Book suggestions

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ric
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In fiction in English, the three huge discoveries for me of these last thirty years have been Edward St. Aubyn, the Patrick Melrose books (already discussed); Haruki Murukami, especially Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore; and Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials. Fantasy fiction isn't normally my thing at all — it bores me, frankly — and I was surprised by how much I liked the last named. Whatever you might think, it's not really for children. Or not only for them.
 
MillionMilesAway said:
That's the history of science one, isn't it? Not easy going!
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It is, but tbf it's the most easy going one I've ever read. Makes it very accessible IMO, but I don't really do fiction, which is why I like Bill Bryson. Great writer; funny, intelligent and well-researched.

Notes from a Small Island (about Britain) is brilliant.
 
Lovebitesandeveryfing said:
In fiction in English, the three huge discoveries for me of these last thirty years have been Edward St. Aubyn, the Patrick Melrose books (already discussed); Haruki Murukami, especially Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore; and Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials. Fantasy fiction isn't normally my thing at all — it bores me, frankly — and I was surprised by how much I liked the last named. Whatever you might think, it's not really for children. Or not only for them.
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Got to agree about His Dark Materials... Not my kind of thing, but I lost myself in it for a few weeks.

Harry Potter; it is not.
 
1.618034 said:
It is, but tbf it's the most easy going one I've ever read. Makes it very accessible IMO, but I don't really do fiction, which is why I like Bill Bryson. Great writer; funny, intelligent and well-researched.

Notes from a Small Island (about Britain) is brilliant.
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Fair enough. I've not read his travel books, which are highly rated.
I agree, it tracks from step to step pretty well, but I've no idea how it works for a non-scientist. I took it on holiday, and it proved a perfect cure to jetlag!

Similar in style are Tom Holland' Rubicon (on Caesar), and Persian Fire. I think there's later ones - Millennium? - but I've not read them.

Other novels I really liked were Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars books.
 
discopop said:
I Have done the first 9 Robicheaux books and my maud has done the lot, very evocative writing. If you like New Orleans have you tried A Quiet Vendetta by R.J Ellory? highly recommend it
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Cheers for that, will look into Ellory, especially as it looks like Dave R. could be occupying me for some time!
 
You lot are crazy reading all your books at a time like this.
Wait for the internet to stop working before you exhaust all your offline entertainment avenues.
 
Reading (listening to) Dune ATM in preparation for this winter's film adaptation. It's a little hokey in some respects, the prose isn't all that, but there are plenty of great ideas and it seems a lot more credible than most sci-fi / hantasy. The Bene Gesserit are a riot, taking the idea of arranged marriages further into bloodlines and genetic engineering, also seeding myths and religions over in far off populations with the aim of ensuring they are easily manipulated hundreds and thousands of years after visiting the planet.
 
Stony used to read a book a day i think and had some great recommendations in the 'what are you reading' thread. He put me onto a book called 'The Wasp Factory' by Iain Banks and it was one of the most fucked up books ive ever read. I cracking read but really fucked up.
 
I very much recommend this book:

Manchester Musical History Tour

Learn more: Amazon product ASIN 1901746712
It's by our very own @Mad Eyed Screamer and I said if it was shit I'd say so on here and it isn't. It's actually rather good, and I'm sure will bring back many fond memories for any of you that enjoyed gigs, clubs, or frankly just getting a bit pissed around town at any time in the last half of the 20th century. It may surprise you to learn there are at least as many references to Jimmy Saville as The Smiths / Mozza. I personally never knew he had such strong ties to Mcr in his early career, and as the author(s) recount tales of Sir Jim's escapades one can only wonder what else the dirty nonce was getting up to. I mean Jimmy was a nonce, not MES btw.
 
discopop said:
For some reason I cant explain I am going through the Game, Set and Match series of books by Len Deighton, low rent spy stuff and its excellent.

Philip Kerr is worth a shot with the Bernie Gunther series.

Nelson DeMille rarely writes a duff story so check his work out
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Agree with all this. I've read all three authors. Winter by Deighton is long, but excellent also.
 
johnnytapia said:
The Executioner's Song, Norman Mailer
Anything and everything by Clive James
The Unfortunates by BS Johnson
Tainted Life Marc Almond
In Cold Blood Truman Capote
Midnight in the garden of good and evil John Berendt
In Plain Sight Dan Davies
10 Rillington Place Ludovic Kennedy
Wicked Beyond Belief Michael Bilton
I'm Jack Mark Blacklock
You Could do something amazing with your life (you are raoul moat) Andrew Hankinson
Raging Bull Jake La Motta
Dark Trade Donald Mcrae
Mcillveney on boxing
Mcillveney on football
Undisputed truth Mike Tyson
Any Joe Simpson book
Tilting at Windmills Andy Millar
French Revolutions and Gironimo both by Tim Moore
Pyjama Game Mark Law
The Climb Anatoli Boukreev
Into Thin Air Jon Krakauer

Oh, and anything and everything by Clive James (start with the first 3 of his biographies)
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Have you read The Iceman by Anthony Bruno? It's a great book about a serial killer, detailing the harrowing and cold-blooded nature of his work.
 
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