The Book thread...

youthful_implants · Post by **youthful_implants** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 5:28 pm

gnat wrote:you got this in store QR?:

thats a good book, I rate Oliver Sacks highly.

I'm reading this:

If anybody's looking for a really good yarn you should read this:

ghetto kitty · Post by **ghetto kitty** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 11:40 am

I just read 'My Revolutions' by Hari Kunzru.

REALLY good book!

about a guy who used to be a hard core revolutionary, who runs and hides and changes his identity, and then years later it all comes back into his life and he is forced to question his motivations for both anarchy AND his choice later of conformity.

great read for anyone who has been involved in any political movements, or sat around waxing marxist lyrical for hours with socialists hehh, with some great characters, a bit of a skewed love story and serious personal questioning gonig on too.

loved it.

highly recommend.

DBoy · Post by **DBoy** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:11 am

1000 Novels Everyone Must Read

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/1000novels

deviant · Post by **deviant** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 11:37 am

DBoy wrote:1000 Novels Everyone Must Read

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/series/1000novels

so glad this was included...

Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash (1992)
Fast, furious and containing more ideas in a single sentence than most writers manage in an entire book, Snow Crash has been credited with helping to inspire online worlds such as Second Life and established Stephenson as a cult figure. Featuring SF's most ironically named character, Hiro Protagonist, plus skateboards, mafia-employed pizza delivery men, weird drugs, computer hacking and a thousand other cyberpunk tropes, it showcases the raw talent that Stephenson was to refine for Cryptonomicon and his later, less frenetic books.

best

I'm currently 1/3 of the way through "Anathem".... so far brilliant, bit dry at times,,, but thoroughly enjoying

Post by **huge** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 11:12 am

dude at work has just put out a book.

http://www.wasnotme.com/

Hey everyone,

About a year ago I sent out hundreds of invitations to hundreds of writers from around the world and asked them to submit 1000 word stories based on my drawings, which as the saying goes, is exactly what a picture is worth. I thought it was clever.

The result is a 80pp perfect bound book with a lovely thick dye cut cover that would look nice on your coffee table. The books are only $40, I say only because that's what they cost to make. So please stop by my office to have a flick through and possibly help me pay my mortgage this month.

Alternatively, please forward this email on to any friends or family who might be interested in buying a copy online at http://www.wasnotme.com

Thanks so much for listening.

Paul (aka Mehhhhhatez, aka wasnotme, aka the bearded lady)

Charlie73 · Post by **Charlie73** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 7:51 pm

WAAAAAAA

I am in need of something else to read, am getting through my books in a couple of weeks at the moment.... Since November i have read 5....

Suggestions please.....

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:17 am

you won't have much time for novels when you're back at uni lady, so make the most of it! i certainly am!

So many I could recommend...depends what you're in to.

Reading The White Tiger atm. Very quick read and very engaging...will be interested to see how it unfolds and what makes it worthy of the Booker prize, because although I'm enjoying, it's not exactly blowing my mind yet.

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:43 am

Charlie73 wrote:WAAAAAAA

I am in need of something else to read, am getting through my books in a couple of weeks at the moment.... Since November i have read 5....

Suggestions please.....

Wow... where to start? What do you like?

If you like novels, like I do...

(Novels based on true events)
*Kite Runner (and then A Thousand Splendid Suns - sequel)
*Shantaram (one of my faves, big read though)

I could go on, what are you into?

Gliding High · Post by **Gliding High** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:34 pm

Reading the Sookie Stackhouse chronicles right now, which are the inspiration for the HBO series True Blood.

The books have all the imagination one could ask for, but read like they've been written by a teenager.
Incredibly poor skills on the literary front. Not really digging it.

The series is by far my fave show ever though, and I'm glad they changed a fair few things to differ from the novel.
A vampire show made by the maker of Six Feet Under can't really go wrong. Can't wait for series two.
Awesome soundtrack, and vampires frotting humans at superhuman speed is always good for a laugh

ghetto kitty · Post by **ghetto kitty** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 12:58 pm

Gliding High wrote: The books have all the imagination one could ask for, but read like they've been written by a teenager.
Incredibly poor skills on the literary front. Not really digging it.

i warned you they were like one long magazine read!
the last few books ive read were HEAVY, like 'musicophilia'
so i actually enjoyed the teen/vamp/lovestory angle of these books for a bit of 'light' after that!

and, they are very formulaic, so i dont think the other weight books will really be much better..

one instance where the series actually does better than the books imo!

hanging for season two. life sucks without sookie and bill.

