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Books read 2017
Books read 2017
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I don't think I realised that it was fantasy when I first watched it with a friend, until the spooky stuff started
 It is a sort of medieval, political drama featuring dragons, nudity (lots of it, men will love it), wars, torture etc with a touch of the supernatural. Think house of cards meets the sopranos and the walking dead. I love it and it has won numerous awards. If you are man you would love it even more. |
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Yes, I am a man but not sure I would want to watch it. I love Pratchett, the novels but not the films which are a bit of a let-down in comparison. Might have a look at the book you mentioned, though.
Thanks, Annie  |
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I am curious, Foinavon, why would you not want to watch it? It would be much better to see the first series then read the first book.
The tv series is full of great shocks and surprises and you would miss that if you read the books first. Do you not watch television or dvds? I would understand if you did not as I do not possess a television and have never owned a dvd. I have never read Pratchett and I must admit a book about a world resting on elephants does not encourage me to read it. I don't think I have read fantasy, but after game of thrones I will give them a try, especially lord of the rings etc. |
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If you do read the books please whatever you do read them in order or you will get even more confused. There is a huge cast of characters and plots.
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Thanks, Annie, I had logged off last night before seeing your posts.
I gave up going to the cinema a long time ago since there is too much dross and the gems are few and far between. I very occasionally watch a film on TV as I know that I can turn it off if I don't like it (which usually happens). Having watched films of books, I think they are a poor substitute in the main for the book, usually being abridged and shallow, geared for sensation over any semblance of sophistication. I would rather trust my imagination to that of any film producer. When I first tried to read "The Colour of Magic", Pratchett's first book, I gave up almost immediately at the ludicrous elephants and turtle description. A few years later, a friend persuaded me to give it another go as he said I would love the humour in Pratchett's books. I read "The Colour of Magic" and loved it so much that I read most of the rest of his work. I tried to read LOTR and got stuck at Bilbo Baggins' "eleventy first birthday". How childish I thought and never picked it up again. I more recently saw some excerpt of the LOTR film and that put me off for good. Which book is the first in the series of the saga, Annie? |
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I will try to read terry pratchett at some time then, Foinavon. Now I am reading game of thrones which is billed as a fantasy I will read other 'fantasy' books.
I would like you to see the dvd first of game of thrones, but I can't twist your arm can I It is so full of brilliant shocks that to read about them first would spoil it and don't forget I saw the first series then read the book and still enjoyed it very much. Don't buy the dvd just get the first series from Cex that I think costs £8 but you will get a voucher for four pounds against something else when you take it back. Don't forget that unlike films of books, nowadays they make some into tv series which have a much longer time to tell the tale, not all squashed into 90 minutes.You are like me, I haven't been to the cinema since the showing of 'Airplane' ! It was a great film but all the noisy customers put me off. I rarely watch a film, or anything else, on tv either, but I have come late to loving box sets of great tv series. Again we agree about LOTR or was it the hobbit that I read the first few pages and gave up. I think it was a bit similar to game of thrones in that there is such a huge cast of characters that I thought I really did not have the time to read it properly. But now I will give it a go. The series by george martin is called ' a song of ice and fire' and the first book is actually titled 'game of thrones' but the other books have different names. Be careful because all the current books have lots of 'game of thrones' references on the title cover. |
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As well as the Discworld series, Pratchett wrote several stand-alone novels based on the Discworld stage the best of which being, Going Postal, Making Money and Moving Pictures. I thought these were the best of the lot.
You tempt me with the films but I don't have a DVD player, never having seen the need to buy one. There was a disk reader on my old computer but this one doesn't have one, uses memory sticks. I vaguely remember the list of names at the start of LOTR and thinking what's the point as I'll never remember them. A good author would introduce the characters one or two at a time. There is a Tolkien centre near where I live as he spent part of his childhood here and was said to have been inspired during walks in the local woodland. Whether that's true or not I've no idea. Haven't noticed any Hobbits wandering around there myself. |
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I've bought the first book Annie, £4-74 kindle edition. I had a sneak look at the sample and it seems well written. I won't start it immediately as I'm in the middle of a couple of others but will post my impression of it on here eventually.
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I feel guilty now making you spend money on something you might not like. Perhaps because you have not seen the series you might not like it so much. When I read it I identify with the people playing the parts on screen, so maybe you get to like the writing more.
I am like you and have never bought a dvd player and have hardly watched any series on tv for years, but having box sets of entire series and watching them together is different. You enjoy them more, no more waiting a week to see the next episode and then possibly missing it because you are doing something else. Have you seen 'Breaking Bad' it is brilliant. I am now catching up on all the GOOD tv I have missed. I still read a lot and enjoy it, but also play poker and watch dvds of tv series. |
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No reason to Annie, I flagged the price because I thought it was cheap.
