I've started going to the library again to get my fix of the good old printed word, and figured like the other ongoing Movie/Music/TV/Home&Away threads, this can be a place where people can share what they've been reading lately, or personal favourites, or get recommendations from others or whatever.


I guess I'll just start off with my current library haul :

Work!Consume!Die! (by Frankie Boyle) - if you've ever seen Frankie Boyle (Scottish comedian) doing standup or on one of many British panel-comedy shows (Mock The Week, Never Mind The Bollocks etc), this book is basically a massive rant against the world (corporations & commercialisation & celebrity culture & other stuff) in the same caustic style, kinda funny in an "Oh my god did he just say that" sort of way. Each chapter starts with a weird biographic-style diary excerpt of his life, with some crazy subject matter (e.g. the rapist that is targeting low profile washed-up pseudo-celebrities, with Frankie being a potential target). I'm both enjoying yet cringing as I make my way through this. Nice change of pace from all the novels that I tend to stick to though.

The Man In The High Castle (Philip K Dick) - have read a few of his novels that were made into movies (A Scanner Darkly, Minority Report, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep i.e Blade Runner, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale i.e. Total Recall), and thought I'd try one of his non-movie novels. This one had a cover of the American flag with swastikas instead of stars (which I'll admit piqued my interest), as the story is about an alternative version of the world where WWII was won by Germany et al. Next on the list once I'm done with Frankie's book.

Walking Dead graphic novels - I have only seen about 20 minutes of the series on TV, and had no idea it was based on a series of graphic novels until I saw someone mention it here or on Facebook recently. So in past couple of weeks have made my way through volumes 1-9, just got out 10 & 11, with 12-15 pending on some other punters returning their copies. Pretty enjoyable, though my only gripe is that once you get to the end of one there is an insurmountable urge to go straight onto the next volume (also experienced this with the graphic novel of Stephen King's The Stand, which I got through volumes 1 to 5 of last year, but the 6th and final installment hasn't yet come out!.... grrrr).

253 and Lust (by Geoff Ryman) - haven't got to these yet, but they sound like the sort of slightly quirky out-there novels that I tend to favour.
"253" was initially an online novel, where each page represents a passenger on a train and who they are/what they look like/what they are thinking or doing.
"Lust" is about a scientist that realises he has the ability to summon a person (beit a living person or historical figure it seems) to get it on with, using the power of his mind. Sounds like good times ha!

All Fun And Games Until Somebody Loses An Eye (by Christopher Brookmyre) - Absolutely no idea what this is, but the recommendation on the cover "Brookmyre segues from comedy to thriller without missing a beat" was enough to sway me to take a punt.

Secrets Of The Code (by Dan Burstein) - I'm not gonna lie, I enjoyed the Da Vinci Code, as well as Dan Brown's other books. I've got a soft spot for action thrillers that relate to historical events or relics (Steve Berry is a similar author whose novels I've plowed through last couple of years) kinda like literary equivalents of Indiana Jones I guess. So thought I might check out this book which looks at the different ideas and "mysteries" of Da Vinci Code, to see what is fact & what is fiction. Will give it a few chapters to see if it holds my interest.



Yup, that'll do for now.


Yours please.


(waits for thread to fade away into obscurity like those that have come before).....

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I'm up to date with the Walking Dead hard cover trades...and I've probably given up. It good for a while, but it follows exactly the same formula each arc. Meet new people, find new area thats 'perfect' to live in, some internal infighting/ infucking, living area is over run with zombies, culling of the cast. It's been the same cycle probably 4-5 times now. Made me wish it had a 'final', like Y the last man, or Dues Ex Machina.

Oh and I'm reading Steven Tyler's autobiography (only just started) so I'm hoping it doesn't make me hate him, like happens when I read autobiographies....ay Steve Price and Mick Foley.

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^^^what an intelligent comment.

