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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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As was expected, extremely reminiscent of Deaver and Patterson but set in Scotland.
Copper, hard as nails (former SAS) a broken marriage and a daughter he loves but rarely gets to see, throw in the new love interest and you have the whole chebang.
The perfect scenario for a nutter with a grudge to take advantage of poor old Rebus.
A decent book, as I say it is exactly as was expected but I quite enjoyed it anyway, I've got another 9 in the series to get through but I'm pretty sure I'll lose a helluva lot of interest before getting that far into them.
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Shirley Jackson's masterpiece: the deliciously dark and funny story of Merricat, tomboy teenager, beloved sister - and possible lunatic.
"Her greatest book ...at once whimsical and harrowing, a miniaturist's charmingly detailed fantasy sketched inside a mausoleum...Through depths and depths and bloodwarm depths we fall, until the surface is only an eerie gleam high above, nearly forgotten; and the deeper we sink, the deeper we want to go". (Donna Tartt, author of The Goldfinch).
Living in the Blackwood family home with only her sister Constance and her Uncle Julian for company, Merricat just wants to preserve their delicate way of life. But ever since Constance was acquitted of murdering the rest of the family, the world isn't leaving the Blackwoods alone. And when Cousin Charles arrives, armed with overtures of friendship and a desperate need to get into the safe, Merricat must do everything in her power to protect the remaining family. This Penguin edition includes an afterword by the acclaimed novelist Joyce Carol Oates
A fantastic book, Merricat is a cracking character, an 18 year old childlike girl with a quirky sense of humour, an overactive imagination and a morbid dark side.
She regularly has little fantasies about seeing people die in agony but it is done in such a childlike way that it hardly seems threatening.
Agoraphobia, claustrophobia and a rather loyal cat all play a part in the story.
Great book I really enjoyed it.
I'm not 100% sure what I'm going to read next, I'll decide on that tomorrow
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Oakley Hall's legendary Warlock revisits and reworks the traditional conventions of the Western to present a raw, funny, hypnotic, ultimately devastating picture of American unreality. First published in the 1950s, at the height of the McCarthy era, Warlock is not only one of the most original and entertaining of modern American novels but a lasting contribution to American fiction.
"Tombstone, Arizona, during the 1880's is, in ways, our national Camelot: a never-never land where American virtues are embodied in the Earps, and the opposite evils in the Clanton gang; where the confrontation at the OK Corral takes on some of the dry purity of the Arthurian joust. Oakley Hall, in his very fine novel Warlock has restored to the myth of Tombstone its full, mortal, blooded humanity. Wyatt Earp is transmogrified into a gunfighter named Blaisdell who . . . is summoned to the embattled town of Warlock by a committee of nervous citizens expressly to be a hero, but finds that he cannot, at last, live up to his image; that there is a flaw not only in him, but also, we feel, in the entire set of assumptions that have allowed the image to exist. . . . Before the agonized epic of Warlock is over with—the rebellion of the proto-Wobblies working in the mines, the struggling for political control of the area, the gunfighting, mob violence, the personal crises of those in power—the collective awareness that is Warlock must face its own inescapable Horror: that what is called society, with its law and order, is as frail, as precarious, as flesh and can be snuffed out and assimilated back into the desert as easily as a corpse can. It is the deep sensitivity to abysses that makes Warlock one of our best American novels. For we are a nation that can, many of us, toss with all aplomb our candy wrapper into the Grand Canyon itself, snap a color shot and drive away; and we need voices like Oakley Hall's to remind us how far that piece of paper, still fluttering brightly behind us, has to fall." —Thomas Pynchon
I started this yesterday, I've mentioned before that I love things from this sort of era so I'm really looking forward to this one.
I bought it ages ago but I'm only just getting around to reading it, it's quite a big ol book as well so I reckon it may take me some time to get it finished.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Originally Posted by
Batman
Oh man that was a fucking brilliant book, took ages to get going because you are battered with a seemingly endless list of names and characters but once you hit the halfway mark it really kicks in
the residents of Warlock form a citizens committee and bring in Blaisdell who is a famous gun toting lawman (basically Wyatt Earp with a different name), he is charged with sorting out the San Pabloites who are constantly causing trouble and spreading fear. Blaisdell soon realises that regardless of his actions (or even because of them) it is impossible for him to remain the hero of the town.
Whilst all of this is going on you have Gannon, he used to run with those from San Pablo but guild has got the better of him, in order to try and rid himself of past deeds he signs up to be the deputy sheriff, his approach is slow and not always popular but he soon becomes seen as someone who can be trusted to make the correct (if not always popular) decisions.
All in all a fucking great book
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
oh and I started this yesterday, I'm about half way through it now
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A junkie lies dead in an Edinburgh squat, spreadeagled, cross-like on the floor, between two burned-down candles, a five-pointed star daubed on the wall above. indifference, treachery, deceit and sleaze that lurks behind the facade of the Edinburgh familiar to tourists. day, about a seductive danger he can almost taste, appealing to the darkest corners of his mind ...
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
You read a lot Batman, as much as smashup watches films.