I'm catching up too as I had little to no time for myself during my working life. I haven't seen "Breaking Bad" as I don't watch much TV and much of that is documentaries. What's it about? I do spend several hours a day reading, more during the winter when my garden is dormant so I'm catching up fast. Books are a cheap commodity which gives huge amounts of pleasure, the cost is of no consequence to me. If one doesn't click I forget it and move on to the next. If you are enjoying life, then you are doing the right things. Good luck with the poker. |
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I think it is best to not know about good tv series before you watch it, so I won't say anything about breaking bad, only to say it is regularly voted among the top ten tv series of all time.
goodnight |
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OK, I'll have a look. Which channel is it on and when?
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Sorry, Foinavon, I saw it as a box set of dvds, but it could be on tv, sky, netflix, amazon and of course dvds that you can rent from Cex. Although if it is on tv then it will probably be out of order and it must be viewed in order from the start.
I was like you and did not watch dvds, but now I think I will not bother with tv and just watch box sets. The first season of breaking bad is only £2 from Cex, which are in over 350 stores or buy online from them or amazon or ebay. Dvd players are only about £20. What kind of tv have you like watching in the past? |
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I watch documentaries, especially science and history based and the main quiz shows like University Challenge, Only Connect, Mastermind, 15 to 1 etc. I watch all the cricket there is on TV as that's my betting medium and there's occasionally a programme on Sky Arts that I might find interesting but I don't bother with anything else. I'm not one for spending hours watching drama, I would rather spend the time reading or drawing and painting or outside if the weather is good.
Thanks for the information Annie, I'll start the first GOT book soon and let you know how I get on.I'm in the middle of a collection of short stories about the French Foreign Legion by P C May of Beau Geste fame at the moment. Not much depth to them but they transport you to a different time and different places as varied as North African desert, muddy French Indochinese jungle during the monsoon and Marseilles in the sun at the turn of the last century.An enjoyable read. |
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* P C Wren
 Why do I have May on the brain? |
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From what you have said, Foinavon, you probably won't like game of thrones and breaking bad then. But I liked 15 to 1, Mastermind, Universiy Challenge etc when I had a tv and love historical fiction novels especially Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel. I must see the box set of Wolf Hall.
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Anyone here read Kill Your Friends by John Niven? Music industry satire is superb, though the rest does read like a Bret Easton Ellis. Fascinating fact is that the hotmail address which appears on the final pages is actually my email address.
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Nothing to Envy, Award-winning journalist Barbara Demick's eye-opening account of the struggles of six ordinary citizens of North Korea as they attempt to escape their arduous existence. Many of you will have read this already, but it's well worth a read for anyone who hasn't, or anyone that may have had their interest piqued by the strange events seen on the News recently. currently available on Kindle at £1.89.
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Donald Ray Pollock... brilliant. Just finished his third offering, "The Heavenly Table". Fabulous characters, brutal settings and a story which keeps you hooked til the end. Beverley Hill Billies meet Deliverance meet Southern Comfort meet whatever drugged up, incestuous, in-bred trip through the bits of America Obama and Clinton never knew existed... and probably still exists. Buy it!!!
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Desert Island Disc reads....
Berlin Noir... Philip Kerr (3 books actually, but his best 3 so far) Lonesome Dove... Larry McMurty (Charles Dickens would have died for these characters) The Devils Disciples... Antony Read (how the hell did Hitler succeed?) Place of Greater Safety... Hilary Mantel (French Revolutionary excellence) |
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Let the old dreams die - John Ajvide Lindqvist
It is a book of short stories from the author of 'let the right one in' that was turned into a swedish horror film and then remade by the americans. It was okay but maybe I am not a fan of short stories. I have to admit I skim read the last few stories so they might have been terrific. I agree about 'Place of greater safety' , GoldenVision, if that is the only french revolution one by hilary mantel, as I have forgotten what the book I read was called. Did you read 'Wolf Hall' and 'Bring up the Bodies' by her? I loved them. |
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Working my way through the Ed McBain 87th Precinct series. On about 38 of 52(?). Of their time and most wonderfully non-pc (though honourable in intention) but an entertaining way of spending time before the grave. Interesting to consider how many books will be consigned to oblivion because of causing offence to parties waiting to be offended.
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Also re-reading The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov. Read it in the late 60s - and remember almost nothing. Seems so aware of recent censorship/group-think. Hard to imagine he wrote to Stalin and Stalin wrote back. Another godawful censorship situation (with guaranteed death if Joseph not amused). And his version of St Matthew's gospel will not appeal to the Christians on here. Surprisingly modern.
