Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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One of the most significant and intriguing Gothic novels of the Victorian period and is enjoyed today as a modern psychological thriller. In UNCLE SILAS (1864) Le Fanu brought up to date Mrs Radcliffe's earlier tales of virtue imprisoned and menacedby unscrupulous schemers. The narrator, Maud Ruthyn, is a 17 year old orphan left in the care of her fearful uncle, Silas. Together with his boorish son and a sinister French governess, Silas plots to kill Maud and claim her fortune. The novel established Le Fanu as a master of horror fiction.
Just finished this, cracking book, considering that it was released in 1862 it is a really easy read, its a bit of a slow burner and take a damn good while to get going but I really enjoyed it.
Little girl gets a creepy ass governess, her dad dies and she is sent to live with her uncle who may or may not have comitted a murder once upon a time, there are concerns that he is going to attempt to hurt dispose of her in order to get his hands on her fortune.
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Just been and bought these
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Shocking and controversial when it was first published in 1939, Steinbeck's Pulitzer prize-winning epic remains his undisputed masterpiece. Set against the background of dust bowl Oklahoma and Californian migrant life, it tells of the Joad family, who, like thousands of others, are forced to travel West in search of the promised land. Their story is one of false hopes, thwarted desires and broken dreams, yet out of their suffering Steinbeck created a drama that is intensely human, yet majestic in its scale and moral vision; an eloquent tribute to the endurance and dignity of the human spirit.
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The compelling story of two outsiders striving to find their place in an unforgiving world.
Drifters in search of work, George and his simple minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other and a dream--a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California's Salinas Valley, but their hopes are doomed as Lennie, struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy becomes a victim of his own strength.
Tackling universal themes and giving a voice to America's lonely and dispossessed, Of Mice and Men has proved to be one of Steinbeck's most popular works, achieving success as a novel, a Broadway play and three acclaimed films.
Never read Grapes of Wrath but have always wanted to
I read Of Mice and men when I was in school, teacher went ape shit at me because we were only supposed to read the first couple of chapters as homework and I read the whole book, I would have thought that should have been encouraged but apparently enjoying books and reading at home is something that my school didn't believe in.
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Mattie Ross, 14, from Dardanelle, Arkansas, narrates half a century later, her trip in the winter of 1870s, to avenge the murder of her father. She convinces one-eyed "Rooster" Cogburn, the meanest available U.S. Marshall, to tag along, while she outdickers and outmaneuvers the hard-bitten types in her path. Basis of John Wayne movie and re-make.
I started this again yesterday as well, one of my all time favourite books, I've been meaning to re-read it again for a while
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Steinbeck is one of my favorites. 'Tortilla Flat' is my absolute favorite book.
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Of Mice and Men is the only one of his books that I have read and as I say that was when I was at school so probably about 17/18 years ago.
I've had Cannery Row recommended to me as well, I don't want to get bogged down with just one author at the moment though so that'll be one I look to in the future
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Originally Posted by
Batman
Of Mice and Men is the only one of his books that I have read and as I say that was when I was at school so probably about 17/18 years ago.
I've had Cannery Row recommended to me as well, I don't want to get bogged down with just one author at the moment though so that'll be one I look to in the future
'Tortilla Flat' is a very easy read, maybe 230 pages at most
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
I'm reading Tim Tebow's "Shaken"...he autographed it as my Christmas present.
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Finished True Grit this morning, going to be starting this one next
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A gripping tale of human unrelieved horror, of survival and resilience, and of the ways in which humankind confronts death, The Plague is at once a masterfully crafted novel, eloquently understated and epic in scope, and a parable of ageless moral resonance, profoundly relevant to our times. In Oran, a coastal town in North Africa, the plague begins as a series of portents, unheeded by the people. It gradually becomes a omnipresent reality, obliterating all traces of the past and driving its victims to almost unearthly extremes of suffering, madness, and compassion.
I've never heard of it before quite looking forward to it.