I do not know how you make the time but glad you do as you must enjoy it.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
started on this one this morning
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Elizabeth Richmond is almost too quiet to be believed, with no friends, no parents, and a job that leaves her strangely unnoticed. But soon she starts to behave in ways she can neither control nor understand, to the increasing horror of her doctor, and the humiliation of her self-centred aunt. As a tormented Elizabeth becomes two people, then three, then four, each wilder and more wicked than the last, a battle of wills threatens to destroy the girl and all who surround her. The Bird's Nest is a macabre journey into who we are, and how close we sometimes come to the brink of madness.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Birds Nest was alright, not as good as Shirley Jackson's other books that I have read but it was an enjoyable enough read.
It could have been quite sinister but I ended up looking at it in a more comedic sort of way, I dont think that is what was intended but hey ho
anyway I'm just about to get started on this
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New Orleans, 1919. As a dark serial killer – The Axeman – stalks the city, three individuals set out to unmask him…
Though every citizen of the ‘Big Easy’ thinks they know who could be behind the terrifying murders, Detective Lieutenant Michael Talbot, heading up the official investigation, is struggling to find leads. But Michael has a grave secret – and if he doesn’t find himself on the right track fast – it could be exposed…
Former detective Luca d’Andrea has spent the last six years in Angola state penitentiary, after Michael, his protégée, blew the whistle on his corrupt behaviour. Now a newly freed man, Luca finds himself working with the mafia, whose need to solve the mystery of the Axeman is every bit as urgent as the authorities’.
Meanwhile, Ida is a secretary at the Pinkerton Detective Agency.Obsessed with Sherlock Holmes and dreaming of a better life, Ida stumbles across a clue which lures her and her trumpet-playing friend, Lewis ‘Louis’ Armstrong, to the case and into terrible danger…
As Michael, Luca and Ida each draw closer to discovering the killer’s identity, the Axeman himself will issue a challenge to the people of New Orleans: play jazz or risk becoming the next victim. And as the case builds to its crescendo, the sky will darken and a great storm will loom over the city…
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Just finished this, I've really slacked off with my reading just lately, I think that with the threat of redundancy and other shit at work I had a lot of things on my mind and I didn't even realize it, anyway I just haven't been in the mindset to do any reading, I blasted through the last 125 pages of this today.
Decent book, I really enjoyed the setting and the location of the book but the characters were just middle of the road and I didn't really feel anything for any of them, they were all just pretty cliched, I reckon that if I would have been in the mood to get it read in a few days I may have enjoyed it more but the fact that it has took me 5 weeks annoyed me.
Anyway I'm moving onto this next
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Will the past become our future? Is humankind destined to repeat the events that occurred on another planet, far away from Earth? Zecharia Sitchin's bestselling series The Earth Chronicles provided humanity's side of the story concerning our origins at the hands of the Anunnaki, "those who from heaven to earth came." In The Lost Book of Enki we now view this saga from the perspective of Lord Enki, an Anunnaki leader revered in antiquity as a god, who tells the story of these extraterrestrials' arrival on Earth from the planet Nibiru.
In his previous works Sitchin compiled the complete story of the Anunnaki's impact on human civilization from fragments scattered throughout Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hittite, Egyptian, Canaanite, and Hebrew sources. Missing from these accounts, however, was the perspective of the Anunnaki themselves. What was life like on their own planet? What motives propelled them to settle on Earth - and what drove them from their new home? Convinced of the existence of an actual autobiography of Enki - a lost book that held the answers to these questions - the author began his search for evidence. Through exhaustive research of primary sources, and using actual discovered portions of the ancient text as "scaffolding," he has here re-created the memoirs of Enki, the leader of these first "astronauts." What takes shape is the story that begins on another world, a story of mounting tensions, survival dangers and royal succession rivalries, and sophisticated scientific knowledge concerning human origins that is only today being confirmed. An epic tale of gods and men unfolds that parallels the Bible and may challenge every assumption we hold about our past and our future.
An eminent Orientalist and Biblical scholar, Zecharia Sitchin is distinquished by his ability to read Sumerian clay tablets and other ancient texts. He is a graduate of the University of London and worked as a journalist and editor in Israel for many years.
I've been delving into the history of the Sumerians and it's fucking fascinating, how they knew the shit they did and how fast their culture evolved is unfathomable.
It's well worth looking into the Anunnaki and the planet Niburu if you are bored and fancy wasting a few hours.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
@Batman #bukkakevolunteer I'm surprised you are such an avid reader of deep material. I figured you for a drunken louse who spends his time trying to screw people who buy insurance. Aka a member of the zog
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Broke out some old text books more recent. Picked up a couple on training and canine behavior, The Other end of the Leash. Honestly lately my attention span is shat when it comes to books. Spent last weekend picking up the old mans garage and attic and was reintroduced to some Fangoria, Marvel and Consumer reports dating back to 1963 ;D.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
I subscribed to the economist. It's the British based news mag. It pisses me off as they inject heavy liberal opinions but I really like the mix of international. Also have the New York post tonight as it's a good laugh.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Originally Posted by
walrus
@
Batman #bukkakevolunteer I'm surprised you are such an avid reader of deep material. I figured you for a drunken louse who spends his time trying to screw people who buy insurance. Aka a member of the zog
@walrus I am a drunken louse, I spend my time trying to stop arseholes from scamming other people via their insurance.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Two things Abrief history of time Stephen Hawking and A novel called The Slap, by Christos tsiolakas set around these parts in Melbourne about a family of greek Aussies who get together for a bbq and one of the men slaps a spoiled kid (who still breast feeds) of 5 years down after a light knee to the cods.The family fall apart sort of, court case etc well written and fucking funny in parts.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Originally Posted by
Andre
Two things Abrief history of time Stephen Hawking and A novel called The Slap, by Christos tsiolakas set around these parts in Melbourne about a family of greek Aussies who get together for a bbq and one of the men slaps a spoiled kid (who still breast feeds) of 5 years down after a light knee to the cods.The family fall apart sort of, court case etc well written and fucking funny in parts.