Charlie73 · Post by **Charlie73** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:06 pm

Direkt wrote:
Charlie73 wrote:WAAAAAAA

I am in need of something else to read, am getting through my books in a couple of weeks at the moment.... Since November i have read 5....

Suggestions please.....
Wow... where to start? What do you like?

If you like novels, like I do...

(Novels based on true events)
*Kite Runner (and then A Thousand Splendid Suns - sequel)
*Shantaram (one of my faves, big read though)

I could go on, what are you into?

I read almost anything, from text books to Novels, Fantasy what eves.. i do prefer things based on true events....

Have read Kite Runner and Spendid Suns the boys mum got that for me on my Birthday (it was fantastic by the way read it in a week...)

I have had Shantaram recommend by our receptionist.... she loved it, might have to get that one.....

Tahnks guys...

Witty - i know i got some of my course stuff last night, oooh am nervous, not sure if this old brain can get back into the swing of essays....

witty_pseudonym · Post by **witty_pseudonym** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:14 pm

Definitely check out Shantaram babe. It's a fantastic read.

We catch up - i give you lists of good books. hehe.

And on the essay front, hit me up if you ever need a hand...always happy to help if i can! I'll be in the same boat..we can be study buddies.

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:21 pm

Nice, Charlie!

L-J · Post by **L-J** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:32 pm

Been reading High Fidelity. Not far in at all but so far its been funny as fuck.

A bit of a pathetic character. But i think that adds to the charm.

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:45 pm

Thanks for that recommendation LJ. I've seen that one in the library and wondered about it.

I am inching my way slowly through On the Road. I'm loving it, but can only read a little at a time.

gnat · Post by **gnat** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 12:14 pm

just finished- interesting observations within relationships and gambling habits in the heat of arizona. not bad, not bad 6.5/10

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 4:46 pm

Just finished, "True History of the Kelly Gang" by Peter Carey... although the majority is written by one Edward 'Ned' Kelly.

Awesome read.

Really changed my opinion of the man.

ghetto kitty · Post by **ghetto kitty** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:50 pm

i have been reading two or three novels a week, among lots of other reading for other reasons than escapism.

Recently
"the secret life of bees" by Sue monk kidd
about to be released as a movie with latifah and alicia keys in it...i think
loved this one. about a young white girl who runs away from her dad with her nanny and they go to live in a craxy amazing house of black goddesses who tend bees...

"monkey grip' by helen garner. classic.
story of melbourne in the seventies in the young druggie circles, love and kids and lazy days when the dole was work, the whole thing is just like this long lyrical poem that never ends.
read it when i was a teenager, before id moved to melb, but loved it better second time round.

"things i want my daughters to know' by elizabeth noble.
good. me likey. story about a womans path from cancer to after she dies, and her familys reactions to letters she leaves them when she does. very full on if you have had anyone close to you die of cancer or something terminal they know about for a while.

also read 'stuff white people like' for a bit of a laugh.
lets see, having ethnic friends, internet forums, expensive sandwiches, bad break-ups, coffee, travelling overseas, especially backpacking round europe....its pretty funny. but also a bit

when you are white and do many of said things in the book...

about to read 'black swan green' by david mitchell...i read cloud atlas when i was on a beach somewhere, and liked it, so here we go!

Post by **huge** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:33 pm

Direkt wrote:Just finished, "True History of the Kelly Gang" by Peter Carey... although the majority is written by one Edward 'Ned' Kelly.

Awesome read.

Really changed my opinion of the man.

that book is fiction man!

here is a true story

http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.as ... t_ID=10583

direct descendant of Constable Thomas McIntyre here.

Hatsudai · Post by **Hatsudai** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:29 pm

huge wrote:
Direkt wrote:Just finished, "True History of the Kelly Gang" by Peter Carey... although the majority is written by one Edward 'Ned' Kelly.

Awesome read.

Really changed my opinion of the man.
that book is fiction man!

here is a true story

http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.as ... t_ID=10583

direct descendant of Constable Thomas McIntyre here.

Very True, Peter Carey has gone on record as saying it was "an interpretation" as in a completely fictional interpretation!!! I really enjoyed it too Direkt but for a more factual acount try Our Sunshine by Robert Drew which I believe is a bit more on the mark in terms of events that actually occurred.

