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Post by Arnold on Jan 10, 2007 21:13:00 GMT -1
This is for everyone to list their favourite books and why others should read them I shall start. I have 2 here to start as I can see them from my PC but will add a lot more when I can be arsed to get up and scour my bookshelf properly! A Short History Of Nearly Everything - Bill BrysonThis is a factual book about the beginnings of the universe, how it and the solar systems were formed and how life came to be on planet Earth. I try and read this once every 6 months so I can remind myself of what life is really about and how insignificant we really are. Every time I read it I rememebr something else and there is a great section on how scientists worked things out origonally and what errors they made. I would emplore EVERBODY who has not read this book to read it. It is simple to understand and you will marvel at every page. Lord Of The Rings - J R R TolkeinWell what cannot be said about this book. It is in my opinion the best story ever written and has been voted 'book of the century'. Tolkein took a few years to write this book and gave it up for a couple of years at one point. It is especially dear to me as he is a fellow Finn and got the inspiration for the scenery from Finland and whenI go there I see it all around me. I read this first when I was about 10 years old and I have read it a few times since. I will no doubt read it many times again.
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Post by GresleyRam©®™ on Jan 10, 2007 21:22:37 GMT -1
Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden:
A book about how the Americans hunted and caught the most notorious Cocaine baron/drugs lord the world has ever seen! A really interesting insight into his life, and what measures the yanks went to to finally get him! Cracking read!
Mr Nice by Howard Marks:
A sort of biography looking back on his life. Howard Marks was one of the most wanted men in the World and this book is him looking back on his life, his crimes and all the associated chaos! Funny, interesting and factual. A really interesting book, ideal for a holiday read.
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Post by ITFC Dudette6 on Jan 10, 2007 21:23:40 GMT -1
If you like cricket, I strongly, strongly recommend Penguins Stopped Play by Harry Thompson. However, if you don't, how many books about cricket start with; "I am in Antarctica..."? ;D
Another couple I like are Noughts and Crosses (Malorie Blackman) and Stormcatchers (Tim Bowler, I think). But it's probably because I'm a teen, but I'd recommend them. Can't be bothered to write a review at the moment. I'm off to bed...
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Post by Dr LuKas on Jan 10, 2007 21:25:53 GMT -1
Funkadelica by ME estimated completion date, Ocober 12th 2010. A brilliant book. Very very very very funky.
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Post by Imp on Jan 11, 2007 10:37:21 GMT -1
Hmmm, this appeals to the high-brow Imp (yes, she does exist). If you've not read it, go read Cold Mountain, it's fab. Don't bother with the film version, Jude Law spoils it. Another fab read is Memoirs of a Geisha (again, the film doesn't do it justice). Apart from that, I'd like to add my own recommendation for A Short History of Nearly Everything. In fact, can I just recommend Bill Bryson in general? He's a very funny man, one of my literary heroes, an excellent writer.
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Post by Mrs H on Jan 11, 2007 10:42:48 GMT -1
Imple dimple I agree Bill Bryson is a funny man and his books are very easy to read. Ideal holiday literature.
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Post by Imp on Jan 11, 2007 10:50:14 GMT -1
Imple dimple I agree Bill Bryson is a funny man and his books are very easy to read. Ideal holiday literature. Good morning! How are you today? Yay, another Bill Bryson fan! Have you ever been to Bath? He recorded parts of the audio tour forr the Roman baths, it's very good! I'm reading his new book at the mo, The life and times of the Thunderbolt Kid (or something like that anyway), about his childhood...laugh-out-loud funny!
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Post by The Lucky C on Jan 11, 2007 11:11:31 GMT -1
anything by Danny Wallace - superb comedy writing.
or The Portable Door by tom holt - first part of a (currently) 4 part series.
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Post by Dr LuKas on Jan 11, 2007 11:16:45 GMT -1
The Dictionary Of Funk by LucasLedge. Released in May 2009 a must have for everyone.
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Post by Imp on Jan 11, 2007 11:18:44 GMT -1
The Dictionary Of Funk by LucasLedge. Released in May 2009 a must have for everyone. LL, forgive me if I raise my eyebrows in surprise... ;D
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Post by Dr LuKas on Jan 11, 2007 11:27:38 GMT -1
Buy it Imp you won't be disapointed ;D
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Post by Lollipop on Jan 11, 2007 12:42:22 GMT -1
The Time Travellers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger.
The most beautiful book I have ever read. Mainly because I identified with it a lot. Not the time travelling bit, but the longing of love and how they had to wait for each other. It's also the first book I have ever cried at. It's about a man who has the ability to time travel, but he can't control it. He meets his wife when he is 26 and she is 13..sounds crazy I know! But...ah I won't give it away.
The Damned United - David Peace
Recommended to all Leeds fans. And fans of Cloughy. It basically depicts Cloughy's 44 days in charge of Leeds, but mentions his time at Derby too. Its fiction but is based on fact.
A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
One of my favourite books. It follows James who has a drug and alcohol addiction and his experience in a treatment centre. He meets friends, enemies and a lover. It's quite an intense read (with a harrowing dentist scene that I have only read once, despite reading the book a few times!)
Powder - Kevin Sampson. Powder is about a fictional Scouse rock band called 'The Grams' and it follows them when they're a struggling group playing to 40 people to when they hit the big time and crack America. It's filled with all the rock and roll cliches - sex, drugs and rock and roll. And lots of it!