A brief history of time was great but towards the middle Hawking kind of forgot that the idea of the book was that it was supposed to be quite accessible and you didn't need to be a rocket scientist to understand it.
I gave my copy to a mate for him to read and he moved to the other side of the country the bastard, never got it back off him.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Originally Posted by
Batman
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Just finished this, I've really slacked off with my reading just lately, I think that with the threat of redundancy and other shit at work I had a lot of things on my mind and I didn't even realize it, anyway I just haven't been in the mindset to do any reading, I blasted through the last 125 pages of this today.
Decent book, I really enjoyed the setting and the location of the book but the characters were just middle of the road and I didn't really feel anything for any of them, they were all just pretty cliched, I reckon that if I would have been in the mood to get it read in a few days I may have enjoyed it more but the fact that it has took me 5 weeks annoyed me.
Anyway I'm moving onto this next
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Will the past become our future? Is humankind destined to repeat the events that occurred on another planet, far away from Earth? Zecharia Sitchin's bestselling series The Earth Chronicles provided humanity's side of the story concerning our origins at the hands of the Anunnaki, "those who from heaven to earth came." In The Lost Book of Enki we now view this saga from the perspective of Lord Enki, an Anunnaki leader revered in antiquity as a god, who tells the story of these extraterrestrials' arrival on Earth from the planet Nibiru.
In his previous works Sitchin compiled the complete story of the Anunnaki's impact on human civilization from fragments scattered throughout Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hittite, Egyptian, Canaanite, and Hebrew sources. Missing from these accounts, however, was the perspective of the Anunnaki themselves. What was life like on their own planet? What motives propelled them to settle on Earth - and what drove them from their new home? Convinced of the existence of an actual autobiography of Enki - a lost book that held the answers to these questions - the author began his search for evidence. Through exhaustive research of primary sources, and using actual discovered portions of the ancient text as "scaffolding," he has here re-created the memoirs of Enki, the leader of these first "astronauts." What takes shape is the story that begins on another world, a story of mounting tensions, survival dangers and royal succession rivalries, and sophisticated scientific knowledge concerning human origins that is only today being confirmed. An epic tale of gods and men unfolds that parallels the Bible and may challenge every assumption we hold about our past and our future.
An eminent Orientalist and Biblical scholar, Zecharia Sitchin is distinquished by his ability to read Sumerian clay tablets and other ancient texts. He is a graduate of the University of London and worked as a journalist and editor in Israel for many years.
I've been delving into the history of the Sumerians and it's fucking fascinating, how they knew the shit they did and how fast their culture evolved is unfathomable.
It's well worth looking into the Anunnaki and the planet Niburu if you are bored and fancy wasting a few hours.
David Icke looks into a lot of that and seems to cover similar sources. It is very interesting and no more far out than what you find in the Bible. Yet Icke is deemed a nut and the Pope gets prime time on TV. Go figure.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
I'm reading a book about how to deal with social anxiety. I seem to have bounced back from my recent bouts of shyness but I got the fear while going for a walk yesterday. I think it is time to go back to the toolbox.
Also going to read a book about Castro and Cuba as I want to annoy Lyle and Walrus.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Originally Posted by
Gandalf
I'm reading a book about how to deal with social anxiety. I seem to have bounced back from my recent bouts of shyness but I got the fear while going for a walk yesterday. I think it is time to go back to the toolbox.
Also going to read a book about Castro and Cuba as I want to annoy Lyle and Walrus.
I think you really need to pay attention to what Jordan Peterson said in that video I posted in the other thread. Having dealt with Social Anxiety myself I believe he explains it rather well and understands how to teach folks to cope with it.
Sure read about Castro, I would read about Castro, I watched Benicio Del Toro's 2 part epic on Che Guevara, I've seen many a documentary on the Cuban Revolution, the Spanish Civil War, and Russia's Revolution....I'm not opposed to learning about Communists, Socialists, Radicals, Tyrants....if you didn't learn about them how would you know their ideas suck and that they were power hungry murderous bastards preaching brotherhood but only looking out for themselves?
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
El Kabong
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gandalf
I'm reading a book about how to deal with social anxiety. I seem to have bounced back from my recent bouts of shyness but I got the fear while going for a walk yesterday. I think it is time to go back to the toolbox.