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 12:47 pm

^ true, true... He's a pretty coniving bastard making it look real though... I must admit I was disapointed to learn it wasn't originally from the pen of one Edward Kelly.

Just finished Memoirs of a Geisha this morning. Great read... and yet again, another book made out to be something it's not... once again I was disapointed to learn it wasn't what it was made out to be, although perhaps I wouldn't have enjoyed it so much had I known.

FoundationStepper · Post by **FoundationStepper** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:34 pm

I got sick of the overuse of metaphor in geisha. pretty but nauseous

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 1:48 pm

Really?

Didn't phase me in the slightest... gave me the impression of a foreigner describing things to someone....

FoundationStepper · Post by **FoundationStepper** » Wed Mar 11, 2009 2:00 pm

It felt over laboured, like a western attempt at eastern mysticism

Kaiproject · Post by **Kaiproject** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:18 pm

In the middle of "This is Your Brain on Music" by Daniel Levitin

Ex-producer / now specialist neuroscientist's exploration of how the human brain perceives music

Really interesting, recommended to any music-lover, makers mixers and listeners alike

Also read the WATCHMEN graphic novel in over the past few days(yeah only over 20 years late to the party there) before seeing the movie today

Can see why its such an acclaimed graphic novel. I think the movie had a good go at trying to do it justice, and the ending-change was probably justified and pretty well done. But the novel is just amazing, much more thought provoking and deep and well done, although its an entirely different medium

Keen to read more of Moore's works now; League of Extraordinary Gentlemen etc.

tee193 · Post by **tee193** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:40 pm

just put an order in for "house of leaves", cannot wait to read again

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 1:30 pm

Kaiproject wrote:Also read the WATCHMEN graphic novel in over the past few days(yeah only over 20 years late to the party there) before seeing the movie today

Can see why its such an acclaimed graphic novel. I think the movie had a good go at trying to do it justice, and the ending-change was probably justified and pretty well done. But the novel is just amazing, much more thought provoking and deep and well done, although its an entirely different medium

I was very pleased yesterday when I was browsing the Readings website to see that it is available again. i think I might be purchasing [..so do you have it in stock Quiet Roar?!

]

apophenian · Post by **apophenian** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 1:48 pm

Kaiproject wrote: Also read the WATCHMEN graphic novel in over the past few days(yeah only over 20 years late to the party there) before seeing the movie today

Can see why its such an acclaimed graphic novel. I think the movie had a good go at trying to do it justice, and the ending-change was probably justified and pretty well done. But the novel is just amazing, much more thought provoking and deep and well done, although its an entirely different medium

Keen to read more of Moore's works now; League of Extraordinary Gentlemen etc.

LXG is awesome and NOTHING like the movie. Just saw a doco called 'The mindscape of Alan Moore', where he espouses some of his theories on reality/magick etc.

Basically believes that art = magick.

Interesting chap

Brain · Post by **Brain** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 2:14 pm

More great Moore stuff: From Hell (brilliant, again nothing like the Johnny Depp film), Promethea (if you're interested in his theroies on magik), Lost Girls (if you're interested in porn, er, I mean art).

In fact all of his stuff is great, from Swamp Thing to his novel 'Voice of the Fire'.

Kaiproject · Post by **Kaiproject** » Sun Mar 15, 2009 5:44 pm

Cheers Brain, will have to go down to Minotaur and get some stuff soon

ghetto kitty · Post by **ghetto kitty** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:44 am

tee193 wrote:just put an order in for "house of leaves", cannot wait to read again

i am going to attempt this again.
too heavy for bedtime reading tho! (as in, it weighs ten pounds)

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:46 am

Just wrapping up Tim Winton's 'The Riders'... not too flash. Worst Winton novel I've read yet... and pretty different for him.

I'd normally rate Winton as one of Australia's finest fiction writers... but not here.

J0rdz · Post by **J0rdz** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 12:04 pm

Gliding High wrote:Reading the Sookie Stackhouse chronicles right now, which are the inspiration for the HBO series True Blood.

The books have all the imagination one could ask for, but read like they've been written by a teenager.
Incredibly poor skills on the literary front. Not really digging it.

