• Dear Guest, Please note that adult content is not permitted on this forum. We have had our Google ads disabled at times due to some posts that were found from some time ago. Please do not post adult content and if you see any already on the forum, please report the post so that we can deal with it. Adult content is allowed in the glory hole - you will have to request permission to access it. Thanks, scara

*Official Book Thread*

braineclipse said:
Really depends on how much you already know about various topics.

For science I can recommend:

A short history of nearly everything by Bill Bryson. Clearly popular science and essentially a history of science, but well written and he explains everything in a very non-technical way and mixes in some good metaphors and fun stories to keep it interesting.

Bad Science by Ben Goldacre. Very good book focused on how science is reported (very poorly) in the media. Great read to get a bit more sceptical about what you see in the main stream media, but also some solid fundamental science in there.

59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman. Popular psychology, focused around the claims of the self help industry. Unlike that industry what he presents is actually based on scientific research and evidence, not just (flawed) common sense. Some real psychology and good skeptic approach in there too.

Most books by Carl Sagan. The demon haunted world. Very solid book essentially based around scientific skepticism.

I don't know if you listeneto podcasts. A lot of great non-fiction stuff out there presented by people who really know what they're talking about if you know where to look. One tip if you want history is to check out Hardcore History by Dan Carlin, start with his multi-part 'Fall of the Roman Empire', I found it both entertaining and informative. It essentially becomes an audio book because of the length and quality of content.
Click to expand...

Already read the Bryson book a couple of times. Sagan was already on the list, the other ones is now on it, cheers!
Don't listen to podcasts usually, may start to now as I'm a big history buff (hate that phrase) :)
 
Finished The Perks Of Being A Wallflower last week. Wanted to read it before seeing the film. Bit of an odd one, but enjoyed it. I can imagine the film is going to have a great soundtrack.

Started on Trainspotting on Thursday, which is outstanding thus far
 
clownfoot said:
Finished The Perks Of Being A Wallflower last week. Wanted to read it before seeing the film. Bit of an odd one, but enjoyed it. I can imagine the film is going to have a great soundtrack.

Started on Trainspotting on Thursday, which is outstanding thus far
Click to expand...

Irvine Welsh is brilliant.

I would also recommend Magnus Mills 'The Restraint Of Beasts' and 'All Quiet on the Orient Express'...oh, and Iain Banks' 'The Wasp Factory' a brilliant, brilliant book.
 
Thread revival!

Just finished Fellowship of the Ring today, took me about four months....Enjoyed it greatly though, but think I'll have a bit of a break from middle earth, and come back to the Two Towers in time.

Also read Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell, in 5 days flat when I was in Prague. Really good book. In short, his account of being absolutely skint. An interesting perspective.

About to start The Valley of Fear, by Arthur Conan Doyle, have heard good things about the Sherlock Holmes books so thought I should give it a try.

What are you folks reading?
 
Valley of fear is the only SH book I've not finished, it's not as quick to get into as the others and I've struggled so far, if you don't like it don't let it put you off others which are very very good, The Hound Of The Baskervilles for example.

I'm currently reading Catch-22, it's been on my list for ages, not seeing why some people find it hard going or why others find it hilarious yet, definitely enjoying it though.
 
galeforce said:
Valley of fear is the only SH book I've not finished, it's not as quick to get into as the others and I've struggled so far, if you don't like it don't let it put you off others which are very very good, The Hound Of The Baskervilles for example.

I'm currently reading Catch-22, it's been on my list for ages, not seeing why some people find it hard going or why others find it hilarious yet, definitely enjoying it though.
Click to expand...
Great book and not that hard to read I think if you are in the right frame of mind. For a taxing read try Midnight's Children or Stalingrad. fudge me, they were a hard slog. I gave up on both these half way through.
 
billyiddo said:
finished off Tai-Pan before Christmas, which i thought was a thoroughly excellent read - got Gai-Jin next up in The Asian Saga, not much of a reader but think i'll see out the series
Click to expand...

I haven't read those books for many a year but loved them at the time. I think it was the Shogun TV series that turned me onto them. I fancied the kimono off the lead Jap lady.
 
The Holmes books were the ones that originally got me interested in reading as a child. My parents would ensure that the only versions available to me were the original ones, complete with Victorian-era expressions, punctuation and racial slurs. I learned an awful lot looking up the words and expressions of that era in my local library. For what it's worth, Valley of Fear isn't a particularly hard book to read; it just switches back and forth between elements of the story at a disconcerting pace for one who is unaccustomed to late 19th century British and American views of the world.

Overall, Arthur Conan Doyle remains my favourite author of fiction. His Holmes stories are magical, and his horror short stories are classics in themselves.

At the moment, though, I'm reading three books. 'The End of Growth' by Jeff Rubin, which explains how the increasing scarcity of cheap oil and coal, and the ensuing rising prices of the two, are together combining to put an end to the historical phase of near-continuous 'growth' we've all been in. 'Hegemony or Survival', by Noam Chomsky, which examines American foreign policy over the last half-decade and its relentless drive to reinforce its 'full spectrum dominance', whatever the cost. And John O' Farrell's 'An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain', a view of British politics and society post WWII that I'm finding utterly hilarious. :)

If you're interested in reading about the world economy, American foreign policy or just modern British history as seen through the eyes of a Labour-supporting comedy writer, those would be three books worth picking up, imo.
 
well-said-17.jpg
 
Some I have been tuning in to lately

Psycopath Test - Jon Ronson

The Sense Of An Ending Julian Barnes

My Dearest Jonah - Matthew Crow

All are well worth checking out, especially the Barnes novel. £1.50 from a charity shop. Excellent

Started One Day by David Nicholl today, thoroughly enjoying it so far
 
just finished Fahrenheit 451, quite good if you like that kind of thing

half way through A Man Without Breath, which is another excellent instalment in the Bernie Gunther series

i'll probably hit the new Dan Brown next
 
The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal is excellent and worth persevering with.
Prior to that it was The unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry.. which wasn't as good as the reviews were suggesting it would be.
 
galeforce said:
just finished Fahrenheit 451, quite good if you like that kind of thing

half way through A Man Without Breath, which is another excellent instalment in the Bernie Gunther series

i'll probably hit the new Dan Brown next
Click to expand...
[video=youtube;-yUDh_IErT4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yUDh_IErT4[/video]
 
spurspinter1 said:
Amazing book. Read it in like 4 days in smoky bars in Prague. I'm fudging slow reader but I couldn't put that one down, huge fan of Orwell
Click to expand...

I read that when I went to Barcelona a couple of weeks ago. Had a nightmare in the airport and had to shell out a lot on the day for a new ticket. Felt good reading it, knowing that he survived on two slices a day and then crisp sandwiches would keep me alive
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back