Also going to read a book about Castro and Cuba as I want to annoy Lyle and Walrus.
I think you really need to pay attention to what Jordan Peterson said in that video I posted in the other thread. Having dealt with Social Anxiety myself I believe he explains it rather well and understands how to teach folks to cope with it.
Sure read about Castro, I would read about Castro, I watched Benicio Del Toro's 2 part epic on Che Guevara, I've seen many a documentary on the Cuban Revolution, the Spanish Civil War, and Russia's Revolution....I'm not opposed to learning about Communists, Socialists, Radicals, Tyrants....if you didn't learn about them how would you know their ideas suck and that they were power hungry murderous bastards preaching brotherhood but only looking out for themselves?
I think with the social anxiety it is something you learn to cope with, but then suddenly it hits you full on the face sometimes. It is quite dangerous for me as I am in front of people a lot, so as soon as something happens the tendency is to go back into fear mode. One thing can put you back several steps. I find just by starting the book I am already responding well and my teaching this week has been up there with some of my best. You have to accept the anxiety and ride it like a wave. Easier said than done for me, than someone sitting in an office, but that's what I have to do. Will watch the video you mentioned. It's something you should always stay on top of as when you stop it creeps back and before you know it it is controlling you again.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gandalf
Quote:
Originally Posted by
El Kabong
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gandalf
I'm reading a book about how to deal with social anxiety. I seem to have bounced back from my recent bouts of shyness but I got the fear while going for a walk yesterday. I think it is time to go back to the toolbox.
Also going to read a book about Castro and Cuba as I want to annoy Lyle and Walrus.
I think you really need to pay attention to what Jordan Peterson said in that video I posted in the other thread. Having dealt with Social Anxiety myself I believe he explains it rather well and understands how to teach folks to cope with it.
Sure read about Castro, I would read about Castro, I watched Benicio Del Toro's 2 part epic on Che Guevara, I've seen many a documentary on the Cuban Revolution, the Spanish Civil War, and Russia's Revolution....I'm not opposed to learning about Communists, Socialists, Radicals, Tyrants....if you didn't learn about them how would you know their ideas suck and that they were power hungry murderous bastards preaching brotherhood but only looking out for themselves?
I think with the social anxiety it is something you learn to cope with, but then suddenly it hits you full on the face sometimes. It is quite dangerous for me as I am in front of people a lot, so as soon as something happens the tendency is to go back into fear mode. One thing can put you back several steps. I find just by starting the book I am already responding well and my teaching this week has been up there with some of my best. You have to accept the anxiety and ride it like a wave. Easier said than done for me, than someone sitting in an office, but that's what I have to do. Will watch the video you mentioned. It's something you should always stay on top of as when you stop it creeps back and before you know it it is controlling you again.
Just for you @Gandalf in case you wished to view and listen to Dr. Peterson.
http://youtu.be/M8GSf5cYCvE
Social Anxiety is a bitch to overcome, but the fucker of it is that you decide how bad it is...you either challenge the feelings you have and they diminish or you accept them and cower in fear more and more. The longer you let it go and allow that fear to control you, the more difficult it is to overcome. When you diminish it's hold over you, that's just the first step, it is a constant battle, but once you've conquered the fear you should understand that you can conquer it again and again and again and the more you do it the easier it becomes.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Originally Posted by
Batman
Just finished this last night, blimey I don't expect books like this to be easy going but this was bloody rediculous, the whole thing from start to finish is wrote in some mad backwards English, it's like reading Yoda's autobiography.
the book bombards you with far too many names to keep up with as well, Enki, Marduk, Antu, Ansu, Ninmar, Neemar, Enlil etc, the characters don't exactly have any personality either so they all just blue into one.
It wasn't a complete waste though, I learned a hell of a lot from the book with regards to the Sumerian history and their story, I just think that if he approached it as an actual story rather than a mock biography it would have been a lot easier, also if he laid off the Yoda speak as well.
Anyway onto the next book
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It was only when the bones of the first devoured victims were discovered that the true nature and power of these swarming black creatures with their razor sharp teeth and the taste for human blood began to be realised by a panic-stricken city. For millions of years man and rats had been natural enemies. But now for the first time - suddenly, shockingly, horribly - the balance of power had shifted . . . 'The effectiveness of the gruesome set pieces and brilliant finale are all its own' "Sunday Times"
This'll only take me a day or so, I first read it when I was 11, Christ knows why my dad thought this was a good book to give an 11 year old, luckily I've never been one to scare easy, this is my go to horror book alongside the Exorcist, I've read it at least 10 times over the last 20 years.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
I read Herbie Hide's book and he got into a lot of trouble with the police about kerb crawling, having a gun, and threatening people in clubs. Seems like a misunderstood guy.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Have you ever wanted to kill somebody?
Sorry, that’s a blunt question. It might make you uncomfortable. If it does—if your stomach knots or your skin prickles—then your answer is yes. You probably don’t want to admit it. I get that. But it doesn’t change the fact that deep down you’re a killer.
Like me.
My name is Mia Sanguine. I’m a 17-year- old girl, living in Australia. I go to school, play percussion in the orchestra, and study when I have to. I like horror movies, comic books, and punk music. Oh, and yeah, a group of teenagers has ruined my life.