The series is by far my fave show ever though, and I'm glad they changed a fair few things to differ from the novel.
A vampire show made by the maker of Six Feet Under can't really go wrong. Can't wait for series two.
Awesome soundtrack, and vampires frotting humans at superhuman speed is always good for a laugh

After being introduced to the series a few weeks back, and now upto EP 9, i was kind of interested in checking the book out when i heard the series was adapted from one. But after reading your thoughts i think i might stray away from it - dont want to tarnish the awesomeness that is true blood!

On a side note, has there been any screening dates for series 2??

Gliding High · Post by **Gliding High** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 1:44 pm

J0rdz wrote:
Gliding High wrote:Reading the Sookie Stackhouse chronicles right now, which are the inspiration for the HBO series True Blood.

The books have all the imagination one could ask for, but read like they've been written by a teenager.
Incredibly poor skills on the literary front. Not really digging it.

The series is by far my fave show ever though, and I'm glad they changed a fair few things to differ from the novel.
A vampire show made by the maker of Six Feet Under can't really go wrong. Can't wait for series two.
Awesome soundtrack, and vampires frotting humans at superhuman speed is always good for a laugh
After being introduced to the series a few weeks back, and now upto EP 9, i was kind of interested in checking the book out when i heard the series was adapted from one. But after reading your thoughts i think i might stray away from it - dont want to tarnish the awesomeness that is true blood!
On a side note, has there been any screening dates for series 2??

Starts in America in May.
Will be downloading the torrent within hours of that.
Can't wait

From what I can gather of the second series, they will be taking a couple of major turns away from the books. One turn in particular will see a character in the series live on, even though they were killed off in one of the books.

The books are truly shitous. Stick with the show IMO.
I read the first two, then couldn't take any more.

J0rdz · Post by **J0rdz** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 3:00 pm

Gliding High wrote: Starts in America in May.
Will be downloading the torrent within hours of that.
Can't wait

The books are truly shitous. Stick with the show IMO.
I read the first two, then couldn't take any more.

Awesome, thanks for the heads up with the release. I'll defs be on the d.l!
And yeps, will stay away from the books for sure. They sound really bad.
Out of curiosity, what age group are they aimed at??

Gliding High · Post by **Gliding High** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 3:08 pm

J0rdz wrote:
Gliding High wrote: Starts in America in May.
Will be downloading the torrent within hours of that.
Can't wait

The books are truly shitous. Stick with the show IMO.
I read the first two, then couldn't take any more.
Awesome, thanks for the heads up with the release. I'll defs be on the d.l!
And yeps, will stay away from the books for sure. They sound really bad.
Out of curiosity, what age group are they aimed at??

The books are undoubtedly chick-lit. Not far off the Mills & Boon type stuff - with a bit of blood and guts thrown in.
Seems to me that she's never really learnt to write properly, and her paragraphs read like a 10 year olds. The plot is always weak, the characters are weak, and the books have no redeeming features that I can think of. Even Sookie comes off as a whining Buffy-like character. You never would guess the books could be so bad by watching the mastery which is Alan Ball's series. The guy is a genius, and I find it amazing that he could make such an original and enthralling show from such pap - but he has

No probs Jordz, happy to help

ghetto kitty · Post by **ghetto kitty** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 3:12 pm

i bought em, GH borrowed and hated them.

(give em back then cunt!

)

i was starved after i watched all the episodes and wanted to read more!
they are aimed at adults, but they are pretty trashy, as in basic language and easy to follow storylines, not really any subtle moments at all!
the sex scenes are WAY hotter in the series (glossed over in the books) and the violence isnt as gory (good) in the books, but they are full of supernatural stuff which i love, and a b it o cheesy love story, which i also love despite myself.

they are kinda like a long magazine read, i read them instead of watching crap TV, cos they require the same amount of brain power.

i am actually up to book 5 now, out of 8, and yes i have them all.
ill lend you the first one (which you have seen already in season one)
and see if you like it! (when evil gives it back)

edit > i hate chick lit BTW, but this has enough wierd stuff to entertain me.

Gliding High · Post by **Gliding High** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 3:40 pm

Yeah, yeah - I think I burnt both books in a nerdish fit of lit-rage, but will get them back

Reading two books right now..