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A Storm of Swords, part two - Blood and Gold by George R R Martin. The continuing saga of 'game of thrones'.
I like reading these books and this one did not disappoint. As said before I am watching the series and then reading the books, so maybe I am enjoying them more as I know more about what is going on - the plot runs to many, many characters, families etc. Also you get to like some of the characters in the film so you enjoy exploring more of their characters in the books, if you get my meaning. |
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Where do you peeps find the time ... i'll have to start a thread titled 'Food cooked 2017'
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Last book I started reading was 'Mastery by Robert Greene' started in 2015 & haven't quite finished it yet!
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The Pale Criminal - Philip Kerr 6/10
Bestie - Joe Lovejoy 8/10 George VI - Sarah Bradford 7/10 Time For Heroes - Ted Brack 7/10 March Violets - Philip Kerr 7/10 Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 6/10 Park Drive Book Of Football 1968/9 10/10 A German Requiem - Philip Kerr 7/10 Hunt Vs Lauda - Paul Fearnley 9/10 The Dikler and His Circle - Mary Comyns Carr 10/10 3.59.4 The Quest For The 4 Minute Mile - Bob Philips 8/10 The People vs O J Simpson - Jeffrey Toobin 10/10 The Devil's Star - Jo Nesbo 8/10 |
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When Prophecy Fails: A Social and Psychological Study of a Modern Group that Predicted the Destruction of the World
This book was brought to my attention on another thread. An interesting read and a fascinating insight although a bit repetitive at times. I would have liked to have seen more analysis of the psychological states of the cult members but realise that this wasn't really feasible within the scope of the study. |
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* When Prophesy Fails, by Leon Festinger.
I've just read the first chapter of Bulgakov's book, Bodil. Very well written and rather weird, I think I will enjoy this one. |
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Some great tips on where to find my next read here, thanks all. I'm currently reading INSIDE MR ENDERBY, one of Anthony Burgess' early and very funny efforts before he went all grandiose
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sixtwosix - you've just read the first 3 Bernie Gunther novels (Philip Kerr). A very fine series. No 12 is out April 4th - and I'll even fork out the outrageous amount the publishers want for a kindle version.
Equally good are the Aurelio Zen novels by Michael Dibdin. They finished at 11 (hard to believe the author has been dead for a decade). The BBC did a pretty good adaptation of a couple with Rufus Sewell as Zen but cancelled the series because they thought they needed "more female detectives". I think Zen originally came from Venice. From which we have the Donna Leon Brunetti series. No 26 out soon. Also excellent. They've certainly fared better than Venice itself, whose corruption and decline is mirrored in the books. |
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Bodil , murder mystery and the Third Reich , sounded like a good book before even reading.
I think I have read five of them now , slightly out of sequence. |
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Post Office.......Charles Bukowski 8/10
Anyone Can Do It....Duncan Bannatyne 7/10 Surely You're Joking Mr Feynmann....Richard Feynmann 8/10 This Is London.............Ben Judah 8/10 |
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I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hays a good thriller if somewhat overlong well worth a read
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Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
What to make of this book? It seems plain that it begins with a love affair between two men, but as this is the 1920s when homosexuality is illegal, is it? I think it is because the affair is between two men who have gone to private school, say no more, wink, wink. But then the affair dissolves and the narrator ends up marrying a woman who he dislikes and children he cannot be bothered to see, divorcing her and then trying to marry another but can't. I did not like the characters and especially the narrator. I wanted to scream 'man up' several times as they all are practically wimps and up themselves. Snobbish twits the lot of them. The poor dears cannot cope with gorgeous homes and loads of money, whilst the working class has to work all hours to keep them in style. I do not vote labour, but if I had read this book in 1945 I might have |
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Anyone read James Robertson's "The Testament of Gideon Mack"?
I'n rereading it now, utterly fantastic book. |
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Good review Annie and the reason I don't read that style of literature. Homosexuality between men certainly was illegal in the 1920s although not the case for women.(iirc)
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Thanks, Foinavon
I don't read that style of literature as a rule, but as it is supposed to be a 'classic' I thought I would see what all the fuss was about. Not much, in my opinion. It reminded me of a upper class 'mills and boon', although I hasten to add I think I have only read one 'mills and boon' in my teenage years and that was enough! I read somewhere that female sexuality was not illegal because Queen Victoria did not think women could possibly do it. I can assure her they can! |
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Yup
 A lot of the literature of the Victorian age seems to be about the shenanigans of the upper crust, perhaps because the writers were describing the milieu they knew best. Maybe it was the Mills and Boone of the age but I couldn't possibly comment. |
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My thoughts exactly, Foinavon.
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