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Originally Posted by
Batman
Finished True Grit this morning, going to be starting this one next
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A gripping tale of human unrelieved horror, of survival and resilience, and of the ways in which humankind confronts death, The Plague is at once a masterfully crafted novel, eloquently understated and epic in scope, and a parable of ageless moral resonance, profoundly relevant to our times. In Oran, a coastal town in North Africa, the plague begins as a series of portents, unheeded by the people. It gradually becomes a omnipresent reality, obliterating all traces of the past and driving its victims to almost unearthly extremes of suffering, madness, and compassion.
I've never heard of it before quite looking forward to it.
I read
The Black Death: Natural and Human Disater in Medieval Europe
by Robert Steven Gottfried
It's nonfiction so I guess that isn't your style, but it was rather interesting. Amazing how quickly things got out of control and how entire towns were wiped out....it wasn't just 1 disease it was famine AND the Bubonic Plague, Septicemic Plague, and Pneumonic Plague each deadlier than the last.
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Actually sounds like something I'd enjoy (the book not the actual plague) I might keep that in mind for the future
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Originally Posted by
Batman
Actually sounds like something I'd enjoy (the book not the actual plague) I might keep that in mind for the future
It's a tiny book, short read.
William Manchester's 'A World Lit Only By Fire' is quality too
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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finished this morning
not bad, very wordy and the story suffers for it sometimes, characters all seemed to blend into one another.
Camus has been described as existential and I'd agree, I've also heard comparisons to Kafka but on the basis of this book I'd say that Kafka is a superior author.
I don't think it's one that I'll be revisiting.
I'm going to start Of Mice and Men today, that should only take me a day or so to read and I might pop down to waterstones and pick up In Cold Blood by Truman Capote later on today.
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
I've always wanted to read Mein Kempf, my mate said it took him fucking ages to get through and it was one of the hardest slogs he's ever had with a book
just been out and bought
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On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.
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Merricat Blackwood lives on the family estate with her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian. Not long ago there were seven Blackwoods—until a fatal dose of arsenic found its way into the sugar bowl one terrible night. Acquitted of the murders, Constance has returned home, where Merricat protects her from the curiosity and hostility of the villagers. Their days pass in happy isolation until cousin Charles appears. Only Merricat can see the danger, and she must act swiftly to keep Constance from his grasp.
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If human beings disappeared instantaneously from the earth, what would happen? How would the planet reclaim its surface? What creatures would emerge from the dark and swarm? How would our treasured structures--our tunnels, our bridges, our homes, our monuments--survive the unmitigated impact of a planet without our intervention? In his revelatory, bestselling account, Alan Weisman draws on every field of science to present an environmental assessment like no other, the most affecting portrait yet of humankind's place on this planet.
oh and on a side note El Kabong, I asked them if they had The Black Death by Robert Steven Gottfried and they couldn't find it at all on their system so I'll have to browse amazon for it
Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Batman
I've always wanted to read Mein Kempf, my mate said it took him fucking ages to get through and it was one of the hardest slogs he's ever had with a book
oh and on a side note El Kabong, I asked them if they had The Black Death by Robert Steven Gottfried and they couldn't find it at all on their system so I'll have to browse amazon for it
I too have wanted to read 'Mein Kempf' just because you hear everyone refer to it so often and I know of exactly 0 people who have actually read it. The psychology nut I am I think it would provide insight into the person Adolf Hitler and not the image or figure of him...perhaps a clearer picture can be formed, it's also possible that the person could muddy the waters a bit as well. I most certainly understand how it could be a slog to get through as I attempted to make my way through 'Triumph of the Will' (it would fucking take one to finish that in one sitting....whoa boy what a bore) several times....which allowed me to see Hitler give speeches, have them translated, and then to process them while attempting to understand how life was in post World War I Germany....it's a big ask. I watched that not because I'm a Nazi or a Hitler-phile, but because I wanted to see with my own eyes hear with my own ears, and attempt to grasp at what point did everyone collectively go "Oh, this is a fucking mad man talking to us right now"
Yeah Amazon has 'The Black Death' it's a neat little book very insightful....imagine entire towns turned into ghost towns....easy to imagine in America's wild west when the gold runs out or a railway cuts your town out of the movement of people, but just entire towns in Europe left like people had been raptured, horses, cattle, and dogs gone feral. Grass left to grow up high....had to be very spooky out there if you traveled (many in that age did not).