'Matter' by Iain M. Banks.
Really digging it. A highly original space/fantasy drama, expertly written - but maybe a bit too detailed for its own good. Very complex, and the names of characters are incredibly confusing - other than that, it's pretty good.
Reminds me a little of Dune, but Banks doesn't waffle on about nothing for 80 pages at a time like Herbert did - and David Lynch hasn't made a retarded film version starring Kyle McGlachlan yet

'Homicide - A Year on the Killing Streets' by David Simon.
This book is the inspiration for the series 'The Wire,' and is written by a journalist who spent a year with the Baltimore homicide squad.
(I've had this one a while, and only just got into it a few days ago - will have it back to you soon Brain!

mrj · Post by **mrj** » Fri May 01, 2009 2:36 pm

just picked up a copy of Pride and Prejuidice and Zombies

its basically Jane Austens classic tale but edited to include zombies. pure genius imo.

only just started reading it but its pure rofl. the style of the edits are well matched to austens prattled and verbose style so its virtually seamless, as though Austen had always intended that Elizabeth Bennet cavort across the English countryside lopping the heads off zombies, or "the unmentionables" as they are referred to by the snooty english gentry.

opening line of the book - "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains shall be in want of more brains".

gold.

ghetto kitty · Post by **ghetto kitty** » Fri May 01, 2009 3:01 pm

sounds interesting mrj.

i just finished 'the girl with the dragon tattoo' by
Steig Larsson (i think)

he wrote a trilogy, took them to his publisher, then died, and they have gone on to become HUGE sellers.

about financial journalism in Sweden and a 40 year old murder mystery that actually ends up being in the present too.
really good read, I dont usually read crime type novels but really enjoyed the characters in this one, with goth whiz kid researcher hacker and a very intertwined industrial family in there too. so, yes, when im ready for another crime novel, ill read the next two.

3 and a half out of five.

Hardy · Post by **Hardy** » Fri May 01, 2009 3:27 pm

ghetto kitty wrote:
tee193 wrote:just put an order in for "house of leaves", cannot wait to read again
i am going to attempt this again.
too heavy for bedtime reading tho! (as in, it weighs ten pounds)

I swear reading that book in bed was the same as a weights session at the gym. It's not very... manageable.

Post by **system** » Fri May 01, 2009 9:14 pm

re read "the summer book" again. moomintastic.

nic · Post by **nic** » Sun May 03, 2009 8:39 pm

Gliding High wrote: 'Homicide - A Year on the Killing Streets' by David Simon.
This book is the inspiration for the series 'The Wire,' and is written by a journalist who spent a year with the Baltimore homicide squad.
(I've had this one a while, and only just got into it a few days ago - will have it back to you soon Brain!

am almost dun with this. not as gog as i was hoping tbh. i wanted more descriptions of poverty, twisted people and drug abuse tbh - rolling hardnut cop theme got a tad tiring. will start reading 'The Corner' when i can find a b00kshop in tasmania that stocks it geh.

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Thu May 14, 2009 10:45 am

Quick read, but a damn good read is Sky Burial.

Bit of a tear jerker... it's a very sad, romantic tale set in Chinese occupied Tibet. I really like it though. Well written. Recommended.

gnat · Post by **gnat** » Tue Jun 02, 2009 3:45 pm

just finished the slap. getting a lot of press lately

was good read- tense dynamics between families and friends after dude slaps a kid thats not his own at a bbq. set in melbs so extra interesting

also depressing that nearly everyone was cheating on their partner

anyone read if i stay? marketed intially to teens. smart look at decisions after accidents by a comatose young girl

Post by **system** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 8:43 pm

enjoyed 'the slap', however the end 'yoof' part felt very tacked on. good read otherwise.

youthful_implants · Post by **youthful_implants** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:09 pm

Am reading the new one from Iain Banks, and its typically mind-blowing. Highly recommended.

Direkt · Post by **Direkt** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:18 pm

3/4 of the way through 'The Book Thief' at the moment.

Decent read so far.

Polecat · Post by **Polecat** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:08 pm

I am reading Alain de Botton's Essays on Love. It is a very candid and analytical look at a serious relationship he had with a girl called Chloe. If I was her I would NOT want all those experiences of my life recorded as they are, as a journey through the emotions and nuances and stuff that is and isnt love.

I am up to the breakup part in the book and it was making me sad reading it. I preferred his descriptions of the beginning of love, rather than the ending of it. I like this book.

PS. de Botton's webpage says the book is a mix of fact & fiction, so I feel better now for the girlfriend!

http://www.alaindebotton.com/love.asp

Next to read of his... How Proust can change your Life

gnat · Post by **gnat** » Thu Jun 11, 2009 3:37 pm

aha PC!

I got ths on the weekend! haven't started yet