Books You Recently Read

Discussion in 'Taylor's Tittle-Tattle - General Banter' started by Clive_ofthe_Kremlin, Oct 21, 2016.

  1. Clive_ofthe_Kremlin

    Clive_ofthe_Kremlin Squad Player

    I thought there must have already been a thread on this subject, but a search reveals that shamefully, no. It is incumbent on me to start one.

    Anyone read anything good recently?

    I frequent the Co-op supermarket's charity second hand book table, where you can get as many books as you want for only a couple of pennies (nobody can see how much you put in the tin). Of course I am scrupulous about returning them to the table after I have read them and have also added several righteous titles that I've bought elsewhere.

    This makes for an eclectic reading experience with a very, very wide range of material. Some good some bad.

    At the moment I have two books on "loan" from them. I have just finished this one:-

    [​IMG]

    And can thoroughly recommend it. It is a history of the so-called explorers right through from the ancient Greeks and Vikings through to the 20th century. Although the writing style is quite vanilla and factual rather than dramatic and thrilling, the book is fascinating and makes you imagine how it must have been to have been a member of one of those first voyages into the unknown. Of course a lot of them got killed by natives or drowned or frozen to death!


    The second book I have just started demonstrates the advantage of the free book exchange - it allows you to try books you know you're not going to like, but which give a horrible fascination.

    I've only read the first few chapters of this book, but so far it is not disappointing and is every bit as deliciously shyte and risible as I'd expected it to be. Name dropping, golf chums, back slapping and unashamed Patridgian boasting and self-promotion have all been stuffed into every dismal page.

    I'm not sure if I'll be able to stand it right through to the end because it's pretty boring, it's just the hope of discovering ever new lows to the man's psyche and ego that keeps me turning the pages. It's yours in hardback for 1p off Amazon incidentally if you're interested...


    [​IMG]
     
  2. Jellyman

    Jellyman Squad Player

    Godel, Escher, Bach.

    Melted my brain.
     
  3. Jellyman

    Jellyman Squad Player

    For more light-hearted stuff, I've really enjoyed Jon Ronson's books this summer. Covers some fascinating characters.
     
  4. HappyHornet24

    HappyHornet24 Crapster Staff Member

    There definitely was a thread on this as I remember being recommended some historical "faction" books. Don't know where it's gone.

    I'm reading "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" at the moment, which I came across when sorting through a load of old books. Very moving.
     
  5. Aymondo

    Aymondo First Year Pro

    Currently going through Sir Alex Ferguson's autobiography, as I wanted to know more about the ability to lead for so long in such a demanding environment.

    The book so far is more an anecdotal journey through his career, but is still very ibteresting and very easy to read. I probably should have picked up a book entitled leadership about him but I wanted to read the books released about him chronologically.

    Would recommend.
     
  6. I Blame Pozzo

    I Blame Pozzo First Team

    Working my way through E M Forster. Have completed Where Angels Fear To Tread,A Room With A View and Howerds End. Just about to begin A Passage To India.

    Dipping into The Collected Poems Of AE Housman and read Housman Country by Peter Parker ( not THAT one I think!). Highly recommend all of them.
     
  7. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    The Foundation novels by Isaac Asamov. Second time I've read the series. Love a bit of Sci-Fi.
     
  8. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    Some common ground Diamond. I love a bit of Hari Seldon or Salvor Hardin. Smudger is a big fan. Apparently there was to be a film, but it's never surfaced.

    The Robot series are great too.
     
  9. Jellyman

    Jellyman Squad Player

    Another Asimov fan here. Foundation and Empire was my favourite of what's considered the trilogy.

    For fans of sci-fi, a good book to have handy is the short story collections of J.G Ballard. Each one is a finely condensed hit of imagination, for when you don't have much time free to commit to a big read.
     
  10. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    Love a bit of John Wyndham.
     
  11. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    A film or series would have been superb, I'm not giving up hope yet. When I was younger I read a lot of Asimov on my daily commute into town, don't think I ever read a bad book by him.
     
  12. Otter

    Otter Gambling industry insider

    I read this to my son earlier

    [​IMG]

    Good read

    Where the f*** did that butterfly come from?
     
  13. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

    Was the reading of Godel, Escher Bach prompted by the references in the Psychopath Test?
     
  14. Jellyman

    Jellyman Squad Player

    It was. Thought it sounded pretty fascinating, and it delivered!
     
