The book thread.

Fastnet force 10.

Earwegoagain wrote:

I read Flashman when a teenager, you're right it is a great series, will dig it out again, I'm off to India for 3 months in the new year so I could read the Indian bits in situ for added interest.
I did enjoy Hornblower as well another good read although a bit vomit inducing at times.

The Indian ones are the best ones, too.

Although the slavery one was hoot.

I luuuuurve storytelling, I love story listening even more.

But let's remember there's some shite stories out there masquerading in a leather bound parcel. Where do books go from here ?

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Had a laugh at one of the new trash books in Waterstones..... The beautiful poetry of Donald Trump. It did make me laugh with the shop assistant.
Anyway, lots of Homus deus copies up front in the window making a splash this year, can't think why.

Related to HD, I recommend an older book, Sarum by Ed Rutherford. A fictional almost anthropological delving into our past more than our future here on these islands. Right up my nature street and almost too magical and pagan for much present day European christian thinking.The style isn't the best if you like lyric and character centred story telling, this is about broad landscapes and the passing of time. If you can be bothered to find out where Newell got his traits, this is the book for you.

Ill pop that on my reading list Beezles

You'll need some time. It's a lot of pages and covers a few thousand years. You'll get a lot of history as the backdrop.

Earwegoagain wrote:

I do struggle with both Crime/detective novels and anything that has anything to do with magic and elves (apart from Tolkein OBVS). I've read some great whodunnits over the years but I found now you are just reading the same story with different locations and characters given a shakeup.
I'm much happier reading real life adventure I've just finished Shackleton for about the fifth time, Knox Johnson is good as is Bernard Motissier (Long Way) about his Golden Globe (as is Knox Jon on same subject). I've read loads of books about the pioneers of America and Africa and find them all fascinating.
Currently re reading Snowblind on Czarks reccomendation, great book. If you like that check out Cocaine Conspiracy by Michael Levine a top DEA agent who ended up getting out of the business because of government corruption. What I love about reading these things like Chapo is that if it were fiction you'd be struggling to believe it, too far fetched almost.

'Ear, you sure it wasn't Michael Levine's 'The Big White Lie' you're referring to here??

Czarcasm wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

I do struggle with both Crime/detective novels and anything that has anything to do with magic and elves (apart from Tolkein OBVS). I've read some great whodunnits over the years but I found now you are just reading the same story with different locations and characters given a shakeup.
I'm much happier reading real life adventure I've just finished Shackleton for about the fifth time, Knox Johnson is good as is Bernard Motissier (Long Way) about his Golden Globe (as is Knox Jon on same subject). I've read loads of books about the pioneers of America and Africa and find them all fascinating.
Currently re reading Snowblind on Czarks reccomendation, great book. If you like that check out Cocaine Conspiracy by Michael Levine a top DEA agent who ended up getting out of the business because of government corruption. What I love about reading these things like Chapo is that if it were fiction you'd be struggling to believe it, too far fetched almost.

'Ear, you sure it wasn't Michael Levine's 'The Big White Lie' you're referring to here??

No you're right, I'm confusing it with cannabis conspiracy which isn't all that, Deep Cover by Levine is good as well.

Earwegoagain wrote:

Czarcasm wrote:

Earwegoagain wrote:

I do struggle with both Crime/detective novels and anything that has anything to do with magic and elves (apart from Tolkein OBVS). I've read some great whodunnits over the years but I found now you are just reading the same story with different locations and characters given a shakeup.
I'm much happier reading real life adventure I've just finished Shackleton for about the fifth time, Knox Johnson is good as is Bernard Motissier (Long Way) about his Golden Globe (as is Knox Jon on same subject). I've read loads of books about the pioneers of America and Africa and find them all fascinating.
Currently re reading Snowblind on Czarks reccomendation, great book. If you like that check out Cocaine Conspiracy by Michael Levine a top DEA agent who ended up getting out of the business because of government corruption. What I love about reading these things like Chapo is that if it were fiction you'd be struggling to believe it, too far fetched almost.

'Ear, you sure it wasn't Michael Levine's 'The Big White Lie' you're referring to here??

No you're right, I'm confusing it with cannabis conspiracy which isn't all that, Deep Cover by Levine is good as well.

I'll have a crack at that in the new year hopefully.

I've done lots of reading of late lots not worth mentioning. One in particular that is good is Shantaram by Gregory Donald Roberts. Available in all good Indian copy shops for 300irs although the pages do seem to fall out easily. It's a true account of an aussie bank robber who escapes from prison and flies to India on a dodgy passport where he lives in Bombay for 8 years. He lives in the slums then gets involved with the local mafia and ends up fighting alongside the mujahadeen in Afghanistan. It does seem a bit embellished at times this bloke would make stallone look like a bit of a wimp but it's beautifully written and gives a great insight into a world rarely seen. Well worth a read one of the better books I've read in a while.

