What Book Did You Read Last Night??? (7 Viewers)

[David Kronenbourg]

recently finished "the dream of the celt" by mario vargas llosa

what's this like?

 

[IFF]

i thought it was very good. interesting read.

 

[hugh]

Yup it's pretty much the masterpiece everyone says it is. Parts of it still pop into my head now (especially the WWII section) and I read it 6 months ago.

Yes, it's great. Though, if I had to choose one I'd go for Savage Detectives. Though, I must re-read 2666 some time. When I have time to once more read what my daughter refers to as "story-books" I'll do that.

I haven't been blown away by any of his other books though. They all seem like fragments, or sketches of parts of the two big ones.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

I found the Savage Detectives a tough oul slog. Too many voices and too many references to writers and books I'd never heard of and was unsure if said writers and books were real or invented. I lost my copy before I'd finished and haven't felt compelled to revisit it.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Just started Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. This is brilliant so far. Extremely unsettling.

 

[dunderhead]

skippy dies by Paul Murray

finally finished this last night. thought this was only alright. went on way too long. loads of characters stories told around the death of skippy. none of them were really compelling or anything. too long and tried to include too many characters and side stories etc. defo not as good as the person who recommended it to me thought anyway.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

skippy dies by Paul Murray

finally finished this last night. thought this was only alright. went on way too long. loads of characters stories told around the death of skippy. none of them were really compelling or anything. too long and tried to include too many characters and side stories etc. defo not as good as the person who recommended it to me thought anyway.

i really liked this. i thought it was hilarious if a tad overlong. i could see this being adapted into a very funny movie.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Let's Go Play at the Adam's

A babysitter awakes to find her 9 and 10 year old charges have tied her to the bed and have invited the neighbourhood kids around for a bit of sadistic fun and the parents won't be back for a week. Pretty disturbing. Based on the same real life incident which inspired Jack Ketchum's excellent Girl Next Door.

 

[IFF]

i really liked this. i thought it was hilarious if a tad overlong. i could see this being adapted into a very funny movie.

although by adapting this, you'd lose a lot of it.

 

[dunderhead]

Huddleston Rd. by John Toomey. (Wanted a quick read. about 170 pages).

man meets woman
misery ensues

 

[Jim Daniels]

The Dinner by Herman Koch

Not bad, the premise is interesting - how far would you go to protect a loved one, who committed a terrible act - but the narrator and characters are utterly unlikable. I'm sure this is deliberate on the author's part, but I don't think I've tutted out loud as often -not since I read the Slap a couple of years ago.

 

[jonah]

Yeah, I had a similar experience with The Dinner. Its tough to make a book work really well when everyone in it is pretty hateful. I had an interesting read of it, its like I was compelled to keep going, but on finishing I wasn't really sure at all whether I liked it or not.

 

[jonah]

Oh, and I'm reading a couple right now.

Hunger by Michael Grant

First in that series, I'm really enjoying it so far. It's pretty intriguing and not over written, which I like for YA stuff. It's a bit done, and doesn't have a huge amount to the whole throng of distopian teen series, despite being decently executed. But I'd still recommend it to anyone that likes this kind of stuff, its way better than most of the shite out there right now.

The Red House by Mark Haddon

Just started this one, so don't have a huge amount to weigh in so far... which makes posting this pretty redundant.

 

[jonah]

I'm a dope, I'm reading Gone, not Hunger. Because I'm a dope.

 

[rettucs]

here pete we need a retweet function on thumped

 

[rettucs]

reading Strumpet City now. Also wonderful but I have this bad feeling that its gonna get dark.

finished it. Wonderful book but the third section is so bleak.

everyone should read this. Its very pertinent to whats going on today with Croke Park and all that stuff. Its fictional, but close to the bone fictional based on true events, kinda like Famine by O'Flaherty.

Plus that shit happened around now 100 years ago.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I'll put it on the list so, I always assumed it would be completely shit.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

The Double by Jose Saramago. Good so far. Very long sentences.

 

[rettucs]

I'll put it on the list so, I always assumed it would be completely shit.

I expected it'd be a bit flowery, it being so long and it probably is in parts. The middle section skirts that fine line between dragging the arse out of things and setting the scene and suspense for when the actual lockout takes place. But the lockout part is so gripping that its worth perservering where perserverence is needed.

 

[rettucs]

The Double by Jose Saramago. Good so far. Very long sentences.

a translation from Spanish? I find long sentences to be very common in books that are translated to English from Spanish. There isn't the same flow in English and it can be hard enough to get your mind into a rhythm when you're reading.