  15. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    Thread resurrection time. My original thread about book recommendations for holidays does indeed seem to have gone.

    I'm up for a spell of jury service in the next 2 weeks so desperately need some recommendations for my kindle, (saving the planets trees Clive), as everything I've read about it says there's tons of waiting around. I'm thinking of at least one classic that I haven't read such as Lord of the Flies, but anything the good people on here can point me towards has always paid dividends in the past.
     
  16. tonycotonstache

    tonycotonstache Squad Player

    Ragdoll was a good read recently. Plenty of suspense, gore and comedy. Written by an ex paramedic who clearly saw way too much bad stuff in his job then!

    It's a solid 4 tache out of 5 on the TC tache book o meter.
     
  17. tonycotonstache

    tonycotonstache Squad Player

    If you like music biographies i would recommend:

    Pashion is a Fashion
    Redemption Song
    Everything
     
  18. hornmeister

    hornmeister Tired

    If you want to get out of it, take a Meg & Mog book.
     
    HappyHornet24 and Diamond like this.
  19. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    This is up there as one of the best posts ever. Unfortunately I want to get out of my workplace more.
     
  20. hornetgags

    hornetgags McMuff's lovechild

    Don't have time to sit down and read much, however I do spend quite a bit of time driving, so I load up audiobooks on my iPod.

    Everything by Nelson Demille, my favourite author.

    However currently listening to Brave New World (Aldous Huxley) read by Michael York. Next up is the complete Sherlock Holmes stories read by Stephen Fry.

    I would also recommend downloading I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue...very funny panel show.
     
  21. HappyHornet24

    HappyHornet24 Crapster Staff Member

    I recently finally got round to reading "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman, which has sat on my bookshelf for years. A wonderful, moving book which - cliche alert - really did make me laugh and cry.
     
  22. Keighley

    Keighley First Team

    Forget the books, watch this instead. Great movie.

     
    Beekayess likes this.
  23. kVA

    kVA Reservist

  24. zztop

    zztop Eurovision Winner 2015

    Not mentioning any particular authors, but as I have been getting about an hours travelling every day on the Nottingham trams for some time, I've been reading loads of books on Kindle. There are so many books priced at around a £1 or less, young upcoming authors, mixed in the many well established and popular authors with a constantly changing choice. Very impressed and usually good quality.

    Yesterday, I finished a book on kindle, and 10 minutes later I received an message from Amazon "We hope you enjoyed your book called..., try these..." with a host of similar books and authors - and I ended up downloading three books for £2.09 after considering the reviews, price, etc - took me about 5 minutes.

    Great service from Amazon, very convenient, if a bit frightening!
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2018
  25. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    I'm currently reading "A short history of nearly everything" by Bill Bryson. I can't put into words not only how brilliant this book is but how completely insignificant I currently feel. The stories of early geologists in the 1700's trying to accurately date the age of rocks via fossils then realising that their beloved god routinely wiped out species is almost worth the price alone. Then the dinosaurs came along!
     
  26. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

    I'm an Audifile too. Have about 45-60 min each way.

    I have listened to the SIHAC Treasury, volume 1, but all the episodes are archived, with love, here http://www.bennewsam.co.uk/ISIHAC.html

    I started Brave new World, but got bored of Michael York's voice. Recently I've been listening to the Barchester Chronicles, BBC dramatisation and also a lot of Jeeves and Wooster.
     
  27. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

    Mein Kampf also works
     
  28. Carpster

    Carpster Squad Player

    I've looked at these so many times but always go elsewhere. Obviously worth a look at then?
     
  29. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    Get book 1 of the series and then decide if you want to carry on. I'd happily read them again so yes, highly recommended.
     
    Carpster likes this.
  30. hornetgags

    hornetgags McMuff's lovechild

    Thanks for the archive, I like Humph but I do like Jack Dee, he's perfect for it.

    I struggled with Brave New World as well.

    I would also recommend Cabin Pressure,.
     
    wfcmoog likes this.
  31. fan

    fan slow toaster

    half way through the l.a. quartet. it's ok.
     
  32. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

    I also liked some Christopher Marlow dramatization.
     
  33. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

    Is that the noire type stuff
     
  34. fan

    fan slow toaster

    kind of
     
  35. wfcmoog

    wfcmoog Tinpot

    Would someone who likes hard boiled pulp crime like it?
     

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