So I’m going to kill them.
But don’t get me wrong—I’m not talking about some Columbine-styled rubbish. No offense, but this isn’t the United States. All I need is a mask, an outfit, and a pair of knives. You see, I’m going to become a slasher movie villain. Like Jason, Mike, or Ghostface. In real life. Not because it’s right. But because of what I am.
A YOUNG SLASHER.
Just finished this last night, I'm a massive horror buff so I was semi interested in this, it was a nice easy read, fast paced and pretty violent which sits well with me.
There was constant pop culture references which got a bit tiresome in the end, some were good (especially when she has a mini rant about I spit on your grave) and the book would have been a lot smaller without them, I suppose they were a necessary evil to paint the picture of 'the young slasher'
It was too fast paced though, there was a decent build up then boom it was all over in one night, if the book is going to try and create a protaganist to rival Freddy and Jason then there has to be a few more than 4 murders on one night.
Decent book but I don't think I'll revisit it any time soon (plus I always find that books that rely on pop culture references date really badly, will people still be talking about the Kardashians and Taylor Swift in 20 years time? I fucking hope not anyway)
I'm going to be starting this today
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Sent to London to help catch a vicious serial killer, Inspector John Rebus teams up with a beautiful psychologist to piece together a portrait of a depraved psychopath bent on painting the town red—with blood...
part 3 of the Rebus series, the first 2 have been less than amazing and I'm expecting more of the same from this one, I'm only reading it because I was gifted the entire series, they are easy enough going though so I don't mind too much.
once I've finished this one I'm going to be looking for something a bit more taxing, I might delve back into the old gothic genre from the 1800's, they always seem to keep me going for a good while
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Got me another 2 books today
continuing my little obsession of space, the universe and all that sort of shite
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The ALIENS invasion is coming ...
It's the biggest question we've ever faced, one that has fascinated generations of humans: do aliens exist? If they did, what would they look like? How would they think? And what would it mean for us if we found them?
Here, Professor Jim Al-Khalili blasts off in search of answers. Featuring twenty pieces by top scientists and experts in the field including Martin Rees, Ian Stewart and Adam Rutherford, Aliens covers every aspect of the subject, from alien consciousness to the neuroscience behind alien abductions. And along the way he'll cover science fiction, the probability of us finding extra-terrestrial life, and whether recently-discovered exoplanets might support life.
Engaging, authoritative and filled with scientific insights fresh from the far edges of the galaxy, Aliens is the perfect book for anyone who has ever looked up into the starry sky and wondered: are we alone?
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had this one recommended to me and its been a while since I read a good post apocalyptic book so thought I'd give it a go
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Oryx and Crake is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future. Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey–with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake–through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
"The Garden of Forking Paths" by Jorge Luis Borges
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Originally Posted by
Batman
Meh, wasn't a bad book, as I thought it was more of the same but it was a nice brain dead read
Getting started on this one tomorrow, first released in 1824 so I'm not expecting this one to be as easy going as what I have been reading just lately
I've had it lying around for fucking ages but have never got around to picking it up
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One of the supreme masterpieces of Romantic fiction and Scottish literature, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner is a terrifying tale of murder and amorality, and of one man's descent into madness and despair. James Hogg's sardonic novel follows a young man who, falling under the spell of a mysterious stranger who bears an uncanny likeness to himself, embarks on a career as a serial murderer. The memoirs are presented by a narrator whose attempts to explain the story only succeed in intensifying its more baffling and bizarre aspects. Is the young man the victim of a psychotic delusion, or has he been tempted by the devil to wage war against God's enemies? The authoritative and lively introduction by Ian Duncan covers the full range of historical and religious themes and contexts, offers a richer and more accurate consideration of the novel's relation to Romantic fiction than found elsewhere, and sheds new light on the novel's treatment of fanaticism. Copious notes identify the novel's historical, biblical, theological, and literary allusions.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
I ordered a few books off Amazon today at 11am, one of them have just been delivered that's 8 fucking hours, can't complain at that can ya
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
The James Hogg book looks interesting, let us know about that once you've finished.
Are there any movies you have seen(I being more of a film buff) which you feel have really captured the books they were based on?
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
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Originally Posted by
El Kabong
The James Hogg book looks interesting, let us know about that once you've finished.
Are there any movies you have seen(I being more of a film buff) which you feel have really captured the books they were based on?
I've not got much left of that one, I was going to try and finish it tonight but being when it was written you can imaging that them 70 odd pages are not easy to just fly through.
Movies that captured the books? that's a pretty fucking tough question, I'm guessing that the majority of ones that I would mention are pretty famous films already
True Grit, To Kill a Mockingbird, Clockwork Orange etc
Blindness wasn't a bad film adaptation although it still wasn't anything on the book (by Jose Saramago, check it out if you haven't ever read it)
Swedish version of Girl with a dragon tattoo
Swedish version of Let the right one in
Room was really good, film and book
A couple of horrors that did it well would be Amityville horror, Exorcist, The Entity
A film that came out recently was A Monster Calls, the film was horrible and the book is for kids but it was fucking fantastic and actually nearly made me shed a tear at the end, I think I purchased it when I was drunk (I have a bit of a habit of doing that)
one of the books I ordered today was The Postman by Charles Bukowski, I think it may have actually been you that recommended that to me ages ago.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Batman
I've not got much left of that one, I was going to try and finish it tonight but being when it was written you can imaging that them 70 odd pages are not easy to just fly through.