The Spoiler Club:
David, Amanda, GunJack, [A][U][L][E][L][E][I], DFan, Stinger Steven, Syx Seed, Rove1, The Valiant, The Drizzle, 2ndtuenon, Dazzamaniac, Knox Out Baby, J-Maca, Nathaniel, Jords, PrimeTimePlaya, Miss Rass, Hardcore_Legend, Skrippy, Go 2 Peep, little_jimmy.

Been enjoying a bit of 'fiction of ideas' recently.

Greg Egan's "hardest of hard sci fi" has always been a favourite of mine, but not always light reading, but with his latest The Clockwork Rocket, he's perhaps finally getting a perfect mix of story, character and science. Behind this, the first book in the Orthogonal, is apparently a lot of scientific work on what the physical laws would be of a universe where, as Egan explains, he changed "a minus sign to a plus sign in a simple equation that governs the geometry of space-time." But how he presents it is by introducing us to an enquiring mind of an alien species just heading into it's own Age of Enlightenment, and as the characters learn how to make sense of their physical world we learn quite how odd - but also quite how important - these new physics are. And that's all building to the discovery of a crisis that could destroy this civilisation, where the understanding and use of the new physics will provide the solution.

Also just finished China Mieville's latest, Embassytown, where he does a similar thing, but with language, not physics. It's about human interaction with an alien species who speak in an entirely unique manner, building to a civilization-at-threat story about how fundamental differences in language create fundamental differences in thinking; but not in the manner you may think. Like all Mieville it's all a bit odd; all a bit askew, but an impossible to put down read.

However, after reading too such in-depth science fiction novels, I'm looking for something a bit lighter. I think I might re-read Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer. Yes, I think that's light reading

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Are there aliens? There better be aliens.

F**k off, Brock, f**k off.

I don't get much time for reading these days but the last book I read was, Wonderland Avenue: Danny Sugerman..I cannae be arsed writing a review, but I will say this is an all time favourite book of mine and I have read it multiple times lets just say...I love it & I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

So here is a brief synopsis from wikipedia:

Wonderland Avenue: Tales of Glamour and Excess, first published in 1989, is the personal memoir of late author and Doors manager Danny Sugerman. In the book, Sugerman recounts his life beginning with his privileged but troubled childhood in Beverly Hills, which he asserts set the stage for his later self-destructive addictions and behavior.
Wonderland Avenue covers the first eight years of Sugerman's show business career, commencing with his first job at age 12 opening the Doors' fan mail, and concluding just beyond his 21st birthday, when he is a frail and severely drug-addicted mental patient who has been given less than a week to live. His exposure to the decadent music industry world of parties, groupies, and drugs at such a young age would facilitate a relentless heroin addiction that very nearly killed him. Notable in the book is Sugerman's close personal friendship with late Doors frontman Jim Morrison, who served as a kind of mentor to the younger man, and his post-Doors activities in LA attempting to revive the flagging career (and supervise the behavior of) an increasingly unstable Iggy Pop.The book chronicles, in graphic detail, the decadence of the LA rock and roll lifestyle, lived to its most degrading and shocking extremes, in the early to mid-1970's.

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Yeah, it is kinda like that huh. Just when you think it's all settling down, there's suddenly a NOMNOM of a main character. Might have to look out for those other two you mentioned, I'm not exactly a graphic novel connoisseur but have enjoyed reading the small range I have checked out (apart from Stand/Walking Dead also read Watchmen, Kick Ass, couple of the Frank Miller Batmans & one or two others that slip my mind right now).

I wouldn't be surprised if Steven Tyler's biography goes along the same lines as Scar Tissue (Anthony Kiedis) with sex drugs sex drugs a bit more sex then a bit of drugs then a shitload of drugs followed by drug-fuelled sex and sex-fuelled drugs.

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Ive almost finished The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons. Next up is The Blind Side then Moneyball.

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2009/2011 Forumer of the Year


SAVE THE FORUM!