Tao Te Ching
My ex-boyfriend gave me this book as a present so it's maybe a bit sentimental. But this book really is amazing. It transalates to The Book of the Way and its Virtue. It's not a novel, more of a book to help. It helps me have some insight and depth.
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Post by Arnold on Jan 11, 2007 12:57:40 GMT -1
Thats good as I ordered 'A million little pieces' just yesterday on another friends recommendation!
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Post by Lollipop on Jan 11, 2007 13:05:02 GMT -1
Thats good as I ordered 'A million little pieces' just yesterday on another friends recommendation! Ah good! You'll love it! I got it a few years ago and was under the impression that it was true. It's since come to light that he embellished parts, which I have no problem with really. But it cooked up a big storm in America!
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Post by Mrs H on Jan 11, 2007 13:34:19 GMT -1
Didn’t get the Time Travellers wife at all. I couldn’t ever figure out what age they were supposed to be.
As a fan of the classics here are a few of my favourites….
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald – What’s interesting about this book is the fact that there aren’t any characters to empathise with. All the characters are equally as flawed and in their own way equally contemptible. Fitzgerald uses this to show that no matter how much privilege is bestowed upon you, it doesn’t automatically make you a better person. Set in New York during the American Depression. Very good book.
Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurrier – This book can’t be considered an intellectual treat but the imagery that runs throughout the book is beautiful. The descriptions of Mandeley the family home, makes you feel like you’re there with them but in contrast the lack of description about the narrator, creates a mystery and intrigue that draws you in.
Candide – Voltaire – Only a very short book but it’s worth a read. If you take it at face value it’s just a good, silly fantasy book that takes you around the world in the pursuit of love. Reading between the lines though it is a very clever book that looks at the hypocrisy of religion, how useless philosophical speculation is and the follies of being optimistic about everything. Loved this book.
Flaubert’s Parrot – Julian Barnes – Is a wonderfully constructed book. It’s about and English doctor who uses Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovery book to help him get through the troubles he has in his life. The idea is that Madame Bovery is a wife who cheats on her husband and then kills herself. This mirrors the life of the English doctor’s wife. Very well put together especially if you’ve read Madame Bovery.
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Post by Pete the Wolf on Jan 11, 2007 13:58:55 GMT -1
I'm another person to recommend A Short History To Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson as well. Plus Lord Of The Rings A few others I'd recommed as well are (bear in mind I'm no good at reviews ): Hitch-Hikers Guide To The GalaxyPure comedy involving space travel Solitaire Mystery by Jostein GardenerDeals witha father and son travelling from Norway to Italy to find their wife/mother, who's gone out there as a fashion model. Along the way, the boy is given a book in the middle of a sticky bun, and as he reads it, he comes to realise that the story describes his own life in a scarily accurate way, despite it having been written about events taht took place 200 years before. It becomes quite philosophical, involving people being dran to places by destiny, something I'm sceptical about, but I still enjoyed it. Tom Clancy's Net Force books Set in 2010/2011, people are able to jack them selves into computers just like The Matrix, and Net Force are effectively the internet police, dealing with the internet criminals Roald Dahl - Wonderful World Of Henry Sugar Roald Dahl - SkinBoth are colletions of short stories, where he brings out the darker side of his work to the full. A woman who finds the perfect way to dispose of a murder weapon without any suspicion whatsoever, a man who discovers that the tattoo on his back is worth half a million dollars, George Orwell - Animal FarmBased on the Russian Revolution and his opinions on communism William Golding - Lord Of The FliesA group of boys are stranded on an island by themselves. They start off working together, but eventually, their darker sides start shining through, as those who try to keep some honour are killed Harper Lee - To Kill A MockingbirdSet in the Deep South, black people are still 'second class' citizens. A white lawyer is asked to defend a black man accused of raping a white girl, and he takes ona hopeless case, yet still comes out of it with pride. Defeated yet proud. I studied this book for GCSE and hated it at the time, but loking back, it really is a fantastic book
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Post by Neko Bazu on Jan 11, 2007 14:00:36 GMT -1
'The Lion's Game' or 'Nightfall' by Nelson Demille. Fantastic plot that takes several twists along the way, a biting sense of humour that made me laugh out loud more than a few times, and characters that you grow to love or hate at Demille's whim. That applies to both of them, though the final twist for Nightfall is a real jaw-dropper
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Post by The Lucky C on Jan 11, 2007 15:20:51 GMT -1
1984 by George Orwell is a classic. Almost every commentator has said it's "relevant for the modern times" since 1984 - whether they're right or not is a personal decision but it's worth reading.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is a classic character study on two real life murderers - find out what drove them to commit the brutal massacre of a family.
Haunted by Chuck Paluhniak. Whilst Fight Club drew the plaudits, this is a much nastier, must darker, much more sinister piece of literature. A group of fustrated writers are locked in a writers retreat for three months, to try and write their own magnum opus. As time passes and food runs out, they become more and more dramatic - and go to further and further lengths to become the hero of the film that will inevitably be made of their plight. Strong stomachs are required for the first short story though.
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Post by Lollipop on Jan 11, 2007 15:23:30 GMT -1
Didn’t get the Time Travellers wife at all. I couldn’t ever figure out what age they were supposed to be. It tells you at the beginning of each chapter what age they both are Admittedly, it did take me a couple chapters to get the hang of it.
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Post by Arnold on Jan 13, 2007 11:36:33 GMT -1
One of the funniest cartoon books I have ever read. So un-pc its untrue ;D Should you be laughing at this? by Hugleikur Dagsson. Contains a load of little beauties like this (and this is tame)- The Irish Sun even wanted it banned!
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