Movies that captured the books? that's a pretty fucking tough question, I'm guessing that the majority of ones that I would mention are pretty famous films already
True Grit, To Kill a Mockingbird, Clockwork Orange etc
Blindness wasn't a bad film adaptation although it still wasn't anything on the book (by Jose Saramago, check it out if you haven't ever read it)
Swedish version of Girl with a dragon tattoo
Swedish version of Let the right one in
Room was really good, film and book
A couple of horrors that did it well would be Amityville horror, Exorcist, The Entity
A film that came out recently was A Monster Calls, the film was horrible and the book is for kids but it was fucking fantastic and actually nearly made me shed a tear at the end, I think I purchased it when I was drunk (I have a bit of a habit of doing that)
one of the books I ordered today was The Postman by Charles Bukowski, I think it may have actually been you that recommended that to me ages ago.
Right, I can only imagine. I had to struggle through the last pages of the book on Maj. Frederick Russell Burnham as he was all out of adventures at that point.
Thank you for your list of movies that were true to/as good as the books. It's not so much that I am lazy it is that I am better at listening to things and soaking that up in my brain rather than reading them. I read quite a lot actually, but typically comments and articles rather than books, I do enjoy when I get ahold of a good one. My Uncle has just published a book, kind of an autobiography but that's really the next one on my list.
I might have to look into those books you listed.
I am not sure if I suggested that specifically, but Bukowski was an interesting guy and I have most certainly watched a documentary on him again and again. He was simple yet complex, he had the ability to do any number of things but the drive and ambition to really only accomplish 2 things successfully write and drink. He was a souse, a drunkard, a boozer, a vagabond, and just a worthless pock marked lush.....that said he was unapologetically himself and he had a certain charisma which drew people to him. He was very Jekyll & Hyde as drinking that much can make you....you go from the fun tipsy drunk to the angry bitter violent lout in the blink of an eye.
Buk wasn't a Beat and he hated the Beats actually, but they all loved him and took him in with open arms. He was almost a replacement for Kerouac who drank himself to death but before doing so alienated himself from Ginsberg and Burroughs.
The first books I read which I actually really got into or that I wasn't forced to read for school were: 'The Count of Monte Cristo' - Dumas, 'Tortilla Flat' - Steinbeck, 'Jurassic Park' - Crichton, 'Born In Blood' - Robinson, but typically it was a lot of Edgar Allen Poe and (I always relate these two as they lived in the same period) when I got into art it was Van Gogh...I feel like Poe wrote the way Van Gogh painted if that makes any sense at all. They could both be macabre but sometimes without even trying to be, the final painting of Van Gogh the 'Wheatfield with Crows' where he said in letters to his brother Theo "I made a point of trying to express sadness, extreme loneliness" and then you've got Poe's The Raven, Van Gogh had his crows which he said "They interest themselves in everything, and observe everything. The ancients, who lived far more completely than ourselves in and with nature, found it no small profit to follow, in a hundred obscure things where human experience as yet affords no light, the directions so prudent and sage a bird." which to me really brings the two together. Both were extremely depressed, had troubled lives, and died alone, in miserable conditions Poe maybe having had a bout with rabies and Van Gogh shooting himself.
But anywho, I was actually a pretty happy kid when I read those things and admired that artwork....it is hard to turn away from those things especially when you know so very little of what those guys were dealing with on an emotional level. It's like looking at a car crash.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
I went to the opticians for an eye test today, I've been getting pretty bad headaches, I thought it was just my eyes disintegrating at the same rate as the rest of my body.
Apparently my eye sight ain't all that bad (surprising as I'm blind as a cunt with out my glasses) and even after 6 years I don't need to get a new pair or anything, my eye sight is just a good/bad as it was 6 years ago.
I told her about the headaches and she asked me what I do at work, I told her that I sit in front of a computer all day, she asked what I do when I get home and hobbies and shit, I told her that I read a lot and usually do a book or two a week and when I ain't reading I'm playing the piano, she asked me how much telly I watch, I told her I watch probably half an hour a night when I get in from work, she told me that maybe I should watch more TV because it isn't as stressful on the eyes...not happy with the outcome of that opticians appointment...
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Batman
I went to the opticians for an eye test today, I've been getting pretty bad headaches, I thought it was just my eyes disintegrating at the same rate as the rest of my body.
Apparently my eye sight ain't all that bad (surprising as I'm blind as a cunt with out my glasses) and even after 6 years I don't need to get a new pair or anything, my eye sight is just a good/bad as it was 6 years ago.
I told her about the headaches and she asked me what I do at work, I told her that I sit in front of a computer all day, she asked what I do when I get home and hobbies and shit, I told her that I read a lot and usually do a book or two a week and when I ain't reading I'm playing the piano, she asked me how much telly I watch, I told her I watch probably half an hour a night when I get in from work, she told me that maybe I should watch more TV because it isn't as stressful on the eyes...not happy with the outcome of that opticians appointment...