Just finished Hank Haney's "The Big Miss" on coaching Tiger Woods, was a real eye opener on Tiger as a golfer and didn't say much about all the rooting around. Now reading Steve Jobs Autobiography.

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I may be ugly but atleast I get the pity shag.

Oh damn I got that thinking it was gonna give all the dirt lol

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2009/2011 Forumer of the Year


SAVE THE FORUM!

Do you have an iPad or some other ereader (I feel a bit gay typing that)? I've got all of Deus Ex in that format.

My wife just saw this thread and is jealous we have a book club. For the record, she's currently mowing through A Storm of Swords... (Game of Thrones book.)

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It touches on the subject but not in great detail. Its a great insight into the mentality of Tiger though, plus it has a few tips that have improved my golf game immensely.

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I may be ugly but atleast I get the pity shag.

No e-reader or similar technology. I do have a shitty arse cellphone that txts though!


Heh, book club. If I read one book that someone recommends which I enjoy then I'll consider this thread a success.


A couple of books that I've had on standby are LA Confidential (James Ellroy) & The Godfather (Mario Puzo), which I got for $1 each at the Brooklyn Recycle Centre last year, while in the middle of a books-made-into-movies-a-thon (stuff like Jaws, Deliverance, Sphere, Patriot Games, Interview With The Vampire, I Am Legend, War Of The Worlds, yadayadayada), but just haven't been in the mood as of yet.

Also have had The Hobbit & Lord Of The Rings since long before the movies came out, but just never really got the urge to read them. Brought them down to my flat recently, but they've just kinda sat there. One day.

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Wait Deus Ex FR comics?

MUST READ!!!!

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WMXXVI flickr

If only you could see, the stranger next to me
you promise, you promise that you're done
But I can't tell you from the drugs

Anyone read the Assassins Creed books?

I'm trying to find a cheap copy of Fight Club, also might look into that Work!Consume!Die! book <3 Frankie Boyle.

Also i've had a book recommended Farenheit 451 or something, does somebody know the author?

First time on the internet eh?

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I'm not 100% sure if that is the name of the book, so i don't want to waste my time searching around for a book that dosen't exist. Plus it is just as easy to ask people here as it is to google something, plus the information is often more accurate and you know the person it is coming from.

Go on link me to that stupid site that shows what you asked for in a google search, because God forbid somebody uses an internet forum to ask a question.

http://www.amazon.com/Fahrenheit-451-No ... 737&sr=8-1

Took about 4 seconds.

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Cheers, now that wasn't so hard now was it?

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NZPWI: Survivor 2012! Who will be the sole survivor?

I should really get into finishing the last two Dexter novels.

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WMXXVI flickr

If only you could see, the stranger next to me
you promise, you promise that you're done
But I can't tell you from the drugs

One of the latest Dexter novels (I think I read them out of order) was pretty weird, even for Dexter.

I read the Game of Thrones books last year, can't wait to watch some of the new episodes of the TV show soon. Tried some Garth Nix that I'd been recommended but didn't get anywhere with it (or, 150 pages and was Still. Bored). I recently read Joanne Harris' Runemarks and Runelight which were an interesting combo of Ye Medieval Tymes and Norse mythology.

I'm on a rotation of mopey teen stuff / chick lit / fantasy. Pretty much my normal until I throw in some crime fiction. I never read autobiographies or anything, I read to escape. And also I just don't fucking care about "real" people (they're sort of boring).

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Scott: Do you wear a mask, Dean?
Dean: Only when Bee wants me to.

What ones do you have be?

I have read 1-4, just on 5 now (Dexter is Delicious) have Double Dexter as well.

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WMXXVI flickr

If only you could see, the stranger next to me
you promise, you promise that you're done
But I can't tell you from the drugs

Borrowed them from the library is all, I probably wouldn't re-read them.

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Scott: Do you wear a mask, Dean?
Dean: Only when Bee wants me to.

I ended up ordering it off book depository, but thanks for the help. I'll send you a signed copy once i am done with it.