The BOOKS thread... what you reading?

[dilla]

After hearing Justin sing about the whaleship "Essex",I bought the book"In the heart of the sea"describing the true story, by Nathaniel Philbrick.Since then found "Sea of Glory"also by Philbrick describing a 4 year expedition in the 19th century to the South seas.Great read if you love salty seadog stories.Glad I wasn't at sea then.Bloody hard life

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Yeah, I read years ago a telling of the Essex tale called "The Terrible Voyage." Incredible story.

And if you enjoy those tales of sea-going vessels of long ago, then I recommend "The Terror." Story of the H.M.S. Terror's voyage to the Arctic in the 1840s. Great name for a ship by the way.
Thanks whirlwind,Looks interesting.will try to find a copy

Just finished "the fatal shore" by Robert Hughes about the transportation of convicts to Austrailia and Tasmania.Grim reading

[Master Ray]

The Crow Road - Iain Banks

First one of his I've read: some very funny laugh out loud bits. Well worth a read.

GREAT author!  Do check out The Wasp Factory, A Song Of Stone and (my personal favourite) Espedair Street... 

[ManxPat]

The Body Library by Jeff Noon. Recommend it

[Master Ray]

Currently re-reading one of my favourites, 'Dawn Of The Dumb', a collection of hilarious essays by the brilliant Charlie Brooker, now writing 'Black Mirror'...

[lotus]

I think, I never can read it 
Joolz and her new book - it`s seems it is only for full members of Facebook to follow - and I don`t want to be a member of facebook 

Please, can someone here help me (perhaps by sending a pm with details how to manage this problem)?

[Master Ray]

Difficult to say, mate... if Joolz only wants it to be read on that forum, I suppose we have to along with that wish.  Maybe they'll be a release on a different platform once it's all been shown on FB?

If not, then join FB... I know, many have moral concerns about joining such a thing.  I joined years ago and, to this day, I have just over 25 FB friends because I want to keep it close.  I don't put any personal info out there other than my name (in case old friends want to find me) and I ignore any friend requests from anyone other than those I truly want to communicate with.  I think you can still put a fake name on there if you don't want your real name out there. Read the stuff, then delete your account.

But I understand why others have a problem with this concept.  FB seem to be a Big Bad these days.  Personally (and we're probably getting into a whole new debate here that probably belongs on a different thread) I reckon that every time we log onto the Internet our info is being harvested somewhere... FB is a drop in the ocean.  Paranoid? Well, as has often been said, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that they're not out to get you..   

[nia]

I don't like FB too. I won't conclude a contract with them to be allowed to read something which is published for free (would be happy to pay for it, but not to FB!).

I asked Joolz about this, she said maybe she'd put it out another way, but there doesn't seem to be any plan yet...

Still hoping for a book.

[lotus]

Thanks Nia and MR for your reply,
Joolz (and NMA) use twitter and fb and some posts you can read without beeing member; I don`t want to register there and I still try to manage my personal life without beeing a member there
I wished, a member there would send me a pdf ...., or I have to wait `till Joolz wants and finds a wait to publish it as a print (book or download) for free or money ( and I would pay for a print or download version)

So my next book (a gift) to read is Arnold Indriason - Kamp Knox
I like all his other crime stories I`ve read before

[Stephanie]

"The Chalk Man" by C.J. Tudor. It's the author's first book, I believe, and was introduced on a radio programme here. It doesn't happen a lot that their reviews sound intriguing enough for me to want to buy a book - but in this case it did.

It's a thriller, the story is set in 1986 and 2016 - it has a very Stephen King like feel to it - in a good way, not like a cheap copy of his style. I am halfway through and can't wait to get home to continue reading. Which will have to wait until very late tonight as it's dog walks and cleaning up first. 

[cthulhu]

this also happened to me with stephen king. i heard a review on the radio, which i do often to get some inspiration, about the second part of the mr. mercedes trilogy and i went directly to it, without reading the first one. and then i was thrilled again and went back to other novels, and i must say he is just a really good story teller.

[Stephanie]

...about the second part of the mr. mercedes trilogy and i went directly to it, without reading the first one. and then i was thrilled again and went back to other novels, and i must say he is just a really good story teller.

He is!I have toadmit that I haven't read that trilogy yet - I take it you'd recommend it?

[cthulhu]

oh yes, i do!
and though i would be normally the guy who will read the first part of a trilogy just to have a chnonology, this time it was fun going back to the first part and i enjoyed to know a little more about the evolving characters and how they will become. so i could "watch" the beginnings of some behaviour and knew how it will come out, without thinking this was kind of a spoiler. the characters are the same in the trilogy, but the cases are not. the second part had something to do with literature and the man on the radio was kind of saying: "normally i wouldn't recommend such mainstream authors like king, but this one is a genious stroke."

[Anna Woman von NRW]

Stephen King is a fantastic storyteller but is almost universally reviled by critics on the basis that it's not high literature and/or he's is phenomenally successful commercially. For someone with a huge back catalogue there's not many total duffers.

[Stephanie]

the man on the radio was kind of saying: "normally i wouldn't recommend such mainstream authors like king, but this one is a genious stroke."

I quite like most of King's books - and some stuff is seriously awesome...have you read his "The Green Mile" series?

[Master Ray]

LOVED Mr King as a kid, some of my favourite novels ever (IT, Pet Semetary, The Dead Zone and The Stand are just superb) but I think the last one I read was Cell (which was pretty good).  I need to do some catching up.

By the way, if you ever get a chance to see the film version of Cell... don't.  Seriously, just don't.  John Cusack and Samuel L Jackson must have had a seriously large tax bill at the time.