Hahaha, did she suggest any specific programs? HAHAHAHA
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Batman
I went to the opticians for an eye test today, I've been getting pretty bad headaches, I thought it was just my eyes disintegrating at the same rate as the rest of my body.
Apparently my eye sight ain't all that bad (surprising as I'm blind as a cunt with out my glasses) and even after 6 years I don't need to get a new pair or anything, my eye sight is just a good/bad as it was 6 years ago.
I told her about the headaches and she asked me what I do at work, I told her that I sit in front of a computer all day, she asked what I do when I get home and hobbies and shit, I told her that I read a lot and usually do a book or two a week and when I ain't reading I'm playing the piano, she asked me how much telly I watch, I told her I watch probably half an hour a night when I get in from work, she told me that maybe I should watch more TV because it isn't as stressful on the eyes...not happy with the outcome of that opticians appointment...
You need to watch more Boxing. :)
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
El Kabong
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Batman
I went to the opticians for an eye test today, I've been getting pretty bad headaches, I thought it was just my eyes disintegrating at the same rate as the rest of my body.
Apparently my eye sight ain't all that bad (surprising as I'm blind as a cunt with out my glasses) and even after 6 years I don't need to get a new pair or anything, my eye sight is just a good/bad as it was 6 years ago.
I told her about the headaches and she asked me what I do at work, I told her that I sit in front of a computer all day, she asked what I do when I get home and hobbies and shit, I told her that I read a lot and usually do a book or two a week and when I ain't reading I'm playing the piano, she asked me how much telly I watch, I told her I watch probably half an hour a night when I get in from work, she told me that maybe I should watch more TV because it isn't as stressful on the eyes...not happy with the outcome of that opticians appointment...
Hahaha, did she suggest any specific programs? HAHAHAHA
She didn't but I think that people are quite taken by TOWIE, Big Brother, The Jungle get me out of here, The geordie thing, The bake off, and Hollyoaks, I might start watching all of them...or I might just slit my throat, I haven't decided yet.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1...986l/46756.jpg
Just finished this, good book I really enjoyed it, the first 100/150 pages were just so so, plodding along, nothing really happening, it is 50% flashbacks but to be honest not a lot happens in either of the timelines, once you hit the half way mark though the fact that nothing is really happening seemed to stop bothering me and I was just enjoying the book.
I reckon this is one of them books that I won't realize how much I enjoyed it until I think back on it in a few months time.
I've got 3 other books to get started on, I can only remember the one of them, I haven't got a clue what the other 2 are and I can't even remember ordering one of them (probably another drunk purchase, I've made a few of them in the past and they normally end up being pretty good)
anyways I suppose I'll start on this one next
https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1...6l/5974453.jpg
Quote:
It began as a mistake. By middle age, Henry Chinaski has lost more than twelve years of his life to the U.S. Postal Service. In a world where his three true, bitter pleasures are women, booze, and racetrack betting, he somehow drags his hangover out of bed every dawn to lug waterlogged mailbags up mud-soaked mountains, outsmart vicious guard dogs, and pray to survive the day-to-day trials of sadistic bosses and certifiable coworkers. This classic 1971 novel--the one that catapulted its author to national fame--is the perfect introduction to the grimly hysterical world of legendary writer, poet, and Dirty Old Man Charles Bukowski and his fictional alter ego, Chinaski.
I'm hoping this is going to be nice and easy because I have got my eye on 3 or 4 books that are going to be pretty fucking tough going I think, I'm going to enjoy the simple reads for the minute
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1...6l/5974453.jpg
Blimey I could have written this myself, Chinaski gets a job at a post office, throughout his time there he drinks a hell of a lot and hates his job, no real major events in his life and the events that do take place he seems to be nonplussed about, 17 years pass and nothing at all has changed in his life except he is 17 years older and still in the same job.
Pretty much mirrors my own life except I've been there for 13 years and I don't drink as much as I used to.
That really doesn't make a fantastic book though.
I think I fancy some science next so I'm gunna get started on this
https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1...l/32069090.jpg
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Ordered this today
https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1...l/32191710.jpg
Quote:
The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist.
What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit within the universe? How does the universe fit within us? There’s no better guide through these mind-expanding questions than acclaimed astrophysicist and best-selling author Neil deGrasse Tyson.
But today, few of us have time to contemplate the cosmos. So Tyson brings the universe down to Earth succinctly and clearly, with sparkling wit, in tasty chapters consumable anytime and anywhere in your busy day.
While you wait for your morning coffee to brew, for the bus, the train, or a plane to arrive, Astrophysics for People in a Hurry will reveal just what you need to be fluent and ready for the next cosmic headlines: from the Big Bang to black holes, from quarks to quantum mechanics, and from the search for planets to the search for life in the universe.
Neil deGrasse Tyson is a fucking legend so when I saw that he had released a new book I had to get it, I've not read any of his previous books but I have spent countless hours watching all of his YouTube videos and documentaries.
