'm currently reading Dennis Lehane's book The Given Day which is a captivating story of the Boston Polic force post World War 1 and the battle against communist insurgents that were looking to tear the country apart. It's another great story from Lehane.

[Cheeky Sidders]

The Owl Killers by Karen Maitland - finished it and was generally pleased. First part was a bit heavy going until you work out who is who, then it's brilliant... but the ending is rubbish. I felt cheated.

Now reading Games of Thrones by George R R Martin - I'll start by saying I haven't been watching the TV adaptation but this book is insanely addictive with well-structured characters, proper dialogue between them,a galloping plot, conflict, fighting, intrigue, betrayal, murder, wolves and a fair splash of ooh la la. Bloody marvellous. Only just over halfway through but I already know I will be reading the next volume.

[Jimbo]

ONe from the missus here - Thin Blue Smoke - Doug Worgul - A tale of redemption set in a Kansas Barbeque joint - Amazon Link - "Simply the best book she's ever read". Also Dave Nichols, One Day and Starter for ten had her giggling like a buffon on our holiday last year. From me Frederick Forsyth Cobra was a decent enough read - not very twisty as far as the plot goes, but it did keep me reading. I really enjoyed Feersum Endjinn by Ian M Banks - I do like him as an author, whether he's in his sci-fi guise or his more standard fare.

[rebelmswar]

Just finished "Great Balls of Fire" an biography of Jerry Lee Lewis. It was... interesting. Seeing his ex wife, whom he married when she was 13, justify the marriage and defend the man is quite a read.

Also, "Hell House" by Richard Matheson was rather disturbing and creepy.

Anything by Brad Meltzer should be used to line a birdcage. Endured "Book of Fate" then threw "Book of Lies" across the room.

[colin]

I've just finished "Confessions Of A Fallen Angel" by Ronan O'Brien.

It was like the last game of the season against Wolves (this is a Rovers' web site after all...) Half way through I was really enjoying it, but fully aware of the potential horrors that awaited.

If you don't get a speck of dust in your eye somewhere in the second half then you probably stamp on kittens for enjoyment.

[colin]

Lawks! It's me again.I'll admit to having some time on my hands...

I picked up Ben Elton's "Chart Throb" from the library the other day. I'm on page 333 of 463, so those of you with Maths GCSE will realise that I've not yet come to the denouement.

Yet it is one of the most unusual novels I've ever read. Its whole story-line is based on nothing else but a massive and severe kicking in the testicles of the whole idea of "The X-Factor" & "Britain's Got Talent."

Simon Cowell is in there; Louis Walsh too; & Sharon Osbourne (grotesquely disguised as Ozzy after a sex change operation;) as are the "it's my dream, I want it so much" contestants.

I suppose that they haven't sued Ben Elton is that it is far too close to the truth.

Recommended for some light reading and for laughing at Simon Cowell.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky it's not, but a good hoot it certainly is.

[RoverMad86]

Now reading Games of Thrones by George R R Martin - I'll start by saying I haven't been watching the TV adaptation but this book is insanely addictive with well-structured characters, proper dialogue between them,a galloping plot, conflict, fighting, intrigue, betrayal, murder, wolves and a fair splash of ooh la la. Bloody marvellous. Only just over halfway through but I already know I will be reading the next volume.

I have been watching the TV show but REALLY want to read the books.

Thanks for the review.

A trip to the local book store is in order.

[Cheeky Sidders]

Just read The Profession by Steven Pressfield (Gates Of Fire) and it's good but not great. It's set 21 years from now in a world where oil is in greater demand and Uncle Sam and others employ huge mercenary armies to fight their dirty wars for them. The plot is well constructed and the set piece action sequences are superb but it feels rather contrived and a bit too convenient.

By the way, Game Of Thrones was brilliant and the best novel I've read since This Thing Of Darkness.

[DE.]

Hi all... thought I'd post this in here rather than starting a new thread!

I've recently completed the first draft of a novel. Theme-wise it's similar to Orwell's 1984, with an increasingly oppressive Government controlling the lives of its citizens. The story follows two strands - one from the perspective of a loyal citizen slowly dragged into the rebel underworld, and another following a group of rebels trying to bring the Government structure down before it's too late.

Just wondering if anybody fancied reading and giving feedback on this? If it interests anybody I'd be happy to send the novel across. It's in PDF format, so I believe it should be able to be transferred to a kindle, though I don't have one myself so I'm not sure how the process works!

Drop me a PM if interested, I'd genuinely appreciate any feedback

[American Rover12]

R.I.P. Maester Aemon Targaryen

[colin]

Lets's not let this thread become moribund.

It's all very well and good to rant and rant what a useless tos*er Steve Kean is and how Venky's are absolutely F**cking useless.

So in the spirit of Blackburn Rovers' fans knowing where to put their apostophes and, despite generic opinion that we are just a bunch of knuckle dragging idiots, can we get this thread back on?

I'd like to recommend "The God Of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy. It won the Booker Prize.

Its language is so very rich and fertile that the first page knocked me backwards. The narrative leaps backwards & forwards over time so the temporal fractures are very difficult to comprehend. I had to read it twice to fully comprehend the narrative. Defintely worth the effort.

Also worth reading is Alan Bennett's " The Uncommon Reader." A lovely short book with humour and hardly a word wasted.

If you think I'm being a bit "high-brow," then tough ####. This place could do with a little uplifting.

BTW..... Venky's are still absolutely ####### useless.

Cheers everyone

[Cheeky Sidders]

Couldn't agree more Colin.

Alas, I have little to add but the risk of sounding repetitive, I can't recommend George R R Martin's A Song Of Fire And Ice series (Game Of Thrones, etc) enough. Absolutely absorbing and worryingly addictive. I'm halfway through volume 3 and the storylines remain compelling with plenty of surprises along the way. Great characterisation and with lush descriptions of the sigjts and smells of a superbly imagined alternative medieval world.

[Rovermatt]

By the way, Game Of Thrones was brilliant and the best novel I've read since This Thing Of Darkness.

I'm a third of the way through A Clash of Kings (book two of A Song of Ice and Fire). It's excellent. I watched the series before reading the books though and found it greatly aided my mind's eye when tackling A Game of Thrones.

R.I.P. Maester Aemon Targaryen

Spoiler alert perhaps?

a superbly imagined alternative medieval world.

Yet strangely a world that doesn't appear to have evolved in terms of technology or science in thousands of years.

Just saying.

Edited September 13, 2011 by Rovermatt

[American Rover12]

Spoiler alert perhaps?

I didn't think so, as it's not really an important event or happeneing during anything important. Just a character I liked and thought it would be a good way to start some SOIAF banter. Sorry if it was

[colin]

"Game Of Thrones" added to my reservations at the library. I don't think you've let me down yet Cheeky Sidders.

[American Rover12]

"Game Of Thrones" added to my reservations at the library. I don't think you've let me down yet Cheeky Sidders.

Get ready for a 5 book investment. you aren't going to want to stop.

[Flopsy]

Ive finished book 5 and I loved it, but you know what? FINISH THE BLOODY STORY IN BOOK 6 MARTIN, STOP KILLING OFF MY FAVOURITE CHARACTERS AND GIVE ME CLOSURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Matterhorn is pretty damn good if I hadnt mentioned it before

I spent books 4 and 5 going, "oh no, not them, I like them, oh and not them either, oh, please kill him, but you havent *grumble*"