Decent Book Suggestions - Clubhouse

07/10/2002 at 10:57

Hi Gang -- has anyone got any suggestion for reading a decent book..? I'm into pretty much anything really. I've recently just finished Dean Koontz "From the corner of his eye" and Richard Branson's Autobiography "Losing my Virginity" and I've just started Roy Strong's "The Story of Britain: A People's History". So as you can see, fiction or non-fiction, I'm not fussed.

Don Minquez

07/10/2002 at 11:01

Richard Branson's book is brill! Wouldn't it be Nice by Brian Wilson is one of the best books I've ever read! The story of the Beach boy... Very sad, but worth it!!!

07/10/2002 at 11:06

Jon -- you know what I'm finding I really like the biographical stuff. In the past I've read Houdini's, Bob Geldof, Christopher Reeve's and a few others. The Mr is a Beach Boy's fan - what with him being into surfing and all so I might give that a go as well. Ta.

Don Minquez

07/10/2002 at 11:11

American Psycho is also good, aswell as anything Hannibal Lectery! I love a good serial killer!!

Xerxes

07/10/2002 at 11:13

Looniness of Long Distance Runner is an amusing read.

Nessie

07/10/2002 at 11:18

I go through stages, just now I'm really into Patricia Cornwell and Jeffrey Deaver - both pretty tense detective thriller types and very well written. Terry Pratchett I find really really funny, but I think you have to have a very warped mind to get it.

Timeline by Michael Crichton is one which I plan to read again very soon, even though I only read it about 3 months ago.

Don Minquez

07/10/2002 at 11:20

Deadkidsongs by Toby Litt

Lord of the Rings if you have the patience

07/10/2002 at 11:23

Jon -- have read American Psycho. Um, have to say that and "Hannibal" are the only two books I've ever read that I found shall we say, uncomfortable.... especially in AP with the rat ... blech!

Pernicketty Butt -- Who is it by..?

Nessie -- I'm nor sure why but I seem to have got out of the nabit of buying Patricia Cornwell. I read some of her earlier stuff. I love Terry Pratchett - very funny but again, I seem to have missed all the latest ones. Oh and warped mind..? Very :)

07/10/2002 at 11:25

Jon -- have read LoTR - twice :) So am a patient little bunny. Although have to admit, the war and fighting sections were a bit tedious. Tom Bombadil, now he was great :) What kind of book is Deadkidsongs..? Don't much like the sound of that :)

Don Minquez

07/10/2002 at 11:26

Well, it gave me a better understanding of the human body anyway! I was shocked by the fact that I seemed to numb to the gore... worrying!

Don Minquez

07/10/2002 at 11:29

DKS is about these kids growing up in the 70's... Horrible little buggers, but it's well written. I actually hate kids now after having read it... But other than that...

07/10/2002 at 11:30

Jon -- hee! I'm a nurse and have seen inside various human bodies (alive during surgery and dead during autopsy) and even I was nearly sick!! :) You must have guts of steel!

Don Minquez

07/10/2002 at 11:34

That or a closet serial killer? would you like to see my puppies?

Barkles

07/10/2002 at 11:37

Just finishing Atonement. Good read when you get into it.

The catcher in the rye - still good after all these years.

Old Bear

07/10/2002 at 11:37

If you fancy a bit of black humour try Colin Bateman's books. His Dan Starkey series are good but my personal fave is Cycle of Violence.

Old Bear

07/10/2002 at 11:38

Love the crach helmet, Barkles!

Old Bear

07/10/2002 at 11:39

Oh my God, I'm turning scouse!

Love the CRASH helmet, Barkles!

The Dog Walker

07/10/2002 at 11:41

Hi Cath.

The looniness of a long distance runner is fabulous! It is by a guy called Russell Taylor.

I am reading Frank Skinner's autobiography at the moment and it is truly fabulous. If you like his sense of humour, you'll love it!

DW

Xerxes

07/10/2002 at 11:45

Cath: be warned Looniness...can give you a serious ache from laughing!

Mr A

07/10/2002 at 11:46

If you like Terry Pratchett, you should try Robert Rankin: OK, so the books aren't set in a fantasy setting like Discworld, but they have a similarly warped sense of humour. Considering that some of the characters in the books include Elvis, Christeen (the twin sister of Jesus, whom the Bible neglects to mention), and a time-travelling sprout named Barry, you can kind of see where he's coming from. I'd recommend starting with the Brentford Trilogy (I think there are currently five in the series).

Or, if you want something a little less skewed, try "The Dice Man" by Luke Rheinhart, which is a stunning book.

Or for some non-fiction, you could read "The Climb" by Weston DeWalt and Anatoli Boukreev, which is about the storm which killed a whole load of climbers on Everest on May 10th 1996: it clears up a lot of the, erm, "misunderstandings" (I don't want to get sued) that were propagated by certain journalists in the aftermath, and is an amazing story of one man's courage.

Or for straightforward fiction, I can highly recommend "Midnight's Children" by Salman Rushdie, which is superb.