I'm becoming a geek in a big way and since one of my mates borrowed A Brief History of Time and then decided to fuck off to the other side of the country without returning it this should be a good replacement, I'm looking forward to getting this one.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Batman
https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1...6l/5974453.jpg
Blimey I could have written this myself, Chinaski gets a job at a post office, throughout his time there he drinks a hell of a lot and hates his job, no real major events in his life and the events that do take place he seems to be nonplussed about, 17 years pass and nothing at all has changed in his life except he is 17 years older and still in the same job.
Pretty much mirrors my own life except I've been there for 13 years and I don't drink as much as I used to.
That really doesn't make a fantastic book though.
I think I fancy some science next so I'm gunna get started on this
https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1...l/32069090.jpg
Lyle, turned me onto Bukowski and I think it is really good writing. Sure, nothing happens, but it is a profound mundanity written in such an odd, funny way. The simplicity of the writing is an art form in itself. I respect someone like Dickens but he sure could waffle on, on the other hand Bukowski is clipped, sharp and concise. It's good writing. Easy book to read too, you can read it in a couple of evenings.
I am reading a book about Elvis called Memphis Mafia. Elvis was one of those icons like Marilyn. On the surface wholesome and very apple pie, but underneath some really fucked up shit going on. I find that very interesting and want to know more.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gandalf
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Batman
https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1...6l/5974453.jpg
Blimey I could have written this myself, Chinaski gets a job at a post office, throughout his time there he drinks a hell of a lot and hates his job, no real major events in his life and the events that do take place he seems to be nonplussed about, 17 years pass and nothing at all has changed in his life except he is 17 years older and still in the same job.
Pretty much mirrors my own life except I've been there for 13 years and I don't drink as much as I used to.
That really doesn't make a fantastic book though.
I think I fancy some science next so I'm gunna get started on this
https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1...l/32069090.jpg
Lyle, turned me onto Bukowski and I think it is really good writing. Sure, nothing happens, but it is a profound mundanity written in such an odd, funny way. The simplicity of the writing is an art form in itself. I respect someone like Dickens but he sure could waffle on, on the other hand Bukowski is clipped, sharp and concise. It's good writing. Easy book to read too, you can read it in a couple of evenings.
Oh I appreciate the style and it was an extremely easy read, I was just expecting a bit more of an insight into the main characters thinking and feelings, especially as it was autobiographical.
To be honest the book had a great chance to show a real grimy depressing side of the main character it kind of just skimmed over it.
I might read some of his other books but I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy them and putting them to the top of my 'to read' list.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Batman
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Gandalf
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Batman
https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1...6l/5974453.jpg
Blimey I could have written this myself, Chinaski gets a job at a post office, throughout his time there he drinks a hell of a lot and hates his job, no real major events in his life and the events that do take place he seems to be nonplussed about, 17 years pass and nothing at all has changed in his life except he is 17 years older and still in the same job.
Pretty much mirrors my own life except I've been there for 13 years and I don't drink as much as I used to.
That really doesn't make a fantastic book though.
I think I fancy some science next so I'm gunna get started on this
https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1...l/32069090.jpg
Lyle, turned me onto Bukowski and I think it is really good writing. Sure, nothing happens, but it is a profound mundanity written in such an odd, funny way. The simplicity of the writing is an art form in itself. I respect someone like Dickens but he sure could waffle on, on the other hand Bukowski is clipped, sharp and concise. It's good writing. Easy book to read too, you can read it in a couple of evenings.
Oh I appreciate the style and it was an extremely easy read, I was just expecting a bit more of an insight into the main characters thinking and feelings, especially as it was autobiographical.
To be honest the book had a great chance to show a real grimy depressing side of the main character it kind of just skimmed over it.
I might read some of his other books but I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy them and putting them to the top of my 'to read' list.
If you want to give yourself a mental workout then Umberto Eco for me is always a bit of a challenge. I read "The Prague Cemetery" on Nameless or killersheeps recommendation and it was hard work but worth it.
Updike's "Rabbit" novels are sort of the other end of the spectrum, and much like a meditation. Never read anyone like him. Quite brilliant in how he makes something in which little happens so engrossing and powerful.
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Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading ?
Cheers, I've added The Prague Cemetery to my list (My Goodreads 'To Read' list is at 170 books now)
I've got two books sitting down waiting for me to get started on (just mish mash brain dead thriller sort of books I think they are)
Then I've got my eye on a few gothic books from the 1800's I'm looking at Zoflya by Charlotte Dacre, Bruge La-Morte by Georges Rodenbach and Vathek by William Beckford
I will need to get them off Amazon though, Waterstones don't have them in stock at the minute.
I've got a few that have been sitting on my book case for a few years and I have just never managed to get around to them.
I'm up to page 60 of my Aliens book at the minute, it's pretty fascinating, the whole book is made up essays from different experts, it isn't just saying 'THEY ARE OUT THEIR AND THEY ARE COMING' it goes into the science that is being used to look for them, looking into the reason why it is unlikely that they would try and contact us (if they were more technologically advanced than us in the first place)
It's just had a really good chapter on the consciousness of the Octopus and how that is a kind of focal point of just how vastly difference physical and mental appearance can be