I recently read 'Stakeknife', abait the handling of agents by the FRU (UK MOD agency) and the way they were regularly set up to incite murder, act it out with impunity, and perform other dastardly acts. Interesting, but not one to recommend, particularly. Let's not allow the rednecks like Boris and Rees-Mogg to lead us down that route again, though, ey Tessa?

I also read the Martian, which was made into a film with Matt Daamon. It was interesting, and had some nice science and some dribble, just not particularly nuanced in terms of actual, human story. The main character was slightly too infallible for it to be really good.

I gave both 3/5, to reflect that they were ok enough to finish.

Anyone read Cloud Atlas? I have a copy, but the film bored me to tears. I might have a look at Shantaram at some point thou Eary.

Shan't arm is a big book so you won't have to go book shopping for a while I'd recommend it purely on that levels Mocks.

Just finished Henderson the rain king by Saul Bellew real cracking read in the ripping yarns theme and I'm amazed it's never been made into a film. The main character is an alcoholic millionaire filled with self doubt and enough money to indulge in any harebrained scheme that he wishes. In a life filled with wants he finally journeys to Africa where he has his epiphany. One of those great books that gets you thinking.
Herzog is a great book by him which I read years ago.

The Ibis Trilogy by Amtiv Ghosh was a really great read. Following the story of the opium wars from the Gangenitic plains where the good old boys from the East India company literally forced the peasants into growing it for less than cost instead of the rice and Lentils they needed to feed themselves. It carries on into China and Canton and ends up with us fighting the Opium wars for not only God but Gods main raisin d'être free trade. With many references and quotes being taken from our own parliament, newspapers and true accounts at the time it weaves great characters, many real and some invented for the story, into true and really shocking events. It took us four generations to get the Chinese really hooked on the brown stuff whilst banning it over here. By the time of the wars we completely mullered them with our superior naval fleet and arms plus their army were all off their fookin nuts chasing the dragon and unable to fight anyway. It was due to all this we annexed Hong Kong and made them pay us six million for the Opium they seized from our God fearing men of enterprise. Some of the rhetoric employed by the anti Opium movement (funnily enough started by a certain Mathison son and heir of Jardine and Mathison Opium trading house) would be easily attributed to Bush, Reagan or any of our own hypocritical politicos, same bullshit, same results. Also the ban on Opium made no distinction between people who had used it for millennia for pain relief and medicinal use over the whole of Aisa and ended up with thousands getting hung and strangled for using it.
I would give this a solid 4.5 out of 5.

Just finished Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor. Written about the the Irish famine and the people consumed by it the book folllows the characters in Ireland around the 1840's (Opium war times funnily enough) and on a ship journey to America. Really well written, with many twists and turns I loved it although if you are already feeling depressed this maybe isn't for you.
Another 4.5 out of 5.

Just finished "Passage to India" by EM Forster I did find it a little slow to start with but it does kind of grow on you. Set in the end  of the Colonial era it examines the relationship between Indians and foreigners and is really a journey of awakening following the lives of several characters the main one being a local Moslem doctor, the Doctor wishes to befriend the English the English on the whole spurn him yet his one friend gets misunderstood and they part company all over the Doctor being falsely accused of fiddling with an Englishwoman in the Marabar Caves which ends in the trail of the Doctor. Very thought provoking and a little sad it's a good read in the end.
I'm just starting "The Plague" by Albert Camas which I'm hoping will give me some tips on how to survive the current one.

Earwegoagain wrote:

Just finished "Passage to India" by EM Forster I did find it a little slow to start with but it does kind of grow on you. Set in the end  of the Colonial era it examines the relationship between Indians and foreigners and is really a journey of awakening following the lives of several characters the main one being a local Moslem doctor, the Doctor wishes to befriend the English the English on the whole spurn him yet his one friend gets misunderstood and they part company all over the Doctor being falsely accused of fiddling with an Englishwoman in the Marabar Caves which ends in the trail of the Doctor. Very thought provoking and a little sad it's a good read in the end.
I'm just starting "The Plague" by Albert Camas which I'm hoping will give me some tips on how to survive the current one.

Did that for my A level english along with Nostromo by Joseph Conrad. Didn't go to well :/
Mind you Iwas in in a 6th form with 70 girls and 3 boys, I should have studied biology instead.