What Book Did You Read Last Night??? (3 Viewers)

[chris d]

just started this as well. Flowing along nicely. Nice evocative writing too.

It's a nice cup of tea and a biscuit book. It's not up there with the likes of Raymond Chandler, but nice picturing the streets the action takes place in.

Last couple

A bit 90s misery lit. Pretty good tho.

A bit silly. GET OVER IT BRO.

 

[travispickle]

I've been very remiss in my reading of late; just can't seem to stick with anything. Current read is Everything is Happening - Journey into a Painting, by Michael Jacobs. It's an investigation into Velazquez's painting Las Meninas as well as a sort of memoir. A very engaging read.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

I've been very remiss in my reading of late; just can't seem to stick with anything.

Same. My gaff is littered with half read books.

 

[travispickle]

Same. My gaff is littered with half read books.

I'm hoping it will pass. I was reading like a lunatic last year!

 

[Diddles]

@hermie is making me read this book called Nomad by James Swallow which is kind of like The Night Manager.

 

[hermie]

@hermie is making me read this book called Nomad by James Swallow which is kind of like The Night Manager.

Read some good reviews. Let me know what you think!

 

[pavlos]

Finished this during the week, probably the first 600+ page novel I've read in 10 years or so. I enjoyed it, and laughed out loud a good few times during the reading of it, which is exceedingly rare for me. Apparently it's being made into a telly show at some point in the future. Anyways, I give it four out of 5.

 

[Lili Marlene]

The War Against Cliche

kinda disappointed tbh, I was hoping it would spur strong emotions from me either of anger or mirth at his dickishness but it's mostly just well-written, very traditional reviews that all feel a little like the last gasp of a time gone by.

His stuff written when he was in his 20's is kinda embarrassing as he constantly trips over himself referring to the canon and the same 3 or 4 modern writers to let everyone know that's he is well read. When he stops giving a fuck about impressing people his writing takes an appealing turn both in clarity and insight.

My fav quote comes from the title essay about Ulysses: "Joyce could have been the most popular boy in school, the funniest, the cleverest, the kindest. He ended up with a more ambiguous distinction: he became the teacher's pet"

 

[travispickle]

Just finished Ernest Hemingway's Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises, now onto Graham Greene's Travels with my Aunt.

 

[the_jen]

Finished this during the week, probably the first 600+ page novel I've read in 10 years or so. I enjoyed it, and laughed out loud a good few times during the reading of it, which is exceedingly rare for me. Apparently it's being made into a telly show at some point in the future. Anyways, I give it four out of 5.

Oh good! Was going to start it tonight.

 

[travispickle]

Just started The Wonder by Emma Donoghue.
Reading it on the bus home last night, I was left feeling totally low brow when this guy sat beside me and whipped out The Complete Works of Arthur Rimbaud.
Prick.

 

[hugh]


For someone who likes SF I have read very little PKD. This was very good and, as everyone says, differs greatly from the famous movie that is based on it.

Only found out recently that he had some sort of insane breakdown in the early 70s involving all sorts of mystical visions and stuff and spent most of the rest of his life trying to make sense if what happened to him.

 

[hermie]

View attachment 11851 
For someone who likes SF I have read very little PKD. This was very good and, as everyone says, differs greatly from the famous movie that is based on it.

Only found out recently that he had some sort of insane breakdown in the early 70s involving all sorts of mystical visions and stuff and spent most of the rest of his life trying to make sense if what happened to him.

Yeah he deals with that in detail in his book Valis if you're interested.

 

[chris d]

Jaws - Peter Benchley

Creepy sex scene. Annoying characters. Not much Quint.

Bleurgh.

 

[travispickle]

After much torment, I've decided to start Moby Dick for the first time. Enjoying it so far.

 

[Diddles]

Read some good reviews. Let me know what you think!

Ok, I finished Nomad - only took me two months! God be with the days when I'd read a book in two nights. Anyways, it was a good yarn - it would make a good spy/action movie.

 

[magicbastarder]

haven't read it yet, but was very excited to see a new jon mcgregor novel on the shelves at the weekend - 'reservoir 13'.
his first book 'if nobody speaks of remarkable things' is one of the best novels i've read.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Good creepy shit

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

The Pearl of Khorasan: A History Of Herat by C.P.W Gammell.

Very interesting history of this city from about 1200 up to the fall of the Taliban. I got a bit bored in the middle but I wouldn't mind learning a bit more about the recent history of Afghanistan.

 

[nooleen]

i've heard a couple of episodes of a great radio programme about books recently and made note of a couple of books/authors to check out:

last week there was a whole panel of people who were pretty much evangelical about The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector

a previous programme about the publishing industry in china mentioned a hugely popular chinese sci-fi novel called The Three Body Problem

this is the programme and a couple of themed series they've done/are doing:

Past Programs by Date - Books and Arts - ABC Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

RN’s 2017 Latin American Book Club

RN's 2016 African Book Club