What are you reading?
- Thread starter Gavin
- Start date
Slayed
Hyper Poster
^Right, I'm reading that next!
Finished The Innocent Man by John Grisham, totally unlike his usual work as it's a thoroughly researched true story. Once you get past the detailed set-up it's a gripping tale of injustice; there's no way I'm going anywhere near Oklahoma if that's how they still behave!
Finished The Innocent Man by John Grisham, totally unlike his usual work as it's a thoroughly researched true story. Once you get past the detailed set-up it's a gripping tale of injustice; there's no way I'm going anywhere near Oklahoma if that's how they still behave!
Stone Cold
Mega Poster
I just finished "Born on a Blue Day" by Daniel Tammet. It's an autobiography of an autistic savant with Asperger's Syndrome. The hook is that he one of the few people with this condition that can lead an independent life and also describe his synaesthesia (ability to "see" words and numbers visually in his mind as shapes, textures and colours).
Without a doubt this guy has an incredible brain and has leads an interesting a different life and the book does has a positive feel to it, however, as he admits himself, he finds it hard to communicate effectively with some people and his book is sometimes the same, and some chapters feel flat.
It's worth reading, but only if you are a big fan of the film Rain Man.
Without a doubt this guy has an incredible brain and has leads an interesting a different life and the book does has a positive feel to it, however, as he admits himself, he finds it hard to communicate effectively with some people and his book is sometimes the same, and some chapters feel flat.
It's worth reading, but only if you are a big fan of the film Rain Man.
I just finished The Tommyknockers in a 150-page-marathon. It was fantastic, the third best King I've had the pleasure of reading, only bettered by It and The Shining (the two best books I've ever read. Period).
I'll move on to Cell tomorrow. Picked up a copy for ?3.50 in Tesco
.
I'll move on to Cell tomorrow. Picked up a copy for ?3.50 in Tesco
.
Slayed
Hyper Poster
Looky what I just found, from a recent King interview:-furie said:
Interviewer: "But that?s one of my favorite things about the idea of the Dark Tower series, that it connects damn near everything you?ve ever done."
King: "That was always the idea, to see if I couldn?t hook it all up together. It wasn?t based on The Dark Tower itself, it was like? when a book like INSOMNIA would come along or a book like IT? You know, immediately I started to think in terms if there?s something cosmic going on here it?s all hooked together. I sort of went with that."
So yes then!
BTW, think his next book release will be a "posthumous" Richard Bachman called Blaze.
Will
Strata Poster
Given up on that awful Kate Atkinson book for now... it was boring me, and I had no motivation. Plus it was too big for reading in lectures
On Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson now, which I had for my birthday. Not sure what I think of it, but it's amusing in parts and easy enough to read and understand, to the point that I'm 110 pages in in a few days, which is usually a good sign
On Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson now, which I had for my birthday. Not sure what I think of it, but it's amusing in parts and easy enough to read and understand, to the point that I'm 110 pages in in a few days, which is usually a good sign
Stone Cold
Mega Poster
I'm having a spell of easy reading, just finished Clarkson's and Another Thing: The World According to Clarkson vol 2. It's good, but not amazing for his standards, a few good rants, but too much about his family life rather than random rants on assorted subjects.
Nearly finished Bill Bryson's Made in America. It's an OK book, not as funny or engaging as most of his books, but it does present an interesting background to how the American language was shaped, and I think that anyone Brit (or American) who moans about how the Americans have corrupted our language would do well to give it a read.
For example, I know Ian always complains about the pronunciation of the word "schedule" but it's actually the American pronunciation that is "correct". The English pronunciation has only com about in the last 200 years, before that it was always sk-edule.
Anyway, the book is full of interesting facts like that (well, interesting to those of us who paly Scrabble!) but unfortunately, there's often whole pages of pointless drivel between each one.
Nearly finished Bill Bryson's Made in America. It's an OK book, not as funny or engaging as most of his books, but it does present an interesting background to how the American language was shaped, and I think that anyone Brit (or American) who moans about how the Americans have corrupted our language would do well to give it a read.
For example, I know Ian always complains about the pronunciation of the word "schedule" but it's actually the American pronunciation that is "correct". The English pronunciation has only com about in the last 200 years, before that it was always sk-edule.
Anyway, the book is full of interesting facts like that (well, interesting to those of us who paly Scrabble!) but unfortunately, there's often whole pages of pointless drivel between each one.
Stone Cold said:
I've been advocating for years that the yanks are actually right.
Started at a re-enactment 7 years back, when somebody was insulting a couple of American re-enactor friends about their accents. The truth is, the American accent is probably more accurate than the English accent. Olde English is absolutely nothing like today's English, and the American's have actually kept a much more accurate version of it than we have
LiveForTheLaunch
CF Legend
Well, for english class we're reading "The Chrysalids", which is pretty lame considering the fact that we could have read something much better. But, I shouldn't speak crap about the book until I've at least gotten to page 10, so I'll shut up.
I'm also reading some library books on in off, about the death penalty and the witch trials.
I'm also reading some library books on in off, about the death penalty and the witch trials.
It's taking me ages to get through The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker. I just can't get into it, but because I'm half way through, I have to finish it.
His books usually start out really well, but, for me at least, have crap endings. Basically, I'm going to drag reading this out, just to be disappointed at the end. Probably.
His books usually start out really well, but, for me at least, have crap endings. Basically, I'm going to drag reading this out, just to be disappointed at the end. Probably.
The Great and Secret Show is one of his "meh" books. It's pretty hard work, and nothing really actually happens. It just meanders towards an ending which isn't real satisfactory. To be honest, most of his books are like that except Weaveworld and Imajica, which are essentially the same book.
The Abarat books have re-captured some of the magic though, and he does make a great children's author. It's frustrating because there are flashes of brilliance in his books, but overall, they're just frustratingly not as good as they could be :lol:
The Abarat books have re-captured some of the magic though, and he does make a great children's author. It's frustrating because there are flashes of brilliance in his books, but overall, they're just frustratingly not as good as they could be :lol:
themepark_sonic
Roller Poster
I am reading Double or die. Part of the young Bond series. It's relly good i would recommend to all Bond fans.
Slayed
Hyper Poster
:shock: I absolutely loved that book when it came out! That was 18 years ago though, maybe I should revisit it.furie said:
I've finished Barker's Arabarat 2, it's good but it does feel like he's tried to shoe-horn in so much invention that it overwhelms the book in the end. It could easily have been be broken up into more books and expanded upon, given more space to breathe. Great artwork though.
I've also read To Kill A Mocking Bird, which is well written but quite mild and a little uneventful really (it's probably heretical to diss such a classic, but meh).
Also Fat by Rob Grant, which was actually very funny (and dark at times). Some interesting things to say about commonly accepted scientific facts as well.
I'm trying to read Vellum: The Book of All Hours by Hal Duncan, but it's turned into a bit of a trudge - the guy can write, no question about that, but if he goes on once more about another parallel mythology I'll shred the damn thing and find some hamster cages to line with it. I'm on page 300 and I can't bear any more...